The 'Post': The 'Stuff" of Dreams

 Welcome, God and All...

Some of our most profound experiences happen when the subconscious produces a drama only seen with the eyes closed, in the world of dreams.

The Bible contains several instances of visions received in dreams. In the Old Testament, Joseph and Daniel interpreted dreams of serious import to Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar, respectively. In the New Testament, Joseph (Jesus' guardian and foster father) receives dreams from an angel (likely the Archangel Gabriel) to take Mary, already pregnant, as his spouse; and to flee Bethlehem for Egypt during the raging of Herod the king, and still when it was safe to return home to Nazareth. In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter receives a vision in a dream in which he is shown that the Christian world did not have to subscribe to the dietary and other restrictions of the Jewish faith - thus showing that Christ's mission and ministry was to be open to everyone.

The first Inside Out movie from Disney and Pixar depicted a scenario of how dreams happen and are played out when you are not quite asleep and not fully awake. The film's humorous take on Riley's subconscious is one-way dreams walk one though a replay of a past experience. Dreams can be symbolic, too. Those dreams and visions throughout much of the Bible run the gamut from obviously simple interpretation to things that challenge us to understand what the dreams and visions represent. The symbolism behind dreams has its own place in modern-day psychoanalysis.

Dreams can be recurring; that is, can replay several times such as the anniversary of a loved one's death, or a past experience that have sudden twists and turns and flashes between one scene and another, unrelated in any way.

Having said that, I had a very serious and troubling dream recently. Before I get into its specifics, I should update the reader on real-life events in my life that I believe served as a trigger to this specific dream.

The targeted restructuring of one parish in which I serve merging with a neighboring parish stalled, having the Church equivalent of a restraining order as a result of a petition by my parish to review and eventually overturn the decree of the diocesan bishop to effect the merge. I am trying to be a discerning listener as factions on either side of the issue are sorting out the plusses and minuses of the immediate situation. Listening is one thing I understood was part of diaconal ministry, even if only to allow all sides of a situation to vent. I have no power or influence whatever in the final decision, which will come from Rome "soon". But as I have a vested interest in the outcome, I listen with patience and restraint.

Meanwhile, at the other parish I serve, I was asked and subsequently volunteered to assist with livestreaming daily Mass. But some complications not of my own making are giving this the look and feel of a part-time job. Indeed, all of the ministry projects in which I'm involved, although some are temporary, are keeping me very busy.

And then there are bizarre stories that can only happen within the Church. The bizarre debate over the use of the (1962) Traditional Latin Mass, the hypersensitivity and inconsiderate references to sexual overtures, even the argument over what constitutes good and appropriate music in the liturgy are all within my sphere of experience.

And a news item I read the other day was also upsetting. In the Diocese of Pittsburgh PA, there is a rather unusual situation. According to reports, a single parish has seven satellite locations or "worship sites" - each one at one time a separate parish, but now all under one pastoral umbrella due to restructuring. The main parish just announced that it must close the seven other campuses due to financial circumstances. It stands to reason; restructuring took financial concerns into consideration along with clerical staffing. But how this was allowed to be created in the first place is the likely reason for its failure, hence the decision to close these other facilities.

Makes you wonder just what is going on between the Church of Christ (Catholic) and the "Church Incorporated", and what bizarre twists and turns have led us to where we are now. And herein lies what my subconscious had to play with. That, and the lack of deep sleep - due to neuropathy in my feet and hot flashes (bed sweats) as a side effect of the medication I am taking for prostate cancer, all comes together in the following scene.

I am in a church, presumably for Mass, and the first thing I see is children playing in the sanctuary - tossing around the empty chalice, crayon drawing on the altar linens, doing what toddlers do to hymnals. And I am visibly upset. This is the house of prayer to God, and someone has turned it into a playground!

Someone had to allow this to happen (certainly not the children's parents), and while Jesus said "let the children come to Me" I didn't believe this was what He intended. So I locate a man who appeared to be the facilitator, and I let him have it. A verbal barrage, from both barrels. How can this be allowed? Doesn't anybody else realize that this is a sacred place? You are allowing this house of God to be defiled, and it must stop! NOW!!

And with a simple gesture redirecting my gaze to the scene over which I was so angered, the Mass was going on as it normally would, and people were receiving Holy Communion...and there were many, many empty seats.

And then I became aware that I was no longer asleep.

I don't have a clue what this is supposed to mean or symbolize. And all I could think in my mind and pray, for the next fifteen minutes, over and over, was God, why are You showing me this? What am I supposed to make of this? What have I done or am doing that would paint something like this in my subconscious mind?

I have been struggling with my true worth before God lately, so much so that I have wondered whether I need to see a spiritual counselor. Time and finances have kept me from doing so. I have talked to colleagues over some of this, mainly to get it out from inside and not really expecting any answer. The vibe I'm getting is that I'm doing fine and anyone at this level of attachment to things of the Church should not consider this unusual. Continue to pray. Continue doing what you're doing, because you do it very well. That being said, I still feel that I have an uncommon and yet, still very confused sense of how any of this fits in with what I've been taught regarding the intent Jesus had as he named Peter as "the rock on which (He) will build (His Church).

