God the Comedian: An Eternal Last Laugh

An adaptation of my first major grad school paper, ‘Ideal Image of God,’ including references to the Incarnation, Trinity and Gift of Grace.

Every day it appears that a lot will take place that we don’t understand. Whether it’s another broken heart, a failed project at work or just a discouraging chapter of your life, there is a lot that is thrown our way that we ask “why” or question how God could allow it to happen to us. Like when you’ve begun dating someone and everything seems to be going so well. You pray that you’re making the right decision of being with her or that something can grow from this and that she might be blessed with clarity in her decision as well. Only to learn she met someone prior and things progressed, see you later dater or for unexplained reasons you decide to skip a show you’ve been waiting to come to town and you end up getting drinks, consoling a friend in need. It seems that we have times in our lives where we are berated by bad jokes by the Big Guy and when you least expect it, it all makes sense…eventually.

That is why God can be seen much like a really bad comedian. The kind where joke after joke you struggle to understand what’s going on. The type where you’re unable to comprehend the point and fail to grasp the purpose, but at the end of each set He closes with a real zinger – a real doozy of a joke that leaves you hungry for more and motivates you to go out to proclaim its greatness.

As Christians we know that God has done a lot of unexplainable things for the world, for the Church, and in our daily lives; many things we can’t even fathom when we experience them. The author of our Divine Comedy gave us the always confusing endowment of Free Will, created the Heavens and the earth, gave us the sun and the moon, and at one time experimented with the concept of the duck billed platypus. But what may be one of the most impressive of God’s contributions towards our lives is what I’ll refer to as the opening act of the routine: The Incarnation.
The Incarnation was the moment when the Word – God’s message – was made flesh so that we might know His love for all of us. The Word became the model of holiness; a real life model to emulate. We passionately profess this belief in the Incarnation when we confess in the Nicene Creed “for us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.”

According to the Catechism, the Word became flesh for us “in order to save us by reconciling us with God, who ‘loved us and sent His son to be the expiation for our sins’” (Catholic Church 457). Because there would be many times in our lives where we would falter to our fears and cave to our temptations we were given this real life example of how to live out our lives. Much like a 3D version of “The Idiots Guide to Living a Holy Life”, God gave us The Teacher of all teachers; the most righteous of role models for us to imitate in our daily lives. So that not only would we have the Word to follow, we were given the way, the truth and the life in His only son, Christ. We as one Church are called to live the life that God showed us in word and in flesh, which brings us to God’s shtick of the great comedic routine.
It is through the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) that we experience God in three forms. This can be seen not just as the shtick, but as the avenue in which the punch line and routine are lived out throughout the entirety of the routine. God knew we would struggle throughout our lives with many of the hurdles put before us and the word became flesh so that we might know God’s love. Instead of sitting in the comforts of His apostolic palace in the clouds, laughing at our regular bouts of ridiculousness, we were given God’s love through The Word, His only son and through the Holy Spirit. We know that God chose to reveal Himself and make known to us – and for us – the hidden purpose of His will. The Vatican II document Dei Verbum tells us that it was through Christ that the Word was made flesh so through the Holy Spirit, we as followers would have access to the Father and ultimately come to share in the divine nature of God’s presence in our lives (DV #2).

As we struggle to grasp our shortcomings, we are given all the tools to attempt to handle the difficulties. With the help of the Father’s Word and the example of His son, it is the Holy Spirit that can guide us to a better understanding of what mountains lay before us; never leaving us on our own to conquer them. Although at times it will feel like we are inching closer to the edge of that mountain or that we’re to go it alone on a deserted island to fend for ourselves, we always have our Mickey yelling at us from the corner of the ring as we go fifteen rounds with life (Rocky Balboa reference #1) it just takes time to hear it.

A story comes to mind that I recently heard from a young woman who is working as a missionary with NET. She had mentioned that her younger brother, who once was a believer and devout Catholic, turned away from his faith just as many young adults do. For years she prayed for him to come back to his faith and would frequently encourage her brother to open his ear to God’s call. Then one sleepless night he had a dream where Jesus made a guest appearance. Christ entered his dream that night and told the young man that He is with him wanting him always and to come back the Lord. The next morning he awoke and with no explanation, aside from the dream, believed once again.

It is moments like that dream which exemplifies God’s presence through the Holy Spirit. It is through a dream, a moving conversation with a friend (even when missing a quality show you were dying to see), or a gracious act of a stranger when we least expect it, that reminds us that the Holy Spirit is present in our lives always. It is the Holy Spirit that humbles us at the end of a bitter onslaught of craziness that comes our way. Just another way the Lord will continue to throw so much our way, but be there for that last laugh as it hits us that He is along for the rollercoaster ride with us.
Like every good standup routine there comes the closer, the takeaway, the spirit of the set that stays with you after the experience. In this case it comes in the form of God’s grace. In order for us to grow in our faith “the grace of God and the interior help of the Holy Spirit must precede and assist, moving the heart and turning it to God,” (DV #5) which opens our eyes in time of need and fills our hearts with joy in times of sorrow. We all come across rough patches in our lives that leave us empty and lost, afraid of what might be, but according to Gaudium et Spes it is only by the aid of God's grace that we can bring such a relationship with God into full flower (GS # 13).

