"At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do."
Gospel of Matthew
This beautiful reading from the Gospel of Matthew chapter 11 is one that is often read at funerals. The subtitle of this particular Gospel is, "Jesus the revealer". The main reason for this is because Jesus praises God for revealing to little children what has been hidden from wise and learned.
Children or little ones, according to Jesus' terminology, are the ones who best seem to be able to understand matters of faith and the wisdom that flows from God.
The important thing in this Gospel reading is not an intellectual understanding of its content, but how it speaks to your heart. Do you see yourself as the "little one" who is able to see the greater vision of God as revealed by Christ? Do you experience being called to live out your life in a certain way in response to that revelation? If you do, then you have a greater understanding of the scripture than that of a biblical scholar who understands only its content.
The language of this Gospel reading is very similar to many of the passages found John's Gospel. My personal response to it is very similar to my response to the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well. It is challenging, but invitational. It solicits a response, not intellectual understanding.
In the continuation from Matthew's Gospel above we read: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
We are invited to let our burdens go and trust in the Lord. It's an invitation to surrender, an action that we often have difficulty in doing. Surrendering to what? Placing ourselves into the hands of the mystery - trusting in Providence - letting go of the tight control over the events of our life - living in the present moment. When we do this, then God becomes very real to us. We discover God by faith, who not only brings peace and harmony to our lives, but allows us to make sense of all that is going on around us.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Experiencing God - The Kingdom is at hand 150
Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to heal every disease and sickness . These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: The kingdom of heaven has come near. Freely you have received; freely give."
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew Chapter 10 is often referred to as the missionary's discourse. The sayings that make up this discourse have been gathered from various traditional sources and woven by the evangelist into a lengthy instruction on how the disciples of Jesus are to act, and what they can expect. Chapters 8 and 9 give demonstration after demonstration of Jesus' power to heal. In chapter 10, He passes on to the twelve disciples this same authority for healing. Surprising, at least to me, is the fact that the disciples' mission is limited to the people of Israel, and they are cautioned to avoid entering the cities of non-Jews and Samaritans. It is only after the resurrection that Jesus' mission was extended to these other groups, in fact all groups.
I say this is surprising because Jesus Himself always extended His mission and healing to all groups of people - to the Roman centurion, to the Canaanite woman, to the Samaritan woman at the well, and so on. And the beautiful story of the Good Samaritan indicates clearly that Jesus showed no partiality when it came to His vision of the Kingdom of God as including all people of goodwill.
I have no answer as to why Jesus imposed this restriction, except perhaps to say that the disciples were not yet ready. His commission to the disciples, which is His commission to each of us, is to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is close at hand.
Jesus told his disciples, and therefore is telling us, to proclaim the Kingdom both in their words and in their actions. The miracles that were performed and the healing and reconciliation that took place was meant to be evidence that the Kingdom was really at hand.
What would this Kingdom look like? It is God breaking into a world of darkness. It is love, joy and peace instead of hatred, sorrow and anger. It is a restoration instead of a destruction. It is God at work, cleansing and healing His people. It includes God working in our hearts so that we love one another and share His love and healing with all who we meet.
It's not about learning the right doctrine or knowing a lot of spiritual facts, as important as these may be, but a manifestation of God's presence in the here and now through the actions of love towards all people. The Kingdom of God comes about as we become ambassadors for Christ; that is being His hands and feet as we respond to the quiet voice of the Spirit that speaks to our hearts. It is a role that no one deserves but all are called to act upon.
Do you experience the Kingdom of God at work in yourself? Do you experience the Kingdom of God manifested in the world around you as Jesus' love is continually poured out into each of our hearts? This is the Kingdom of God at hand. It is all around us. We only need eyes that are open to see it.
