Cracking the Beatitudes – Fr Frans van de Lugt (1938-2014)

Fr Frans van de Lugt (1938-2014)

Three years ago, nearly to the day, Fr Frans van de Lugt, a Dutch Jesuit, was murdered in the city of Homs, in western Syria.

Fr Franz had spent nearly 50 years in the Middle East, mostly in Syria, where he had grown to love the Syrian people. As a trained psychiatrist he put his skills to good use to bring people of different faiths together. In the 1990s he founded a centre outside Homs for disabled children, of whatever faith.

When the war in Syria started, Homs was one of the hot spots: it was besieged by the rebels, who took control of the city centre, where the Jesuit house was situated. For Fr Frans it was natural to decide to remain where he was, in spite of all the opportunities to leave. He shared his home with some 50 Syrians, most of whom were Muslims, eking out what meagre supplies were available.

When food in the besieged part of Homs was running so low that there was a real risk of people dying of hunger, the government bowed to intense pressure and lifted the siege of the rebel controlled part of Homs. Those living there, including Fr Frans, were given the option to leave. Once again Fr Frans chose not to leave his people, and like most of them, remained where he was.

On April 7^th, 2014 Fr Frans was shot dead.

He was one of the blessed praised by Jesus, those who are ready to suffer for the sake of righteousness, for what they believe to be true and just, to build a world as close as can be to what God wants of it. He knew he was going to pay a high price for his choice but he remained true to himself and to what he believed in.

How true sound the words of Jesus, Theirs is the kingdom of heaven!

Jesus, the innocent victim

Once more Jesus is speaking about himself, the one who paid a high price for living what he believed in to the end: he did not choose to die, but he knew that his options would lead him to share the fate of so many righteous people before him.

His food, he once said, was to do the will of his Father, and like the grain of wheat he chose to die to bring life to us all.

Today’s video accompanying this reflection is called ‘Fr Frans Van der Lugt SJ: Man of Peace and Bridgebuilder‘. Although no video will quite capture the saintliness and selflessness of the man portrayed, it will give at least some insight into the simple and wonderful life of Fr Frans, a true Jesuit, a true Christian.

 

Cracking the Beatitudes – Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy

In his book interview, The Name of God is Mercy, Pope Francis tells how once, when he was still bishop of Buenos Aires, a priest who spent hours hearing confessions went to him and said that sometimes he has misgivings about whether he is being too generous in forgiving very serious sins. ‘What do you do when you have such thoughts?’, the future Pope asked him. ‘I go to the Chapel and tell Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, “This is all your fault, for you gave me the bad example, forgiving all those who asked for mercy. You even shed your blood for them; at least I haven’t done that yet”’.

The doctor comes for the sick not for the healthy

Throughout his life Jesus was accused of being too friendly with sinners. Yet he never defended himself from this accusation; on the contrary he insisted that the Son of Man came to call sinners to repentance, like the good doctor who comes for the sick and not for the healthy.  This was in continuity with the Old Testament, where God’s two defining qualities are his faithfulness and his mercy.

When we are merciful we are blessed, for we are like our Father, who sends his rain and his sun on the good and the bad alike.  We can only be merciful if we know that we have received mercy, not because we deserve it but because God is so good.

What this beatitude means is not that God’s mercy is conditional on our being merciful, but that if we are merciful to the hungry, the thirsty, the homeless and the migrant, in the Last Judgement we will receive mercy. We will be welcomed into God’s blessedness for ever, a gift well beyond what we deserve.

Merciful like the Father

Lent is an invitation to slow down and look into our own hearts. Only then will we realise how much mercy we receive and how merciful we can be, first of all with ourselves, and then with others.  When we understand that the mercy of God is without end, that there is more rejoicing in heaven for one sinner who changes his ways than for ninety nine who do not need to change, then we discover how beautiful our life becomes when it embraces mercy for those who, like us, are undeserving.

Today’s audiovisual bring you some very real thoughts to dwell on – Click on the link below where ‘Propaganda lays bare the hidden motivations behind the two ways that all of humanity runs from God as illustrated in the parable of the Prodigal Sons in Luke 15′:

Cracking the Beatitudes – Hope, the virtue of those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

Hope, the virtue of those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

One of the tragedies of our times of unparalleled material well-being is the near absence of causes or ideals that are capable of inspiring our passion. We seem to hunger and thirst for very little, except perhaps for material things and comforts.

It is this very material well being that is lulling us into this passionless life. We are becoming more cynical about our chances of success, doubting not only the good intentions of those who try to work for change, but also our own ability to succeed. As the media supply us with our daily dose of scandals and corruption, we feel more disempowered than ever and consciously or not we conclude that the best we can hope for is a quiet life surrounded by the best money can buy.

A virtue for our times

Hope has become the virtue of our time, for it enables us to go beyond this defeatist attitude and continue to believe that it is better to suffer hunger and thirst for righteousness than to be without anything to aspire for.

Hope is a virtue, a gift from God who invites to embrace it in a way that influences our life. It enables us to believe that it makes sense to work for a better world, for the future lies in good hands. Our world is in God’s hands, so that we can take huge risks to carry out what we feel called to be and do.

