I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the Evil One.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth.
"In God we trust!" declares the American dollar bill. But we often "trust" that the Lord will take us out of the world; or at least, out of this particular predicament. And yet that is precisely what Jesus did not pray for during his Last Supper.
Rather, we have heard his prayer, "..,that you keep them from the Evil One." and, "Consecrate them in truth."
I read recently of how General Patton literally kicked butt as he rushed his soldiers off the boats, into the surf, and upon the Moroccan shore during the first great amphibious invasion of World War II. The green young men might have been praying for security but this was the time for courageous action. If they needed protection from the "evil one" as they charged into the evil one's world, it would not be found in the surf or on a Navy boat, as "Old Blood and Guts" proved to them.
The craving for security opposes the drive for freedom.
In recent years we are challenged by racists -- especially White and Muslim -- who attack defenseless civilians. Warfare is no longer a clash of armies and navies. It is sabotage, sniping, and assaults on unarmed, unprotected gatherings of people in shopping malls, sporting arenas and churches. Terrorists, hopped up on drugs and their own fantasies, think they are acting courageously when they kill children and the elderly. Propagandists, hiding in the unreal world of the Internet, aim only to disrupt. They hope an angry society will generate a new, racially pure order.
The Lord has not prayed that his disciples will be taken from a terrified world, but that we will remain free, confident, generous and joyful; that we will greet and welcome strangers -- even potential Dylann Roofs -- into our prayer groups, churches and shrines. The terrorists aim is to purify society of racial and religious differences; and the Lord's aim is to purify our hearts. This new form of warfare, like a crucible, will refine our Christian faith.
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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.