MARK 14:12-16; 22-26
TODAY IS THE FEAST OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST. ALTHOUGH WE CELEBRATE MOST SUNDAYS AND HOLY DAYS IN COMMON WITH OUR PROTESTANT AND ORTHODOX BROTHERS AND SISTERS, THIS FEAST IS A PECULIARLY CATHOLIC FEAST. ALTHOUGH THE ORTHODOX AGREE WITH US ON THE NATURE OF THIS SACRAMENT, FOR SOME REASON IT IS ONLY IN THE WESTERN CHURCH THAT DEVOTION TO THE EUCHARIST REACHED THE HEIGHTS IT HAS. SO WHAT CAN WE SAY ABOUT THE EUCHARIST THAT HASN'T BEEN SAID? IT IS THE BODY AND BLOOD, SOUL AND DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST, AND IT IS GIVEN TO US FOR OUR SPIRITUAL FOOD. HOW PRIVILEGED WE ARE, AND YET, HOW LITTLE WE FEEL IT, HOW LITTLE WE APPRECIATE IT. BUT I THINK IT MIGHT BE GOOD TO TURN TO OUR MOTHER MARY, THE FIRST PERSON TO RECEIVE WITHIN HERSELF JESUS CHRIST, TRUE GOD, TRUE MAN.
FIRST, MARY TEACHES US THE PROPER ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE EUCHARIST; WHEN THE ANGEL COMES TO HER SHE RESPONDS, “DO UNTO ME ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD.” WE RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST TO BE TRANSFORMED, AND TO THE EXTENT THAT WE MAKE THIS PRAYER OUR OWN, THAT IS THE EXTENT TO WHICH WE WILL BE TRANSFORMED.
AT THAT MOMENT, WE LEARN, JESUS WAS CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT; AN EMBRYONIC STEM CELL WAS CREATED FROM THE SUBSTANCE OF MARY'S BODY, WHICH BECAME AN EMBRYO, A FETUS, AND FINALLY A BABY. BECAUSE JESUS WAS LIKE US IN ALL BUT SIN; HE WENT THROUGH THE SAME DEVELOPMENT YOU AND I DO; AND THE SCRIPTURES TELL US THAT AT THE MOMENT MARY GAVE HERE CONSENT, JESUS WAS CONCEIVED. SURELY IF WE UNDERSTAND THIS, WE UNDERSTAND THE CHURCH'S UNDYING OPPOSITION TO ABORTION.
SECOND, MARY GOES TO ELIZABETH. THE SCRIPTURES TELL US THAT ELIZABETH WAS ALSO PREGNANT, AND THE PURPOSE OF MARY'S VISIT WAS TO HELP OUT HER ELDERLY COUSIN. WHEN WE RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST, WE RECEIVE GOD'S OWN SELF, FREELY, AS A GIFT WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO HAVE. AND A PERFECT SOUL, LIKE MARY, CAN'T HELP BUT GET UP AND GO GIVE HERSELF TO OTHERS; TO OFFER OURSELVES TO OTHERS IS THE VERY NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY.
THIRD, WE HEAR THAT WHEN THE CHILD JESUS WAS BORN, A PERSECUTION TOOK PLACE, AND JOSEPH, MARY, AND JESUS HAD TO LEAVE THEIR HOME AND LIVE IN A STRANGE LAND. ONCE WE ACCEPT JESUS, ONCE WE EAT HIS BODY AND DRINK HIS BLOOD SERIOUSLY AND FAITHFULLY, WE ALSO CAN BE EXPECTED TO UNDERGO PERSECUTION, JUST AS JESUS DID, JUST AS MARY AND JOSEPH DID. JESUS PROMISED IT, AND SOMETIMES I THINK WE SHOULD BE VERY ANXIOUS IF WE ARE NOT EXPERIENCING SOME SORT OF PERSECUTION – BECAUSE IT MAY MEAN THAT WE DON'T TAKE OUR CHRISTIANITY SERIOUSLY, OR EVEN WORSE, THAT THOSE AROUND US THINK WE ARE JUST LIKE THEM, JUST PRETENDING.
AT THE WEDDING FEAST OF CANA, MARY, THE FIRST PERSON TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION, DEMONSTRATES GREAT SENSITIVITY – SHE IS AWARE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING AROUND HER, AND A CATASTROPHE SEEMS TO BE ABOUT TO HAPPEN. SHE NOTICES, AND SHE DOES SOMETHING ABOUT IT. THE RICH MAN IGNORED LAZARUS, THE BEGGAR AT HIS VERY FRONT DOOR; MARY NOTICES THAT A YOUNG COUPLE'S PARTY IS ABOUT TO BE RUINED, EVEN BEFORE THEY DO, EVEN BEFORE, IT SEEMS, JESUS DID. AND MARY CALLS ON JESUS TO WORK A MIRACLE – EVEN THOUGH THIS MOMENT WILL BE THE BEGINNING OF SEPARATION OF JESUS FROM MARY; IT WILL SET INTO MOTION THE WHOLE CHAIN OF EVENTS THAT WILL LEAD TO THE CRUCIFIXION. BUT OUR FIRST COMMUNICANT GLADLY MAKES THE HARD CHOICES, BECAUSE THEY ARE RIGHT. HOW OFTEN DO WE NOT NOTICE OUR NEIGHBOR'S DISTRESS, OR NOTICING IT, FAIL TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT? HOW OFTEN DO WE MAKE COMPROMISES RATHER THAN TAKE THE ACTION THAT WE KNOW WE SHOULD, THE DIFFICULT CHOICES THAT WE'D RATHER NOT FACE?
AND MARY, THE FIRST COMMUNICANT, WAS NOT SPARED SUFFERING. SHE SUFFERED WHEN SHE FLED TO EGYPT; SHE SUFFERED AT THE TEMPLE WHEN SHE AND JOSEPH SEARCHED FOR THEIR SON. SHE SUFFERED WHEN SHE MISUNDERSTOOD HIS MISSION, AND SHE AND SOME OF JESUS' RELATIVES CAME TO TAKE HIM HOME WHERE THEY COULD CARE FOR HIM, BECAUSE THEY ALL THOUGHT HE WAS MAD, HAVING LEFT HIS ORDINARY LIFE AS A CARPENTER TO BECOME A WANDERING PREACHER. AND SHE SUFFERED WHEN SHE SAW HIM CONDEMNED AND NAILED TO A CROSS, AND WHEN SHE HELD HIS LIFELESS BODY IN HER HANDS. BECAUSE THE EUCHARIST IS A PROMISE THAT IF WE ARE TO BE UNITED TO JESUS, WE MUST EXPECT SUFFERING; PERHAPS THE SUFFERING IS IN PROPORTION TO THE DEGREE TO WHICH WE ARE UNITED TO HIM. EVEN THOSE WHO DO NOT SEEM TO SUFFER – MOTHER THERESA COMES TO MIND – DID SUFFER GREATLY WHEN ALL WAS MADE CLEAR. IF JESUS SUFFERED, WE MUST; FOR HE SAID, “WHERE I AM, THERE WILL MY SERVANT BE.”
AND FINALLY, MARY, THE FIRST TO RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST, SAW THE RISEN LORD, AND EVERYTHING WAS MADE CLEAR TO HER. FOR THE EUCHARIST, WHEN WE OPEN OURSELVES TO IT, REVEALS THE PLAN OF THE FATHER; THAT WE ARE MADE INTO CHRIST, SO THAT WE CAN LIVE FOREVER IN THE FATHER'S LOVE, IN THE HEART OF THE TRINITY.
TO RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST IS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GREATEST ADVENTURE OF WHICH WE ARE CAPABLE. BUT LIKE ANYTHING WONDERFUL, WE CAN CHOOSE NOT TO INVEST WHAT IT TAKES TO PARTICIPATE. WE CAN COME TO MASS UNPREPARED, LET OUR MINDS WANDER, GO THROUGH THE WHOLE MASS WITHOUT ACTUALLY PRAYING FROM OUR HEARTS. WE CAN RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST, NOT EVEN ACKNOWLEDGING HIS PRESENCE INSIDE OUR BODIES. WE CAN WALK BACK TO OUR PEW ALREADY THINKING ABOUT WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO NEXT, WHERE WE WILL GET BREAKFAST, AND SO ON.
BUT WHEN MARY RECEIVED THE FIRST EUCHARIST, SHE GAVE HER FULL CONSENT, AND LATER PRAISED GOD WITH HER IMMORTAL SONG, “THE MAGNIFICAT.” SHE SANG, “MY SOUL MAGNIFIES THE LORD, MY SPIRIT REJOICES IN GOD MY SAVIOR.” AND ALL HER LIFE SHE NEVER FORGOT THAT WITHIN HER BODY THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE HAD TAKEN UP RESIDENCE.
ON THIS SUNDAY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST, PRAY THAT THE NEXT TIME WE RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST, WE WILL DO SO WITH GREAT ATTENTION, WITH FULL PARTICIPATION, AND WITH OUR CONSENT TO BE TRANSFORMED BY THIS HEAVENLY FOOD INTO ANOTHER CHRIST.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Trinity Sunday, 2009
MATTHEW 28:13-20
DO YOU REMEMBER THREE IN ONE OIL? FOR SOME REASON, I FIRST BECAME AWARE OF IT ABOUT THE TIME I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT THE TRINITY. IN THE BALTIMORE CATECHISM, THE TRINITY IS DESCRIBED AS THREE PERSONS IN ONE GOD, SO THREE IN ONE WASN'T A BIG LEAP. THE THREE THINGS, BY THE WAY, THAT THREE IN ONE OIL IS SUPPOSED TO DO IS TO LUBRICATE, TO PROTECT AGAINST RUST, AND TO CLEAN.
BUT THAT CONCEPTION OF GOD, THAT HE ACTS IN THREE DIFFERENT WAYS, AS CREATOR, REDEEMER, AND SANCTIFIER, IS A HERESY KNOWN AS MODALISM. IT IMPLIES THAT THE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT ARE JUST MASKS THAT GOD PUTS ON IN DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES.
SAINT PATRICK, LEGEND HAS IT, COMPARED THE TRINITY TO A SHAMROCK – THREE LEAVES GROWING ON ONE STEM. BUT THAT SKATES CLOSE TO THE HERESY OF PARTIALISM: THE IDEA THAT THREE PERSONS TOGETHER MAKE UP GOD, IMPLYING THAT NONE OF THEM IS GOD BY HIMSELF.
OUR MOSLEM FRIENDS CONSIDER OUR TRINITY TO BE THE WORST KIND OF INSULT TO GOD'S ONE-NESS. HOW COULD GOD, WHO IS UNIQUE, HAVE A SON? GOD IS ONE, AND HAS NO PARTS, AND THERE IS NO WAY THAT GOD COULD HAVE PEERS. INTERESTINGLY, THE MOSLEMS WEREN'T THE FIRST ONES TO THINK ABOUT THIS; THE ARIAN HERESY STARTED FROM THE SAME IDEA, AND CONCLUDED THAT JESUS WAS AT MOST A LESSER, CREATED GOD – A BELIEF THAT SURVIVES TO THIS DAY AMONG THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES. IF YOU ARE COUNTING, THIS HERESY IS CALLED ADOPTIONISM; GOD ADOPTS JESUS AS HIS SON.
MORMONS, AS WE LEARNED DURING THE LAST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, SEEM TO HOLD WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS THAT THE FATHER, SON, AND SPIRIT ARE EACH GOD, BUT THEY ARE THREE BEINGS; AND AT SOME POINT, MOST HUMAN BEINGS WILL BECOME GODS AS WELL. THAT HERESY IS CALLED TRITHEISM – THREE GODS IN THE TRINITY.
WE TRINITARIAN CHRISTIANS SAY THAT GOD IS ONE, AND THERE ARE THREE PERSONS – AND A PERSON DIFFERS FROM A NON-PERSON IN THAT A PERSON CAN INITIATE ACTION, A NON-PERSON CAN ONLY BE ACTED UPON. WE SAY THAT THE FATHER IS NOT THE SON, AND THE SON IS NOT THE SPIRIT, AND THE SPIRIT IS NEITHER FATHER NOR SON. AND WE SAY THAT FROM ALL ETERNITY THE FATHER GENERATES THE SON, AND THE FATHER AND THE SON BREATHE FORTH THE SPIRIT. AND WE SAY THAT THE FATHER LOVES THE SON, THE PERFECT IMAGE OF HIMSELF, AND THE SON LOVES THE FATHER, WHO IS INFINITELY LOVEABLE; AND THE LOVE BETWEEN THEM IS THE SPIRIT. AND ANY OF THOSE SENTENCES ABOUT THE TRINITY, AND THERE ARE OTHERS, IS ENOUGH FOR A LIFETIME OF CONTEMPLATION. OUR HUMAN MINDS CAN'T FIND ANYTHING LIKE THE TRINITY IN NATURE OR OUR IMAGINATIONS. IN THE BIBLE, WE DON'T HEAR THE WORD, TRINITY. WE READ THAT JESUS SAID, “I AND THE FATHER ARE ONE” AND WE SEE THAT JESUS BREATHES THE SPIRIT UPON HIS DISCIPLES, GIVING THEM A POWER ONLY GOD HAS, TO FORGIVE SINS. AND THE EARLY CHURCH SOON REALIZED THAT IF JESUS REALLY COULD REDEEM US THROUGH HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION, HE HAD TO BE WHAT HE SAID HE WAS, THE SON OF GOD, TRULY GOD AND MAN. AND IF THE CHURCH REALLY WAS TO CARRY OUT HIS WORK, WHAT ANIMATED JESUS HAD TO ANIMATE THE CHURCH, NAMELY, THE SPIRIT.
BUT WE HOLD, IN THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY, THAT GOD IS FUNDAMENTALLY ABOUT RELATIONSHIP; PERHAPS THAT IS WHAT JOHN THE APOSTLE MEANS WHEN HE SAYS THAT GOD IS LOVE AND HE WHO ABIDES IN LOVE ABIDES IN GOD, AND GOD IN HIM. AND THAT IS WHERE THE TRINITY GETS DOWN TO BASICS.
IT TELLS US THAT IT IS IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE COME TO KNOW GOD, NOT OFF BY OURSELVES. IT TELLS US THAT GOD IS IN COMMUNITY; GOD IS PRESENT AT THE FAMILY DINNER TABLE, IN A MEETING OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS OR THE ST. MARY'S GUILD. GOD IS PRESENT IN THE FAITH FORMATION CLASSES; AND GOD IS PRESENT HERE, WHEN WE WORSHIP TOGETHER. IF WE WANT TO GET TO HEAVEN, WE HAVE TO BE IN COMMUNITY. JESUS SAID AS MUCH; “WHAT YOU DO FOR THE LEAST OF MY BROTHERS, YOU DO FOR ME.” WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER IN MY NAME, THERE I AM.” “WHOEVER DOES GOD'S WILL IS MY MOTHER AND MY SISTER AND MY BROTHER.” IT IS OUR EXPERIENCE OF COMMUNITY THAT REVEALS GOD TO US, AND WHEN WE ARE IN COMMUNITY, WE ARE IN GOD.
