Monday Motivation: Julian of Norwich

"For we are so preciously loved by God that we cannot even comprehend it. No created being can ever know how much and how sweetly and tenderly God loves them. It is only with the help of his grace that we are able to persevere in spiritual contemplation with endless wonder at his high, surpassing, immeasurable love which our Lord in his goodness has for us."

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Today I’m praying for peace.

I’m praying for the people of Ukraine, for their lives, their safety, their homes, their freedom, their well-being.

I’m praying for the Russians who risked their freedom to go out and protest the invasion.

I’m praying for the people in nearby countries who are fearful the violence may spill over to their homes.

I’m praying for the responders going into the chaos or opening their arms to refugees.

I’m praying for those for whom this recalls the trauma of living under Soviet control or another authoritarian government.

I’m praying for the people of Yemen and all the other places who have lived under war for years without proportionate global outrage.

I’m praying for the leaders who have to make quick, difficult decisions with lives on the line.

I’m praying for the soldiers who are putting their lives on the line for their homeland or the safety of others. And I’m praying for the soldiers who were misled or blindly believed the lies that lead them into war.

Blessed are the peacemakers. 

Monday Motivation: Anger and Courage

Anger is an emotion, a passion. Like all emotions, it is a feeling that rises up naturally, and we have the responsibility to control it and react rationally. As St. Thomas Aquinas explains, when we witness actions or systems that are contrary to God's order, it is morally right to respond with anger. 

Anger can be a vice, wrath, that is self-centered and negates the dignity and grace other people deserve. But anger can also be a virtue, righteous anger, that motivates us to call out injustice, right wrongs, and put in the work for a better world. 

Presently Prognosticating

The past Sunday’s readings address prophecy. Prophecy isn’t something I’ve thought much about; it always seemed like something left to the charismatics and abused by power-seekers. But lately, as I’ve been preparing a Bible study on women prophets, I’ve been thinking about it more often and learning about its broader meaning. A prophet is one who delivers a message for another, in Christian, a messenger for God. While most of us may think that prophecy entails prediction of future events. But it can also be an accurate account of present events, a directive to change and return to God, or a warning of consequences for wrongdoing.

In Sunday’s second reading, 1 Corinthians 12:31—13:13, Paul says, “If I have the gift of prophecy, and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing,” and “for we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.” The early Christians recognize prophecy as a gift of the Holy Spirit, and Paul holds it even higher than teaching (he also acknowledges that women can receive this gift). It is a component of living in a community that there will be prophets within it.

The Gospel reading picks up right where the previous Sunday’s left off, with Jesus in the synagogue reading the prophecy of Isaiah about the Messiah, the anointed one. Jesus then declares, “Today this passage is fulfilled in your hearing (Luke 4:21).” (Spoiler: that doesn’t go over well. It rarely does with prophets.) And the first reading comes from Jeremiah, one of the major prophets.

The point here is that prophecy is more present and more about the present that I really acknowledge. Fear of false prophets, though a valid fear, may lead me to not recognize real ones. Further, we should be open to the gift of prophecy, both receptive to a prophet’s message or open to deliver prophecy ourselves. The state of the world clearly needs correction, and if God chooses you to speak out, speak out.

We are called to follow Christ, who was priest, prophet, and king. His ministry included delivering messages from the Lord, so ours should too. We must listen for God’s voice and learn to read the signs of the times so that our messages come from God, not our own opinions. Some will be called to speak more or louder, but we all must be open to serving how God calls us. In big or small ways, we should strive for our speech to direct the listener toward Christ. We are called to share the Gospel, to deliver Christ’s message in his name, in other words, to be prophets.

Water Season

It’s now February, the short, little month of gloomy, winter weather. It doesn’t feel like a festive season, but in actuality, it has hosted holidays for thousands of years. The word February comes from the Latin word februum which means “the act of purification.” (The word “fever” also comes from februum/febris, as the sweating that comes with fever was considered purgative of the illness.) Februus was also the name of the ancient Roman/Etruscan god of the underworld and atonement.  

In Rome, February was the month for purification and preparation for the coming spring and included several festivals or rites around family, the home, and purification. Most of the month falls under the sign of Aquarius, the water-bearer, again making the connection between the month and purification. Throughout the month, Romans honored ancestors and family, prayed for protection, and prepared the home and land for the coming spring and sowing season. For nine days, temples would be closed and no official business was done as people were expected to be focus on this domestic purification. People would sprinkle water around their homes and around the city.

The biggest purification festival of Lupercalia was observed on February 15. Lupercalia gets its name from the cave in which the wolf (Lupa) nursed Rome’s founders Romulus and Remus. The festival focuses on purification of the city in order to promote health and fertility. The rituals included animal sacrifices and using the flayed skin to create strips (called februa). Men then ran around the old Palatine boundary, naked or nearly naked, striking onlookers with the februa.

As the empire Christianized, Lupercalia was one of the longest continued pagan festivals. There is documentation of it on a calendar from 354 alongside Christian holidays. In 495, Pope Gelasius I condemned those still practicing it; the Roman Senate protested that the annual purification protected the city, to which the pope reported replied, “If you assert that this rite has salutary force, celebrate it yourselves in the ancestral fashion; run nude yourselves that you may properly carry out the mockery.”

Which brings us to Christian festivals of purification. In ancient Jewish culture, after a woman gave birth she was ritually unclean for 40 days (80 if it was a girl). That time was spent recovering from childbirth, bonding with the baby, and generally not participating in social/religious life. After the 40 days, the mother would to through a mikvah, the waters of purification, and the child would be officially presented. Thus, 40 days after Christmas, on February 2, we celebrate the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Presentation of the Lord. And although most of us packed up decorations weeks earlier, this is considered the conclusion of the Christmas season. Also called Candlemas (because at his presentation, Jesus is recognized as the Messiah “to bring light to the nations” by Simeon), this festival is one of the oldest holidays celebrated by Christians. It was observed as early as late fourth century, almost as soon as December 25 was fixed as the day of Christmas (354).

While many try to tie Candlemas to just Christianized Lupercalia, Lupercalia was primarily a major holiday in the city of Rome while Candlemas grew out of Jerusalem. Lupercalia would have only been celebrated by Roman officials stationed there, if at all, and the Christians would have been of Jewish decent, thus mindful of the 40-day mikvah following childbirth. Plus, there’s no circling the city naked in Candlemas celebrations.

Most years (though not this one), the season Lent begins in February. Christians clean out their cabinets of oil, meat, and other items by Fat Tuesday in preparation for the penitential and fasting season. Lent calls us to personally sacrifice and purify ourselves to prepare for the coming Resurrection and Easter season.

In both ancient times and now, February seems to call us be mindful of the need of purification, to actively remove the excess that contaminates us. This is an important act; we desire to be worthy; we strive to be clean. It is wintery and gloomy, and we are holed up inside, but we are not inactive. We are washing, preparing, anticipating the coming spring.