Into the Sacred Hills of Jade

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Wednesday, May 30 2018

Our Father who abides in heavenly places, hallowed be Your name. Your Realm is coming upon the earth, so may Your wishes and ways be done on earth as it is in heaven. – Matthew 6:9,10 (my paraphrase)

“Hallowed” is defined as to declare sacred or holy, or to honor as holy; to be held in reverence and respect.  “Hallowed” is an old English word that meant holy.  Somewhat paradoxically we find it in the occasion of “Halloween”.  But even there it refers to the liturgical calendar’s notation …”the evening prior to the holy day of All Saints Day, the day which remembers the holy ones made so by Christ.”

Today, I offer that we are to live hallowed lives so that we are involved in the hallowing of this earth with the presence of God, and wherever God abides is then a heavenly place.

Wherever God abides is a holy place, whether it be in a moment, in a heart, in an act of mercy, in an act of charity, in a thought, in a prayer, in a touch.  If God truly does abide within us as we are taught by Christ, if God truly abides among us as we are taught by Christ, then wherever God abides is a heavenly place.  And yet … how much of our words, attitudes, actions truly have the feel of Heaven.

What is the Realm of God, this new kingdom of God?  It is the hallowing of this earthly existence with ways that are filled with heavenly quality.

Oh, we have a long way to go until heaven and earth are one … but on this day I will with God’s help, do my part.

Always in Christ’s Service,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you go into much detail on who much one ought to tithe even seeds for seasoning, but have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. – Matthew 23:23

Christ speaks to the matter of selective righteousness that allows a seemingly devout person to declare himself or herself “righteous”; more specifically, the selective righteousness that leads to lack of perspective, priority, and proportionality.

You could characterize the scribes as the Bible teachers of the day and the Pharisees as the reactionary religious souls of those times.  And in the practice and methodology of both of these religious groups, Christ pointed out a sinfulness cloaked in sacred garb.

In our present times, we see this sacred sinfulness in those who are zealots for this moral issue or that moral issue yet give little regard to the weightier matters of mercy and faithfulness.  By being zealous on this issue or that issue, issues that usually are not applicable to themselves, they think that makes them the righteous ones.  No, by their selectivity of certain concerns, they make themselves the self-defined, self-righteous ones.  And by the emphatic “Woe to you!” we can sense that this issue of selective righteousness was of desperate concern.

I find this sin of selective righteousness that leads to self-righteousness is running rampant in our times.  And I believe it brings woe to the spirit of Christ.

The weightier matters of mercy and faithfulness … they do not produce the sins of arrogance, bigotry, judgmentalism done all in the name of the Lord.

In Christ’s Service always,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz

Daily Devotional

Monday, May 28, 2018

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. – John 15:13

As is my tradition, today I will slowly walk among the ranks of grave markers at the nearby National Cemetery.    I will pause and pray for those whose names are etched upon those markers.  I will note how peaceful is this place.  I will choke back the tears when I think of the horror some of these souls had known.  I will give thanks for their service and their sacrifice.  And once in a while, I will hear ten thousand voices whisper, “We died to make the peace so that war would be no more.”

So I, one of those numbered among those who survived, I give my life in quest of the peace, the enduring peace, for which they so many made such sacrifice.  No, to honor them is not to fight yet another war … but to preserve the peace for which they prayed would come.

Always in Christ’s Service,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Friday, May 25, 2018

So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. – Matthew 6:34

Remember those reassuring words of Christ when he taught us to take time to consider how the Providence of God cares for both the birds of the air and the lilies in the field?  As Christ often does … He encapsulates the meaning of the teaching with a closing, emphatic statement.  Those birds and the providential seeds tossed by the Hand of God, those lilies graced in gowns designed by the Lord’s Eye, all comes down to being Present in the Providence of this Day and to deal with its particular troubles.  “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”  

It has happened to me and I am quite confident it has happened to you … certain days are lost because the regrets of the past and the worries about tomorrow have stolen away the hours and energies of the present day.  And in so allowing this intrusion by past regrets and future worries, the present day possibilities are too often pushed aside.  And this squandering of this day only weakens both our memories and our dreams.

Christ knew and I have come to know that living in the Present Moment is a more difficult challenge than most realize.  Present-Moment-Living requires focused attention to each breath, to each breeze, to each passer-by, to each note of the singing of the birds and the city.  Present-Moment-Living requires intentional beholding so that one might see what one first fails to see.  Present-Moment-Living requires deep listening so that one might hear the thoughts behind the words an eventually the soul behind the thoughts.  Present-Moment-Living requires opening the doors that suddenly appear and gazing into the places where the wonders are found.

Oh, Christ knew and I have lived long enough that it is certainly true.  Each day will have its challenges, but only a day’s worth.  And a day’s worth of challenges we can manage.  And in the living well and faithfully this present day, to be truly present where God is present, is to enrich one’s past and to enlighten one’s future.