ST. PAUL RECOGNIZED THIS WHEN HE DESCRIBED THE MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST; HOW WE ARE ALL GIVEN DIFFERENT GIFTS TO BUILD UP THE BODY; HOW WE ARE LIKE THE PARTS OF THE BODY.
THE EARLY CHURCH RECOGNIZED THIS. WHEREVER THE APOSTLES WENT, THEY FORMED COMMUNITIES. EVEN THE OLD HERMITS OF THE DESERT KNEW THEY COULD NOT BE ALONE FOREVER, BUT PERIODICALLY CAME TOGETHER WITH THEIR FELLOW HERMITS TO EXCHANGE IDEAS AND CELEBRATE EUCHARIST.
BEING IN COMMUNITY IS MORE THAN HAVING A MEMBERSHIP CARD. IT MEANS THAT WE RESPOND TO THE NEEDS OF EACH OTHER SO THAT WE ALL CAN BE MORE OPEN TO GOD'S WORD. IT MEANS THAT WHEN WE SEE THINGS THAT THREATEN OUR COMMUNITY, WE ARE PEACEMAKERS, WE TRY TO STRENGTHEN THE BONDS THAT ARE UNDER THREAT. AND IT MEANS THAT WE CORRECT EACH OTHER, IN A POSITIVE WAY, SO THAT WE ALL BECOME TRANSFORMED INTO CHRIST. IN OTHER WORDS, THERE IS A PLACE FOR SOMETHING LIKE THREE IN ONE OIL IN OUR COMMUNITY – TO LUBRICATE, TO PRESERVE, AND TO CLEAN.
THE BIGGEST THREAT TO OUR UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF GOD INSOFAR AS OUR HUMAN MINDS CAN IS NOT ONE OR ANOTHER HERESY ABOUT THE TRINITY. A PROPER THEOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING IS OF COURSE IMPORTANT, BUT NO ONE WILL GET TO HEAVEN BY PROPERLY UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY. THE BIGGEST THREAT IS OUR MODERN INDIVIDUALISM, THAT CONS US INTO BELIEVING THAT WE ARE SELF SUFFICIENT, THAT WE CAN HAVE GOD WITHOUT DEALING WITH EACH OTHER. THE TRINITY SAYS THAT GOD IS IN HIS VERY NATURE COMMUNITY, AND ONLY BY OPENING OUR LIVES TO OUR VARIOUS COMMUNITIES CAN WE COME TO TRULY KNOW GOD.
DO YOU REMEMBER THREE IN ONE OIL? FOR SOME REASON, I FIRST BECAME AWARE OF IT ABOUT THE TIME I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT THE TRINITY. IN THE BALTIMORE CATECHISM, THE TRINITY IS DESCRIBED AS THREE PERSONS IN ONE GOD, SO THREE IN ONE WASN'T A BIG LEAP. THE THREE THINGS, BY THE WAY, THAT THREE IN ONE OIL IS SUPPOSED TO DO IS TO LUBRICATE, TO PROTECT AGAINST RUST, AND TO CLEAN.
BUT THAT CONCEPTION OF GOD, THAT HE ACTS IN THREE DIFFERENT WAYS, AS CREATOR, REDEEMER, AND SANCTIFIER, IS A HERESY KNOWN AS MODALISM. IT IMPLIES THAT THE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT ARE JUST MASKS THAT GOD PUTS ON IN DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES.
SAINT PATRICK, LEGEND HAS IT, COMPARED THE TRINITY TO A SHAMROCK – THREE LEAVES GROWING ON ONE STEM. BUT THAT SKATES CLOSE TO THE HERESY OF PARTIALISM: THE IDEA THAT THREE PERSONS TOGETHER MAKE UP GOD, IMPLYING THAT NONE OF THEM IS GOD BY HIMSELF.
OUR MOSLEM FRIENDS CONSIDER OUR TRINITY TO BE THE WORST KIND OF INSULT TO GOD'S ONE-NESS. HOW COULD GOD, WHO IS UNIQUE, HAVE A SON? GOD IS ONE, AND HAS NO PARTS, AND THERE IS NO WAY THAT GOD COULD HAVE PEERS. INTERESTINGLY, THE MOSLEMS WEREN'T THE FIRST ONES TO THINK ABOUT THIS; THE ARIAN HERESY STARTED FROM THE SAME IDEA, AND CONCLUDED THAT JESUS WAS AT MOST A LESSER, CREATED GOD – A BELIEF THAT SURVIVES TO THIS DAY AMONG THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES. IF YOU ARE COUNTING, THIS HERESY IS CALLED ADOPTIONISM; GOD ADOPTS JESUS AS HIS SON.
MORMONS, AS WE LEARNED DURING THE LAST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, SEEM TO HOLD WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS THAT THE FATHER, SON, AND SPIRIT ARE EACH GOD, BUT THEY ARE THREE BEINGS; AND AT SOME POINT, MOST HUMAN BEINGS WILL BECOME GODS AS WELL. THAT HERESY IS CALLED TRITHEISM – THREE GODS IN THE TRINITY.
WE TRINITARIAN CHRISTIANS SAY THAT GOD IS ONE, AND THERE ARE THREE PERSONS – AND A PERSON DIFFERS FROM A NON-PERSON IN THAT A PERSON CAN INITIATE ACTION, A NON-PERSON CAN ONLY BE ACTED UPON. WE SAY THAT THE FATHER IS NOT THE SON, AND THE SON IS NOT THE SPIRIT, AND THE SPIRIT IS NEITHER FATHER NOR SON. AND WE SAY THAT FROM ALL ETERNITY THE FATHER GENERATES THE SON, AND THE FATHER AND THE SON BREATHE FORTH THE SPIRIT. AND WE SAY THAT THE FATHER LOVES THE SON, THE PERFECT IMAGE OF HIMSELF, AND THE SON LOVES THE FATHER, WHO IS INFINITELY LOVEABLE; AND THE LOVE BETWEEN THEM IS THE SPIRIT. AND ANY OF THOSE SENTENCES ABOUT THE TRINITY, AND THERE ARE OTHERS, IS ENOUGH FOR A LIFETIME OF CONTEMPLATION. OUR HUMAN MINDS CAN'T FIND ANYTHING LIKE THE TRINITY IN NATURE OR OUR IMAGINATIONS. IN THE BIBLE, WE DON'T HEAR THE WORD, TRINITY. WE READ THAT JESUS SAID, “I AND THE FATHER ARE ONE” AND WE SEE THAT JESUS BREATHES THE SPIRIT UPON HIS DISCIPLES, GIVING THEM A POWER ONLY GOD HAS, TO FORGIVE SINS. AND THE EARLY CHURCH SOON REALIZED THAT IF JESUS REALLY COULD REDEEM US THROUGH HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION, HE HAD TO BE WHAT HE SAID HE WAS, THE SON OF GOD, TRULY GOD AND MAN. AND IF THE CHURCH REALLY WAS TO CARRY OUT HIS WORK, WHAT ANIMATED JESUS HAD TO ANIMATE THE CHURCH, NAMELY, THE SPIRIT.
BUT WE HOLD, IN THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY, THAT GOD IS FUNDAMENTALLY ABOUT RELATIONSHIP; PERHAPS THAT IS WHAT JOHN THE APOSTLE MEANS WHEN HE SAYS THAT GOD IS LOVE AND HE WHO ABIDES IN LOVE ABIDES IN GOD, AND GOD IN HIM. AND THAT IS WHERE THE TRINITY GETS DOWN TO BASICS.
IT TELLS US THAT IT IS IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE COME TO KNOW GOD, NOT OFF BY OURSELVES. IT TELLS US THAT GOD IS IN COMMUNITY; GOD IS PRESENT AT THE FAMILY DINNER TABLE, IN A MEETING OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS OR THE ST. MARY'S GUILD. GOD IS PRESENT IN THE FAITH FORMATION CLASSES; AND GOD IS PRESENT HERE, WHEN WE WORSHIP TOGETHER. IF WE WANT TO GET TO HEAVEN, WE HAVE TO BE IN COMMUNITY. JESUS SAID AS MUCH; “WHAT YOU DO FOR THE LEAST OF MY BROTHERS, YOU DO FOR ME.” WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER IN MY NAME, THERE I AM.” “WHOEVER DOES GOD'S WILL IS MY MOTHER AND MY SISTER AND MY BROTHER.” IT IS OUR EXPERIENCE OF COMMUNITY THAT REVEALS GOD TO US, AND WHEN WE ARE IN COMMUNITY, WE ARE IN GOD.
ST. PAUL RECOGNIZED THIS WHEN HE DESCRIBED THE MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST; HOW WE ARE ALL GIVEN DIFFERENT GIFTS TO BUILD UP THE BODY; HOW WE ARE LIKE THE PARTS OF THE BODY.
THE EARLY CHURCH RECOGNIZED THIS. WHEREVER THE APOSTLES WENT, THEY FORMED COMMUNITIES. EVEN THE OLD HERMITS OF THE DESERT KNEW THEY COULD NOT BE ALONE FOREVER, BUT PERIODICALLY CAME TOGETHER WITH THEIR FELLOW HERMITS TO EXCHANGE IDEAS AND CELEBRATE EUCHARIST.
BEING IN COMMUNITY IS MORE THAN HAVING A MEMBERSHIP CARD. IT MEANS THAT WE RESPOND TO THE NEEDS OF EACH OTHER SO THAT WE ALL CAN BE MORE OPEN TO GOD'S WORD. IT MEANS THAT WHEN WE SEE THINGS THAT THREATEN OUR COMMUNITY, WE ARE PEACEMAKERS, WE TRY TO STRENGTHEN THE BONDS THAT ARE UNDER THREAT. AND IT MEANS THAT WE CORRECT EACH OTHER, IN A POSITIVE WAY, SO THAT WE ALL BECOME TRANSFORMED INTO CHRIST. IN OTHER WORDS, THERE IS A PLACE FOR SOMETHING LIKE THREE IN ONE OIL IN OUR COMMUNITY – TO LUBRICATE, TO PRESERVE, AND TO CLEAN.
THE BIGGEST THREAT TO OUR UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF GOD INSOFAR AS OUR HUMAN MINDS CAN IS NOT ONE OR ANOTHER HERESY ABOUT THE TRINITY. A PROPER THEOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING IS OF COURSE IMPORTANT, BUT NO ONE WILL GET TO HEAVEN BY PROPERLY UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY. THE BIGGEST THREAT IS OUR MODERN INDIVIDUALISM, THAT CONS US INTO BELIEVING THAT WE ARE SELF SUFFICIENT, THAT WE CAN HAVE GOD WITHOUT DEALING WITH EACH OTHER. THE TRINITY SAYS THAT GOD IS IN HIS VERY NATURE COMMUNITY, AND ONLY BY OPENING OUR LIVES TO OUR VARIOUS COMMUNITIES CAN WE COME TO TRULY KNOW GOD.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Pentecost, 2009
JOHN 20:19-23
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I HAVE A HARD TIME PICTURING THE HOLY SPIRIT. ALL OF US HAVE AN IMAGE OF JESUS, THE SON, THE SECOND PERSON IN THE TRINITY; WE CAN'T HELP BUT SEE HIM AS A MAN WITH A WELL-TRIMMED BEARD, MAYBE HANGING FROM A CROSS, MAYBE WALKING WITH SHEEP. MOST OF US CAN SORT OF CALL TO MIND A PICTURE OF GOD THE FATHER, THE OLD MAN WITH THE WHITE BEARD. WE KNOW JESUS WAS AND IS A MAN, AND WE KNOW THAT GOD THE FATHER IS PURE SPIRIT, AND HAS NO SIZE OR SHAPE OR COLOR; BUT BEING HUMAN BEINGS, WE ALMOST NEED AN IMAGE.
BUT NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT. NO MATTER HOW YOU TRY, AN IMAGE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS AT BEST, TENTATIVE, AND OFTEN SEEMS TO BE A WHITE BIRD. AND PART IF THE REASON IS BECAUSE WE DON'T QUITE GET WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES. JESUS WALKED AND TALKED, AND TAUGHT, AND SUFFERED AND DIED. WE GET THAT. THE FATHER CREATES, HE IS THE WELLSPRING OF CREATION. BEFORE CHRISTIANITY MANY RELIGIONS HAD A “CREATOR GOD” AND THE ONE THE CHRISTIANS WERE FAMILIAR WITH APPEARED ON BUILDINGS AND COINS – THAT WAS JUPITER TO THE ROMANS AND ZEUS TO THE GREEKS. IT WASN'T A GREAT STRETCH TO IMAGINE GOD THE FATHER JUST AS THEIR PAGAN NEIGHBORS IMAGINED THEIR CREATOR GOD.
BUT THINK ABOUT WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES. FIRST, HE MEDIATES CREATION. IN GENESIS THE SPIRIT OF GOD HOVERS OVER THE WATERS WHEN THE EARTH IS A FORMLESS VOID, AND IS THERE WHEN GOD UTTERS THE WORDS THAT BEGIN WITH “LET THERE BE...” IN THE PSALMS WE HEAR THAT FAMILIAR REFRAIN, “YOU SEND FORTH YOUR SPIRIT, AND THEY ARE CREATED” AND THAT VERSE GOES ON TO SAY, “YOU WITHDRAW YOUR SPIRIT, AND THEY ARE DESTROYED”.
SECOND, THE SPIRIT ANIMATES PEOPLE TO CARRY OUT GOD'S WORK. IN THE OLD TESTAMENT WE READ ABOUT THE PROPHETS WHO WERE POSSESSED BY THE SPIRIT. WE SEE MOSES AND JOSHUA, SAUL AND SAMUEL AND KING DAVID ALL AT VARIOUS TIMES LEAD BY THE SPIRIT. AND WE SEE JESUS HIMSELF DRIVEN INTO THE DESERT TO FAST AND BE TEMPTED AT THE BEGINNING OF HIS MINISTRY – BY THE SPIRIT.
THIRD, THE SPIRIT IS THE SOURCE OF LIFE AND HEALTH. JESUS HIMSELF IS CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. WHEN THE APOSTLES ARE WORKING MIRACLES, THEY ARE DESCRIBED AS BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.
FOURTH, THE SPIRIT IS THE SOURCE OF WISDOM AND ENLIGHTENMENT. STEPHEN MANAGED TO REFUTE THE ARGUMENTS OF THE JEWISH LEADERS BECAUSE HE WAS FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT.
AND WE COULD GO ON, AND ON, AND ON.
