Be a Kintsugi Practitioner

Recently I saw a picture of a gorgeous piece of pottery that had golden veins running thru it. The veins of gold were made of a special lacquer, dusted with powdered gold, which mended a broken piece of pottery. 'Kintsugi' is the name of that Japanese art of reconstructing broken pottery pieces. 

  

It strikes me that Jesus’ mission was to develop a spiritual form of Kintsugi, repairing our broken hearts and wounded souls with the golden seams of His forgiveness and love.

    

In the end there is a deeper beauty in the broken and mended pottery that we are too. Lots of parents, grandparents and children have learned the art of healing broken hearts and wiping away the tears of those whose who weep.

Think of someone who has mended your heart. Whose words or actions formed the golden seams that glued you together when you've fallen apart? Who loves you without conditions? Whose heart have you recently mended?  Whose soul have you lifted up? 

Healed hearts and souls are always the most beautiful ones. Be a kintsugi practitioner.  

                                                                 Separation Anxiety

Separation Anxiety occurs when someone is afraid of being separated from a particular person.  It is quite common when young children can’t cope with moms who have to go to work or when a child starts to go to school. When they learn they're not being abandoned and that they'll see their moms later in the day, their anxiety usually subsides.

     

As the Easter Season comes to an end, Jesus and His disciples have to deal with their own kind of ‘separation anxiety’ as Jesus prepares for His Ascension.

    

Consider these verses in John’s Gospel. Jesus says: “My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.” (John 13:33)  And He follows that by saying: “I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.” (John 14:16)  And then He says: “I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you.” (John 14:18)

The Disciples don’t know what to make of all this…until Jesus ascends…and shortly thereafter the Holy Spirit comes to them on Pentecost. Then they knew that Jesus had not abandoned them…He was still with them, but in a whole new way!  

How has your relationship with Jesus changed since you were a child?                 

                                                     God’s Dwelling Place

In next Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus says:“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” (John 14:23)

What does it mean that God ‘dwells with us’?  It tells us that God is at home in us…that God’s life and our lives are inseparable.  And it’s another way of explaining our long held belief that we are temples of the Holy Spirit.  If all this is true, then imagine the reverence we should have for each other. 

Last weekend the sanctuary lamp burned out in St. Richard’s Church. Chris, the church musician, noticed it and immediately put a new candle in it.  That lamp reminds us that Christ’s true presence in our tabernacle is a central focus in our Catholic Churches. 

Just as that sanctuary lamp reflects the true presence of Christ in the tabernacle, I sometimes think it might be good to have a similar lamp in the body of our churches…reminding us that God’s dwelling place is also in us and our communities.

    

Homework: Light a candle and put it on a table in your home. Sit quietly and think about Christ’s presence in your life. Be grateful that you also are a dwelling place of God.

                                                           God’s DNA In Us

I’m amazed at descriptions of our expanding universe with ‘black holes’ and multiple galaxies.  I don’t understand it and I can’t even imagine how all of it works.  What I/we believe is that our God is the God of universes and of all creatures, of time warps and of mysteries not yet known.  Our God is part of everyone and everything. 

  

And because God is the author of all creation, God’s DNA must be written in the genetic codes of all that exists. Another way to say it is that God’s DNA is part of who we are…a fiber running thru us…connecting us to Him and everyone else!    

  

How can someone see God’s DNA at work in you?  Take 2 minutes to just think about that.

What qualities do you have that are God-like? What is Divine in your spouse or in your children or in the neighbor that drives you ‘nuts’? 

Are you familiar with the Hindu greeting “Namaste” which is usually accompanied by a slight bow to the person being greeted? In that context ‘Namaste’ means: “The Divine in me bows to the Divine in you.”

That little ritual concretely celebrates God’s DNA in us. 

                                                           Turmoiled Hearts

Imagine the turmoil in the Upper Room on the day Jesus rose from the dead!  At first, the disciples didn’t believe Mary Magdalene or two others who said the same thing. But the news and experiences grew and everything changed.

    

The riveting moment had to be when Jesus appeared in that Room and said: “Peace be with you!”  At first I imagine stunned silence. Then a gasp of amazement and sheer joy.

   

Jesus’ second “Peace be with you”, must have brought tears to every turmoiled heart in that place. Hearts aching as they recalled running away, when Jesus needed them most. So Jesus said again: “Peace be with you”! Then certainly tears flowed and hugs abounded.

 

How often do you have a turmoiled heart?  Every day I have minor turmoils in my heart. And sometimes I have major ones too.  Hardly ever is there a ‘turmoil free zone’ in me.J

When has Jesus said ‘Peace be with you’ to you? He says it to us at every mass. The words come from another Christ, at the sign of peace, who looks at us and says:“Peace be with you!” And we, in turn, are Christ's voice when we say that to someone else. 

                      Be the voice of Christ this week to someone with a turmoiled heart.

                                                   Mocking, Denying and Loving

Luke’s Passion story contrasts the treachery of Peter’s denials and the meanness of the mocking crowd with Jesus’ loving and compassionate responses. 

Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him three times. (Lk 22:31-34) And Peter protested.  But in the end Jesus was right.  At the crowing of the cock, Luke says: “Jesus looked at Peter…and Peter remembered what Jesus said.” (Lk 22:60b-61)  Peter quickly regretted what he did and “went out and wept bitterly.” (Lk 22:62)

The crowd, the soldiers and the unrepentant thief mocked Jesus when they shouted “He saved others, now let Him save Himself”. It was a poisonous atmosphere. 

In spite of all that, Jesus healed the High Priest’s slave, whose ear had been cut off by one of Jesus’ followers. And He prayed for the soldiers who nailed Him to the cross saying: “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing.”  And He was moved by the faith of the repentant thief, promising that he would be with Him in paradise. 

When Jesus tells us to ‘follow Him’ I think He wants us to replace poisonous atmospheres with love and compassion too.  What a challenge!

                                                   12 Hours of Confessions

Tomorrow, Wednesday April 10th, Sacred Heart Parish in Racine will be open from 8:00am until 8:00pm for anyone in our district who wishes to go to confession. 2-3 priests will be available throughout those 12 hours.

Every District in the Archdiocese has agreed to designate a particular Parish to do this same thing.  And it is especially appropriate to do this during this Lenten Season, in which the Gospels highlight the issues of Repentance, Forgiveness and Mercy.

If you are not sure what to confess, here are some possibilities: Anger, Pride, Lust, Laziness, Envy, Jealousy, Gluttony and Greed. My usual sins include: self-centeredness, lack of self-love, being judgmental, gossiping, and failing to do the good that I could do. 

And there are umpteen other possible sins as well.  So, if it’s been a while or maybe a few years since you’ve gone to confession, here’s a great opportunity to take advantage of this special day of Reconciliation.