It is through experiencing God fully in the Trinity that we can receive His grace and like a good joke we then take it to share with others. As we proclaim the joke or an experience of God in our life, we share God’s grace. “Grace works in an unseen way” (GS #31) in the hearts of all those we meet. Since our calling is to live a divine life here on earth we are to believe the “Holy Spirit, in a manner known only to God, offers to every man the possibility of being associated with this paschal mystery” (GS #32).

Too often do we as followers of God find ourselves blinded by the hesitations and disbeliefs of what is taking place in our lives. Yet God calls out in the Gospel of John “my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10: 27-28). How many times do we fail to hear the punch line and see the point? We bear to withstand a barrage of bad jokes only to be struck in our heart the passionate punch line of God’s hope and joy.

A couple of years ago I found myself out east backpacking the White Mountains. A month removed from being a youth minister and recently out of a devastating relationship I questioned God every day. One day as I sat meditating at the summit of Mount Washington I found myself engulfed in a thick afternoon fog so I closed my eyes and prayed some more. I asked “Lord, how can I continue going on if I don’t ever get a sign from you that I’m doing what you want me to be doing?” What felt like hours later I opened my eyes to find that the fog had lifted, the sun shone brightly and a bald eagle flew before me. There was my sign and there was God ending His set for me with the zinger that left me breathless and my veins full of His grace after taking on a bitch of a beating for months. It was as if Christ spoke not just in Scripture but to me through the Holy Spirit on the mountain and said, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:31).

Whether God is actually the greatest comedian of all time, but we fail to understand the buildup before the punch line, or if it’s simply that God is just a really bad comedian who ends with a real zinger - one thing is for sure, we are loved. No matter what is tossed our way we are never to go it alone. Through the Grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit we are continually led by our Creator and shown the way through the Word, examples Christ lived for us, and in the grace shared through those around us. Although there is still a lot of questions left unanswered and what feels like lonely mountains to climb, I'm assuming the punch line of the second coming can only be pretty epic.



Until next time...

The Grad School Stranglehold of Grace

The other night I finished my financial aid papers for grad school. My evening consisted of sifting through mind numbing paperwork and filling out government forms about student loans. On the eve of putting a studies induced stranglehold on my spending and a stop payment on my Adventure Fund, I also received my first bill from the university. If filling out all those forms about how much I’ll owe wasn’t enough to make my palms sweaty, stomach turn and my wallet shed some pounds the $2,000 initial payment did the trick.

All evening I second guessed my decision and stressed about my financial future for the foreseeable future. My mind raced quicker than the loans will be filed. “What did I get myself into,” I asked myself repeatedly. “Is this even the right ‘next step’ for me?” I asked. Since I’m going to study Theology this better be what the good Lord intends that I do. Needless to say it was an exhausting evening.

As I attempted to gather myself I was interrupted by a text from a teen that I had often met with while serving as Youth Minister. She would always come to events, asked great questions, made my job hell at times and would have weekly office visits to unload her thoughts, opinions and stresses of being a high schooler. She just ‘wanted to say hi,’ but past conversations that started like that indicated more than that. I asked how she was doing, and after hearing a generic response, I asked again, only to learn that her high school stress was now the realities of a life of a young woman dealing with much more as a young adult.

In respect to her I’ll skip much of the details and simply say that she faces many grueling mountains I could not even bare to ever face. I was empathetic to things going on in her life and for nearly two hours we texted back and forth. It wasn’t until I was lying in bed later on that I realized that our conversation had completely calmed my nerves from earlier. Here I was questioning my decision of going back to school for a degree that to many seems useless. It was the humbling way of having the Big Guy share His grace in my Life and that subtle, yet in your face, sign that maybe I should work on the whole 'surrendering thing' that He calls us to do.

As I spent an evening questioning Him and what I think He wants me to do He gave me that gentle jab to my ego to remind me that it is His will that shall be done. The most loving and compassionate I have felt in quite some time came at the tail end of an evening that was full of second guessing, anxiety and the fear of the unknown in my future. Then my mind was quieted, my heart opened and myself humbled. It's funny how things work out and how He works in our lives.

I've always said that the Big Guy is like a comedian...a really, really bad comedian. The kind where the jokes don't make sense or often times it takes a long time to think about the punchline. But after an onslaught of bad jokes he ends his set with a real zinger. The anticipated bazinga moment leaving you smiling and full of life. In this case I'm still deciding if this is the first of many one liners before the zinger or if this is this just the opening act. Either way I'm just excited to be here for the act.