WE CAN'T VISUALIZE THE SPIRIT. WE CAN'T EVEN THINK OF WAYS TO REPRESENT HIM THAT AREN'T SOFT AROUND THE EDGES, EXCEPT MAYBE THE DOVE, AND EVEN THERE, IT IS A DOVE DESCENDING FROM HEAVEN IN FLIGHT, NOT PERCHED ON A TELEPHONE WIRE. TONGUES OF FIRE NEVER HOLD STILL; OIL, A SIGN OF ANOINTING, HAS NO SHAPE AND YOU CAN SEE RIGHT THROUGH IT. WATER LIKEWISE IS TRANSPARENT AND SHAPELESS. AND WIND, TO WHICH JESUS COMPARES THE SPIRIT, AND WHICH WAS PART OF THAT MANIFESTATION TO THE APOSTLES, CAN ONLY BE VISUALIZED BY WHAT IT CAUSES; YOU CAN'T SEE IT OR IMAGINE IT IN AND OF ITSELF.
BUT THAT IS PROBABLY GOD'S INTENTION. FROM ALL ETERNITY, THE FATHER GENERATES HIS SON, WHO IS HIS PERFECT REFLECTION. AND AS THE FATHER LOVES THE SON, AND THE SON LOVES THE FATHER, THE SPIRIT IS BREATHED FOURTH, TO CARRY OUT THE WILL OF THE FATHER, WHICH IS TO GENERATE THE SON -- THROUGH CREATION; THROUGH INSPIRING PROPHETS AND PRIESTS AND KINGS TO PREPARE A PEOPLE INTO WHICH THE SON WILL BE BORN; AND FINALLY, TO CREATE IN MARY NOT JUST THE BODY, BUT THE WHOLE BEING, HUMAN AND DIVINE, WHICH IS JESUS. AND DOWN THROUGH ALL THE AGES, THE FATHER CONTINUES TO GENERATE THE SON THROUGH THE SPIRIT, HERE ON THE ALTAR WHEN FATHER CALLS DOWN THE SPIRIT TO TRANSFORM THE BREAD AND WINE INTO THE SON OF GOD. HERE IN OUR SCRIPTURES WHERE THE SPIRIT LEADS EACH OF US TO UNDERSTAND THE PRESENCE OF JESUS IN THESE SACRED WORDS, THE WORDS WHICH THE SPIRIT INSPIRED THE WRITERS OF THE SCRIPTURES TO WRITE. AND HERE AMONG YOU AND I WHERE BECAUSE WE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER IN HIS NAME, THE SPIRIT BRINGS JESUS INTO OUR MIDST.
DOES THIS ALL SOUND MYSTERIOUS AND OTHER-WORLDLY? WELL, YOU CAN SPEND A LIFETIME THINKING ABOUT THE SPIRIT, THE TRINITY, THE INCARNATION, AND STILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THESE THINGS FULLY. BUT WHEN WE KEEP IT SIMPLE, WE REALIZE THAT EVERYTHING THE SPIRIT DOES IS TO INCARNATE THE SON OF GOD IN SOME WAY, SO THAT JESUS' PROMISES WOULD BE FULFILLED -- “IF I BE LIFTED UP TO HEAVEN, I WILL DRAW ALL THINGS UNTO MYSELF” “THAT ALL MAY BE ONE, AS YOU, FATHER, IN ME, AND I IN YOU; THAT ALL MAY BE ONE IN US.”
THE GREAT THEOLOGIAN KARL RAHNER HAD A VISION ONE TIME; HE IMAGINED HE WAS LIFTED UP INTO THE AIR, OUTSIDE THE SOLAR SYSTEM, OUTSIDE THE UNIVERSE; AT THE SAME TIME HE SPED FORWARD IN TIME TO THE VERY END; AND FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, HE COULD ONLY SEE ONE THING – THE FACE OF CHRIST. THE UNIVERSE HAD FINALLY ACHIEVED IT'S DESTINATION, TO BE ENTIRELY AND COMPLETELY THE INCARNATION OF GOD, THE COSMIC CHRIST. NOW WHETHER THIS IS THEOLOGICALLY CORRECT I'LL LEAVE TO THEOLOGIANS; BUT IT SEEMS TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THE IDEAS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN AND THE WRITINGS OF ST. PAUL, AND EVEN THE TEACHINGS OF OUR CHURCH – JESUS IS THE FIRST FRUITS OF THE REDEEMED; THE CHURCH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST; OUR SUFFERINGS COMPLETE WHAT IS LACKING IN CHRIST'S BODY. “FOR GOD WAS PLEASED TO HAVE ALL HIS FULLNESS DWELL IN HIM, AND THROUGH HIM TO RECONCILE TO HIMSELF ALL THINGS, WHETHER THINGS ON EARTH OR THINGS IN HEAVEN, BY MAKING PEACE THROUGH HIS BLOOD, SHED ON THE CROSS.”
THAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT'S ROLE – TO TAKE EVERYTHING THERE IS AND TRANSFORM IT, TO BRING IT ALL INTO CHRIST; AND THEN CHRIST PRESENTS IT IN HIMSELF TO THE FATHER. AND WE HUMANS HAVE A SPECIAL ROLE – THROUGH US THE REST OF THE MATERIAL WORLD IS GATHERED IN TO CHRIST THROUGH THE SPIRIT.
SO LOOK AT YOURSELF AND AT THE WORLD WITH NEW EYES TODAY; BECAUSE, AS THE POET GERALD MANLEY HOPKINS OBSERVED, “THE WORLD IS CHARGED WITH THE GRANDEUR OF GOD – BUT WE DON'T NOTICE, BECAUSE WE ARE SO INTENT ON PUTTING ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER, PLODDING AWAY AT DAILY LIFE; BUT THERE IS A MARVELOUS FRESHNESS, A CONSTANTLY RENEWAL OF NATURE JUST BENEATH THE SURFACE REALITY. AND THIS IS BECAUSE THE HOLY SPIRIT BROODS OVER THE BENT AND BROKEN WORLD WITH BRIGHT WINGS.
AND YOU AND I ARE IN THE CENTER OF THIS, BECOMING CHRIST, THROUGH THE ACTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I HAVE A HARD TIME PICTURING THE HOLY SPIRIT. ALL OF US HAVE AN IMAGE OF JESUS, THE SON, THE SECOND PERSON IN THE TRINITY; WE CAN'T HELP BUT SEE HIM AS A MAN WITH A WELL-TRIMMED BEARD, MAYBE HANGING FROM A CROSS, MAYBE WALKING WITH SHEEP. MOST OF US CAN SORT OF CALL TO MIND A PICTURE OF GOD THE FATHER, THE OLD MAN WITH THE WHITE BEARD. WE KNOW JESUS WAS AND IS A MAN, AND WE KNOW THAT GOD THE FATHER IS PURE SPIRIT, AND HAS NO SIZE OR SHAPE OR COLOR; BUT BEING HUMAN BEINGS, WE ALMOST NEED AN IMAGE.
BUT NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT. NO MATTER HOW YOU TRY, AN IMAGE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS AT BEST, TENTATIVE, AND OFTEN SEEMS TO BE A WHITE BIRD. AND PART IF THE REASON IS BECAUSE WE DON'T QUITE GET WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES. JESUS WALKED AND TALKED, AND TAUGHT, AND SUFFERED AND DIED. WE GET THAT. THE FATHER CREATES, HE IS THE WELLSPRING OF CREATION. BEFORE CHRISTIANITY MANY RELIGIONS HAD A “CREATOR GOD” AND THE ONE THE CHRISTIANS WERE FAMILIAR WITH APPEARED ON BUILDINGS AND COINS – THAT WAS JUPITER TO THE ROMANS AND ZEUS TO THE GREEKS. IT WASN'T A GREAT STRETCH TO IMAGINE GOD THE FATHER JUST AS THEIR PAGAN NEIGHBORS IMAGINED THEIR CREATOR GOD.
BUT THINK ABOUT WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES. FIRST, HE MEDIATES CREATION. IN GENESIS THE SPIRIT OF GOD HOVERS OVER THE WATERS WHEN THE EARTH IS A FORMLESS VOID, AND IS THERE WHEN GOD UTTERS THE WORDS THAT BEGIN WITH “LET THERE BE...” IN THE PSALMS WE HEAR THAT FAMILIAR REFRAIN, “YOU SEND FORTH YOUR SPIRIT, AND THEY ARE CREATED” AND THAT VERSE GOES ON TO SAY, “YOU WITHDRAW YOUR SPIRIT, AND THEY ARE DESTROYED”.
SECOND, THE SPIRIT ANIMATES PEOPLE TO CARRY OUT GOD'S WORK. IN THE OLD TESTAMENT WE READ ABOUT THE PROPHETS WHO WERE POSSESSED BY THE SPIRIT. WE SEE MOSES AND JOSHUA, SAUL AND SAMUEL AND KING DAVID ALL AT VARIOUS TIMES LEAD BY THE SPIRIT. AND WE SEE JESUS HIMSELF DRIVEN INTO THE DESERT TO FAST AND BE TEMPTED AT THE BEGINNING OF HIS MINISTRY – BY THE SPIRIT.
THIRD, THE SPIRIT IS THE SOURCE OF LIFE AND HEALTH. JESUS HIMSELF IS CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. WHEN THE APOSTLES ARE WORKING MIRACLES, THEY ARE DESCRIBED AS BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.
FOURTH, THE SPIRIT IS THE SOURCE OF WISDOM AND ENLIGHTENMENT. STEPHEN MANAGED TO REFUTE THE ARGUMENTS OF THE JEWISH LEADERS BECAUSE HE WAS FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT.
AND WE COULD GO ON, AND ON, AND ON.
WE CAN'T VISUALIZE THE SPIRIT. WE CAN'T EVEN THINK OF WAYS TO REPRESENT HIM THAT AREN'T SOFT AROUND THE EDGES, EXCEPT MAYBE THE DOVE, AND EVEN THERE, IT IS A DOVE DESCENDING FROM HEAVEN IN FLIGHT, NOT PERCHED ON A TELEPHONE WIRE. TONGUES OF FIRE NEVER HOLD STILL; OIL, A SIGN OF ANOINTING, HAS NO SHAPE AND YOU CAN SEE RIGHT THROUGH IT. WATER LIKEWISE IS TRANSPARENT AND SHAPELESS. AND WIND, TO WHICH JESUS COMPARES THE SPIRIT, AND WHICH WAS PART OF THAT MANIFESTATION TO THE APOSTLES, CAN ONLY BE VISUALIZED BY WHAT IT CAUSES; YOU CAN'T SEE IT OR IMAGINE IT IN AND OF ITSELF.
BUT THAT IS PROBABLY GOD'S INTENTION. FROM ALL ETERNITY, THE FATHER GENERATES HIS SON, WHO IS HIS PERFECT REFLECTION. AND AS THE FATHER LOVES THE SON, AND THE SON LOVES THE FATHER, THE SPIRIT IS BREATHED FOURTH, TO CARRY OUT THE WILL OF THE FATHER, WHICH IS TO GENERATE THE SON -- THROUGH CREATION; THROUGH INSPIRING PROPHETS AND PRIESTS AND KINGS TO PREPARE A PEOPLE INTO WHICH THE SON WILL BE BORN; AND FINALLY, TO CREATE IN MARY NOT JUST THE BODY, BUT THE WHOLE BEING, HUMAN AND DIVINE, WHICH IS JESUS. AND DOWN THROUGH ALL THE AGES, THE FATHER CONTINUES TO GENERATE THE SON THROUGH THE SPIRIT, HERE ON THE ALTAR WHEN FATHER CALLS DOWN THE SPIRIT TO TRANSFORM THE BREAD AND WINE INTO THE SON OF GOD. HERE IN OUR SCRIPTURES WHERE THE SPIRIT LEADS EACH OF US TO UNDERSTAND THE PRESENCE OF JESUS IN THESE SACRED WORDS, THE WORDS WHICH THE SPIRIT INSPIRED THE WRITERS OF THE SCRIPTURES TO WRITE. AND HERE AMONG YOU AND I WHERE BECAUSE WE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER IN HIS NAME, THE SPIRIT BRINGS JESUS INTO OUR MIDST.
DOES THIS ALL SOUND MYSTERIOUS AND OTHER-WORLDLY? WELL, YOU CAN SPEND A LIFETIME THINKING ABOUT THE SPIRIT, THE TRINITY, THE INCARNATION, AND STILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THESE THINGS FULLY. BUT WHEN WE KEEP IT SIMPLE, WE REALIZE THAT EVERYTHING THE SPIRIT DOES IS TO INCARNATE THE SON OF GOD IN SOME WAY, SO THAT JESUS' PROMISES WOULD BE FULFILLED -- “IF I BE LIFTED UP TO HEAVEN, I WILL DRAW ALL THINGS UNTO MYSELF” “THAT ALL MAY BE ONE, AS YOU, FATHER, IN ME, AND I IN YOU; THAT ALL MAY BE ONE IN US.”
THE GREAT THEOLOGIAN KARL RAHNER HAD A VISION ONE TIME; HE IMAGINED HE WAS LIFTED UP INTO THE AIR, OUTSIDE THE SOLAR SYSTEM, OUTSIDE THE UNIVERSE; AT THE SAME TIME HE SPED FORWARD IN TIME TO THE VERY END; AND FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, HE COULD ONLY SEE ONE THING – THE FACE OF CHRIST. THE UNIVERSE HAD FINALLY ACHIEVED IT'S DESTINATION, TO BE ENTIRELY AND COMPLETELY THE INCARNATION OF GOD, THE COSMIC CHRIST. NOW WHETHER THIS IS THEOLOGICALLY CORRECT I'LL LEAVE TO THEOLOGIANS; BUT IT SEEMS TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THE IDEAS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN AND THE WRITINGS OF ST. PAUL, AND EVEN THE TEACHINGS OF OUR CHURCH – JESUS IS THE FIRST FRUITS OF THE REDEEMED; THE CHURCH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST; OUR SUFFERINGS COMPLETE WHAT IS LACKING IN CHRIST'S BODY. “FOR GOD WAS PLEASED TO HAVE ALL HIS FULLNESS DWELL IN HIM, AND THROUGH HIM TO RECONCILE TO HIMSELF ALL THINGS, WHETHER THINGS ON EARTH OR THINGS IN HEAVEN, BY MAKING PEACE THROUGH HIS BLOOD, SHED ON THE CROSS.”
THAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT'S ROLE – TO TAKE EVERYTHING THERE IS AND TRANSFORM IT, TO BRING IT ALL INTO CHRIST; AND THEN CHRIST PRESENTS IT IN HIMSELF TO THE FATHER. AND WE HUMANS HAVE A SPECIAL ROLE – THROUGH US THE REST OF THE MATERIAL WORLD IS GATHERED IN TO CHRIST THROUGH THE SPIRIT.
