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Posts Tagged ‘trust’

Intimidating

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on September 12, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 9:28a; 34a
Then they [the chief priests] hurled insults at him [the formerly blind man] and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple!” … Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple!…”

I confess, I love to be around people who are really smart. I am intrigued by their knowledge and enjoy learning something new each and every day. It’s one of the reasons I read so much.

But the way in which someone hurls his/her knowledge around can be intimidating. In fact, there are folks who use knowledge as a sledge hammer. Little do they know that knowledge flung about like that becomes diffused, unfocused and useless. People stop listening.

In one of the books I’m reading, “Why We Make Mistakes” by Joseph Hallinan, the author maintains that as people (particularly men) collect information, the more confident they become to the point of actually becoming over confident. And in that over confidence, they begin to make mistakes.

The chief priests were over confident. They thought they knew the whole story. They could not integrate anything new. They could not integrate the miracle. They began making unfounded accusations. They were grasping at straws.

There is usually a moment when I go from appreciation of a person’s knowledge and intelligence to total intimidation. I think that moment happens when I hear or see or sense the other person is espousing his/her views with such certainty that there is no room for other possibilities. It’s a lack of humility.

Lord, don’t let me become this kind of person. Keep my heart and mind open to the miraculous. Keep my mind and heart open to the evolution of your spirit in our world. Keep me humble.

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Cost of Betrayal

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 11, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 19:11b
“…Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” [Jesus speaking to Pilate]

Although Jesus knew that one of his followers would betray him, the suffering was still heavy to bear. Imagine, in this scene, Jesus tells Pilate that Judas, who betrayed him, has committed a greater sin than Pilate who would be condemning Jesus to death. I believe the chief priests, who brought Jesus to Pilate, were also betrayers. They twisted the truth to achieve their own goals. As leaders of the faith, they betrayed the people.

I have experienced betrayal and I can testify to the depth of such pain. To give someone trust, to open the heart and expose it willingly to someone, and then have it crushed through betrayal is a misery like no other.

Love is a contract. Relationship is a contract. Friendship is a contract. It may not be a written one, like a marriage vow or certificate, and yet, as the onion layers of our hearts are removed in order to love more deeply, we are placing more and more trust in that contract. Contracts of this kind are strengthened by our transparency and destroyed by lies and deception.

And yet, love requires that we accept the possibility of betrayal. This is the greatest challenge of all. Once injured by betrayal, the tendency is to protect the heart from another incursion. But love is anemic without trust and vulnerability. It is not love at all.

Jesus loved Judas despite the eventual betrayal. Jesus loved all the disciples, knowing they would fail him and flee. Jesus loved Peter who denied him three times in a single night.

Our only safety in loving others is Christ. He is the healer of betrayed hearts. Without his presence within the heart, we will develop a heart of stone. It all starts innocently enough, a protective shield from the disappointments and betrayals we have experienced over the years, but eventually, if left to our own devices, the protective layer begins to soak through and our hearts are hardened. This is the highest cost of betrayal.

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart…” [Psalm 51:17a] The heart of stone must be broken in order for healing to begin. [Ezekiel 36:26]

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Joy, Suffering and Holiness

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 6, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 17:13-14; 17
“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they [followers] may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world….For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”[Jesus praying]

Three promises are embedded in these passages: joy, suffering, and holiness. These are part of becoming a follower of Christ.

I believe Jesus had joy because he completed his task on Earth. He accomplished what his Father had sent him to do. He was faithful. And out of his accomplishment and faithfulness comes joy. His joy is available to us because HE did the brunt of the work. As Julian of Norwich says, “All will be well…” Despite our circumstances, joy is available. “It is finished!” But we continue to struggle… we continue to make our own joy.

I believe Jesus understood his own suffering and anticipated his followers to experience suffering as well. Jesus was outside the norm of the day. He challenged the religious leaders of the time. He promoted actions and thoughts of paradox: love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, etc. But these teachings are no better understood or walked out today. Most Christians are uncomfortable with the idea of suffering for an ideal like the lion and the lamb dwelling together. Jesus world and our world are not that different, both worlds are equally violent. Perhaps the biggest difference is that we, in the West, have more to lose. Which bring us to the challenge of holiness.

I believe Jesus offered his followers a holy life by walking outside the the ways of the world. In order to know this life, we would have to willingly step away from our consumer lifestyle. Sanctification (holiness) comes from casting ourselves fully at the feet of Christ. It’s submission to the way of Jesus. It’s humility for the sake of the other. It’s letting go. It’s living sacrificially.

Oh, most patient Lord, forgive me for looking for my own joy, for running from suffering, and fearing holiness. Show me the narrow way.

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And They All Fall Down

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on September 4, 2009| 1 Comment »

John 18:4-6
Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”
“Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.
“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

The gospel of John is the only account of the crowd falling down to the ground when Jesus was arrested. Isn’t that the strangest thing? How could this happen? Why would John include this in the gospel?

I really like creating pictures in my mind as I read. Needless to say, my picture for this scene is quite dramatic. The only thing I can wrap my head around is that Jesus released a great deal of power (a release of power is also recorded in the story of the woman who bled for 12 years and touched his cloak in Mark 5:32). In my mind, Jesus was always having to choose to limit himself to the human side, the human container. But this moment was really a turning point. It was no longer a possible future; it was no longer a mere concept.