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew Chapter 10 is often referred to as the missionary's discourse. The sayings that make up this discourse have been gathered from various traditional sources and woven by the evangelist into a lengthy instruction on how the disciples of Jesus are to act, and what they can expect. Chapters 8 and 9 give demonstration after demonstration of Jesus' power to heal. In chapter 10, He passes on to the twelve disciples this same authority for healing. Surprising, at least to me, is the fact that the disciples' mission is limited to the people of Israel, and they are cautioned to avoid entering the cities of non-Jews and Samaritans. It is only after the resurrection that Jesus' mission was extended to these other groups, in fact all groups.
I say this is surprising because Jesus Himself always extended His mission and healing to all groups of people - to the Roman centurion, to the Canaanite woman, to the Samaritan woman at the well, and so on. And the beautiful story of the Good Samaritan indicates clearly that Jesus showed no partiality when it came to His vision of the Kingdom of God as including all people of goodwill.
I have no answer as to why Jesus imposed this restriction, except perhaps to say that the disciples were not yet ready. His commission to the disciples, which is His commission to each of us, is to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is close at hand.
Jesus told his disciples, and therefore is telling us, to proclaim the Kingdom both in their words and in their actions. The miracles that were performed and the healing and reconciliation that took place was meant to be evidence that the Kingdom was really at hand.
What would this Kingdom look like? It is God breaking into a world of darkness. It is love, joy and peace instead of hatred, sorrow and anger. It is a restoration instead of a destruction. It is God at work, cleansing and healing His people. It includes God working in our hearts so that we love one another and share His love and healing with all who we meet.
It's not about learning the right doctrine or knowing a lot of spiritual facts, as important as these may be, but a manifestation of God's presence in the here and now through the actions of love towards all people. The Kingdom of God comes about as we become ambassadors for Christ; that is being His hands and feet as we respond to the quiet voice of the Spirit that speaks to our hearts. It is a role that no one deserves but all are called to act upon.
Do you experience the Kingdom of God at work in yourself? Do you experience the Kingdom of God manifested in the world around you as Jesus' love is continually poured out into each of our hearts? This is the Kingdom of God at hand. It is all around us. We only need eyes that are open to see it.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Experiencing God - Forgiveness 149
"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister when they sin against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times".
Gospel of Matthew
I recall an incident that happened many years ago before I was married. During our dating time, my future wife and I were very much in love with each other. We were also working in the same small office, a situation I was a bit sensitive about. During one of our staff functions, I completely ignored her for the whole course of the meeting. She was very hurt by my reaction towards her and our relationship was broken off for a short time. I recall quite vividly the pain that I experienced from this temporary break-up. It was only after I went to her and told her how sorry I was for hurting her, and asking for forgiveness, that the relationship was healed. In fact, it was restored to a level of trust deeper than before.
To ask for forgiveness is not an easy thing. We like to think that we are always right in what we say and what we do. But the truth is, what we say and what we do, often causes hurt to someone else. And this hurt can break a relationship unless, of course, we ask for forgiveness. "I'm sorry I hurt you. Can we begin again." If we dig in our heals, and stubbornly insist that we did nothing wrong, then nothing is corrected, nothing is healed. It takes humility to admit that our relationships are more important than being right all the time.
When you're married for many years, you learn the importance of saying: "Listen, I'm sorry I hurt you. Can we begin again."
Jesus was well aware of the importance of forgiveness in healing relationships. He incorporated forgiveness in the Lord's Prayer. He expressed it in this way: "Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you your failings, but if you do not forgive others, your heavenly Father will not forgive you."
When you read what Jesus is saying here, one gets an impression that the Father's forgiveness is stingy and conditional: "I will not forgive you unless you forgive others".
The problem is that when we fail to ask for forgiveness, or when we fail to forgive others, then we set in motion, within ourselves, a disposition that separates our "true selves" from God. It's not that God will not forgive you, or does not want to forgive you. It's just that our own unforgiving disposition creates within us an obstacle to receiving God's abundant grace and love. We put up a wall between ourselves and God, a wall that prevents God's love from coming through. This is another reason why the admission of our wrongs, and the forgiveness of those who have hurt us is so important. It keeps our hearts free from the obstacles that prevent God's forgiveness from coming through.
