Daily Retreat 03/11/07
2007 Mar 11 SUN: THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT.
Ex 3: 1-8a. 13-15/ Ps 102(103): 1-2. 3-4. 6-7. 8. 11 (8a)/ 1 Cor 10: 1-6. 10-12/ Lk 13: 1-9
From today’s readings: “This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.... The Lord is kind and merciful.... Whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.... I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”
Divine Deal
It was the best poker hand I had ever had in my life: a royal flush - Unbeatable! I ventured to “sell my hand,” making a substantial raise, but not too much, I hoped, lest it should scare my opponent and make him fold. To my utter glee and satisfaction, my opponent had the audacity not only to meet my raise, he even doubled it! Hah! I had him now! I covered his raise, and then, on the next round, proceeded to shove a mountain of my chips into the kitty, not even bothering to count them as I smugly sneered and stared across the table. Not to be outdone, my opponent leered and glared back at me, and went on to slowly, deliberately, and oh-so-arrogantly push ALL of his chips into the pot! I couldn’t believe it - I felt dizzy about how sky-high the stakes were, and how reckless the action had become at that point!
And I lost. My opponent had the (blankety-blank) good fortune of holding a pair of Aces... and three wild cards, giving him 5-of-a-kind, and yes, that beats even a royal flush! Of course, it’s astronomically improbable that two such beautiful hands would appear in the same poker game, so I must explain that the odds were helped by a pack of wild cards - if I remember correctly, it was deuces, threes, and fours - all wild! How much did I lose? I don’t remember that exactly either, but it seems when my little brother cashed in his chips, he was able to lay claim to over half my stash of Easter candy!
After such a devastating loss, I spent some time reflecting on and refining my attitude toward wild cards. Yes, wild cards are wonderful, they help every hand, but by themselves, they don’t cinch a win - the hard cards we bring to the table are still determinative, and when we forget this, our wild cards will lead to costly overconfidence.
This same insight must also be remembered in regard to the divine wild cards with which God hits us - they certainly bolster the deal of our life, they flush us with our best chance at the celestial jackpot, but even so, we can still lose our soul, because what we bring to the table is ultimately what makes or breaks us.
The first reading is a peek at the beginning of Heaven-sent wild cards: Divine Revelation. When God revealed His Name to Moses, He also revealed Himself as the God Who is personally interested and involved in the life of His chosen people, as the God with the divine and definitive plan for man’s salvation. God reveals Himself as the divine Dealer Who wants us to win(!), but, He insists that we play fair, and abide by the House rules (such as the 10 Commandments). Even the most rotten deals of life are tastefully ripened by Divine Revelation, but still, that providential wild card does not guarantee a win....
The second reading reflects on two more divine wild cards: Baptism and Communion. Paul ponders the Old Testament prefigurement of Baptism, and the spiritual food and spiritual drink which were types pointing to the Eucharist. Breathing His Spirit into the simple elements of water, bread and wine, God assures us of His real sacramental presence, how God cleans us, how He leads us, how He helps us, how He feeds us! Even the most barren deal can take on new life and be nourished by God’s bountiful Baptismal and Eucharistic grace, but still, as Paul emphatically warns, those providential wild cards do not assure inevitable victory.
The responsorial psalm sings of another celestial wild card: Divine Mercy. “The Lord is kind and merciful,” so even the devastating debt of our sins need not bankrupt us! No matter how badly we’ve misplayed in the past, though in justice, our sins would have ruined us, God gives us access to His mercy, better than any ace in the hole! Even when our sins stack up to a sky-high pile of iniquitous chips, and merits are “short stack” or “down to the felt,” the psalm reassures, “For as the Heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is God’s kindness toward those who fear Him!” Yet this providential wild card is the type of “bug” that can only be matched with certain hands - it’s reduced to a blank and even discarded by so many people who are too presumptuous and cocky to play the tip Jesus gives in the Gospel.
