Come Follow Me: Beyond Sunday Worship - Directives, Challenges, Dangers

About the Author

Francis W. Vanderwall is a professor of Theology in active retirement. He has been a spiritual director, retreat facilitator and college professor for over forty years. Born and raised in Sri Lanka, he was a member of the Society of Jesus for almost thirty years. Currently, he resides with his wife, Gloria, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.

Dedication

In memory of my mother

Pearl S. Vanderwall

(March 30, 1919 – June 20, 2015)

Francis W. Vanderwall

Come Follow Me

Beyond Sunday Worship – Directives, Challenges, Dangers

Copyright Information

Copyright © Francis W. Vanderwall (2019)

The right of Francis W. Vanderwall to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781528923606 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781528923613 (Kindle e-book)

ISBN 9781528964265 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2019)

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd

25 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5LQ

Acknowledgments

A book does not come together on its own, not for me at any rate. Many people have helped me, and it is my privilege and joy to thank them here with a grateful heart.

Accordingly, I thank Dr. Francine Danis of Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonia, TX, for her astute observations, corrections, and criticisms.

Mrs. Mary Doolen of Lisle, IL, for her unique pastoral insights and clarifications.

Dr. Tommy Karam of LSU for his very helpful critique not only of the content, but also of the packaging of the work.

Ms. Carolyn Krantz of Antioch, CA, for her valuable insights into the view of the poor and disenfranchised in this post-Christian world view.

Mrs. Ellen Miller of Baton Rouge, LA, for her very encouraging recommendations as a teacher of the faith and a director of Religious Education.

Mrs. Kathy Rucker of Winston-Salem, NC, for her kind suggestions and insightful comments which gave shape to the writing.

Fr. John Stack of Vine Street Ministries in Plano, TX, who challenged and clarified the message of the Gospel he so eloquently proclaims.

Rev. Fr. Christopher Viscardi, SJ, PhD of Spring Hill College, whose corrections and suggestions gave the writing a solid theological base.

I also thank my student assistants at Franciscan University, especially Ashley Crain (nee Brooks) and Katherine Craig, who together did more re-types than they thought possible.

I extend special thanks to Elaine Crowe of Franciscan University of Baton Rouge, who graciously took my photograph for the book. I am very grateful.

And finally, for Gloria Vanderwall, my wife and companion, who spent untold hours fashioning, shaping, and challenging me as I tried my best to allow God’s Spirit to speak through these Directives, Challenges, and Dangers. And for her moving pencil portrait of the Rabbi Jesus taken from an anonymous drawing in the Jesuit Spirituality Center at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, Louisiana.

I also thank you, dear reader, for taking up this work. May it bring you ever closer to the freedom and the love that our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, yearns for us to receive through the power of His Holy Spirit.

The Condition

‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that one will save it.’

(Jerusalem Bible – Luke 9:23-24)

THE PROMISE

Blessed are the poor in spirit:

for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn:

for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek:

for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness:

for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful:

for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart:

for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers:

for they will be called sons and daughters of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness:

for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me, rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

(New International Version – Mt. 5: 3-12)

Introduction

I wrote these meditations for various presentations that I gave in public forums over the years. I have revised them since and offer them to you here in the hope that you will benefit from them even as I have. I feel called to share them with you, as a fellow traveler on the way. What follows is a meditative journey, with peaks and valleys, twists and turns and many repetitions. It is not intended to be a straight shot, for neither is the spiritual life.

Please use these meditations as you see fit, focusing particularly on those that may disturb, and relishing those that do not. This is because becoming disturbed at something often accesses a hidden prejudice, and relishing something confirms a point in one’s belief system. For instance, Jesus walked and lived in Palestine, not to be confused with present-day Palestine although there are obvious overlaps. Please consult a map of Palestine in the Old Testament, found in all reputable Bibles for clarification.

It is a journey that presumes faith in a God of love and in oneself as a believer in Jesus, His Son, who proclaimed a kingdom not of this world as it is today, but of a world to come, when we cooperate with His Holy Spirit and make it happen. This book is about that yet unrealized kingdom.

I pray that the Lord, the God of Jesus the Christ, bless you abundantly, that Jesus, our crucified Savior, embrace you with a truly felt love, and that the Holy Spirit hover over you with a protective shield all the days of your life as you enter into a deeper interiorization of our Creator’s Word.

I pray that Mary, our Mother, hold you with a mother’s love while leading you to the heart of her Son. For me, living within this heart has been tough at times, consoling in others. I think what can be triggered within you as you reflect and meditate on these writings could be similar. Either way I suggest you do not read this book so much as allow what you find between these pages to become a part of who you are as a pilgrim on the way to the eternal city where God lives amongst us: as God does here below, in the daily stuff of our lives at this very moment in time. For I believe the Eternal City can be found here, today, not in a distant future, after we die; I believe it can be found when we live with forgiveness, mercy, and compassion, as Jesus came to show us how as the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

I begin by offering you a few tools to use this book more effectively. A way to meditate on Sacred Scripture, A Prayer of Memory since all that we find in our spiritual lives comes from our past after all; and a word on the discipline of spiritual direction. I wrote a little book on this very important topic several years ago that you may find helpful – Spiritual Direction: An Invitation to Abundant Life, Paulist Press, 1981. There are several other excellent books on this topic that are available as well, in particular, Soul Friend: A Study of Spirituality by Kenneth Leech, Sheldon Press, London, 1977. In addition, you may wish to consult books on the topic by the following selection of fine writers: Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, William A Barry & William J Connolly, Gordon Smith, Martin Thornton, Margaret Guenther & Alan Jones, amongst others.

