"I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."
Gospel of John
What would you give to know all truth? Truth, however, is not something that we create, although I certainly believe that many try to create their own truth. What Jesus is trying to convey to His disciples in the Gospel of John is that the real truth is a gift from God, and it is the role of the Spirit to reveal to us what it is. It is what is called the gift of wisdom, not our own personal discovery based on our limited experiences or the knowledge we may attain through our own efforts. It is a gift, and the hallmark of God's truth is that it sets us free. It liberates us from doubts, illusions and fears. And, of course, it is this wisdom, this truth, that motivates Paul, Silas and Barnabas in their mission that we read about in the Book of Acts.
Paul and Silas were stripped, flogged and thrown into prison for their preaching. I think most of us would do anything to avoid that punishment and humiliation, but what do they do? We read: "Late that night, Paul and Silas were praying and singing God's praises while the other prisoners listened. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose".
Later in this letter, Paul and Silas escape from prison, and Paul is escorted to Athens where he again begins to proclaim there the truth about what has been revealed to him by the Spirit. He does this in order to bring those present to an awareness of God's truth revealed to him through Christ.
Those without faith would say that this man just does not learn his lesson. People of faith would say that Paul has been liberated from any doubt, illusions or fear about proclaiming the truth revealed to Him by the Spirit. Everything else falls to lessor importance - safety, security, family, personal pleasure, vacationing, popularity, etc.
I don't pretend to be as liberated as Saint Paul in respect to his freedom in conveying the truth, regardless of the cost, to all he meets. But I am challenged by his courage and giftedness to put Christ first, and then let all other things fall where they may. This is the challenge put forth to each of us.
We are all God's children, as Paul would proclaim. Since we are children of God, we have no excuse for thinking that God looks like gold, silver, stone or other objects that has been carved or designed by a person. Our freedom will not be found in those areas of life, however, most of us, to some degree, pursue those things to a greater degree than pursuing the truth of the Spirit. The truth of the Spirit will be revealed to us as we listen to that still quiet voice that speaks to us at the level of the heart. Then we must follow in that truth.
This is the voice of the Spirit, God's gift to us, speaking to us. Lord Jesus, fill us with your Spirit, and guide us in the way of your truth. Free us from ignorance and deception caused by sinful pride, rebellion and selfishness so that we may love you with all our strength, mind and will, and seek to please you in all things. Amen
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Experiencing God - The Love that Unites Us 103
"May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
Paul's letter to the Ephesians
We have all had experiences of having to say goodbye to a loved one at a time when we both knew that we would never meet again.
I recall an incident like this in 1988 after my family learned that my mother had only a few months to live. When we met with her at the hospital, she took the opportunity to express her love and to tell us how proud she was of us all. It was a moment of great emotional sadness, but also a moment when the bonds of family unity and love among us was the strongest. We've all at times experienced that mystical union that results when people and family know that they are there for each other, and that the bonds of unity cannot be broken, even by physical separation.
Is this because we all share a common world view, or a common way of thinking? Certainly not. This unity results from something much deeper. We are family, and our differences, regardless of whatever they may be, could not break the mysterious bond that held us together as a family.
Our New Testament Scripture readings speak about the farewells similar to this, and they also speak about that bond of unity that existed among them created by that deep relationship of love.
Saint Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, is saying good-bye to the people with whom he shared faith for several years. Despite knowing that this separation would be permanent, it is obvious that his bond of unity and oneness with them would never be broken.
"For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward self."
In John's Gospel, Jesus offers a prayer to the Father for His disciples from whom He will soon be separated by death. This prayer to the Father is an expression of the bond and unity that holds people of faith together despite physical separation. It is this mysterious force that must be found in our Churches if we wish them to continue.
This prayer in the Gospel of John expresses this bond of unity in three dimensions:
(1) Jesus' unity with the Father, a unity He invites us all to enter into. Do you experience the Father's love for you; a love that says: "I'm proud of you", a love that causes us to reciprocate with our love?
(2) Jesus' love for His disciples, His love for us, binding us into a relationship of brotherhood with Him.
