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| Boulders carefully placed in the Japanese Garden, Portland Oregon |
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
In my ministry to the dying at the VA hospital I often read this passage from the Gospel of Saint John. Where we usually think enthusiastically of what we want to do, Jesus describes his enthusiasm for doing his Father’s will.
I may have some ideas about what I want to do; they arise from my perceived needs and preferences and desires; but because the impulse to do these things comes from my self, there is no real commitment. As readily as I choose, I can change my mind.
But when someone whom I love and honor asks me to do something, I do it out of gratitude, generosity and joy. I am delighted to have the opportunity to please the one I love. I commit myself not only to begin the project but to see it through to completion.
And this is how Jesus saves us and our beloved dead. Certainly his own impulse as a human being is powerful; he feels a natural, spontaneous compassion for every other human being. You and I would feel the same way if we were not so afflicted by Original Sin. But, as Jesus explains, he didn’t come to do his own will; rather he came to do “the will of the one who sent me.”
For that reason he saves us with all the more intensity, commitment and enthusiasm. He will see the project through to its Total Satisfaction, beyond anything we can ask or imagine, and far beyond anything we deserve. Weariness, frustration, discouragement and failure mean nothing to one who sacrifices everything in obedience to someone else. Jesus does this because his Father asked him.
On this All Souls Day we commend to the mercy of Jesus all those whom we have loved and lost. They are dearer to him than they were to us, and we are confident of their salvation.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.