Veni Redemptor! Come, Redeemer!
Maranatha! Come, Lord!
I love the season of Advent, with its identification with the messianic longing of our forebears in faith. For what long ages they looked to God to deliver their redemption! When it came, how few of them recognized His coming. Among these, some yet maintain their trust in God's loving care for them while still awaiting the promised Messiah. Others, because of the incomprehensible horrors wrought upon them, have lost the capacity to believe that the God who proclaimed that David's kingship would never be destroyed could possibly exist. Some who still consider themselves Jewish have come to believe that Jesus is indeed the Promised One whom they've sought for so long. I relate to these feelings of hopeful longing, resigned disappointment, and jubilant celebration.
I love the season of Advent, with its recognition that none of us who walk this earth has fully embraced Christ's coming into our own lives. Some of us, like our Jewish brethren, don't recognize Christ's presence among us. Even for those who do, there is a transformation which God is working in each of us which no earthly person experiences in its fullness. The season of Advent reminds us that Jesus longs to come into our lives more fully, to heal our flaws and restore us to the perfect love for which we are created. I'm convinced there is no level of maturity in Christ at which we can feel that we've "arrived." Just the opposite! The more we grow, the more we recognize how great are our shortcomings. We see that we have no hope of ever reaching Perfection, yet we come to know that, in loving grace, our Redeemer never fails to reach us. He doesn't keep us apart from himself until we achieve the ideal to which we are called; rather, God brings us into His perfect presence to draw us more and more deeply into union with Him. By the Holy Spirit's movement in our lives, we are drawn ever further into our true being, in ways we could not hope to accomplish by our own efforts. As we are thus redeemed, becoming filled with Christ's love, it reaches through and beyond us to those around us who have also failed. Our longing becomes for them to be transformed with us!
I love the season of Advent, with its anticipation of the eternal divine kingdom to come. Of course, Christ has established a kingdom of love here on earth. Yet our world is still fallen, still afflicted by sin. Even we who strive to be His followers sometimes fail to fully dwell in the kingdom of God's love. We look for the day when we will no longer stumble, no longer cry, no longer feel the pain of living in a broken world. As people of faith, we recognize how our brokenness and pain yet serve to reveal the love of God, who works through all sorts of horrendous circumstances - those natural, those born of our own choices, those spiritual - to reach those with his love who would otherwise reject him. "The problem of pain," which causes so many to reject God's existence, abounds in our world, and yet through it God brings more and more precious children into the kingdom of light. Yet we eagerly look toward the day when there is no more pain, no more brokenness and failure, but only the eternal joy of dwelling in God's presence.
I love the season of Advent, with its timelessness, its small glimpse into eternity. Past, present, and future, all intertwined and experienced simultaneously. It has-always-been/is/always-will-be this way, as God has revealed to us in our past the Redeemer who comes to us now to lead us into the eternity which will be ours in our future. Having looked for Jesus, in this moment receiving Jesus, we eagerly await the fullness of Jesus.
Veni Redemptor! Maranatha! Come, Redeemer, Lord!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Monday, November 20, 2006
Family stuff
I'm boggled at how other people's brains work, especially when they're brains I had such an influential role in forming.
Our oldest daughter has been baffling for some time now, but it just keeps getting worse. Okay, so she's only in touch when she needs something. I suppose that's her prerogative. I'm glad when she calls anyway.
So about six weeks ago she asks us if we'll go ahead and pay for our oldest grandson's next swimming class and they'll pay us back on the weekend. No problem.
If you think this is going to be a tirade against never being paid back, you're only partly right.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, youngest daughter is expecting her second child in December, a little boy this time, so not much in the way of hand-me-downs from his big sister, or there'd be a greater likelihood of her dealing with her own baffling adult offspring in twenty years. So the wife is stuck planning the shower with no help from anyone, including the two sisters. Middle sister at least chipped in a little money, but no input from oldest at all.