Working hard for what we believe in

It also shows us that it is not true that it is useless to work for what we believe in: what moved the Apostles, eleven shocked and vulnerable men, to take seriously Jesus’ words to carry the Gospel to the whole world? Luckily for us they gave their whole lives to carry out out this impossible mission. And what about those who, against all visible odds, brought about the elimination of slavery, or succeeded in touching the world’s conscience on our responsibilities towards the environment?

In her praise of God for all he did for her, Mary sees him being very active in the world, bringing down the mighty from their thrones and lifting up the lowly, filling the hungry with good things and sending the rich away empty.

Lord, help me avoid living in a self-centred way, concerned only with my own well-being. Save me from being cynical, let me feel the hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Watch this short video about 6 year old Ruby Bridges, and the change she brought about through her bravery and resilience:

Cracking the Beatitudes – Poor in spirit: The virtue of Faith

Poor in spirit: the virtue of Faith

Faith is the virtue of the poor in spirit. It enables us to trust God so fully that we feel free to let go of our wish to be perfect. Faith enables us to accept our poverty and place our trust in God, our real saviour.

Faith is much more than a set of truths to believe in, it is primarily a relationship of trust. Like any other relationship it is a complex reality, and changes as the two partners  grow in their mutual knowledge.

Abraham, our father in the faith

Abraham, our father in the faith, is presented always on a journey, moving from one place to another in obedience to God’s directions. In his old age he left his home without knowing where he was going, knowing only that he could do that because he believed that God will never abandon him. God repaid him by giving him what he desired above all, a descendant, from whom are derived all who believe.

My grace is enough for you

In one of his letters St Paul speaks of being given a thorn in his flesh to torment him. Three times he pleaded with God to have this torment removed. But the reply he received was, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness‘. He could then proclaim that, ‘For Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong‘.

As big as a mustard seed

Sometimes our faith feels so weak we start suspecting it is not even there. Yet Jesus tells us otherwise: it is enough for our faith to be as small as a mustard seed, it can move mountains.

One of the most touching prayers we find in the Gospel is that of the man who took his epileptic son to be cured by Jesus. ‘I do believe, help my unbelief’, he cried out.

We discover that the best prayer is that of the poor, those who realise they really need help. Faith gives us the freedom to let go of our pride and ask for help. Then we discover that our mistakes, our sins even, are the royal road to discover who God really is. We are blessed when we realise that we can trust and accept the offer of the Kingdom.

Yet, it is always a journey…

Cracking the Beatitudes – Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

The first beatitude is perhaps the most enigmatic of them all. How can the poor be called blessed? Is not poverty to be combated as unworthy of human dignity? And what is poverty of spirit?

Aren’t we all poor?

We do not need to be reminded of our poverty. There so many things we lack : money, good health, a job we are happy with, fulfilling relationships. When we compare ourselves with those who have even less,  we may feel guilty, or even frustrated at what we see as an unfair comparison.

Then there are other even more precious things we know we lack: we would like to be more loving, more merciful and patient with ourselves and with others, pray better.  We would like to live in peace with our past mistakes, wrong decisions, with the harm and pain we have inflicted on others. Yet, however hard we try, these things somehow remain beyond our reach, and we feel impatient at our shortcomings and our lack of progress. So we just try harder.

Poor in spirit

This beatitude tells us we can have a very different attitude towards our failings.  Jesus invites us to accept that we are really poor in spirit, that we can never be perfect, neither materially much less spiritually. We can do that because we know we do not need to be perfect, for our trust lies in God.

Poverty is always painful, difficult to perceive as something good. Yet Jesus is calling blessed those who besides acknowledging they are poor, accept their poverty gracefully, and even gratefully.

It is a real blessing to acknowledge that our poverty does not make us less lovable in the eyes of God, and that it can even draw us nearer to him as we let go of our insecurities and accept that he is our saviour.  The poor in spirit discover that the kingdom is theirs, as they open their hearts and lives to accept the free gift of the kingdom in faith.  

Jesus on the Cross is the best image of poverty of spirit:  bereft of everything, he could say, ‘It is completed. Into your hands I entrust my spirit‘.

May we during Lent pray for the grace to let go of our insecurities and grow in our capacity to embrace our limitations, trusting in God’s merciful love.

Blessed are the poor in spirit – A poem by Alice Walker (author of The Colour Purple)

Did you ever understand this?
If my spirit was poor, how could I enter heaven?
Was I depressed?
Understanding editing,
I see how a comma, removed or inserted
with careful plan,
can change everything.
I was reminded of this
when a poor young man
in Tunisia
desperate to live
and humiliated for trying
set himself ablaze;
I felt uncomfortably warm
as if scalded by his shame.
I do not have to sell vegetables from a cart as he did
or live in narrow rooms too small for spacious thought;
and, at this late date,
I do not worry that someone will
remove every single opportunity
for me to thrive.
Still, I am connected to, inseparable from,
this young man.
Blessed are the poor, in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus. (Commas restored) .
Jesus was as usual talking about solidarity: about how we join with others
and, in spirit, feel the world, and suffering, the same as them.
This is the kingdom of owning the other as self, the self as other;
that transforms grief into
peace and delight.
I, and you, might enter the heaven
of right here
through this door.
In this spirit, knowing we are blessed,
we might remain poor.