SO LOOK AT YOURSELF AND AT THE WORLD WITH NEW EYES TODAY; BECAUSE, AS THE POET GERALD MANLEY HOPKINS OBSERVED, “THE WORLD IS CHARGED WITH THE GRANDEUR OF GOD – BUT WE DON'T NOTICE, BECAUSE WE ARE SO INTENT ON PUTTING ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER, PLODDING AWAY AT DAILY LIFE; BUT THERE IS A MARVELOUS FRESHNESS, A CONSTANTLY RENEWAL OF NATURE JUST BENEATH THE SURFACE REALITY. AND THIS IS BECAUSE THE HOLY SPIRIT BROODS OVER THE BENT AND BROKEN WORLD WITH BRIGHT WINGS.
AND YOU AND I ARE IN THE CENTER OF THIS, BECOMING CHRIST, THROUGH THE ACTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Seventh Sunday of Easter, cycle B
JOHN 15:9-17
YOU HAVE TO BE PRETTY DENSE NEVER TO HAVE HEARD THE STATEMENT IN JOHN'S EPISTLE – GOD IS LOVE. AND IT GOES ON, “AND WHOEVER REMAINS IN LOVE REMAINS IN GOD, AND GOD IN HIM.” THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE CONCLUDED THAT WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT IS TO LOVE, AND IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT CHURCH YOU GO TO. IN FACT, THERE IS A SMALL RELIGION CALLED THE BAHAI FAITH, WHICH ORIGINATED IN PERSIA. THEIR TEACHING IS THAT GOD ESTABLISHED ALL THE RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD, AND IF YOU STRIP AWAY ALL THE SUPERSTITIONS, THE BARNACLES, YOU FIND THAT THEY ARE ALL BASICALLY THE SAME. AND BASICALLY WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT IS THAT WE LOVE GOD AND LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR, NOTHING ELSE REALLY MATTERS.
NOW THERE IS SOME TRUTH IN THE STATEMENT, “GOD IS LOVE.” AFTER ALL, IT'S IN HE BIBLE, AND WAS RECORDED BY ONE OF JESUS' APOSTLES. BUT THERE IS A DANGER IN THAT STATEMENT. BECAUSE IF WE SAY “GOD IS LOVE,” WE MIGHT VERY WELL CONCLUDE THAT “LOVE IS GOD” AND END UP WORSHIPING LOVE. AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO WHEN WE SAY THAT LOVE TRUMPS EVERYTHING; ALL IS PERMITTED IF THERE IS ENOUGH LOVE. WHY CAN'T A GAY COUPLE GET MARRIED? THEY LOVE EACH OTHER. WHY SHOULDN'T A DIVORCED CATHOLIC RE-MARRY? AFTER ALL, DOESN'T LOVE COUNT HERE? WHY SHOULDN'T MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER SLEEP WITH HER BOYFRIEND? AFTER ALL, THEY ARE IN LOVE. AND WHY SHOULD I GO TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY? AFTER ALL, I'M A LOVING PERSON. I'VE EVEN HEARD THE OPINION THAT ABORTION IS SOMETIMES A LOVING ACT; AFTER ALL, IS IT MORE LOVING TO BRING THE CHILD INTO A WORLD WHERE YOU CAN'T CARE FOR HER OR PROVIDE A DECENT LIFE, OR IS IT MORE LOVING TO NOT HAVE THE CHILD, THUS SPARING HER ALL THE GRIEF OF A LIFE WITHOUT EVERYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO PROVIDE FOR HER? LOVE IS A GREAT EXCUSE, AND WE HUMAN BEINGS, SO DAMAGED BY ORIGINAL SIN, ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A GOOD EXCUSE FOR OUR BEHAVIOR.
LOVE IS NOT GOD. OUR GOSPEL STANDS IN STARK CONTRAST TO THE EPISTLE. THE GOSPEL READING IS ABOUT TRUTH, AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF HAVING TRUTH. JESUS SAYS, “I GAVE THEM YOUR WORD, AND THE WORLD HATED THEM.” HE REMINDS US THAT WE DON'T BELONG TO THE WORLD, JUST AS HE DOESN'T. AND EVEN THOUGH THE TRUTH WE ARE GIVEN LEADS US TO BE HATED BY THE WORLD, JESUS NEVERTHELESS PRAYS THAT WE WILL BE CONSECRATED IN TRUTH.
IF WE JUST LOVE, AND NEVER WORRY ABOUT TRUTH, THE WORLD WILL CERTAINLY NOT HATE US, IT WILL LOVE US. AS THE OLD SONG GOES, “EVERYBODY LOVES A LOVER.” BUT THE GOSPEL SEEMS TO SAY THAT WE HAD BETTER STRIVE TO UNFOLD AND UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH THAT COMES TO US FROM GOD THE FATHER, THROUGH JESUS, AND OUT TO THE WHOLE WORLD THROUGH THE APOSTLES WHO WERE CONSECRATED IN THE TRUTH BY JESUS HIMSELF.
AND WE CAN TELL HOW WELL WE ARE CONSECRATED IN THE TRUTH BY WHETHER THE WORLD HATES US.
THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF INTERESTING THINGS IN THE NEWS LATELY. CARRIE PREJEAN, MISS CALIFORNIA AND THE RUNNER UP IN THE MISS AMERICA CONTEST, GAVE THE OPINION THAT MARRIAGE SHOULD BE BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMEN, ALTHOUGH SHE HASTENED TO ADD THAT THIS WAS JUST HER OPINION. SHE WAS SAVAGED BY MANY PEOPLE, AND HER CROWN WAS ALMOST TAKEN AWAY. BARAK OBAMA SAID EXACTLY THE SAME THING, AND NOT A WORD OF PROTEST AROSE. WHY? ONE COLUMNIST STATED THAT IT WAS BECAUSE WE KNEW OUR PRESIDENT DIDN'T MEAN IT. AND YOU KNOW, IT'S TRUE. WE HEAR STATEMENTS FROM OUR POLITICIANS, ON BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM – I'M NOT SINGLING OUT OBAMA, HE'S JUST ANOTHER POLITICIAN – AND IF WE LIKE THEM OTHERWISE, BUT THEY SAY SOMETHING WE DISAGREE WITH, OUR RESPONSE IS THAT HE OR SHE REALLY DOESN'T MEAN THAT. IN OUR COUNTRY, WE ARE ONLY BOTHERED WHEN ONE OF OUR LEADERS SEEMS TO HAVE AN UNSHAKABLE OPINION; THEN WE SUSPECT THEY ARE FANATICS.
WE CATHOLICS AREN'T ANY DIFFERENT. EVERYONE KNOWS THAT OUR CHURCH HAS A LOT OF DIFFICULT TEACHINGS. ARTIFICIAL BIRTH CONTROL IS WRONG; ABORTION IS MURDER; EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO A LIVING WAGE (YES, THAT'S A CATHOLIC IDEA); WE ARE SUPPOSED TO GO TO MASS ON SUNDAY UNDER PAIN OF SIN; DIVORCE IS NOT PERMITTED – AND I COULD GO ON. NOT ONLY DOES OUR CHURCH HAVE SOME DIFFICULT TEACHINGS THAT WE ALMOST NEVER HEAR ABOUT BECAUSE THEY ARE DIFFICULT, BUT OUR CHURCH ALSO TEACHES ALL THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST, MOST OF WHICH WE SHARE WITH OTHER CHRISTIAN BODIES – THE CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY FOR ONE EXAMPLE; THE CALL TO POVERTY, CHASTITY, AND OBEDIENCE AS BEFITS OUR STATE IN LIFE.
BUT THE REASON WE CATHOLICS AREN'T HATED BY THE WORLD, AT LEAST IN THIS COUNTRY, IS BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T BELIEVE WE MEAN WHAT WE PROFESS. AFTER ALL, IT IS OBVIOUS TO ANYONE WHO CARES TO LOOK THAT MOST CATHOLICS DON'T LIVE AS THOUGH THE CHURCH HAS THE TRUTH.
TO BE CONSECRATED IN THE TRUTH IS TO KNOW WHAT THE CHURCH TEACHES AS THE TRUTH, AND THEN TO COMMIT OURSELVES, NOT JUST TO NOD AGREEMENT, NOT TO KEEP SILENT WHEN WE CONFRONT THE OPPOSITE, BUT TO LIVE THE TRUTH. THAT'S NEVER CONVENIENT OR COMFORTABLE, NEVER.
I THINK MOST OF US FALL SHORT. I KNOW I DO. BUT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I MAKE A DIFFICULT CHOICE, A CHOICE TO FOLLOW THE CHURCH EVEN WHEN I MAY NOT COMPLETELY AGREE, EVEN WHEN IT WILL COST ME SOMETHING. AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, I DISCOVER WHAT I NEED TO RELEARN OVER AND OVER AGAIN; THERE IS A CONNECTION BETWEEN BEING CONSECRATED IN TRUTH, AND ABIDING IN LOVE, AND THUS IN GOD. YOU CAN'T DO ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER.
GOD IS LOVE, AND HE WHO REMAINS IN LOVE, REMAIN IN GOD. BUT LOVE IS NOT GOD.
YOU HAVE TO BE PRETTY DENSE NEVER TO HAVE HEARD THE STATEMENT IN JOHN'S EPISTLE – GOD IS LOVE. AND IT GOES ON, “AND WHOEVER REMAINS IN LOVE REMAINS IN GOD, AND GOD IN HIM.” THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE CONCLUDED THAT WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT IS TO LOVE, AND IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT CHURCH YOU GO TO. IN FACT, THERE IS A SMALL RELIGION CALLED THE BAHAI FAITH, WHICH ORIGINATED IN PERSIA. THEIR TEACHING IS THAT GOD ESTABLISHED ALL THE RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD, AND IF YOU STRIP AWAY ALL THE SUPERSTITIONS, THE BARNACLES, YOU FIND THAT THEY ARE ALL BASICALLY THE SAME. AND BASICALLY WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT IS THAT WE LOVE GOD AND LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR, NOTHING ELSE REALLY MATTERS.
NOW THERE IS SOME TRUTH IN THE STATEMENT, “GOD IS LOVE.” AFTER ALL, IT'S IN HE BIBLE, AND WAS RECORDED BY ONE OF JESUS' APOSTLES. BUT THERE IS A DANGER IN THAT STATEMENT. BECAUSE IF WE SAY “GOD IS LOVE,” WE MIGHT VERY WELL CONCLUDE THAT “LOVE IS GOD” AND END UP WORSHIPING LOVE. AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO WHEN WE SAY THAT LOVE TRUMPS EVERYTHING; ALL IS PERMITTED IF THERE IS ENOUGH LOVE. WHY CAN'T A GAY COUPLE GET MARRIED? THEY LOVE EACH OTHER. WHY SHOULDN'T A DIVORCED CATHOLIC RE-MARRY? AFTER ALL, DOESN'T LOVE COUNT HERE? WHY SHOULDN'T MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER SLEEP WITH HER BOYFRIEND? AFTER ALL, THEY ARE IN LOVE. AND WHY SHOULD I GO TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY? AFTER ALL, I'M A LOVING PERSON. I'VE EVEN HEARD THE OPINION THAT ABORTION IS SOMETIMES A LOVING ACT; AFTER ALL, IS IT MORE LOVING TO BRING THE CHILD INTO A WORLD WHERE YOU CAN'T CARE FOR HER OR PROVIDE A DECENT LIFE, OR IS IT MORE LOVING TO NOT HAVE THE CHILD, THUS SPARING HER ALL THE GRIEF OF A LIFE WITHOUT EVERYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO PROVIDE FOR HER? LOVE IS A GREAT EXCUSE, AND WE HUMAN BEINGS, SO DAMAGED BY ORIGINAL SIN, ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A GOOD EXCUSE FOR OUR BEHAVIOR.
LOVE IS NOT GOD. OUR GOSPEL STANDS IN STARK CONTRAST TO THE EPISTLE. THE GOSPEL READING IS ABOUT TRUTH, AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF HAVING TRUTH. JESUS SAYS, “I GAVE THEM YOUR WORD, AND THE WORLD HATED THEM.” HE REMINDS US THAT WE DON'T BELONG TO THE WORLD, JUST AS HE DOESN'T. AND EVEN THOUGH THE TRUTH WE ARE GIVEN LEADS US TO BE HATED BY THE WORLD, JESUS NEVERTHELESS PRAYS THAT WE WILL BE CONSECRATED IN TRUTH.
IF WE JUST LOVE, AND NEVER WORRY ABOUT TRUTH, THE WORLD WILL CERTAINLY NOT HATE US, IT WILL LOVE US. AS THE OLD SONG GOES, “EVERYBODY LOVES A LOVER.” BUT THE GOSPEL SEEMS TO SAY THAT WE HAD BETTER STRIVE TO UNFOLD AND UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH THAT COMES TO US FROM GOD THE FATHER, THROUGH JESUS, AND OUT TO THE WHOLE WORLD THROUGH THE APOSTLES WHO WERE CONSECRATED IN THE TRUTH BY JESUS HIMSELF.
AND WE CAN TELL HOW WELL WE ARE CONSECRATED IN THE TRUTH BY WHETHER THE WORLD HATES US.
THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF INTERESTING THINGS IN THE NEWS LATELY. CARRIE PREJEAN, MISS CALIFORNIA AND THE RUNNER UP IN THE MISS AMERICA CONTEST, GAVE THE OPINION THAT MARRIAGE SHOULD BE BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMEN, ALTHOUGH SHE HASTENED TO ADD THAT THIS WAS JUST HER OPINION. SHE WAS SAVAGED BY MANY PEOPLE, AND HER CROWN WAS ALMOST TAKEN AWAY. BARAK OBAMA SAID EXACTLY THE SAME THING, AND NOT A WORD OF PROTEST AROSE. WHY? ONE COLUMNIST STATED THAT IT WAS BECAUSE WE KNEW OUR PRESIDENT DIDN'T MEAN IT. AND YOU KNOW, IT'S TRUE. WE HEAR STATEMENTS FROM OUR POLITICIANS, ON BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM – I'M NOT SINGLING OUT OBAMA, HE'S JUST ANOTHER POLITICIAN – AND IF WE LIKE THEM OTHERWISE, BUT THEY SAY SOMETHING WE DISAGREE WITH, OUR RESPONSE IS THAT HE OR SHE REALLY DOESN'T MEAN THAT. IN OUR COUNTRY, WE ARE ONLY BOTHERED WHEN ONE OF OUR LEADERS SEEMS TO HAVE AN UNSHAKABLE OPINION; THEN WE SUSPECT THEY ARE FANATICS.
