Sports, Einstein, Ignatius and Lent

Husbands you know that moment when your wife realizes that you are sitting in the car in the driveway for the past 15+ minutes?   Sure you offered to run to the grocery store, but… hey… what is that on the radio?   Is it a March Madness game?   It is!!   How generous of you to offer to run to the store, by your quiet self, when a game just happens to be on!   And like most sports, the last 2 minutes are 10 minutes in real time.   The 2-minute warning in football should be renamed “the better put your plans on hold because the game isn’t even close to being over warning.”  The 2-minute warning really exist to warn to anyone who doesn’t like sports that there is another 10-30 minutes left.  So turn down the heat on the stove burners, because the dinner might burn.   Modern physics and the laws of relativity tell us that time is effected by gravitational fields.   Hmmm.  Is there some type of black hole that is intertwined with quantum mechanics and particle entanglement that is simultaneously slowing down time in living rooms full of sports enthusiast around the world?  Those of you who know me well are thinking one of two things.   1- Wow, Josh really put a lot of thought into this and are accurately imagining the self-amused smile that I am donning.   2- Dork.   But all of you are thinking, what does this do with missions and the family?   Actually, not much, but I was sitting in the car longer than normal after making a Wal-Mart run earlier in the week.

Down here in Catholic Cajun country, surrounded by the Bible Belt, there are a wide variety of Christian and Catholic radio stations.   After a quick spin around the dial you can hear multiple contemporary Christian and praise and worship songs, interviews with artists like David Crowder and Matt Maher, a variety of preachers and commentators on biblical passages, Christian living themes, and discussing current events.  Driving home from Wal-Mart I was delightfully blessed to hear part of a conversation on St. Ignatius of Loyola’s discernment of spirits.   Having been first introduced to the Spiritual Exercises during my undergraduate schooling and teaching at a Jesuit high school for eleven years, listening to this radio program on the road and in the driveway was like briefly reconnecting with an old friend.

I was led to reflect on some of my experiences over the past couple months and my Lenten journey so far.   Where were the blessings?   The challenges?   How have I responded?   What were my motivations?   I turned to a favorite scripture, 1 Corinthians 13, especially 4-7.

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Often I’ve understood this passage as an ideal that one should strive for, though impossible this side of eternity.   Basically, I would insert my name for “love” and to aim for that goal.   Or the passage was a way of understanding God, God who is love.

But this time, I had a new angel with an Ignatian perspective and application.   In the discernment of spirits, Ignatius identifies one of the indicators of true consolation is an increase in the theological virtues of faith, hope and love.   How do we know if we are love in this way?   St. Paul tells us.   Love is patient, love is kind…   1 Corinthians 13 is not some theological ideal, but is practical.   How do I know if this motivation is from God or not?   Is it leading me to genuine love?   Is it leading me to be more patient and kind or is it really rooted in jealousy, being pompous, inflating my ego, and centered in my own interests?   This passage can be used as a very grounded examination of conscience in concrete situations.

God took it one step further, yesterday (Saturday) as I was praying through this passage, I then felt the Holy Spirit nudge me to look at the Gospel for the day.   It happened to be the parable of the prodigal son.   I could not help but be aware of the contrasting examples of the father and the elder son.   The father was motivated by love; he was patient, kind, and did not brood over injury and rejoiced in the truth. He bore all things.   He believed and hoped his son would one day return.  He endured all things.   The older son however was pompous, inflated, rude, seeking his own interests, and was quick-tempered.   Can I imagine myself in this scene with my own situations?   When I do so, do I find myself behaving more as the father or as the elder son?   Am I being motivated out of love, or am I being tempted to act out of some other motivation?   As we begin the Third Week of Lent, can I commit to carving out the time to seek God mercy and the grace to be aware of my own sins and to repent?   Can I approach the Creator and Lord of the universe with the humble faith that He longs to have me run into His arms, unashamed because of mercy, just as the father in the parable?   Do I show that same love and mercy to others?   To my family?  To my spouse and children?  To my friends and fellow missionaries?  To the people I am called to serve?

Today we were invited to minister at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Lafayette, a parish with a large outreach to the local Latino community.   There was a daylong retreat centered on the family and FMC missionaries were asked to run a children’s program from ages 3-13.   There were over 100 children including the three FMC families.   The children were amazing and I was personally refreshed to hang out and work with twenty 6-7 year olds.   We played games, made pictures of our families, prayed the stations of the cross, and listened to talks of God’s love.   We even had the opportunity to venerate a first class relic of Pope Saint John Paul II!   It was a long day, but so blessed!

Children's Ministry during the Family Retreat at OLF

Aron and company listening to Sister.

MJ in her favorite red dress waiting to meet St. John Paul II.

Nathaniel praying with St. John Paul II.