John Janaro's Blog, page 291

We Have to Say "Yes"

We trust God because we know He loves us.

Everything is His gift, and expresses His personal love for each of us and for the relationships between us. He is Love. He can only love. In the Cross He reveals that He is Love and He gives Himself as love, and He shows us that He is totally united to us in our difficulties. Totally united with us. So we don't have to be afraid of anything. It's hard not to be afraid, but of course, He is with us even in our fear. He has given Himself and gives Himself as present in our lives now through Jesus and His Church.

In the end, we will be amazed when we realize what He has done for each of us. The marvelous truth will be clear: God is the Great Lover, He pours Himself out for each person, as only God can -- all the hidden ways will one day be manifest. He gives because He is the Giver, He is Gift.

Of course, a gift needs to be received, and love is only received in a fully personal way by the return of love. We have to say "yes" to God, through our life.

We are called to say yes to God, to say yes to the next step as God's light makes it clear to us, to say yes and to pray with trust that He will make it possible.

He Emptied Himself

Though He was in the form of God, [Jesus] did not regard equality with Godsomething to be grasped.Rather, He emptied Himself,taking the form of a slave,coming in human likeness.
And found human in appearance,He humbled Himself,becoming obedient to death,even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted Him
and bestowed on Him the namethat is above every name,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend,of those in heaven and on earthand under the earth,and every tongue confessthat Jesus Christ is Lord,to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:6-11)

The Boys of September

They were marked as The Team of Destiny.
...in April.
The season began with the Washington Nationals on top of the world.
Everyone expected them to win and win.
So it began in the cool evenings of Spring.
We had dreams of winning everything.

The season began, and the Nationals won! Of course!
And then they won some more games.
And then they lost some games.
...and won some...
...and lost some...
...and won some more...
...and lost some more...
And we waited for them to just keep winning and winning,
like the Team of Destiny should.
But instead they won and lost
like The-Team-That-Comes-In-Third-Place.

And we thought, "they are off to a slow start. Its only April."
"They're still getting warmed up. After all, its only May."
"They've had some injuries and some bad breaks. But its only June!"
"July. All-Star break. They haven't had a good first half. But they'll do better."

August.
They were doing worse.
They fell below .500!!!
     (Perhaps, if you are not a fan, you do not understand what this means.
     But you do get the idea that this is not good at all.)
By now we were grumbling at our heroes,
for this is the nature of fickle-hearted baseball fans.
"You bums!"
We said to our players,
to these people that we have never met,
about whose lives we know nothing.
It is too easy to forget to remain playful in defeat.

The last playoff spot was drifting further and further away.
The baseball season had quickly gotten old
and neared its end.
We who had played the season in the seats
or on our couches
had moved by now into the stage of resignation.
It is that peculiar baseball resignation that eludes despair
because there is always "Next Year."

And then
suddenly
the Nationals are on fire.
It is September
and they have finally found that elusive *sparkle*
that makes the difference between "winning and losing,"
and "winning and winning"!
Now they've got it at last.

And this is what makes baseball beautiful:
When the team trails by six games in September,
with some twenty or a few more left to play,
we start to dream again.
The mathematics of it are not promising,
but the strange twists and turns of this strange game
move between the numbers,
and what is possible
always remains possible.
If we win two more (and the Reds lose)
its only four games back.
And then another two
and its only two games behind!
And....

Is it really possible?

It has happened before.
That's the beauty of a game with a history.
There's almost nothing that hasn't happened before.

And so,
in these cool September evenings,
we keep on dreaming.

More Josefinology

Josefina comes over to my big brown chair and just perches herself on the edge, which is her unspoken way of saying, "scoot over." Then she sits herself in the small space that I can still clear for her. She still fits in that spot, which means she's the only one of the children who can sit on my chair -- and only when I'm in it.

