Lent is over …. what now?
Lent is over, as so are the various challenges which we may have set ourselves. For myself, whilst I did not give up chocolate or my cup of tea first thing in the morning (to which I am a slave) or anything like that. Instead, I identified a very particular area of my life which needed to be addressed and changed and, with the help of the discipline of prayer, I set about doing that. Now that Lent is over I must be honest and admit that I am feeling slightly bereft because I don't want to allow myself to slip back to where I was before: that I want to continue on this journey. Where is this journey leading? Our Lenten journey must, ultimately, be one which leads us to freedom, the sort of freedom which Jesus wants for us, the sort of freedom which can only really be acquired when we have fully accepted that the key to perfect joy and freedom lies in being able to completely forget ourselves in order to serve God and those whom God has given us to serve.
Our Christian vocation calls us to say 'no' to ourselves more often than we do - certainly beyond the bounds of Lent. Saying 'no' to ourselves is naturally hard, because it goes against our deepest instinct: our self. However, it is in saying 'no' to the selfish aspect of our self that we allow the Christ part of our self to develop within us, the part of us which seeks to serve rather than be served; to give love rather than to seek it; the part of us which is quick to forgive and which searches for ways in which to establish peace.
This is what Jesus meant when he said that: "a grain of wheat remains no more than a single grain unless it is dropped into the ground and dies. If it does die, then it produces many grains" (John 12:24).
The crop - the fruit - that Jesus wants us to produce cannot be produced until we have learned to set our selfish self aside. This part of us has got to die in order to produce the crop that Jesus is looking for. When Jesus stood on Golgotha, having been stripped of his last possession - his robe - he was naked, there was not much more to give. Then, in his crucifixion, he had given the last and only thing he was able to give to His Father: his life. There was no further way in which he was able to say 'no' to himself - he had given absolutely everything. And what astounding and overwhelming fruit that act of self-denial bore: it brought about humanity's full and everlasting release from darkness and death.
The potential in each and every one of us to bear fruit is huge, but this potential will not be realised by magic: we need to play our own part, and Jesus - throughout the gospels - gives us the perfect example of how to play that part.
Whilst we rightly rejoice and resume our joyous "Alleluia's" at Christ's resurrection, let us not forget how much we have grown and learnt not only about God but ourselves during Lent, and perhaps consider creating further 'mini-Lents' for ourselves so that that growth may continue.
The Church has always recommended that Fridays (and in some religious communities Wednesdays also) are kept as days when we deny ourselves in some way - normally by avoiding meat (though I am sure there are more interesting and challenging things to avoid). This guideline is not meant to oppress us or to make us feel browbeaten into obeying rules and regulations, but to encourage our growth towards God which is so wonderfully accelerated during Lent. To capture, regularly, the grace and joy of Lent and to call us over and over again to turn away from self and more fully towards God.
My brothers and sisters, I implore you by God's mercy to offer your very selves to him: a living sacrifice, dedicated and fit for his acceptance, the worship offered by mind and heart. Adapt yourselves no longer to the pattern of this present world, but let your minds be remade and your whole nature thus transformed. Then you will be able to discern the will of God, and to know what is good, acceptable, and perfect. (Rom 12:1-2)
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
How can the cross be a symbol of life?!
EASTER….. we are told that this is the most important celebration of the Church’s year, but it can sometimes be hard to grasp exactly why.
I am not sure that I fully understood the impact of Jesus’ death and resurrection upon me, personally, until I had thought about the implications of humanity’s original rejection of God. From the time of man's rejection of God onwards, humanity was effectively ‘locked out’ of heaven and all those who died went to 'hell'. In the Old Testament 'hell' was a realm not of punishment but of all the deceased, and to say that “one descended into hell” meant simply that one had died. We must try and imagine what this place might have been like. It was probably a place of no hope and of darkness, a godless place from which there was no apparent escape. Just pause for a moment now and try to imagine how you might feel if you knew that you were shut out of heaven and condemned to eternal darkness. This is an horrendous thought and one which would make the prospect of our own death rather frightening. This would have been our fate had Jesus not intervened.
Why did Jesus have to die such a gruesome death?
He died the death that the ugliness and awfulness of our sin and the sin of humanity deserves! When Jesus hung in tortured agony on the cross, he was carrying the weight of your sins and mine. Weighed down as he was, what were his words? “Father, forgive them!” (Luke 23:34) ... forgive all those who have hurt me or who will ever hurt me … FORGIVE THEM! His thoughts, even then, were not for himself, but for us - you and me. He took all our sin and shame upon himself in order to take them and their power over our lives down into the depths of hell where they belong. “Father, Father ... why have you deserted me?” (Mark 15:34) he cried out as he took on our sins and therefore felt the full force, pain and anguish of separation from God, the separation that only sin can bring, and the separation which would have been ours if not for Jesus.
Where did he go after he died?
He went to hell, to the realm of the dead. I can remember as a child being really afraid of the pitch black: that awful feeling of being disorientated and desperate for even the smallest chink of light. If hell was like this then the emergence into this torturous darkness of a figure of great light, bringing news that darkness and captivity were over must have been overwhelmingly wonderful. The beautiful Christ figure of Perfect Truth, Patience, Goodness, Generosity, Kindness, Mercy, Light & Love entered into hell in order to lead those God-fearing and faithful characters out of darkness and into eternal bliss and light. Can you imagine what that must have been like?
“Christ went down into the depths of death so that the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. Henceforth the risen Christ holds the keys of Death and Hades” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 635)
Jesus’ descent into the realm of death was to achieve a number of things:
to overcome - for all time - the division between God and man and therefore also the power of sin and death;
to take his message of freedom and salvation to all those who had died before him and who were languishing in this place of death, waiting to be delivered;
to convince us that he, too, was human and that he understands how hard it is to die and to suffer any form of anguish
But what about the Resurrection?
To grasp the full impact of his resurrection, it is important to try and imagine the reality of Jesus' death. Jesus, the all-powerful Son of the Creator, was dead. The brutalised and tortured body of the Son of the great “I Am” of all eternity (John 8:58) lay stone cold. How easy it must have been for his friends to think that that was that, the person they thought was all-powerful and the Son of God perhaps wasn’t really what he appeared to be. He was dead wasn’t he? He could have saved himself, but didn’t.
