Parking Lot Road Rage

I saw a close-up view of road rage the other day.

The angry words were flying with a nice glare thrown in. I know this because, well, it was aimed at me.

What made it more interesting was that I wasn’t driving at the time.

Actually, I wasn’t even in my car.

My offense? I didn’t return my shopping cart to the proper space in the store parking lot.

Yep, that’s right, that's my crime. In my defense, though, I did make sure it was wedged solidly in a groove in the parking lot pavement.

As soon as I was satisfied that the cart was not budging, I turned to get in my car and was startled by a loud, long blast of a car horn. Hmmm…didn’t see any potential accidents or thefts so I turned again to open my car door.

There was that horn again!

This time, I spotted the owner. A woman with a young man in the car pulled into the spot facing me, laying on the horn. I watched her get out of her car and march towards me with arms swinging (this is how I know there was a glare).

The young man that was in the car with her didn’t glance my way but sprinted into the store. He was out of there. No doubt, he had an inkling of what was coming and wanted no part of it.

I had no such escape.

I have to admit, though, the anger in her words was actually something to behold. Wow, what passion! I caught phrases about my rudeness, my recklessness, my carelessness and so forth. After observing my actions for 30 seconds or so, she confidently and firmly delivered her testimony of my character. It was futile to attempt to offer a rebuttal. I only managed to get out an "I'm sorry" but even that seemed to fuel the anger so I just waited for the explosion to end. About that time, I noticed something else.

There was a large crucifix hanging from the rear view mirror of her car. 

She grabbed my cart and walked away still fuming and speaking phrases that I’m blessed that I couldn’t hear. (I have to admit a wee bit of satisfaction when it took her some effort to dislodge the cart she swore was moving quickly toward the parked vehicles.)

I have thought of this woman often in the several weeks since this incident. What if I was an atheist, an agnostic, or someone really struggling with his belief in God? What would her tirade have taught me about Christ? Would her words and expressions have evangelized about the love and mercy of Jesus? Would I have learned about the peace of the Lord from her behavior? Would I have looked at the cross and then brushed her off as a hypocrite?

Does your behavior match the beliefs your car professes?

When this woman’s angry face crosses my mind, I offer her to Our Blessed Mother. I hope and pray that the cross of Christ will bring her peace and that the anger that exploded so quickly will be replaced with joy. I hope someday to see that face with a beautiful, loving, gentle smile.

May our lives profess Christ to all we encounter and may His healing, loving touch be with those who are suffering from emotional wounds.

Oh, and by the way, I always take time now to walk my shopping cart back to the corral, no matter how much of a hurry I’m in!

Choose Life in this World and the Next

Today marks the 41st anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade US Supreme Court decision.  This morning I had the privilege of presiding at a Mass in Topeka, Kansas with hundreds of young people and leaders in the Pro-Life Movement in Kansas.  It was a moving display to see on fire hearts in Kansas gather to be witnesses at the state-level.  As I continue to pray today, I'm struck by the parallels between evangelization and respecting the dignity of every human life.

Mass at the Rally for Life in Topeka, KS

Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium notes:

An evangelizing community gets involved by word and deed in people’s daily lives; it bridges distances, it is willing to abase itself if necessary, and it embraces human life, touching the suffering flesh of Christ in others. Evangelizers thus take on the “smell of the sheep” and the sheep are willing to hear their voice. An evangelizing community is also supportive, standing by people at every step of the way, no matter how difficult or lengthy this may prove to be. It is familiar with patient expectation and apostolic endurance. Evangelization consists mostly of patience and disregard for constraints of time. Faithful to the Lord’s gift, it also bears fruit. An evangelizing community is always concerned with fruit, because the Lord wants her to be fruitful. It cares for the grain and does not grow impatient at the weeds. The sower, when he sees weeds sprouting among the grain does not grumble or overreact. He or she finds a way to let the word take flesh in a particular situation and bear fruits of new life, however imperfect or incomplete these may appear. The disciple is ready to put his or her whole life on the line, even to accepting martyrdom, in bearing witness to Jesus Christ, yet the goal is not to make enemies but to see God’s word accepted and its capacity for liberation and renewal revealed. Finally an evangelizing community is filled with joy; it knows how to rejoice always. It celebrates every small victory, every step forward in the work of evangelization. Evangelization with joy becomes beauty in the liturgy, as part of our daily concern to spread goodness. The Church evangelizes and is herself evangelized through the beauty of the liturgy, which is both a celebration of the task of evangelization and the source of her renewed self-giving.