And what tip is that? It’s called repentance, and Jesus insists it’s the best play for all in the game of life to bring to the table. Jesus says, “I tell you, if you do not repent, you will ALL perish!” (Luke 13:3). Didn’t hear Him the first time or think you’re an exception to the rule? He repeats, “I tell you, if you do not repent, you will ALL perish!” (Luke 13:5). Even if our natural hand is a “monster,” or “world’s fair,” it’s still not good enough without repentance! The “Straight-A” kid who’s never had detention at school still falls short - he needs to listen to Jesus, he needs to do penance! The man who’s never been guilty of a traffic violation (let alone a felony), and the woman who has faithfully showed up for Mass every Sunday of her life, still stand in need of repentance! The pastor celebrating 10 years as a priest is far from perfect - he needs to listen to Jesus, and repent! The couple marking their golden anniversary of faithfully living out their sacred marriage vows - they too, need to turn to God with contrition in their hearts!
When it comes to salvation and eternal life, Blaise Pascal and other philosophers have proven that no one can just sit out on the biggest wager of all - ultimately, everyone stakes his soul on something, or loses it by default. And it’s not enough to just ante in - we need to join the action! Anyone so cocky as to think he can do without repentance, that he’s good enough to stand where he is, will soon be left with a bust, because he’s "drawing dead," he’s bluffing, especially to himself! Remember, even the best natural hand loses to a good hard card bolstered with a quad of wilds. And the very best hard card we can turn up and bring to the table is repentance - that’s "the nuts," the cinch hand! Because when you and I repent, when we confess our sins, we lay claim to the crucial wild card of God’s mercy. We show that we’re using well the wild card of God’s revelation as we act on the inside tips offered by Jesus. We press the advantages provided by the providential wild cards of Baptism and Eucharist and all sacramental grace!
My friends, do you dream of winning big? In fact, do you want to win it all? Only one Way to do that - bring your very best to the Lord’s Table: your repentance and God’s divine deal!
Ex 3: 1-8a. 13-15/ Ps 102(103): 1-2. 3-4. 6-7. 8. 11 (8a)/ 1 Cor 10: 1-6. 10-12/ Lk 13: 1-9
From today’s readings: “This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.... The Lord is kind and merciful.... Whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.... I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”
Divine Deal
It was the best poker hand I had ever had in my life: a royal flush - Unbeatable! I ventured to “sell my hand,” making a substantial raise, but not too much, I hoped, lest it should scare my opponent and make him fold. To my utter glee and satisfaction, my opponent had the audacity not only to meet my raise, he even doubled it! Hah! I had him now! I covered his raise, and then, on the next round, proceeded to shove a mountain of my chips into the kitty, not even bothering to count them as I smugly sneered and stared across the table. Not to be outdone, my opponent leered and glared back at me, and went on to slowly, deliberately, and oh-so-arrogantly push ALL of his chips into the pot! I couldn’t believe it - I felt dizzy about how sky-high the stakes were, and how reckless the action had become at that point!
And I lost. My opponent had the (blankety-blank) good fortune of holding a pair of Aces... and three wild cards, giving him 5-of-a-kind, and yes, that beats even a royal flush! Of course, it’s astronomically improbable that two such beautiful hands would appear in the same poker game, so I must explain that the odds were helped by a pack of wild cards - if I remember correctly, it was deuces, threes, and fours - all wild! How much did I lose? I don’t remember that exactly either, but it seems when my little brother cashed in his chips, he was able to lay claim to over half my stash of Easter candy!
After such a devastating loss, I spent some time reflecting on and refining my attitude toward wild cards. Yes, wild cards are wonderful, they help every hand, but by themselves, they don’t cinch a win - the hard cards we bring to the table are still determinative, and when we forget this, our wild cards will lead to costly overconfidence.
