The Big Picture

I was praying at Adoration for a special Priest.  When talking to Jesus about him, I said “Lord, You know how meticulous he is in ensuring that things are as they should be especially during Holy Mass. You know how reverent he is when praying the words of Consecration; how he sincerely prays the words of the entire Mass not merely recites them; how he looks at You with so much love and respect when elevating and lowering Your Immaculate and Holy Body and Your most Precious Blood – not rushing either one, taking time to appreciate You in the Eucharist; how his homilies are truly from the heart and how he lives the words that he preaches to us.  At the same time, within the reverence that he is showing You and the rites of Holy Mass, he still remembers that we are a community – members of Your Body; that we are real people and he treats us that way.  He is not so ritualistic that we forget You are also our Friend.”

There was more, but I share this part as a segue to my contemplation at the end of my prayers for him. I thought about how drawn my attention was to him at his Ordination.  At the time, I was not aware that he would be assigned to my Parish, but I was immediately endeared to him when he arrived.  There was just something about him.  I contemplated why I felt so blessed that he had been assigned to us.   I reflected on the Priests, Deacons, and laity that I know personally and through Social Media.  I recognized that this special Priest was one of the members of the Church that seem to get the “big picture”.

I grew up in a town that was mostly Catholic.  I never really thought about what it meant to be Catholic.  It was just something that you are.  That was the case until I moved to Memphis and had to start defending our Faith.  I am not really sure when or where I heard this, but these words stuck in my head and kept me grounded in the knowledge that ours is the True Faith.  Those words were:  “The Catholic Church considers All of the teachings of Jesus, the Bible, and Apostles.  We do not just focus in on parts but consider ALL.  This is the only way to understand Jesus’ complete teachings as He meant them and the only way to live and worship as He has called us to do.”

A sadness filled my heart as I remembered these words.  I believe the root of some our current division is that, somewhere along the way, we forgot that. Half of the Church puts most, if not all, the focus on Jesus the human and His calling us His Friends.  Half of the Church puts most, if not all, the focus on Jesus the Divine.  We are forgetting that Jesus is both God AND man.  He is both HUMAN AND DIVINE.  That is the “big picture”.

Those who have made Jesus about His humanity focus mostly on Jesus, the Friend, the man, His gentleness, His inclusiveness, His Mercy. But, even in that focus of His humanity, they forget His example of reverence to God, His obedience to the Commandments, His teachings on righteous living. They fail to acknowledge Jesus’ own “rituals” in honoring the Father and praise of the Holy Spirit. They fail to give Him the proper respect that is due to Him as the Divine One, to recognize His Authority in ALL His teachings. They fail to acknowledge the reverence that is due to God the Holy Trinity. They fail to recognize that our “rituals” were established by those who walked WITH Jesus.

Some have made Jesus all about His Divinity. They focus on the rituals, Traditions, and traditions. They fail to consider the teachings of Jesus regarding humanity. Jesus, Himself, said the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind AND to love others as ourselves (as He has loved us). Yes, Jesus is God and is due honor and reverence, absolutely, but He is present in all who have been Baptized in the Faith. This portion of the Church claim to want to honor and glorify God, but Jesus did not say that this would be done only by recognizing Him in the Eucharist, being totally ritualistic at Holy Mass, or even with our prayers. To glorify Him, we must follow His entire commandment.

To be the Catholic Church that Jesus established, we must return to emulating Jesus as He walked this earth in His humanity while giving Him the honor, respect, and reverence due to Him in His Oneness in the Holy Trinity.

I leave you to think on this.  Consider how we think of Jesus;  how we “act” in His True Presence; how we “act” in His Presence in others; how we approach prayer; how we participate in Holy Mass; how we consider ALL of His teachings; and most importantly, how we “preach” Jesus to others.  Are we truly seeing and living “the big picture”?