(3) And springing from these two loves, we have our love for each other. This love exists, not because we all have the same outlook, or share the same view. It is deeper than that. It is a love that unites us around a common faith in Christ. And despite our exterior differences, we know we are here for each other, sharing a common journey that leads to shared life with Him.
Jesus' prayer to the Father conveys to us this love that leads to that deeper sense of unity with each other. This love nourishes and sustains us through difficult times, helps us to overcome our superficial differences, and moves us towards that common mission to which we are all called.
"I am not praying only for these but for all those who will believe in me through their message, that they may all be one. Just as you, Father, live in me and I live in you, I am asking that they may live in us, that the world may believe that you did send me. Father, I want those whom you have given me to be with me where I am; I want them to see that glory which you have made mine - for you loved me before the world began.
Paul's letter to the Ephesians
We have all had experiences of having to say goodbye to a loved one at a time when we both knew that we would never meet again.
I recall an incident like this in 1988 after my family learned that my mother had only a few months to live. When we met with her at the hospital, she took the opportunity to express her love and to tell us how proud she was of us all. It was a moment of great emotional sadness, but also a moment when the bonds of family unity and love among us was the strongest. We've all at times experienced that mystical union that results when people and family know that they are there for each other, and that the bonds of unity cannot be broken, even by physical separation.
Is this because we all share a common world view, or a common way of thinking? Certainly not. This unity results from something much deeper. We are family, and our differences, regardless of whatever they may be, could not break the mysterious bond that held us together as a family.
Our New Testament Scripture readings speak about the farewells similar to this, and they also speak about that bond of unity that existed among them created by that deep relationship of love.
Saint Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, is saying good-bye to the people with whom he shared faith for several years. Despite knowing that this separation would be permanent, it is obvious that his bond of unity and oneness with them would never be broken.
"For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward self."
In John's Gospel, Jesus offers a prayer to the Father for His disciples from whom He will soon be separated by death. This prayer to the Father is an expression of the bond and unity that holds people of faith together despite physical separation. It is this mysterious force that must be found in our Churches if we wish them to continue.
This prayer in the Gospel of John expresses this bond of unity in three dimensions:
(1) Jesus' unity with the Father, a unity He invites us all to enter into. Do you experience the Father's love for you; a love that says: "I'm proud of you", a love that causes us to reciprocate with our love?
(2) Jesus' love for His disciples, His love for us, binding us into a relationship of brotherhood with Him.
(3) And springing from these two loves, we have our love for each other. This love exists, not because we all have the same outlook, or share the same view. It is deeper than that. It is a love that unites us around a common faith in Christ. And despite our exterior differences, we know we are here for each other, sharing a common journey that leads to shared life with Him.
Jesus' prayer to the Father conveys to us this love that leads to that deeper sense of unity with each other. This love nourishes and sustains us through difficult times, helps us to overcome our superficial differences, and moves us towards that common mission to which we are all called.
"I am not praying only for these but for all those who will believe in me through their message, that they may all be one. Just as you, Father, live in me and I live in you, I am asking that they may live in us, that the world may believe that you did send me. Father, I want those whom you have given me to be with me where I am; I want them to see that glory which you have made mine - for you loved me before the world began.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Experiencing God - Self-Too much the cost? 102
"Then James and John came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask. What do you want me to do for you? They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
Gospel of Mark
As you drive down the Cole Harbor Road in the city I live, there is a very revealing sign on display at the Regal Road Baptist Church. It says: "Salvation is free, but the cost is great".
When you take the time to reflect on this sign, the message can be interpreted in a couple of ways. The first way can be found in Peter's first letter in the New Testament.
"Remember, the ransom that was paid to free you from the useless way of life handed down to you was not paid with silver or gold or in anything corruptible, but in the precious blood of the lamb without spot or stain, namely Christ."
So the cost of our salvation is truly great. God, through Christ, reveals that His love for us even surpasses that one thing we hold the most precious and cling to most desperately; life itself.