The other kids aren't really jealous, because they're too old to sit "with Daddy" (well, I do let Teresa sit on the arm every so often). What they would really like is to sit in the chair by themselves, but I have forbidden it. We've had this chair for over three years and we're trying to make it last. That means it has to be a "no fly zone," reserved strictly for me... and little people who are sneaky and a little spoiled by Daddy and, above all, implacably determined.

Josefina is six now, but still so little. Nevertheless there's a lot going through her little head. So the other day she sits next to me and says...

Josefina: "When we get our bodies back, will we have bones?"

She's talking about our resurrected bodies, of course, that are reunited with our souls at the end of history, when Jesus establishes God's kingdom in all its fullness. She thinks about this stuff -- body and soul and death and how it all "works." Even when she was four she had questions like this.

But this particular question I don't understand. Bones? Why wouldn't we have bones?

Me: "Of course we'll have bones. We'll have our whole human bodies." 

In fact, she does have something very specific in mind.

Her: "But how will we be able to go through walls if we have bones?"

Haha! Interesting question. Jojo's has obviously learned (in Atrium perhaps?) about that quality of the resurrected and glorified body that is called subtlety. Our bodies will be like the risen body of Jesus, who passed unhindered into the upper room on Easter, who "came and stood among" the disciples even though they were hiding behind locked doors. She's trying to figure out how that could be done. Maybe without bones the body might be squshy enough to get through. But what about bones?

Me: "Oh no, that won't be a problem. Our bodies will be greater than any physical objects in the New Creation. We will be transformed people living in a transformed world."

Her: "So we can start walking and just go anywhere?"

Me: "We can go anywhere right away, just by wanting to." Now, of course, we're talking about the property of agility.

Her: "But can we walk anywhere?"

Me: "Well, if we want to walk somewhere, sure. We can walk."

Her: "And keep walking?"

Me: "Wherever we want."

Her: "And we can go through anything?"

Me: "Anything, if its God's will."

Her: "But we don't go through other people!"

Hmmm. That's another question. Will we have some kind of corporeal circumincession, some communial indwelling that involves also (in some way) our glorified bodies "in Christ," such that there will be a unity that preserves the uniqueness of each one? Something completely unimaginable? I can't think of it without feeling like I'm venturing into the weird zone. I don't know. Images fail me utterly. But they are never adequate, because "eye hath not seen...." 

Josefina certainly can't imagine it.

"Not other people," she says decisively. "That would be disgusting!"

It seems like a big mix up, in our minds, which is gross to imagine.

Even worse if we have bones!

"Rules for Interacting on Social Media"... by St. Ignatius!

St. Ignatius working on his blog.  I've been doing some research on St. Ignatius of Loyola for an article I'm writing (part of a series I'm working on for a popular magazine that will appear next year).
The man blows. me. away. Of course, as is so often the case with the teaching of the saints, I feel overwhelmed. When it comes to holiness, I am just NOT THERE.
May God have mercy on me for presuming to say anything about Him.
Lets listen to Ignatius. He's the real deal. The early Jesuits compiled several collections of "sayings" from his letters. As I was going through these, several of them struck me as relevant to the interaction so common among us, particularly in what I like to call the "Catholosphere" (haha).

Of course these apply to any kind of human discourse, but they have particular importance for those of us who think we have something to say that will "help" our brothers and sisters. And they are excellent points to remember when we are engaged in the awkward, disembodied conflicts that often arise on the Social Media.

And so, without further comment, here are some Rules For Communication on Social Media (and everywhere else)... by St. Ignatius:

"[A] good Christian has to be more ready to justify than to condemn a neighbor’s statement. If no justification can be found, one should ask the neighbor in what sense it is to be taken, and if that sense is wrong he or she should be corrected lovingly. Should this not be sufficient, one should seek all suitable means to justify it by understanding it in a good sense" (from the Spiritual Exercises).

"We should be slow to speak and patient in listening to all men.... Our ears should be wide open to our neighbor until he seems to have said all that is in his mind."