GC36 – (4) The more Universal, the more divine

The painted ceiling of the Church of St Ignatius, by Jesuit Br Andrea Pozzo

The church of St Ignatius in central Rome boasts a frescoed ceiling by the Jesuit brother Andrea Pozzo, that celebrates the work of the saint and of the Society of Jesus throughout the world: Ignatius is being welcomed into paradise by Christ and the Virgin Mary, surrounded by allegorical representations of Europe, Asia, Africa and America, the four continents known at that time.

During Ignatius’ time, the known world expanded by an astonishing degree: Ignatius was born in the year before the arrival of Columbus in America, and during his year in Manresa, Magellan circumnavigated the world for the first time. So did Ignatius’ plans: at first he was convinced that God was calling him to spend his life as a pilgrim in the Holy Land, living off alms, but this slowly changed as he discovered that his call was a universal one.

This change was based on his conviction that his master’s mission was truly universal. Christ came to save the whole world, and the last mission he gave his small group of disciples sounds unbelievably bold: ‘Go and teach the Gospel to all nations’. To choose to be one of Christ’s disciples means sharing in this universal mission, and that is the origin of Ignatius’ phrase that the more universal an initiative is,  the closer it is to the divine will, hence the more divine.

So when he founded the Jesuit order, Ignatius gave it a clearly universal mission: he placed himself and the Jesuits at the total disposal of the Pope, the one who has the responsibility for the universal Church, and at the time of his death there were Jesuits in all the continents depicted on the San Ignazio ceiling. This option was never easy to carry out, for the world and its needs are very diverse while the numbers and abilities of Jesuits are never enough. Yet the Jesuits and those who follow in the steps of St Ignatius still endeavour to be faithful to this universal understanding of mission.

Those who follow what is happening at the Jesuit General Congregation <gc36.org> know that after electing the new superior general, the congregation is now grappling with issues of governance: how to best organise its leadership structures to be able to carry out its universal mission, a theme that resurfaces in every congregation.

Sometimes the fast pace of change and the complexity of the world around us can feel intimidating for us who live our daily normal lives, which usually seem anything but universal. Universality lies more in our hearts than in our actions: are my concerns bigger than my immediate surroundings, or do I feel unable to feel for anything that lies beyond my small world? Ignatius spent all of the last eighteen years of his life in a few small rooms in central Rome, yet his heart was wide open as he sent out the members of his young order far and wide.

7. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus

7. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus

Jesus once told his disciples that doing the Father’s will was for him his very food, what gave him life and sustenance. Yet, for him as for us, it was no simple or straightforward matter. Let us then fix our eyes on Jesus, as the letter to the Hebrews tells us, as we, like him, seek the Father’s will.

We see Jesus showing his trust in the Father by his total commitment to his mission. He understood this mission as giving life in abundance to all, preaching the Good News to the poor and setting free from all that shackles us. Although he knew all power had been given to him, his style was that of a servant, washing the feet of his friends and asking them to do likewise. He was convinced that he came not to be served but to serve and give his life for all.

While he could easily have chosen to be proclaimed king and attract crowds with spectacular signs, he opted for loving all and befriending especially those who were marginalised by the others. He knew that this radical option for love would inevitably lead him to the cross, but he accepted this lot from the Father in full trust.

This does not mean he did not have to struggle, as he was repeatedly tempted to go for the easier option. His struggle was at its fiercest at the Garden of Gethsemani, with a heart sorrowful unto death, and in his deep anguish his sweat became like drops of blood. Yet he was ready to accept to drink the chalice that the Father presented him with, and on the cross he could say, My mission is now completed. This total faithfulness to the Father’s will was accepted and he was raised to life, never to die again. This is how Jesus is present to us now, as the Risen one.

Ignatius asks us to insist in prayer to know Jesus more intimately, to love him more intensely, and to follow him more closely. Discernment is much more than a technique or a method, it is rather following Jesus as we seek to find and live the Father’s will for us. This journey, like Jesus’, will certainly be overshadowed by the cross we are called to carry every day. But at its end lies life in abundance. And the Risen Jesus is always at our side.

From God’s word:

◦ “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” – Heb 12:1-3

◦ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke up on you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Mt 11:28-30

◦ “Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” – Mk 14:35-36

◦ “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” – Jn 19:30

 Questions

• The Gospel is full of titles or metaphors that Jesus used to describe himself and help us understand him better: Lord, teacher, master, shepherd, light, way, truth, door, food… From all these do you have a favourite title yourself? 
• When we read the Acts of the Apostles we are impressed by the fact that the Apostles preached mostly about the Resurrection of Jesus, the greatest sign of God’s faithfulness to his promises. How important is the Resurrection in my vision of Jesus, in my relationship to him?

More resources:

Listen to Archbishop Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, explain that Jesus’ basic message is trust in his person

The Pope reminds us that Jesus still prays for us:

‘He trusted in God that he would deliver him’ – from Handel’s Messiah: