Monday Morning Meditation #126: Beware of False Prophets

It looks like, with the exception of June 19-22, I will be home for the entire month. Yippee! Wow, I don't know how to handle that. I have not been home that long literally in years. What shall I do? Oh, so much remains untouched week after week. Maybe some better house organization, catching up on reading, catching up on posting. Of course, there is always the annoying fact that in spite of being home, I will not be spending all day in San Ignatio. Nope, no chance of a staycation. Too many things going on in the office. So, I have asked off only two days this coming week because Doah's special education teacher from Ohio is coming to town to spend a few days with us and be with him at his baptism-first communion-confirmation on Sunday. (Needless to say, Doah is very, very excited.)

I had looked forward to a retreat this weekend, but at the last minute it was cancelled. Well, I did need the time to start the preparations for Doah, visitors, BBQ after baptism, and so on. On Saturday afternoon, though, I was able to take a few hours for contemplation and just "hanging" with God -- my own, private, mini-retreat, right here on top of the hill we live on. It was a great respite and much needed. Now I am ready to face the week with renewed energy.

This week, as in the last couple of weeks, I continued to read Matthew 7. I continue to spend a lot of time on this particular chapter; it is so rich. The next set of verses are well known ones, but they continue to tell us something valuable. Here are the verses; I am sure they are equally familiar to you, too:

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Reading: Matthew7:15-20

Meditation: The Catholic magisterium is certainly coming into my readings this month very frequently. Sure, let's beware of false prophets, but how do we know who they are? I imagine that many good people over the centuries have been led astray by those who claim to speak for God, on behalf of God, or about God -- yet are focused on something quite different (nowadays that would probably be money). While some "prophets" are clearly into money-making and not into sharing the gospel in the way God intended, in some other cases, the questioning takes a more subtle turn. Fr. Thomas Dubay warns about illuminism and thinking that we are so smart that we can come up with our own answers, particularly in those cases where the answers that have been given to us by God are uncomfortable. Here is where members of the Catholic Church have an advantage: it is a little more difficult to be led astray because the Church generally thoroughly investigates claims of "prophets."

Contemplation: That is far as I can go with you this Monday morning. I now retire to private prayer to praise God for sending us St. Matthew: such wonderful words of guidance. I will, of course, also ask God to help me stay aware, and I will repent for each time I have come to conclusions on my own without seeking God's help. As always,  I will thank God for watching over me in all instances, false prophets and everything else.

I will leave you now to your prayer and contemplation. First, though, I would like to bring to your attention a Monday morning prayer post that you might enjoy:

Fr. Austin Fleming, priest of the Archdiocese of Boston and pastor in Concord, Massachusetts, posts a prayer each Monday morning that he calls "Monday Morning Offering." I enjoy his prayers very much. I think you also will find them inspirational. He has graciously given me permission to include a link to his blog on my Monday Morning Meditation posts. (During the week, he also posts great homilies and other thoughtful discussions. I enjoy reading those, too, as do readers of this blog who have taken the stroll over to his blog.)



For additional inspiration throughout the week, I would point out two sets of blogs: (1) the list of devotional blogs on my sidebar and (2) my blogroll, where I am following a number of inspirational priests and writers about spiritual matters. I learn so very much from all these people. I highly recommend them to you.

Spiritual Sunday #42

For more Spiritual Sunday posts, I recommend that you wander over to the website of Charlotte and Ginger, who host the Spiritual Sunday meme.
I truly think my life is getting ahead of me! I was unable to link up last Sunday's spiritual Sunday, Temptation -- my own fault for waiting too long to upload -- so I hope that perhaps I can catch up with myself this Sunday.

Because I do not blog on Sundays -- keeping it as the sabbath, a practice started by Fr. Christian Mathis (Blessed Is the Kingdom) -- I usually use older posts (forgotten perhaps but hopefully still interesting) from one or another of my blogs that seem appropriate for this meme. It seems to work to bring out the older posts that many have not read before or ones from other blogs I maintain that readers of 100th Lamb may not know about.

Work issues have been on my mind this week, including the constant tug to leave for something less stressful and then remembering that this is the job God put me in, so I decided to share something I posted in 2009: The Extra Manager at Today's Meeting. Sometimes it helps me to go back to earlier posts and see God's involvement in my work life. Then I know what I have to do: stay the course (which, sometimes, frankly, feels more like drinking the cup than staying the course).