Most of us would be willing to sacrifice our precious things to save another, but to sacrifice our very life seems out of the question. Yet, as we continue in the letter of Peter, this is exactly what we are asked to do. Peter reminds us that all flesh is grass, and its glory like the wild flowers. Our lives, like the grass withers, and like the flowers fail. What we describe as "our life" is also corruptible, impermanent, and passing. When we see "our life" as something permanent, we see as an illusion, because life as we know it will pass away for all of us. We are asked to die to all things that are corruptible and passing so that we may gain that which is permanent, our "new life" with Christ.
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus teaches us not to cling to this illusionary life because it has no permanence. Relinquish self, die to self. Place your trust and hope in that which is permanent; that is "New Life" with God.
From my own experience, we let go of the illusionary life reluctantly and slowly. This is illustrated in our lives where we often cling desperately to those things that appear to make "self" real and concrete.
Then James and John came to Jesus. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask. “What do you want me to do for you? They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and he other at your left in your glory.”
James and John attempt to find for "themselves" the most favorable positions in God's kingdom, the place at Jesus' left and right. They are attempting to make their corruptible "selves" permanent. Let's not be too hard on James and John. They are still learning as we are ourselves. Their concern for "self" again provides Jesus with His greatest teaching point on the cost of discipleship. The teaching point is that selfishness or self-concern in all its various forms whether it be greed, self-seeking, power, etc. is a contradiction to God's plan for humanity. To be first or the greatest is to serve the needs of all, as Jesus did. That is to relinquish "self".
The call of the Christian, that is to relinquish "self", is a radical one, and to many, a costly one. We all refuse at times; but in order to discover the joy and liberty that comes through faith, we must relinquish all worldly ambition of every sort.
I believe this is one of the greatest challenges in the Church today. We seem to be losing our sense of the importance of a life in faith. Our salvation and liberty is a free gift, it costs us nothing, but the process of relinquishing "self" often appears too much of a cost to sacrifice in order to attain it.
Gospel of Mark
As you drive down the Cole Harbor Road in the city I live, there is a very revealing sign on display at the Regal Road Baptist Church. It says: "Salvation is free, but the cost is great".
When you take the time to reflect on this sign, the message can be interpreted in a couple of ways. The first way can be found in Peter's first letter in the New Testament.
"Remember, the ransom that was paid to free you from the useless way of life handed down to you was not paid with silver or gold or in anything corruptible, but in the precious blood of the lamb without spot or stain, namely Christ."
So the cost of our salvation is truly great. God, through Christ, reveals that His love for us even surpasses that one thing we hold the most precious and cling to most desperately; life itself.
Most of us would be willing to sacrifice our precious things to save another, but to sacrifice our very life seems out of the question. Yet, as we continue in the letter of Peter, this is exactly what we are asked to do. Peter reminds us that all flesh is grass, and its glory like the wild flowers. Our lives, like the grass withers, and like the flowers fail. What we describe as "our life" is also corruptible, impermanent, and passing. When we see "our life" as something permanent, we see as an illusion, because life as we know it will pass away for all of us. We are asked to die to all things that are corruptible and passing so that we may gain that which is permanent, our "new life" with Christ.
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus teaches us not to cling to this illusionary life because it has no permanence. Relinquish self, die to self. Place your trust and hope in that which is permanent; that is "New Life" with God.
From my own experience, we let go of the illusionary life reluctantly and slowly. This is illustrated in our lives where we often cling desperately to those things that appear to make "self" real and concrete.
Then James and John came to Jesus. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask. “What do you want me to do for you? They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and he other at your left in your glory.”
James and John attempt to find for "themselves" the most favorable positions in God's kingdom, the place at Jesus' left and right. They are attempting to make their corruptible "selves" permanent. Let's not be too hard on James and John. They are still learning as we are ourselves. Their concern for "self" again provides Jesus with His greatest teaching point on the cost of discipleship. The teaching point is that selfishness or self-concern in all its various forms whether it be greed, self-seeking, power, etc. is a contradiction to God's plan for humanity. To be first or the greatest is to serve the needs of all, as Jesus did. That is to relinquish "self".
