Freedom from the Law

            “[Jesus] said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’” Man, would I love to hear that from Jesus! Clearly, the scribe who questions Jesus in today’s Gospel reading gets it; let’s try to learn from his example and see how he got so close to the kingdom of God.

            The Jews in Jesus’ day were all about the letter of the law, and I can see why, given how complicated their law was; I’m certain I would have broken it on accident a few times per day. They had strict laws for purification, diet, and observing the Sabbath, among other things. If you had a rock for every time I ate a meal with unclean hands, you could stone me!

            One of the purposes for Jesus’ mission (besides dying for our sins, obviously) was to give us freedom from the law. This is not freedom in the way we usually think about it—the ability to do whatever we want, whenever we want. That’s called license. True freedom means being free of any sinful desire or attachment. If we no longer desire to break the law, we are free of it; it is no longer a burden on us. Let’s see a practical example of this.

            Consider a young man who thinks the Mass is boring. He doesn’t understand why we have to go every Sunday. The law is a burden to him. But imagine if someone explained to him that the Mass is heaven come to earth and that we are connected, through our participation in the Eucharist, to every Catholic throughout history, regardless of time! This young man begins to think about Mass differently. He starts coming to Mass every Sunday, and maybe even during the week occasionally. He has achieved freedom from the law!

Bio:

Michael LaPointe is a FOCUS missionary at Georgia Sothern. Originally from Montgomery, AL, he graduated from Auburn University in 2011.

What Saints Perpetua and Felicity Can Teach Us Today About Faithfulness

“But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed. They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to me.” (Jeremiah 7:24) This passage from the first reading of today’s Mass is both sad and terrifying because most of us can think of a time(s) when we, like the Israelites, have completely turned our backs and disobeyed God. We betray God for various reasons: out of fear, selfishness, pressure from those around us…all in pursuit of something or someone that we think may make us happier only to find that it fades away and our hearts are left empty.  We betray the very one who died for us out of love instead of following Him in trusting obedience. We may face many obstacles in our pursuit of the Truth and love for God, many of which will bring us to a crossroads: love of God or self-preservation in its numerous forms. Today the church remembers the martyrdom of two heroic women who lived in the early 3^rd Century: Saints Perpetua and Felicity. When it came down to it, these women bravely endured persecution and death rather than turn their backs on God.

Perpetua was a well-educated daughter of nobleman of Carthage.  She discovered Christianity during the persecution of Emperor Septimius Severus, a time when declaring yourself a Christian was almost certain death. At the age of 22 Perpetua was a catechumen (one who is studying Christian teaching before baptism) and her father, who was a pagan, begged her not to embrace Christianity fearing her death and that of her infant son. The human inclination to survive and protect one’s child would surely make embracing the Truth a difficult decision but Perpetua stood firm and pointing to a water jug, she asked her father, "See that pot lying there? Can you call it by any other name than what it is?" Her father answered, "Of course not." Perpetua responded, "Neither can I call myself by any other name than what I am – a Christian." Wow! What a response! Shortly after this Perpetua was baptized and because she would not deny her faith when questioned, she was thrown into prison with several others who chose to face death rather than deny Christ.

Among them was a servant woman named Felicity, who like Perpetua, was a young mother only she was eight months pregnant. Knowing she too faced certain death and the life of her child was uncertain, she bravely remained firm in her belief and trust in God. Felicity endured great suffering in the stifling heat of her prison and was laughed at and mocked by the guards as she labored to give birth to her daughter. It’s recorded that the soldiers said "If you think you suffer now, how will stand it when you face the wild beasts?" Felicity calmly answered her tormenters by saying "Now I'm the one who is suffering, but in the arena Another will be in me suffering for me because I will be suffering for him." She gave birth to a daughter who was adopted by a Christian woman from Carthage and the prisoners were thereafter sentenced to death in the arena for public entertainment.

Perpetua and Felicity’s companions (including Perpetua’s brother) were ripped apart by wild beasts and eventually they were all martyred when their throats were cut.  Perpetua’s last words to her brother were “Stand fast in the faith and love one another.” Eyewitnesses say that they calmly went to their deaths with joy.  They had confidence in the life that was to come. They knew that as Christians, they could not turn their backs on God regardless of the cost.

Can we truly take the name of Christian? Can we, like them, remain faithful to God even if we are being pressured to deny the Truth in some way? Yes we can! God will give you the grace to endure suffering for His sake. Each and every day is a chance to show forth our love for God. While we may not face physical death when we come to a crossroad in life, we may have to deny ourselves, suffer humiliation, persecution, endure heavy crosses, etc. in our walk with Christ and He will be walking with us so we can remain faithful to the Father and experience God’s joy. Remember the last words of St. Perpetua: “Stand fast in the faith and love one another!”