Good relationships are built on our need to forgive and to be forgiven, even during those times when there is no real intention to hurt the other. No one is exempt. We all have a different level of sensitivities and they are not always in the same place. But a simple - "I'm sorry, can you forgive me so we can begin again" - is usually all that is needed to undo the hurt. This is needed in our homes, in our churches, and in our work places.
Gospel of Matthew
I recall an incident that happened many years ago before I was married. During our dating time, my future wife and I were very much in love with each other. We were also working in the same small office, a situation I was a bit sensitive about. During one of our staff functions, I completely ignored her for the whole course of the meeting. She was very hurt by my reaction towards her and our relationship was broken off for a short time. I recall quite vividly the pain that I experienced from this temporary break-up. It was only after I went to her and told her how sorry I was for hurting her, and asking for forgiveness, that the relationship was healed. In fact, it was restored to a level of trust deeper than before.
To ask for forgiveness is not an easy thing. We like to think that we are always right in what we say and what we do. But the truth is, what we say and what we do, often causes hurt to someone else. And this hurt can break a relationship unless, of course, we ask for forgiveness. "I'm sorry I hurt you. Can we begin again." If we dig in our heals, and stubbornly insist that we did nothing wrong, then nothing is corrected, nothing is healed. It takes humility to admit that our relationships are more important than being right all the time.
When you're married for many years, you learn the importance of saying: "Listen, I'm sorry I hurt you. Can we begin again."
Jesus was well aware of the importance of forgiveness in healing relationships. He incorporated forgiveness in the Lord's Prayer. He expressed it in this way: "Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you your failings, but if you do not forgive others, your heavenly Father will not forgive you."
When you read what Jesus is saying here, one gets an impression that the Father's forgiveness is stingy and conditional: "I will not forgive you unless you forgive others".
The problem is that when we fail to ask for forgiveness, or when we fail to forgive others, then we set in motion, within ourselves, a disposition that separates our "true selves" from God. It's not that God will not forgive you, or does not want to forgive you. It's just that our own unforgiving disposition creates within us an obstacle to receiving God's abundant grace and love. We put up a wall between ourselves and God, a wall that prevents God's love from coming through. This is another reason why the admission of our wrongs, and the forgiveness of those who have hurt us is so important. It keeps our hearts free from the obstacles that prevent God's forgiveness from coming through.
Good relationships are built on our need to forgive and to be forgiven, even during those times when there is no real intention to hurt the other. No one is exempt. We all have a different level of sensitivities and they are not always in the same place. But a simple - "I'm sorry, can you forgive me so we can begin again" - is usually all that is needed to undo the hurt. This is needed in our homes, in our churches, and in our work places.
Experiencing God - Self-emptying 148
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full."
Gospel of Matthew
There's a very powerful line in Paul's letter to the Philippians: "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied Himself taking a form of a slave." This same passage in the Jerusalem Bible says: "His state was divine, yet He did not cling to His equality with God, but emptied Himself to assume the condition of a slave. Let the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, be also in you."
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is telling His disciples that there are three things they can do to go deeper in their spiritual lives: pray, fast, and give alms. And yet, with each of these holy activities comes a warning. If you do them with the wrong intention, they become ineffective. If we pray to be seen by others, it becomes ineffective. If we give alms in order to boost our reputation with our peers, it becomes an ineffective gesture. If we fast for show or to receive praise, then it will not lead to a deeper spiritual life.
Why is this? Why do these holy actions become empty gestures when done with the wrong intention?
The reason is because they are being done for "self", and not for the glory of God. Each of these actions - praying, fasting, giving alms - are intended as forms of self-denial or self-emptying. To pray is to give up one's time. To fast is to give up one's comfort. To give alms is to give up one's security to benefit another. All are forms of self-emptying. When these sacred actions are performed to reap another form of self-gratification - to be seen, to be noticed, to impress others, to boost one's reputation - then we are not self-emptying at all. We remain "full of self". And it's this over-identification with "self", or our self pre-occupation that separates us from being in the presence of God.
