Monday, March 26, 2018

Spiritual Poverty

Matthew 5:1-3 (NRSV): Spiritual Poverty
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.  Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Material poverty is often a byproduct of socio-economic injustice and is not something we desire. Poverty, moreover, connotes suffering. Why, then, does Jesus emphasize spiritual poverty as the first of his beatitudes?
When we think about being blessed, we normally associate that condition with success. For instance, when asked how we are, if things are good, we say, “I am blessed.” And this state of blessedness is often associated with our good standing in the world -- good health, financial stability, and happiness. There is nothing wrong with seeking these three blessings. However, the problem arises when we substitute our worldly blessings for our dependence upon God.
Spiritual poverty, on the other hand, means that we shirk any self-merited approach to God’s love. Our blessings come from no one but God. We must empty ourselves from a self-aggrandizing spirituality in order to be spiritually poor. When we do this, we open ourselves to receive God’s love. And in receiving his love, we become conduits of that love to others.
Heavenly Father, please grant us the grace to empty ourselves so we can fill ourselves with your love. And in true blessedness, which comes only from you, let us serve those around us with joy and purpose. In Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
Have a blessed week!

Stan

Monday, March 19, 2018

Why we Sometimes Suffer

Hebrews 5:8-9 (NRSV): Why we Sometimes Suffer
Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
Setbacks, difficulties, and losses are part of our human drama. And I am no stranger to setbacks. When I was 21 and fresh out of active duty military, I returned home to finish my college degree. One of my goals was to apply and gain acceptance to the Rutgers New Brunswick campus. When I got the admission letter from Rutgers, it stated that I was only accepted at the Camden campus, which was my required second choice. I was devastated. Here I was a young dad, military veteran, and transfer student with strong grades. Why wasn’t I good enough for Rutgers New Brunswick? I suffered and complained. After a few days, however, I gave in and registered at Rutgers Camden. I remember feeling let down and unenthusiastic about starting my classes. But through perseverance, focus, determination, and the support of those around me, Rutgers Camden was one of the best things that could have happened to me. I loved it there! Class sizes were small, the professors were inspiring, and the curriculum was rigorous. I was given a great opportunity that I initially saw as a setback. And I learned an important lesson: Suffering through difficulties often yields wonderful things.
Jesus’ story is one of suffering. From the very beginning of the gospels, people around him sought his death -- Herod, the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees and Sadducees, even the people of his own home town. Hebrews 5:7-10 and John 12:22-30, both readings for this week’s worship, remind us that Jesus chose to suffer. In that suffering he could have demanded the Father save him, but he didn’t. For instance, John quotes Jesus in 12:27: “No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.” Christ offered his suffering as an act of love for us. The question, however, comes back to us.  Are we willing to suffer, too? After all, Jesus mentions in John 12:26 that “[w]hoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.”
The poet Langston Hughes embodies the triumph of human suffering and perseverance in his poem “Mother to Son”:
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
The speaker of the poem, an older generation African American mother, addresses her suffering son. Perseverance, steadiness, and forward motion are the attributes that bring victory for the new African American generation of Hughes’ time. Hughes’ message, moreover, is one rooted in today’s gospel. We are to follow Christ, even when it means trudging through life’s trials. As Jesus models, the light of victory follows the darkness of our suffering.
I have always been a poor sufferer. Even the not-so-hard trials like fasting, prayer, and patience are a challenge for me. Jesus, however, is the perfect model. For “[a]lthough he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of [our] eternal salvation . . .” Hebrews 5:8-9.
I pray that we all embrace the difficult roads that lie ahead, knowing that God will provide the necessary grace for our victory. Amen.
Have a blessed week!
Stan

Sunday, March 11, 2018

Let us Choose Love

John 3:16-18 (RSV): Let us Choose Love
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
John 3:16 is one of the most quoted verses in Scripture, and many Christians use it as their mantra to salvation. It is a beautiful quote from the lips of Christ, and its message is, in many ways, a summation of the gospel. However, we must consider it in its context, specifically along with verses 17-18. And we must consider its audience, Nicodemus, a member of the Pharisees, who comes to seek Jesus’ wisdom under the cover of night.
As verses 17-18 connote, Jesus did come into the world through God’s love. Christ’s mission, therefore, is not one of condemnation; it is one of salvation. Why, then, in verse 18, does John mention that some are condemned? If we look carefully at the text, we discover that condemnation does not come from Christ but through people’s faithless rejection of him. When it comes to faith, however, many people are their own worst enemies, rejecting what they know is true for something that conforms to their own worldview. The Pharisees were no different.
Nicodemus, although a Pharisee, seeks the truth, even if it goes against his Pharisaic worldview. He seeks out Jesus and desires, in John 3, to learn about being born from above and receiving new life in Christ. And it is in John 19 that Nicodemus later accompanies Joseph of Arimathea to receive, prepare, and entomb the body of Jesus. Nicodemus’ open-mindedness toward Jesus leads him to the truth, God’s salvation through Jesus Christ.
John 3:16 is a verse with impact, but we often neglect its complete message. Jesus came to save, not condemn. It is through our blindness, egotism, arrogance, hatred, and entitlement -- much like that of the Pharisees in Jesus’ time -- that we are condemned. As Frank Doyle writes, “It is not a loving God who condemns; rather [it is] people [who] choose to alienate themselves from his love” (“Living Space”). The question to ask, then, is what are we choosing -- love or alienation?
Heavenly Father, we pray for the grace to know, love, and imitate your Son in this world so that others are drawn into his light. Let us choose love. In Jesus Christ we pray, amen.

Have a blessed week!

Stan

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Hindsight is 20/20

John 2:22 (NRSV): Hindsight is 20/20
After [Jesus] was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
Although we can have the best intentions, the world and its many distractions can obscure what we see in faith.
Angel was a girl I got to know in sixth grade. She was different from the others -- kind, welcoming, and Christian. With enthusiasm, she talked about her faith in Christ. And for a poorly catechised Catholic kid, I did not have a clue about my faith nor would I have considered talking about it. We quickly became friends, however, for there was something that drew me to her. Angel’s honesty, welcoming spirit, and lack of judgment -- all foreign to me -- were magnetic. I just did not understand it at the time. So I passed our friendship off as unique, and we continued to talk and walk together to classes. By seventh grade I fell into a new circle of friends, and she simply faded away.
Hindsight is 20/20. And God’s grace provides the best corrective vision.  I see Angel as a reminder of God’s presence in my life, but I would never see this if God did not first allow it.
Heavenly Father, please grant us clear vision of your presence around us. And grant us the grace to respond with enthusiasm and love to those in need. In Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
Have a blessed week!

Stan