Obey AND Teach

            In today’s gospel reading, Jesus says “whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.  But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven”.  We all know we are supposed to follow God’s commandments, but here, Jesus points out that teaching is also important.  We aren’t just called to follow the commandments, which can be hard enough as it is, but also to teach them to others!  Maybe this is why the Church is standing so strongly against homosexual marriage and the pro-choice movement.  We can’t just obey God’s commands in our little Church community.  We must evangelize to the world and share these commandments, in which are found the love and goodness of the Lord.  
             However, in order to teach them, we really have to believe in them, knowing in our hearts that these commands are from God, who is ALL good, and are made to bring us everlasting joy and happiness.  When was the last time you were taught something by someone who didn’t really care about what they were teaching?  Did you learn very much or care about what was being taught?  Wouldn’t it be the same way if we were to teach others about God’s commandments without believing in them?  If we don’t have enthusiasm towards the decrees of the Lord, how do we expect anyone we share them with to?  We must find why we believe in the commandments the Lord gives us so that we can convey that to other people who may not believe in them.  Maybe the reason so many people think the Church is just a bunch of rules and regulations that suppress freedom is because they were taught the commandments of the Church by someone who wasn’t very convicted towards them or didn’t believe in the authentic freedom they give.  With so many misunderstandings in the world around us, we must be able to clear things up in a way that shares the full Truth of God with some passion towards that Truth.  We have to stand up for this faith God has given us so that people will know and believe in the goodness that it brings, the goodness of God and His commandments.  And what better time to do this then now, when the whole world is watching us?

-Stephanie Shipley 

OUR DESTINY: Overcoming the Mediocrity of the Day

                  The readings for Mass today give us a great lesson against one of the toughest vices of our time- mediocrity.  In the first reading, God, hearing the cry of his people in slavery, presents an incredible task to Moses in the midst of his day-to-day work.  God called him to do something great- to influence the trajectory of history. We call to mind our own slavery to sin and unworthy habits in our lives, and how God sent His own son to deliver us from this slavery.

                  The second reading draws more on this as we call to mind those worldly things that enslave us.  In our western world, we have a great tendency to desire comfort. Without knowing it, we often consider situations saying, “What is the best decision here, so that I don’t have to suffer?” or “How can I get out of this uncomfortable situation?”  Our first tendency is often “What is best for me?”  In the same way God called Moses, he appeals to us in our ordinary lives- to live less ordinary- to challenge us out of our commonplace inclinations, and warns us in the last verse of the second reading today, “Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.” (1 Cor. 10:12)

                  Finally, the Gospel today seems to put the concluding dismal touch on our third Lenten Sunday.  Jesus is very clear that sinners will perish- and even goes to the extent of telling the story of the person who wanted to cut down the fig tree for not bearing fruit- in a mere three years!  Yes, while hell is real, it is not our destiny. The Old Testament story we read today is a prefiguration of what Jesus has done for us.  Our eternal destiny is the heavenly kingdom, and our King has shown us how to live. He is a King who gave his life in order to save us. His suffering is unfathomable- He died scourged, with a bloodied face, nailed in humiliation.

                  Yet, we know this is not the dismal end of the story. Our King rose from the dead- and not only did He rise- but He reigned from that cross- “the throne of love.”  Let us “take up our cross and follow Him” if we wish to be His disciples. (Matthew 16:24) For, it is not possible to follow our Lord without the cross.  As we carry this “tree of dazzling beauty,” with knowledge of our sonship, may it lead us to the eternal splendor of our destiny- pure happiness. Forever. 

About the Author

Andy Day is the director of the southeast region for FOCUS. Andy holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Economics from Christendom College. He resides currently in Orlando with his wife and 2  year old boy, and they are expecting another boy on July 1. 

Plunge into the Wounds of Christ

“Shepherd your people with your staff,

 the flock of your inheritance,

That dwells apart in a woodland,

In the midst of Carmel.” Micah 7:14-15

We are His people that dwells apart in a woodland. Let’s unpack that!  Dwell… this is our way of life, to be apart in a woodland. Apart… most of the time it means living counter-cultural.  In a woodland… this is where God speaks. ( Midbar “in the woodland/wilderness” comes from the root dabar “Word.” ) We are apart because we are in the wilderness, listening to Him, sitting in the presence of the Lord.

Do you dwell apart in the woodland?  Go into the wilderness with Jesus.

Be like Micah; beg the Lord to shepherd you with His staff.

But how can we be His people?  I have run far from His path.  I have let the cares and riches of this world choke me. I bear wounds from rejection, ridicule, and pieces of me have been torn away by false loves.

It hurts…  But guess what?  Jesus has wounds too.  Look at His hands, look into His hands.  The bloody, muscular hands have a piece torn away, displaced by the nail.  Put yourself in His hands and kiss the bloody tissue, experience rest.

The spear that the soldier plunged into His side was no clean-edged Leatherman.  Pull back on the jagged spear, drag His flesh and skin, and soak your face and body in the blood and water.  Lick your lips and taste His blood.  His wounds have power to heal ours.

The Lord is kind and merciful. Plunge into His merciful love.

Hope, people of God.  Through the Cross is the Resurrection.  Dwell apart in the woodland, and our Shepherd will lead us into the way of everlasting life.

I love you, Jesus, my Love. Grant that I may love you always and then do with me as you will. (from Stations of the Cross)

~Martha McAdams

About the Author

Hi there!  My name is Martha McAdams.  I’m a Neuro Medical-Surgical nurse in Savannah with a passion for Theology, which was my major at the University of Dallas. I love earthworms, banana bread, and tea, but not all at the same time. Statesboro is my fun-stop on the drive from Savannah to Augusta (home).