An Epidemic of Illusion: A Lost Sense of Beauty

By Jillian Cooke, MTh, MAPM
Fr. Kolbe Missionary of the Immaculata

Beauty may be simple.
photo: Jillian Cooke

There is an epidemic of illusion and, at times, delusion wreaking havoc on the United States and perhaps the western world, even the whole world: We have robbed beauty of its objective beauty!

We have watered down the term in order to say "everyone is beautiful." Unfortunately, in doing so, we essentially detract from its meaning and cheapen the gift of God given beauty. Everyone is not beautiful, and
some people are more beautiful than others. Of course, I'm being purposely blunt here, and I hope you will forgive me. You see, my mind reels when we unknowingly adopt the mentality that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. How can beauty be in the eye of the beholder, and at the same time, everyone be beautiful? To whom? The world responds: (*crickets chirp*).

The world has robbed the word of its meaning, as it has two other critical words: truth and goodness.  The difference is that goodness and truth don't exist to the world, but because beauty is so very pleasing to the senses (by its very definition, a strange place where St. Thomas and Webster agree!) the world is still trying to claim it. On the one hand, "beauty" has come to mean "unique" in an attempt to falsely boon the self-esteems of young (and not so young) girls. You see, the world has insisted that you must be beautiful to be worthy, and so in an attempt for charity, which is impossible without God, it tells everyone they are beautiful.

Beauty may be incredibly complex/photo: wikipedia.org

This quandary is the fault of relativism. The world must deny objective reality of the good and the true, as well as the objective reality of the beautiful, in order to deny the objective reality of God. At the same time, as with that which is good and true, they cannot consistently deny it - because it is written in the very fibers of our hearts and woven in the fabric of being. Sometimes, as fallen human beings, we can be terribly wrong about what we see, such as when even perverse modern "art" is considered beautiful. Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder, rather, the beholder recognizes the God given beauty that lies within the admired creation.

The nearer we are to God, the more ordered our senses, and the more accurate our sense of beauty. The nearer we are to God, the more we are moved by beautiful music, awed by a beautiful sight, and inspired by beautiful scents. We fight "tooth and nail" for the good and the true, but is is equally ours to reclaim and defend the beautiful. St. Maximilian, lover of balance and order and the most beautiful of all creatures, will certainly intercede!

Do I disappoint Jesus?

Dis-appoint: to fail to meet the expectation and hope of someone.

Did St. Peter disappoint Jesus? I don't think so - I'm pretty sure St. Peter disappointed himself. After all, Jesus knew Peter was going to botch everything up and deny him. Peter was naively insistent that he would never do such a thing. Jesus does not have his hope in us, no, we have our hope in him - and he never disappoints. 

Of course, this doesn't mean that our sins have no effect on the Lord. Just take a look at the crucifix. Ouch. The beautiful, amazing, incomprehensible thing is that Jesus is NOT disappointed that he hung on that cross. Rather, he aches and wishes that we would stop worrying about the fact that we can't do anything to get him down, and just let him love us. 

He died so that we can get back up again every time we fall. If we place ourselves in his heart, well then, we don't have to worry about disappointing ourselves - because we won't put ourselves so dang high in the first place. 

As my grandma says: Get off your high horse! And, just let him love you.

Jesus hung out with sinners, why can't I? (or should I?)

Some people find themselves in a dilemma when they are trying to pull away from a lifestyle that was threatening to pull them down away from the Lord, and yet they know and love those that they use to call "family."  Friends are important, but they don't always think like us and love the things we love. How do we draw the line between "hanging out with sinners" like Jesus, and protecting our own call to holiness?

First of all, we must remember that we are not perfect, but we are called to be perfect. This makes the presented dilemma totally legitimate. So, here are few guidelines you might find useful for yourself or your child when deciding to "go or not to go." 

1. Pray. Before Jesus went into public ministry, he always prayed. After spending a lot of time with people, he prayed. Personally I'm convinced that with his friends he also prayed. I'm sure Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and Jesus prayed often. Before you go out and when you come home - pray. Something simple. Something honest. 

2. Lean on someone. You don't need a whole bunch, but a few - absolutely. When you want to go out, but you have your doubts (especially after prayer) whether it is good for your soul - call one of these people up and do something with them. Stay busy, enjoy yourself, be creative. Jesus went to the homes of sinners, but those who refused to convert - he always loved, was never mean - but he spent his free time with the likes of the apostles and Mary and Martha. 

3. Admit. Let your friends know why you aren't going, and admit it to yourself. You may be surprised when the others change their mind. Jesus was no softy. He said what needed to be said, always with the intention of doing the Will of his Father and helping the others to see the truth. Sometimes the other caved, sometimes they went away stubbornly.

