Welcome to Become who you Are . Podcast production of the John Paul 2 Renewal Center . I'm Jack Rickager , host . Hey , thanks for joining me today . St Catherine of Siena said that if you become who you are , that you would literally set the world on fire .
And St Athanasius , an early church father and the doctor of the church , said the son of God became man so that we might become God . You know , I beg a while to guess at this , but I bet you , most of us , are a bit disconnected from this divine life that these saints are pointing us to .
Yet St John Paul II said there's an echo of this story , of this divine life that we're created for , inscribed in each human heart , in your human heart , and if you put on a proper lens , if I put on a proper lens , we can get in touch with this echo within us in such a way that we have that moment .
See , that's the genus of St John Paul II's theology , the body . It connects our lived experience of life to the gospel in such a way that our life takes on a whole new meaning and helps us answer those big questions that our whole culture is so confused about today . Who am I ? What's my purpose ? Why were we created male and female .
How do I find happiness here on earth ? How do I find love that satisfies forever ? Hey , glad you're with me . I'll be right back for today's episode . We are back , linda . We're back already . Another week goes by and we gained an hour of sleep . How are you feeling ?
Oh , pretty good , yes , except I don't like the early darkness .
You know , I thought they were going to stop that Is it . Next year they're going to stop the day that they like saving time . So was this the last one ?
Well .
I don't know for sure , but they're trying so they could bring ahead , I suppose , before they stop it right , otherwise we'll be always dark , getting dark early , forever right . Yeah Well you know as the days expand .
In summer it gets a little better won't be as nice as the daylight savings times gives us .
You know it's in the government's hands , so of course we're in good hands , linda right , yeah , right . Something you know , so many people that I talk to feel like something is up . You know , something's up with this crazy world , something different is happening , and you almost have to be asleep at the wheel not to feel something right .
You're starting to feel the reality of the battle that we're in between good and evil , between the demons and God himself , and we're in the midst of this battle . We might be the prize here , you know , and we have to be careful . We have to be alive .
And so one of the things that always worries everybody what happens if war breaks out and a nuclear bomb and this , and that you know we're going to die , right , and so we're going to be talking about that .
We've been talking about the third word of Christ , where he's talking about the resurrection of the body , and he's talking Jesus himself , when confronted by the Sadducees about the resurrection of the body , he had not died yet .
So when he's speaking to the Sadducees and this is what's going to be very exciting about today's episode so he digs into the Old Testament , he gives us a foundation , he gives us a foundation from Scripture and he brings us up to speed and he says you know , in the resurrection you're not given , nor will you be getting married right .
So marriage again is that sign that points us to eternal union and communion with God that God wants so intimately , so intensely that he stamped this story right into our bodies as male and female . So we don't forget the kind of incredible intimacy he wants with us .
And , of course , god's not a sexual being , this is a spiritual , you know , this is spiritual existence . But for us , we will have bodies . Well , we have resurrection and we saw this from Jesus . Jesus was the definitive statement on this . He came and he took on a glorified body . Now Saint Paul , he has his own experience of this .
So now , saint Paul , when he's on a road at Damascus persecuting Christians , by the way , he gets knocked off the horse , he gets blinded and he has an actual encounter post resurrection . So Jesus has risen already . So Saint Paul has an actual experience of that . So Paul is going to speak about that , and so this is audience number 70, .
Final victory over death . And Saint Saint John Paul II caused this Paul's interpretation , but I call it Paul's experience really , of the resurrection and one Corinthians . So he's going to be one Corinthians 15 . There's a lot of verses in one Corinthians that he's going to use , but he really focuses on 42 to 49 .
And so that's what we're going to be unpacking today and the actual experience of this .
And finally , I'll say just this we're all called to this encounter , and maybe I'll just go off the top of my head here , but I get it pretty close with Pope Benedict XVI , who said you know , our faith , our actual faith in Jesus Christ , and faith in everything that you and I have been unpacking for , you know , over a year now in these Wednesday audiences ,
will never be an ethical decision or a lofty philosophical idea . It's going to be an encounter with an event . It's going to be an encounter with a person and , of course , that encounters with the risen Jesus Christ , and that encounter will give you a new horizon and a definitive direction for your life .
