Tag: newness

The New Testament: Simplicity
The New Testament: Simplicity

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Adapted from a reflection written on March 5, 2009.

If your Bible has an introduction to the New Testament, now is a perfect time to read it. The season of Lent is calling us to forgiveness, newness and rescue; this is also the message of the New Testament.

From La Biblia de América. Together, these writings animate, illustrate and consolidate a new faith. They came to life through an oppressed people longing to be free from the constant need to worry about their everyday subsistence. Wealthy landholders held most of the power and control. There was no social safety net. he little people were left to fend for themselves. These are the people to whom Jesus ministered. They are still his dearest ones. We love Jesus best when we love the marginalized. This is a theology of simplicity.

The thinking and theology presented by Christ brought not only a newness and a simpleness to old ways, but a challenge that required answers. The people who heard the message and embraced it even in the face of death served as the tinder that ignited a movement that has not – and will not – be overcome by darkness. This is what the followers of Jesus know: that we are created out of and for love, and that the creator desires nothing more than our love in return. There is no greater news than this. The story of Jesus and his actions is unparalleled. It has no equal; nothing can be more simple.

How do we communicate our love to God, our understanding of the simplicity to which Christ calls us? Through prayer. Catherine de Hueck Doherty, the foundress of Madonna House, is quoted in today’s Meditation in MAGNIFICAT: Prayer is conversation with God. It does not require a thousand books. It requires a simple and tremendous love of God and a total simplicity. I am beloved by God. He created me. his is the first idea. And he wants to be loved by me. We have to get that into our heads. Then we proceed to tell him we love him.

A simple and tremendous love of God and a total simplicity. This is what the people of the Palestine had and knew. It is what we can come to know. For this we pray . . . Amen.

For more reflections on the books of the New Testament, visit the New Testament link on “The Book of Your Life” page on this blog at: https://thenoontimes.com/the-book-of-our-life/

Cameron, Peter John. “Meditation of the Day.” MAGNIFICAT. 5.3 (2009). Print.

LA BIBLIA DE LA AMÉRICA. 8th. Madrid: La Casa de la Biblia, 1994. Print.

Image from: http://www.quotemaster.org/simplicity+in+life and
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March 19, 2024

Catherine de Heuck Doherty, love, newness, prayer, the marginalized
Philippians 2:5-8: The Inverted Kingdom – Part V
Philippians 2:5-8: The Inverted Kingdom – Part V

Sunday, January 21, 2024

Jesus proposes that we set aside the accolades of life as we know it on earth; and this will be difficult to do because our desire for honor and fame, pleasure, power and wealth too often outweighs our willingness to surrender to God’s plan, to forego the hunger for control and celebrity. Today we remember a message from Paul that we have contemplated a number of times during our Noontime journey. We might wonder how we are to invert our lives. We might question how we are to give up all the world offers to take on the qualities of steadfastness, fidelity, meekness, willingness to mourn and to undergo hardship while we follow Christ Jesus on his Way.

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross. (NSRV)

This picture of the world is the inversion of the one we usually hold dear.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. This vision of the world sees persecution for Jesus’ sake as a sign of our fidelity. (MSG)

This view of the world is one we will want to explore.

In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus. Christ himself was like God in everything. He was equal with God. But he did not think that being equal with God was something to be held on to. He gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born as a man and became like a servant. And when he was living as a man, he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God. He obeyed even when that caused his death—death on a cross. (ICB)

This view of the world shows us a leader who serves with humility and care.

The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had: He always had the nature of God, but he did not think that by force he should try to remain equal with God. Instead of this, of his own free will he gave up all he had, and took the nature of a servant. He became like a human being and appeared in human likeness. He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death – his death on the cross. (GNT)

This picture of the world invites us to newness through service and love.

When we compare varying versions of these verses, we better understand the call to live an inverted life.

Image from: https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1061108-the-upside-down-kingdom:-an-invitation
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January 21, 2024

fidelity, hardship, meekness, mourning, newness, steadfastness
Luke: Do Not Fear – Part V
Linck Govert Teunisz: Angels Announcing the Birth of Christ to the Shepherds

Luke: Do Not Fear – Part V

Friday, January 5, 2024

Do not be afraid. We need to hear these words. We need to share these words. We need to use these words every day.