"[In seeking to help our neighbor] we should not move straight to what is highest and most perfect, but proceed slowly and gently, from lower things to higher."

"We must adapt ourselves to people's capacities. Try to pour too much at once into a narrow-necked bottle, and you will just spill it and fail to get it inside."

"When, as is but human, errors are committed by others, you should see in them, as in a mirror, some deformity that needs removing in yourself."

"Beware of condemning any man’s action. Consider your neighbor’s intention, which is often honest and innocent, even though his act seems bad in outward appearance."

"If your neighbor’s sin is so manifest that you cannot in honesty excuse it, blame not the sinner but the violence of his temptation, remembering that you yourself might have fallen as badly or even worse."

"Love even the most abandoned: love whatever faith in Christ remains in them: if they have lost this, love their virtues; if these have gone, love the holy likeness they bear, love the blood of Christ through which you trust they are redeemed."

Extrovert, Introvert, or What?

Would an introvert let anyone see this picture?There's been a fad bopping around the internet recently. Maybe its not so recent, but in any case I have recently noticed it. People are identifying various aspects of their personality, sometimes by taking quick online versions of the Mertz-Dorkheimer screening test, or some other test.

The results of these tests are condensed into an acronym that folks then proceed to toss about on their blogs, or Twitter, or Facebook or wherever, which makes them sound very sophisticated and makes me very confused because I don't know what any of these acronyms mean.

Sometimes I see a post like this: "Well, I've been acting like a typical IHMT recently. But we have our particular needs, you know!"

Oh, I see. Yes, I know. "Thumbs up," and all that.

What the heck are they talking about? I have no idea, but of course I'm not going to admit that. I'm out for a promenade in the main square of the global village. We all know what the acronyms mean, of course.

Maybe I should google the "Hamburger-Fries person preferential assessment test" so that I'll know more. I can even take the test myself. ...

Okay, it seems that I'm a strong LMKNT person. Wow, that's true. I could get into this! (See if you can figure out the acronym before I reveal it at the end of this post.)

Really, I should know about these things. For years now, my personality has been the object of scientific study, and scientific experimentation (of course they don't call it that; they call it "treatment," hahaha). I've taken lots of assessment tests. My favorite tool for clinical behavioral analysis has always been this one:

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
This test is one of the great achievements of science in our time. Everybody can find themselves in one or a combination of those faces, in any given moment. Its brilliant. I understand this test. But the ones with verbal questions tend to get me confused. Do I want to be at the big party or on a quiet beach with a book? I'm not sure. I need more details.

I don't seem to fit into any box.

There's the basic and very popular distinction between "introvert" and "extrovert" -- websites have gotten into posting lists, cartoons, and memes about introverts and extroverts.

"When extroverts see a person, they assume that he or she wants to have a conversation." Well of course. I assume that. Doesn't everybody?

"Introverts like to be alone and read books." Well that's me for sure. Sometimes I've thought that solitary confinement wouldn't be so bad... as long as I could bring a few books.

I am always thinking, reflecting, and empathizing from the moment my eyes open. Sometimes when Eileen is sitting quietly with a cup of coffee, I ask her, "What are you thinking about?" and she says, "Nothing."

Nothing.

Wow! How do you do that!? Oh, I would trade mountains of gold for the ability to think about "nothing"! What bliss! What a blessed relief!

Of course, I realize that she's not talking about some kind of vacuous state of emptiness. She's just relaxing. The closest I get to "relaxing" is thinking about Josef Pieper's book on leisure.

I must be an extrovert. Right?

I can also sit in a room full of people and completely tune them out. I can focus my attention on something I'm reading, or even something I'm working out in my mind, and be oblivious. Screaming babies all around me? Oblivious. "Here come the bride and groom?" Everybody stands and claps and I'm... oblivious.

Am I an introvert?

