Created from Self-Giving Love

I asked a parishioner why her husband didn’t come to Mass with her. She said he doesn’t really believe in God anymore; it’s hard for him to believe in God when he sees all the evil in the world. She didn’t know how to answer his questions. Many of us probably know someone who feels this way. I often hear from former Catholics that the evil in the world is a major reason why they no longer believe. So let’s tackle this question.

First of all, it’s helpful to clarify with the person what he means when he uses the word “evil”. There are lots of “bad things” that happen to people. We notice physical evils: natural disasters, sickness, strokes, etc.. Then we notice evils that are rooted in some kind of accident: car crashes, house fires, someone slipping on ice and busting his head, falling off a cliff, etc. Thirdly, we notice evils that are a result of evil choices made by people: murder, adultery, rape, war, gang violence, genocide, etc. Some of these overlap. Are snake bites a sort of natural disaster or an accident? Starving children can be the result of natural disasters, accidents (a parent died) or evil choices (war and human conflict often contributes to hunger).

Now we have to admit that the world is a beautiful place, but it can be very cruel. So, what does your friend or family member imagine a world without evil would be like? Would “bad things” never happen? Is it a world without cancer? Without child abuse? Without war? Is he thinking the world should be some kind of playground where you can only play in the fenced area, where monitors stop all bullying, and if you slip and fall you magically never get hurt? Most of us would admit that eliminating every possible kind of hurt and suffering would also take away the fun and adventure that we experience. It is fun to drive fast, but it also comes with risk. Knowing that, drivers realize they have a responsibility to use their privileges responsibly. We even have a licensing system; someone has to prove he will drive responsibly and he will lose the privilege of driving if he abuses it. Would it be OK if people were hurt but never killed? Or is it that we want to use our freedom however we want, even if that might put other people at risk, but we resent when other people use their freedom in a way that puts us at risk? It’s worth asking what kind of evils your friend objects to, and how he would like the world to be.

If you read the first two chapters of Genesis, you will notice what appears to be a happy and peaceful playground. Adam and Eve are running around naked and unafraid. They don’t have to protect themselves from outside danger or from one another, and they don’t need to worry about where their next meal is coming from.  They have the same kind of innocence that we see in little children. The Bible wants us to realize that child-like innocence is God’s original plan for humanity.  We were created from self-giving love. So what went wrong?
 

Trapped in Self-Centeredness

From the Exodus 90 website:

“For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)
It is normal for men to be distracted, addicted, and enslaved by so many things today. Alcohol. Pornography. Social media. Sports. Gambling. Work. Comparison. Achievement. Wealth. Legacy. It is so normal, in fact, that society’s stereotypes of men are often associated with the very idols that plague them.
What is uncommon in our time is men who are free. A free man is not a perfect man but one who remembers who he is: a son of God whom God has called forth for love. And he knows how much more he can become by the power of grace unfolding in his life over time. Through contemplative prayer, men open up to a vulnerable relationship with God. Through asceticism, men grow in the power to say “no” to the common things of the world that hold them back. Through fraternity, men have the essential support, encouragement, and mercy of other men striving after the same uncommon ideals.
The freedom of the uncommon man, the Exodus man, is not for its own sake. The world defines freedom as the ability to do whatever you want, whenever you want, with whomever you want. True freedom is for commitment, sacrifice, and love. Like Jesus on the Cross, the free man takes up his life and then lays it down for others. What is returned to him is a life of meaning, integration, and eternal satisfaction.

We often think of freedom as the ability to do whatever we want, unshackled by the imposition of any sort of morality or anyone else’s will. “I just want to be me.” “You do you.” “You can be whatever you want to be.” “Don’t impose your morality on me.” “Freedom!” What we don’t realize is that the free will we have received comes directly from the fact that we were created from self-giving love. God gave us free will so that we could freely choose to love. He could have created creatures that just loved, gave, and served out of pure instinct. But in order to really be loved, we have to choose to accept God’s love. Loving another is a free choice. “If you can’t say ‘No’, your ‘Yes’ means nothing.” We have to be free to not love in order for our love to actually have meaning.