Wishing you a peaceful Sunday!

Oh, the Temptation! Oh, the Arrogance!

I am always among the first to enter an aircraft—if I am running on time, that is. That is because I travel so much that I have become a frequent-frequent flyer. Therefore, in returning from Prague a couple of weeks ago, I sank into my seat on the Lufthansa Frankfort-San Francisco flight many more minutes before anyone else in the economy plus cabin. Often, I receive a complimentary upgrade to business class or first class, but that did not happen this time. So, I entered with all the business class and first class passengers but trekked down into the main cabin. 

As I arranged my pillow, blanket, sweater, books, computer, and purse—certainly not the way St. Francis would have traveled (I have to work on austerity a bit more), I noticed the individual television on the seat back in front of me but found no headset in the pocket. Looking down the row, I noticed that all four other seats did have headsets, and no one was on board yet.

I was quite tempted to grab the headset in the seat pocket beside me. That person would never know that s/he initially did have a headset and I did not. What would it matter really? So, I removed the headset.

Then that little “do-the-right-thing” spirit  slapped my hand, and I put the headset back. Why did I deserve that headset more than the passenger who would be sitting in that seat? Probably there were spares somewhere, and I could ask the stewardess for one. However, I have been on a few flights with no spare headsets. So, once again I eyed that other pocket. By now, all the seats in the row, except for the one beside me, had been claimed. I decided to read the email on my Blackberry (this was definitely not a Franciscan journey) to divert my attention from that headset that now seemed to be calling my name.

After another ten minutes or so, the stewardess came by to close the already stuffed overhead bin, and I asked if she happened to have a spare headset she could bring me when convenient. She wasn’t sure but would look. It took some time before she reappeared, but she had indeed found a headset.

A few minutes later, the rest of the passengers had loaded, and the doors were ready to be closed. Two friends, obviously traveling together, chatted animatedly as they arranged their bags. One was across the aisle from me (19B) and one in the seat immediately in front of me (19C). Clearly, once everyone sat down and the plane started moving, I would be separating them. I asked the lady in front of me (18C) if she wanted 19C so she could talk to her friend. She jumped at the opportunity, thanking me heartily, and we both quickly settled into our new seats. The young man beside me (18D) showed me his electronic toys, and the plane was ready to depart. We began rolling down the runway.

At that point, I noticed two things: (1) the young man beside was mildly ill (Just a cold, hopefully. Where were my Airborne tablets when I needed them? Oh, right, I had stopped taking them a couple of years ago because their heavy salt content sent my blood pressure soaring.), and (2) the passenger in 19D never had shown up. I could have had an empty seat beside me and an easy, roomy flight. As they say, no good deed goes unpunished! Nonetheless, there was something about foiling Temptation that left me with a good feeling that a filled seat beside could not spoil. Besides, why did I deserve an easy, roomy flight more than the person from 18C? 

And so started the next round of reflective ruminations—ten hours of them, punctuated with eating, drinking, computering, reading, and, oh, yes, movie watching.

Spiritual Sunday #41: Temptation

For more Spiritual Sunday posts, I recommend that you wander over to the website of Charlotte and Ginger, who host the Spiritual Sunday meme.

Two months have passed since I have posted a spiritual Sunday comment. Seems impossible. Sometimes my life, with all the travel and all the family goings-on, seems a bit unreal to me, but then, since I have never walked in anyone else's shoes, perhaps everyone has moments of feeling that their lives are unreal.

Because I do not blog on Sundays -- keeping it as the sabbath, a practice started by Fr. Christian Mathis (Blessed Is the Kingdom) -- I usually use older posts (forgotten perhaps but hopefully still interesting) from one or another of my blogs that seem appropriate for this meme. It seems to work to bring out the older posts that many have not read before or ones from other blogs I maintain that readers of 100th Lamb may not know about.

