Most of the priests of the diocese of Cleveland will tell
you that one of the most important parts of our seminary formation is what we
call our “field education” when we are sent out into the field, if you
will. We receive hands-on experience,
learning how to minister in hospitals, nursing homes, jails, schools, emergency
rooms, bereavement groups.
And towards the end of our seminary education we were able
to choose an area which we would like to further develop. After having a wonderful experience on my
internship at Holy Trinity Parish in Avon, especially at their school, I asked
if I could be sent to minister to families that were struggling, particularly
with addiction issues. So, during my
seventh year of seminary, I went every week to a treatment center not too far
from here for teenagers with addiction problems, but I would also meet some
parents who also had addiction problems.
And I can remember a woman I met, in recovery who had been,
what she called “a hopeless alcoholic.”
She said she had been through a number of programs, and had attained
sobriety for a while, but would always end up getting drunk again. There was a
point in her life where she said she really hit rock bottom: She went on a
drinking binge for several month in Chicago, and woke up one morning, in an
ally next to a dumpster. Disgusted by herself, she came to the decision to take
her own life by jumping in front of a train.
And on her way to kill herself, she passed by St. Peter’s Church, the
Franciscan Parish in downtown Chicago, and for a reason she couldn’t quite
explain she went in to the Church and in to the Confessional. And she told the Confessor Priest that she
was in such desperation that she was going to kill herself. “Why?” the priest asked her. She said, “because I am a hopeless drunk, I’m
worthless, I am disgusting” And the priest responded vigorously: “No you are
not. You are a child of God. Made in His Image and Likeness, bought back
from evil, from darkness and death, at the cost of His only begotten Son, Our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That’s who
you are. You also happen to have a
severe drinking problem. But maybe, if
we begin to work on who you are, the bad things that you do will begin to take
care of themselves.”
This woman, who I met, here in Cleveland, said that was the
turning point in her life. What she
began to believe that day, was the truth found in our Second Reading from St.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. St. Paul
writes, “It is in Christ, through His blood, that we have been redeemed, and
our sins forgiven.”
She discovered that her Christian identity, a loved,
redeemed child of God is deeper than her worst problems. Christian is our deepest identity. Being Christian is not a matter of belonging
to a social club, a political party, or worker’s union. Being Christian is soul-deep, for the blood
of Christ in which we were immersed in Baptism, goes down to our deepest
self. The blood of Christ has changed us
forever.
We can pretend otherwise, we can forget about our baptism,
we can ignore the fact, but in the end, you and I will appear before the
judgement seat of God as Christian souls, who have been adopted by God. And our faithfulness to that deepest identity
will determine if we will spend eternity in heaven or hell.
If I was able to assign you homework for the week, I would
direct you to reread, slowly and deliberately that magnificent passage from
Ephesians. If you feel nothing, or don’t
understand it, go back and read it more slowly, thinking about the implications
of every line.
St. Paul says, “the riches of his grace have been lavished
upon us.” Yet, like all blessings, those
riches can be taken for granted, if we don’t stop once and while, and reflect
upon them, and give thanks to God for them, we can begin to take them for
granted, and then perhaps forget that we received them altogether.
This passage from St. Paul is a moving hymn of praise to God
our Father, which the early Christians sang to glorify God for the redemption
they received in Christ’s blood. Reread
this passage, allow it to sink down into your soul, immerse yourself in it , make
it your song of praise—your song to God.
“It is in Christ, and through his blood, that we have been
redeemed, and our sins forgiven. So
immeasurably generous is God’s favor to us.”
How consoling, how refreshing, how encouraging it is for us to
contemplate that we have been saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
Traditionally, the month of July is dedicated to Jesus’
Precious Blood. If you happen to have an
old prayer book, you might come across the Litany of the Precious Blood, which
would be very appropriate to pray throughout this month.
“Precious Blood of Jesus, wash me clean.”
“Blood of Christ, inebriate me.”
“Precious Blood of Jesus, bathe me in thy tide.”
“Precious Blood of Jesus, pulse through my veins…”
How powerful to recall his precious blood, poured forth from
the cross on Calvary for us. How quickly
temptations subside when we recall in that moment that we have been bathed in
his blood. How easy it is to remain
patient with our words, when we recall that we have received his body and blood
in the Eucharist on our tongues.
The reason we so easily fall into sin is because we forget
his blood. We forget the pain he
suffered to give new life to us.
This is why it is so important to have a vibrant prayer
life, where we reflect deeply upon the Scriptures, so that in the moment of
temptation we can draw upon that sacred fountain for strength, so that in the
moment of despair and sorrow, we can remember God’s closeness which is deeper
than even our human emotions.
None of our troubles can take away our redemption, our new
identity in Christ. Because of his
blood, our troubles can become an opportunity for transformation, as we draw
close to God, and learn to trust him and to find our strength in him
alone.
“Precious Blood of Jesus, wash me clean.”
“Blood of Christ, inebriate me.”
“Precious Blood of Jesus, bathe me in thy tide.”
“Precious Blood of Jesus, pulse through my veins…”
For the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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