They say that writers are introverts. A writer is a person who thrives on solitude. I do love solitude. I love getting up early in the morning, when the house is quiet, when the rest of the world is quiet. I pray. I reflect on the themes that will eventually become words on a page (or a screen). I go for a walk. Alone.

But when I actually work, I like to be in the middle of things. In college and graduate school, I wrote my papers in the commons or the lounge. Concentration was not a problem. In fact, I seem to do it best when I'm surrounded by the sounds of life. And I don't mind being interrupted, whether its just to say hello or to break off and have a conversation.

During my teaching years, I offered additional "office hours" for students... in the lounge or the coffee shop! Not only because its a fact that a lot of good teaching goes on in those places, but also because I like being where the people are.

At home, I do not have a "man cave". I have a "man campground" in one corner of the living room. I have my stuff, my chair, my table, my gadgets, and the 235 books that I'm "currently" reading. Eileen tolerates my corner; it is yet another small but heroic sacrifice that she makes, another one of my quirks that she bears patiently as she grows daily in virtue and holiness. ;)

I love the busy atmosphere of the living room, although I admit that I usually retreat to the bedroom at some point in the afternoon for some "quiet reading" (which usually includes a nap).

I don't feel the need to go out seeking people, but I like to be where people are, especially if they are people I know. Extrovert? Introvert? Neither one, it seems to me. I guess that's where the acronyms come in. I'm an EI or an IE. Whatever "alpha" is, I am not that. IEPDQLOL?

I guess I won't know until I take one of those "Wiener-Schnitzel experimental classification" tests. Sounds yummy!

Ah, I almost forgot, here's the meaning of the other acronym... L ettuce M ayonnaise K etchup N o T omato. Seriously, do you want my tomato?

I Don't Care What Anyone Says: ITS STILL SUMMER!

Early morning walks, bright, sunny and still coolI don't care what anyone says: its still summer!

I don't care that our older kids (three of them now) are starting at Chelsea academy next week. I don't care that the "kids" of some friends are leaving for college this weekend. I don't care that its almost time for football's regular season to begin.

I'm not ready yet.

The Montessori Center starting date is still a couple of weeks away, but things are already gearing up over there with unpacking for the new location, parent conferences, and planning. Mrs. Janaro is plenty busy these days.

But we've had fun this summer. Although we didn't make any trips, we've had several visitors. We've also had some time to hang around as a family. With John Paul turning 16, it may be the last summer in which all the kids are still kids. John Paul and Agnese can still be dragged down by their younger sisters to the level of participating in a five part whirling chase throughout the house. But Josefina is also old enough to stay up late so we can all watch a video together.

We had Agnese's Confirmation in June:

The Newly Confirmed with her parents and our beloved bishop
and"Someone-Else-Who-Wanted-to-be-in-the Picture-too"!
The Fourth of July:

A patriotic Teresa
And sparkler fun for John Paul too!
And everybody relaxing:

Ungarded moments....
Very laid back.
And Nationals baseball in August (they lost):

It looked closer in real life. Honestly....
But we still had lots of fun (annual baseball couple picture)
I'm not ready for summer to end. In any case, this blog will probably remain "lazy" through the end of this month. Still, I'm looking forward to the Fall, to the new John XXIII Center and my continuing role as "resident scholar and resource consultant," and also to the High School adventures of the teens, including girls' volleyball matches.

The melancholy cloud of mournful nostalgia that usually covers this time of year for me doesn't seem to be around. I don't mind so much that "school is starting but I am not teaching." That's not to say I wouldn't love to be teaching, if I had the strength for it.

I do have the strength for the matters at hand, for what is given to me now. And I'm open to surprises.