Despite being in the realm of no hope, of death and darkness, Jesus was brought fully back to life both in body and spirit - he was resurrected. We can have absolute faith that this happened, because his friends were united in giving witness through their Gospel accounts of their own personal encounters with the risen Jesus.
His resurrection established victory and sovereignty over the power of death forever, and Heaven was opened up for all those who were to follow him. By this victory there was unleashed a power so great and so omnipotent that there is no power on earth - and never will be - that can ever defeat it. What is this power? It is the power of LIFE, a being at one with God. It is an extraordinary fact that this power is the same power that was given to us through the Holy Spirit at our Baptism. Since our Baptism we have carried with us the flame of eternal life; the flame of God's Spirit; we have already entered into eternity through this gift. This truth of faith can do so much for us! If we really believe in the omnipotence of God in our life we should be asking ourselves a) what is there to fear, and b) how do I respond to it and cooperate with it? Through the power of the Resurrection we have the promise of an eternal life spent in his glorious presence, and we can be sure that this will become a reality for us when we have done our best for him. Jesus, Perfect Good, in rising up, has opened up the way for us to follow him. He has blazed a trail for us into eternal life. If this had not taken place, there would be no hope for us at all: death would be death, the end, eternal darkness. We would still be languishing in the darkness of sin and unforgiven sin, with no hope of anything better.
Through Jesus' death and resurrection we are truly and fully alive, the power of sin in our lives has been vanquished, we have nothing to fear and everything to hope for!
Finally, let me offer you just one last thought. There is a very important aspect of His descent into hell that tends to get overlooked. Jesus’ descent into hell reminds us that we not only meet Jesus in the good and wonderful aspects of our life but, since he has ventured into the realm of darkness, we are now also able to meet him in our sad moments. He went down into hell in order that humanity might meet him there, in the awful moments of our lives. His descent has ensured that he can relate to our every misery and that, in all our sadnesses, we might still have the opportunity to encounter him and, through that encounter, be encouraged, strengthened and healed. Jesus, and his power to overcome, is to be found everywhere, even in the darkest areas of our lives and experience.
Today a great silence reigns on earth, a great silence and a great stillness. A great silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began..... He has gone to search for Adam, our first father, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow Adam in his bonds and Eve, captive with him - He who is both their God and the son of Eve.... ‘I am your God, who for your sake have become your son....I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead’. (Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday)
Arise and shine like the sun; the brightness of his presence will be with you! (Isaiah 60:1)
I am not sure that I fully understood the impact of Jesus’ death and resurrection upon me, personally, until I had thought about the implications of humanity’s original rejection of God. From the time of man's rejection of God onwards, humanity was effectively ‘locked out’ of heaven and all those who died went to 'hell'. In the Old Testament 'hell' was a realm not of punishment but of all the deceased, and to say that “one descended into hell” meant simply that one had died. We must try and imagine what this place might have been like. It was probably a place of no hope and of darkness, a godless place from which there was no apparent escape. Just pause for a moment now and try to imagine how you might feel if you knew that you were shut out of heaven and condemned to eternal darkness. This is an horrendous thought and one which would make the prospect of our own death rather frightening. This would have been our fate had Jesus not intervened.
Why did Jesus have to die such a gruesome death?
He died the death that the ugliness and awfulness of our sin and the sin of humanity deserves! When Jesus hung in tortured agony on the cross, he was carrying the weight of your sins and mine. Weighed down as he was, what were his words? “Father, forgive them!” (Luke 23:34) ... forgive all those who have hurt me or who will ever hurt me … FORGIVE THEM! His thoughts, even then, were not for himself, but for us - you and me. He took all our sin and shame upon himself in order to take them and their power over our lives down into the depths of hell where they belong. “Father, Father ... why have you deserted me?” (Mark 15:34) he cried out as he took on our sins and therefore felt the full force, pain and anguish of separation from God, the separation that only sin can bring, and the separation which would have been ours if not for Jesus.
Where did he go after he died?
He went to hell, to the realm of the dead. I can remember as a child being really afraid of the pitch black: that awful feeling of being disorientated and desperate for even the smallest chink of light. If hell was like this then the emergence into this torturous darkness of a figure of great light, bringing news that darkness and captivity were over must have been overwhelmingly wonderful. The beautiful Christ figure of Perfect Truth, Patience, Goodness, Generosity, Kindness, Mercy, Light & Love entered into hell in order to lead those God-fearing and faithful characters out of darkness and into eternal bliss and light. Can you imagine what that must have been like?
“Christ went down into the depths of death so that the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. Henceforth the risen Christ holds the keys of Death and Hades” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 635)
Jesus’ descent into the realm of death was to achieve a number of things:
to overcome - for all time - the division between God and man and therefore also the power of sin and death;
to take his message of freedom and salvation to all those who had died before him and who were languishing in this place of death, waiting to be delivered;
to convince us that he, too, was human and that he understands how hard it is to die and to suffer any form of anguish
But what about the Resurrection?
To grasp the full impact of his resurrection, it is important to try and imagine the reality of Jesus' death. Jesus, the all-powerful Son of the Creator, was dead. The brutalised and tortured body of the Son of the great “I Am” of all eternity (John 8:58) lay stone cold. How easy it must have been for his friends to think that that was that, the person they thought was all-powerful and the Son of God perhaps wasn’t really what he appeared to be. He was dead wasn’t he? He could have saved himself, but didn’t.
Despite being in the realm of no hope, of death and darkness, Jesus was brought fully back to life both in body and spirit - he was resurrected. We can have absolute faith that this happened, because his friends were united in giving witness through their Gospel accounts of their own personal encounters with the risen Jesus.
His resurrection established victory and sovereignty over the power of death forever, and Heaven was opened up for all those who were to follow him. By this victory there was unleashed a power so great and so omnipotent that there is no power on earth - and never will be - that can ever defeat it. What is this power? It is the power of LIFE, a being at one with God. It is an extraordinary fact that this power is the same power that was given to us through the Holy Spirit at our Baptism. Since our Baptism we have carried with us the flame of eternal life; the flame of God's Spirit; we have already entered into eternity through this gift. This truth of faith can do so much for us! If we really believe in the omnipotence of God in our life we should be asking ourselves a) what is there to fear, and b) how do I respond to it and cooperate with it? Through the power of the Resurrection we have the promise of an eternal life spent in his glorious presence, and we can be sure that this will become a reality for us when we have done our best for him. Jesus, Perfect Good, in rising up, has opened up the way for us to follow him. He has blazed a trail for us into eternal life. If this had not taken place, there would be no hope for us at all: death would be death, the end, eternal darkness. We would still be languishing in the darkness of sin and unforgiven sin, with no hope of anything better.