WE CATHOLICS AREN'T ANY DIFFERENT. EVERYONE KNOWS THAT OUR CHURCH HAS A LOT OF DIFFICULT TEACHINGS. ARTIFICIAL BIRTH CONTROL IS WRONG; ABORTION IS MURDER; EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO A LIVING WAGE (YES, THAT'S A CATHOLIC IDEA); WE ARE SUPPOSED TO GO TO MASS ON SUNDAY UNDER PAIN OF SIN; DIVORCE IS NOT PERMITTED – AND I COULD GO ON. NOT ONLY DOES OUR CHURCH HAVE SOME DIFFICULT TEACHINGS THAT WE ALMOST NEVER HEAR ABOUT BECAUSE THEY ARE DIFFICULT, BUT OUR CHURCH ALSO TEACHES ALL THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST, MOST OF WHICH WE SHARE WITH OTHER CHRISTIAN BODIES – THE CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY FOR ONE EXAMPLE; THE CALL TO POVERTY, CHASTITY, AND OBEDIENCE AS BEFITS OUR STATE IN LIFE.
BUT THE REASON WE CATHOLICS AREN'T HATED BY THE WORLD, AT LEAST IN THIS COUNTRY, IS BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T BELIEVE WE MEAN WHAT WE PROFESS. AFTER ALL, IT IS OBVIOUS TO ANYONE WHO CARES TO LOOK THAT MOST CATHOLICS DON'T LIVE AS THOUGH THE CHURCH HAS THE TRUTH.
TO BE CONSECRATED IN THE TRUTH IS TO KNOW WHAT THE CHURCH TEACHES AS THE TRUTH, AND THEN TO COMMIT OURSELVES, NOT JUST TO NOD AGREEMENT, NOT TO KEEP SILENT WHEN WE CONFRONT THE OPPOSITE, BUT TO LIVE THE TRUTH. THAT'S NEVER CONVENIENT OR COMFORTABLE, NEVER.
I THINK MOST OF US FALL SHORT. I KNOW I DO. BUT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I MAKE A DIFFICULT CHOICE, A CHOICE TO FOLLOW THE CHURCH EVEN WHEN I MAY NOT COMPLETELY AGREE, EVEN WHEN IT WILL COST ME SOMETHING. AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, I DISCOVER WHAT I NEED TO RELEARN OVER AND OVER AGAIN; THERE IS A CONNECTION BETWEEN BEING CONSECRATED IN TRUTH, AND ABIDING IN LOVE, AND THUS IN GOD. YOU CAN'T DO ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER.
GOD IS LOVE, AND HE WHO REMAINS IN LOVE, REMAIN IN GOD. BUT LOVE IS NOT GOD.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Sixth Sunday of Easter, cycle b
JOHN 15:9-17
FOR OUR FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY, I SURPRISED JOAN AND WE WENT TO BERMUDA FOR A FEW DAYS. I'M VERY SENSITIVE TO SPENDING MONEY, OR AS JOAN WOULD SAY, CHEAP, SO I WAS SHOCKED AT THE PRICES FOR FOOD. I THINK WE LOST A LITTLE WEIGHT ON THAT TRIP. BUT IN ADDITION TO BERMUDA'S NATURAL BEAUTY, THE THING YOU CAN'T MISS IS HOW VERY BRITISH IT IS. YOU HAVE CITIZENS OF BERMUDA WHO PROBABLY HAVE NEVER BEEN TO ENGLAND, BUT SPEAK WITH BRITISH ACCENTS, WEAR CLOTHING LIKE YOU SEE IN LONDON, HAVE PUBS, DRIVE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND BUILD THEIR BUILDINGS WITH A DISTINCTIVELY BRITISH STYLE.
WHEN BERMUDA WAS SETTLED, AS SOON AS THE PEOPLE HAD ENOUGH LEISURE AND RESOURCES, THEY SET OUT TO RECREATE A LITTLE BIT OF THE HOMELAND THAT THEY REMEMBERED. IT IS A COMMON TRAIT OF HUMAN BEINGS; WHEN WE LEAVE HOME TO TAKE UP RESIDENCE IN ANOTHER LAND, WE TRY TO MAKE OUR NEW HOME RESEMBLE WHAT WE REMEMBER FONDLY OF OUR OLD HOME. YOU CAN SEE IT IN QUEBEC CITY, OR ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA. I'M SURE ANYONE WHO HAS TRAVELED, EVEN TO BOSTON, RECOGNIZES WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT.
DURING THE LAST FEW WEEKS WE'VE BEEN LISTENING TO JESUS' FAREWELL DISCOURSE TO HIS DISCIPLES. HE KEEPS TELLING US THAT WE ARE TO LOVE EACH OTHER. WE'VE HEARD THAT COMMAND SO OFTEN, WE SORT OF LET IT ROLL OFF OUR BACKS. BUT THERE ARE TWO QUESTIONS WE MIGHT WANT TO ASK. FIRST, WHY? AND SECOND, WHAT DOES LOVING EACH OTHER REALLY MEAN?
IN THE SECOND CENTURY, AN ANONYMOUS CHRISTIAN WROTE A LETTER TO DIOGNETUS, A ROMAN RULER. HE WAS TRYING TO DESCRIBE WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE A CHRISTIAN. HE SAID, “ANY COUNTRY CAN BE THEIR HOMELAND, BUT FOR THEM, THEIR HOMELAND, WHEREVER IT MAY BE, IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY.” AND “THEY PASS THEIR DAYS UPON THE EARTH, BUT THEY ARE CITIZENS OF HEAVEN.”
SO THAT IS PART OF THE STORY. JESUS COMES TO US FROM THE TRINITY. HE HAS EXPERIENCED THE LOVE THAT EXISTS THERE, AND HE WANTS TO RECREATE SOMETHING OF HEAVEN HERE ON EARTH. TO CREATE A LITTLE PATCH OF HEAVEN ON EARTH, THERE NEEDS TO BE A COMMUNITY THAT LOVES, AND THAT IS WHAT HE CREATES, AND THAT IS WHY HE ADMONISHES HIS DISCIPLES TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER. YOU AND I ARE CITIZENS OF HEAVEN. WHEN WE WERE BAPTIZED, WHEN WE RECEIVE THE OTHER SACRAMENTS, WE ARE ENVELOPED IN THE LOVE OF THE TRINITY. WHEN WE RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST ESPECIALLY, WE ARE TRANSPORTED FOR A FEW MOMENTS INTO THE MIDST OF THE TRINITY, WHERE JESUS LIVES ETERNALLY, BODY AND SOUL. SOME OF THE GREAT SAINTS EXPERIENCED THIS ON THIS EARTH. WHILE WE MAY NOT BE MOVED TO ECSTASY AS THEY WERE, I THINK MOST OF US AT SOME TIME OR ANOTHER HAVE CAUGHT A TINY GLIMPSE OF OUR HOMELAND WHEN WE RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST.
SO, LIKE THE FIRST DISCIPLES AND LIKE CHRISTIANS DOWN THROUGH THE AGES, SOMETHING IN US WANTS TO CREATE SOMETHING OF HEAVEN HERE ON EARTH; AND FUNDAMENTAL TO THAT IS LOVE.
THE SECOND QUESTION IS, WHAT IS THIS LOVE? JESUS GIVES A FEW HINTS. IT IS LIKE THE LOVE HE SHARES WITH HIS FATHER. IN THE TRINITY, THE FATHER GENERATES THE SON FOR ALL ETERNITY. THE SON HAS NO BEGINNING, BUT IS BEGOTTEN. THE SON IS THERE BECAUSE IT IS THE VERY NATURE OF THE FATHER TO GENERATE THE SON. LOVE, THE HEAVENLY LOVE WE SEEK TO RECREATE ON EARTH, IS GENERATIVE; IT IS EMPOWERING. IT IS AN ATTITUDE OF HOW CAN I HELP MY NEIGHBOR BECOME A MORE COMPLETE PERSON; HOW CAN I HELP HIM OR HER BECOME WHAT GOD WANTS THEM TO BE? PARENTS KNOW ABOUT THIS ASPECT OF LOVE. THERE IS NEVER A TIME WHEN THE CHILD IS OUT OF THE PARENT'S MIND, WHEN THE PARENT ISN'T THINKING, WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE HER LIFE BETTER? THE LAST TIME I SAW MY MOTHER, 90 YEARS OLD AND WITH A FAIR DEGREE OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, SHE ASKED, AS SHE ALWAYS DID, WHAT SHE COULD DO FOR ME.
JESUS SAYS THAT THE GREATEST LOVE IS WHEN THE LOVER LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS. BECAUSE JESUS LAID DOWN HIS LIFE IN A PARTICULAR WAY, SOMETIMES WE SEE THIS STATEMENT AS MEANING THAT WE NEED TO BE WILLING TO DIE FOR LOVE, IF WE REALLY WANT TO LOVE. BUT LAYING DOWN YOUR LIFE IS BROADER THAN THAT. IT MEANS THAT WE ARE CONSCIOUS OF THE FACT THAT OUR LIFE BELONGS TO OTHERS, TO GOD, TO OUR NEIGHBOR. THINK ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT OUR WORLD WOULD BE IF WE WERE ALWAYS LIVING LIKE THIS – WHEN I WORK, I AM LAYING DOWN MY LIFE FOR MY FRIENDS; BECAUSE THERE ISN'T ANY LEGITIMATE HUMAN WORK THAT DOESN'T IN SOME WAY BENEFIT OTHER PEOPLE. IN MY FAMILY LIFE, I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR MY SPOUSE, MY CHILDREN. IN ALL MY RELATIONSHIPS, IN SOME WAY I LAY DOWN A BIT OF MY LIFE – MY TIME, MY ATTENTION, MY ACTIONS – FOR OTHERS.
FINALLY, JESUS SEEMS TO EQUATE THE LOVE HE SPEAKS ABOUT WITH FRIENDSHIP. WE COULD SAY A LOT ABOUT FRIENDSHIP, BUT THE REASON WE SEEK FRIENDSHIP IS A VERY SIMPLE ONE; WHEN WE ARE WITH FRIENDS, WE HAVE JOY. WHEN WE ARE APART FROM A FRIEND, THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF EMPTINESS IN OUR HEARTS; WHEN WE MEET A FRIEND AFTER A LONG ABSENCE, WE HAVE A SENSE OF BEING MORE COMPLETE. AGAIN, OUR SPIRITUAL FATHERS AND MOTHERS, THE GREAT SAINTS, TEACH US THAT HUMAN FRIENDSHIP IS A PALE IMITATION OF FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD; ST AUGUSTINE SAYS “OUR HEARTS BEING RESTLESS, UNTIL THEY REST IN THEE, OH GOD.” ST JANE DE CHANTAL SAID THAT UNION WITH GOD WAS LIKE A RAINDROP FALLING INTO THE OCEAN; SUDDENLY WHAT WAS TINY AND CLOSED UP OPENS UP TO INFINITY.
SO THAT'S THE STORY. JESUS MAKES US CITIZENS OF HEAVEN; AS WE PASS THROUGH THIS WORLD WHERE WE ARE FOREVER FOREIGNERS, WE SEEK TO BUILD A LITTLE REFLECTION OF HEAVEN ON EARTH. WE DO THIS THROUGH THE PRACTICE OF LOVE – LOVE THAT BUILDS EACH OTHER UP, THAT HELPS EACH OTHER REACH OUR FULL POTENTIAL. WE DO THIS BY LAYING DOWN OUR LIVES FOR THOSE AROUND US; AND WE DO THIS BY GIVING AND RECEIVING THE JOY OF TRUE FRIENDSHIP, A JOY WE FIRST RECEIVE FROM JESUS, WHO HAS CHOSEN US TO BE HIS FRIENDS.
KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN THE NEXT TIME YOU VISIT AN OLD HISTORICAL SITE IN THE NEW WORLD, AND SEE IF YOU CAN TELL WHERE THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED THERE SO LONG AGO TRIED TO RE CREATE A LITTLE BIT OF THEIR HOME IN THEIR NEW SURROUNDINGS. AND REMEMBER, THAT IS WHAT WE CHRISTIANS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING IN THIS FOREIGN LAND WHERE WE AWAIT OUR EVENTUAL RETURN TO OUR TRUE HOME.
FOR OUR FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY, I SURPRISED JOAN AND WE WENT TO BERMUDA FOR A FEW DAYS. I'M VERY SENSITIVE TO SPENDING MONEY, OR AS JOAN WOULD SAY, CHEAP, SO I WAS SHOCKED AT THE PRICES FOR FOOD. I THINK WE LOST A LITTLE WEIGHT ON THAT TRIP. BUT IN ADDITION TO BERMUDA'S NATURAL BEAUTY, THE THING YOU CAN'T MISS IS HOW VERY BRITISH IT IS. YOU HAVE CITIZENS OF BERMUDA WHO PROBABLY HAVE NEVER BEEN TO ENGLAND, BUT SPEAK WITH BRITISH ACCENTS, WEAR CLOTHING LIKE YOU SEE IN LONDON, HAVE PUBS, DRIVE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND BUILD THEIR BUILDINGS WITH A DISTINCTIVELY BRITISH STYLE.
WHEN BERMUDA WAS SETTLED, AS SOON AS THE PEOPLE HAD ENOUGH LEISURE AND RESOURCES, THEY SET OUT TO RECREATE A LITTLE BIT OF THE HOMELAND THAT THEY REMEMBERED. IT IS A COMMON TRAIT OF HUMAN BEINGS; WHEN WE LEAVE HOME TO TAKE UP RESIDENCE IN ANOTHER LAND, WE TRY TO MAKE OUR NEW HOME RESEMBLE WHAT WE REMEMBER FONDLY OF OUR OLD HOME. YOU CAN SEE IT IN QUEBEC CITY, OR ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA. I'M SURE ANYONE WHO HAS TRAVELED, EVEN TO BOSTON, RECOGNIZES WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT.
DURING THE LAST FEW WEEKS WE'VE BEEN LISTENING TO JESUS' FAREWELL DISCOURSE TO HIS DISCIPLES. HE KEEPS TELLING US THAT WE ARE TO LOVE EACH OTHER. WE'VE HEARD THAT COMMAND SO OFTEN, WE SORT OF LET IT ROLL OFF OUR BACKS. BUT THERE ARE TWO QUESTIONS WE MIGHT WANT TO ASK. FIRST, WHY? AND SECOND, WHAT DOES LOVING EACH OTHER REALLY MEAN?
IN THE SECOND CENTURY, AN ANONYMOUS CHRISTIAN WROTE A LETTER TO DIOGNETUS, A ROMAN RULER. HE WAS TRYING TO DESCRIBE WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE A CHRISTIAN. HE SAID, “ANY COUNTRY CAN BE THEIR HOMELAND, BUT FOR THEM, THEIR HOMELAND, WHEREVER IT MAY BE, IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY.” AND “THEY PASS THEIR DAYS UPON THE EARTH, BUT THEY ARE CITIZENS OF HEAVEN.”