So here’s the problem. We live in a world where selfish behavior has become the norm. Many of those who should love us are instead looking out for themselves. This hurts us, makes us feel defensive, and causes us to often respond with selfish behavior. “I need to take care of myself,” we think. Not only is selfishness not fulfilling, but also leads to slavery. When I choose to love, my freedom increases. When I choose sin and selfishness, my freedom decreases. We become trapped in self-centeredness. “Everyone who commits sin becomes a slave to sin” (John 8:34). Our freedom has decreased to the point of slavery; we cannot free ourselves. We need to wait, watch, and pray for a savior. We need someone who is truly free to come rescue us.

Rescued by Self-Sacrifice

St. Joseph is often invoked as the patron of a happy death. It is thought that his death happened before the events of Easter, and therefore both Jesus and Mary would have been at his bedside as he took his last breath. Can you think of a more peaceful and holy death than Jesus on one side of your bed and Mary on the other? I can’t, which is why Catholics traditionally pray to St. Joseph for the grace of a happy death. If you look in the back of SS. Mary and Hyacinth church, you will see a statue of the Death of Joseph.

In contrast to a happy death, there are many terrible ways to die. But here’s a new one you probably haven’t thought of: Thomas Vander Woude, age 66 of Nokesville, VA, died from drowning in a septic tank. Frankly, that stinks! But before we judge someone, it’s always good to get the full story:

On Sept. 8, 2008, Thomas was working with his 20-year-old son, “Josie” (Joseph), who has Down syndrome, on their property, when he heard a crack. Joseph had fallen through the cover of a septic tank and began to drown. Thomas plunged into the sewage, and for 15 minutes, he lifted his son’s head above the filthy waters. When emergency officials arrived on the scene, they pulled both father and son out. The younger Vander Woude was taken to the hospital and survived with no permanent effects. But his dad — a devout Catholic, a military and commercial pilot, and a local basketball coach — was pronounced dead. Grieving friends and family said it didn't surprise them that such a selfless act had claimed Tom’s life.

What a man! There is nothing more manly than self-sacrifice. And this is almost literally what Jesus did for us. He saw us drowning in the toxic filth of our sinfulness and he jumped in to save us, while he himself drowned. In our case, Jesus’ act is even more selfless, because we climbed into the septic tank on purpose, when our Dad told us not to. We may have wandered into sin innocently at first, but we have been making the conscious effort to go back to it again and again. The more we sin, the less free we become. Jesus warns us, “Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not continue in the house for ever; the son continues for ever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:31-36)

We were created from self-giving love,  but we got ourselves trapped in self-centeredness. Sin and selfishness turn us into pretty nasty people. We are not exactly that innocent, sweet child with Down’s. But Jesus jumps in anyway! St. Paul says: “While we were yet helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man—though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8) Despite our filthiness, and the fact that we did it to ourselves, Jesus doesn’t hesitate. “Greater love has no man than this, to lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) We are rescued by self-sacrifice.

Called into Self-Giving Love

Good Christian men rejoice with heart and soul and voice!
Give ye heed to what we say: News! News!
Jesus Christ is born today!
Ox and ass before Him bow and He is in the manger now.
Christ is born today! Christ is born today!

Good Christian men rejoice with heart and soul and voice!
Now ye need not fear the grave: Peace! Peace!

Jesus Christ was born to save.
Calls you one and calls you all to gain His everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save! Christ was born to save!

What was Christ born to save us from? The first three chapters of the Book of Genesis explain where humans came from, why God made us, and why there is evil in the world. The Bible shows us a happy and peaceful paradise. Adam and Eve are running around naked and unafraid. They don’t have to protect themselves from outside danger or from one another, and they don’t need to worry about where their next meal is coming from. They trust their Father to protect them and provided for them.We were created from God’s self-giving love, and child-like innocence is God’s original plan for humanity.