We've all had encounters with selfishness, self-pity and the like. We all know the pain it causes as we find ourselves alone and alienated from God and those around us. Any over-identification with "self" has this effect.
I use to think that if I prayed a lot every day, then God would reward me. So my goal became to pray often so that I might receive God's blessings. The fact that I turned my prayer into a personal goal to achieve something for me made it ineffective. I was doing it for what I could get out of it. I was playing games with God.
Prayer, fasting and alms giving are only effective when we can get "self" and all of "self's" desires out of the way so that God can provide for us what we truly need. And what we need from God is often quite different from what we think we want.
St. Paul says to the Philippians: "Let the same mind that was in Christ Jesus be in you also" Allow our prayer to be an act of self-surrender to a God who loves us. Allow our fasting to be a self-emptying of the cravings and desires of the flesh. Allow our almsgiving to be an acceptance that all is gift, and in poverty and humility we return, as gift, part of God's boundless generosity. As St. John the Baptist said in the Gospels: "I must become smaller so that God may become larger." Or as St. Paul says in Galatians: "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me".
Gospel of Matthew
There's a very powerful line in Paul's letter to the Philippians: "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied Himself taking a form of a slave." This same passage in the Jerusalem Bible says: "His state was divine, yet He did not cling to His equality with God, but emptied Himself to assume the condition of a slave. Let the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, be also in you."
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is telling His disciples that there are three things they can do to go deeper in their spiritual lives: pray, fast, and give alms. And yet, with each of these holy activities comes a warning. If you do them with the wrong intention, they become ineffective. If we pray to be seen by others, it becomes ineffective. If we give alms in order to boost our reputation with our peers, it becomes an ineffective gesture. If we fast for show or to receive praise, then it will not lead to a deeper spiritual life.
Why is this? Why do these holy actions become empty gestures when done with the wrong intention?
The reason is because they are being done for "self", and not for the glory of God. Each of these actions - praying, fasting, giving alms - are intended as forms of self-denial or self-emptying. To pray is to give up one's time. To fast is to give up one's comfort. To give alms is to give up one's security to benefit another. All are forms of self-emptying. When these sacred actions are performed to reap another form of self-gratification - to be seen, to be noticed, to impress others, to boost one's reputation - then we are not self-emptying at all. We remain "full of self". And it's this over-identification with "self", or our self pre-occupation that separates us from being in the presence of God.
We've all had encounters with selfishness, self-pity and the like. We all know the pain it causes as we find ourselves alone and alienated from God and those around us. Any over-identification with "self" has this effect.
I use to think that if I prayed a lot every day, then God would reward me. So my goal became to pray often so that I might receive God's blessings. The fact that I turned my prayer into a personal goal to achieve something for me made it ineffective. I was doing it for what I could get out of it. I was playing games with God.
Prayer, fasting and alms giving are only effective when we can get "self" and all of "self's" desires out of the way so that God can provide for us what we truly need. And what we need from God is often quite different from what we think we want.
St. Paul says to the Philippians: "Let the same mind that was in Christ Jesus be in you also" Allow our prayer to be an act of self-surrender to a God who loves us. Allow our fasting to be a self-emptying of the cravings and desires of the flesh. Allow our almsgiving to be an acceptance that all is gift, and in poverty and humility we return, as gift, part of God's boundless generosity. As St. John the Baptist said in the Gospels: "I must become smaller so that God may become larger." Or as St. Paul says in Galatians: "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me".
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Experiencing God - Surrender 147
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law. I have come, not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter will pass from the law until all is accomplished.
Gospel of Matthew
This gospel starts off with "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of God". If you continue to read through Chapter 5 of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus gives six teachings on subjects where the Old Testament law has been compromised by the Pharisees. Each of these teachings start off with the words: "You have heard that it was said". In other words, Jesus is saying: "You have heard that it was said that this is the case, but it goes much deeper than this.
These six teachings of Jesus that identify where the law has been compromised are broken up in the following manner:
1. concerning anger
2. concerning adultery
3. concerning divorce
4. concerning the making of oaths
5. concerning retaliation
6. concerning love for one's enemies
Each of these teachings, as Jesus presents them, are much more radical than practiced by the Scribes and Pharisees based on their ideal of holiness. Jesus takes us beneath the forbidden action to deal with the root disposition that gives rise to the action. The Pharisees followed the more literal interpretation of scripture by forbidding only the action itself.
Jesus stresses that we must curb and root out the anger and hatred that lie in the depth of the heart. We must purify the underlining intentions that lead to name calling, slander, revenge, retaliation, stealing, murder, etc. We must purify our hearts and undergo an internal conversion. If and when we do, the forbidden action will never be a problem.
The big question we are challenged with is how can we undergo this radical conversion of the heart? The answer is: we can't! At least, not by ourselves. But by surrendering to Christ, by asking for His Grace and love to overcome the human tendencies of the heart, then conversion can take place. Our human nature is very fickle. It is inclined to react to so many different things. We move so easily to a righteous indignation when we are offended and hurt. Only Grace that comes from Christ can keep us steadfast on the road that leads to the Kingdom of God. And the Kingdom of God lives among us.
Through the Grace provided by our surrender to Christ, we have the means to bring the law to fulfillment in our lives and in the world.
Gospel of Matthew
This gospel starts off with "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of God". If you continue to read through Chapter 5 of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus gives six teachings on subjects where the Old Testament law has been compromised by the Pharisees. Each of these teachings start off with the words: "You have heard that it was said". In other words, Jesus is saying: "You have heard that it was said that this is the case, but it goes much deeper than this.
These six teachings of Jesus that identify where the law has been compromised are broken up in the following manner:
1. concerning anger
2. concerning adultery
3. concerning divorce
4. concerning the making of oaths
5. concerning retaliation
6. concerning love for one's enemies
Each of these teachings, as Jesus presents them, are much more radical than practiced by the Scribes and Pharisees based on their ideal of holiness. Jesus takes us beneath the forbidden action to deal with the root disposition that gives rise to the action. The Pharisees followed the more literal interpretation of scripture by forbidding only the action itself.
Jesus stresses that we must curb and root out the anger and hatred that lie in the depth of the heart. We must purify the underlining intentions that lead to name calling, slander, revenge, retaliation, stealing, murder, etc. We must purify our hearts and undergo an internal conversion. If and when we do, the forbidden action will never be a problem.
The big question we are challenged with is how can we undergo this radical conversion of the heart? The answer is: we can't! At least, not by ourselves. But by surrendering to Christ, by asking for His Grace and love to overcome the human tendencies of the heart, then conversion can take place. Our human nature is very fickle. It is inclined to react to so many different things. We move so easily to a righteous indignation when we are offended and hurt. Only Grace that comes from Christ can keep us steadfast on the road that leads to the Kingdom of God. And the Kingdom of God lives among us.
Through the Grace provided by our surrender to Christ, we have the means to bring the law to fulfillment in our lives and in the world.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Experiencing God - Barnabas 146
In those days a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart, for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
Acts of the Apostles
Barnabas, whose feast day falls on June 11, was the disciple most associated with Saint Paul. The reason for this is because Paul and Barnabas carried out much of their missionary endeavors together, especially in bringing the good news of Christ to the Gentiles. Antioch, a Gentile community, was the place where the followers of Christ were first called Christians.
To appreciate Barnabas, we have to understand his background. He was born of a Jewish family in Cypress. His early years would have been steeped in this rich Jewish tradition, and as a young man moving to Jerusalem, he would have followed faithfully the rituals and traditions of his youth. At some point, he was drawn to Jesus and His teachings. Perhaps he was one of the seventy disciples sent by Jesus to proclaim the Kingdom of God, or perhaps he was converted to Christianity after Pentecost. Regardless, he was a man who desired to share the good news of Christ to anyone who would listen.