The angel of the Lord speaks to the high priest Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, assuring his that the Living God was making the impossible possible in their lives.

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. (Luke 1:13)

The angel of the Lord speaks to the girl Mary, the mother of Jesus, assuring her that the Living God was entering her life in a special way.

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. (Luke 1:30)

The angel of the Lord speaks to shepherds who guard their flocks on the night of Jesus’ birth, assuring them that a newness has just entered into a weary world.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. (Luke 2:10)

Jesus speaks to Jairus, a synagogue leader, assuring him that his daughter is alive and has not died.

But when Jesus heard this, He answered him, “Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be made well.” (Luke 8:50)

Jesus speaks to the people, assuring them that the darkness of the world can be dissipated by the light of truth and peace.

“I say to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. (Luke 12:4)

Jesus speaks to his followers, assuring them that the evil of the world is transformed by love.

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

Anton Raphael Mengs: Dream of Saint Joseph

Lifetimes after these verses are recorded, we remind ourselves that the impossible is possible with God. All harm becomes goodness through God. Darkness becomes light. Despair becomes home. Doubt becomes faith. Evil becomes love. And for all of these reasons, we need not fear.

Today we might ask, “How do we live in order to remember that we need not be afraid? How do we live in such a way that we demonstrate our understanding that God is everywhere and lives in us? And how do we share this Good News in our thoughts words and deeds?

In Matthew 1:19, An angel of the Lord appeared to [Joseph] in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. To learn why, visit: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/why-did-joseph-plan-to-divorce-mary

Throughout Christmastide, we continue to remember God’s words, “Do not be afraid”.

Images from: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/yimcatholic/2011/12/because-tradition-says-december-25-is-when-christ-was-born.html and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Anton_Raphael_Mengs_-_The_Dream_of_St._Joseph_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
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January 5, 2024

faith, God does the impossible, hope, Jairus, Joseph, light versus dark, love, Mary Mother of Jesus, newness, Zechariah
Romans 12:1-2: This Age
Romans 12:1-2: This Age – Our Generation

Monday, October 30, 2023

Jesus has spoken to his own generation and he speaks to ours.

I urge you, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect. (NAB)

Paul reminds us that our own generation lures us to sleep if we are not watchful.

So here’s what I want you to do. Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (THE MESSAGE)

We might call one another to holiness, to newness of the heart, to openness of the mind.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world; but be reformed in the newness of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, and the acceptable, and the perfect will of God. (DOUAY-RHEIMS AMERICAN)

A 17th Century depiction of Paul writing his epistles

We step outside of that familiar place where we begin as children, come to age as adolescents and form our conscience as adults. We examine our fears, our motives, our addictions and our loves. We take stock of our resources. We rest in God. When we examine our own generation, what do we have to say for ourselves? What do we have to say about this age?

When we use the scripture link and drop-down menus to examine other translations of these verses, we begin to see humanity’s march toward union in Christ.

Images from: https://christinesbiblestudy.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/book-of-romans-chiastic-structure/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_to_the_Romans
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October 30, 2023

God’s will, newness, openness, union in Christ
Job 6: The Reply of the Innocent
Job 6: The Reply of the Innocent

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

A Favorite from September 6, 2009.

It is true that sometimes we are completely innocent of any wrongdoing and yet we suffer. One of the primary questions we ask as human beings is this: Why is it that things sometimes go so wrong for us and so right for others? We also ask: What have we done to deserve suffering and how do we cope without falling apart entirely? Some of us even ask: How long can I go on? Is life worth living?

Today we hear from Job, the man who suffers through no fault of his own. His fidelity attracts Satan’s notice and so he becomes an object of play in the devil’s evil game. Job describes with beautiful metaphors how quickly his friends abandon him, being undependable as a brook, as watercourses that run dry in wadies . . . [they are] caravans [that] turn aside from their routes [to] go into the desert and perish.

In today’s Gospel (Mark 7:31-37) we hear the story of how Jesus opens ears and a throat when he says words that he also says to us: Be open! In MAGNIFICAT, the mini-reflection for Morning Prayer reads: Jesus opened the ear of the deaf man that he might hear in a new startling way the word of salvation. What we hear as good news, we proclaim as good news: that is our task as disciples.

