Beating Around... Realistic vs. Religious

In an effort to keep my writing up consistently, I am forcing myself to sit down and right about a topic that requires few scripture verses (my bible is across the table which would mean that I would have to get up) but has been on my heart for a few years. As our culture continues to move away from the love of a happy ending, we have begun to believe that our reality is what we see (and what we see is often sad). The monotony of daily life, the disappointment of culture’s broken promises, and the illusion of the American dream leaves many of us unable to think for a moment that maybe what we see around us is only a piece of the puzzle and if we refuse to acknowledge the rest, we could miss what our lives should be.

It all started a couple of years ago when I was sitting at the pool with some friends and family members. I had just decided to join the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, FOCUS, as a missionary who would go on campus to bring Jesus to students and students to Jesus. As I was talking about my new job, I was aware that my audience was 100% non-religious. They had maybe grown up going to catechism but that was the extent.  As I was describing my new job, one of the women (whom I really like) made the passing comment, “ I think I am just way to realistic for all of that stuff,” and continued to joke with me and sip on her beachy beverage.

WO! It was one of those delayed insults that land you in therapy years later. In one sly passing phrase, I was told that I just changed my entire life around because I am Looney tune! I was not offended and in no way want this to be a rant post. But I would like to explore what it means to be realistic. I have thought very deeply about this moment for quite some time and decided that I would no longer label myself “ religious”. I am a “realist” and this is why.

In order for someone to be completely realistic, one must acknowledge the existence of all aspects of reality and give each aspect the proper priority. For example, I can acknowledge all aspects of my living room but if I treat my cat as though he is more important than my husband and I treat my husband is if he is my cat (we don’t have a cat), then I am not acting within reality. Same scenario, but this time I simply refuse to acknowledge the presence of my husband in the room, I am still not being completely realistic because realistically, he is there.

So here is the problem, we as a culture acknowledge the here and now readily and often give priority to what materialistic good is in front of us. Priority can be given to materialistic things but it can also be the dating scene, getting a job, becoming successful etc... We are ruled by the tangibles and intangibles that surround us.

BUT! If God is real and I choose not to acknowledge His existence simply because it seems wrong or that lifestyle seems hard, I cannot claim to be realistic or practical. I am not acknowledging something that is exists. In the same sense, if I acknowledge that God is real but do not give Him proper priority, I cannot live in right reality. Created things can never be more significant that the Creator Himself and if I do not acknowledge that fully (by where I put my worship and spend my time) I cannot call myself realistic.

It is true that some of us live in the Truth and some of us do not. Our grandparents would be appalled at the idea that no one can ever be wrong. Either Christianity is true or it is false. If it is true then in order to live in full Truth, I must acknowledge the existence of a God who loves us and a Jesus who became one of us accompanied by the Spirit of Truth. I would then believe in the eternal Church with all of its saints and that there was a roadmap to a virtuous life provided to us with pain and suffering and joy and glory. If this is true, then all who believe and give the Lord the ultimate priority in their lives are actually the realists because they are living in full reality, not the partial kind that obscures our view of eternity and falsely removes consequence from bad behavior (consequences of actions exist no matter what we believe about them).

If this is not true, I am not a realist. I am simply a religious and I need to quit my job immediately for more money and less humility.

BUT! It is true that we will know a tree by its fruit and I, in my airy fairy journey with God, have seen the tangible joy in the eyes of those who acknowledge the existence and sovereignty of God. I know many people who forego money, sex, and power, our culture’s golden calves, for a life of poverty, celibacy and service. It makes no sense and yet they contain and in their eyes a light that is brighter and more filling than those who who are too realistic for those crazy myths like God and religion.

Matt Fradd said that Sin makes us boring; it is the Saints who were fully alive!

It is the Saint who is the realist. Become and you will embrace the fullness of Truth and the realist of reality.

Beating Around... The Characters of the Passion and American Christianity

 Good morning! What a wonderful morning it is. Last night I attended my very first Seder meal to celebrate the Jewish Passover. I learned two things. First, I learned that the prayers of the Passover meal are beautiful. They give so much glory to God and remain relevant to the 21^st century American. Example, we dip our herbs into salt water to represent the bitterness of a life led by materialism. I also learned that a devout Jew would have most likely been horrified at our poor attempt to honor their tradition. To our Jewish brethren, we tried hard but in good spirit could pronounce few words correctly, stumbled through the traditions with jokes and sang the Great Hallel to the tune of “Eagles Wings”. We are sorry… but we still seek unity during this our ever so sacred Catholic Super bowl aka the Easter Triduum.

As I wake up on Good Friday however, and consider the passion of our Lord, I am finding myself continually meditating on the character of Pontius Pilot contrasted by the character of Simon of Cyrene. These two individuals play a small role in the gospels and yet are central examples of the choices we have as we encounter Jesus Christ. I do not want to vilify Pilate, I sympathize with him, but I do want to point out why his response to Jesus struck me so deeply.

In case you are unfamiliar with the story of Jesus’ journey to the cross, it all started with the betrayal of His apostle Judas who handed Him over to the authorities for 30 pieces of silver. Jesus was then questioned by the Jewish law (the Sanhedrin) and handed over to the Romans where he was questioned again and eventually handed back to the Jews to be scourged, mocked and eventually crucified.

So now that you are caught up, enter scene. Jesus is standing before Pontius Pilate and asks him “ Are You the King of the Jews.” Jesus answers, “ You say so” (I have always found this to be extremely cryptic of Jesus but I guess if you are the Son of God you do what you want). While Pilate is questioning Jesus, his wife sends him a message telling him to having nothing to do with this man, for she saw in her dreams that he is innocent. Pilate questions Jesus again and then says, “ Take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.