In the Biblical commentary, it is said that Barnabas was one of those people who sold his property and contributed the proceeds to the early Church that we read about in Acts. When Saul (later Paul the Apostle) made his first visit to Jerusalem after his conversion, it was Barnabas who befriended him, stood by him, and had him received by the other apostles.
When rumors came to the Church in Jerusalem that there had been much success in converting the Greek Gentiles to the Christian faith, it was Barnabas who was sent to check things out. The fact that the church was moving into unchartered waters by incorporating non-Jews into a predominate Jewish faith tradition was never a problem with Barnabas. Before his conversion to Christianity, he would probably have been scandalized at the prospects of Jews and Gentiles praying and breaking bread together around the same table. But through his great humility, he was willing to let the Spirit lead the Church in ways that he would not have otherwise expected or understood. Barnabas was instrumental in encouraging the new Gentile believers to stay faithful to their calling and the Gospel. As a result, the early Church grew in strength and numbers.
The questions that come to mind from this reflection are two: Are we willing to trust that the Spirit is working in the hearts of others calling them to faith and love, even when it deviates from the ways that are common to our understanding? Are we willing to let go of our own ideas based on our culture and experience; are we willing to let go of our engrained concepts and images of God to recognize that God can have ways that exceed our limited ways of thinking?
Barnabas learned that God was so much bigger than his own ideas, and this made him a valuable servant. He was able to let go of the inner boundaries established by his own Jewish roots to participate in the bigger plan, and be instrumental in the life of the early Christian church.
Acts of the Apostles
Barnabas, whose feast day falls on June 11, was the disciple most associated with Saint Paul. The reason for this is because Paul and Barnabas carried out much of their missionary endeavors together, especially in bringing the good news of Christ to the Gentiles. Antioch, a Gentile community, was the place where the followers of Christ were first called Christians.
To appreciate Barnabas, we have to understand his background. He was born of a Jewish family in Cypress. His early years would have been steeped in this rich Jewish tradition, and as a young man moving to Jerusalem, he would have followed faithfully the rituals and traditions of his youth. At some point, he was drawn to Jesus and His teachings. Perhaps he was one of the seventy disciples sent by Jesus to proclaim the Kingdom of God, or perhaps he was converted to Christianity after Pentecost. Regardless, he was a man who desired to share the good news of Christ to anyone who would listen.
In the Biblical commentary, it is said that Barnabas was one of those people who sold his property and contributed the proceeds to the early Church that we read about in Acts. When Saul (later Paul the Apostle) made his first visit to Jerusalem after his conversion, it was Barnabas who befriended him, stood by him, and had him received by the other apostles.
When rumors came to the Church in Jerusalem that there had been much success in converting the Greek Gentiles to the Christian faith, it was Barnabas who was sent to check things out. The fact that the church was moving into unchartered waters by incorporating non-Jews into a predominate Jewish faith tradition was never a problem with Barnabas. Before his conversion to Christianity, he would probably have been scandalized at the prospects of Jews and Gentiles praying and breaking bread together around the same table. But through his great humility, he was willing to let the Spirit lead the Church in ways that he would not have otherwise expected or understood. Barnabas was instrumental in encouraging the new Gentile believers to stay faithful to their calling and the Gospel. As a result, the early Church grew in strength and numbers.
The questions that come to mind from this reflection are two: Are we willing to trust that the Spirit is working in the hearts of others calling them to faith and love, even when it deviates from the ways that are common to our understanding? Are we willing to let go of our own ideas based on our culture and experience; are we willing to let go of our engrained concepts and images of God to recognize that God can have ways that exceed our limited ways of thinking?
Barnabas learned that God was so much bigger than his own ideas, and this made him a valuable servant. He was able to let go of the inner boundaries established by his own Jewish roots to participate in the bigger plan, and be instrumental in the life of the early Christian church.