Always in Christ’s Service,

Fr. CHaritas de la Cruz

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Where are we headed?

Christ taught, “The Realm of God of which I speak will be as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and after many days, the seed would sprout and grow, not fully understanding how this happens.  You must understand that Creation produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain.   It is only then when the grain is full grown and read that the harvest will come.” – Mark 4:26-29

Creation was designed to mature.  We see it nature and if we allow this maturation to take place in our humanity, there as well.  As individuals, the Lord placed within us the potentiality to mature.  And as societies, the Lord has given us this same potential, yet we so often fight against this impetus to mature.

This maturation process placed within Creation includes the maturation of human understanding, the maturation of our knowledge, the maturation of our wisdom, our maturation of our sense of justice, the maturation of the understanding of what it takes for there to be well-being as individuals, as communities, as cultures.  All of Creation is like that seed first planted … it is designed and destined to grow and mature.  At least, that was and is the Creator’s intention … but oh how humanity sometimes is reluctant to mature.

Faith, true and pure faith, is not about preserving the past but about moving toward the future.  Faith is not about being imprisoned in ancient understandings but being liberated to gain further understanding.  Faith is not about the return to the lesser life in Egypt but about the courageous journey to promised lands.

I am now sixty-seven years of age and I realize that I have much left to learn and in many ways, I am still maturing.  Like Moses standing on the mountain gazing over into the Promised Land, I can see the maturation of humankind.  That is … if we cherish the processes of maturation God has placed within our Creation and not retreat or regress into our former ways.

In Christ’s Service always,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz

Dispatches from Fr. Charitas

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Why do I take some controversial stands that I do?  Is it to be belligerent, to be contrarian, to be arrogant?  No … in this season of my life, I am keenly aware that I will soon stand before my Lord, and as I stand there I want to stand as a man of truth, an honest man, a man of integrity and authenticity, a man with a conscience deemed clear by the Lord.

I choose not stand before God as a clever man, a famous man, even a successful man judged so by standards other than the Lord’s.  I seek to stand before God as a man who sought wisdom, a man who sought to the humble servant, a man who fulfilled as best as he could even with God’s help the Lord’s dream for me in His creation of me.

In these last few miles of my journey with the Lord, I have no allegiance other than my allegiance to Christ Himself, no allegiance to a sectarian doctrine, no allegiance to an organization or a party, no allegiance to the approval of the crowd… only an allegiance to Christ Himself.

I no longer seek to be an ambitious man nor an influential, well-known man.  Rather I seek to be a faithful man, a godly man, a man who fully understands that I will stand before the Lord to accountable for my faithfulness to the truth as best as I with God’s help could discern the truth.

I no longer feel the need to impress my peers nor to prove my worth to my overseers.  I no longer feel the need to placate the critics nor to be liked by the crowd.  With the rest of my days … I simply want to be an honest man seeking with God’s help to live a holy life.

Will I persuade my critics?  Maybe, one or two.  Will I win the favor of those who choose to judge me?  I doubt it.  Will I be embraced by those who choose to reject me?  Probably not.  But I will be able to stand before my Lord in that Day.

Always in Christ’s Service,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Wednesday,  May 23, 2018

Is Christ being portrayed accurately in our times?

And Christ said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. – Luke 9:23

Tis the great change in course in one’s life when one becomes a follower of Christ, one is no longer the center of the universe, now Christ is at the center.  At least, He ought to be, but often this is not the case with those who claim Christ as their Lord.  Too much ego, too much pride, too much placing one’s self at the center of all things.

We live in an age of “Ego”.  We are urged to be the winner, to be the star, to be the greater than those lesser souls.  We measure the success of our lives in getting ahead, in rising to the top, in making a name for one’s self.  Far too often, we only see the world from our own perspective.  Far too often, we try to control the world to meet our interests.  This is the religion of the demi-god named “Ego” and not the Way of Christ.

Contrary to how Christ is falsely portrayed by those who try to sell a self-serving Gospel, Christ was and is an internationalist.  There is not a Christian nation but only a Christian Realm.  The Providence of the Lord extends beyond Man-made borders.  In Christ, we have concern for brothers and sisters all around the world, their well-being is as important as my own, possibly even more so.

Contrary to how Christ is falsely portrayed by those who try to sell an ego-satisfying Gospel, Christ was and is a humanitarian.  People were not pawns on a cosmic-chessboard, but were the equally cherished sheep in one flock and the equally cherished flocks under one Shepherd.  Individuals mattered.  The dignity of the individual mattered.  The needs of the individual mattered.  The significance of the individual mattered.  Christ was not merely about Divine Love, but about Divine Love, humanly expressed.

