Close, But No Cigar ... Yet.

The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God". (Mk 12:32-34)

The scribe is not far from God, but not quite there yet. Understanding a teaching, understanding the wisdom of a commandment, is an important step. But actually doing something about it, is another story. The proof is in the pudding, or, we can talk about the recipe for a good pudding but only when we make the pudding and taste it will we know if it's good. Our knowledge is tied to personal human experience. We can hear and use reason to build our knowledge, but wisdom is built on experience. Politicians say many things, but we judge them on the basis of their actions. So too, we, like the scribe, might understand the words, but the next step separates the men from the boys, or the sheep from the goats. Now that we know, what are we going to do about it?

Living a life reflecting the love of God and neighbour is that last step that shall bring us Home.

Yet of the pompous scribes that Jesus warns us about, the men who demand respect and privilege, who dress for show and who recite their knowledge to impress, who take the best seat both before God and at banquets, Jesus tells us that these men know not what they do. They have forgotten God. The world has distracted them. They shall be judged by the Lord: the Christ warns us to not follow in their footsteps. Rather, be the the poor woman who trusts in God and puts in her two cents, all that she has (she could have put in only one of her coins and kept the other for food) because her faith is more important than worldly possessions, material comforts.

Who chooses to be poor? We judge swiftly today with our poverty line, third-world examples on tv and social awareness of bling, gadgets and movie star standards. Simpleness? Humbleness? St. Francis, like many men before him, chose poverty / humbleness as a less cluttered means to an end that is closeness to God. How can we see our brothers if we only see the robes and jewelry, their better seats and wealthy lifestyles? Can we see beyond all this? And if the reality of riches in which they choose to live is not our reality? Me thinks that the pretences will fall away. Again, St. Francis did let anything of this world come between him and God. And freed from separation, he could be closer to his neighbours to share his wisdom and compassion. The rich man could not give up all he had to follow Jesus: fear kept him bound to habit and materialism.

For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood (Mk 12:44)

Understanding poverty and humbleness, like understanding the commandment to love God and neighbour alike, is therefore one part of the journey on the path to God. What are we willing to do on this path? How can we use this mental awareness to take the next step to physically change our lives and world to reflect and disseminate and teach our understanding? Again and again and again we are invited. It wont always be easy, St. Paul tells us today from prison, but it is worthwhile!

Deo gratias.

Amazing Grace

This afternoon in one of the most famous 'hidden churches' of Amsterdam we celebrated the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Why today, i'm not sure, but the little baroque beauty was full. A bishop and many priests from the different churches presided. The emphasis of the mass was of course Holy Communion. In a long and cheery homily, the priest spoke of this sacrament. What now resounds in my mind is that the Christ took away the sins of the the world. He compared God to Santa Claus. The fat guy in the red suit keeps a list of who is naughty and nice, as we know. To keep this list he is supposed to have a book with two pages: page one for good deeds and the other page for the less good. God, however, stated the priest, also has a book with two pages: page one for good deeds, yet the other page is blank. If we believe, if we have faith, if we do our best to live in the light of Love, Christ's Way, then our less meritorious deeds are forgiven. Grace and mercy through His Love for us makes this possible. Amazing.

I stood amazed, as if i had not really appreciated the gift granted humanity through the birth, death and resurrection of God on Earth. And, the priest continued, we are made in His image. What that image is could be literally ten fingers and toes, or His reason or His conscience. It might also be His ability to Love, be love for all things, be love for neighbour, be love as we were truly made to be. We are forgiven and so we can forgive. Amazing.

We shrink from this divinity, unwilling to accept the responsibilities, unwilling to change our lives and try, unwilling to believe that we have the strength and unwilling to believe that this is our only purpose in life, namely to grow into those shoes, walk the Lord's path, walk with wisdom and compassion through our lives on this world ... being love. Simple. In all that we are and in all that we do and in all whom we touch, God is present in us. We are his reflection, his image, here and now.

And taking Holy Communion we are asked by Christ himself to remember. "Re - member", that is to connect once again unto Him. He is present and offered to each one of us to join with him in the Trinity. There is no separation. We are united into One, one church, one people, one faith, one Love for All That Is. We shine with his divine light over everything and everyone, not judging, not hating, not arguing, but filled with compassion and the divine ability to forgive.

Amazing is the grace of the Lord. Amazing is the grace he offers us. Amazing is the grace we are invited to share in: "Go on, give it a try and be amazed", God seems to say.

Deo gratias.

Glory Now!

Therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled and to fall from your own stability. But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Pt 3:17-18)

Since we are forewarned through the prophets and the teachings of the Lord Christ on Earth and the Lord in the Holy Spirit, we can use our wisdom to avoid unbeneficial choices. We will make wrong choices too, but i don't like to linger on the negative for which any man with commonsense and a conscience feels regret and through wisdom makes an effort to set things right. Just Do It, as the Nike ad reads, Just Do Good, Just Make Amends, Just Love All without lingering in the Dark or the negative vibes of doubt, cynicism, hopelessness and powerlessness. We are forewarned that we might use our reason to cultivate wisdom and make the best choices for our self and the world around us.

Error abounds. Ego desires to bend truths for its own lazy, selfish and fearful convenience. I've heard that anything worthwhile takes effort. Effort is required if one is to sustain ones principles. Effort is required to maintain stability. In an ever changing world we must be at the wheel of our vessel and steer with an even keel. Sow and we shall reap, thus by sowing effort we shall reap the true and bountiful, growing in grace and knowledge. Life will not necessarily get any easier we are warned again and again and again, but then, ease is the way of the Self, the selfish, self interested and self righteous. Ease is cutting corners. Ease is dropping the difficult or unattractive. Ease is the voice of the mob crying for attention, in want, in need and in fear. Ease is an illusion, for if one takes the path of ease, me thinks there can only be greater suffering because one is ill prepared to confront the hard truths that life may bring. In grace and knowledge we grow and can stand upright and be people able to weather storms, always in the light, always in goodness, always in love. At least, that is my goal; have i any goal more worthwhile?

To him be glory now and to the day of eternity, indeed, to the day of our enlightenment, of no re-birth (a Buddhist reference, my Bodhisattva's).

Blessed is our St. Boniface who worked tirelessly to reveal the Truth to men lost in the darkness of fear and hunger and baseness.

Amen.

Deo gratias.

Our True Nature Revealed

Through them [glory and divine power] you may come to share in the divine nature, after escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love. (2 Pt 1:4-7)

There we have it! The path on the Way made clear, step by step. Evil desire is that which holds one back due to clinging to sensory pleasures, routines, aversions and fears. These attachments keep us small and bound. These 'unhealthy' desires limit our freedom and hinder our expression of Truth, namely who we really are.

With faith we are invited to take our first steps. A noble effort is required. How? First we must know what is asked of us, to understand that we share in God's divine nature. Even if we don't feel it, don't understand it, don't agree with it, we are invited to make first the effort, to sow and see what we can reap. Committing ourselves to the way, Self-control is then required to become more aware of our daily choices that we might limit any desire that hinders us. Endurance will maintain ones efforts and devotion will keep us humble. Mutual affection will sustain that devotional humbleness and love (or compassion) is reaped from our efforts. And our goal? To share in the gift of divine nature, to know the glory and divine power that is our inheritance and to do good things here and now on Earth. So simple, God makes the way back to him available to all mankind. The better we practise, the greater and more intimate our understanding of our nature shall become. With mutual affection, love all and serve all so that in loosing our Self (ego) we might discover the True Nature of our being.

Good news, indeed.

Deo gratias.