Lead Me to the Rock

 Last week something incredible happened, well actually two incredible things: the Smithsonian National Gallery of Art reopened and cicadas which have been buried for 17 years came out of hiding. Naturally, I preferred the art gallery to the cicadas. I eagerly looked for paintings to visit and narrowed it down to about 5, but one which stood out to me was from my favorite Dutch and Flemish Gallery, and it is "Moses Striking the Rock" from which water flowed out of and hydrated the Israelites who were wandering in the wilderness.

"Moses Striking the Rock" by Joachim Anthonisz Wtewael, 1624.

I have been thinking about this painting for the last week, I have yet to visit it, and so far it is long distance love. Naturally I love the bright colors used by the artist, Joachim Anthonisz Wtewael, and how there are healthy rosy cheeked people along with their animals drinking in the water that flows from the rock. However, what I love most is the symbolism from this: Moses the chosen prophet led the complaining and cranky but believing Israelites to the Rock which is symbolic for God in the Trinity. God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit are all symbolic in the Rock. Furthermore the rock is the name given to Peter from which Jesus built the Church. His literal name was Rock from which flowed the water and mercy and love of Jesus from the day the Church began. 

These last few days, contemplating Moses Striking the Rock, I have been contemplating which priests and bishops have led us to the Rock and the flowing waters of mercy, truth and love through Jesus. I can say with certainty I feel at home in my Father's house and that there is no place as wonderful, as loving and as welcoming as being close to Jesus in the tabernacle at church. Jesus is the rock of my foundation for being and existing from which all moving things that are uncertain find certainty in His truth and mercy and love. Like a good Father, some priests have led the people in the wilderness of this last year of COVID lockdowns to where their children needed to be fed. They took their function of priest, servant and father as seriously as Moses did, wandering in the desert knowing one thing for sure: their people needed God to lead, to feed and to provide. Did these priests lead us to die in the desert by leading us to Christ? No, they led us to Him for eternal life and for our eternal souls. For that, I am forever grateful. Many priests, leading us to the sacraments, have been mocked and ridiculed for this. "Blessed are you when men shall revile you, and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." are the words that come to mind from Matthew 11. For those priests who have been reviled, treated with evil and persecuted, thank you for doing that for us, for me. Some soldiers go to war, and don't come home. For the priests fighting daily battles for our souls, thank you for doing it to take our souls to our eternal home.

The sacraments feed our soul.

I remember one day in March 2020 when everything was starting to shut down at the speed of lightning: shops, hair salons, churches thrown into the equivalent on "non-essentials" all being shut down and it dawned on me as Holy Mass was cancelled: I might die without confessing and confessions might get shut down too...I remember that day feeling the fear not of death from COVID but of everlasting life without God and that I would face that if the bishop decided no more sacraments in general. I went and met a good holy priest who met me in a parking lot and there, I met Jesus in the beautiful, wonderful and blissful sacrament of confession. I wept tears of joy and it felt so weird but so right to seek confession at all costs. One sacrament to encounter Jesus was all I had for months: confession, as He was withheld in the Eucharist out of fear of contamination. Jesus, the Healer, reduced to an infection.

When we are filled with the water of life from Jesus, we fill our vessel to carry it to others.

One thing that I was aware I was missing were words from Bishops, and Cardinals stating to not fear, not worry and to encourage priests to fight for the eternal souls of the people entrusted to their care. It saddened me to not hear from them, and it saddened me that I wasn't surprised by their silence. I knew they weren't too busy because we all have the same 24 hours in a day, just as Jesus and the Apostles did and they went to the lepers and the lame... As I prayed about writing this blog what came to mind were children I have helped and some I have seen neglected. When a parent neglects to feed their child, guide and raise their child then there are consequences: the children suffer and go where they are raised, fed and have attention and most of the time those are not healthy places.

Looking in the wrong vessel for water when the font is behind you but you can't recognize it.

 Likewise, people no matter what their background are desperate in the wilderness searching for the water of refreshment, joy and life that only Jesus gives. Why, especially under the heat of the scorching sun of COVID, has that been withheld by many Bishops? In a time where loving God could quench our thirst and calm so many in fear and anxiety the priority shifted to locking doors, canceling sacraments and reminding everyone to "stay safe". The only place I know I am safe is in the mercy of the presence of God after receiving the sacrament of confession and the Eucharist. 

The truth of Christ being present in the Eucharist, in the sacraments will never hurt us, for He is our Rock in the wilderness. Cardinal Robert Sarah said this so beautifully in his amazing book, "The Day is Now Far Spent": 

"The bishops are the successors of the apostles. We ought to following in their footsteps and preach as they had the courage to do. We are not administrators or ecclesiastical officials. We are the bearers and guardians of the Word of God. Bishops should take inspiration from the letters that Saint Paul wrote to the first Christians. Would we have the courage to speak with such fire? God grant that our love for his Word may not grow lukewarm under the weight of procedures and meetings. In the Church, the heavier the administrative apparatus, the less room there is for the Holy Spirit! Woe to me if I do not evangelize!"

“We need priests who are men of the interior life, “God's watchmen” and pastors passionately committed to the evangelization of the world, and not social workers or politicians.” - Cardinal Sarah

In this weeks podcast, Kevin Wells interviewed Dr. Janet Smith as they discussed the boldness of Fr Al Schwartz, who as a good shepherd and priest led thousands of children to the rock of water of everlasting life through Jesus. Yes, Fr Al was targeted by his local Bishop who wanted to wreck the work of Father Al by mishandling funds that had nothing to do with the mission for the children. Did Father Al rebel? No, but he obeyed his Father, the Trinity, leading him through his priesthood to lead children to Jesus. 

For any priests reading this: keep at it! You were chosen, handpicked to be a priest today no matter your parish, your bishop and the negativity or praise you hear. You have a team of angels with you at each Holy Mass, Mary the Mother of Priests bowing at your side as you offer the Sacrifice. You also have one blogger praying for you each and every day in the rosary. Don't give up, we need you to lead us to Jesus through His Truth. We need to hear about Him, about sin, about heaven and about hell. We need to hear what the Catechism says. We need to hear about humility, confession, and how to practice charity at home. We need to be told that we need confession and how it heals. We need to hear about marriage and how it is a calling that deserves to be treated each day like a mission to the person we are married to. Our eternal souls need Jesus and the sacraments. Thank you for your sacrifice to us as priests of Christ, sons of Mary and spouses to the Church. 

Enjoy the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8A7CXNJXQM&t=12s