The call of the Christian, that is to relinquish "self", is a radical one, and to many, a costly one. We all refuse at times; but in order to discover the joy and liberty that comes through faith, we must relinquish all worldly ambition of every sort.
I believe this is one of the greatest challenges in the Church today. We seem to be losing our sense of the importance of a life in faith. Our salvation and liberty is a free gift, it costs us nothing, but the process of relinquishing "self" often appears too much of a cost to sacrifice in order to attain it.
Experiencing God - Fan into Flame 101
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”
Matthew
In the Gospel of Matthew, we see instances where Jesus is tested by the Jewish Authorities. He is asked questions, obviously, with the intent of ensnaring Him. In the above question as to whether a good Jewish citizen should pay taxes to the Roman emperor, Jesus shows that he has a cunning wisdom in dealing with such trickery. "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
With this answer, Jesus undermines the plan of the Pharisees to trick him into saying something that would get Him into trouble, either with the Jewish people or the Roman authorities.
Matthew's readers were amazed at Jesus' wisdom in dealing with these matters as we should be amazed ourselves. But the Gospel writers want us to be more than amazed. They want us as Christians to imitate Christ by being courageous apostles of the truth and life of the Gospel.
How can we be courageous followers of truth and life of the Gospel? How can we get beyond just being amazed about Jesus' astuteness in order to imitate Him as best we can in our own lives?
Some of the answers can be found in Paul's encouraging response to young Timothy, an early disciple of Paul. Paul encourages Timothy to recognize the power of the gift that he possesses; that is his gift of faith as coming from God. It is not something that he has acquired on his own or by his own efforts. Timothy's faith is a gift. And this gift must be kept alive in him. "Fan into flame this gift that God has given you. It is not given in a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power and love and self-control.
This faith, as explained to Timothy, is something that is real, and despite the hardships that may result from living the truth of the Gospel, this inner reality of one's faith will overcome all exterior obstacles that may come his way.
Saint Paul himself became a living reality of this interior strength and power that comes from faith. Despite incredible hardship, Paul never gave up on his call to proclaim Christ to the world.
We are also living in somewhat turbulent times when it come to faith and faith practice. A lot of questions are being thrown at us, questions that may cause us confusion, cause us to doubt, and even cause us to wonder whether we are on the right tract. There are many exterior turbulences going on in the world, in our church, which seem to discount the importance of faith and faith experience. Are things really any different today that in Paul's time?
Paul is prisoner of the Romans when he spoke to Timothy, but he continued to reassure him that this gift he has is not to be discounted. "Fan it into flame." Courageously face any obstacle, and teach by word and example that God will not be outdone in His goodness to us.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Experiencing God - Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving 100
“When you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, they have their reward. When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
Gospel of Matthew
We've all attended weddings where the bride and groom are asked to make their marriage vows to each other. In the presence of family and friends, and in the presence of God, promises are made to be faithful to each other in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, in times of joy and sorrow. The couple promise to live with each other, respect each other, cherish each other for as long as they both shall live. These vows are an expression of unconditional love, and if you look at them closely, they contain the three ascetic actions of the religious life found in the Gospel of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
Prayer implies many things three of which are: (1) a speaking too, (2) a listening too, and (3) a being with. And perhaps the purest form of prayer is "being with".
Fasting implies the giving up of what one may find personally pleasurable, for the sake of the other. In unconditional love, we share both the joys and sorrows, we are faithful during good times and bad times.
Almsgiving involves the sharing from our abundance with the one or ones who we love or have less. Unconditional love sees all as gift, and desires most of all to share that gift with another.
Why did Jesus single out prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for His disciples? It is because these were seen as the key signs of a faithful person, the three great pillars on which a relationship of unconditional love is built. This is not only true in our Christian faith, but applies to all the great religions of the world.
