October 21,
2007
How
Fast is God?
Boo!
Each year I hear a debate about whether Halloween is evil, good or morally
neutral. Consider this:
The word “Halloween” means “All Hallow’s Eve”
-- the night before All Saints Day. So the #1 thing to consider is that
if you want to celebrate Halloween, be sure to go the distance -- don’t
stop before getting to church for All Saint’s Day. It’s
still one of the “holy days of obligation” and if we don’t
celebrate the Saints in our lives, then we’ve stripped Halloween
of its ultimate goodness.
Second, watch what the kids are wearing. Scary, fun, and wacky costumes
bring lots of merriment. But there are some costumes that you couldn’t
imagine Jesus or Mary ever wearing -- so why would a follow of Jesus
wear that?
Finally, how much money is being spent on Halloween compared with what
we share with those in need?
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Past Columns:
October 14: Who says thank
you?
October 7: Sacrament of
Charity
September 30: This Old Gazebo
September 23: Missing Sheep
September 16: Speaking English
September 9: He's baaaack!
August 26: The Narrow Gate
August
19: Comings & Goings
August 12: Mass Schedule
Change
August 5: Better Late Than
Never
July 29: Sunday in the Chapel
July 15: Celebrating Kelly
July
8: I'm so not dead yet
July 1: Worse than Raccoons
June 24:Sommertime
June 17: Celebrating
Fr Cine
June 10: When Nature Turns
June 4:Celebrating Father
Jim
May 27: Praying in Tongues
May 20: Making (up) the
difference
May 13: Loving our Mothers
May 6: About Father George
April 29: Hearing Voices
April 22:Three Stones
April 15: What a week!
April 8: Alleluia! Alleluia!
April 1: Holy Week
March 25: Climate Change
March 18: Take A Step
March 11: Cold Enough for
You?
March 4:Stocking the Shelves
Feb 25: Basket Case
Feb18: Ashes and Desert
Dust
Feb11: Get Ready, Get Set,
REST!
Feb.4: Lent Lurking
Jan.28:Catholic Schools
Week
Jan.21:Crying in Church
Jan.14: Love ahead
Jan.7: So How
Was Your Christmas?
Columns
from 2005
Columns
from 2004
Columns from
2003
Columns from 2002
First,
let me start with a disclaimer that I’m not having a crisis of faith.
I didn’t want you to come to the wrong conclusion when you read
this. But I’m mystified.
In today’s Gospel (Luke 18:1-8), Jesus contrasts God with the corrupt
judge who only does the right thing because a widow badgers him each day
to handle her case. Jesus then asks, “Will not God then secure the
rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be
slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done
for them speedily.”
I’m sorry Jesus, but I’m
not seeing that. There are lots of people who are praying day and night
and it seems that God is slow to answer. Now I’m not talking about
our “misguided prayers” -- let’s face it, we’ve
all prayed for the “wrong thing” now and again. In those cases,
God has given us something beyond what WE wanted. And it was a better
blessing than we could have imagined. And sometimes getting a “quick
answer” from God is not the best thing. A slowly developed relationship
with God can be much more fruitful than concluding that God is our personal
genie who is there to do our bidding.
I’m referring to the long-suffering
folks who live in crushing poverty, or are afflicted painful diseases,
or who face the terror of abuse each day -- whether in their families
or in war-inflicted lands. Why does it take so long, Lord, to make things
right? Why do some people die before their good and noble prayers are
answered? Where is this speedy justice you promise?
Now if you think I’ll reveal
a neat ending to this inquiry by the bottom of this paragraph, I’m
sorry to disappoint you. I don’t know really know how to match Jesus’
promise with our life’s experience. There are a load of platitudes
that try to sidestep this dilemma (“God’s time is not our
time...” “God won’t give you more than you can handle...”)
but they don’t really work for me when I see meaningless suffering.
If you struggle with these same kinds of questions, at least you know
you’re not alone. We’re in this search together.