SO THAT IS PART OF THE STORY. JESUS COMES TO US FROM THE TRINITY. HE HAS EXPERIENCED THE LOVE THAT EXISTS THERE, AND HE WANTS TO RECREATE SOMETHING OF HEAVEN HERE ON EARTH. TO CREATE A LITTLE PATCH OF HEAVEN ON EARTH, THERE NEEDS TO BE A COMMUNITY THAT LOVES, AND THAT IS WHAT HE CREATES, AND THAT IS WHY HE ADMONISHES HIS DISCIPLES TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER. YOU AND I ARE CITIZENS OF HEAVEN. WHEN WE WERE BAPTIZED, WHEN WE RECEIVE THE OTHER SACRAMENTS, WE ARE ENVELOPED IN THE LOVE OF THE TRINITY. WHEN WE RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST ESPECIALLY, WE ARE TRANSPORTED FOR A FEW MOMENTS INTO THE MIDST OF THE TRINITY, WHERE JESUS LIVES ETERNALLY, BODY AND SOUL. SOME OF THE GREAT SAINTS EXPERIENCED THIS ON THIS EARTH. WHILE WE MAY NOT BE MOVED TO ECSTASY AS THEY WERE, I THINK MOST OF US AT SOME TIME OR ANOTHER HAVE CAUGHT A TINY GLIMPSE OF OUR HOMELAND WHEN WE RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST.
SO, LIKE THE FIRST DISCIPLES AND LIKE CHRISTIANS DOWN THROUGH THE AGES, SOMETHING IN US WANTS TO CREATE SOMETHING OF HEAVEN HERE ON EARTH; AND FUNDAMENTAL TO THAT IS LOVE.
THE SECOND QUESTION IS, WHAT IS THIS LOVE? JESUS GIVES A FEW HINTS. IT IS LIKE THE LOVE HE SHARES WITH HIS FATHER. IN THE TRINITY, THE FATHER GENERATES THE SON FOR ALL ETERNITY. THE SON HAS NO BEGINNING, BUT IS BEGOTTEN. THE SON IS THERE BECAUSE IT IS THE VERY NATURE OF THE FATHER TO GENERATE THE SON. LOVE, THE HEAVENLY LOVE WE SEEK TO RECREATE ON EARTH, IS GENERATIVE; IT IS EMPOWERING. IT IS AN ATTITUDE OF HOW CAN I HELP MY NEIGHBOR BECOME A MORE COMPLETE PERSON; HOW CAN I HELP HIM OR HER BECOME WHAT GOD WANTS THEM TO BE? PARENTS KNOW ABOUT THIS ASPECT OF LOVE. THERE IS NEVER A TIME WHEN THE CHILD IS OUT OF THE PARENT'S MIND, WHEN THE PARENT ISN'T THINKING, WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE HER LIFE BETTER? THE LAST TIME I SAW MY MOTHER, 90 YEARS OLD AND WITH A FAIR DEGREE OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, SHE ASKED, AS SHE ALWAYS DID, WHAT SHE COULD DO FOR ME.
JESUS SAYS THAT THE GREATEST LOVE IS WHEN THE LOVER LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS. BECAUSE JESUS LAID DOWN HIS LIFE IN A PARTICULAR WAY, SOMETIMES WE SEE THIS STATEMENT AS MEANING THAT WE NEED TO BE WILLING TO DIE FOR LOVE, IF WE REALLY WANT TO LOVE. BUT LAYING DOWN YOUR LIFE IS BROADER THAN THAT. IT MEANS THAT WE ARE CONSCIOUS OF THE FACT THAT OUR LIFE BELONGS TO OTHERS, TO GOD, TO OUR NEIGHBOR. THINK ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT OUR WORLD WOULD BE IF WE WERE ALWAYS LIVING LIKE THIS – WHEN I WORK, I AM LAYING DOWN MY LIFE FOR MY FRIENDS; BECAUSE THERE ISN'T ANY LEGITIMATE HUMAN WORK THAT DOESN'T IN SOME WAY BENEFIT OTHER PEOPLE. IN MY FAMILY LIFE, I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR MY SPOUSE, MY CHILDREN. IN ALL MY RELATIONSHIPS, IN SOME WAY I LAY DOWN A BIT OF MY LIFE – MY TIME, MY ATTENTION, MY ACTIONS – FOR OTHERS.
FINALLY, JESUS SEEMS TO EQUATE THE LOVE HE SPEAKS ABOUT WITH FRIENDSHIP. WE COULD SAY A LOT ABOUT FRIENDSHIP, BUT THE REASON WE SEEK FRIENDSHIP IS A VERY SIMPLE ONE; WHEN WE ARE WITH FRIENDS, WE HAVE JOY. WHEN WE ARE APART FROM A FRIEND, THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF EMPTINESS IN OUR HEARTS; WHEN WE MEET A FRIEND AFTER A LONG ABSENCE, WE HAVE A SENSE OF BEING MORE COMPLETE. AGAIN, OUR SPIRITUAL FATHERS AND MOTHERS, THE GREAT SAINTS, TEACH US THAT HUMAN FRIENDSHIP IS A PALE IMITATION OF FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD; ST AUGUSTINE SAYS “OUR HEARTS BEING RESTLESS, UNTIL THEY REST IN THEE, OH GOD.” ST JANE DE CHANTAL SAID THAT UNION WITH GOD WAS LIKE A RAINDROP FALLING INTO THE OCEAN; SUDDENLY WHAT WAS TINY AND CLOSED UP OPENS UP TO INFINITY.
SO THAT'S THE STORY. JESUS MAKES US CITIZENS OF HEAVEN; AS WE PASS THROUGH THIS WORLD WHERE WE ARE FOREVER FOREIGNERS, WE SEEK TO BUILD A LITTLE REFLECTION OF HEAVEN ON EARTH. WE DO THIS THROUGH THE PRACTICE OF LOVE – LOVE THAT BUILDS EACH OTHER UP, THAT HELPS EACH OTHER REACH OUR FULL POTENTIAL. WE DO THIS BY LAYING DOWN OUR LIVES FOR THOSE AROUND US; AND WE DO THIS BY GIVING AND RECEIVING THE JOY OF TRUE FRIENDSHIP, A JOY WE FIRST RECEIVE FROM JESUS, WHO HAS CHOSEN US TO BE HIS FRIENDS.
KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN THE NEXT TIME YOU VISIT AN OLD HISTORICAL SITE IN THE NEW WORLD, AND SEE IF YOU CAN TELL WHERE THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED THERE SO LONG AGO TRIED TO RE CREATE A LITTLE BIT OF THEIR HOME IN THEIR NEW SURROUNDINGS. AND REMEMBER, THAT IS WHAT WE CHRISTIANS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING IN THIS FOREIGN LAND WHERE WE AWAIT OUR EVENTUAL RETURN TO OUR TRUE HOME.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Fifth Sunday of Easter, cycle B
JOHN 15:1-8
I'M SURE MOST OF YOU ADULTS HAVE BEEN TO A GATHERING WHERE WHITE ZINFANDEL WINE WAS SERVED. AND YOU MAY HAVE TASTED IT. A LITTLE LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN GRAPEFRUIT AND APPLE JUICE, ONLY NOT AS MUCH FLAVOR. THERE ARE VINEYARDS IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WHERE ZINFANDEL GRAPES ARE GROWN, AND THE VINES ARE TRULY PROLIFIC; THE VINE GROWERS ARE NOT INTERESTED IN SUBTLE FLAVORS, JUST VOLUME.
BUT IF YOU GO UP INTO THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS THAT SEPARATE CALIFORNIA FROM NEVADA ,YOU WILL FIND SMALL WINERIES WHICH PRODUCE EXQUISITE ZINFANDEL WINES. THEY ARE DEEP RED, FULL OF COMPLEX FLAVORS, AND A RIVAL TO ANYTHING PRODUCED BY FRANCE. THE GRAPES COME FROM VINES THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR 75 TO 150 YEARS. THEY ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE IMAGINE AS A GRAPE VINE. THE VINE PART IS LIKE A SMALL TREE TRUNK; THE BRANCHES COME OFF OF IT AND ARE TRAINED ALONG TRELLISES RATHER THAN FENCES. A SINGLE VINE CAN PRODUCE A LARGE AMOUNT OF GRAPE JUICE. WINE DEPENDS ON SOIL, THE CLIMATE, THE LENGTH OF THE GROWING SEASON, THE AMOUNT OF MOISTURE – BUT IT ALSO DEPENDS ON THE VINE. SO IF YOU SEE AN “OLD VINE” ZINFANDEL WINE THE NEXT TIME YOU ARE SHOPPING, TRY IT AND SEE WHAT YOU THINK.
THE KIND OF VINE JESUS WAS THINKING ABOUT WAS LIKE ONE OF THESE “OLD VINES”. A TREE TRUNK REACHING DEEP INTO THE EARTH, SOLID, IMPOSSIBLE TO ROOT OUT. AND EVERY YEAR, EVERY GROWING SEASON, THE BRANCHES WOULD ERUPT FROM THE VINE AND BE TRAINED ALONG AN ARBOR. THE VINE DRESSER WOULD INSPECT THE VINE EVERY COUPLE OF DAYS, AND WHEN THE LITTLE FLOWERS BEGIN TO SPROUT, HE WOULD LOP OFF THE BRANCHES THAT DID NOT HAVE FLOWERS. THEIR LEAVES, SO PLUMB AND GREEN, WOULD ALMOST INSTANTLY WITHER. BUT THE BRANCHES HE CHOSE TO SAVE WOULD BE BOUND TO A FRAMEWORK. THEIR LEAVES AND SHOOTS WOULD BE TRIMMED, SO THAT AS MUCH OF THE ENERGY OF THE VINE AS POSSIBLE WOULD BE FORCED INTO THE DEVELOPING GRAPES. AND ONCE THE HARVEST CAME, ALL THE BRANCHES WOULD BE TRIMMED BACK TO WAIT FOR A NEW GROWING SEASON.
TODAY JESUS TALKS ABOUT HOW IF WE ARE NOT GRAFTED ONTO HIM, ALL OUR EFFORTS WILL COME TO NOTHING; WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BEAR FRUIT, FRUIT WHICH MATTERS. WHEN WE ARE BRANCHES OF AN “OLD VINE”, WHATEVER FRUIT WE BEAR WILL LARGELY BE BECAUSE OF THE VINE; ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS REMAIN ATTACHED.
SO HOW DO WE DO THIS? HOW DO WE REMAIN IN JESUS, AND JESUS IN US, SO THAT WE CAN BEAR MUCH FRUIT? JESUS TWICE REMARKS THAT IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH HIS WORDS. HE SAYS THAT HIS DISCIPLES HAVE ALREADY BEEN PRUNED, BECAUSE OF THE WORD HE SPOKE TO THEM; AND HE SAYS “IF YOU REMAIN IN ME AND MY WORDS REMAIN IN YOU, ASK WHATEVER YOU WANT AND IT WILL BE DONE TO YOU.” JESUS' WORDS TO US IN THE GOSPELS ARE PRETTY CLEAR. THEY COVER THREE GENERAL TOPICS. THE FIRST IS PRAYER. HE TEACHES US TO PRAY WHEN HE TEACHES THE OUR FATHER. HE TELLS US TO PRAY ALWAYS. HE TELLS US THAT WHEN WE PRAY, WE SHOULD GO TO OUR ROOM, CLOSE THE DOOR, AND PRAY TO THE FATHER, WHO IS UNSEEN. YES, JESUS THOUGHT PRAYER WAS VERY IMPORTANT. PRAYER IS DIALOGUE WITH GOD, AND IT LITERALLY CAN GO ON ALL DAY LONG.
JESUS ALSO TALKED A LOT ABOUT FASTING. HE BEGAN HIS MINISTRY BY HIS 40 DAY FAST IN THE DESERT. FASTING IS NOT ONLY ABSTAINING FROM FOOD; IT IS DISCIPLINE. IF YOU DO ANYTHING TO SUBDUE YOUR BODY, TO CONQUER YOUR BAD HABITS, TO BUILD UP YOUR INNER STRENGTH, THAT'S FASTING. THE PURPOSE OF FASTING IS TO FREE YOURSELF FROM ALL THOSE THINGS, OFTEN VERY GOOD, WHICH HOLD YOU BACK FROM THE SUPREME GOOD, WHICH IS GOD. WHAT HOLDS YOU BACK FROM GOD?
FINALLY, JESUS TALKS ABOUT ALMSGIVING. MAYBE NOT IN SO MANY WORDS. BUT HE DOES TELL US THAT WHATEVER WE DO FOR THE LEAST OF OUR BROTHERS, THAT WE DO FOR HIM. HE COMMENDS THE WIDOW WHO DROPS HER SMALL COIN INTO THE TEMPLE TREASURY. HE CONDEMNS THE RICH MAN WHO DOESN'T NOTICE THE POOR BEGGAR LAZARUS ON HIS OWN DOORSTEP. ALMSGIVING MEANS THAT WE TAKE CARE OF THE NEEDS OF EACH OTHER. WHEN WE SEE SOMEONE IN NEED, WE SHOULD FEEL AN OBLIGATION TO MEET THAT NEED, AND DO WHAT WE CAN FOR THAT PURPOSE.
PRAYER – WHAT WE OWE TO GOD; FASTING – WHAT WE MUST DO TO OURSELVES; ALMSGIVING-- OUR OBLIGATION TO OUR NEIGHBOR. THESE ARE THE THREE PILLARS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. THESE ARE THE WORDS THAT JESUS SPEAKS TO US, THE WORDS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO LIVE IN US, THE WORDS THAT CONNECT US TO THE VINE.
WE HAVE CONTROL OVER WHETHER WE PRAY, WHETHER WE FAST, WHETHER WE GIVE ALMS. WE CAN DO A LITTLE OR A LOT. BUT IT IS WITHIN OUR GRASP. AND THE REST IS UP TO JESUS, THE VINE. MAYBE WE WON'T BE ANOTHER MOTHER THERESA, OR FRANCIS OF ASSISI. YES, THEY BORE MUCH FRUIT, THEY SEEMED TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE. BUT WHAT THEY DID WAS WHAT YOU AND I CAN DO; THEY PRAYED, THEY FASTED, AND THEY GAVE ALMS. AND THEY DIDN'T WORRY ABOUT THE FRUIT. THAT WAS ENTIRELY UP TO GOD.
MAYBE WE WON'T BE ANOTHER MOTHER THERESA OR FRANCIS OF ASSISI; BUT MAYBE WE WILL BE ANOTHER MARY OR ANOTHER JOSEPH. THEY PRAYED, THEY FASTED, AND THEY GAVE ALMS. AND THE ONLY FRUIT THEY BORE WAS TO BRING JESUS INTO THE WORLD, TO SHAPE HIM, TO CARE FOR HIM, AND TO BUILD IN HIM HIS HUMAN CHARACTER. AND ALL OF US CAN BRING JESUS INTO THE WORLD, AND THAT IS AFTER ALL, THE ONE DEEP, TRUE DESIRE OF THE FATHER.
