Actually today's morning insight doesn't have anything specific to do with St. Francis - I expect you all know who St. Francis is - and he is one of my go-to patron saints. His home town of Assisi is one of my favorite places on earth, and I think, one of the holiest places on earth. Today is his feast day.
But here's my morning insight: Superman has a big problem.
What's that, you ask? Well, did you ever think about the fact that bullets bounce off of Superman (this is more obvious in the older versions of the story). But if that were real, it would pretty much always lead to some innocent person getting shot with a bullet bouncing off of Superman. That's why bullet proof vests cannot just be made of some really hard material. You can't have a bullet proof vest that bullets bounce off of - bullet proof vests have to ABSORB the bullet.
It's the same with a goalie on a a soccer team. The goalie can't just head butt every ball that is heading toward the goal, because by bouncing that ball back into play, you never really get rid of the risk of being scored on. So the goalie has to CATCH the ball.
And I've discovered that it's the same with suffering. If we echo suffering off of us, spreading it around to others, then we just cause the people closest to us to suffer too. We are not meant to reflect suffering, we are meant to absorb it. In Catholic-ese we talk about offering it up, or adding our suffering to the suffering of Christ on the cross, but however you think of it, the real Christian response to suffering is not resistance, anger, protest, complaining, or retaliation - it's to absorb it for the sake of those around us. I've become convinced that a man's job (and not to say it's not also a woman's job, but go with me here) - a man's job is to be the goalie for his family. Or if you prefer the ballistic analogy, to be the bullet proof vest for his family. To absorb that bullet and net let it get through to the family. To catch that ball and not let it get into the goal of the home.
Thoughts...?
Dear friends - Please take 10 minutes to watch this personal update from me:
I'm back, up and running, and ready to go - I should have a new JOURNEY episode within the next week or so - and because you are my loyal peeps, here is an exclusive, just-for-you, behind the scenes SNEAK PEEK into my new office:
I mentioned in The Journey that I wrote a song based on Isaiah 2, which is one of my favorite OT passages:
In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain, and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it. Many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations, and set terms for many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!
I hope you like the song!
The problem with us men is that often we don't have the wisdom to be a father until we're a grandfather.
This may sounds like some ironic statement that makes you nod your head in agreement but shrug your shoulders in resignation, thinking, well there's nothing we can do about that. But the practical application of that is that it demonstrates how important it is for kids to grow up around their grandparents. But as in our culture the family becomes ever more fractured and spread out, that is harder and harder to do.
Lately I've been thinking that part of the problem is the whole concept of college. It used to be that everyone thought a person had to go to college to make a good living. Not only is that not the case (truck drivers make more money than I do) but now college has gone from useless to actually ruining our kids. But when I went to college, what you were supposed to do is figure out what career you wanted (as if anyone knows that at age 18) and then go away to the college ...
And don't forget, if you would like to read my latest novel:
The Sword and the Clover - just let me know by email.
I'm happy to send you the PDF version, even if you haven't been a monetary supporter of the community - all I ask is that you don't share it with anyone else.
My email address:
Keep in touch!
JIm
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