Good fruit and the foundation

"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." Luke 6:43-49

I meditated with this, this morning. First, there is the matter of fruit. What does the fruit mean to you?

If Jesus says "a good man brings good things our of the good stored up in his heart," I think the easiest interpretation is good works, meaning a good person is good to those around him. He is charitable, generous, patient and full of virtue. That is good fruit that comes from staying close to Jesus. But also, I think the fruit means more than that, because it means being in possession of a certain attitude: one of love and gratitude for what He has given me, and a sense of wonder for His creation. It is also having faith in what comes next for me. So the fruits of a "good man" who stays close to Christ are not just that he acts a certain charitable way, but is thinking and believing in a new, gratitude-filled way.

Next, the foundation: what Jesus warns is that if someone hears his voice and does not follow, by necessity they will not be able to withstand hardship. It makes sense, doesn't it? When you are rooted in Christ and his teachings, and have been given a particular understanding of the world, you are more likely to feel sure and firm when life gets difficult. Otherwise, without that foundation, you are lost; the water rises and you are swept away.

I must remember this in times of doubt. I don't know if others experience this (they must) but given how devoted I am to my spiritual life can sometimes make me feel deeply at odds with the regular (ah, "secular") world. I put secular in quotations because I do not like it; it is silly to think any part of the world is truly secular, or out of God's reach, as if those spheres of activity are an exception and operating on their own out of God's plan. Even those who are atheist, of course, or even just ambivalent, are living according to God's plan. If they got to know Him, though, and listened to His voice in their lives, I think they'd get more out of life, though.

I have realized that the act of contemplative prayer in my life this year has totally changed how I view myself, my relationship with God and my relationship with the world, because I have begun to see my role in my own life as co-creator with God. Meaning, when I truly engage with Him in prayerful dialogue, and bring everything forward, the blueprint of my life becomes more clear. I'm not just waiting for what He throws at me, but expressing my own desire and seeing it come to life. What I mean is, when we don't sit still and talk to God, and listen, we miss things. This is what I have experienced, anyway. It is as if there is a room full of unopened presents, which are the gifts God wants to give us - I don't mean just physical, but of love and other virtues and small blessings - but they go unclaimed because God cannot get through to us, to give them to us.

When I began my journey with contemplative prayer way back during Lent this year, the pray most often on my mind was, "Use me for your will, God," because it seemed like the right place to begin. It is sort of a scary thing to ask because you may be opening yourself up to becoming a missionary in a remote place, or poor, or to enter religious life. These things happen, you know. But if God was truly using you for His will, wouldn't that be the happiest thing you could imagine? To be living in a way in which your will was aligned with His? There is no way that would bring grief.

So, that is the starting point. Use me for your will, Lord. Keep my ways as yours. Keep me on the path. Let my foundation in you be strong, let me hear your voice and live your plan for me. Let me treat others in a way that reflects your love for all your creation, and the love you have given me, who does not deserve it.

A house of prayer for all peoples

Why Mary's Queenship Matters

Happy Saturday afternoon, beautiful people. I wrote another article for Catholic Stand! And it's up now here or you can see it reproduced below. It's called "Why Mary's Queenship Matters." 

The Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary conclude with two events, the Assumption of Mary into heaven, and her Coronation as Queen of all Creation (meaning everything in the universe). The Church recently celebrated the Assumption on August 15 and her Coronation follows next week, on August 22. The imagery used in the Catechism to document these two events is beautiful:

“Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.” (CCC, 974)

Aside from partaking in the prayer and beauty of these mysteries, what can we learn, practically speaking, about our own faith by studying them? Why has the Church placed so much emphasis on Mary’s Assumption and Coronation?

Mary is Assumed into Heaven

First, one must understand what it means to be “assumed into heaven.” This dogma teaches that, upon death, Mary was taken body and soul into heaven (most of us just get to keep our souls, not both, until the Final Judgment). It reminds me a little of Enoch of the Old Testament who “walked with God” and then was “taken away” (Genesis 5:24). It is neither resurrection nor ascension, as her Son Jesus experienced. The Assumption became an official part of Catholic teaching relatively recently, in 1950.

We know Mary to be the greatest of God’s mortal creatures, and the special case of her Assumption is one more layer of proof that this is the case. When pondering this mystery, start there: God set her aside for an extraordinary purpose.

What can really bring a new sense of love to one delving into Marian devotion is how our relationship, as her children, was changed by the event of the Assumption. First, Jesus gave Mary to His disciples – and by extension, all of us – as He died on the cross (“’Woman, behold your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother.’” John 19:25-27). The relationship, however, did not stop there, with her earthly life.

By being so present to us in heaven, she is that much more powerfully our mother and intercessor. Her life did not end, and her soul did not fade away (or transition to more simple sainthood). The bodily assumption preserves the very character of who she was, the god-bearer (“Theotokos”). From heaven, she is our ally and advocate. No wonder she has appeared so many times in apparitions to her children on earth (as one of my friends says, like a true female, never in the same outfit). With the act of the Assumption, the special grace she holds carries over from the mortal to the eternal world, and it is through her that we receive grace.

Mary, Queen of Heaven

Mary has many royal titles: Queen of Angels, Queen of Apostles, Queen of Peace, and so on. When we refer to her as Queen of Heaven, we acknowledge that Mary, in dependence on her Son, holds queenship over all of God’s creation in the universe. To put it in perspective: your mother is queen of the universe, and she loves you, wants what is best for you, and is listening. How’s that to boost your prayer life?

Understanding Mary’s role not just in the earthly drama of the Incarnation but also in its continuance in heaven is key to a deeper spiritual life. I overheard the same friend compare the Christian faiths that do not love the Blessed Mother, to going to a buffet and just getting pretzels. The glory of Mary’s queenship exists because of her relationship with her Son: she was the perfect vessel for God to descend to our world, and her queenship, after her earthly life, acknowledges that. To remove her from the story of Jesus’s life is to tell His story incompletely.

St. Louis Marie de Montfort, author of the Secret of the Rosary and a major proponent of Marian love and spirituality, put it best: “For God, having given her power over his only-begotten and natural Son, also gave her power over his adopted children – not only in what concerns their body – which would be of little account – but also in what concerns their soul.” He continues: “For God has made her queen of heaven and earth, leader of his armies, keeper of his treasure, dispenser of his graces, mediatrix on behalf of men, destroyer of his enemies, and faithful associate in his great works and triumphs.” By her Assumption we see her importance as God’s most perfect human creation, and in her queenship we see her authority not just as a mother for her earthly children, but on all matters within God’s kingdom.

Your Mother, Your Queen

The overall significance in reflecting on these mysteries is to ponder the even deeper mystery of how God came to earth through Mary. If we can provide proper love and reverence for this mystery, we better understand the mystery of Jesus’s Incarnation as a whole.

God chose a humble young woman to fulfill His plan of redemption, and this is significant. For us, we can model Mary’s piety, humility, and love here on earth. Additionally, she was elevated by God to the status of a queen. Loving her as our queen in heaven, we can turn to her for guidance and intercession. Jesus has given us the love and protection of His own mother; with her, our faith is whole.