If one or both of the couples in a marriage did not enter the unconditional love relationship with the proper intention; if they were forced or pressured into the relationship, did it out of fear, or didn't have the capacity for meeting such promises; then the marriage could be declared null and void. Jesus also warned his disciples that if we pray, fast or give alms; in other words perform the three great pillars on which an unconditional love relationship is expressed; without the proper intention, then it is not really not a valid expression of the intentions of which they represent . These actions which are meant for us to discover the fullness of life, truth and beauty, love and joy, becomes only a charade leading to little or no fruit.
So if we do these things for self-seeking purposes, in order to look good, or seek praise from others, then they serve little or no purpose.
What we seek in prayer, fasting and almsgiving is communion with God. St. Augustine wrote: "When I am completely united to you, there will be no more sorrow or trials; entirely full of you, my life will be complete."
There's something deep within the heart of every person that desires to be united in unconditional love with the One who is beyond human comprehension. We express that desire in our vows of unconditional love in a marriage. We complete that desire through out acts of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving given with a pure intention of being part of God's unfolding mystery.
Gospel of Matthew
We've all attended weddings where the bride and groom are asked to make their marriage vows to each other. In the presence of family and friends, and in the presence of God, promises are made to be faithful to each other in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, in times of joy and sorrow. The couple promise to live with each other, respect each other, cherish each other for as long as they both shall live. These vows are an expression of unconditional love, and if you look at them closely, they contain the three ascetic actions of the religious life found in the Gospel of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
Prayer implies many things three of which are: (1) a speaking too, (2) a listening too, and (3) a being with. And perhaps the purest form of prayer is "being with".
Fasting implies the giving up of what one may find personally pleasurable, for the sake of the other. In unconditional love, we share both the joys and sorrows, we are faithful during good times and bad times.
Almsgiving involves the sharing from our abundance with the one or ones who we love or have less. Unconditional love sees all as gift, and desires most of all to share that gift with another.
Why did Jesus single out prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for His disciples? It is because these were seen as the key signs of a faithful person, the three great pillars on which a relationship of unconditional love is built. This is not only true in our Christian faith, but applies to all the great religions of the world.
If one or both of the couples in a marriage did not enter the unconditional love relationship with the proper intention; if they were forced or pressured into the relationship, did it out of fear, or didn't have the capacity for meeting such promises; then the marriage could be declared null and void. Jesus also warned his disciples that if we pray, fast or give alms; in other words perform the three great pillars on which an unconditional love relationship is expressed; without the proper intention, then it is not really not a valid expression of the intentions of which they represent . These actions which are meant for us to discover the fullness of life, truth and beauty, love and joy, becomes only a charade leading to little or no fruit.
So if we do these things for self-seeking purposes, in order to look good, or seek praise from others, then they serve little or no purpose.
What we seek in prayer, fasting and almsgiving is communion with God. St. Augustine wrote: "When I am completely united to you, there will be no more sorrow or trials; entirely full of you, my life will be complete."
There's something deep within the heart of every person that desires to be united in unconditional love with the One who is beyond human comprehension. We express that desire in our vows of unconditional love in a marriage. We complete that desire through out acts of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving given with a pure intention of being part of God's unfolding mystery.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Experiencing God - Consolations and Desolations 99
"As the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so, through Christ, does our consolation overflow.
More than any other author, St. Ignatius in his spiritual exercises provides the best explanation of the interaction between consolations and suffering or desolations.
St. Ignatius sees us all in need of holiness. He says that when we are earnestly seeking to rise in the service of God, it is characteristic of God to provide a positive consolation by way courage, strength, tears, inspiration and peace. So God encourages us by removing all obstacles so that we can move forward in faith.
However, as you can imagine, St. Ignatius stresses that the evil one, during our movements towards greater goodness, wants to discourage us. Therefore, we may often feel under attack by anxiety, sadness, fear, or other types of disturbances that are meant to throw us off course. So the evil one, according to St. Ignatius, will work through desolations. In the case of persons moving towards greater goodness, the desolations would be negative experiences, things that will disturb us from moving in a positive direction. Such urgings as: "I don't feel well enough", "I'm too old for this", or "I don't have time" are everyday examples of the excuses we can use to sabotage our growth to holiness.