The Church: Jesus Remains With Us

God chose a moment of history--a particular place and time--to enter into an inconceivable solidarity with the human race by becoming one of us in Jesus Christ. God gives Himself in the particular life, death and resurrection of Jesus -- but it is not only a gift for the immediate disciples of Jesus or for the human race of the first century; He gives Himself so as to be an offering for each and every person of every place and time. Jesus desires with all the ardor of His heart to be present as the Word who has become flesh, and who continues to dwell among us even today.
This is what the Church is all about. Jesus. He remains present among us through the Church.
This means that Jesus has taken the "risk" of putting Himself in the hands of sinful human beings so that He can continue to give Himself to us twenty centuries later, in a concrete way. He has promised that He will reach us today through the Church. We trust Christ in His Church.
Even if many of His representative are great sinners, He has promised that we will always find Him in the Church, and He has established the means whereby He makes good on this promise. Thus Christ reaches us in the sacraments and makes Himself present for us in the Eucharist, even if the minister -- His human instrument -- is unworthy to represent Him.

We must never forget this. It is not a matter of an omnipotent, merely human priesthood conjuring Christ by some magical incantation. It is a matter of His sovereign determination to be with and to give Himself to you and me in the space and time and reality of our lives through human gestures that take place in our world today--gestures which are guaranteed to have value for our lives because it is He who performs them through His ministers.
The value of the sacraments and their meaning for our lives is founded on the presence and action of Jesus Christ, not the merits or worthiness of those He uses as instruments. He is present in His Church, and it is always to Him we adhere. Even as we recognize that He comes to us through other men, we trust Him, and we know that He will not deny Himself to us because of their weaknesses and limitations. This is the promise that Christ in the sacraments has made to every human being who seeks Him.

We Have a Mother Who Loves Us

We're in Mary's "week" -- the octave of days between the great feast of the Assumption and the feast of August 22, the feast of the Queenship of Mary (which is not a Holy Day of Obligation, but that doesn't mean that a person trying to follow Jesus in the Church should just ignore it).

Mary, our Merciful Mother. I love Mary, although I feel like lately I've taken her a little bit for granted. I'm praying for her intercession and entrusting myself to her as much as ever, with my words (and I hope with something of my poor heart too). But I'm forgetting to let her maternal heart, her tenderness, shape me as a person. I'm forgetting that I need her maternal love to heal me and help bring my life together.

Mary brings healing. She's my Mother, and her presence reminds me that I am a little child, always. What is fifty years of life in front of the mystery of God and the whole drama of the history of salvation? I'm a child, still so recently born, still in need of everything, stumbling, falling, and being rescued from danger countless times without even knowing it. My true eloquence is still the cry of a baby, and it is a mother that hears and feels the person inside that cry: the person that I am, and that I am called to be in her Son.

And the mother knows that I am still so very small.

We can too easily "forget" about Mary. Thank God, she is such a good mother that she never forgets about us. Still, her heart has so much affection for us, and so much wisdom to instruct us, and she has been gifted with the particular secret of who each of us is called to be.

We need to just draw closer to her. She brings Jesus and us together in all the impenetrable details of life. God was born of a woman, and then He gave that woman to us. She is our Mother.

She is a good mother. Lets just go to her and be children. She will teach us how to walk and how to grow strong with the strength that comes from knowing that we are loved, and that we do not need to be afraid.

Mary, merciful and loving mother, help me!

The Person You Will Me to Be

Father in heaven,
through the merciful heart of Your Son Jesus,
crucified and risen from the dead for our salvation,
and by the grace of Your Holy Spirit,
make me
the man,
the husband,
and the father
that You will me to be.

Bless my wife and our marriage,
our children,
and our home.

Bless my whole family,
my work,
and all those You have entrusted to me
in various ways.

Make me
the son and brother,
the teacher,
writer,
friend,
and mentor
that You will me to be.

Give me the grace to see
that every human being I meet
and interact with this day
is a person,
created in Your image and likeness,
created for love,
and deserving of nothing less from me
in every circumstance,
in whatever forum;
a person whose dignity is worthy
of recognition and reverence,
honor and service,
openness and respect,
solidarity and compassion.

Lord, have mercy on me.
Have mercy on us and on the whole world.