John 14:16-17:Jesus taught us saying, “I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth whom the world can never accept since it neither sees nor knows him; but you know him, because he is with you, he is in you”.
We tend to think of ourselves as independent, separate beings; we believe that our skin holds our organs in and the world out . . . and yet we know this thinking to be incorrect. The human skin is a porous organ with billions of pores that act as gateways to the world; and just so does the Paracletepermeate our souls and call us to God.
And God says: No matter how much you try to remain apart from me . . . I will be with you. No matter how much you struggle to remain separate from me . . . I will be in you. This is incontrovertible. This is immutable. This is absolute. My eternal truth will be with you and in you always . . . for this is how much I love you.
We are God’s well-loved creatures. God’s Spirit abides within us. We are loved. Let us act as though we understand that it is Godwho made us . . . and Godwho is in us.
Type the words Holy Spirit in the blog search box, see what comes up, and spend some time reflecting on what it means when Jesus says that God is in us.
James Tissot: The Meal in the House of the PhariseeRecognizing their craftiness, he said to them, “Show me . . .” [Yet] they were unable to trap him by something he might say before the people, and so amazed were they at his reply that they fell silent.
Craftiness approaches us from many angles and wearing many different kinds of shoes. In our work and in our family life, particularly when we trust others from a sense of habit rather than from a discernment of a truth we see in them, we may fall into a trap which Jesus cleverly avoids in today’s reading.
When we operate from a source of good, we may be easily fooled by others when we speak in and for ourselves.
When we operate from a source of good, we will amaze our enemies when we speak in and for Christ.
In another place in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells us: When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you are to say. (12:11)
In our sense of panic when we are attacked, we may automatically sink to the level of deception which has assailed us, thinking to outwit our opponents. Or, we might put our fear on hold and call on God to give us the proper words that will amaze and silence our challengers.
The value of speaking with God morning, noon and night is this: When we are under siege – whether from a known enemy or a loved one – we will have a well-trained homing instinct, a ready portal, a clean and open conduit to God. The answer we seek in desperation comes to us nearly unbidden so that we might amaze and silence those who seek our ruin or even our end.
As we travel through our days, moving from one activity to another with little time for introspection, we must take time to recognize and give thanks to the Spirit which keeps us free and holy. It is this relationship which guides us in recognizing craftiness in others. It is this relationship which guides us in recognizing what is Caesar’s and what is God’s. And it this relationship which gives us the gift of sudden grace to recognize the difference between those who live in the world of deception, darkness and illusion and those who live in the wholeness and goodness of God.
Paul ruffled feathers as he moved about the Empire delivering the message of Christ. As apostles we too can expect adversity.
Paul traveled approximately 10,000 miles in his journeys for Jesus. As followers of Jesus cannot be timid about sharing our own story of Jesus as we too travel many miles.
Paul aggravated his political and spiritual leaders yet he helped a burgeoning Jewish sect establish a religion that would overtake the empire itself. As Christians we too contribute to the flowering of Jesus’ message.
Membership in the early church was often more a liability than a boon since Christians were viewed as cannibals and participants in incestuous relationships. It is not until the beginning of the 4th Century (323 C.E.) that Christianity becomes an accepted form of worship. As modern Christians we too may be viewed with skepticism, we too may wait long years before we are seen as the faithful.
Cult worship favored by most Romans was a very different spirituality from Christianity. In the former, mortals serve whimsical gods; in the latter, a constant and faithful Living God dedicates himself to the care and protection of his creatures. This Living God comes among his creatures to live as one with them while the Olympian gods tormented mortals. Our petty gods continue to lure us from our true journey; they taunt us with the false promise of fame, fortune and power.
While we today may be haunted by the many small demons of status and superficiality, Romans believed in spirits who guarded rivers, woods, homes, and families. Early Christians were consoled and counseled by the Holy Spirit of the Living God, the Spirit that brought unity out of God’ great variety . . . as the Spirit still does today.
Early Christians gather in RomeRome reaches out to connect England to Egypt, Spain to Syria; and this Roman world in which Paul lives and moves is a world of slaves and masters, poor and rich. When Paul goes to Rome he enters the epicenter of the Mediterranean world . . . and all that he says and all he does speaks of Christ Jesus . . . as must we today.
Do we have the strength to stand up against the tide of the times? Paul becomes a slave for Christ to do so. So must we.
Do we have the tenacity to persist in delivering a message the world does not want to hear? Paul suffers beatings, stoning, imprisonment and all forms of derision to do so. So must we.