Through Jesus' death and resurrection we are truly and fully alive, the power of sin in our lives has been vanquished, we have nothing to fear and everything to hope for!
Finally, let me offer you just one last thought. There is a very important aspect of His descent into hell that tends to get overlooked. Jesus’ descent into hell reminds us that we not only meet Jesus in the good and wonderful aspects of our life but, since he has ventured into the realm of darkness, we are now also able to meet him in our sad moments. He went down into hell in order that humanity might meet him there, in the awful moments of our lives. His descent has ensured that he can relate to our every misery and that, in all our sadnesses, we might still have the opportunity to encounter him and, through that encounter, be encouraged, strengthened and healed. Jesus, and his power to overcome, is to be found everywhere, even in the darkest areas of our lives and experience.
Today a great silence reigns on earth, a great silence and a great stillness. A great silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began..... He has gone to search for Adam, our first father, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow Adam in his bonds and Eve, captive with him - He who is both their God and the son of Eve.... ‘I am your God, who for your sake have become your son....I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead’. (Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday)
Arise and shine like the sun; the brightness of his presence will be with you! (Isaiah 60:1)
Monday, 28 March 2011
The Triduum ... is it for me?
Holy Week starts on Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter Sunday. Of all the weeks in the entire liturgical year, this is by far the most important for Christians around the world and is often referred to as the “Great Week”. We see Jesus come to the end of his public ministry and, indeed, his life. We watch him enter Jerusalem on a donkey, apparently being hailed and accepted; we watch him gather his friends together for what he knows will be his last meal and their last time together as a group of friends; we see his anguish and fear in the Garden of Gethsemane as he awaits what he knows lies in store; we see Jesus’ unnecessarily violent arrest and witness his mistreatment and torture; we see him as he receives the heavy wooden cross onto his bruised and bloodied shoulders and we follow him as he struggles up the hill to Golgotha with his cross; we hear his anguished cries and the crack of the hammer as it drives the huge nails through his hands and feet; we hear the creaking of the wood and the howl of pain as the cross is lifted up; we watch for the dreadful three hours that it takes for Jesus to bleed and suffocate to death. We wait. We hold our breath.
All these things we experience in Holy Week and, particularly, during the Easter Triduum. A ‘triduum’ is three consecutive days of public devotion, and the Easter Triduum begins with Maundy Thursday
On Maundy Thursday we revisit and re-enact the Last Supper. Jesus knows very well, as he gathers his friends together, that this will be the very last meal he will eat before he dies. His friends have no idea at all that this meal and the next 24 hours are going to change the entire course of the history of man’s relationship with God. As far as they are concerned, they have gathered for just another meal together. But, on this occasion, Jesus does some things he has never done before. First, he washes his friends’ feet, an action which caused a real stir amongst these men who were still struggling with the idea of humble service. Then, most importantly, he institutes the Eucharist. He takes some bread and wine and, having given thanks to his Father, he transforms the bread and wine into his body and blood, telling his friends that “This is my body” and “This is my blood”, and instructing them to “Do this in memory of me”. This was a truly historic moment: he was showing his friends how to carry out what has been carried out in every Mass around the world since that meal. On Maundy Thursday, then, the Church revisits this final meal in a deeply special and significant way, and we see priests across the world bringing to life the humility of God by getting down onto their knees and washing the feet of 12 of their parishioners. This is followed by the wonderful Eucharistic Prayer in which the bread and wine are turned into the Body and Blood of Jesus, so much more poignant on this day than any other.
At the end of Mass we see the tabernacle being emptied, the Holy Water being removed from stoups, the altar being stripped and all crucifixes being removed or covered in purple, and there is a real feeling of foreboding, a sense of Jesus about to be removed from us.
Maundy Thursday invites us to meditate …
Have I understood that humble service is at the heart of Christianity?
The first shall be last and the last first
Jesus comes back to me, to be with me, in a deeply personal way through the Eucharist
Do I take this sacrament for granted?
Do I receive it carelessly?
Do I give myself to him to the degree that he gives himself to me?
Through the events of Maundy Thursday Jesus is telling us …
I am with you
I come to you still to strengthen and enlighten you
I will help you in all that you have to do
I am sharing my divinity with you
The very next day is Good Friday, the second part of the Triduum.
On Good Friday the faithful will gather in churches all around the world at about 3pm, roughly the time which marks the start of Jesus’ passion. We hear readings from the Old Testament which foretell of a time when “a thing despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering, a man to make people screen their faces; he was despised and we took no account of him. And yet ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried” (Isaiah 53:3). Then we hear, again, the account of Jesus’ torture and crucifixion. This is by far the most solemn day in the Church’s calendar, and the vestments worn by the priest will be red to bring to mind the blood which was spilt and poured out upon the earth on that day. The faithful are invited to ‘venerate the cross’, perhaps to the words of one of the most haunting and thought-provoking of songs … “My people, what have I done to you? How have I offended you? What more could I have done for you? I led you from slavery to freedom, but you handed me over to your high priests … I opened the sea before you, but you opened my side with a spear … I led you on your way in a pillar of cloud, but you led me to Pilate’s court … I bore you up with manna in the desert, but you struck me down and scourged me … I gave you saving water from the rock, but you gave me gall and vinegar to drink … I gave you a royal sceptre, but you gave me a crown of thorns … I raised you to the height of majesty, but you have raised me high on a cross….. My people, what have I done to you? How have I offended you? Answer me….”
The altar and sanctuary, already bare, now feel even more bereft as the tabernacle is empty and left wide open: Jesus has gone, he is no longer with us. The faithful leave the church on Good Friday with a sense of desolation and loss and, perhaps, a fresh understanding of their own contribution to the suffering and death of Jesus.
Good Friday invites us to ask …
What part was I playing on this day?
Was I one of the soldiers, mocking Jesus by claiming to be a Christian but not living like one?
Was I in the jostling crowd, afraid to speak up for him?
Do I remain silent about my faith?
Which of my sins contributed to his suffering? My selfishness? My pride? My untruths? My anger and irritability?
What would Jesus say to me?