This week I decided to post something earlier from a double-posting on my Modern Mysticism blog. It seemed appropriate, mainly to remind myself that I am right where God wants me to be, given that there is a lot of noise being made at work recently to reduce the higher salaries by 25% (I would be in that group, and it would really make it difficult for me to help Shane with his million-dollar baby) and perhaps even to change the position itself (which would require me to come to a different location -- more time and expense in getting there because it is farther from my house). All that, of course, is nervous-making, and since I travel a lot, I miss out on many of the details of the current discussion and thinking (although that may be for the best). Remembering that God put me here has kept me from following up on the temptation to run out and get another job with the same benefits and fewer hassles. If I were to guess, the reason I am here is to help everyone else survive those hassles and to be a conduit for God to reach those dealing with them (seems to be working that way, anyway). So, here is the post: Temptation.

Wishing you a peaceful Sunday!

Saturday Evening Post #12

Elizabeth Esther used to run a meme in which on the first Saturday of the month bloggers selected their favorite post of the month and shared it with other bloggers. It has been months since I have participated. Too much travel. Too much work. Too much busyness. However, today I managed to find some time (mainly by cutting back on sleep -- not a good approach, really), and so I have been able to go back and make a selection for this month: The Hungry Man and Mass. And after doing that, I found out that she is no longer running her meme! Sheesh, the faster I go, the behinder I get. In any event, I have already made this (last) attempt, so post it I will.

A blessed Saturday to all of you.

The Hungry Man and Mass

A week ago Wednesday, I had a 9:00-12:00 meeting at headquarters that I hoped would not last all the way until noon, since noon is the time of Mass at the little chapel near my office, about twenty minutes from headquarters. I squirmed as one hour turned into two. After all, I don't sit still readily, so these three-hour meetings, of which I have had many recently, are killers. Then, two hours rolled over into the start of the third hour. 11:00, 11:10, 11:15 ticked by. It seemed like all we were doing at that point was wrapping up AND wrapping up AND wrapping up. Of course, I could not sneak out of the meeting. I was supposed to be leading it! However, I was working together with our Human Resources folks, and, of course, I could not ride ramshod over their input. So, we continued to wrap up. 11:20, 11: 25. At that point, I just assumed I would not make Mass and starting to plan on lunch over the noon hour, followed, sigh!, by another 3-hour meeting from 1:00 - 4:00.

Right before 11:30, though, we finished our work. Yes! Not only would I be able to catch Mass, but I would be able to do a quick drive-through McDonald's to pick up lunch. Yippee! It was going to be a better day than I had imagined.

So, I headed to my nearby car, hopped in, and took off. As I came to the intersection by McDonald's, there was a man holding a sign, asking for help. Oh, oh! I knew I had no cash in my wallet. So, I looked around the car. Nothing laying around there, either -- not even the spare McDonald's gift card that I usually keep on hand. I did not remember giving out the last one, but apparently I had. Hm...

Talking myself into thinking that I had no way to help (which, of course, I did; I could have invited the man into McDonald's and paid with a credit card, which is how I planned to pay for  my own meal), I drove into line at the drive-through, ordered, and started to drive away when I noticed the man was still there. Now, I seemed to have a dilemma, and I was aware that I did have options: (1) give the man my lunch (but he probably would not like it -- I never get anything except meat on my hamburger -- no fixings and no dressings -- and that would not be very filling for him); (2) go to Mass and ignore the man; (3) go back and get a gift card (probably would take too long, having to wait through line and all); or (4) invite the man in and blow off Mass.

Mass or man? The verse where we are told that what we do "for the least" among us is what we do for Jesus kept coming to mind. Was I being given some direction? I took a step back and looked at the real choices: (1) do something for myself -- going to Mass was at some level for me, to allow me the opportunity to worship, to continue to develop my relationship with God, or (2) do something for God -- feed one of His children. Seeing it in that light made everything clear. So much for Mass, I thought, and headed toward the man. When I reached him, I explained that I had no cash on me but would be happy to take him inside and buy him a meal. He responded that he was not really hungry at the moment but that he would love to be able to eat later and would appreciate a gift card. OK, that would be option #3.

I headed back to McDonald's, parked, and walked inside. Amazingly, there was no one in line. I quickly purchased a gift card, returned to the car, and handed it to the man.