Friday night is the last swim class of the aforementioned session. And for at least the third time in this class, wife shows up at grandson's lesson, only no grandson! Sunday afternoon, oldest calls her little sister with regrets for not being able to make the shower, because the kids are sick. Oh, and don't call,
Our oldest daughter has been baffling for some time now, but it just keeps getting worse. Okay, so she's only in touch when she needs something. I suppose that's her prerogative. I'm glad when she calls anyway.
So about six weeks ago she asks us if we'll go ahead and pay for our oldest grandson's next swimming class and they'll pay us back on the weekend. No problem.
If you think this is going to be a tirade against never being paid back, you're only partly right.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, youngest daughter is expecting her second child in December, a little boy this time, so not much in the way of hand-me-downs from his big sister, or there'd be a greater likelihood of her dealing with her own baffling adult offspring in twenty years. So the wife is stuck planning the shower with no help from anyone, including the two sisters. Middle sister at least chipped in a little money, but no input from oldest at all.
Friday night is the last swim class of the aforementioned session. And for at least the third time in this class, wife shows up at grandson's lesson, only no grandson! Sunday afternoon, oldest calls her little sister with regrets for not being able to make the shower, because the kids are sick. Oh, and don't call,
Sunday, November 05, 2006
A wonderful day
What a day of blessings. Sleeping in. Very nice Mass, with the Rite of Acceptance. Got home and was contemplating a bike ride when Teri reminded me I had a flight planned for this afternoon with a friend from prayer group. So I was able to combine the two, riding my bike about 10 miles to the municipal airport, flying with Jim for a couple hours, then riding home. What a great afternoon! Came home to discover "my" NFL team, or at least as close as I have to one I root for, had beaten the local team, on top of a surprising win for my college team yesterday. A nice evening with my wife, teaming up on getting dinner cooked and the dishes cleaned up.
Too many blessings to list all of, really. It's been the sort of day that some people chase after all the time, and become filled with angst if they don't have them regularly. But I don't really look for days like this. I just trust God to put me where I should be, and try to let Him make me the person I'm called to be there. Along the way, sometimes there are wondrous days like this. But the best day here is a passing shadow compared to the eternal joy God has waiting for those who will accept the gift of grace.
Too many blessings to list all of, really. It's been the sort of day that some people chase after all the time, and become filled with angst if they don't have them regularly. But I don't really look for days like this. I just trust God to put me where I should be, and try to let Him make me the person I'm called to be there. Along the way, sometimes there are wondrous days like this. But the best day here is a passing shadow compared to the eternal joy God has waiting for those who will accept the gift of grace.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Reframing the discussion
This Sunday's Gospel reading:
"Good teacher, what must I do to enter the kingdom of heaven?"
His society had told the rich young man, his whole life, that he'd already found favor with God. His riches were the evidence of God's favor. Yet, he recognizes in Jesus an authority that can answer the uncertainty that remains within him. He doesn't recognize his fundamental assumption that assurance is found in meeting some minimum set of requirements; he has learned from scribes and Pharisees that it must surely be so, and that the trick is to figure out what those requirements are and then make sure he fulfills them.
Jesus changes the framework of the discussion. It isn't a matter of what we must do to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is a matter of how we will respond to the kingdom of heaven being given to us, through grace and mercy. As long as we view heaven as our reward for the kind of person we are, we will never respond wholeheartedly to the gift that is freely given. As soon as we truly see the sin in our lives as God sees it, then we know the depth of grace. As we live therein, our longing becomes to share it, without limit.
"Good teacher, what must I do to enter the kingdom of heaven?"
His society had told the rich young man, his whole life, that he'd already found favor with God. His riches were the evidence of God's favor. Yet, he recognizes in Jesus an authority that can answer the uncertainty that remains within him. He doesn't recognize his fundamental assumption that assurance is found in meeting some minimum set of requirements; he has learned from scribes and Pharisees that it must surely be so, and that the trick is to figure out what those requirements are and then make sure he fulfills them.
Jesus changes the framework of the discussion. It isn't a matter of what we must do to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is a matter of how we will respond to the kingdom of heaven being given to us, through grace and mercy. As long as we view heaven as our reward for the kind of person we are, we will never respond wholeheartedly to the gift that is freely given. As soon as we truly see the sin in our lives as God sees it, then we know the depth of grace. As we live therein, our longing becomes to share it, without limit.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Grown children
As they were growing up, I often marvelled at how our children taught us so much about the love of God.