Experiencing God - Wisdom and Method 145
"The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed."
Gospel of Luke
On the first day of the year and the feast day of the solemnity of Mary, we come with all our resolutions and hopes of things to come. Yet we know from experience that resolutions can fall away quickly as the days and weeks pass. This can happen, not only to our personal resolutions, but also to our spiritual resolutions. If we examine this phenomena closely, we discover that the reason is that we often can come up with the idea of what to do, but fail to follow a method or discipline to put it in place.
In scripture and in church we discover wisdom. This is the voice that speaks to our hearts about what would be best for us, but we also need to discover the method by which they can be accomplished. We need both. Wisdom without method will not lead to any meaningful change. Coming up with ideas is one thing, but if we lack the method of putting the idea in place, it is unlikely that much will happen.
From this context, we look at the following scriptures. We read in Numbers:
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
We are not alone.
In Galatians, we have the encouraging words of St. Paul to focus us in the right direction: "God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying Abba father. So you are no longer a slave, but a son or daughter and also heir through God."
Do you see yourself as a son or daughter of God? Do you see yourself as an heir to His Kingdom?
If we look at these quotes from scripture superficially, and only refer to them once or twice a year, they will have little impact on our lives. But if we approach them through daily prayer, and ponder them in our hearts, then the seeds of this message, this wisdom, will begin to take root in our lives.
This is the "method" that we adopt in order to assure that the wisdom given us and spoken to our hearts, becomes a reality in our lives.
In the Gospel of Luke above, the shepherds, excited about their own experience of God's truths go to Bethlehem and convey to Mary and Joseph all that they have seen and heard. It is said that Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. It is through this "method", the action of pondering, that she was able to fulfill God's revelation for all the people. This daily practice of pondering, reflecting, meditating on the wisdom of God becomes the means by which we see our own role in God's plan as son and daughter, as heir of His Kingdom.
A daily discipline of prayer and meditation, receiving Christ by word and sacrament, becomes the method that brings our resolutions to life.
Gospel of Luke
On the first day of the year and the feast day of the solemnity of Mary, we come with all our resolutions and hopes of things to come. Yet we know from experience that resolutions can fall away quickly as the days and weeks pass. This can happen, not only to our personal resolutions, but also to our spiritual resolutions. If we examine this phenomena closely, we discover that the reason is that we often can come up with the idea of what to do, but fail to follow a method or discipline to put it in place.
In scripture and in church we discover wisdom. This is the voice that speaks to our hearts about what would be best for us, but we also need to discover the method by which they can be accomplished. We need both. Wisdom without method will not lead to any meaningful change. Coming up with ideas is one thing, but if we lack the method of putting the idea in place, it is unlikely that much will happen.
From this context, we look at the following scriptures. We read in Numbers:
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
We are not alone.
In Galatians, we have the encouraging words of St. Paul to focus us in the right direction: "God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying Abba father. So you are no longer a slave, but a son or daughter and also heir through God."
Do you see yourself as a son or daughter of God? Do you see yourself as an heir to His Kingdom?
If we look at these quotes from scripture superficially, and only refer to them once or twice a year, they will have little impact on our lives. But if we approach them through daily prayer, and ponder them in our hearts, then the seeds of this message, this wisdom, will begin to take root in our lives.
This is the "method" that we adopt in order to assure that the wisdom given us and spoken to our hearts, becomes a reality in our lives.
In the Gospel of Luke above, the shepherds, excited about their own experience of God's truths go to Bethlehem and convey to Mary and Joseph all that they have seen and heard. It is said that Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. It is through this "method", the action of pondering, that she was able to fulfill God's revelation for all the people. This daily practice of pondering, reflecting, meditating on the wisdom of God becomes the means by which we see our own role in God's plan as son and daughter, as heir of His Kingdom.
A daily discipline of prayer and meditation, receiving Christ by word and sacrament, becomes the method that brings our resolutions to life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)