I know what it is like to be afraid and to feel alone
I know what it is like to be treated unjustly
I want you to pick up your cross and come after me
Be patient in your suffering for I am with you
All will be well …
The day after Good Friday is Holy Saturday, the third part of the Triduum.
This is a day of waiting. On Holy Saturday the Church – that is you and me – waits at the Lord’s tomb, thinking about his suffering and death. Is this the end? What is going to happen next? If Jesus really had been God, why didn’t he save himself? How did it come to this? Will we ever see him again? The altar is left bare and Mass is not celebrated: it is all very quiet and still. The only service on this day is the Easter Vigil, often called the “mother of all holy vigils” and starts after sundown on the night before Easter. This service begins with a ‘Service of Light’ when all the lights in the church are put out and the faithful gather outside the church around a fire – the New Fire – holding candles. The flame from the fire – which the priest will bless – is used to light the Paschal or Easter Candle and is a symbol of Jesus, the Light of the World, risen in glory and sharing his light and glory with us.
Once the Paschal candle has been lit, the faithful move quietly back into the dark church and light their own small candles from the flame of the Paschal candle, and the church is gradually filled with light. We then embark upon the ‘Liturgy of the Word’ when we listen to several readings which move us through the Old Testament, all the time building up an awareness of the promise of the coming of a Saviour. This part culminates in what is one of the most joyous ten minutes of the year – the altar and sanctuary which have been bare for days is brought to life: the altar and sanctuary candles are lit, the altar and tabernacle are dressed and flowers fill the sanctuary for the first time since Ash Wednesday. There is a tangible sense of newness of life, a reawakening and rebirth. The bells are rung, the Gloria is sung and our hearts are filled with a real joy. We hear passages from the New Testament and, at last, an account of the risen Jesus appearing to his friends and revealing to them that death has been destroyed for ever.
This is the point when we meet and remember the risen Lord, and we can at last lift up our voices in all those glorious Alleluia’s which we have not been allowed to utter since Ash Wednesday. It is with joy and wonder that during the Vigil we revisit our Baptismal Promises, reminding ourselves of our belief in the risen Lord.
The final day is, of course, Easter Sunday and ‘this Mass is our ‘Alleluia’: our song of praise to the risen Christ who is our life and whose triumph over death we proclaim to all the world’. (Sunday Missal)
The events of Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday tell me to …
Rejoice! … do I come across as a rejoicing person?
Believe! … does my belief stop short of really accepting that God loves me and is taking care of me, despite all of my worries?
Embrace! … have I properly embraced my Baptismal Promises by rejecting all that is evil and living a holy and spirit-filled life?
Proclaim! … does my way of life proclaim that God is love?
Clearly, Holy Week, is a busy week in terms of going to church. The joy of Easter is made all the more joyous when we have entered fully into the sorrow and anguish which precedes it, so it is a good thing to try to attend all of these services if we possibly can.
Entering into the Easter Triduum is important for us on an individual level because, as Christians, our aim must be to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. To walk in his footsteps does not mean that we can pick and choose which bits of his journey appeal to us: he invites us to embrace them all. In walking with him through his suffering we soon discover that he is with us in our suffering – he can relate to everything. To greet and acclaim the risen Lord at Easter is to greet and acclaim the risen and living Lord in our day-to-day lives, and to recognise the many and varied ways in which he so devotedly walks with us.
He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly;
he never said a word.
Like a lamb about to be slaughtered,
he never said a word.
He was arrested and sentenced and led off to die,
and no-one cared about his fate.
He was put to death for the sins of our people.
He was placed in a grave with the wicked,
even though he had never committed a crime
or ever told a lie.
---o---
The LORD says,
It was my will that he should suffer;
his death was a sacrifice to bring forgiveness.
After a life of suffering, he will again have joy;
he will know that he did not suffer in vain.
My devoted servant, with whom I am pleased,
will bear the punishment of many
and for his sake I will forgive them.
Isaiah 53:10-12
All these things we experience in Holy Week and, particularly, during the Easter Triduum. A ‘triduum’ is three consecutive days of public devotion, and the Easter Triduum begins with Maundy Thursday
On Maundy Thursday we revisit and re-enact the Last Supper. Jesus knows very well, as he gathers his friends together, that this will be the very last meal he will eat before he dies. His friends have no idea at all that this meal and the next 24 hours are going to change the entire course of the history of man’s relationship with God. As far as they are concerned, they have gathered for just another meal together. But, on this occasion, Jesus does some things he has never done before. First, he washes his friends’ feet, an action which caused a real stir amongst these men who were still struggling with the idea of humble service. Then, most importantly, he institutes the Eucharist. He takes some bread and wine and, having given thanks to his Father, he transforms the bread and wine into his body and blood, telling his friends that “This is my body” and “This is my blood”, and instructing them to “Do this in memory of me”. This was a truly historic moment: he was showing his friends how to carry out what has been carried out in every Mass around the world since that meal. On Maundy Thursday, then, the Church revisits this final meal in a deeply special and significant way, and we see priests across the world bringing to life the humility of God by getting down onto their knees and washing the feet of 12 of their parishioners. This is followed by the wonderful Eucharistic Prayer in which the bread and wine are turned into the Body and Blood of Jesus, so much more poignant on this day than any other.
At the end of Mass we see the tabernacle being emptied, the Holy Water being removed from stoups, the altar being stripped and all crucifixes being removed or covered in purple, and there is a real feeling of foreboding, a sense of Jesus about to be removed from us.
Maundy Thursday invites us to meditate …
Have I understood that humble service is at the heart of Christianity?
The first shall be last and the last first
Jesus comes back to me, to be with me, in a deeply personal way through the Eucharist
Do I take this sacrament for granted?
Do I receive it carelessly?
Do I give myself to him to the degree that he gives himself to me?
Through the events of Maundy Thursday Jesus is telling us …
I am with you
I come to you still to strengthen and enlighten you
I will help you in all that you have to do
I am sharing my divinity with you
The very next day is Good Friday, the second part of the Triduum.