Now that they are grown, I find the lessons I learn through my relationships with them all the more pertinent. I wish it were usually because of the wisdom that comes forth from their lives, as it sometimes is.
More often it is from watching helplessly as they make decisions over which we have no control, decisions which we know are not truly in their own best interest. It is then that I'm most aware of how much God loves us. Our all powerful God has relinquished control over us so that we might choose to live as we think best, accepting or rejecting diving Love and guidance according to our own will. Yet God's love for us never wavers, regardless of the decisions we make. God waits for us to realize our true need, our actual best interest, and real love. When we finally reach out in the correct direction, though our reach is always short of being able to bridge the gap between humanity and Divinity, God reaches us.
Now that they are grown, I find the lessons I learn through my relationships with them all the more pertinent. I wish it were usually because of the wisdom that comes forth from their lives, as it sometimes is.
More often it is from watching helplessly as they make decisions over which we have no control, decisions which we know are not truly in their own best interest. It is then that I'm most aware of how much God loves us. Our all powerful God has relinquished control over us so that we might choose to live as we think best, accepting or rejecting diving Love and guidance according to our own will. Yet God's love for us never wavers, regardless of the decisions we make. God waits for us to realize our true need, our actual best interest, and real love. When we finally reach out in the correct direction, though our reach is always short of being able to bridge the gap between humanity and Divinity, God reaches us.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
A lesson in priorities
When taking on a sporting activity, I sometimes find it a challenge to keep my original goals in mind. At 46, it isn’t as if I’m ever going to become a competitive runner or cyclist, and that’s okay. But I still tend to push my performance rather than focusing on the camaraderie and fellowship that I set out for in each activity.
In running, the temptation isn’t as obvious a problem. All the team runners take the races at our own pace, and it’s just a matter of keeping my training in line with my minimum goal of keeping the pain in my legs to a minimum after a race. A weekly run should be all I need to accomplish that, and mostly short ones with an occasional longer on tossed in should get that mission accomplished. When a run, such as the one last night, results in less than a PR, I need to keep my disappointment in check and remember that I’m really just there to support the team.
But cycling is a little more problematic, especially since drafting makes it more of a group activity and we have such a variety of skill levels. Among our regular weekly riders, I’m probably the first or second slowest, but other group members who ride with us from time to time are slower, and I probable have the worst bike (the Hammer doesn’t count anymore; we miss you Larry!).
Most days, it’s just a matter of riding as well as we can, and that’s okay, but occasionally we have a ride planned that’s more of a group activity than a training ride. On those days, I’ve got to get myself out of "push it" mode, especially when I have more decision-making input. Some days, the fellowship is more important than the training.
It's another example of how a good thing can become a bit of a false god, if we're not careful.
In running, the temptation isn’t as obvious a problem. All the team runners take the races at our own pace, and it’s just a matter of keeping my training in line with my minimum goal of keeping the pain in my legs to a minimum after a race. A weekly run should be all I need to accomplish that, and mostly short ones with an occasional longer on tossed in should get that mission accomplished. When a run, such as the one last night, results in less than a PR, I need to keep my disappointment in check and remember that I’m really just there to support the team.
But cycling is a little more problematic, especially since drafting makes it more of a group activity and we have such a variety of skill levels. Among our regular weekly riders, I’m probably the first or second slowest, but other group members who ride with us from time to time are slower, and I probable have the worst bike (the Hammer doesn’t count anymore; we miss you Larry!).
Most days, it’s just a matter of riding as well as we can, and that’s okay, but occasionally we have a ride planned that’s more of a group activity than a training ride. On those days, I’ve got to get myself out of "push it" mode, especially when I have more decision-making input. Some days, the fellowship is more important than the training.
