Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.
For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God.
He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.
The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.
For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God.
He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.
The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.
The gospel of Saint John is like a hologram . If you look into a hologram you will see an amazing three-dimensional image. If you shatter it into many pieces, every piece, large and small, will contain the complete, three-dimensional image. Gazing into Saint John’s masterpiece you apprehend a multi-dimensional image of the Gospel. If you break it into small parts, reading it chapter by chapter -- or even verse by verse -- you see the same multi-dimensional gospel.
Today we come to the third and last reading of Jesus’ midnight conversation with Nicodemus. By this time, if this scene were presented on stage, Nicodemus would have faded into the background as the spotlight narrowed on Jesus’ face. The darkness and the hush over the theater focus our attention intensely upon him and his teaching.
In today’s hologram verses I notice the similar relationships of the Father, the Son, and the disciples of the Son. Jesus will teach, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.” and “Love one another as I have loved you.” These differing relationships are laced together by the Holy Spirit and by his authoritative teaching. Hearing them we are swept into the mysterious web of the Holy Trinity.
Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.
Clearly the disciple, hearing and accepting Jesus’ word, “certifies” as a “witness” God’s veracity. If you are credible, your word is credible. If your neighbor loves you because you have loved her, she will love your God. The “testimony” of your life certifies God’s trustworthiness.
For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God.
As we learned in John 1, The Jesus is Word of God made flesh. What else could Jesus say but the Word of God? His very being, every act and every word, demonstrates God’s presence. Likewise, our sacramental presence signifies the God who has set up his tent in our world.
He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.
This statement delights my heart. Of course it finds echoes throughout our scriptures, liturgies and devotions; but I think of the Miraculous Medal and the rays of light that stream from the Woman’s fingers. Medieval story-tellers sang of the Holy Grail with its superabundant generosity. They saw the cup hovering over King Arthur’s Round Table, magically filling each cup with delightful wine and covering each plate with delicious food. In our time the media delight our eyes with the endless visions of the universe, from deep space to the deep oceans to the inner workings of the human body. There is no rationing of God’s spirit.
The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.
The psalmist expressed wonder at God’s extraordinary gifts to the human race. The Christian sees his prayer fulfilled in The Man Jesus with even greater astonishment:
What is man that you are mindful of him,
and a son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him little less than a god
crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
put all things at his feet:
All sheep and oxen,
even the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fish of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
O LORD, our Lord,
how awesome is your name through all the earth!
Psalm 8
Please pray that this April 19 will pass quietly, without terrifying incident from American survivalists and their ilk.
No comments:
Post a Comment
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.