How many more nights like this can I expect? Pray for me as I pray for you.

Until we meet again, may God be with you - and may He have mercy on us all...

+the Phoenix

The Post: Of Cabbage-Heads and Would-Be Kings

 Welcome, God and All (I think)...

It's been six months since I last completed a reflection and posted it here.

In that time, while trying to maintain a quiet life, I've come to realize that I cannot stay silent or ignorant of the world around me. Social media keeps banging loudly at my virtual door in the latter; and in the former, my Lord and God commands that there are times when I must speak out.

You got me right. As a Catholic Christian disciple, I'm supposed to call out injustice wherever and wherever it exists. Additionally, I have to do so in such a way as to address the issues and not judge those who create such issues or promote said injustice. This is something I shouldn't do rashly.

We are, by and large, a reactionary society. Something is said or done, and we look to see how our neighbors and leaders, and sometimes even our pastors react to it. Our quest to know what the trending reactions are is so great, we turn to media pundits and even former government leaders for their reactions. All this really seems to do, however, is to muddy the murky landscape to the point that it's extremely difficult to navigate.

i don't believe for one minute that political leadership isn't aware of this and will purposely manipulate facts and speculation to state their case on how they intend to deal with an issue. In a society seriously divided, a reaction on one side forces a counter-reaction on the other side in a spiral that digs deeper and deeper so that it would take direct divine intervention to resolve the issue.

Chicago, near my home turf, seems to be at the epicenter of a number of things. Cardinal Blase Cupich was to bestow a lifetime achievement award to retiring Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, for his work in dealing with the plight of impoverished immigrants. This caused immediate reaction from several other bishops as well as some of the Catholic faithful; Durbin's voting record favored the right to procure an abortion and as such, negated his eligibility to receive such an award. Now that we have an American-born, English-speaking pope, Leo XIV was immediately asked to weigh in on the situation. His answer surprised many. Being 'pro-life' is an all-encompassing thing. You can't be against abortion and promote the separation of families torn apart due to the immigration status of one or both parents. Senator Durbin, aware of the scandal this could cause, declined acceptance of the award - a sign, perhaps, that this is another "near occasion" of sin.

And on that immigration front, because of the Trump administration's overstatement of the issue, efforts were stepped up in a big way to remove perceived illegals from the country, especially in 'sanctuary' cities like Chicago and Portland, Oregon, where local officials offer free health care, driver's licenses and deep subsidies on housing and do not cooperate with federal agents executing their mandated orders. That not being enough, the National Guard has been called into these cities, along with Los Angeles and Washington DC, even as state and local authorities say they're not wanted.

The President is well known for going to extremes to advance his agenda. We're split down the middle on it. Some say that he is the first American leader in forty years to effectively get anything done, while others claim that his leadership style resembles that of dictators and royalty from other eras in world history (and other leaders in different parts of the world today). Meanwhile, the Church, as the world's moral mouthpiece, vainly attempts to be apolitical, and it's not working.

And what is our reaction to all this?

One would hope there would be prayer first, that the Holy Spirit would motivate us to appropriate action. What seems to be happening, though, is to turn this situation into a nation-wide protest movement and party at the same time, in a so-called "family-friendly" rally called "No Kings". Now we haven't had "royalty" in America in 250 years, and, to my best knowledge, if we had a king, we would not likely be allowed to hold such a protest.

Organizers and some of the participants say the purpose of this huge gathering is to make a statement to the President and his administration, as well as his backing political party. Excuse me, but they're ignoring you. Not to mention that Congress can't get a spending bill passed and as a result, the government has been effectively shut down for the last two weeks, with no end in sight. Yet congressmen and senators are still getting paid..to do nothing; while furloughed government employees can't pay bills and are lining up at food pantries to be able to feed themselves and their families.

To further draw attention to themselves, some protesters have donned costumes, dressing like frogs, unicorns, and sheep. It's not a Halloween party - and don't get me started on how I see that a sacred time to remember our beloved dead (and to remind us of our own death someday), has been totally bastardized by the culture. They don't realize that God sees the sin within us through the hideous and grotesque costumes we choose to wear. What would Jesus do to a generation that charges admission to scare you out of your skin (and makes you sign affidavits to release them from any liability should someone have an extreme reaction to their creepshow)? 

How do I testify the truth in this, especially to colleagues and family and friends who may believe I'm over-reacting? 

It's a difficult situation. I am not a big people person. Growing up in a large Catholic household, miles away at the time from anything meaningful, split-up from what neighborhood friends I had because I went to a Catholic school, and later because the public school system couldn't be consistent about where they sent us 'outliers' - and ridiculed by peers because they falsely thought the town I lived in was also home to a state mental hospital - made me something of an isolationist. So I am troubled by having to accept their opinions on issues when I believe they are being misled or under-informed. Or am I the real problem?

Little by little I have come out of my shell, despite having to uproot myself at least four times - and Lord, I love you despite the fact that I am getting too old to keep dealing with the same circular arguments again and again and again. 

I acknowledge You, Christ Jesus, and You alone, as my One True King and Lord and Savior. Lead me in your righteousness! Make Thy way plain before my face!!

Amen...

Until we meet again, may God be with you...and may God have mercy on us all,

+the Phoenix