It's another example of how a good thing can become a bit of a false god, if we're not careful.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
The Eucharist
At Holy Trinity in Glen Burnie this weekend, Fr. Headley's insights stimulated my thoughts beyond the ideas that he actually expressed. The Lord will use a good homily to that effect on a prayerful and reflective person when they're open to the Spirit, I suppose. I'll paraphrase and expand on his thoughts a bit, then move on to my own. The gospel reading was from John 6.
After beginning with a few observations about the role of Wisdom in revealing the Truth, Fr. Headley moved on to an observation that you'd have to be spiritually deaf to miss from the gospel reading, pointing out how Jesus invoked the manna as the forerunner of the Eucharist/himself, and himself as the manna. Obviously many in his audience had a problem with this analogy; having known him in the context of his earthly life, and unable to accept what he was telling them about his divine nature, they couldn't grasp that he was more than an inspiring teacher but in fact the very nourishment they needed for eternal life. Too, he was invoking one of their most treasured images and applying it to himself, in a way that seemed preposterous on the surface. Throw in the likelihood that many of them may not have believed in the possibility of life beyond death, and it is no wonder they couldn't accept what he was saying.
Fr. Headley went on to describe our experiences of earthly banquets of providential love, if you will, especially those in which we encounter a tangible sense of loving acceptance in the context of food, but even "love banquets" beyond these food-based celebrations. Each of these, he suggested, are for us metaphors and precursors to the Eucharistic banquet which Jesus offers us and in which we find the fulfillment of their promise.
It seems to me that this idea takes on even more depth in the context of the timeless nature of God, and how that intertwines with the human, timebound experience of salvation history. It isn't just that Christ fulfilled the Jewish Passover. Rather, God, simultaneously seeing how we (would) treat his Son when he walks on this earth, and how we (would) respond to the gospel millenia after his resurrection, provides a deliverance from slavery for the people from whom the Son will receive his human flesh, which will serve to allow us to recognize him as he later reinvokes those images for us. This has been the purpose of every revelation of God throughout salvation history. Further, it is the purpose and role of every revelation of love which we experience in our lives. It isn't merely that Christ and the Eucharist fulfill the deepest meaning of these other events, but rather that the ultimate purpose of each event is to allow us to recognize and accept Jesus as the very nourishment without which we cannot live.
Even the doubting we may experience, however deep and complete it may be, serves this purpose.
After beginning with a few observations about the role of Wisdom in revealing the Truth, Fr. Headley moved on to an observation that you'd have to be spiritually deaf to miss from the gospel reading, pointing out how Jesus invoked the manna as the forerunner of the Eucharist/himself, and himself as the manna. Obviously many in his audience had a problem with this analogy; having known him in the context of his earthly life, and unable to accept what he was telling them about his divine nature, they couldn't grasp that he was more than an inspiring teacher but in fact the very nourishment they needed for eternal life. Too, he was invoking one of their most treasured images and applying it to himself, in a way that seemed preposterous on the surface. Throw in the likelihood that many of them may not have believed in the possibility of life beyond death, and it is no wonder they couldn't accept what he was saying.
Fr. Headley went on to describe our experiences of earthly banquets of providential love, if you will, especially those in which we encounter a tangible sense of loving acceptance in the context of food, but even "love banquets" beyond these food-based celebrations. Each of these, he suggested, are for us metaphors and precursors to the Eucharistic banquet which Jesus offers us and in which we find the fulfillment of their promise.
It seems to me that this idea takes on even more depth in the context of the timeless nature of God, and how that intertwines with the human, timebound experience of salvation history. It isn't just that Christ fulfilled the Jewish Passover. Rather, God, simultaneously seeing how we (would) treat his Son when he walks on this earth, and how we (would) respond to the gospel millenia after his resurrection, provides a deliverance from slavery for the people from whom the Son will receive his human flesh, which will serve to allow us to recognize him as he later reinvokes those images for us. This has been the purpose of every revelation of God throughout salvation history. Further, it is the purpose and role of every revelation of love which we experience in our lives. It isn't merely that Christ and the Eucharist fulfill the deepest meaning of these other events, but rather that the ultimate purpose of each event is to allow us to recognize and accept Jesus as the very nourishment without which we cannot live.
Even the doubting we may experience, however deep and complete it may be, serves this purpose.
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