A new horizon means a new lens to look at the whole world , which is what you're getting here , which is an eternal lens and a new direction for your life , which is to aim right at Jesus Christ , to die with him , to be so , to rise with him .
And in this we look at the first Adam in the very beginning , ru'ah , right , you know , god takes the clay and breathes into him , and the Spirit is filled In . The second word is this lust , and we exhale , we're filled with lust , we reject God and the Spirit is breathed out of us .
And here's Jesus coming back in right to bring us back into the story where St Paul says our bodies , our natural bodies , have been corrupted , they're weak , they're suffering from the threefold concupiscence , and in this we have nothing to look forward to but sin and death , and that's what sin has brought in actual death .
And so Jesus comes back into his store . There's the breath into us . And then , finally , not just to leave us where we were with the first Adam , but to actually take us to the fulfillment , like we talked about last time , linda , with the seed of a tree , of the mustard seed , or the leaven of the bread , that that Jesus is going to now .
Take that seed and bring it to fulfillment , make us into that fullness , that tree , make that leaven spread and spread and spread through this life until finally we get into the next life and and this whole divinization of our Body and soul becomes united with God himself . So so this is this is this is where we're going , and we have this in us already .
We have this hope right when you don't have this hope , you can get very down , very depressed , very anxious , as death you know approaches or as you see these tears in the world .
Yes , and Jack , I think , more and more with the conditions of the world right now , that people are questioning this , you know , and where is the hope ? You mentioned so many important points of wow , this all Unfolds . You did a great job with that quote of Pope Benedict . I wish I could commit it that well to my memory .
But that encounter with Christ is the key , and so if I'm a person who's Getting more and more scared or worried about , you know , what is going on in the world and I feel like my Hope is dwindling or gone and I need to just stop and reflect here right now , where is that experience for me With that encounter with Christ ? Have I had one ?
Is it something that it's not supposed to be a once and done ? You know , did I have that encounter at someplace along the way and I've just let it kind of fall to the wayside , or is it alive and well in me and do I need to look at that ?
I would encourage anyone who is feeling a lack of hope to Consider that , because what you pointed out about that breath of the spirit in the beginning of the creation of man , that Ruah creating us , male and female , as a person before God is Is totally connected , through that triptych that we've talked about , to where we're headed now and looking at the
resurrection . So that creation of man and the beauty of living in the spirit was what happened before original sin , before we fell and before the corruption that is part and parcel of our history , you know .
So , after the fall and the concupiscence , that that cool that we all feel constantly Towards the weaknesses of our flesh , towards the selfishness , if you will , which we've explored before , we can be selfish in so many ways in our life . We need to look at that too .
But that corruption then , because of sin , the wages of sin , is death and if we just stop there , we go boom , what now ?
And Saint Paul is bringing us all the way over to the other side and , as you said , he had been encounter with Christ after Christ's resurrection , and many of the other Folks did , to the apostles , I believe you know Christ did appear to 500 People . The Bible tells us so that others had that in a yeah , in a very dramatic way , okay .
Well , and same Paul says go talk to them . He said they're still . He said most of them are still alive . A few of them are dead . He said most of them are still alive . Go talk to them . He challenged them to go talk to them and listen to them .
And what is so exciting to me , that jumped out in all the paragraphs here in audience 70 , is the idea that Christ's resurrection is the answer given by God of life to the historical Inevitability of death . So yeah , we're all gonna die .
I've had conversations with my daughter , you know , about issues going on and and this whole fear of death and everything and health issues . You know we talk a lot about that and the inevitability of death is right there . It's out and clear . You know we're all going to die . So where is our hope ?
Our hope is in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting Amen , as we say in the creed right . And so same Paul experience that in a very dramatic way and we're looking at what did that experience do for him and what did he go on to tell us about what it means for us ?