Until next time...

The Sunbury Speedway Incident

On my way home from work a few Fridays ago I was cut off by an SUV. My drive to and from work takes me along a wonderful four lane road that has a grassy median and a breathtaking view of a lake. During my drive this guy sped up to tailgate the person in the lane next to me then proceeded to cut into my lane only to hit the brakes due to slowing traffic up ahead. In a calm, yet defensive manner I hit the brakes and as I put my hands up in the air let out a "Come one.”

Seeing my displeasure, the Mario Andretti of the yuppie mobile slowed down -10 under the speed limit to be exact - and gave me a single finger salute of endearment. I laughed it off as I attempted to pass him to avoid his petty game only to have him speed up, boxing me in with the car next to me.

On the remainder of my drive home my wheels turned in my head as fast as the ones on my car. What will be my next post, I thought. The past weeks I've spent so much time in personal reflection and discernment about my life and the direction I'm "called" and "wanting" to take, as well as my writing and what the next step will be for me. I’m nearly finished with the application process for grad school and I’m beginning my search for a literary agent for my manuscript, among a few other life adventures. But here's what I pondered after my classroom session in the confines of my car:

It's funny how in life parents give kids a time out for their tomfoolery, teachers can toss out detentions to students for being dumb, during a guy’s night you can pull a buddy’s ‘Man Card’ for acts that are less than manly or for acts that are weak-sauce-applesauce…or for any man who ever says something as stupid as weak-sauce-applesauce.

But wouldn’t it be great to be able to pull out the ‘You’re a Dumbass’ card to give to someone when they’re… a dumbass and be able to do it without fear of being beaten up or retaliated against. What about if you could have the ability to shrink someone - like in the game of Mario - so that after someone commits an act of doochery you could press a button and shrink them to about two inches high for about five minutes so you can literally walk all over the person who attempted to walk all over you…or in my case, who nearly caused an accident.
Or, better yet, wouldn’t it be great if people just exhibited a bit more humility?

In the book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote that “true humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” It's so simple to say, yet so challenging to live out, but just imagine the world we live in if there was more humility exhibited. A world where people thought less about their own self-interests and focused more on how they could better the others around them.
There wouldn't be as much crime, war and hate. There would be more married couples than divorced and single. Governments could learn to work with and support one another...and properly, not politically, support their own citizens. It is through humility that we can put aside ourselves to better love, serve and lead others.

One of my favorite writers, Ralph Waldo Emerson, put it in simpler terms saying that “a great man is always willing to be little.” Imagine the humility it takes to back down after being run off the road or being walked all over at work or being one upped by your friend who is a one upper. Being the bigger person also means being the one to take a step back and at times swallowing your pride. If that doesn’t work you could always whip out your “You’re a Dumbass card.”

The Cardinal Rule: Break through the Damn Glass

Tonight before scripture study I stopped in the sanctuary to pray. As I knelt before the Tabernacle my prayer was interrupted by a loud tap on the glass of the window behind me. It didn't keep me from my deep reflection of my life, my struggles and the stresses of my life today. Just as I felt it was getting somewhere the loud tap turned into a flutter of banging against what ended up being the window of the emergency exit door. After pausing my prayer, and the progress of unloading my feelings, I turned towards the far back corner of the Church.

A curious cardinal hovering outside the door was staring inside the Church. Every few seconds the fire truck red bird would make a dash towards the Church only to be swatted away by the glass of the door. After a few moments of being discouraged, rattled and attempting to catch his breadth the feathered friend tried again...and again to no avail. After watching this guy for nearly ten minutes attempt to get in, rest upon the pine tree, try again, hover while fighting his displeasure and trying again, he flew off. He had had enough.

My prayer didn't come in the form of a conversation with God tonight. It came through the cheeky sense of humor from the Big Guy as I witness a concussed bird attempt to break into the Church. That cardinal, was me, and that cardinal was you. Like that cardinal we so often see what it is we need to do to become a better person spiritually, professionally and personally. Like that cardinal we know what we must do to follow that righteous path or to become a better husband or wife but are kept form doing so. Like that cardinal we see those things, but can't seem to get their because there's this glass wall that separates us from point A to point B. The window that allows us to see our destiny, but is the barrier of truly living out our beliefs. Just like that cardinal we try and try and try, then get discouraged.

But the difference between us and that cardinal is that we have strength. We have love. We have a heart that burns with passion. We have been taught that perfect love trumps fear and we see that in the love and life of Christ that we are called to imitate. Being equipped with a love that conquers fear we can break through that damn wall that keeps us from our path.