But we weren’t content to be obedient children. We had to go and eat the one thing that was off limits (Genesis 2:16-17). Consequently, Adam and Eve were expelled from paradise into the cold, cruel world outside. Humanity forgot we had a Father. We started hoarding treasures, beating up other children and taking their stuff, trying to survive as long as we could and killing one another to keep ourselves safe. The human race became trapped in self-centeredness and self-protection.

However far we wandered, we have never left Our Father’s backyard. And he has never stopped caring for his children. When the time had come, God sent his Son, Jesus, as a little baby. Jesus came to teach us that we are God’s children and Our Father still loves us. God wants us to come home to Our Father’s house. We responded by rejecting Jesus, beating him up, killing him, and taking his stuff. That’s what happens when people don’t protect themselves.

But God did protect His Son—he raised him from the dead. Jesus’ death is a sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the whole world. We are rescued by self-sacrifice. Jesus shows us a different way to live. Instead of trying to live for ourselves, we are meant to live for others. Instead of trying to get my way all the time, I will find more happiness as a child who obeys his Heavenly Father. The very best part is this: He wasn’t just Emmanuel, “God-with-us”, for one brief period of history. Jesus is “God-with-us” right now! Jesus asks us to welcome him into our hearts and our homes. Let him lead you back to child-like innocence. When Jesus is with us, the peace, joy, and love of Christmas settles deep into our hearts. Imagine carrying Christmas joy in your heart all year! This is what will happen when you chose to obey God’s will in your life. Christ was born to save you from self-centeredness and call you to self-giving love. Why wait any longer? Give your life to Jesus today!

Sent to Help Rescue Others

A week before Christmas, All Saints Catholic School put on two showings of their annual Christmas Concert. The music teacher, Mr. Larsen, not only wrote the play himself but also wrote original music to accompany it. Some of the children had special roles in the play, while others just sang along with the parts assigned to their class. Each child dressed up in his “Christmas Best”, which was delightfully unique. They had spent hours practicing the songs (and driving their parents crazy singing them at home). Everyone did a truly wonderful job and the performance was inspiring. Even if you don’t have children or grandchildren at All Saints, I encourage you to try and attend one of the performances next year.

Imagine for a moment the same play, but no one was listening to the director. They were all trying to be the star of the show, and they were each trying to get everyone else to be their supporting actors. There would be chaos, frustration, anger, hurt feelings, depression, and a lot of giving up. Read that sentence again. Does it sound at all like modern life? Bishop Barron calls this game the “Ego-drama”. We are all born thinking we are the center of the universe. We think we must pull off a play that is written, directed, produced and starring, “Yours Truly.” The Ego-drama is the source of endless drama!

The basic message of the Bible is that God has written a great cosmic play, the great “Theo-drama.” The Holy Spirit is the director, Jesus is the real star of the show and Mary is the “Best Supporting Actress.” We each have an important roll to play, one that perfectly suits our gifts and talents. Our part matters! But we “steal the show” precisely by not trying to steal the show! The more you accept who God created you to be, the more you do what God directs you to do, the more your roll will bless others and bless yourself.

Here is the basic plot outline of the great Theo-drama. First, we were created from God’s self-giving love, and child-like innocence is God’s original plan for humanity.  But we weren’t content to be obedient children. We all tried to be the producer, director, and star of the show. And the result was, we all became trapped in self-centeredness and self-protection. Then the real star stepped onto the stage. Jesus listens to the Director (his Dad) and gives a perfect performance of self-giving love. We are rescued by self-sacrifice. Jesus invites us to follow him by letting the Holy Spirit live in our hearts and direct our lives. We are called into self-giving love. First, we need to learn to accept His love and remain in his love. Then from that place of being loved, we go out and love others. We are sent to help rescue others. Rescuing others does not mean we tell them what terrible sinners they are. It means we love them as Jesus loves us; our souls magnify the Lord. Then we coach them to let Jesus be the star, let go of control, listen to the Holy Spirit and learn to be the beloved little children of God that they were created to be. The family is the perfect place to start practicing our mission.

Peace and Christmas joy,
+Fr. Joel Sember

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