This same insight must also be remembered in regard to the divine wild cards with which God hits us - they certainly bolster the deal of our life, they flush us with our best chance at the celestial jackpot, but even so, we can still lose our soul, because what we bring to the table is ultimately what makes or breaks us.
The first reading is a peek at the beginning of Heaven-sent wild cards: Divine Revelation. When God revealed His Name to Moses, He also revealed Himself as the God Who is personally interested and involved in the life of His chosen people, as the God with the divine and definitive plan for man’s salvation. God reveals Himself as the divine Dealer Who wants us to win(!), but, He insists that we play fair, and abide by the House rules (such as the 10 Commandments). Even the most rotten deals of life are tastefully ripened by Divine Revelation, but still, that providential wild card does not guarantee a win....
The second reading reflects on two more divine wild cards: Baptism and Communion. Paul ponders the Old Testament prefigurement of Baptism, and the spiritual food and spiritual drink which were types pointing to the Eucharist. Breathing His Spirit into the simple elements of water, bread and wine, God assures us of His real sacramental presence, how God cleans us, how He leads us, how He helps us, how He feeds us! Even the most barren deal can take on new life and be nourished by God’s bountiful Baptismal and Eucharistic grace, but still, as Paul emphatically warns, those providential wild cards do not assure inevitable victory.
The responsorial psalm sings of another celestial wild card: Divine Mercy. “The Lord is kind and merciful,” so even the devastating debt of our sins need not bankrupt us! No matter how badly we’ve misplayed in the past, though in justice, our sins would have ruined us, God gives us access to His mercy, better than any ace in the hole! Even when our sins stack up to a sky-high pile of iniquitous chips, and merits are “short stack” or “down to the felt,” the psalm reassures, “For as the Heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is God’s kindness toward those who fear Him!” Yet this providential wild card is the type of “bug” that can only be matched with certain hands - it’s reduced to a blank and even discarded by so many people who are too presumptuous and cocky to play the tip Jesus gives in the Gospel.
And what tip is that? It’s called repentance, and Jesus insists it’s the best play for all in the game of life to bring to the table. Jesus says, “I tell you, if you do not repent, you will ALL perish!” (Luke 13:3). Didn’t hear Him the first time or think you’re an exception to the rule? He repeats, “I tell you, if you do not repent, you will ALL perish!” (Luke 13:5). Even if our natural hand is a “monster,” or “world’s fair,” it’s still not good enough without repentance! The “Straight-A” kid who’s never had detention at school still falls short - he needs to listen to Jesus, he needs to do penance! The man who’s never been guilty of a traffic violation (let alone a felony), and the woman who has faithfully showed up for Mass every Sunday of her life, still stand in need of repentance! The pastor celebrating 10 years as a priest is far from perfect - he needs to listen to Jesus, and repent! The couple marking their golden anniversary of faithfully living out their sacred marriage vows - they too, need to turn to God with contrition in their hearts!
When it comes to salvation and eternal life, Blaise Pascal and other philosophers have proven that no one can just sit out on the biggest wager of all - ultimately, everyone stakes his soul on something, or loses it by default. And it’s not enough to just ante in - we need to join the action! Anyone so cocky as to think he can do without repentance, that he’s good enough to stand where he is, will soon be left with a bust, because he’s "drawing dead," he’s bluffing, especially to himself! Remember, even the best natural hand loses to a good hard card bolstered with a quad of wilds. And the very best hard card we can turn up and bring to the table is repentance - that’s "the nuts," the cinch hand! Because when you and I repent, when we confess our sins, we lay claim to the crucial wild card of God’s mercy. We show that we’re using well the wild card of God’s revelation as we act on the inside tips offered by Jesus. We press the advantages provided by the providential wild cards of Baptism and Eucharist and all sacramental grace!
My friends, do you dream of winning big? In fact, do you want to win it all? Only one Way to do that - bring your very best to the Lord’s Table: your repentance and God’s divine deal!
posted by FrPitstick | 3/06/2007
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