Yes , and look at that , look at that experience . I mean , you know it's called metanoia , you know that this turning away from sin and death and turning to Christ , it's actually a movement toward Christ . Now here's St Paul , who was a Pharisee .
He was a religious man , but it just shows you how off base we can get until we , you know , I mean he's actually persecuting people and you think again , you know , throwing people in prisons . You know people are getting hurt , torn from families Whenever .
I think , when Jesus really is there , when he's really present , we don't do those kind of things to one another . You know , I remember into someone downing John Paul , because he met with Muslims a couple different times and other people of other faith , but especially the Muslims , and he picked up a Quran . And so he , you know .
So people say , you know , why did he do that ? And you know , did he , you know , did he , did he not , you know , go out to bring Jesus Christ ? And of course , in the back of his mind , he's always doing that and we don't know exactly what John Paul was thinking .
But , on the other hand , when I analyze a situation like that , I think you know what here's really , if you really want to talk about the difference between Christ and other faiths , like that is what is here's . John Paul is saying come in , you know , let's meet his brothers , let's talk about this , let's have a discussion . I respect you .
You know I'm not out to kill you , I'm not out to hurt you , I'm not out to maim you . I'm out to bring you into this oneness that Jesus Christ brings about to the Father . And now you talk about , you know what just happened , say again , in Israel .
I mean , these people are out to destroy in the name of Mohammed , in the name of Allah , and this is a big difference , linda . We're called faith , hope and love , and the greatest of these is love , and this is not just love of the person who believes in Mohammed . This is Christ says to love everyone , even your enemies . This is a big deal .
And so this is this resurrection of the whole person into this power of life . And then Jesus says you know , he's not the God of the dead , but of the living , right Now in his post-Paschal argument right . So afterwards , after he rises from the dead , st Paul says just to reiterate the reality and the truth of Christ's resurrection .
He puts this all on the line , doesn't he ? He says he defends this truth even at the foundation of the faith , of integrity . John Paul writes if Christ has not been raised , our preaching is in vain and also your faith is in vain . But now Christ has been raised from the dead . One Corinthians 15 , verses 14 and 20 .
And so we find ourselves there , you know , in confronted with the living God . And so here's the thing you know , jesus doesn't say you know , just have this belief , that's not going to do anything to you . You know , we are the visible sign of God in the world .
But in order to do that , we have to be filled with the Holy Spirit , we have to accept redemption . This is not some kind of just hope for something that you can't experience partially today . In fact , john Paul talks about this . Mankind , man and women , are made for this . We have the capacity and we have the desire to be filled . This is powerful stuff .
John Paul wrote in an encyclical , novo Millennial , talking about the year 2000 . And he's talking about the prayer , and to show us how prayer , he says , can progress as a genuine dialogue of love . Listen to this . This is he's talking about the mystics .
So Saint Catherine of Siena , saint John of the Cross , saint Trez of Abelah , saint , and so these great mystics right that John Paul was a mystic and he said this prayer and silence , and acknowledging and accepting Jesus and the Holy Spirit into your heart , that your heart , your soul , can start to vibrate at the Spirit's touch resting within the Father's heart .
You know , as a child of the Father , to sit in silence , to accept this , to allow the Spirit to move , you'll feel a joy , you'll feel a peace . You know you'll feel something come over you , but you got to spend time and prayer and silence .
It's so powerful and , anyways , I'm challenging people to not just read about this or listen about this , but to open themselves up all the time . With this corruption , this weakness we constantly feel .
It's normal to feel this , but to open it open , open , open and every time to open when you feel anxiety or you feel sin or you feel temptations , to use that as an invitation to prayer and really allow Christ to come in and redeem you , save you and send the Spirit inside . I mean , who wouldn't want this ?
Important to me , as I'm listening to you , to think that this hope that we are speaking of is not just positive thinking , you know , and kind of pulling ourselves up that we're actually talking about the theological virtue of hope , which I refer here to the catechism .