4. Charity above all Else. Sometimes we are called into tough or uncomfortable situations. Or maybe we find ourselves in a place that is a lot of fun -but a temptation. Well, repeat steps 1 to 3. Still there - check your motivation and love. Jesus was with the sinner - because it is the sinner that needs him. He was there to bring love and to respect their dignity - the tax-collector, prostitute, adulterer, pharisee, etc. He wasn't there to have fun (simply) or to forget his cares or deny his purpose and mission.

5. Pray. Lean on someone. Admit. Charity above all Else. Place yourself in the hands of God. 

What goes around comes around?

We have all said this. The question is: Is it true?  

We know that there are logical consequences to our actions, both good and bad. If I stub my toe, it will hurt. If I cut my finger, it will bleed. If I lie, I have to navigate and/or accept the repercussions. If I'm caught for tax evasion, I'll cinch my belt and work harder to pay the consequences. All of this is expected. When we don't accept the consequences, then we have to pay others. A miserable person is a person who can't take responsibility for their actions. 

A more apt cliche may be "You made your bed; now, sleep in it."

"What goes around comes around, on the other hand," is a watered down (perhaps only Americanized) version of a Buddhist principle called Karma. This principle says that anything that happens to you is because you deserve it. Such an understanding of good and bad is detrimental to our peace and really our confidence in God. We fall into it more than we may realize. 

Terrible, evil things are impossible to understand and to grasp. We'd rather heap guilt and shame upon ourselves, than accept the reality that it is impossible to understand. A young adult, recently abused, attributed the crime against her to a less than moral life lived ten years ago. A recovered alcoholic blames his present (unrelated) cancer on his reckless behavior thirty years ago. A neighbor and friend gossips about a mom ruining her reputation, a dad is fired, all because "what goes around comes around."

This, however, has no bearing in truth. One, because it is illogical (and God is supremely logical). What does my lying have to do with hitting my head? Secondly, it depends on a belief in reincarnation. Otherwise, why do innocent children suffer? Third, it presupposes that God (Who isn't actually part of Buddhist spirituality) punishes not as a source of purification, but in order to get even. Finally, it does not acknowledge that God is the supreme arbiter. 

Evil things happen, because we have free will to renounce the good. Plus, EVERYONE has free will. Even if I live a life of faith, there is no guarantee that those around me will as well. Just because I do what is right, does not mean that others will also. While I, personally, cannot say that I understand the pain of suffering at the hands of another, the Lord Jesus does. 

No Karma. Paschal Mystery. Thank God. 

Insecurity. Root of All Evil?

I go around telling people that the world is intrinsically good. I believe

this, unshakably  until some teen from the inner city wonders why his brother is in jail and he's never seen his father. An older person tells of a history of being abused, for the first time in fifty years. Gay Marriage is actually being considered an option by the judicial system. Abortion is on the decline, but contraception is on the rise. Etc, etc, etc.

Then, there are the sins of the masses: greed, anger, lust, sloth, envy, gluttony, and pride.

There is a temptation to bury the truth of the goodness of creation under a pile of partisan pillage, and be done with the whole thing. But, then you ask yourself: Why do I sin?

I venture to guess the answer is simple, though no one wants to admit it: I'm insecure.  This isn't some far-fetched theory either. What was Eve's big sin? She acted on a shadow of insecurity. Maybe I'm not good enough, maybe I could be better, maybe God isn't all He says he is, maybe...... (bites apple). Dang it, I'm naked.

You may be thinking, great. So we're stuck with a billion plus insecure people making idiotic decisions, because they've got their ego on the wrong shelf. Hold on though. How amazingly clear does the need for the "new evangelization" now become?

Pope Benedict reminded us that evangelization is introducing people to the person of Christ. (btw, I find it very interesting that evangelization isn't recognized in the spell-check) At the core of humanities crisis is an identity crisis. The new evangelization is all about introducing Christ to individuals people, so that they no longer have to hold onto their piggy banks, unbridled pleasure, passive-anger, self-image, etc.... for their happiness and security.

The ANCHOR, an ancient Christian symbol, must be OUR SECURITY, so that we can go out and let others hold onto us and finally to Christ.

Admit it. You're insecure.... just be sure to reach for the ONE who can bring true freedom.

Face to Face. Erect before Our God.

Face to Face with Our Lord

            “There was a woman there (in the synagogue) who for eighteen years had been crippled…”  eighteen years! And she was not ignoring the Lord or crying out in anger, nor was she wandering helplessly like the hemorrhaging woman. She was there, in the synagogue, waiting.

            “When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, ‘Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.’ He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.”  The woman was blessed because Jesus saw her, and when he called, she allowed his hands to be placed upon her.  We sometimes look in the wrong places, we look at the wrong times, when in fact Christ is right there with us….watching. In silence and prayer, in this case in the synagogue, we can hear his voice.  His voice then can reverberate and echo within ourselves as he frees us from our countless infirmities. 

