Beatitudes Part One

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Catholic youngsters are a pretty impressive lot. They go to some of the best schools. Catholic schools consistently have great test scores, and Catholic schools can, without permission or apology, keep faith education as part of the curriculum. The school uniform serves a purpose - less distinction between rich and poor, fashionable and not-so-fashionable. There is a code of conduct that is consistent and consistently applied. And - the biggest factor, in my opinion - Catholic schools can make demands in terms of parental involvement that public schools could not make. Perfect? No. Really, really good? You betcha.

At the college level some of the most distinguished colleges in the country - Georgetown and Notre Dame are among the most competitive in the country for admission - are Catholic. The youngsters who don't want to wander that far from home can go to a local Catholic college. Either way, there will be a great group of alumni to soften the blow when the real world intrudes. As it will.

And then something happens. I'm told this also happens in a lot of Protestant churches also. From about age 22 to about age 35 the young adults tend to lose interest. Most are not really hostile to their church of origin, and most would say, "You know, I really should get more active again" or "I really should go back."

And then, sometime around age 35-40 they do start to come back. There are many ideas suggested to explain the pattern. I think one possibility that makes sense is that, sometime around age 35-40 many people begin to be seriously confronted with the inexplicable.

Birth - either the mystery of birth or the mystery of the inability for this to happen.

Sickness. Why would someone who has never smoked in their life and whose home has not a trace of radon get lung cancer?

Death. There may be a scientific explanation of how - cancer, heart failure, stroke, complications of diabetes - but the "why" question escapes science. Why does a 40-year-old die from an aggressive form of prostate cancer while cigarettes may kill another person but take 90 years to do it?

In our family we are dealing with that right now. A family member has a condition called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. I Googled it last night. This is a man who had always been a strong, vital person - Vietnam vet, Army Special Forces, a runner. He's one of the dearest, sweetest, most laid-back, accepting individuals you could ever know. Now he has a few months to, at the outside, a couple of years left.

Why? I can't explain. Neither can you. We're better off not even trying.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount - particularly the Beatitudes - are phrased in such a succinct, pithy manner, yet in a sentence like this one so much meaning is packed that we've spent the better part of 2,000 years trying to unpack it all.

"The poor in spirit" - those who recognize their utter dependence on God for everything.

"The poor in spirit" - those who realize that mysteries are mysteries to us, but in the end all is in God's hands. The poor in spirit do not occupy themselves with trying to impress God with their wisdom or their intelligence. The poor in spirit know they can't. They may not be comfortable with mystery, but they are comfortable with God.

The success of AA - for me, anyway - hinges on our recognition of our need for our Higher Power, whom I recognize as God. No one gets sober by the power of his own mind. No one gets clean by being arrogant.

So, during this season of Lent, I hope to become poorer in spirit and more humble in submitting myself to God.

Thanks for hanging out for a few. I'd love your reactions.