Turning points are moments of power in all of our lives. Some years ago I participated in a wonderful conference on “Story” at the Mars Hill Graduate School in Seattle. Before starting the workshop, our homework was to identify the turning points in our lives. This was a very illuminating exercise and I recommend it for everyone.

The power in a turning point comes from the motive or driver that brings the moment before us. Do we take the left or right fork in the road. When we choose a direction that is under girded by the Holy Spirit, then power is released. In Jesus’s case, there was enough power to knock down a crowd of people. If we take the other path, we are on our own.

If a turning point comes today, Lord, guide my decision.

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Mystical Indwelling

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on September 3, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 17:20b-21a; 22b-23a
“I pray also for those who will believe in me through their [followers] message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. … I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me.” [Jesus praying]

How can anyone read this text and not wonder what all this indwelling is about? I think it’s quite mystical really. It’s not a feeling. It’s not something we can see. We cannot “know” if the indwelling has happened. This is strictly on faith.

For those who believe that life is more than our 3-dimensional world, the leap is not as difficult. In fact, it’s really the whole point. If we ask Christ to live within, it’s a done deal. This is not a real estate transaction where the Spirit comes in, takes a look around and says, “not interested, too many issues.” If we ask, the Spirit comes.

The next process is developing a relationship with the indwelling Spirit. We have to learn the language of love, hope, and trust within. This takes time. And that journey is different for each person. I find it a wonderful, yet sometimes disturbing, mystery. It’s simply not that easy to do.

Often, people will develop their own personal word picture to assist them in the discovery process. I remember, at one time, I pictured myself as a child who was walking on one side of a stream while Jesus walked on the other. I was looking for a bridge. It was my first foray into the Spirit’s guidance.

The most effective way to enter into process is through prayer. But too often, we turn prayer into a personal monologue. It’s too much like talking to Santa Claus: I want this and this and please do this and don’t forget this. After thirty years, I still fall into that trap. In recent years, I have taught myself to practice being still and listening more (within).

In fact, all of the spiritual practices are intended to help us in our indwelling journey; not only prayer, but also communion, reading of the Word and other challenging texts, worship, music (food for the ears), personal expressions of creativity, providing “food” for the eyes through beauty, meaningful community experiences, meditation, contemplation, time in nature and natural settings, service to the poor, widows & orphans, loving neighbor, practicing hospitality… just to name a few. These are all ways of learning about the operation of the Holy Spirit within.

But, if we don’t participate in spiritual practices regularly, we can become numb to the presence within. It’s like living in a foreign land. If we don’t use the language of Spirit, we can lose our ability to understand it. All can be regained, but it takes commitment and desire.

Today, I pray for mindfulness of Christ’s indwelling. I embrace the mystery. I accept the mystical nature of this union.

With what other practices do you experience the indwelling Christ?

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Is There an Evil One?

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , , on September 2, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 17:15
“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” [Jesus praying]

Is there an evil one? You’re kidding! On what planet are you living? Of course there is an evil one and he/she is having a party down here.

The question is how do we engage evil.

According to Jesus, truth is the great weapon against evil [vs 17]. Harumph! We don’t use that tactic much. I think we try other things instead: isolating ourselves from evil, condemning evil, running away from evil, lumping evil in with a lot of other things, avoiding evil, and worst of all, pretending evil doesn’t exist.

In order for truth to have power, it must have complete foothold within our being. We must take a stand within before we can venture forth. We must choose honestly, love honestly, act honestly, speak honestly. Here is where truth begins. It is out of this truth that we can become equipped to engage the evil one. This is the power of union with Christ. This is the point. We can only be honest with ourselves when we are authentic with the Christ within.

The evil one uses guerrilla warfare, secret agents, emotional manipulation, and brainwashing. It’s scary out here. I take hold of truth today in my heart, soul, and mind.

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Coming from the Father

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on August 27, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 16:28
“I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

Apparently, this “coming from the Father” business is a big deal. Anything repeated in scripture is generally considered important, well, this one is “Pete and Repeat” and it must be critical!

As I thought about this, I considered what it means to be sent by someone in authority. If I was on a mission sent by the President let’s say, unless there was a lot of pomp and circumstance (and secret service), honestly, no one would believe me. What could I do to convince people? I could share my inside information… I could drop a lot of names of people I knew… I could carry an I.D. card (but even that would be suspect). Even my friends would have trouble with this one. Face it, people don’t tend to believe in the extraordinary unless it fits their own mental model. And I don’t fit the model for an “agent” from the President.

In the end, I would have to do the best I could to present myself as the “real thing.” I would have to stand fast and be consistent. I would have to “stick to my story.” And in the end, some would believe me and some would not. If the mission was critical, let’s say I had inside information that the area was going to blow up (sounds a little like the TV show “24”)… it would be really important for people to believe me. There would be urgency. And yet, some would believe and some would not.

We all know where I’m going with this metaphor. Those who believed me would escape unharmed. Those who did not believe, would face the challenges of surviving a cataclysmic event… or not.

It takes a leap of faith to believe. Something resonates within. There may not be enough data, not enough hard facts, not enough to know for sure, and yet, the heart responds. The soul quivers.

I confess, when I made my leap of faith some thirty years ago, it started out as a test. I was skeptical and unsure, but I thought I’d give this “follower of Jesus” bit a chance. Despite all of the challenges and disappointments since then, I have never turned back. The joys, the gifts, the blessings, the love, and the hope far outweigh the rest. And so, I’m still following the One who came from God, the Father and the Mother, the Great Spirit, the Holy Creator. Amen.

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