Temptations Along the Way

Mark 9:43-47 (NRSV): Temptations Along the Way

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell.

Following the way, the truth, and the life of Jesus Christ does not come naturally; it comes, instead, through God’s grace and our willingness to cooperate. But along the way of discipleship, we are confronted with many obstacles. In Mark 9:43-47, Jesus identifies three. The hand, foot, and eye symbolize the different types of sins we face. And in identifying these sins, Jesus teaches us how to progress in the life of his Spirit and to bear good witness to him in this world.

When we are presented with temptation, Jesus tells us to “cut it off” or “tear it out.” The passage’s application is metaphorical, not literal. The hand symbolizes those habits and activities that we do, the actions we take that lead us either away from or toward God. The “foot” represents the places to which we go and the groups and individuals with whom we associate. The “eye,” finally, represents the experiences to which we expose ourselves. To “stumble” is to sin and lose our balance and way. Jesus reminds us, however, to cut out the distractors in life  -- actions, places, people, habits, and exposures -- that make us fall. What, then, is the Christian response?

This past week, for example, I had a vocational epiphany. Through the most unexpected means, I realized that some of my habits were leading me away from being more focused and effective at my job. I had to cut and tear out the distractions. And once I recognized the bad habits, I prayed for God’s grace and acted in faith to change them. Believe me, conversion is an ongoing process; it is not a destination.

In prayer, let us ask God for direction and insight into his truth. Are there any areas where the Holy Spirit is calling us to a more authentic, honest experience of service? If so, let us ask God to open our eyes to them. Has my hand, foot, or eye led me off of the path? Let us pray for the grace to grow in God’s will. It is a prayer that I daily need.

Have a Happy Memorial Day and a blessed week!

Stan

To Be People of Peace, Prayer, and Patience

John 14:27 (NIV): Peace, Prayer, and Patience

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Here we are in the wake of yet another school shooting. Where is the peace?

Jesus’ words in John 14 identify two kinds of peace. There is the peace of the world: This is a peace that is a mirage, for it is temporary and dependent on the flawed foundation of the human ego. Peace of the world is a corrupt peace; it is a peace dependent on personal priority. Worldly peace is the peace of “me.” Christ’s peace, on the other hand, is an internal peace that only the Holy Spirit can give. His is a peace that opposes that of the world. Christ’s peace is an active peace, for it is a peace that we feel when we pour ourselves out to others. It is a peace of sacrifice and love of neighbor. Christ’s peace endures, radiates, and gives life; the world’s peace falls short, stagnantes, and self-serves.

Coming home from church this week, my teenage son commented, “Dad, we did not pray for the victims of the Texas school shooting today. Why?” Again, this is  a question for which I do not have an answer. Although we do pray for victims of violence each week and we pray for those who have passed, have we become numb to the specificity of the events themselves? Has “school shooting” become a phrase in our vernacular that no longer connotes the sensitivity that it once did?

I keep coming back to Jesus’ words to his apostles: “I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” The world’s events will never bring us peace. It is Christ in us that brings peace to the world, his peace. And although we may not know how to assuage the anxiety of our families, students, and the people we interact with day to day, we can count on the power of the Holy Spirit in us to radiate the true peace of Christ’s love to those who hurt, to those who question, and to those who mourn.

Let us pray for the peace of Christ to be in the hearts of a people, especially those who feel the pain and emptiness of loss, the fear of the future, and the weariness of the world’s threats. Let us pray to be the agents of Christ’s peace and love to all, for his is the only peace that perseveres. Amen.

Have a blessed week!

Stan

To Be a People of the Ascended Jesus

Mark 16:19-20 (NLT): To be a People of the Ascended Jesus

When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with [his disciples], he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.

This week marks the celebration of Jesus’ ascension into heaven and to the Father’s right hand. Often readers take this literally, thinking that Jesus vanished into a cloud and took his seat on a majestic throne somewhere far off in the cosmos. And in this debate, the faithful lose the true meaning of the passage. What, then, does Jesus’ ascension mean for us?