St. Ignatius goes on to say that for anyone who is moving from good to worse, the very opposite is true. The evil one proposes apparent pleasures, filling our imagination with sensual delights and gratifications. These would be positive desolations, the purpose of which is to lead us into greater sinfulness. Such urgings as: "Have another drink", or "Your Gambling win is coming" are examples of the enticements we may receive.
During those times when we are moving from good to worse, God will use the opposite method from that expressed above by giving us negative consolations. If we are moving towards greater sinfulness, God guides us in making the use of good reason, to abandon the pleasurable way by stinging the conscious and filling us with remorse. God wants to stop us from hurting ourselves and others to a further degree.
St. Ignatius then goes on to describe consolations as anything that brings us into greater relationship with God. As mentioned above, these can be a positive experience if we are going from good to better, or a negative experience if we are going from good to worse. God will work in whatever way he can to bring about our holiness.
This is why St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians makes the very confusing statements:
"As the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so, through Christ, does our consolation overflow.
When we are made to suffer, it is for your consolation and salvation. When, instead, we are comforted, this should be a consolation to you, supporting you in patiently bearing the same sufferings as we bear. And our hope for you is confident since we know that sharing our sufferings, you will also share our consolations"
CorinthiansMore than any other author, St. Ignatius in his spiritual exercises provides the best explanation of the interaction between consolations and suffering or desolations.
St. Ignatius sees us all in need of holiness. He says that when we are earnestly seeking to rise in the service of God, it is characteristic of God to provide a positive consolation by way courage, strength, tears, inspiration and peace. So God encourages us by removing all obstacles so that we can move forward in faith.
However, as you can imagine, St. Ignatius stresses that the evil one, during our movements towards greater goodness, wants to discourage us. Therefore, we may often feel under attack by anxiety, sadness, fear, or other types of disturbances that are meant to throw us off course. So the evil one, according to St. Ignatius, will work through desolations. In the case of persons moving towards greater goodness, the desolations would be negative experiences, things that will disturb us from moving in a positive direction. Such urgings as: "I don't feel well enough", "I'm too old for this", or "I don't have time" are everyday examples of the excuses we can use to sabotage our growth to holiness.
St. Ignatius goes on to say that for anyone who is moving from good to worse, the very opposite is true. The evil one proposes apparent pleasures, filling our imagination with sensual delights and gratifications. These would be positive desolations, the purpose of which is to lead us into greater sinfulness. Such urgings as: "Have another drink", or "Your Gambling win is coming" are examples of the enticements we may receive.
During those times when we are moving from good to worse, God will use the opposite method from that expressed above by giving us negative consolations. If we are moving towards greater sinfulness, God guides us in making the use of good reason, to abandon the pleasurable way by stinging the conscious and filling us with remorse. God wants to stop us from hurting ourselves and others to a further degree.
St. Ignatius then goes on to describe consolations as anything that brings us into greater relationship with God. As mentioned above, these can be a positive experience if we are going from good to better, or a negative experience if we are going from good to worse. God will work in whatever way he can to bring about our holiness.
This is why St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians makes the very confusing statements:
"As the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so, through Christ, does our consolation overflow.
When we are made to suffer, it is for your consolation and salvation. When, instead, we are comforted, this should be a consolation to you, supporting you in patiently bearing the same sufferings as we bear.
And our hope for you is confident, since we know that, sharing our sufferings, you will also share our consolations"
Consolations that bring about a greater relatedness with God can be both pleasurable or positive, or unpleasant or negative, depending on which way we are moving in our spiritual lives.
Discernment of the movements of the Spirit within ourselves as to which direction we are going is the key to identifying consolations and desolations.
Experiencing God - Workers in the Vineyard 98
"Jesus proceeded to tell a parable because they supposed that the Kingdom of God was to appear immediately. A man of noble birth went to a distant country to be appointed King."
Luke 19
I've always found this parable, referred to as the "parable of the talents", a complicated one. There is just so much going on in the story. The parable was told by Jesus because He saw that His disciples and followers had a heightened sense that the Messiah would soon appear and usher in God's Kingdom of love, peace and justice, and all would be well with the world.
