Trembling and Fear

"I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest on human wisdom but on the power of God."

Sometimes we confuse "persuasive (words of) wisdom" with "demonstration of spirit and power." When a speaker moves us to emotional highs and we become excited and thrilled, we tell each other that the "spirit is working." But afterwards, after all is said and done, we return to our homes and go back to being...as Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter wrote in one of his songs.."my same old used-to-be." I don't doubt that the Spirit can work in these ways, such as we hear of Pentecost Sunday, but the Spirit also works in the quiet of our days, alone and in darkness, when we quiet ourselves and listen. I think that this is what Paul may be telling the Corinthians. The message is greater, more pervasive, than the messenger. When Paul says he comes in "weakness and fear and much trembling," he is talking about his knowing of the Lord. He has emptied himself to the point where it is not Paul speaking, but the "spirit and power" of God is speaking through him. As I thought about this, I thought of the prayer of St. Francis. "Make me a vessel of your peace..."

We are, if we are quietly seeking the Lord, more like Paul and St. Francis than we may realize. In our humility, we empty ourselves. We listen, we pray, and then we act. In our lives, we bear witness to Christ. We evangelize by being who we have become through Christ. Just as Paul did.
We may not travel the world or have our own cable network, but we quietly evangelize our family, friends, co-workers and community. Those who are open and seeking see. Those who reject will reject. That is there call. We are answering ours. To walk simply in the light of the Lord as vessels of His love.

The Two

Funny thing happened on the way to a relationship with God. The discovery that this is more than a one-to-one relationship. Comes a point, if you're serious about meeting God, when you realize that everyone else is entitled to do the same thing you are. Instead of "me and God," you come to a knowing of the universe as the work of God. The more you come to know that and live that and act that, the more God's love tends to grow in your own life. I thought about that this morning, reading Matthew's gospel about the two great commandments. Pursuit of "one" leads to the pursuit of "two" and the pursuit of "two" leads to a greater fulfillment of one. God's love in your own life really begins to blossom when you begin to see...and treat...other people as you would yourself. You want them to have what you are having, a great relationship with God. You hope for them, pray for them, and if called upon to do so, help them get their share of the Kingdom as well.

Wednesday Morning at the Vineyard.

Matthew 20:1-16 today. Always has given me hope. It's worth taking a few minutes to live with...the thought of a God who has so much love and is so ready to give it to us at any time we choose to say "yes" in our words, actions, deeds.

Another thought. If you knew of a guy who would hire anybody at full wages despite the need...or lack of need...for new workers, how fast would you tell your brother, friend, or neighbor?

Feast of the Assumption

"I repeat, it is owing to his favor that salvation is yours through faith. This is not your own doing, it is God's gift; neither is it reward for anything you have accomplished, so let no one pride himself on it. We are truly his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to lead the life of good deeds which God prepared for us in advance. Ephesians 2:9-10

This is one of the readings in the Office of Readings for today's feast. "We are truly his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to lead the life of good deeds which God prepared for us in advance." This is the perfect description of the life of Mary, one who said the most important "yes," the "yes" that gave mankind hope. In her life, and in her Assumption, we see the handiwork of the Lord who loves us so, the fulfillment of the "favor of salvation." This is a day about Mary. But it is also a day about the hope in the gift of the Lord.

In my office, I have two Marian art works. One was done by a friend, a charcoal of the Virgin and infant. The other is on my desk, where I can see it constantly. It is the traditional icon of the Mother holding the Christ child, pointing to Him while looking at us. We celebrate and hope today for the fulfillment of the Way that the Mother indicates in this icon.

Matthew18: 15-21

"I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven..."

We are disciples of Christ. We have committed ourselves to following Him, in order that we may become the person the Father created us to be and that we may share in the eternal banquet that the Father has for us. Oh, and we're supposed to share this with others on the journey. In short, we need to evangelize and catechize.

Neither should be treated as a hobby, but rather as a vocation, one's call to a life in God. And when we truly carry out our work, it will be blessed, as promised by Christ.

What we need to watch out for is letting pride and arrogance creep into our work. We are not better than those we evangelize or catechize. We are not spiritual Know-it-Alls or the blessed Mr. Fixit. If our pride overcomes us, we become the worst caricatures of evangelization and catechesis. Instead, we are humble vessels, allowing ourselves to be filled with the Lord and letting it flow over to others. Humility for the Lord is you second and everyone else first.

But if we don't succumb, if we truly are the compassionate, humble messenger, our work becomes Christ's work and is thus sacred and blessed.
Perhaps today is a good day to spend some time reflecting your own call in the missionary Church.

Feast of the Transfiguration

"Master, it is well that we are here..." Luke 9:33

If we live long enough, we are going to get whacked around.

We will limp as we carry our crosses, we will have pain that is either emotional or physical, that lingers constantly. We will have days when we drag ourselves up and stumble along to the end, hanging on for dear life.

So perhaps today we can step back, be quiet and relish that special relationship we have with the God who loves us. Like Peter, we can step back, stay awake and say "Lord, it is well that we are here..."

Jeremiah 28:1-17

The reading from Jeremiah today (28:1-17)has me wondering primarily aboute about Hananiah. Why would anyone falsley prophesy? Misled by pride? Difficulty in separating what the people would want from the will of the Lord? Jealousy, as in a need to show up Jeremiah?

There should be no surprise here. History is filled with examples of people who have toyed with God in order to get what they want. We live with them all around us today. Perhaps we have been guilty as well, in whatever way. Can you think of anyother phrase that gets used to extreme distortion the way "the will of God" does?

In the end, the Lord shortens the life of Hananiah and increases the hold of Babylon over the Israelites. Sounds like the extreme God of the OT, doesn't it? The point is clearly made. No good can come from misuse of the love of God for his people.

Lord, is it thy will or my will? Help me make it thy will today and every day.