THE OLD VINE IS ROOTED DEEP IN THE EARTH. WE ARE BRANCHES, WE COME AND GO, OUR TIME FOR BEARING FRUIT IS BRIEF, AND THE FRUIT WE BEAR WILL DEPEND ON THE FATHER'S INTENTION, HIS WORK IN US. OUR ONLY DUTY IS TO DEEPEN OUR CONNECTION TO THE VINE, TO ALLOW THE LIFE-BLOOD OF THE VINE TO FLOW FREELY THROUGH US. AND IF WE REMAIN IN HIM AND HE REMAINS IN US, WE CAN DO ANYTHING.
SO TODAY EXAMINE YOURSELF. DO YOU PRAY? DO YOU PRAY ALWAYS? IS YOUR PRAYER LIFE STRONGER NOW THAN A YEAR AGO? DO YOU FAST? IS THERE ANYTHING YOU SHOULD DO TO SMOOTH OFF THE ROUGH EDGES? ARE THERE HABITS YOU WORK TO BREAK, OR HABITS YOU WORK TO ACQUIRE? ARE YOU TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR SHAPING YOUR CHARACTER TO BE A BETTER INSTRUMENT OF GOD? AND DO YOU GIVE ALMS? ARE YOU SOMEONE WHO CANNOT ALLOW A FELLOW HUMAN BEING TO BE IN NEED, IF YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?
TODAY IS MOTHER'S DAY. CERTAINLY A GOOD MOTHER SHOWS IN HER OWN LIFE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE GRAFTED ONTO CHRIST, AND TO BEAR MUCH FRUIT. SO FROM ALL OF US, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.
I'M SURE MOST OF YOU ADULTS HAVE BEEN TO A GATHERING WHERE WHITE ZINFANDEL WINE WAS SERVED. AND YOU MAY HAVE TASTED IT. A LITTLE LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN GRAPEFRUIT AND APPLE JUICE, ONLY NOT AS MUCH FLAVOR. THERE ARE VINEYARDS IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WHERE ZINFANDEL GRAPES ARE GROWN, AND THE VINES ARE TRULY PROLIFIC; THE VINE GROWERS ARE NOT INTERESTED IN SUBTLE FLAVORS, JUST VOLUME.
BUT IF YOU GO UP INTO THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS THAT SEPARATE CALIFORNIA FROM NEVADA ,YOU WILL FIND SMALL WINERIES WHICH PRODUCE EXQUISITE ZINFANDEL WINES. THEY ARE DEEP RED, FULL OF COMPLEX FLAVORS, AND A RIVAL TO ANYTHING PRODUCED BY FRANCE. THE GRAPES COME FROM VINES THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR 75 TO 150 YEARS. THEY ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE IMAGINE AS A GRAPE VINE. THE VINE PART IS LIKE A SMALL TREE TRUNK; THE BRANCHES COME OFF OF IT AND ARE TRAINED ALONG TRELLISES RATHER THAN FENCES. A SINGLE VINE CAN PRODUCE A LARGE AMOUNT OF GRAPE JUICE. WINE DEPENDS ON SOIL, THE CLIMATE, THE LENGTH OF THE GROWING SEASON, THE AMOUNT OF MOISTURE – BUT IT ALSO DEPENDS ON THE VINE. SO IF YOU SEE AN “OLD VINE” ZINFANDEL WINE THE NEXT TIME YOU ARE SHOPPING, TRY IT AND SEE WHAT YOU THINK.
THE KIND OF VINE JESUS WAS THINKING ABOUT WAS LIKE ONE OF THESE “OLD VINES”. A TREE TRUNK REACHING DEEP INTO THE EARTH, SOLID, IMPOSSIBLE TO ROOT OUT. AND EVERY YEAR, EVERY GROWING SEASON, THE BRANCHES WOULD ERUPT FROM THE VINE AND BE TRAINED ALONG AN ARBOR. THE VINE DRESSER WOULD INSPECT THE VINE EVERY COUPLE OF DAYS, AND WHEN THE LITTLE FLOWERS BEGIN TO SPROUT, HE WOULD LOP OFF THE BRANCHES THAT DID NOT HAVE FLOWERS. THEIR LEAVES, SO PLUMB AND GREEN, WOULD ALMOST INSTANTLY WITHER. BUT THE BRANCHES HE CHOSE TO SAVE WOULD BE BOUND TO A FRAMEWORK. THEIR LEAVES AND SHOOTS WOULD BE TRIMMED, SO THAT AS MUCH OF THE ENERGY OF THE VINE AS POSSIBLE WOULD BE FORCED INTO THE DEVELOPING GRAPES. AND ONCE THE HARVEST CAME, ALL THE BRANCHES WOULD BE TRIMMED BACK TO WAIT FOR A NEW GROWING SEASON.
TODAY JESUS TALKS ABOUT HOW IF WE ARE NOT GRAFTED ONTO HIM, ALL OUR EFFORTS WILL COME TO NOTHING; WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BEAR FRUIT, FRUIT WHICH MATTERS. WHEN WE ARE BRANCHES OF AN “OLD VINE”, WHATEVER FRUIT WE BEAR WILL LARGELY BE BECAUSE OF THE VINE; ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS REMAIN ATTACHED.
SO HOW DO WE DO THIS? HOW DO WE REMAIN IN JESUS, AND JESUS IN US, SO THAT WE CAN BEAR MUCH FRUIT? JESUS TWICE REMARKS THAT IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH HIS WORDS. HE SAYS THAT HIS DISCIPLES HAVE ALREADY BEEN PRUNED, BECAUSE OF THE WORD HE SPOKE TO THEM; AND HE SAYS “IF YOU REMAIN IN ME AND MY WORDS REMAIN IN YOU, ASK WHATEVER YOU WANT AND IT WILL BE DONE TO YOU.” JESUS' WORDS TO US IN THE GOSPELS ARE PRETTY CLEAR. THEY COVER THREE GENERAL TOPICS. THE FIRST IS PRAYER. HE TEACHES US TO PRAY WHEN HE TEACHES THE OUR FATHER. HE TELLS US TO PRAY ALWAYS. HE TELLS US THAT WHEN WE PRAY, WE SHOULD GO TO OUR ROOM, CLOSE THE DOOR, AND PRAY TO THE FATHER, WHO IS UNSEEN. YES, JESUS THOUGHT PRAYER WAS VERY IMPORTANT. PRAYER IS DIALOGUE WITH GOD, AND IT LITERALLY CAN GO ON ALL DAY LONG.
JESUS ALSO TALKED A LOT ABOUT FASTING. HE BEGAN HIS MINISTRY BY HIS 40 DAY FAST IN THE DESERT. FASTING IS NOT ONLY ABSTAINING FROM FOOD; IT IS DISCIPLINE. IF YOU DO ANYTHING TO SUBDUE YOUR BODY, TO CONQUER YOUR BAD HABITS, TO BUILD UP YOUR INNER STRENGTH, THAT'S FASTING. THE PURPOSE OF FASTING IS TO FREE YOURSELF FROM ALL THOSE THINGS, OFTEN VERY GOOD, WHICH HOLD YOU BACK FROM THE SUPREME GOOD, WHICH IS GOD. WHAT HOLDS YOU BACK FROM GOD?
FINALLY, JESUS TALKS ABOUT ALMSGIVING. MAYBE NOT IN SO MANY WORDS. BUT HE DOES TELL US THAT WHATEVER WE DO FOR THE LEAST OF OUR BROTHERS, THAT WE DO FOR HIM. HE COMMENDS THE WIDOW WHO DROPS HER SMALL COIN INTO THE TEMPLE TREASURY. HE CONDEMNS THE RICH MAN WHO DOESN'T NOTICE THE POOR BEGGAR LAZARUS ON HIS OWN DOORSTEP. ALMSGIVING MEANS THAT WE TAKE CARE OF THE NEEDS OF EACH OTHER. WHEN WE SEE SOMEONE IN NEED, WE SHOULD FEEL AN OBLIGATION TO MEET THAT NEED, AND DO WHAT WE CAN FOR THAT PURPOSE.
PRAYER – WHAT WE OWE TO GOD; FASTING – WHAT WE MUST DO TO OURSELVES; ALMSGIVING-- OUR OBLIGATION TO OUR NEIGHBOR. THESE ARE THE THREE PILLARS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. THESE ARE THE WORDS THAT JESUS SPEAKS TO US, THE WORDS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO LIVE IN US, THE WORDS THAT CONNECT US TO THE VINE.
WE HAVE CONTROL OVER WHETHER WE PRAY, WHETHER WE FAST, WHETHER WE GIVE ALMS. WE CAN DO A LITTLE OR A LOT. BUT IT IS WITHIN OUR GRASP. AND THE REST IS UP TO JESUS, THE VINE. MAYBE WE WON'T BE ANOTHER MOTHER THERESA, OR FRANCIS OF ASSISI. YES, THEY BORE MUCH FRUIT, THEY SEEMED TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE. BUT WHAT THEY DID WAS WHAT YOU AND I CAN DO; THEY PRAYED, THEY FASTED, AND THEY GAVE ALMS. AND THEY DIDN'T WORRY ABOUT THE FRUIT. THAT WAS ENTIRELY UP TO GOD.
MAYBE WE WON'T BE ANOTHER MOTHER THERESA OR FRANCIS OF ASSISI; BUT MAYBE WE WILL BE ANOTHER MARY OR ANOTHER JOSEPH. THEY PRAYED, THEY FASTED, AND THEY GAVE ALMS. AND THE ONLY FRUIT THEY BORE WAS TO BRING JESUS INTO THE WORLD, TO SHAPE HIM, TO CARE FOR HIM, AND TO BUILD IN HIM HIS HUMAN CHARACTER. AND ALL OF US CAN BRING JESUS INTO THE WORLD, AND THAT IS AFTER ALL, THE ONE DEEP, TRUE DESIRE OF THE FATHER.
THE OLD VINE IS ROOTED DEEP IN THE EARTH. WE ARE BRANCHES, WE COME AND GO, OUR TIME FOR BEARING FRUIT IS BRIEF, AND THE FRUIT WE BEAR WILL DEPEND ON THE FATHER'S INTENTION, HIS WORK IN US. OUR ONLY DUTY IS TO DEEPEN OUR CONNECTION TO THE VINE, TO ALLOW THE LIFE-BLOOD OF THE VINE TO FLOW FREELY THROUGH US. AND IF WE REMAIN IN HIM AND HE REMAINS IN US, WE CAN DO ANYTHING.
SO TODAY EXAMINE YOURSELF. DO YOU PRAY? DO YOU PRAY ALWAYS? IS YOUR PRAYER LIFE STRONGER NOW THAN A YEAR AGO? DO YOU FAST? IS THERE ANYTHING YOU SHOULD DO TO SMOOTH OFF THE ROUGH EDGES? ARE THERE HABITS YOU WORK TO BREAK, OR HABITS YOU WORK TO ACQUIRE? ARE YOU TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR SHAPING YOUR CHARACTER TO BE A BETTER INSTRUMENT OF GOD? AND DO YOU GIVE ALMS? ARE YOU SOMEONE WHO CANNOT ALLOW A FELLOW HUMAN BEING TO BE IN NEED, IF YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT?
TODAY IS MOTHER'S DAY. CERTAINLY A GOOD MOTHER SHOWS IN HER OWN LIFE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE GRAFTED ONTO CHRIST, AND TO BEAR MUCH FRUIT. SO FROM ALL OF US, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Fourth Sunday of Easter, cycle b
JOHN 10:11-18
WHEN I HEAR JESUS COMPARE HIMSELF TO A GOOD SHEPHERD, MY MIND PULLS UP A PICTURE FROM A CHILDREN'S BOOK I HAD WHEN I WAS VERY LITTLE; JESUS IS WALKING TOWARDS ME, A LAMB DRAPED AROUND HIS NECK, FOLLOWED BY THREE OR FOUR VERY PLACID SHEEP. THERE IS A CRYSTAL CLEAR STREAM, A FEW TREES, AND THE GROUND IS COVERED WITH LUSH GRASS. THE PICTURE WAS GREAT FOR A LITTLE KID; THERE WAS A SENSE OF PEACE, OF PROTECTION, OF REST.
BUT LAST WEEK I SAW A PATIENT WHO WAS IN HER LATE FIFTIES. SHE HAD DIABETES, HAD HAD A HEART OPERATION, HAD BLOOD VESSEL PROBLEMS IN HER LEGS AS WELL. THAT WAS ALL INHERITED. A FEW YEARS AGO SHE HAD BLADDER CANCER, AND WITH THE TREATMENT SHE RECEIVED, HAD A 90% CHANCE OF CURE. I HAD SEEN HER BECAUSE SHE WAS IN THE 10% WHO DEVELOP METASTATIC DISEASE. SHE HAD GONE FOR A VERY MINOR SURGICAL PROCEDURE THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO GIVE HER CHEMOTHERAPY WITHOUT STICKING NEEDLES IN HER ARMS ALL THE TIME, AND SHE HAD SUFFERED FROM A COLLAPSED LUNG, SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL, ONE IN 500 TIMES WHEN THE PROCEDURE IS DONE. SHE WAS AWARE OF GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY COMING UP, AND REMARKED THAT SHE DIDN'T FEEL LIKE SHE HAD A VERY GOOD SHEPHERD.
HUMANS AND SHEEP HAVE BEEN TOGETHER LONGER THAN ANY OTHER DOMESTIC ANIMAL – DOGS, COWS, CATS, CHICKENS – SOME ESTIMATE THAT PEOPLE WERE HERDING SHEEP AS LONG AS 15,000 YEARS BEFORE CHRIST. COWS, DOGS, CATS, AND CHICKENS CAN ACTUALLY GET ALONG IN THE WILD; BUT NOT DOMESTIC SHEEP. YES, THERE ARE MOUNTAIN SHEEP, AND A FEW OTHER SPECIES WHICH ARE RELATED, BUT THEY ARE ACTUALLY DISTANT COUSINS. DOMESTIC SHEEP LITERALLY NEED HUMANS TO LIVE. FOR ONE THING, GIVING BIRTH WITHOUT THE HELP OF A HUMAN BEING IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM; EVEN WITH HELP, IT ISN'T UNCOMMON FOR A MOTHER SHEEP TO DIE DURING LAMBING SEASON.
OLD TIME SHEPHERDS WOULD HAVE A RELATIVELY SMALL FLOCK; A SINGLE SHEPHERD COULD ONLY HANDLE SO MANY SHEEP. AND FOR A SHEPHERD, HIS FLOCK WAS HIS WORK, HIS BANK ACCOUNT, HIS SAVINGS FOR OLD AGE. THOSE SHEEP WERE HIS. THERE WERE RICH MEN WHO HIRED OTHERS TO CARE FOR THEIR SHEEP, BUT THE KIND OF SHEPHERD JESUS IS TALKING ABOUT OWNS THE SHEEP.