For me it's figuring out "the next step" in my life as I discern my options and fears of grad school. It's also in the form of knowing where I'd like to see my writing go, but being afraid of the path I must follow to get it there. What is that wall keeping you from conquering in your life? Where is it you're supposed to be? Why are you still banging your head against it?

That bird got discouraged after ten minutes of beating his head against the door...I know the feeling...I tend to beat myself up over a lot of things. What that cardinal didn't know was that I had walked closer to the door and could have let him in, but he flew away before I could help. We have someone waiting on the other side who will never give up on us and is always calling us to enter in. Let nothing hold you back, no matter how many times you fail to break through the glass door that is holding you back.


Until next time...

A Mango For Your Thoughts

I learned a valuable lesson while at the grocery store the other day. It came to me by way of a mango mistake in the produce section. Upon noticing a sale on mangos and the onset of the flu I had to get multiple mangos for the vitamin C. In my hurried hysteria I grabbed the juiciest of tropical green goodness and delicately placed them all into one produce baggie. As I twisted it closed to place into my cart the entire bag ripped and the mangos, five of them, all broke loose from the bag quicker and louder than students busting loose from school for the summer. They crashed into my cart, clattering about as they knocked over cans of soup and the rest of my flu survival kit items.

In a graceful, and refined way, I glided across the shiny linoleum floor of the produce section away from the loud racket much like that of orchestrated choreography seen in an episode of Dancing with the Stars. As my ballroom routine came to a close I looked around to see if anyone had seen what I had done and just as I came to, I noticed a woman pushing her cart down the aisle that dead ended into where I was.

"Nice one," she called out as she applauded my blunder. "We've all done that before."

"Agreed. We've all done it," chimed in another lady from the other side of the fruit aisle. "But nicely done to come back from it."

Through the next three days of laying on the couch that scene kept playing out and got me thinking:

How often do we try to pile in too much into our day, our week, into our life and yes into our plastic produce bags, only too just have everything come undone and end up crashing down on us? Whether it's pushing ourselves too hard and we become ill or we hold in so much stress and anxiety only to just freak out. We all have fallen victim to such an unfortunate break.

We forget to just take things three seconds at a time. We tone out advice from scholars that remind us to "simplify, simplify, simplify." We ignore that "the ill-tempered stir up strife, but the patient settle disputes (Proverbs 15:18)" or that we are called to "rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer (Romans 12:12)."

For me, it took mangos gracefully interrupting a couple shopper's midday grocery experience with a produce dance party and three days of laying on the couch to think about it. Next time I'll know not to shove too much into such cheap plastic, but also the next time that I'm filled with a quirky concoction of emotions - at work, when life throws down the hammer or if I'm struggling with five large mangos - I can be that sea of calm in a storm of chaos. Unfortunately it took unplanned mango madness and a bit of humility for me to learn this lesson.

I Know I'm Not A Manly Man, Which Makes Me More of a Man Than You

The word man is defined as: One possessing in high degree the qualities considered distinctive of manhood(2)obsolete: the quality or state of being manly: manliness.

Many people have their own definition of what this word means and what it entails "to be a man." Others believe that they are the definition of what it means to be dubbed: a manly man. We envision that burly stead to have the swagger of Frank Sinatra, the charm of every Disney prince, the sense of adventure of Hemingway, Jesus' abs and discipline, the stories of the Dos Equis guy and the beard of Zeus or that of Allan from The Hangover. That's a lot for us men to aspire to, especially in an era that is calling for true manliness.

Last week at work I made a sad attempt of being a "man" by attempting (strong emphasis on attempt) to put together a bookshelf in my boss' office while she was out on vacation. The gigantic feat of masculine proportions was time consuming, horribly confusing and clearly suited for someone of much more exuberant manliness than what I brought to the tool box. It was an epic fail on my part and I fell victim to the manliness roadblock of an Office Max shelving unit.

As I reflected on the sad attempt of manliness I realized that I had been humbled to the tenth degree by such an easy task. I loathed the bastard bookshelf for hours as it stared at me every time I passed by her office door. It sat, scattered in her office, boasting its conquest over me as I'd pace by during the afternoon. It celebrated its victory over me each time an office member would walk by her office to see it sitting on the floor in pieces and come into my office asking how I was progressing with the project after I had raised the white flag in defeat.

It was then that I realized that one skill that trumps any attribute of what we claim creates "manliness," is humility. The ability to accept defeat, but press on. That moment where you can say I messed up or I am not able to do this. It is in humility that we are better equipped to forgive, to lead others and to move on from the hardships that arise, like failing at putting together a simple bookshelf. That was when I realized that I know I'm not a manly man, which makes me more of a man than you...But I'm still working on the humble part though, but aren't we all. I think another thing I'll work on in this New Year is my humility, because in the wise words of a dear friend, "I am the humblest person I know."


Until next time...