How we arrive at not hearing is not important; nor is the question about why we have become silent in our isolation. What is important is this: That one has come who releases all of us from our bondage – whether these chains have been acquired through our own action or inaction, or whether we are innocent slaves. One has come to call us to unity, and this one calls to each of us: Be open!

Be open to a surprising newness. Be open to pardoning and being pardoned. Be open to miracles in our lives. Be open to the amazing potential we possess. Be open to proclaiming the good news that we are free and need not toil futilely. Be open to the life of discipleship. Be open to union in Christ, with Christ himself. Be open.

This is easy to hear but difficult to do. We might turn again to Job who knows the pain of separation and also the joy of reunion.

Whether we suffer in innocence or through our own action or inaction, our reply to the one who created us can be the same. When we hear the voice that calls, let us all answer: We are open to the possibility that we might live again! This is our best human reply to the divine.

And this is the greatest miracle of all – that whether we suffer through guilt or whether we are innocent we can all be open to God for we are all sought by God for to each of us he says: Be open!

Cameron, Peter John. “Prayer for the Morning.” MAGNIFICAT. 6.9 (2009). Print.

Image from: https://biblehub.com/job/6-11.htm
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September 20, 2023

discipleship, forgiveness, miracles, newness, openness, unity
John 11: The Death of Lazarus
John 11: The Death of Lazarus

The Raising of Lazarus

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

A Favorite from August 28, 2009.

This is a bittersweet story if we believe in the resurrection. Each time I read it, I linger over verse 35: Jesus wept. As a child I believed that the Christ wept because his good friend had died. As I grew older I believed he mourned the fact that he knew he was calling this friend back from a beatific place. Now when I read this verse it seems to me that Christ cries out of his humanity; he cries at the tragedy of our human fragility. As I continue to grow I am guessing that I will have other perspectives, other reasons for Jesus’ tears. This is what is so wonderful about the message of the Messiah: each time we read it, we come away with something new, something surprising, something healing. This is why, I believe, God came to walk among us, so that we might number our sorrows with the Lord’s. When we cry out to God, God can honestly tell us that God experiences our pain.

There is another point which always intrigues me about this story. Hard on its heels arrives the story of the plot to kill Jesus. I am always struck with the vigor of the jealousy and venom of his enemies. Some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what he had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council and said,“What are we to do? This man is performing miracles, many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy the holy place and our nation.” This narrative continues to verses 53 and 54: So from that day on they planned to put him to death. Jesus therefore no longer walked about openly among the Jews. And this chapter ends with . . . Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where Jesus was should let them know, so that they might arrest him.

When I put myself into this story, I wonder where I would fall. Am I among the Pharisees, the priests, the followers who report Jesus? Am I one who succumbs to jealousy and revenge? Am I one who believes and follows? Do I understand that the “death” of Lazarus is really the initiation rite of his new life? Am I willing to enter into the hope God offers us when God frees us in the person of Jesus? Do I comprehend the joy I might experience when I unite with the Holy Spirit to carry the message of freedom to others? Am I willing to accept surprise in my life? Am I willing to hand myself over to a belief in something I cannot see? Am I ready to accept a new way of living?

There is much newness to think about as we read this old story. What appears to be death might actually be life. What seems to the end of a story, may actually be the beginning. What is apparently a handing over of self in obedience can be a surprising release into a full liberty of expression. We will only know when we choose to follow.

Image from: http://fathermarkcollins.blogspot.com/2012/11/but-for-grace-of-god-sermon-for-year-b_4.html
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August 30, 2023

healing, hope, joy, newness, Pharisees, priests, resurrection
The Four Gospels: Theophilus
The Four Gospels: Theophilus

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

In the next days of our Lenten pilgrimage as we near the celebration of the Easter miracle, we will focus on the New Testament with its words of joy that call us to newness. Today we take time to compare varying versions of verses as we listen for the voice that speaks within. If possible, we will look for a quiet place and time in which we can look at the opening verses of each Gospel. And we will listen for God’s wisdom, ask for God’s grace, and rest in God’s mercy.

Matthew 1 begins with: The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. When we consider why Matthew was calling his largely Jewish audience to Jesus’ lineage, we may begin to understand the importance of our own heritage, the influence of our tribe and its traditions, and the opportunities for division that unity in Christ might bridge.

Mark 1 begins in this way. The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Thinking about this story that was written quite close to the resurrection event, we may begin to comprehend the fear and awe that gripped these first followers of Christ, the same fear and awe that take hold of us today, and the prospect that Christ heals all wounds when we open ourselves to his care.

Luke 1 begins in another manner: Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the vents that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word handed down to them to us, I too have decided after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received. Contemplating these words, we might also consider how our own story of our life in Christ might begin, how it might play out, and how it might conclude. We might also consider how we live out Christ’s message each day as we play and work and pray.

John 1 begins with its soaring, beautiful language that carries us on a journey we cannot forget or put aside: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Meditating on these concepts, we might allow ourselves to be called into newness, to be open to restoration and to forgive others as we are forgiven.

Today we think, we contemplate, we consider and we meditate on the story of Jesus. Let us also act in Christ’s name to heal a world that longs for peace and mercy. When we click on the scripture links we open a world of hope where before there was no possibility. We enter into a world of fidelity where before there was only betrayal. And we allow Christ to create goodness and light out of harm where before there was only darkness and evil. Let us, like Theophilus, enter into our relationship as a beloved friend of God. And let us allow God to bring us the Easter promise in a full and meaningful way so that we might realize the certainty of the teachings we have received, so that we might pass on the goodness that God has in store for each of us.

For more information on ideas for Luke’s use of the name Theophilus, visit: http://biblehub.com/topical/t/theophilus.htm

Image from: https://defeatingthedragons.wordpress.com/
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March 22, 2022

God turns harm to good, God’s goodness, God’s grace, God’s mercy, God’s wisdom, healing, newness, restoration
John 20:14-18: Weeping
Friday, April 23, 2021

John 20:14-18

Weeping

There are many times in our lives when we do not recognize the Christ who works, kneels or plays beside us. We believe ourselves alone or abandoned. We find that we are overwhelmed with work or emotion. We look for a loved one, friend or colleague who will fill the emptiness. We throw ourselves into play or work, and all the while we overlook the gentle leader who stands waiting before us, calling our name.

Mary Magdalene works and lives with Jesus for several years and yet she mistakes him for the gardener. Let us consider if or how, when or why we look past Jesus when he stands ready to help us. And let us determine to step into the newness and freedom Christ gives us today.

Enter the words Why are you Weeping into the blog search bar and explore.

A re-post from Easter Tuesday 2014.

Image from: http://seedsoflifesomethingthatmatters.wordpress.com/tag/mary-magdalene/
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April 23, 2021

freedom, Mary Magdalene, newness
Acts 16:5: Growth
First Sunday of Advent

November 29, 2020

Acts 16:5

Growth

So the church grew stronger and stronger in the faith and increased in numbers daily.

We continue our journey through a world-wide pandemic. We continue our struggle with inequity and fear. We continue our search for justice and peace. Today we rejoice despite our struggle because we know that light and truth are with us. We know that once we place our anxiety in God’s hands, the way is clear.

The beginning of a new year brings an obvious opportunity to begin again. We have rituals that help us to remember this: a crystal ball slides down a pole as millions watch in a digital world, old calendars are replaced with new in countless homes and offices, toasts are drunk, benchmarks are celebrated; yet do we empower change and growth in our lives or do we enable destructive, predictable and unchanging behaviors?

The cycle of nature in which we experience disintegration followed by the possibility of regeneration models for us a way in which to live. After the falling apart there is always the chance to come together. The keys are to remain open to the possibility, to encourage growth, and to look for the newness with open minds rather than heavy hearts.

After the storm there is the calm.

After the winter there is the spring.

After the destruction there is the rebuilding.

After the night there is the dawn.

After the exile there is restoration.

Our wounded-ness becomes healing when we grow with newness. Our closed-ness becomes resurrection when we believe with determination. Our humanity becomes divine when we love with vulnerability. As we stand on the threshold of a new liturgical year, we have again the opportunity to experience conversion of the heart, to turn our stubborn pride into endurance, our anger into healing passion, and our anxiety into enduring love. Let us welcome this invitation to new growth as warmly as we welcome the Christ Child, Jesus.

We remember that the fledgling church began in smallness and insignificance. If there is time today, read more about the origen of Christianity in Acts.

Image from: http://frontierdreams.blogspot.com/2011/11/rhythm-in-our-home-first-sunday-in.html

Adapted from a reflection written on January 2, 2009.
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November 29, 2020

conversion, healing, newness, pride