Bibles and Cell Phones

I don't know about you, but I've seen this image popping up on Facebook and Twitter lately. Does it look familiar? If you haven't looked at any of the pictures that I've posted, I highly encourage to the point of pleading please look at this one.

I don't know about you, but I am usually lost without my cell phone. I check my mail, my bank balance, play games, Facebook, this blog, communicate, and even pray with it in my hands. I'm bored waiting for an appointment, let's play Temple Run 2. Trying to better plan out my day, lets look at Evernote or my calendars. Trying to get some deeper level of prayer in adoration, try Laudate or iBreviary. (Yes I have used my cell phone as a prayer book in Adoration. Yes I've had to explain it to little old ladies. It is embarrassing.) But I am completely and thoroughly attached to this electronic leash that I can't get rid of.

Then I look at my Bible. I have two which are mine and a couple dozen floating around my office that occasionally make their way home too. But of the two that are my own I have one that is a paperback, slightly dog eared at the corners and never written in. The other has been graffitied, decorated, highlighted, has a broken spine, pages falling out, duct tape and smoke damaged. I shouldn't use it as a reading Bible but it serves a much deeper reminder.

My very worn Bible. Can you see where the cracked spine is?

I look at the above image and acknowledge, that even though I access prayer apps and occasionally the daily readings on my phone, my Bible lays stagnant.  I can't help but get mentally caught on the "... turned back to get it if we forgot it?"

The spine has broken here completely in half. The two halves are held with duct tape.

When I was 22, I was student teaching, preparing for end of year finals which I was writing the finals for students. I was living with my extended family when their home was caught in a house fire. It was a huge fire that impacted two other houses that were nearby. When I was trying to get my composure and get out I grabbed my Bible, cell phone and other necessities. I couldn't think clearly until I heard in my head "drop everything and get out" in my father's voice. My father was a firefighter and always stressed the need to get out when a fire struck. I thought I had dropped everything when I ran downstairs and saw my cousin, (who's about 65) on the phone in his kitchen calling 911 as I'm watching the sliding glass door 10 feet behind him melting in an oozy pile of orange glass. I yelled at him to get out scooped up my shoes and ran outside.

In the few moments after I hit the fresh air I looked and saw that I was wearing shoes with my pajamas and holding my cell phone. I used my phone to call my family and try to find a place to stay but my beloved Bible was dropped from my hands and was sitting on the floor of the bedroom where I had been staying. Once the fire was completely put out, I was able to go back in and I got my Bible.

Evidence of smoke damage in the front cover

I was at a crisis of faith. I had chosen to leave an object significant of my faith behind when I had the chance. I wasn't proud of that and I wanted to leave the church behind. I was simply going through the motions of faith because I knew it would make my family happy. After brooding and being bitter about it, I worked my way back to going to Confession. The priest that heard me had only been ordained the day before. He was new, I was in pain and he truly had the graces from God I needed to come back fully to church, even though I never fully left.

As Catholics we declare that the Bible in its entirety is the Divinely inspired Word of God. It is a true gift of faith to be utilized, studied and prayed with. I wasn't proud that I left my Bible in such a hurried disordered way. Living a life, regardless of how short it was without the word of God was painful. The very top image illustrates quite poignantly why the Bible is important in our lives and what would the impact be if we had the same need for the Word of God as we did Facebook or Twitter.

This Bible in particular I received while on retreat and in the front cover was a message which I am glad to share with you.

Funhouse Mirrors

Sorry for my break in blogging, trying to get more content ready to go so I can post more successfully. However onward to today's post.

Let’s unravel a story shall we?

A young girl around 5 years of age and her mother were going through a funhouse and the young girl was able to see a reflection of herself for the first time in one of the warped mirrors. It took her a moment to recognize that the distorted reflection that she saw was her own. After spending time with her mother making faces and having fun, her mother began to move on without the girl noticing. She was having too much fun playing with her reflection. By the time she noticed she was alone, her mother had already passed out of sight. Suddenly the new reflections weren’t funny but rather scary. The girl ran through the corridors of the funhouse to catch up to her mom.

This could have been me, I know that my mom and I went through a few funhouses as a kid, but I don’t remember if I was ever lost in one.

As I was talking with a few people I found ourselves talking about the effects of sin on our relationship with God. One of my friends mentioned they felt like a funhouse mirror. My friend didn’t like that he felt that way, but in truth, he was right. We are all like funhouse mirrors.

In Genesis when man is created, God, in the form of the Trinity says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...” (Genesis 1:26) we were intended to be creatures with great knowledge, free will and immortal souls. Then when sin entered the world, that nature was forever blemished.The same is true of mirrors or metal that has been warped. The reflective quality is still there but the image is warped. We are not able to see a true and authentic image of the original image.

Then there exists the grace that God gives us. If grace is like a light beam, an unblemished mirror would reflect and refract the light back at an angle perpendicular to the source. The effect of sin would be twofold, the change in shape, (as stated above) and the grime and gunk build up.

Children are inquisitive and often leave smudges and fingerprints on everything. Venial sins would be your average child with dirty hands, light can still somewhat pass through but the reflection isn’t as bright. Mortal sin would be like letting a hoard of toddlers with opaque finger paint at the mirror. There isn’t any light that could get through there and it’s a mess that we don’t want to necessarily deal with.

Since it is Spring and a time to make things clean and fresh, there is a way to deal with this. Going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation will give us all the boost that we need to get rid of the toddler prints on our souls. We have the choice and free will to turn back to God and let him at us with spiritual windex and a squeegee, or a power washer, whatever our case might be.

If you are looking for an Examination of Conscience to start out with, check out this link from the United States Council of Catholic Bishops for adults, children and based on the Ten Commandments. As for me it’s time to find my way to the Confessional as well.