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 this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
Because we live in
an extraordinary time when much has changed and yet more change is inevitable, many
people suppose we have lost all connection to the past. The present is so
overwhelming the past seems irrelevant.
But when we read
the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the writings of the New Testament we
find ourselves. Christians know the mythic Christ who is always present. We also
know Jesus, the Son of Mary and Joseph. They are One and the Same, our Messiah
and Lord. He is our link to an ancient, almost-prehistoric past and to the
distant, inconceivable future. If our contemporaries seem bewildered on a sea of
uncertainty, we enjoy the anchor of faith. He is our “high priest forever according to the order
of Melchizedeck.”
I heard a Jesuit
explain our predicament like this: We have often used scripture, tradition and
reason like a ladder to ascend toward God. Reaching the top of the ladder we
feel God’s embrace and are content. But one day someone comes along and removes
the ladder. Someone points out that our scriptures have been misinterpreted;
our traditions, altered and our logic, fallacious.
Mysteriously, we
don’t fall. We stay right there in God’s embrace, waiting for someone else to come
along (probably a Jesuit) to place another ladder underneath us. Not one of us
has been lost.
Inspired,
wrapped and rapt by the Holy Spirit, we keep our eyes on Christ – especially as
we eat the Bread of Life. Many of our neighbors will wonder at our foolishness as we hover above the ground. Some of them will join us.
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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.