Now read it again with some simple substitutions:

[A Pro-Life] community gets involved by word and deed in people’s daily lives; it bridges distances, it is willing to abase itself if necessary, and it embraces human life, touching the suffering flesh of Christ in others. [Pro-Lifers] thus take on the “smell of the sheep” and the sheep are willing to hear their voice. [A Pro-Life] community is also supportive, standing by people at every step of the way, no matter how difficult or lengthy this may prove to be. It is familiar with patient expectation and apostolic endurance. [Being Pro-Life] consists mostly of patience and disregard for constraints of time. Faithful to the Lord’s gift, it also bears fruit. [A Pro-Life] community is always concerned with fruit, because the Lord wants her to be fruitful. It cares for the grain and does not grow impatient at the weeds. The sower, when he sees weeds sprouting among the grain does not grumble or overreact. He or she finds a way to let the word take flesh in a particular situation and bear fruits of new life, however imperfect or incomplete these may appear. The [Pro-Lifer] is ready to put his or her whole life on the line, even to accepting martyrdom, in bearing witness to Jesus Christ, yet the goal is not to make enemies but to see God’s word accepted and its capacity for liberation and renewal revealed. Finally [a Pro-Life] community is filled with joy; it knows how to rejoice always. It celebrates every small victory, every step forward in the work of [Respecting Life]. 

Everyone has the right to be born.  Everyone also has the right to be born-again of Water and the Spirit.  The best examples of evangelization and Pro-Life work should look very similar.  May we all be more effective to proclaim the Good News of life in this world and the next. 

The Magi as Proto-Evangelized

In the Church we use the word “proto” to signify first.  Saint Stephen, my patron, is called the “proto-martyr” because he was the first to be martyred for the faith.  We could call the magi from the East, the “proto-evangelized” for they were the first to experience an encounter with Jesus, which is what evangelization is.   

The magi are searching for the truth.  We call them “wise men” because they knew the pseudo-Socratic truth that the wise person is the one who knows he is not wise.  They were searching for a truth, not just in themselves, or even in this world.  By looking at the stars, they were symbolically searching for a truth that transcends this world.  In seeing the rising star, they were willing to search for the truth no matter what the cost. 

 

Evangelization is opening up to others the truth of Jesus Christ and Catholicism. Of course, if someone is satisfied with life, if they are content with who they are and what they have, it is difficult to bring them to the truth of Jesus Christ and the Church.  Before we evangelize, it is important to awaken someone to the hunger for truth. 

Overjoyed at seeing the star stop, they enter the house in Bethlehem.  The house is in some ways, the first church.  Instead of a tabernacle and a statue of Mary, there is the reality; Mary herself adoring Jesus Christ, truly present in the flesh. This is why they prostrated themselves, bowing low before Jesus and giving him homage. 

These men knew they were seeing more than a child.  They were having an audience with a king.  Jesus is more than just a worldly king or a wise philosopher.  He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who provides a wisdom which leaves the wise in the dust and reveals his wisdom to the simple and childlike.  This was an encounter with Jesus the King.  Encounter is an under-utilized word for Catholics but it is THE word for evangelization.  Evangelization is providing the opportunities for others to encounter Jesus Christ.   

While the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh are symbolic gifts of who Jesus is, they can also be seen as representative of the best the magi had to offer.  In this encounter, these wise men wish to give him their best.  This is a good way to judge our discipleship. Do I truly want to give Jesus my best? How much of my life am I willing to turn over to him? 

The encounter also has another effect.  They now see Herod for who he truly is.  They now see that he is not a good man, that he is a counterfeit king.  By being in the presence of the true king, they are awakened to the evil intentions of the fake king.    Herod, in this Gospel, is a symbol of sin.  By spending time with Jesus, recognizing him as Lord and Savior, our eyes are opened to the reality of sin and evil.  Within the relationship with the true, good and beautiful savior, the reality of sin shows its face; as a counterfeit king that wishes to destroy us. 

With that we arrive at the final symbolic action; going home a different way.  Warned in a dream of Herod’s evil intentions, they went home another way.  Like the magi, when we have encountered Jesus Christ, we cannot return to our former ways of life.  Jesus Christ awakens in us an awareness of the dangers of sin and calls us to another way of life.  The Epiphany is a special feast for those who have a heart for evangelization.

Not about a Cafeteria Line of Issues...It's about an Encounter with a Person

There's a new video at Huff Post Live discussing Pope Francis and his appeal to young Catholics.  One of the panelists is Jonathan Lewis who serves as the Coordinator of Evangelization and Young Adult Initiatives for the Archdiocese of Washington, DC.  Jonathan grew up in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and is on fire for touching hearts with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  In the discussion about Pope Francis, Jonathan reminds the panel that the Pope Francis, like his predecessors, is concerned about the encounter with Jesus Christ, and not simply a list of issues.

You can see more of Jonathan's efforts at the DCCatholic YouTube Channel.  You can also follow the work of reaching out to Young Adults in Washington, DC on Twitter and Facebook.  Please pray for his apostolate.

Pray also for the members of the Office of Evangelization of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas who will be attending the FOCUS Student Leadership Summit in Dallas, TX this weekend.  SLS 2014 will bring together hearts from around the country who are trying to respond to the call for a New Evangelization.  The Fellowship of Catholic University Students offers a vision and formation for making disciples through intentional relationships and small groups that can last a lifetime.  Follow live updates from our Kansas crew throughout the weekend on Twitter and Facebook.