The Valley Catholic
Spirituality
Fr. Brendan McGuire is pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in San Jose and a Vicar
General of the Diocese of San Jose. As Vicar General, he is responsible
for special projects such as the recently launched Saint Katharine Drexel
Initiative to revitalize Catholic Schools in the Diocese. Before being ordained
in 2000, Fr. Brendan was an executive in a technology company and still
loves to use technology such as Facebook, podcasts and YouTube to bring
people to a deeper relationship with Christ. Email him at [email protected].
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time • July 6, 2014
Open Mind Open Heart
In his book “Everyday Greatness,” Steven Covey tells the stories of people whose
virtues distinguish them as people to be admired and emulated. In the chapter on
humility, he gives the example of Abraham Lincoln, who as a young lawyer, was
repeatedly criticized by the more polished Edwin Stanton. Although Stanton took
every opportunity to belittle Lincoln in public for his ineloquent articulating of the
law, when Abraham Lincoln became President of the United States he still chose Edwin Stanton to be his Secretary of War. Lincoln, in the great humility, recognized in
Stanton a brilliant and clear mind of the law.1
Humility, Covey comments, is the key that unlocks the mind to continue learning
from others. Put another way, when we are open to learning then we realize we need
to continue to learn; we have something to learn from everybody. It is that sense of
humility and meekness that the Lord is referring to in the Gospel of July 6th. Humility
is not, as we often think, a self-effacing person, “Oh, no, not me!” as often portrayed
in today’s society. Jesus put it in terms of being humble before God, knowing that one
has the ability to learn from everybody. Jesus needed his disciples to have an open
mind and an open heart because what he was going to unfold to them was something
completely different than their current understanding.
At that time, their understanding was the Messiah would be a great warrior giving
military victory to the Israelites. However, Christ knew he would not be that type of
King. Instead he came as the humble and meek servant.
We are his modern day disciples and we are called to that same sense of humility;
that same sense of having something to learn from everyone; that sense that we can
learn something from everyone; that our children have something to offer to us, no
matter how young they are, if we listen to them. They will give us some wisdom and
a different perspective; with an open mind and an open heart, we can get that from
them. If we are children: that our parents have something to offer us no matter how
old our parents get. Anybody we meet has the ability to teach us something about life.
It can be very hard as we are so busy. But have we become so busy that we no longer
have time to listen to each other and learn? Have we become so consumed with what
we do that we cannot listen to another?
No matter where other people are or no matter where we are, with an open mind
and an open heart, we can learn from them, if only we are willing to listen; that is a
disciple with a humble and meek heart.
(Endnotes) 1 Patricia Datchuck Sanchez, “Celebration: An Ecumenical Worship Resource,” (Kansas City, Missouri: National Catholic Reporter Company, Inc., July 3, 2011).
June 24, 2014
7
Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles • June 29, 2014
Who am I?
One of the most profound theological and philosophical questions we can ask
ourselves is, “Who am I?” That question has been asked for centuries and has been
answered in a multitude of different ways. It is not the question of “what am I?” or
“what job do I have” or “where do I live” or “how young or old.” It has to do with
something deeper into the core of who we are. After some brief reflection, we will
soon be led to the next question, which is, “whose am I?” In other words, who are
the most important people and relationships in my life?
That is the very subject matter of the Scripture readings of June 29th. In the Gospel we have just heard from Matthew, as Jesus asks the question of his disciples
and apostles, “Who do people say that I am?” He is trying to get them to answer
the question not just in relation to Himself, but also to get an answer in relation to
themselves. So, when Simon Peter says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living
God.” He realizes that who he has come to follow is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Peter is the disciple of Christ and he realizes that his own identity is very
much tied to the identity of who Christ is.
This is the feast day of St. Peter and St. Paul and they are considered the two pillars of our Church. Peter is the one on whom the Church is founded, like a rock, and
sort of the orthodoxy of the Church; and then we have Paul, who is the evangelist,
the preacher who has gone to all parts of the world, to preach to the Gentiles and
beyond. We have these two necessary parts of our Church. Each of them was called
in an individual way to follow Christ.
Peter & Paul gave their lives in service to Christ and his mission. Both lives
were lived according to that primary relationship. The meaning of their lives came
from their relationship with Christ; that is who they were. They became followers
of Christ. We, too, are called to have Christ at the center of our lives, and to follow
Christ in the same way as Peter and Paul.
If we claim to be Christian then we need to make sure that we belong to Christ
and Christ belongs to us. Sunday celebration cannot be enough if this is our primary
relationship. Going there for one hour of the week cannot be all there