Lectionary: 253“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
The phrase “remain in my word” sounds a common theme in the Gospel of John. Jesus invited his first disciples to “come and see” where he lived, that they might abide with him. Jesus’ followers must abide (or remain) in him and he will remain in them.
The practical mind will ask the reasonable question, “How do I remain in him?” The answer is mysterious because there is no formula to satisfy the question. After complying with all the external standards of “abiding in the Lord,” a person might still not have the Spirit.
Human will is elusive; it can hide behinds all kinds of formulas and practices, maintaining its defiance behind external compliance. It can say to Jesus, “I have done all these things since my youth!” and still walk away from the Lord. As the young Jeremiah said, “More tortuous than all else is the human heart.”
That said, we can point
to certain practices as helping one to remain in the Word of God. First there
are the Sacraments, especially the Sunday Mass. Participating in the Eucharist follows
Baptism, just as eating follows birth.
The Eucharist teaches us
much about ordinary Christian life:
- We begin the Mass with a prayer of penance just as we are quick to apologize to one another for doing wrong, and willingly confess our sins frequently;
- that act of penance flows from our daily examen, when we ask the Lord to show us how well we lived within him today;
- hearing the Word of God at Mass, we go home to study the Scriptures in private and in small groups;
- declaring our faith with the Nicene Creed, we recite the Apostles Creed each time we say the rosary;
- praying for the needs of all during the intercessions reminds us to pray daily for one another;
- sharing the Eucharist as we eat the body of Christ and drink his blood reminds us that our family meals are also Eucharistic occasions. The child who doesn’t sit with his father, mother, brothers and sisters at the dining room table might never understand the Mass as the Eucharistic Feast.
- Finally, the Mass inspires us to private prayer. We come from the Church inspired to pray privately; and our devotions impel us back to the community with its liturgy. Liturgy and private devotion go hand in glove; each is barren without the other.
Living in the Lord also means
caring for others. We are the presence of Jesus in our neighborhoods, markets
and places of work. America has a great tradition of volunteerism; it is inspired
by the Abrahamic faith we share with Jews and Muslims. If the Mass has not
inspired us to spread the Good News by works of mercy we have missed something.
Living in the Lord is not terribly difficult, as Moses insisted:
For
this command which I am giving you today is not too wondrous or remote for you.
It is not in the heavens, that you should say, “Who will go up to the heavens
to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may do it?” Nor is it across the
sea, that you should say, “Who will cross the sea to get it for us and tell us
of it, that we may do it?” No, it is something very near to you, in your mouth
and in your heart, to do it.
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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.