On Good Friday the faithful will gather in churches all around the world at about 3pm, roughly the time which marks the start of Jesus’ passion. We hear readings from the Old Testament which foretell of a time when “a thing despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering, a man to make people screen their faces; he was despised and we took no account of him. And yet ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried” (Isaiah 53:3). Then we hear, again, the account of Jesus’ torture and crucifixion. This is by far the most solemn day in the Church’s calendar, and the vestments worn by the priest will be red to bring to mind the blood which was spilt and poured out upon the earth on that day. The faithful are invited to ‘venerate the cross’, perhaps to the words of one of the most haunting and thought-provoking of songs … “My people, what have I done to you? How have I offended you? What more could I have done for you? I led you from slavery to freedom, but you handed me over to your high priests … I opened the sea before you, but you opened my side with a spear … I led you on your way in a pillar of cloud, but you led me to Pilate’s court … I bore you up with manna in the desert, but you struck me down and scourged me … I gave you saving water from the rock, but you gave me gall and vinegar to drink … I gave you a royal sceptre, but you gave me a crown of thorns … I raised you to the height of majesty, but you have raised me high on a cross….. My people, what have I done to you? How have I offended you? Answer me….”
The altar and sanctuary, already bare, now feel even more bereft as the tabernacle is empty and left wide open: Jesus has gone, he is no longer with us. The faithful leave the church on Good Friday with a sense of desolation and loss and, perhaps, a fresh understanding of their own contribution to the suffering and death of Jesus.
Good Friday invites us to ask …
What part was I playing on this day?
Was I one of the soldiers, mocking Jesus by claiming to be a Christian but not living like one?
Was I in the jostling crowd, afraid to speak up for him?
Do I remain silent about my faith?
Which of my sins contributed to his suffering? My selfishness? My pride? My untruths? My anger and irritability?
What would Jesus say to me?
I know what it is like to be afraid and to feel alone
I know what it is like to be treated unjustly
I want you to pick up your cross and come after me
Be patient in your suffering for I am with you
All will be well …
The day after Good Friday is Holy Saturday, the third part of the Triduum.
This is a day of waiting. On Holy Saturday the Church – that is you and me – waits at the Lord’s tomb, thinking about his suffering and death. Is this the end? What is going to happen next? If Jesus really had been God, why didn’t he save himself? How did it come to this? Will we ever see him again? The altar is left bare and Mass is not celebrated: it is all very quiet and still. The only service on this day is the Easter Vigil, often called the “mother of all holy vigils” and starts after sundown on the night before Easter. This service begins with a ‘Service of Light’ when all the lights in the church are put out and the faithful gather outside the church around a fire – the New Fire – holding candles. The flame from the fire – which the priest will bless – is used to light the Paschal or Easter Candle and is a symbol of Jesus, the Light of the World, risen in glory and sharing his light and glory with us.
Once the Paschal candle has been lit, the faithful move quietly back into the dark church and light their own small candles from the flame of the Paschal candle, and the church is gradually filled with light. We then embark upon the ‘Liturgy of the Word’ when we listen to several readings which move us through the Old Testament, all the time building up an awareness of the promise of the coming of a Saviour. This part culminates in what is one of the most joyous ten minutes of the year – the altar and sanctuary which have been bare for days is brought to life: the altar and sanctuary candles are lit, the altar and tabernacle are dressed and flowers fill the sanctuary for the first time since Ash Wednesday. There is a tangible sense of newness of life, a reawakening and rebirth. The bells are rung, the Gloria is sung and our hearts are filled with a real joy. We hear passages from the New Testament and, at last, an account of the risen Jesus appearing to his friends and revealing to them that death has been destroyed for ever.
This is the point when we meet and remember the risen Lord, and we can at last lift up our voices in all those glorious Alleluia’s which we have not been allowed to utter since Ash Wednesday. It is with joy and wonder that during the Vigil we revisit our Baptismal Promises, reminding ourselves of our belief in the risen Lord.
The final day is, of course, Easter Sunday and ‘this Mass is our ‘Alleluia’: our song of praise to the risen Christ who is our life and whose triumph over death we proclaim to all the world’. (Sunday Missal)
The events of Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday tell me to …
Rejoice! … do I come across as a rejoicing person?
Believe! … does my belief stop short of really accepting that God loves me and is taking care of me, despite all of my worries?
Embrace! … have I properly embraced my Baptismal Promises by rejecting all that is evil and living a holy and spirit-filled life?
Proclaim! … does my way of life proclaim that God is love?
Clearly, Holy Week, is a busy week in terms of going to church. The joy of Easter is made all the more joyous when we have entered fully into the sorrow and anguish which precedes it, so it is a good thing to try to attend all of these services if we possibly can.
Entering into the Easter Triduum is important for us on an individual level because, as Christians, our aim must be to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. To walk in his footsteps does not mean that we can pick and choose which bits of his journey appeal to us: he invites us to embrace them all. In walking with him through his suffering we soon discover that he is with us in our suffering – he can relate to everything. To greet and acclaim the risen Lord at Easter is to greet and acclaim the risen and living Lord in our day-to-day lives, and to recognise the many and varied ways in which he so devotedly walks with us.
He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly;
he never said a word.
Like a lamb about to be slaughtered,
he never said a word.
He was arrested and sentenced and led off to die,
and no-one cared about his fate.
He was put to death for the sins of our people.
He was placed in a grave with the wicked,
even though he had never committed a crime
or ever told a lie.
---o---
The LORD says,
It was my will that he should suffer;
his death was a sacrifice to bring forgiveness.
After a life of suffering, he will again have joy;
he will know that he did not suffer in vain.
My devoted servant, with whom I am pleased,
will bear the punishment of many
and for his sake I will forgive them.
Isaiah 53:10-12
Friday, 4 February 2011
What child is this?
On Sunday 2nd February the Church celebrates the Presentation of Christ or Candlemass.
The time came for Joseph and Mary to perform the ceremony of purification as the Law of Moses commanded. So they took the child to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord: "Every firstborn male is to be dedicated to the Lord." At that time there was a man named Simeon living in Jerusalem. He was a good, God-fearing man and was waiting for Israel to be saved. The Holy Spirit was with him and had assured him that he would not die before he had seen the promised Messiah. Prompted by the Spirit, Simeon went into the Temple. When the parents brought the child Jesus into the Temple to do for him what the Law required, Simeon took the child in his arms and gave thanks to God: "Now, Lord, you have kept your promise, and you may let your servant go in peace. With my own eyes I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples: a light to reveal your will to the Gentiles and bring glory to your people, Israel". Mary and Joseph were amazed at the things Simeon said about him. Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, "This child is chosen by God for the destruction and the salvation of many in Israel. He is destined to be a sign that is rejected - and a sword will pierce your own soul too." (Luke 2:22-35)
On the face of it, this is a passage which is hard to relate to our own lives, and not apparently of much importance to us, individually. Indeed, only St Luke bothers to mention it in his Gospel - the other three writers do not refer to it at all.