I suggest at various times in these meditations that it would be helpful that one seek spiritual direction, to clarify and go deeper into whatever insight or perception may have been triggered.

For those unfamiliar with this activity, let me describe it briefly. Spiritual direction involves the meeting of two people of faith, who listen obediently to the working of the Holy Spirit and trust that their conversation will reveal the direction the directee is being directed to, in life, or in a decision to be made, or in a direction that his or her prayer is calling her or him towards. The director’s task is to listen intently to what the directee is saying, and then give honest feedback after discerning the spirits. When both the director and the directed are at peace with the apparent resolution, then the directee can proceed in that direction. He or she must, of course, test the direction by continuing to pay attention to his or her inner spirits, her feelings and thoughts, as she proceeds. If these feelings become negative, then it is time for a return visit to one’s director. Feelings of peace, joy, and the like connote the Holy Spirit whereas feelings and thoughts that are negative connote the forces within seeking to lead one astray. Discerning which is which, or what is what, is the chief task of the director. It is the essence of spiritual direction.

*A more detailed explanation is found in Francis W. Vanderwall, Spiritual Direction: An Invitation to Abundant Life, Paulist Press, NY, 1981.

I have deliberately not written out the scripture passages referenced in the chapters. This leaves you, the meditator, free to choose your own translation or edition of the Bible. A way I meditate on Sacred Scripture is as follows:

I begin by finding a quiet place where I will not be disturbed. I make sure there are no potential distractions such as a phone ringing or any other social media interfering. I turn them off.

I decide how much time I want to set aside for the exercise.

I pick up the passage I choose to meditate on that day. This book can be a guide. Use the Bible translation you are most comfortable with to do this.

I read through the passage slowly, allowing the words to nourish me. By this, I mean I listen to my heart, i.e. my inner self, from which come my feelings, thoughts, hopes, dreams, and yearnings. I pay attention to what is stirred up by the passage as a whole, or a phrase, even a word or two within the passage.

I listen to them, allowing these voices from my inner self to bring me the message of consolation, or love, or challenge they contain. I believe this is how God speaks to me. No expectations here, just a truthful willingness to hear what the passage, or word, has to say to me.

I re-read the part of the passage that speaks to me most forcefully, letting the feelings go deeper and deeper.

I then dialogue with the God of my soul, praying for insight, or whatever grace I may be yearning for at this time in my life.

I end the prayer either with a prayer of gratitude, the Lord’s Prayer, or writing down the thoughts and insights that have come to me.

This is the procedure I follow that has resulted in these Meditations. I pray you find them of some benefit on your pilgrimage to God’s dwelling place. It may help to remember that this dwelling place is already within us. May these meditations guide you to that place, of love, peace, and indescribable joy.

Another way to allow these meditations to become a part of you is the Prayer of Memory. In this prayer form you use the faculty of your memory to bring alive, to bring into the present moment, a past event. For instance, in this prayer one re-creates the scene, by asking what kind of a day it was, what were the clothes I was wearing, was I happy or sad, and so on. Apply this type of prayer to the reflections that follow. After all, they all happened in the past!

Let us try, in prayer, to remember the gift of love God has given us. Here is a way to do it:

Become still…close your eyes if you wish…To begin, listen to your present feelings…your anger, grief, impatience, love, joy, peace, and fears. Don’t analyze them, just become aware of them.

Now think of two people or pets – for some of us – that you have really loved in your life…Who are they? Think of the joyful times you shared with them…re-live a specific memory.

Take 5 minutes or so to do this, or longer if you wish.

Then remember a scene of natural beauty that really affected you…Let its memory nourish you now…Recreate it in detail.

Take your time about it.

Now remember a time when you were loved by someone…Who was it? How was the love expressed; through words, a gesture, sexually…re-live the memory.

Remember a special gift you once received that you liked especially. Relish the memory…Listen to your feelings as you bring the feelings and thoughts of that time back to life in the present.

Remember your favorite piece of music. Enjoy it…Listen to how it changes your mood for the better…

God is showing us God’s love in all of these ways, and in as many others as you can think of. Relish these gifts!

Listen to one of these passages. Reflect on how it affects you. See what comes up in your feelings or thoughts. Pay attention to them. Relish them. Hear God’s voice speak to you through them.

When the feelings have waned, continue to listen to the silence, and after a while, say a short prayer and end the exercise.

Peace, love, and joy,

Francis W. Vanderwall

God’s Love: The Source

Directives

One

Moses and the Burning Bush:

The Promise of Liberation

(Ex. 3:1-6)

In a striking theophany, we find the God of our fathers and mothers revealing the Godself to Moses in flames of fire within a bush, without consuming it.

And God called out to Moses. And Moses said immediately with no hesitation whatsoever, Here I am.

And when God ordered Moses to take off his shoes because he was now standing on holy ground, and when God told Moses who he was, Moses was afraid and hid his face.

And then God spoke again, revealing to Moses God’s own will. He had heard the cry of the oppressed and – moved with compassion – God was sending Moses to liberate the Israelites from the brutal slavery they were in. He was given a mission.

And so, God’s compassion liberated God’s people. It’s