Journey

Privileges of discipleship – truly!

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privileges of discipleship
The Peaceable Kingdom(c.1834), based on Isaiah 11:6-9 and painted by Edward Hicks an American Quaker painter on display at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Privileges of Discipleship? Pondering……………..

luke 10:21-24

At that very moment he rejoiced in the holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the child-like. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.

Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.

PRIVILEGES OF DISCIPLESHIP

Upon reading today’s Gospel, I was struck by the subtitle given to verses 23-24 – The Privileges of Discipleship. While I am fully aware that faith is a total gift from God, I never thought of my discipleship as a privilege. But now I see clearly that it is!

With that in mind, it’s obvious that our faith and willingness to be a disciple of God is pure grace. It is gift, it is privilege, it is not and should not be a drudgery. It’s our response to God’s pursuit. Our YES, parallel to Mary’s YES!

WISE AND LEARNED

Jesus rejoices in the holy Spirit because of God’s gracious will! He refers to the wise and the learned and the child-like. “The wise and the learned” makes me think of those who overthink and are rigid to a fault. Why are things hidden from the “wise and the learned?” My guess would be because faith requires an open mind.

The mystery of God cannot be contained, it cannot be understood. Overthinking and rigidity, in a sense, blinds us. We lose out on seeing and hearing what God has chosen to reveal to us. He has chosen to reveal Himself to us but are we experiencing it?

THE CHILD-LIKE

For me, “child-like” equals complete trust. The way a child trusts that its parents will care for and protect it. It also makes me think of authenticity. What I think Jesus was getting at in this verse is what I was blessed to read this morning from World Community for Christian Contemplation:

(EEG studies of the brain of children (under two) show that they PERMANENTLY function in alpha mode – the state of altered consciousness in an adult – rather than the beta mode of ordinary mature consciousness.” Lynne Taggart ‘The Field’) By meditating we can therefore consciously return to a way of perception that was at first instinctive and unconscious. Read the whole reflection here.

TAKE IT AWAY

Hmmmm? Learned and wise vs. child-like. What does that mean for us? I know what it means for me and I completely agree! Meditation is key and it’s for EVERYONE!

The take away today: The more we trust, the more we see and experience God’s presence. The more we experience God, the deeper our faith becomes. Our faith shouldn’t be blind. It should be the result of what we see and hear through our experience of God. Those experiences come when we openly trust!

God bless you!

Sidebar: Today’s mass readings include Isaiah 11:1-10. I didn’t write a reflection on it, but I wanted to share the art (the image used for this post) that depicts verses 6-9. It’s one of my favorites.

Isaiah 11:6-9 reads: Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. the cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea. Imagine that?!

The Centurion – One story, endless messages!

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centurion
Open eyes, heart and mind

The Centurion – one story, endless messages – THAT’S Scripture! Take one passage in Scripture, read it today and get a message. Read the same passage a year from now and get another message!

my current dilemma

After I committed to writing yesterday, I realized that I had already written a reflection on today’s Gospel last year. I wondered how I could come up with anything new today. I certainly didn’t want to share something “old.” So I prayed and here it goes.

Today’s Gospel – Matthew 8:5-11:

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.? He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven.

the centurion

Here we have a centurion – “large and in charge,” a man who had control over many. His “kind” would be responsible for the darkness of the scourging and crucifixion of Jesus. And yet, we get to see a spark of goodness in him. There’s even a glimmer of humility. How can I say this?

First, the centurion exhibits compassion for his servant. He goes so far as to risk his own safety and security by seeking Jesus’ help. He does this for a person who, in those days, was considered “beneath” him.

In addition to compassion, the centurion exhibits humility by recognizing his need for help despite his physical and social stature. He humbles himself, yet again, when he acknowledges his unworthiness before Jesus. Imagine this from a centurion!

jesus the christ

We can assume Jesus knows who the centurion is and what he is all about. Yet, Jesus responds to the centurion immediately. He is summoned and responds “I will come and cure him.” NO QUESTIONS ASKED! Not “who are you, where do you come from, tell me about your past…….”

My take away from this Gospel (this year):
  1. Everyone has a spark of goodness in them, no matter how difficult or dark they may seem.
  2. People change – we shouldn’t judge people based on an opinion or position they held long ago – some people actually do change. Circumstances and experiences help shape us. Some serve to harden our hearts and some to open them.
  3. Our true strength comes from God no matter how strong we think we are in physical or social stature. We must depend on Him to guide us daily and get us through the tough times.
  4. Christ knows us, He hears us and He answers, NO QUESTIONS ASKED!
Opening our eyes, hearts and minds

Can we see the goodness in others? If we believe that we are all made in God’s image and likeness, we should be able to see it. Failing to see the goodness in others is like telling God, “not ALL you created is good,” and THAT’S not good! Time to clean the eye lens.

Have we changed in the past several months, years, decades? If we’ve changed, then why is it so hard for us to believe that others can change? Circumstances and experiences are dynamic not static. Our lives and relationships are just as dynamic. Let’s open our hearts to accept the fact that people can change and give them the benefit of the doubt.

How much control do you want, need or think you have in this life? Is there some resistance when you depend on your own devices? Life would move along so much smoother, if we open our minds to trust as the centurion did. Jesus is there, waiting, no questions asked!

GOD BLESS YOU!