ESUS MAFA. The poor invited to the feast, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. [retrieved October 15, 2017].
Today I will ask God’s Holy Spirit to help me find the right garment for this celebration. Kindness. Compassion. Mercy. Generosity. Peace. Nonviolence. Welcome. Joy.
[Jesus said,] “The king said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?'” Matthew 22:12a
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James Tissot (1836-1902)
Le fils de la vigne
opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, between 1886 and 1894
Brooklyn Museum
Negativity. Pessimism. Put-downs. Sarcasm. Hostility. These are forms of violence that tackle me daily in the news, on the Internet, at the workplace, and sometimes from my own attitudes and behaviors.
My defense against the darkness of violence is to put my thoughts on God’s boundless love and wisdom, and to practice bringing the light of gratitude, kindness, forgiveness, and compassion to every circumstance in which I find myself.
Thank you, Lord, for being with me right now, in this moment. Help me to walk in the light of your love. Show me how to be a nonviolent presence in our troubled world.
Finally, sisters and brothers,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things. Phillipians 4:8
My first response is not always generosity to the poor. It is not always welcome to someone I don’t know. Or forgiveness to someone who has hurt me. Or respect to someone who treats me with disdain.
But I always have the option to change my attitude and behavior. I can choose the way of love and kindness instead of the way of self-centeredness and resentment.
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ He said in reply, ‘I will not, ‘ but afterwards changed his mind and went. Matthew 21:28-29
Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
11th c.
Byzantine gospel. Paris, National Library
God surrounds, fills, and blesses each human person with the same abundant love, compassion, and comfort. We don’t have to prove our worth to God. Whenever we show up for God, God is already there with a warm welcome.
Today I will make God’s boundless, unbiased love apparent by treating everyone I encounter with respect and kindness.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
Josefina de Vasconcellos (1904-2005)
Reconciliation
If I want to follow Jesus, then I must be compassion. I must be forgiveness. I must be love.
And when I fail, I must find the heart and discipline to start again. It’s not a competition. There is no endpoint. It is the Way.
Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord? Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins? Sirach 28:2-4
Two People Praying
Japanese, 19th c.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Here we are, you and I, gathered together in the name of Jesus. Can we agree on what to pray for?
I’d like to pray for an understanding heart. Choosing love first. Forgiving more quickly. Transforming the energy of fear and anger into a force for compassion and reconciliation. Being more generous to those in need. Finding a way to use my gifts and talents to help out in the world. Seeking God’s will in all that I do.
How about you?
[Jesus said to his disciples,] ” Again, amen, I say to you,
if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:19-20
JESUS MAFA. The Crucifixion; Jesus dies on the cross, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. [retrieved September 3, 2017].
Other days, the cross is heavy and cumbersome. I may be in pain, out of sorts, sad, exhausted, worried. I feel alone with my burdens. I have to work very hard to believe I am in the presence of God.
Most days, the cross changes its weight from light to heavy and back again. It gets lighter when I remember to ask God for help. It gets heavier when I feel victimized by its pressure. It gets lighter when I take an interest in others. It gets heavier when I am self-engrossed.
As I maneuver with my cross each day, I hope to die to myself a little more. I hope to follow the way of Love and Compassion with firmer footsteps. I hope one day to be raised to new life in the Lord.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Matthew 16:24