AND BEING A SHEEP WAS NOT ALL GREEN MEADOWS AND FRESH WATER. THE SHEPHERD MADE THE SHEEP GO WHERE SOMETIMES THEY DIDN'T WANT TO GO. THERE WERE TIMES WHEN A WELL PLACED BLOW WOULD BE DELIVERED TO A SHEEP GETTING OUT OF LINE. AND WHILE A MEMBER OF THE FLOCK MIGHT LIVE WITH THE SHEPHERD FOR UP TO 20 YEARS, LAMBS THAT WERE BORN WOULD USUALLY BE SOLD FOR SACRIFICE OR SUNDAY DINNER – AND WE KNOW THAT MOTHER SHEEP FEEL THAT SEPARATION. AND WHEN YOU SEE JESUS CARRYING THE LAMB, REMEMBER THAT SOME SHEPHERDS, WHEN A LAMB SHOWED TOO MUCH INDEPENDENCE, WOULD BREAK A FORELEG SO THAT IT COULDN'T WANDER OFF. THE LEG WOULD KNIT IN TWO OR THREE WEEKS, BUT DURING THAT TIME THE LAMB WOULD HAVE TO BE CARRIED, AND THAT CONTACT USUALLY TAMED THE ANIMAL. AND, YOU KNOW, THE SHEEP DON'T HAVE THE FAINTEST IDEA WHY THE SHEPHERD DOES THINGS – WHY SOMETIMES THEY ARE HAPPY AND RESTED AND WELL FED, AND OTHER TIMES THEY ARE IN PANIC BECAUSE OF SOMETHING THE SHEPHERD IS DOING TO THEM. BUT WHAT ALLOWS THE WHOLE SYSTEM TO WORK IS THAT THE SHEEP KNOW THEY BELONG TO THE SHEPHERD, AND THEY PUT THEIR TOTAL TRUST IN HIM.
HUMAN EXPERIENCE TODAY IS LIKE IT'S ALWAYS BEEN. WE HAVE MOMENTS WHEN EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL, WHEN WE ARE SO HAPPY AND FULFILLED THAT WE CAN'T IMAGINE ANYTHING BETTER. MOST OF THE TIME, THOUGH, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THINGS COULD BE BETTER; SOMETIMES A LITTLE BIT, AND SOMETIMES A WHOLE LOT. AND HOVERING OVER ALL OUR MOMENTS IS THE KNOWLEDGE THAT WE WILL DIE. HUMAN BEINGS HAVE ALWAYS TRIED TO MAKE SENSE OUT OF WHY WE CAN IMAGINE HOW THINGS SHOULD BE, AND YET THINGS AREN'T THAT WAY.
THE QUESTION THAT TROUBLES US AND NEVER WILL BE FULLY ANSWERED IN THIS LIFE, IS, IF THERE IS A GOOD GOD WHO IS ALL POWERFUL AND WHO LOVES HIS CREATURES, WHY IS THERE SUFFERING, WHY IS THE WORLD WE IMAGINE SO DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE WE LIVE IN? THE BUDDHISTS AND HINDUS SAY THAT THIS WORLD IS JUST AN ILLUSION, A DREAM, FROM WHICH WE WILL SOME DAY WAKE UP. THE HUMANISTS SAY THAT THIS IS THE ONLY WORLD, AND WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO LIVE IN IT AND MAKE OUR TIME ON EARTH AS PLEASANT AS POSSIBLE. SOME CHRISTIANS INSIST THAT WE LIVE IN A FALLEN WORLD, A WORLD THAT HAS BEEN SHAPED BY SIN, THE SIN OF MEN, THE SIN THAT WE INHERIT FROM OUR FIRST PARENTS. ALL THE EVIL IN THE WORLD IS OUR FAULT.
JESUS' ANSWER IS PERSONAL AND SATISFYING. HE IS THE SHEPHERD; WE ARE THE SHEEP. SHEEP HAVE NO IDEA WHY THE SHEPHERD DOES WHAT HE DOES. BUT THEY TRUST, AND THEY FOLLOW. JESUS PROMISES THAT HE CARES FOR US, HE LEADS US, HE PROTECTS US, EVEN TO THE POINT OF LAYING DOWN HIS LIFE. AND HE PROMISES THAT JUST AS HE CAN RAISE HIMSELF FROM DEATH, HE CAN RAISE US UP AS WELL.
AND THIS ANSWER TO MAN'S AGE OLD PROBLEM, WHY IS THERE EVIL IN THE WORLD IF GOD IS GOOD, IF GOD IS ALL POWERFUL, IS PERHAPS THE BEST ANSWER. BECAUSE IT RECOGNIZES THAT EVIL IS REAL; IT RECOGNIZES THAT THE WORLD CAN BE BETTER. WHAT GOD MADE IS BASICALLY GOOD, AND GOODNESS WILL EMERGE AND TRIUMPH. AND IT RECOGNIZES THAT YOU AND I WLL BE THERE WHEN THIS ALL HAPPENS, WHEN THE KINGDOM OF GOD BREAKS THROUGH INTO OUR LIVES ONCE AND FOR ALL.
DOWN THROUGH THE AGES PEOPLE HAVE BEEN COMFORTED BY THE IMAGE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD. BUT THE SHEPHERD DOES NOT JUST PROVIDE REST AND GREEN PASTURES. THE SHEPHERD ACTIVELY SHAPES US AND MOVES US, SOMETIMES WITH A SHARP BLOW, SOMETIMES WITH A BROKEN BONE, SOMETIMES WITH SEPARATION FROM LOVED ONES, SOMETIMES WITH GENTLENESS AND LOVE; BUT WE CAN BE ASSURED THAT IF WE LET HIM LEAD, IF WE LISTEN FOR HIS VOICE, IF WE FOLLOW, WE WILL BECOME WHAT HE WANTS US TO BECOME. AND THERE IS NOTHING ELSE THAT REALLY MATTERS.
WHEN I HEAR JESUS COMPARE HIMSELF TO A GOOD SHEPHERD, MY MIND PULLS UP A PICTURE FROM A CHILDREN'S BOOK I HAD WHEN I WAS VERY LITTLE; JESUS IS WALKING TOWARDS ME, A LAMB DRAPED AROUND HIS NECK, FOLLOWED BY THREE OR FOUR VERY PLACID SHEEP. THERE IS A CRYSTAL CLEAR STREAM, A FEW TREES, AND THE GROUND IS COVERED WITH LUSH GRASS. THE PICTURE WAS GREAT FOR A LITTLE KID; THERE WAS A SENSE OF PEACE, OF PROTECTION, OF REST.
BUT LAST WEEK I SAW A PATIENT WHO WAS IN HER LATE FIFTIES. SHE HAD DIABETES, HAD HAD A HEART OPERATION, HAD BLOOD VESSEL PROBLEMS IN HER LEGS AS WELL. THAT WAS ALL INHERITED. A FEW YEARS AGO SHE HAD BLADDER CANCER, AND WITH THE TREATMENT SHE RECEIVED, HAD A 90% CHANCE OF CURE. I HAD SEEN HER BECAUSE SHE WAS IN THE 10% WHO DEVELOP METASTATIC DISEASE. SHE HAD GONE FOR A VERY MINOR SURGICAL PROCEDURE THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO GIVE HER CHEMOTHERAPY WITHOUT STICKING NEEDLES IN HER ARMS ALL THE TIME, AND SHE HAD SUFFERED FROM A COLLAPSED LUNG, SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL, ONE IN 500 TIMES WHEN THE PROCEDURE IS DONE. SHE WAS AWARE OF GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY COMING UP, AND REMARKED THAT SHE DIDN'T FEEL LIKE SHE HAD A VERY GOOD SHEPHERD.
HUMANS AND SHEEP HAVE BEEN TOGETHER LONGER THAN ANY OTHER DOMESTIC ANIMAL – DOGS, COWS, CATS, CHICKENS – SOME ESTIMATE THAT PEOPLE WERE HERDING SHEEP AS LONG AS 15,000 YEARS BEFORE CHRIST. COWS, DOGS, CATS, AND CHICKENS CAN ACTUALLY GET ALONG IN THE WILD; BUT NOT DOMESTIC SHEEP. YES, THERE ARE MOUNTAIN SHEEP, AND A FEW OTHER SPECIES WHICH ARE RELATED, BUT THEY ARE ACTUALLY DISTANT COUSINS. DOMESTIC SHEEP LITERALLY NEED HUMANS TO LIVE. FOR ONE THING, GIVING BIRTH WITHOUT THE HELP OF A HUMAN BEING IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM; EVEN WITH HELP, IT ISN'T UNCOMMON FOR A MOTHER SHEEP TO DIE DURING LAMBING SEASON.
OLD TIME SHEPHERDS WOULD HAVE A RELATIVELY SMALL FLOCK; A SINGLE SHEPHERD COULD ONLY HANDLE SO MANY SHEEP. AND FOR A SHEPHERD, HIS FLOCK WAS HIS WORK, HIS BANK ACCOUNT, HIS SAVINGS FOR OLD AGE. THOSE SHEEP WERE HIS. THERE WERE RICH MEN WHO HIRED OTHERS TO CARE FOR THEIR SHEEP, BUT THE KIND OF SHEPHERD JESUS IS TALKING ABOUT OWNS THE SHEEP.
AND BEING A SHEEP WAS NOT ALL GREEN MEADOWS AND FRESH WATER. THE SHEPHERD MADE THE SHEEP GO WHERE SOMETIMES THEY DIDN'T WANT TO GO. THERE WERE TIMES WHEN A WELL PLACED BLOW WOULD BE DELIVERED TO A SHEEP GETTING OUT OF LINE. AND WHILE A MEMBER OF THE FLOCK MIGHT LIVE WITH THE SHEPHERD FOR UP TO 20 YEARS, LAMBS THAT WERE BORN WOULD USUALLY BE SOLD FOR SACRIFICE OR SUNDAY DINNER – AND WE KNOW THAT MOTHER SHEEP FEEL THAT SEPARATION. AND WHEN YOU SEE JESUS CARRYING THE LAMB, REMEMBER THAT SOME SHEPHERDS, WHEN A LAMB SHOWED TOO MUCH INDEPENDENCE, WOULD BREAK A FORELEG SO THAT IT COULDN'T WANDER OFF. THE LEG WOULD KNIT IN TWO OR THREE WEEKS, BUT DURING THAT TIME THE LAMB WOULD HAVE TO BE CARRIED, AND THAT CONTACT USUALLY TAMED THE ANIMAL. AND, YOU KNOW, THE SHEEP DON'T HAVE THE FAINTEST IDEA WHY THE SHEPHERD DOES THINGS – WHY SOMETIMES THEY ARE HAPPY AND RESTED AND WELL FED, AND OTHER TIMES THEY ARE IN PANIC BECAUSE OF SOMETHING THE SHEPHERD IS DOING TO THEM. BUT WHAT ALLOWS THE WHOLE SYSTEM TO WORK IS THAT THE SHEEP KNOW THEY BELONG TO THE SHEPHERD, AND THEY PUT THEIR TOTAL TRUST IN HIM.
HUMAN EXPERIENCE TODAY IS LIKE IT'S ALWAYS BEEN. WE HAVE MOMENTS WHEN EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL, WHEN WE ARE SO HAPPY AND FULFILLED THAT WE CAN'T IMAGINE ANYTHING BETTER. MOST OF THE TIME, THOUGH, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THINGS COULD BE BETTER; SOMETIMES A LITTLE BIT, AND SOMETIMES A WHOLE LOT. AND HOVERING OVER ALL OUR MOMENTS IS THE KNOWLEDGE THAT WE WILL DIE. HUMAN BEINGS HAVE ALWAYS TRIED TO MAKE SENSE OUT OF WHY WE CAN IMAGINE HOW THINGS SHOULD BE, AND YET THINGS AREN'T THAT WAY.
THE QUESTION THAT TROUBLES US AND NEVER WILL BE FULLY ANSWERED IN THIS LIFE, IS, IF THERE IS A GOOD GOD WHO IS ALL POWERFUL AND WHO LOVES HIS CREATURES, WHY IS THERE SUFFERING, WHY IS THE WORLD WE IMAGINE SO DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE WE LIVE IN? THE BUDDHISTS AND HINDUS SAY THAT THIS WORLD IS JUST AN ILLUSION, A DREAM, FROM WHICH WE WILL SOME DAY WAKE UP. THE HUMANISTS SAY THAT THIS IS THE ONLY WORLD, AND WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO LIVE IN IT AND MAKE OUR TIME ON EARTH AS PLEASANT AS POSSIBLE. SOME CHRISTIANS INSIST THAT WE LIVE IN A FALLEN WORLD, A WORLD THAT HAS BEEN SHAPED BY SIN, THE SIN OF MEN, THE SIN THAT WE INHERIT FROM OUR FIRST PARENTS. ALL THE EVIL IN THE WORLD IS OUR FAULT.
JESUS' ANSWER IS PERSONAL AND SATISFYING. HE IS THE SHEPHERD; WE ARE THE SHEEP. SHEEP HAVE NO IDEA WHY THE SHEPHERD DOES WHAT HE DOES. BUT THEY TRUST, AND THEY FOLLOW. JESUS PROMISES THAT HE CARES FOR US, HE LEADS US, HE PROTECTS US, EVEN TO THE POINT OF LAYING DOWN HIS LIFE. AND HE PROMISES THAT JUST AS HE CAN RAISE HIMSELF FROM DEATH, HE CAN RAISE US UP AS WELL.
AND THIS ANSWER TO MAN'S AGE OLD PROBLEM, WHY IS THERE EVIL IN THE WORLD IF GOD IS GOOD, IF GOD IS ALL POWERFUL, IS PERHAPS THE BEST ANSWER. BECAUSE IT RECOGNIZES THAT EVIL IS REAL; IT RECOGNIZES THAT THE WORLD CAN BE BETTER. WHAT GOD MADE IS BASICALLY GOOD, AND GOODNESS WILL EMERGE AND TRIUMPH. AND IT RECOGNIZES THAT YOU AND I WLL BE THERE WHEN THIS ALL HAPPENS, WHEN THE KINGDOM OF GOD BREAKS THROUGH INTO OUR LIVES ONCE AND FOR ALL.
DOWN THROUGH THE AGES PEOPLE HAVE BEEN COMFORTED BY THE IMAGE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD. BUT THE SHEPHERD DOES NOT JUST PROVIDE REST AND GREEN PASTURES. THE SHEPHERD ACTIVELY SHAPES US AND MOVES US, SOMETIMES WITH A SHARP BLOW, SOMETIMES WITH A BROKEN BONE, SOMETIMES WITH SEPARATION FROM LOVED ONES, SOMETIMES WITH GENTLENESS AND LOVE; BUT WE CAN BE ASSURED THAT IF WE LET HIM LEAD, IF WE LISTEN FOR HIS VOICE, IF WE FOLLOW, WE WILL BECOME WHAT HE WANTS US TO BECOME. AND THERE IS NOTHING ELSE THAT REALLY MATTERS.
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