            Then, of course, we must allow ourselves to be touched. After eighteen years of sickness and likely of derision, this woman was not hardened to the healing touch of God. What if she had gotten her hopes up, and Jesus had turned out to be a fake? What if being healed wasn’t all it was thought to be?  What if she was still disappointed eyes to the earth, after the healing? 

           Most of us fear these very things. We fear to be healed of those things that drag us down, and stoop us over so that we cannot stand erect before God, and so we do not allow the Good Lord to place his hands on us. Our anger and resentment for the years of injury act as a barrier to his touch. Our pride at wanting to make it alone bars the path to healing. 

            Let it not be so! For, like the woman in this story, we must first hear and believe “You are Set Free from Your Infirmity!”  Then, accept this gift, and dear not fear to stand erect in the presence of the Lord.  Simply, GLORIFY HIM.  We are indebted, we are weak, we are little, but we are loved infinitely and our lives are treasured just the same.  

At the Heart of the Cultural Revolution

It's Social Networking! It's Great Preaching!

NO, It's OBEDIENCE! (Shudder) Ever see Lion King? Sometimes I think that "obedience" is like the word "Mufasa." It sends chills up our spine and lends a strange pounding to the chest. Another image that comes to mind is Jacob Marley, weighed down by chains that imprison his every move. Still, another image that comes to mind is St. Maximilian peacefully offering his life to save Francis Gajowniczek.

This last image is the power of supernatural obedience, daily uniting ourselves to the will of the Immaculata - that is the Will of God. St. Maximilian was not under duress, fear, or compulsion.  By being obedient to God - accepting what came from His hand, seeking in prayer His Will, falling and getting up again, curbing his tenacity and personal desire to conform to the (non-sinful) wishes of his authority figures  and religious superiors.

St. Maximilian gave his life in obedience, like Christ, freely and lovingly. This kind of supernatural obedience, conforming our will to the Will of God so that we can be transformed through the right use of our will and intellect, can, does, and will transform the world.

w=W

He already knows, so why pray?

In today's Gospel we hear Jesus encouraging us with the words, "Your Father already knows what you need before you ask him." Well, that's great, but then why do I have to ask? And, if he knows, why doesn't he do something about it? We'll leave this second question for another day. Today, let's just take a quick look at the simple question: Why pray?

As a teenager I remember "giving up" praying. I stopped altogether, because I knew that God knew what I wanted, so why bother? After a rude wake-up, I considered a simple fact. The Lord wills our participation in his saving work. He wants us to be a part of his miracles, his compassion, his creation. Prayer lets us be one with God.

One with God, that is the second catch. As the Our Father says, we pray "Thy will be done." Jesus gave us the example in Gethsemane, and Our Lady at the Annunciation. Prayer gives us the opportunity to consciously align our will with the Will of God. Since it is creative, as a union with God, it also helps transform us and conform us to that Will.

However, we don't need to "babble."  A priest recently suggested a 90/10 split. No less than 90% listening and no more than 10% talking. When we pray, we ask, but we don't need to talk the whole time. We let the Lord know where we are, what we want, etc... and then silence.

What do you think? Can you do this exercise? Do you already? Concretely speaking this means 1 minute of vocal/speaking prayer and 9 minutes of listening/silent prayer. If you can't find nine minutes, how about a small ejaculation and 60 seconds of silence?

As my dad has often said, "Be quiet and listen."

and "Help them before they cry."

I guess he and the heavenly Father have more in common than I thought!

Two-Wheeler Trust

We're back! Thanks to all who have patiently waited for our return to blogging. Its been an eventful few months; we're grateful for your perseverance.

Lent is a time to strip ourselves of all that is unessential and focus on the one essential thing in our life. This can be a bit unnerving, as we courageously remove the training wheels and trust the work of God to keep us balanced. The result: we move faster, easier, and with far more agility.

At times our training wheels are taken off by our Father, who only wants us to learn to ride on our own and trust in Him. He knows when we are ready, because he has prepared us for this day. He realizes that we might fall and bang ourselves up a bit, but he will swoop us up and put us back on the bike and watch us succeed.

Of course, when we've fallen off we may very well be embarrassed and upset at the Father for letting us go crashing to the ground. We might stomp away and let our shame and fear stop us from getting back up. But, when we are ready, and we ask Him to help us once again, He'll be there.

This time, trusting Him, we will ride far and fast. We will always know that it was Our Father that got us this far, Our Father who watches our every move, Our Father who will be there to pick us up, and Our Father who will help us over our next obstacle: letting go of the handle bars?!

What training wheels do you need to let God remove? Have you returned to ask Him to help you back up?