What is the danger in such thinking? The danger is that we would all sit back and complacently wait for it to happen. We would sit and wait for it to magically appear. So Jesus tells the parable to break this illusion. Through this parable, Jesus is trying to convey, in messianic terms, the coming of God's kingdom. So the parable explains to us something of how God will work in His plan and His purpose in building the Kingdom. And it is far from something that will magically happen.
The parable speaks first of God's trust in us, his people and servants. He trusts us with the talents and gifts to be used in building His Kingdom. This is illustrated in the parable as entrusting us with a sum of money to be invested or used. There are no strings attached to these gifts. With each gift, God also gives sufficient grace and strength to use them wisely. The whole question that arises in the parable is how do we use them?
God honors those who use their talents for doing good. Those who are faithful are entrusted with even more. But the parable also shows that God abhors an attitude of indifference, an attitude that says: "its not worth trying". For those who neglect or squander what has been entrusted to them, they will lose even what they have.
For me, this is very similar to working through the problems we have in relationships.
Recently, we have had a lot of problems in our church for many reasons I will not go into here. But it has led to a lot of hurt, frustration, confusion and division. The question that I've had to ask myself, and I suspect many others have asked it as well is: Is it all worth it? It seems so simple to thrown up our hands and walk away from it; yet, is this what God wants us to do? This parable to me indicates not.
God's Kingdom will not magically appear. It comes through the willingness, the desire, and the energy that we His people put into it, through the help of Grace, to make it happen.
In fact, is this not the means by which we build our marriage and family relationships? Once fear, mistrust, frustration, and ill-will become the dominate qualities, then even the little that we have will be lost. But if we remain firm in our resolve to be the instruments of building God's Kingdom, then the time of darkness will pass, and we will once again enjoy the fruits of the Kingdom, which are synomomous to the fruits of the Spirit.
Luke 19
I've always found this parable, referred to as the "parable of the talents", a complicated one. There is just so much going on in the story. The parable was told by Jesus because He saw that His disciples and followers had a heightened sense that the Messiah would soon appear and usher in God's Kingdom of love, peace and justice, and all would be well with the world.
What is the danger in such thinking? The danger is that we would all sit back and complacently wait for it to happen. We would sit and wait for it to magically appear. So Jesus tells the parable to break this illusion. Through this parable, Jesus is trying to convey, in messianic terms, the coming of God's kingdom. So the parable explains to us something of how God will work in His plan and His purpose in building the Kingdom. And it is far from something that will magically happen.
The parable speaks first of God's trust in us, his people and servants. He trusts us with the talents and gifts to be used in building His Kingdom. This is illustrated in the parable as entrusting us with a sum of money to be invested or used. There are no strings attached to these gifts. With each gift, God also gives sufficient grace and strength to use them wisely. The whole question that arises in the parable is how do we use them?
God honors those who use their talents for doing good. Those who are faithful are entrusted with even more. But the parable also shows that God abhors an attitude of indifference, an attitude that says: "its not worth trying". For those who neglect or squander what has been entrusted to them, they will lose even what they have.
For me, this is very similar to working through the problems we have in relationships.
Recently, we have had a lot of problems in our church for many reasons I will not go into here. But it has led to a lot of hurt, frustration, confusion and division. The question that I've had to ask myself, and I suspect many others have asked it as well is: Is it all worth it? It seems so simple to thrown up our hands and walk away from it; yet, is this what God wants us to do? This parable to me indicates not.
God's Kingdom will not magically appear. It comes through the willingness, the desire, and the energy that we His people put into it, through the help of Grace, to make it happen.
In fact, is this not the means by which we build our marriage and family relationships? Once fear, mistrust, frustration, and ill-will become the dominate qualities, then even the little that we have will be lost. But if we remain firm in our resolve to be the instruments of building God's Kingdom, then the time of darkness will pass, and we will once again enjoy the fruits of the Kingdom, which are synomomous to the fruits of the Spirit.
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