There's a glossary , and so we have a definition where this hope is the theological virtue by which we desire and expect from God both eternal life and the grace we need to attain it . So we're expecting it , we're desiring and expecting , and the grace itself that we need to attain it .
So again , we're not going to do it just on our own and we receive those graces clearly through prayer . You know what a beautiful connection here that and the mass , of course , is the ultimate prayer .
So the mass and the sacraments are our vehicle , right , our tools , if you want to think of it that way , to attain those graces that God will send us , to build up that hope , that virtue within us , so that we can then , with that , go out and live the virtue of charity .
You know , and you put it so well , that this needs to be lived out and those graces come through the Holy Spirit . So it all it's kind of like puzzle pieces just falling into place here of how we need to think about this .
I Remember Bill Wilson , who started AA , just falling on his knees in desperation and saying , if there is a God , and he , and the room lights up . You could read Bill's story and I've told that story many times powerful , and he never took another drink after that and and then he went and started AA .
One of the things of AA is that when you feel these Temptations that you have to go out and find another drunk , bill W would say and tell him your story . And that's what happens . You know , we have to proclaim the gospel to people . People are dying all around us and we have to proclaim this .
It's in that proclamation , proclamation , that you are refilled , it's . It's in give , it's . It's like I'm if I don't give this away , I get stuffed right . I finally , I received this grace , I received the Holy Spirit . But that don't give it any outlet and and I'm just , I'm done , I'm in , I'm static until I pour myself out to others .
It's almost like I opened up this vein again For to receive the grace again and let this flow out and receive and let it flow out . It's a love story and if I just hold it in and I never tell my wife anything good , I never tell her that I love her . I just , I know it all inside , I hold it all inside .
You know there's something that's gonna die inside . I have to make this love visible and I have to go out and preach the gospel . We're gonna read one Corinthians here , that that we started out with . One Corinthians 15 , verses 42 to 46 . He's so he's talking about us , right ? And so , again , this is after the fall .
So let me put this in a little context , right ? So John Paul alludes back to the beginning . So here we are , we're the stuff of biology , but , but he blows into us this is in Genesis 2 , verse 7 , you know , there's Ruah , the spirit , the Holy Spirit , and and we're filled Right to to manifest God's love , creneterian love in the world .
Then there's fall and we break the first covenant with God . God who says I want to be united to you . I wanted , I want to feel you so that you can fill one another sub , do the earth Right . All of creation is yours . You have dominion over all of this , you know , and just offer this up to me .
I'll continue to pour out my blessings and we turn away . How they could turn away at that point , you know it's a beyond me . But we do it . We would do it today again , I'm sure of it . And , and what we're doing here now is is God's bringing us back in , you know ? So what's the definitive word over sin and death ? Of course it's .
It's Jesus Christ and the resurrection . It shows you . I've gone into the ground , I've been buried back with , with your humanity , and then I Divinize it and I rise . Right , we are all given part of this . John Paul says all of us .
In a sense , jesus Christ has taken all of our humanity yours , mine , everybody here has taken our humanity and divinized it and then aims to the father . This is the sacrifice of the father and he wants to pour this out to us . Right , we're only gonna , we're only gonna be fulfilled in the next life . We know that , but we start here today .
So , anyways , that's the context of what is sown is perishable , but what is raised is imperishable . It's sown in dishonor , but it's going to be raised in glory . It's sown in weakness . It's raised full of power . It's sown a natural body . It's raised a spiritual body again , that natural body meaning Biology .
It's it with the soul that we breathe out , the spirit , and now it's going to be raised a spiritual body , it's gonna be fully Spiritualized and Dibbonized . If there's a natural body , there's also a spiritual body . Thus it is written that the first man , adam , became a living being , but the last Adam became a life-giving spirit .
But it is not the spiritual that is first , but the natural and then the spiritual , and so this is the power of this right , this is the . We're on a journey and again , I love this journey . You know this idea are we slaves to corruption , as Paul says in Romans 8 , 21 ? Or do we ?