This story is about obedience, gift, faith and reward. It is also a story about our own Baptism, but I will come to that later.
Imagine, for a moment, that you are Simeon ….. You are an old man now, and it is some years since the conviction came to you that, one day, you would see with your very own eyes, the Saviour and Messiah for whom your people had been waiting for centuries and centuries. You know, absolutely, that this will be a reality: you will not die until you have held that baby in your own arms. One day, out of the blue, you have an idea - a clear prompting by the Spirit - to go to the Temple. Now, imagine the scene: what are you wearing? It is a hot day, the streets are dusty and noisy, there is a smell of spice in the air and the Temple is reasonably busy with many comings and goings. Out of the crowd there comes a young couple - the girl can't be more than about sixteen years of age, and she is with her husband. The girl carries in her arms an infant and, all of a sudden, your heart and soul are filled with the light of conviction that this is the Child for whom you have been waiting. "My God! … the premonition is coming true. Here is God-made-man, the Creator, a small and helpless baby and I have the opportunity and honour of seeing and holding Him. My life is overwhelmingly blessed. What can I say - no words can adequately express how this moment feels. But, I have a word of warning for this beautiful young girl. How shall I break it to her that her beloved and treasured little son is going to have to suffer greatly and that this in turn will cause her to suffer far beyond what she - or any mother - should have to suffer? Perhaps if I tell her now, it will come as less of a shock…."
How does this relate to me? The key is in the words "prompted by the Spirit". Simeon was very clearly a man who allowed himself to be led by the Spirit, that very same Spirit which was given to you and to me at our Baptism. Simeon said 'Yes' to the promptings of the Spirit and was amply rewarded.
We need to ask ourselves: "Do I listen carefully enough to the Spirit within me? To the beautiful Spirit of Truth, Love, Joy, Wisdom, Patience, Goodness, Kindness, the Good and Holy Spirit who would lead me through life in order that I, too, will encounter the living God? Where and how will I encounter God?" The Spirit which led Simeon will also lead us to encounter God firstly in the depths of our hearts and instincts, and also in those around us: we meet God in our everyday life. Simeon's recognition of the presence of God in the child Jesus is a call for us to seek out and recognise His presence in those around us.
Now, let's look at this story from Mary's perspective and see what she would tell us. Mary has a tremendously strong sense of obedience: obedience to the Laws with which she has grown up, and obedience to the God who invited her to become the mother of His child. In her obedience she has already been blessed with the gift of her son, and also in her obedience she has come to the Temple today to present that son, to give him back to God. As she enters, an old man appears from the Temple, a complete stranger, who seems to recognise her and her baby. He introduces himself as Simeon and asks to hold the baby. He is a lovely and kindly old man so she doesn't hesitate. With what love this stranger holds her baby and then, how suddenly, his look of wonderment and fulfilment turns to sadness. What is he seeing? Tears come into his eyes as he tells her about her own son's future and something of her own. These words are going to be at the back of her mind always … what can they mean?
Of any child - ourselves and our own children - we may ask: "What child is this?" We can never know the mystery of another's journey and future. All we can know for certain is that we are all called by God to something. God has a plan for each of us and it is for us to co-operate to ensure that his plan unfolds in whatever way that may be.
Mary brought her child before God in order to return him to the God from whence he had come and to whom he would eventually return. This is our lot too. Our parents presented us to God at our Baptism when we were babies, and we had no say in the matter. In due course we too are destined to return to God. Imagine, for a moment, that you do have a say in your own Baptism….
v Would you want to present yourself to God?
v What are you offering to Him?
v What is He offering you?
I guess that your answer to the first question will very much hinge on how much you understand of your Baptism. Baptism was the point at which you became a true and full child of God; heir to the Kingdom of God and a promise given of an eternity spent in His presence. It is the point at which the third part of the Trinity - the Holy Spirit - was poured into your heart, never to depart. Of all the good things that your parents have done for you, their presenting you for Baptism was, by far, the most valuable and important. By regularly giving thanks for this gift you continue to 'present' yourself to God, which brings us to the next question….
What are you offering to God? If you think that the answer to this is to offer Him all your natural and innate gifts and talents, you are wrong, because these belong to Him already. They are not yours to give! The only thing that you can give to Him that is of any value at all, is yourself. I don't know about you, but when I cast a critical eye over myself, I think was a terrible, shoddy and defective gift this is: a sad and broken one and apparently of no great value. But …. it is all that I have and, thank God, it is all that God wants. The very fact that it is all that I have makes it an extremely valuable gift indeed, broken or not.
What is God offering me? I am not sure that I know where to begin in answering this. I guess that if God is Perfect Hope, Encouragement, Faith, Trust, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Kindness, Mercy, Tolerance, Protection and Love, and that He is All-powerful, All-knowing and Ever-present …. that He is offering me everything that I could ever need in every and all circumstances. Ultimately, He offers me an eternity spent in His overwhelmingly beautiful presence - what more could I possibly ask for?
The time came for Joseph and Mary to perform the ceremony of purification as the Law of Moses commanded. So they took the child to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord: "Every firstborn male is to be dedicated to the Lord." At that time there was a man named Simeon living in Jerusalem. He was a good, God-fearing man and was waiting for Israel to be saved. The Holy Spirit was with him and had assured him that he would not die before he had seen the promised Messiah. Prompted by the Spirit, Simeon went into the Temple. When the parents brought the child Jesus into the Temple to do for him what the Law required, Simeon took the child in his arms and gave thanks to God: "Now, Lord, you have kept your promise, and you may let your servant go in peace. With my own eyes I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples: a light to reveal your will to the Gentiles and bring glory to your people, Israel". Mary and Joseph were amazed at the things Simeon said about him. Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, "This child is chosen by God for the destruction and the salvation of many in Israel. He is destined to be a sign that is rejected - and a sword will pierce your own soul too." (Luke 2:22-35)
On the face of it, this is a passage which is hard to relate to our own lives, and not apparently of much importance to us, individually. Indeed, only St Luke bothers to mention it in his Gospel - the other three writers do not refer to it at all.
This story is about obedience, gift, faith and reward. It is also a story about our own Baptism, but I will come to that later.
