Monthly Archives: March 2014

Making God visible

2 Replies
ciego_01

Jesus heals the man blind from birth

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.” John 9:1-3

The works of God are love, healing, compassion, forgiveness, non-judgment, acceptance, peace, non-violence, faith, hope, comfort…

How are the works of God made visible through me and my words, actions, behaviors, and attitudes?

 

Jesus asks

Leave a reply
sironi_samaritan_woman

Mario Sironi, 1885 – 1961
Christ and the Samaritan Woman, 1947 – 48
Oil on Panel, 56 x 70 cm
Collezione d`Arte Religiosa Moderna, Vatican Museums, Vatican City

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” John 4:7

Jesus wants a drink of
My attention.
My thoughts.
My heart.
My strengths.
My weaknesses.
My talents.
My willingness.
My gratitude.

Jesus is not ashamed or afraid to ask. He trusts me.

In Proportion

Leave a reply

Proportion_and_Design_of_Part_of_Raphael's_Tranfiguration

Lecture Diagram 10: Proportion and Design of Part of Raphael’s ‘Transfiguration’. Part of the Turner Bequest to the Tate (1856).
By Joseph Mallord William Turner [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light. Matthew 17:1-2

The spiritual mountain treks Jesus leads me on are always in proportion to my trust in God’s movement, my faith in the Spirit’s guidance, and my willingness to be transformed into a more exact icon of God’s love and goodness.

The mountain is usually high; I am almost always breathless, sometimes whiney, often overwhelmed. And God’s silent voice revealing the glory of Jesus is my reward.

A Desert of Pain

6 Replies
tentaciones26

Tentaciones

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert
to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1

Chronic pain is probably the most distracting, tiring, energy-draining, hope-depleting experience I’ve ever had. Last night’s wakefulness kept me struggling to put my focus on God. “Help!” was as complicated as my prayers got.

Whether or not I believe God is with me in the desert of pain, God is there. Whether or not I can feel God in the bleakness of pain, God is there. Whether or not I continue to experience physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual pain, God is there. In the moment, in the pain, in the prayer.

I told the devil last night, “You ain’t gonna get me yet.”

Have Faith in Goodness

Leave a reply

Striped_daylilies

Hemerocallis ‘Frans Hals’
By Anne Norman (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

[Jesus said to his disciples:] “Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?” Matthew 6:28b-30

Have faith in God’s care and comfort. Have faith in God’s tender compassion. Have faith in God’s unchanging, unconditional love. Have faith in our own reflection of God’s love and goodness.