Jesus’ ascension marks the time when it becomes our turn to be his agents of love, healing, mercy, peace, and unity in the world. Up until his ascension, Jesus taught and exemplified everything about his way, truth, and life. After Jesus is taken up, Mark writes, “. . . [T]he disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them” (20).

We are Christ’s modern-day disciples. And our commission has not changed in over 2000 years. Jesus continues his work of love, healing, and reconciliation through each of us. When we open our eyes, there are many small moments throughout our day when we are called to be agents of God’s love. All we need to do is look, listen, and pray that we act in those moments where our love -- the love Jesus channels through us -- is needed.

Scripture is clear about Jesus’ commission for each of us to act in his love. In his Living Space commentary, Frank Doyle, S.J., moreover, suggests four aspects of this commission:

1. As Christians, we are called to evangelize, to communicate the life-giving message of the Good News. This is not only the responsibility of the ordained. It is the call of all the faithful in Christ.

2. As Christians, we are all called to heal. This may mean listening to others’ complaints and pains. It may mean praying together for God’s grace. Depending on our faith tradition, it may mean confessing our sins to a priest, pastor, or faithful friend and praying for God’s forgiveness.

3. As Christians, we are called to be people of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s power gives people “strength in times of weakness, hope in times of fear or despair, a power that, above all, gives meaning to life in all situations.”

4. As Christians, we are called to be a people of unity. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus continues to work with and through his people. Jesus, therefore, is to be found in every person: “'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'” (Matthew 25:40).

Where in our day does God give us the opportunity to heal, unify, be people of the Spirit, and evangelize? Let us pray for the grace to be a channel of Christ’s peace to all people.

Heavenly Father, we pray to be people of unity, the Holy Spirit, healing, and evangelization in this world. Strengthen us, dear God, in this commission, so that each of us can be the face, heart, and hands of Jesus Christ to others. We pray in Jesus Christ’s name, amen.

Have a blessed week!

Stan

What is Love?

John 15:16-17 (NABRE): What is Love?

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.

Love is an overused expression that we see romanticized, marketed, and loosely applied to anything that brings pleasure. But what is love in the Christian sense? And what does Jesus mean when he commands us to do it?

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, a Catholic nun known for her “little way,” writes in her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, about loving the difficult to love. She tells about a cantankerous older nun in her community whom all of the sisters could not stand. This curmudgeon made the lives of those around her miserable. But Thérèse saw this as an opportunity to be the conduit of God’s grace and love. She loved this least desirable person through simple gestures of care and concern. In discussing what Jesus meant about loving others as he has loved us, Thérèse writes the following:

I realise, now, that perfect love means putting up with other people’s shortcomings, feeling no surprise at their weaknesses, finding encouragement even in the slightest evidence of good qualities in them. But the point which came home to me most of all was that it was no good leaving charity locked up in the depths of your heart. “A lamp,” Jesus says, “is not lighted to be put away under a bushel measure; it is put on the lamp-stand, to give light to all the people of the house.” The lamp, I suppose, stands for charity; and the cheerful light it gives isn’t meant simply for the people we are fond of; it is meant for everybody in the house, without exception. (The Story of a Soul)

In loving the most difficult person in her convent, Thérèse shows us what Jesus means by loving one another as he has loved us: Jesus chose us to be channels of his love, a love expressed to all, especially the least desirable. There are numerous examples of this throughout Scripture. One example is in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Another, for instance, is in the story of the Prodigal Son. Even more, we see perfect love lived out as Jesus, nailed to the cross and humiliated by the crowds, prays to the Father to “forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Love, in the Christian sense, is without condition and measure; it does not discriminate.

Some of the most hard-won moments of my life have been in guiding behaviorally challenged students with the same kindness and love that I do to others. I try my best, but due to my own callousness and pride, I sometimes fail. And it is in those failures that I learn my most important lessons on love and pray that in the future I can be a better imitator and conduit of Jesus’ love. Where in your life do you see the need for more love and understanding of others?

Loving God, we pray that your grace fill us with the desire to love others as you love us. Our capacity to love is a gift from you, so we pray to be both vessels and channels of that love to those we encounter. In Jesus Christ we pray, amen.

Have a blessed week!

Stan