Do we trust enough in God to await the words of the Holy Spirit when we find ourselves confronted by overwhelming odds? Paul becomes the ultimate apostle who sets self aside to live out the mission Christ gives him. So must we.
Do we love God enough to see others as images of God? Paul moves among the “unclean” gentiles as God asks of him to bring the Gospel story of freedom to all. So must we.
For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, writes Paul. Are we willing to confront gossip and lies; do we invite others to allow Jesus to enter their lives; do we pray for our enemies willingly? Can we also say that we are not ashamed of the Gospel? Are we willing to reject our petty gods of sleek cars, stock options, extravagant clothing, excess food, influence with power structures, and our dependence on ultra conveniences in order to share what we have with the poor? Are we willing to be slaves for the marginalized as Paul is? Are we willing to decrease to nothing so that Christ might increase?
This is what Paul calls out to us today. What is our reply?
For wonderful information on Christians in the Roman Empire, go to the public television site below. We will find it well worth the time we invest; and we may learn something we did not know about St. Paul and his missionary journeys.
Images from: http://savingparadise.net/about/ and http://www.mitchellteachers.org/WorldHistory/AncientRome/BeginningsofChristianity.htm and http://hudsonfla.com/artchristian.htm and http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lostgospel/timeline_09.html
Monday, December 19, 2011 – Numbers 9:15-23 – God’s Presence in the Desert
Yesterday we reflected on the image of the fiery cloud, the pillar of smoke and flame that both guides and protects the Hebrews. Today we remain for a while in this image as we begin our final desert crossing to Christmas. Many of us have too much to do in the days that run up to December 25th. We must be wary of placing all our energy in the physical preparations for the coming holiday because we will need much more than food, water, and a sturdy tent to cross through the desert of consumerism; we will need patience and forbearance, to navigate shopping malls, food stores and traffic. And we will need forgiveness and compassion to plot a successful course through tricky family dynamics, demanding colleagues, and the needs of friends and strangers. We will want to fill our internal stores with heavy doses of God’s Word, God’s voice . . . and God’s presence.
So much of life seems to be a desert existence, a constant struggle againstunseen but powerful forces that appear to control all we do and much of what we think. In dark days we struggle against headwinds that deliver blasts of driven sand; we hunker down in our tents to secure ourselves against the onslaught. When we must move from place to place, we barely survive the trek from one oasis to the next. There are timesof happiness in which we experience joy; yet with those times there is often a sense of impending doom; somewhere inside us is a haunting that tells us to enjoy our contentment while it lasts because darkness stalks us on each leg of our journey. The desert crossing is one we do not want to experience alone. We know that we will need both stamina and provisions yet where do we find the surety and comfort that will see us through? There is only one presence that provides all for the body, mind and soul . . . the presence of God.
Gobi Desert OasisIt is the fool who prepares carelessly for the wilderness journey; a wise woman or man goes first in search of God. The fool stores up supplies and necessities; the wise one makes plans and trusts in the Lord. The fool believes that security and comfort can be purchased; the wise one knows that happiness and eternal safety lie in doing what is just. The fool relies on personal strength and durability; the wise one perseveres in seeking God, knowing that everything we need for the journey is found in one place . . . only in the presence of God.
The fiery cloud we reflect on today is a pre-figuration of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sends after his Ascension to the Father as tongues of fire that produce speech that all can understand. (Acts 2) Just as Jesus and Scripture are the Word of God, The Holy Spirit is the Breath of God, and for that reason this advocate has inspired the writing of scripture. The symbols of the Holy Spirit are: water, the oil and the seal of anointing, fire, the hand/finger of Jesus who heals, the dove which finds the olive branch after the flood along with the dove which descends at Jesus’ baptism, and the image of cloud and light. This cloud that accompanies the Hebrews, descends when Solomon builds the Temple in Jerusalem and also at Jesus’ Transfiguration. This Spirit surrounds Jesus at his Ascension. This Spirit lives with us today to accompany us on our desert wanderings. This Spirit is the presence of God.
I have always liked this image. It is, as we have said before in our Noontime reflections, not a place of destruction but a place of sure refuge, a place of certain peace. It is something we can step into when we find we have a very difficult and frightening task to complete. It is a fiery pillar of refinement that draws us toward and not away from God. It is a blazing column of smoke and ash that scours off the excess of life to leave behind the pure gold of God’s presence. It is the only sure guide and protector that will guarantee us safe passage through the searing experience of the desert.
John 14:16-17: Jesus taught us saying, “I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth whom the world can never accept since it neither sees nor knows him; but you know him, because he is with you, he is in you”.
The Noontimes 