Happy that I had done what seemed to be the right thing but somewhat saddened at the loss of opportunity to attend Mass ("daily" Mass is offered only twice a week at this chapel, and it is the only church near where I work), I headed back to my office. As I drove, I noticed the time: 11:48. Not quite enough time to make it all the way back, or was it? As I came to the intersection where I needed to go straight to the chapel or make a left to my office, I looked at the clock in the car: 11:58. How could that be? It was like time had stood still for for a few minutes. Since the intersection is only a minute or two from the chapel, I drove straight, arriving at the chapel exactly at noon.

Sometimes discernment comes slowly, but when it is right, it is obvious. And, often, I have found, when right, it gets rewarded. After all, I got both options: helping a child of God (something for God) and attending Mass (something for me). Lunch never tasted so good!

Monday Morning Meditation #124: Ask!

How did Monday morning arrive so quickly? Last week is still a blur. I spent the beginning of the week at home, as in the first day of the week. Then I was off and running, first via redeye  to a conference in Maryland that my boss asked me to attend in his stead, (He is on vacation. Mashaallah, as the Arabs say.), then on a more normal evening flight to Kentucky via the Nashville airport, returning very late Friday evening, as in arriving in San Francisco at midnight and then wending my way back to San Ignatio through empty roads. Nonetheless, it was good to be home! This weekend, though, was no less busy. I was helping a friend with the PR for his newly published novel -- took all day both days, except for some time squeezed out for Mass. (I will put up some information here as soon as I get a chance. It is an interesting book.)

This week, I continued to read Matthew 7. I think I shall be spending a lot of time on this particular chapter; it is so rich. The next set of verses are ones about which I have always have some question, so I will share my opinion and would love to hear the opinion of readers. Here are the verses; I am sure they are equally familiar to you, too:

⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 

⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 

⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Reading: Matthew7:7-11


Meditation: I have seen people take these verses to mean that God will give you anything that you ask for. In practice, though, it seems that many people do not get what they ask for even if they ask for it repeatedly. The parallel to a parent responding to a child's request is helpful here. Clearly, if your child asks for something that is not good for him or her, you would not accede to the request. So, it makes sense that neither would God accede to a request that is not in our best interest. The most obvious example that comes to mind is when the kids in my catechism class say that God did not answer their prayer because they prayed for an A on a test but got a D. When I ask if they studied, they say no, they prayed instead. That one is pretty much a no-brainer, but what about the requests for health or for the stricken mother of a family of young children to live. When the latter kind of prayer appears unanswered, it causes confusion as to why we are told ask and we shall receive. (Of course, there are times that prayers are answered but we do not see the answer because we were expecting one thing, but God gave something better.)

In short, I have only partial answers for my religious education students -- and for myself although I am wont to assume that I am not smart enough to ask for what I should be asking and therefore God, being smarter than I, is likely to deflect and defer where appropriate. Actually, there is little I have personally asked for that has not been answered, often in a different and better way, nonetheless there have been times when the answer was not forthcoming or unclear, particularly when I was praying at the request of someone else for someone else; of course, I usually do not know all the details in these cases, so maybe I am unaware of what God has done, is doing, or did differently.

In any event, I would love to hear others' take on this.

Contemplation: That is far as I can go with you this Monday morning. I now retire to private prayer to praise God for knowing what we need even without our asking. I will, of course, also ask God to help me see where my prayers may have been answered differently than I expected, and I will repent for each time I have failed to ask because we are told to ask. As always,  I will thank God for all the petitions I have been granted; they have been many.

I will leave you now to your prayer and contemplation. First, though, I would like to bring to your attention a Monday morning prayer post that you might enjoy:

Fr. Austin Fleming, priest of the Archdiocese of Boston and pastor in Concord, Massachusetts, posts a prayer each Monday morning that he calls "Monday Morning Offering." I enjoy his prayers very much. I think you also will find them inspirational. He has graciously given me permission to include a link to his blog on my Monday Morning Meditation posts. (During the week, he also posts great homilies and other thoughtful discussions. I enjoy reading those, too, as do readers of this blog who have taken the stroll over to his blog.)

For additional inspiration throughout the week, I would point out two sets of blogs: (1) the list of devotional blogs on my sidebar and (2) my blogroll, where I am following a number of inspirational priests and writers about spiritual matters. I learn so very much from all these people. I highly recommend them to you.