Do we allow Christ to overcome that with us right and to step out of slavery into Freedom and and this incorporates all of creation . People will ask me sometimes how come hurricanes , you know how come people die and floods ? All of Creation has suffered because of this sin .
Don't forget we were the intermediate right , we're the priests , the prophet and the king . We were the ones that brought sin in the world . And now , saying Paul , says all of Creation is groaning and suffers labor pains . And tell now .
Isn't that something he refers ?
to as labor pains . I think that's a great analogy .
It's a great recognition on St Paul's part To the naysayers , if you will , who would say , yeah , but look at all the problems , look at all the corruption , you know what are we to do with that . He recognizes that and in the passage that you just read , fifth Corinthians , 1542 through 46 , just expresses that so well and that is in fact , all our experience .
In paragraph 7 of this audience , the Pope speaks to what you just mentioned about the slavery of Corruption affecting the whole of creation and is indirectly subjected because of the sin of man , and that man , sin , not only has an interior but also a trisnic dimension .
I've reflected on that , jack , when you see the storms and the hurricanes and things , and then talking about all of creation Groaning in labor pains , you know it . On one level it seems like , oh , come on , you're just like way out there .
But on another level , it absolutely is the explanation for what we see , because we were placed by the Creator in the visible world that we might dominate all of creation and unfortunately that word has very negative connotation .
But it was not meant to be that in the beginning , that we know man , humanity , is the highest of all creation and therefore we were to have domination Over creation and we would not , I believe , have experienced , you know , the kinds of things we do in , in creation , in nature .
Now , yeah , and I think when you say you know it's , it's , it's dominion , you know , and , and so this dominion means that we're to take care of nature . You know that we were supposed to bring this Ru'a , the spirit , in by our work with nature .
You know , to bring this into subdue the earth , keeping till the garden right , and so all of these beautiful things that we , that we walked away from , and we feel this , we see this corruption around us , and so it's .
It's what an amazing thing to be able to have the power then to to walk back into the story To end , because our hearts tell us that we're made for this . You know again , I remind people that the catechism starts out , you know , chapter one , sexual one . You know , paragraph one , with desire .
This desire , this hope , this desire for more is built into our hearts . You know , it's the search for the truth . And and say Paul makes this so clear . Just listen a couple , just these sentences , right Tagging along on what you just said .
This is from Romans 8 , maybe 18 , I'll just skip around a little bit , but I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that it's going to be revealed to us , for the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God .
For creation was subjected to futility , not on its own , but by the will of him who subjected it in hope , because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God .
We know that the whole world , the whole creation , has been groaning with labor pains until now , not only creation but ourselves who have the first fruits of the spirit grown inwardly as we wait for Adoption and sons , the redemption of our bodies and then , finally , verse 26 . Likewise , the spirit helps us in our weaknesses , where we do not know how to pray .
But the Holy Spirit himself intercedes with us with sighs too deep for words , and he who searches the hearts of men Knows what is the mind of the spirit , because the spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God and everything God works for good for those who love him and are called to his purpose .
That's pretty wild man . There's a lot certainly is . And how beautiful that for those of us who struggle with prayer . Even you know you had mentioned earlier and what all the saints and mystics had to say .
And if it's comforting to me to know that if I ask the spirit to pray for me , I'm just so Spent , I'm , you know , just so discombobulated right now I can't even focus on a prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to come and help me with that . That's exactly what we are promised .
And here in 70.8 , the Pope mentions to us here that , according to Paul , not only the slavery of corruption , but also hope , similar to that hope that accompanies labor pains , the reason is the apostle captures in this image also the presence of the mystery of redemption .
So , jack , where we've traveled , this description of the story is , we've gone from the mystery of creation to through the corruption , through his history , to that mystery of redemption . What a beautiful thing it is to just sit and contemplate that mystery of redemption .