Here is the crux of the matter. Pilate KNEW of Jesus’ innocence. He KNEW that there was something about Him but he did not allow that knowledge to affect his life or decisions. He washed his hands, claimed himself innocent of Jesus’ blood and went on with his comfortable life while Jesus headed down the painful road to Calvary.

Is this not American Christianity?!?!?! We KNOW that there is something about Jesus. We will even say things like  “ Oh yeah, I believe,” or “ I think that Jesus is real” but it stops there, we don’t let it affect us. If half of us allowed that belief to affect our decisions, our culture would cease to be ruled by emptiness, loneliness and utilitarian relationship and be characterized virtue, integrity and selflessness. The King should affect us, His thoughts, His ideas; His laws should shape our lives. It would have been absurd in the middle ages for a member of the Feudal system to say that they believe in the King and yet divorce that for the decisions they made. It would have actually resulted in death for the servant. The King made the decisions and the people of his manner lived accordingly. Pilate’s mistake was not denying Jesus, for he did not deny what he knew of him, he just did nothing about it.

Simone of Cyrene on the other hand, did not know much of Jesus but allowed Him to invade his life. Imagine being a foreigner who is watching this crucifixion take place and getting pulled into it! I would have at least peed my pants! And yet, regardless of motive, he literally entered the Passion of Jesus and relieved him of some of his pain. Simone took on Jesus pain for a moment. His decision to let Jesus affect his decisions allowed him to give relief to the Son of God. What an amazing opportunity! Completely inconvenient but worth it! How incredible that our decisions to let Jesus Christ change the way we do things to for His sake can actually bring Him relief and give us a small but shining role in the salvation of the world!

Both men made decisions that left a mark on eternity. For I am writing about them two thousands years later and their characters are played by thousands of young children every year as they reenact the Stations of the Cross. Most of us know who Jesus is, we know of His innocence and many of us believe that He is God. The question stands. Will we allow that knowledge to bring us into an inconvenient encounter with Jesus that affects our lives for eternity or will we acknowledge the truth and leave it at that?

Beating Around...What You Are Already Accomplishing (as illustrated by a wedding reflection)

My heart is bursting with gratitude as I sit to write my first blog post since I reached out to all of my “old souls” at least a year ago. Those “old souls” are probably now ancient and I am now an “old ball and chain” aka… a wife!!

Friends, I wish that you could take a tour of my heart because a simple, yet public letter of thanksgiving will not adequately describe the how freaking honored I am to you who partied on down to Nola to watch Jared and I get married.

I hear that the ceremony was beautiful and that the party was amazing. The day passed so quickly for me that I will simply have to go off my snapshot memory and your crazy stories. But amidst all of the fun, those who attended our wedding reflected something so much deeper. Yes, our guests became a tangible illustration of the unifying and creative nature of love and they didn’t even know it! Allow me to explain.

Love by its nature unites. Rest assured that if there is disunity or isolation, there is lack of love.  

For one day, our guests came from everywhere to be unified in the celebration of Jared and me committing to a permanent love. There was no discord among those who attended because the celebration was more important. I know (because I invited them) that there are major differences in the lifestyles and beliefs held by our friends and family. On the day of our wedding however, it didn’t matter; the love between Jared and I became a source of unity and the response was the union of our loved ones who would otherwise have never met. Our guests illustrated perfect unity.

Love by its nature much increase upon itself. If love will not expand, it is a counterfeit (like lust or utility).

Our guests increased our love 100% (literally, there were two of us and there were 200 of them!) They made our love so much larger by adding to it their own love through their participation. Their prayers increased our prayers as they witnessed our commitment before God. They magnified our joy by eating, drinking and dancing on our behalf and they publicized the official Mr. and Mrs. Smyth as they paraded in the streets literally announcing to the tune Mardi Gras horns, sparklers and umbrellas that Jared and I are married! Imagine Jared and I doing all of that alone. While I wouldn’t put it past us, it would have been ridiculous. Love NEEDS to have more of itself in order to be legitimate. Our guest were the multiplication of our love.

Finally, love is by its nature completely faithful. If love is not committed, it can not be love.

Our friends were completely faithful to Jared and I on the day of our wedding. Some flew (in some cases across the Atlantic), some drove, some arranged work trips to get down to Lousiana and celebrate with us. I am still floored at the many who attended even if we haven’t seen each other in a few years whether we have known each other since kindergarten or since college.  Our friends were faithful, a complete act of love.

This matters far beyond my simple wish to be thankful. As someone who is mostly trying to change the world, I continually see that we tend to focus on what is wrong with the world and what is wrong with ourselves. Every time I get on Facebook I am bombarded with naysayers. “Sinner!” They proclaim, as if a remedy for our imperfections has not already been gifted to us. If we continue in this battle under the banner of "try to fix yourself because you are doing so much wrong" how can we continue and who will join us?

You see my friendly reader you were made by the same God who made the universe and although you may be doing a lot of things wrong; YOU ARE DOING A LOT OF THINGS RIGHT!! We often think that we are the center of the universe and that is what drives our selfishness and deceit. The bad and the risqué holds an attraction to our fallen nature but that is not new information. We can not give our imperfections all of our attention or we will miss the ways that we naturally exude holiness without even trying. When we forget ourselves for the sake of something greater and nobler, we actually look remarkably like the God in whose image we were made. That is HOLINESS!! You were made for it and you sometimes already accomplish it without knowing.

 

Those attended our wedding were mirrors to the love of our Father and man would not consider themselves religious. Imagine how far you can go if you recognize the goodness in yourself for what it really is, your heart leading you to the one true God only in whom can true fulfillment and perfect goodness can be found. Capitalize on your goodness, give God your worship and you will become who you were meant to be.

To everyone who was involved with our wedding, you have taught me so much about the love of the Lord and I really am eternally grateful. Thank you