Imagine, for a moment, that you are Simeon ….. You are an old man now, and it is some years since the conviction came to you that, one day, you would see with your very own eyes, the Saviour and Messiah for whom your people had been waiting for centuries and centuries. You know, absolutely, that this will be a reality: you will not die until you have held that baby in your own arms. One day, out of the blue, you have an idea - a clear prompting by the Spirit - to go to the Temple. Now, imagine the scene: what are you wearing? It is a hot day, the streets are dusty and noisy, there is a smell of spice in the air and the Temple is reasonably busy with many comings and goings. Out of the crowd there comes a young couple - the girl can't be more than about sixteen years of age, and she is with her husband. The girl carries in her arms an infant and, all of a sudden, your heart and soul are filled with the light of conviction that this is the Child for whom you have been waiting. "My God! … the premonition is coming true. Here is God-made-man, the Creator, a small and helpless baby and I have the opportunity and honour of seeing and holding Him. My life is overwhelmingly blessed. What can I say - no words can adequately express how this moment feels. But, I have a word of warning for this beautiful young girl. How shall I break it to her that her beloved and treasured little son is going to have to suffer greatly and that this in turn will cause her to suffer far beyond what she - or any mother - should have to suffer? Perhaps if I tell her now, it will come as less of a shock…."
How does this relate to me? The key is in the words "prompted by the Spirit". Simeon was very clearly a man who allowed himself to be led by the Spirit, that very same Spirit which was given to you and to me at our Baptism. Simeon said 'Yes' to the promptings of the Spirit and was amply rewarded.
We need to ask ourselves: "Do I listen carefully enough to the Spirit within me? To the beautiful Spirit of Truth, Love, Joy, Wisdom, Patience, Goodness, Kindness, the Good and Holy Spirit who would lead me through life in order that I, too, will encounter the living God? Where and how will I encounter God?" The Spirit which led Simeon will also lead us to encounter God firstly in the depths of our hearts and instincts, and also in those around us: we meet God in our everyday life. Simeon's recognition of the presence of God in the child Jesus is a call for us to seek out and recognise His presence in those around us.
Now, let's look at this story from Mary's perspective and see what she would tell us. Mary has a tremendously strong sense of obedience: obedience to the Laws with which she has grown up, and obedience to the God who invited her to become the mother of His child. In her obedience she has already been blessed with the gift of her son, and also in her obedience she has come to the Temple today to present that son, to give him back to God. As she enters, an old man appears from the Temple, a complete stranger, who seems to recognise her and her baby. He introduces himself as Simeon and asks to hold the baby. He is a lovely and kindly old man so she doesn't hesitate. With what love this stranger holds her baby and then, how suddenly, his look of wonderment and fulfilment turns to sadness. What is he seeing? Tears come into his eyes as he tells her about her own son's future and something of her own. These words are going to be at the back of her mind always … what can they mean?
Of any child - ourselves and our own children - we may ask: "What child is this?" We can never know the mystery of another's journey and future. All we can know for certain is that we are all called by God to something. God has a plan for each of us and it is for us to co-operate to ensure that his plan unfolds in whatever way that may be.
Mary brought her child before God in order to return him to the God from whence he had come and to whom he would eventually return. This is our lot too. Our parents presented us to God at our Baptism when we were babies, and we had no say in the matter. In due course we too are destined to return to God. Imagine, for a moment, that you do have a say in your own Baptism….
v Would you want to present yourself to God?
v What are you offering to Him?
v What is He offering you?
I guess that your answer to the first question will very much hinge on how much you understand of your Baptism. Baptism was the point at which you became a true and full child of God; heir to the Kingdom of God and a promise given of an eternity spent in His presence. It is the point at which the third part of the Trinity - the Holy Spirit - was poured into your heart, never to depart. Of all the good things that your parents have done for you, their presenting you for Baptism was, by far, the most valuable and important. By regularly giving thanks for this gift you continue to 'present' yourself to God, which brings us to the next question….
What are you offering to God? If you think that the answer to this is to offer Him all your natural and innate gifts and talents, you are wrong, because these belong to Him already. They are not yours to give! The only thing that you can give to Him that is of any value at all, is yourself. I don't know about you, but when I cast a critical eye over myself, I think was a terrible, shoddy and defective gift this is: a sad and broken one and apparently of no great value. But …. it is all that I have and, thank God, it is all that God wants. The very fact that it is all that I have makes it an extremely valuable gift indeed, broken or not.
What is God offering me? I am not sure that I know where to begin in answering this. I guess that if God is Perfect Hope, Encouragement, Faith, Trust, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Kindness, Mercy, Tolerance, Protection and Love, and that He is All-powerful, All-knowing and Ever-present …. that He is offering me everything that I could ever need in every and all circumstances. Ultimately, He offers me an eternity spent in His overwhelmingly beautiful presence - what more could I possibly ask for?
Friday, 7 January 2011
We saw the light ...
At the beginning of January we remember in the Feast of the Epiphany those three men who embarked upon a long journey to a completely unknown destination, driven only by the conviction that by following the new and very bright light which had appeared in the sky, they would find the promised Saviour of the Jewish people and, therefore, perhaps their own salvation.
Well before their time, however, the prophets from the Old Testament had hinted at such an event. Isaiah wrote that: ‘camels and dromedaries of Midian, everyone in Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing the praise of the Lord’ (Is 60); the psalmist foresaw that ‘The kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts; all kings will do him homage, all nations become his servant’ (Ps 72:10-15)
These men, foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament and witnessed to by the writers of the New Testament, had an undying faith that the light they were following would lead them to God.
This event is important because it was the first clue that, ultimately, Jesus was not coming merely for the purpose of saving his own people, the Jews, but for those outside of the Jewish community also. The fact that Jesus’ appearance in the world was announced to two very clear and definite set of people, firstly Jewish shepherds and, secondly, non-Jewish noblemen from foreign lands, is a clear indication that God’s plan for salvation was to stretch beyond the Jews and to the whole of humanity. You could say that the three kings from a foreign land were paying the new baby Jesus homage on our behalf: they were the precursor of all non-Jewish followers of Christ who have paid him homage down through the ages.
The feast of the Epiphany is, firstly and most importantly, a celebration of God’s salvation being opened up to all humanity. However, it is also an event which must cause us to think very positively about two other important aspects of how we live out our lives as Christians, for it is also a story about FAITH and GUIDING LIGHTS.