Contrary to how Christ is falsely portrayed by those who try to sell the faith as a means of sanctified greed and self-centeredness, Christ was and is a humble servant.  They called Him King but he declined a crown of gold and accepted a crown of thorns.  They called Him Master and Lord but He chose to wash the feet of His disciples whom He embraced as Friends.  They called Him the Son of God yet He emptied Himself…“He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” (Philippians 2:7)

We find ourselves in a society that is more devoted to the demigods Ego and Pride than to humble servant who offered Himself in Love for all people no matter their nation, their ethnicity, their status.  And our society is suffering from the consequences of a false portrayal of Christ.

Always in His Service,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz

DISPATCHES FROM FR. CHARITAS

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

The seductive yet sinister nature of what the early Church referred to as anti-Christ was that it claimed to be the true Christ.  The anti-Christ is successful because it can persuade well-intentioned people to give allegiance to a lesser Christ, a Christ more palatable to the cultural seductions of wealth, fame, and worldly power.  The anti-Christ is an easy sale for its exploits the sins of pride and arrogance, offering everything, demanding nothing.  The anti-Christ in all his forms flourishes in a world of shallow thinking, ongoing frustration, and self-indulgence.  The anti-Christ demands its own form of logic not matter how illogical it may seem, its definition of truth, able to convince the followers that which seems to be true is actually false and that what false is actually true.  The anti-Christ hypnotizes his followers that they no longer can see the evil in the anti-Christ, instead seeing delusions of goodness.

The Bible not only speaks of “the anti-Christ” but also of the many “anti-Christs” for this seduction of souls has come many times during the history of the Church and the world.  Tragically, the spirit of anti-Christ expressed itself not openly as something atheistic or against God, but rather by wolves who first deceived and then deluded and finally will devour the sheep of the flock.  The anti-Christ also claims to be at work in the name of God.  This is why the anti-Christ is so successfully seditious.

Then how can we possibly discern who anti-Christ and who is truly of Christ?  The anti-Christ will now and then expose its hidden agenda.  Beneath the surface he will tempt nations to war, he will abandon the poor, he will rage especially when he fears he being exposed, he will be mean-spirited, he will not have the quality of spirit you would find in the person of Christ, he will pay a higher allegiance to the Caesar and to Mammon, to political power and to money than to the work of redeeming the world through mercy and grace.

Always in Christ’s Service,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

What are the limits of mercy?

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” – Luke 23:34

These noble words of Christ are not in all the ancient manuscripts.  Either they were added at a later date, or they were deleted for some unknown reason to correct the text.  The Gospels are dotted with these moments when either words were added or words were deleted.  For some, this reality of ancient versions of the scriptures may be unnerving.  But not for me.  I believe it leaves a trace of Christian mortals like myself trying as best they can to get it right.

If this prayer of mercy for His executioners was not first included, its addition emphasizes a quality of mercy found in Christ that takes into account the limits of human understanding.  If this prayer of mercy was excluded it may reflect how the early Christian struggled with the tension between grace and accountability.  I tend to think that Luke, a Gentile, a colleague of Paul who reached out to the Gentiles, sought to emphasize especially to the Gentile converts the mercy Christ bestowed on the Gentile Roman soldiers and the Jews of the Sanhedrin.  Christ is merciful.

Yet … we still struggle with the limits of Christian mercy.  How does Christian mercy deal with evil done in ignorance?  How does Christian mercy deal with the unrepentant?  How does Christian mercy deal with people like ourselves who so many times …”do not know what we are doing“.

In Christ Service Always,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz

Dispatches from Fr. Charitas

Monday, May 21, 2018

I am closest to Christ, in deepest conversation and communion with Christ, when I am doing the chores of humble servanthood.  As I ladle soup into bowls for the homeless or when I wash the dishes, I find Christ there with me shoulder to shoulder.  And as I so often find when souls work side by side, the Lord and I grow all the closer for we share shared a few moments or hours in doing the Servant-Work.  A certain collegiality, a certain kind of bond, forms in working side-by-side.  In some ways, it is different from the kind of bonds formed when meeting face-to-face.  It is somehow different, this side-by-side conversation.  And I thinking it has to do … with sharing the Moment.

A number of times in my counseling work, I have suggested that couples who are having difficulty in communicating with one another, that they spend a few weeks washing and drying dishes to together, the old-fashioned way.  The first few days not progress will be noticed, but after a week or so of this intentional exercise involving a simple daily chore … usually something emerges between them.  There in that common space doing that common work … where there is no threat merely a cooperative effort … a new manner of sharing begins to arise, a casual, non-threatening, unpressured conversation.  Many times … this prescription proved helpful.

I believe it is a most vital spiritual practice … this menial Servant-Work that draws one closer to the Lord and others.

Always in His Service,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz