B. Isenbarger Prayer, Scripture Reflection

The DYNAMITE of the Gospel!

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God!” (Rm 1:16)

 The Gospel is the very power of God. In the original language, the word used here by St. Paul for “power” is dynamis, the similar word we use for dynamite. So, it’s not too far of a stretch to call the Gospel the dynamite of God!

This is precisely what we see in the account of Jesus’ first miracle in the Gospel of Mark (1:21-28). At the synagogue in Capernaum (Jesus’ hometown for public ministry), Jesus encounters the kingdom of darkness head on and teaches as one with authority and the ability even to cast out demons. What Mark doesn’t recount for us is the actual content of Jesus’ teaching, but instead he emphasizes the dramatic details of Jesus commanding the unclean spirit (or demon) to leave. Mark’s whole purpose here is to show the dynamite of Christ’s teaching. His teaching is not something inactive or ineffective. No – instead the words of Christ are explosive and reveal the in-breaking of the kingdom of God. 

Notice the demon does not refer to itself in the singular, but rather says: “Have you come to destroy us? You see, the demon realizes that the kingdom of God has come in the very words of Jesus, and his teaching is an all-out assault on the kingdom of darkness. Because Jesus Christ is the eternal Word of the Father who took on human flesh, his words have the same effect as the Word which created the entire universe – from the billions of stars throughout the galaxy to the incomprehensible mystery of the human person; that is, you and me. The demons tremble at this reality, because they recognize that even a single command from our Lord is capable of bringing their destruction. 

Is this our own experience with the Word of God and the teaching of Jesus? Do we find the Gospel to be the very dynamite of God which is capable of setting the entire world ablaze? Do we truly believe that the Word of God in itself has the power to do what it says?

Like those early Jews in the synagogue at Capernaum, perhaps we should open our eyes to see the radical newness of the words spoken by Jesus. They are words that have the very effect they speak. After all, this is precisely what we believe about the sacraments.

You see, those words alone, the words of Jesus, are the very power of God. They are capable of truly absolving sins and healing the sick. The same is true of the Word of God found in Sacred Scripture – they truly have the power to transform the world.

And so it is – the Word of God, Jesus, is dynamite in us. The author to the Letter to the Hebrews (12:29) even says that “our God is a consuming fire.”  His fame is meant to explode in our homes, cities, and nation. After all, that is precisely what those first Jews did after seeing Jesus in the synagogue. And we don’t simply see Jesus like those in the synagogue – in His Word and sacraments we truly become one with Him. 

Even in this time when many of us may not be able to physically receive Jesus in the Eucharist, His Word is still living and active – the same Word which makes the Eucharist present is the same Word living in the Bible. It has the real power to transform human hearts.

So, why not present our dry and desolate hearts as a wick to be set aflame with the power of the Gospel?

The first step is simply opening up your Bible.

M. Hellinger Jesus Christ, Lent, Prayer

Living in the Gaze of Christ

One of the dangers of familiarity with certain stories is that since they are so familiar, our ears can grow deaf to the small details within the narrative. I think that today’s Gospel is one of those familiar stories. And it is precisely one of the easy-to-miss details from today’s Gospel that gives us key insight into the Season of Lent, the process of conversion, and the Joy which the Church invites us into on this 4th Sunday of Lent. 

Read again the first two sentences of the Gospel:

“As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. 
His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

In between those two sentences is something important for us to pray with, especially during this season of penance and conversion.

Jesus is looking so intently at the man that the disciples notice. The gaze that Christ is looking at the man with must be familiar to the disciples, because they can already tell what Jesus is going to do. They ask Jesus about the sin that brought blindness on the man, which indicates that they are expecting Jesus to heal him. Think of the healing of the Paralytic: Jesus forgives his sins and he is healed. 

The way Christ looks at the man is unique and telling. Surely the disciples recognize that same Gaze from the way Christ looked at each and every one of them as He called them to follow him.

I think that if St. Mark were recounting this story, he might have included the same description of Jesus’s gaze that he did when Jesus encountered the rich young man. St. Mark told us that Jesus “looked at him with Love.”

Jesus looks at this blind man before the blind man even knows he’s there. Jesus looks at him with love and the intention to heal him before the blind man even knows that healing, that sight, is possible.

The beginning of this man’s movement from blindness to sight has its beginning – not in the man crying out, not in the disciples bringing the man to Jesus or someone asking Jesus to prove Himself – no – the blind man’s movement from darkness to light begins with the tender gaze of Love which only the incarnate God can give. 

Our joy as Christians comes from living in that Gaze – from being looked at by the God who cries out to each and every one of us: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead…”

Every movement toward the Light starts with God – God loved us first! Do we remember that Gaze? Do we spend time trying to just be there, in the tender gaze of Love that God looks at us with? Or do we run from that Gaze? Do we hide out of feelings of unworthiness or guilt?

The story of the blind man is somewhat easy to relate to, because it is the story of each one of us. The Church reminds us what that Gaze was like and calls us back to it, here in the middle of Lent and in this strange time of COVID-19.

The basic movements of the story are: the blind man encounters Jesus, Jesus acts decisively to begin his healing and sends him to Siloam, the man is healed and begins to testify, to witness to the people around him about his healing and the one who brought that healing about.

Each and every Christian has had some sort of encounter with Jesus. In even small and subtle ways each of us has felt his tender loving gaze break into our darkness, our sin, and give us a hope we did not have before. It’s possible that we don’t remember what is was like, maybe we haven’t felt that gaze in years, or maybe we think that the Lord has never looked at us like that. This time of silence and isolation is a perfect time to return to the Lord, spending time with Him to remember and feel that tender gaze of Love again, perhaps for the first time in an intentional way.

After that initial encounter, Jesus worked to remove our blindness – our self-absorption, our isolation, the loneness of our sin. And He called us to wash in a pool – a pool named “sent.” This pool that Jesus sends the blind man to has often been interpreted in the Tradition of the Church as a foreshadowing of Baptism. Jesus is the one who is sent from the Father – the man washes in the pool of the “Sent One,” we have washed in the waters of Baptism. Our eyes were opened, we were given the light which is Life in Christ. 

After this encounter and healing, we went out to proclaim and witness to what Jesus did in our lives to a world which does not always accept and does not want to believe in Jesus.

And we are blessed even more to spiritually accompany the Catechumens of the Church on this very same journey during this time of Lent: they have encountered Christ, have felt his loving Gaze and have been sent by Him to the waters of Baptism – and even now, but more fully later – they give witness to what Jesus has done in their lives – and we thank God for that.

All of that being said, we all know too well how easy it can be to go back into the darkness – to become blinded again. And this is what we are invited to reflect on during Lent. Because in our lives we can often be the blind man again – and so Jesus continues to invite us back – to send us again to Baptismal purity through the Sacrament of Penance. And we begin again to proclaim Him. 

This is certainly a source of great joy! That God’s mercy is not just extended once, but extended to us every time we are willing to allow Jesus to work in our lives – over and over until we no longer want to return to the darkness and blindness of our sin, but simply desire to sit and live in that tender and loving Gaze with which He looks at each one of us (this is truly the joy of Heaven).

So today, we are invited to return to that first and crucial moment in our lives of faith. The tender gaze of Christ is the foundation of our entire lives as Christians. And it must be this gaze, the love of God, that motivates and purifies every aspect of our lives! All of our penance, all of our good works and prayer find their true source in that experience of Love, which enlightens and heals us, which brings us into Light.

This strange time that we live in is also a blessed opportunity to spend time praying with God about the way he looks at you. Pray about that moment you first felt His tender gaze calling you to Himself, and the ways in which you experience that gaze here and now. Rooted in that tender, powerful gaze, we will be able to see clearly what God asks of us, what in our lives gets in the way or tries to darken our vision of Him and we will learn the Joy which is properly Christian, the Joy of knowing and experiencing a God who loves us more than we could possibly know. 

B. Isenbarger Community, Prayer

God or the Vending Machine?

Here at the seminary, there are two vending machines right when I walk into the building. If it’s been a long day of pastoral assignments or classes, there is nothing better than reaching in my pocket for a couple quarters to get a soda and a candy bar. For whatever reason, there is a certain satisfaction in putting in the right change, pressing the right buttons, and receiving the sweet treats. Come to think of it, that also sounds a lot like my all-too-often experience of shopping on Amazon. 

Unfortunately, though, this system of transaction – as satisfying as it may be – is not conducive to our spiritual lives. Far too often in my experience, it is very easy to slip into this kind of mentality when relating to God. For instance, have you ever had these kind of thoughts: “If I say these certain prayers, in this certain way, then God will give me what I ask for.” And if it doesn’t work out the first time, then perhaps you may think: “Maybe I didn’t say the prayers right, or maybe God didn’t want to listen to me.”

As common as this problem may be, it could not be a further deviation from the reality of prayer. At its most fundamental level, prayer is the relationship between Persons. No, I’m not talking about some random person and some generic God. I’m talking about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When we enter into prayer, we are entering into the eternal love which already exists between the Trinity – a love to which we are always invited. In fact, all prayer begins with God’s own initiative. He makes the invitation to this eternal communion, and we make the response. 

With this in mind, entering into prayer can no longer be a transaction-based relationship, but rather must be more akin to entering into the most beautiful family imaginable. Are the answers always clear-cut in a family relationship? I don’t think so. However, in the ideal family, what is the one unchanging foundation? Unconditional love. That’s merely on a human level. We cannot even begin to imagine the depths of that love existing in the blessed Trinity, save for the tiny glimpse we can see by looking at the eternal Son of the Father hanging on the Cross – for each one of us personally.

For me, and I would venture to say for most 21st century Americans, the problem with prayer is it’s seeming lack of efficiency. I don’t typically judge the goodness of a family based on efficiency. The same should be true of the Blessed Trinity. We should consider prayer not in relation to efficiency or demonstrable results, but rather in regard to the love and intimacy of the relationships between the human person and the divine Persons. 

God does not merely want to give us candy bars or sodas like a vending machine, He wants to give us Himself. This is, of course, most profoundly made manifest in the gift of the Eucharist in which Christ gives Himself to us in His Body and Blood, through the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we can be reconciled to the Father. In a certain sense, through the Eucharist, we are invited into the greatest “Family Dinner” of the Blessed Trinity. 

If I ever get over my own selfishness and worldly tastes – perhaps I will begin to enjoy that eternal Feast more than this melted Snickers and outdated Sierra Mist…

B. Isenbarger Prayer, Reflection

Asking for the grace of Boredom

Perhaps at this point in the summer – you find yourself in a similar place to me. With the extra free time summer often affords – maybe you find yourself tired of the monotony of scrolling through endless news articles or being paralyzed by the unending choices of movies on Amazon Prime. Whatever the case – you know the feeling – boredom. Even in the midst of the endless entertainment and the various diversions which are readily available, I often find myself with a sense of restlessness and hunger for something new. Recognizing this is a great grace – and a grace I think we should ask for more often. 

Why so? The more readily we are able to recognize our own boredom with the passing things of this world, the more readily will we be able to focus on the One who is ever new. After all – boredom is a singularly secular phenomenon. There is no boredom in heaven – for the unending desire of the human heart is eternally fulfilled in the heavenly reality of pondering the Triune God. Moreover, this also reveals an extraordinarily magnificent reality of our human condition: even now amid the passing things of this world, the desire for eternal fulfillment is already present. This is at the very root of our boredom. The infinite desires of our hearts cease to be satisfied by the finite things which are offered now. Famously, this is why St. Augustine says our hearts are restless until they rest in the Lord. 

In short, asking for the grace to see our boredom is asking the Lord to reveal our greatest desire – namely the desire for Him alone. This is a dangerous endeavor, though. For the more we ask for Him and only Him, the less we will depend on all other created goods. And though we were made with eternal desires for God Himself, as humans with bodies – we still have very real and necessary desires for these same created goods. Thus, we quickly find ourselves in a strenuous process of purification – until all of our desires are rightly re-ordered to our ultimate Destiny. In short, this puts our relationship with God over the very gifts He gives; namely, the Healer over the healing, the Giver over the gifts, and the Savior over the saving. 

Understandably, this is a daunting proposal. 

But I guarantee you will never be bored. 

B. Isenbarger Almsgiving, Fasting, Lent, Prayer

A Short Cut to Heaven

As we prepare ourselves for yet another Lent, I have been finding myself looking at cupcakes and ice cream as if it will be the last time we will meet in a while. I’m not sure about you, but Lent is not the time of the year I look forward to the most. In fact, it puts me in a somber and downcast mood. But maybe this year can be different.

Instead of seeing Lent merely as a necessary suffering before the joy of Easter, why not see it as a short cut to heaven. 

Here’s what I mean. What are the three pillars of Lent? Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These three are not some arbitrary rules the Church put in place. They are really an invitation to reroute our entire lives toward heaven. And in fact, these three practices, rooted in the evangelical counsels, can actually help us to live the reality of heaven now. To start, let’s take a look at the story of the Rich Young Man in the Gospel of Matthew:

16 Now someone approached him and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” 17 He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 iHe asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; 19 honor your father and your mother’; and ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”20 The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to [the] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”[1]

In this passage, our Lord makes it clear – we must keep the commandments to gain eternal life. Clear enough. That’s the bear minimum and a non-negotiable. But then He encourages us to go a bit further: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Contained in this single verse, our Lord shows us that the quickest way to experience the reality of heaven now is through the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience, which all of us are called to live, most especially during Lent through the practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. 

“Go sell what you have and give to the poor” – A Call to Poverty through Almsgiving

Now I’m certainly not negating the importance of having material possessions. We need certain things for survival. For instance, if you are the parent of a baby, I highly recommend hanging on to those diapers. However, the Lord is asking us to become detached from worldly things so that we can be freed of the obstacles which keep us from focusing our minds and hearts on the things of heaven. Going hand in hand with this detachment must be the very act of almsgiving, or charity. In emptying ourselves of the worldly clutter, we quickly recognize that we are mere custodians of the Lord’s possessions. Necessarily, we should use those possessions like the Lord does – for the love of one another. 

Perhaps this Lent, take some time to purge yourself of those things which others could use more than you.  

“…and you will have treasure in heaven.” – A Call to Chastity through Fasting

Elsewhere in the Gospel (Lk 12:33), Jesus is straight and to the point when He says heavenly treasure does not pass away. And through the counsel of chastity and the practice of fasting, we can begin to live with the wealth of that treasure now. By disciplining our bodies and their unruly desires for pleasure through fasting, we grow in our capacity to love in an ordered way with our bodies. Accordingly, our bodies can become the living temples of heaven which God desires them to be. 

So, here’s my suggestion for fasting during Lent – the Heroic Minute. Proposed by St. Josemaria Escriva, the heroic minute is the discipline of getting completely out of bed within the first minute of the alarm going off. It starts the day on a winning note over the flesh, and can definitely keep that momentum going for the rest of the day. 

“Then come, Follow Me” – A Call to Obedience through Prayer 

This is the most important point. Poverty and chastity (corresponding to almsgiving and fasting) are ultimately aimed at one thing – communion with God and conformity to His will. When we empty ourselves out, love our neighbor, and focus our bodily desires toward heaven, we remove the obstacles to the communion to which Jesus invites us – as well as the Rich Young Man. As a result, our desire for God will increase as our pride and self-centeredness decreases. Naturally, this finds its greatest manifestation in increased prayer. 

So, this Lent why not make communion with Jesus the central focus? Try to go to a daily Mass or spend an hour a week in Eucharistic adoration. 

“When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions”[2]

Like I said at the beginning, I usually approach Lent with a melancholic outlook – much like the Rich Young Man – because I am too wrapped up in cupcakes, ice-cream, and ultimately my own will. But the Lord does not desire us to be melancholic – he desires our happiness, literally to an infinite degree. He offered the Rich Young Man a short cut – which was rejected, leaving the man sad. 

He offers us the same short cut to heavenly happiness.

This Lent, let’s take it. 

[1]New American Bible, Revised Edition. (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011), Mt 19:16–21.

Ibid., Mt 19:22.

B. Isenbarger Chastity, Prayer, St. Joseph

Join Club 3-19!

It’s totally free and could change your life!

Thirty days from now, on March 19, we will be celebrating the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Virgin Mary. Not only is it a nice breather in the middle of Lent, but it is a day we commemorate the incredible human father of Jesus.

In her litanies, the Church recalls Joseph as being “Most Chaste” and the “Terror of Demons.”

I can’t think of any other invocations more timely than those two. In an age in which so many of us, both men and women, are enslaved by diabolical assaults on the virtue of chastity, St. Joseph is a most gracious patron.

Perhaps the worst of the assaults is in the form of internet pornography. If you want to see just how bad the numbers are, you can check them out HERE. It truly is diabolical, and it is ruining families, communities, and the Church.

So what exactly is Club 3-19?

Every day, at 3:19pm set your alarm, either on your phone or watch, to go off. When it goes off, say these two little prayers:

“St. Joseph, Terror of Demons, pray for us.”

“St. Joseph, Most Chaste, pray for us.”

That’s it – two little prayers at 3:19pm every day. Why 3-19? St. Joseph’s Day is March 19 (3-19).

It could help to save your soul, and also that of the whole world.

So, set your alarm, and join Club 3-19!

Please, also invite your friends and family to do the same!

St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, pray for us!