At the heart of the kings’ journey was an undying faith as to where the light was leading. They confidently gave Herod (whose palace they had unfortunately stopped at en route) the reason for their journey: they were looking for the king of the Jews: “Where is the infant king of the Jews?” they asked, “We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage” (Matthew 2:1-2). God had quite simply planted in the hearts of these three men the knowledge of where this light would lead them and, with that knowledge, their faith never once faltered.
St John in his letter reminds us that to have and exercise faith is to have victory over the world: “this is the victory over the world – our faith” (John 5:4). That is an astonishing assertion: our faith will have victory over the world! Our faith will have victory over all manner of problems and challenges which we will inevitably have in our lives. The New Testament is jam-packed with incidents of people coming to Jesus with faith in his growing reputation as a healer, and finding the healing that they needed. It was with total faith that Peter stepped out of the boat and walked several paces on the water before eventually sinking when he stopped and thought for a moment about what he was doing; it was with faith that the centurion interceded for his sick servant and won his healing; it was with faith that the blind man, Bartimaeus called out to Jesus to give him sight and in so doing, won it.
All of these stories invite us to think much more deeply and carefully about the person of Jesus, about his importance in our own personal lives and to what degree we trust him. The kings had no question as to whom they would find as they followed the bright star / light, and their journey was totally guided by that light.
The modern world is filled with false lights, lights which would have us believe that money, power, possessions are the be all and end all and the way to personal happiness. None of the modern world’s lights can claim to be the guiding light which led the men to Bethlehem and which, in our day, invites us to be led to our own personal fullest potential and ultimate destiny. In the absence of the very specific bright light in the heavens to guide us as it guided the three travellers, what or who should be our guiding light?
Our guiding light must be the person of Jesus, for he says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). If Jesus is the light of the world then we should be looking for and then guided by those of his qualities which, though our baptism into his death and therefore his life, we have a full share. What are those qualities? They are:-
- forgiveness
- mercy
- patience
- kindness
- goodness
- truth
- humility
- self-control
- love
- compassion
These are the qualities by which we are to be guided so that we, too, may become more and more like the person of Jesus and take seriously our own responsibility for being a light in the world, for Jesus tells us very directly that “your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven” (Matt 5:16). Love is catching! Kindness is catching! Goodness and truth are catching! All of these qualities are deeply attractive to humanity and it is by exercising these qualities in our own lives that people around us will feel drawn to the person who is the inspiration behind these qualities: Jesus, the only true light of the world who, alone, can lead us to the healing and salvation so urgently sought by the three men.
Well before their time, however, the prophets from the Old Testament had hinted at such an event. Isaiah wrote that: ‘camels and dromedaries of Midian, everyone in Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing the praise of the Lord’ (Is 60); the psalmist foresaw that ‘The kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts; all kings will do him homage, all nations become his servant’ (Ps 72:10-15)
These men, foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament and witnessed to by the writers of the New Testament, had an undying faith that the light they were following would lead them to God.
This event is important because it was the first clue that, ultimately, Jesus was not coming merely for the purpose of saving his own people, the Jews, but for those outside of the Jewish community also. The fact that Jesus’ appearance in the world was announced to two very clear and definite set of people, firstly Jewish shepherds and, secondly, non-Jewish noblemen from foreign lands, is a clear indication that God’s plan for salvation was to stretch beyond the Jews and to the whole of humanity. You could say that the three kings from a foreign land were paying the new baby Jesus homage on our behalf: they were the precursor of all non-Jewish followers of Christ who have paid him homage down through the ages.
The feast of the Epiphany is, firstly and most importantly, a celebration of God’s salvation being opened up to all humanity. However, it is also an event which must cause us to think very positively about two other important aspects of how we live out our lives as Christians, for it is also a story about FAITH and GUIDING LIGHTS.
At the heart of the kings’ journey was an undying faith as to where the light was leading. They confidently gave Herod (whose palace they had unfortunately stopped at en route) the reason for their journey: they were looking for the king of the Jews: “Where is the infant king of the Jews?” they asked, “We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage” (Matthew 2:1-2). God had quite simply planted in the hearts of these three men the knowledge of where this light would lead them and, with that knowledge, their faith never once faltered.
St John in his letter reminds us that to have and exercise faith is to have victory over the world: “this is the victory over the world – our faith” (John 5:4). That is an astonishing assertion: our faith will have victory over the world! Our faith will have victory over all manner of problems and challenges which we will inevitably have in our lives. The New Testament is jam-packed with incidents of people coming to Jesus with faith in his growing reputation as a healer, and finding the healing that they needed. It was with total faith that Peter stepped out of the boat and walked several paces on the water before eventually sinking when he stopped and thought for a moment about what he was doing; it was with faith that the centurion interceded for his sick servant and won his healing; it was with faith that the blind man, Bartimaeus called out to Jesus to give him sight and in so doing, won it.
All of these stories invite us to think much more deeply and carefully about the person of Jesus, about his importance in our own personal lives and to what degree we trust him. The kings had no question as to whom they would find as they followed the bright star / light, and their journey was totally guided by that light.
The modern world is filled with false lights, lights which would have us believe that money, power, possessions are the be all and end all and the way to personal happiness. None of the modern world’s lights can claim to be the guiding light which led the men to Bethlehem and which, in our day, invites us to be led to our own personal fullest potential and ultimate destiny. In the absence of the very specific bright light in the heavens to guide us as it guided the three travellers, what or who should be our guiding light?
Our guiding light must be the person of Jesus, for he says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). If Jesus is the light of the world then we should be looking for and then guided by those of his qualities which, though our baptism into his death and therefore his life, we have a full share. What are those qualities? They are:-
- forgiveness
- mercy
- patience
- kindness
- goodness
- truth
- humility
- self-control
- love
- compassion
These are the qualities by which we are to be guided so that we, too, may become more and more like the person of Jesus and take seriously our own responsibility for being a light in the world, for Jesus tells us very directly that “your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven” (Matt 5:16). Love is catching! Kindness is catching! Goodness and truth are catching! All of these qualities are deeply attractive to humanity and it is by exercising these qualities in our own lives that people around us will feel drawn to the person who is the inspiration behind these qualities: Jesus, the only true light of the world who, alone, can lead us to the healing and salvation so urgently sought by the three men.
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