And that's our story . Can you imagine the glory that God created us for ? And again , prayer is this powerful thing where you just said to be able to sit in quiet and ask the Holy Spirit to pray for you and show you how to pray , and then be quiet , just sit and be quiet . Oh my gosh .
Every once in a while I get this and I'm afraid to say , once in a while I'll look for it . The best time for me is the rosary , where I just get this deep peace and I go oh my God , let me just sit here .
And it doesn't always last for as long as I'd like it to , but sometimes I'll even fall asleep in the middle of the night again , so anxious about something , I start to pray , ask for that , not for a special feeling , but just ask for the Holy Spirit to show you that he's there .
And then all of a sudden , oh man , against that vibration that John Paul was talking about , the vibration of the Spirit within us , that God is kind of vibrating our hearts and just watch for that , listen for that . We don't believe it because we don't sit in prayer .
If we sit in prayer , we'll feel like a joy and a peace , and then you go okay , well , I felt some joy and a peace . Well , that was God giving you joy and peace . Would you stop just pushing it off to the side ? And no , I can't wait to get back on Facebook and get anxious and nervous again , get all that stuff and stay in peace man .
Oh my God , and we are called to pray unceasingly right . We think well how can I do that every second of every minute of every day ? No , actually we can If we have this understanding of that prayer as being one with the Spirit and asking the Spirit to pray with and for us .
When , yes , my mind has to be on a certain task okay , we all know that , but yet it can be within the context of that Spirit praying with and through us , we can do it right .
We can do it , yeah . And then maybe just those three things , because they're so easy to do . Before you look at that phone in the morning , just drop to your knees and say I will be done right , open your heart right away , ask the Holy Spirit to come in .
And then , every time you're tempted you know , like we said , we're in this corruptible situation here where we do suffer all of us suffer in some ways and some different degrees from concupiscence and offer those , those temptations come , offer that up to God and yourself always use temptation as an invitation .
You're suffering also pains , and suffering as an invitation to prayer . So you're always inviting . So this is how you do it all day , linda is because you're all day .
Something will come up , some temptation , some even temptation to say something to somebody , but also then you'll start to see the sun , you'll start to see the stars , you'll start to see the leaves changing , you'll start to see , you'll stop and pause for the color because you have spent time , and God will show you all these things again that sometimes you just
miss . And then , finally , the third thing is to be a person of love , right To act , and if you do those things , it's not overly complicated , but you can accomplish what you said to spend all day in prayer , and it's not a chore anymore . It's the Holy Spirit traveling with you . We again , we don't believe it .
I don't think that we're actual temples of the Holy Spirit . If we open ourselves up , that Jesus says , you know , god will dwell in you , I will send you the Spirit . It's good that I go to the Father , because then I will send you the Spirit .
And where the Spirit is , we're all there , and so you know , you have contact with angels and the saints and stuff . So that's who we are . That's who we are . But we have to step up because there's a lot of people suffering .
There's a lot of souls that are at stake right now , and if we don't proclaim this , we don't have the courage to proclaim this and be filled . And then , if you're filled , you will have a desire to share this .
You'll have it .
It's a innate desire to share it and you'll have the courage . He'll give you the courage .
When you're speaking of first thing in the morning , I have gotten myself into the habit of praying the morning offering , the classical morning offering , in which we say I offer you my prayers , works , joys and sufferings of this day . When I'm in the midst of something during the day , I try to recall that in my morning offering I have offered this up already .
You know , because sometimes I forget in the heat of the moment to say you know , all , for the greater glory of God , I offer this up . And then I in retrospect say , oh , I did say that prayer this morning , I've already offered it up and there's no time with God , you know .
So it gives me great comfort then that , okay , this was a suffering I didn't want to encounter , but I experienced and it's already been offered up . So it's a simple little prayer that , if we can get in the habit of that particular one , along with the rosary man , that's , you know , a one to punch .
I'll include it in the show notes for people .
Okay , all right , hey , god bless you .
Linda , Thank you so much . Thanks for your time . I appreciate it . Goodbye everyone . Thank you for coming with us .