Then his mother and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.”
He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” (Luke 8:19-21 NABRE)
I've approached this final blog post with a mixture of emotions, but it is clear to me that there are two topics I want to discuss: Family and Mercy. And both of these only make sense to me by the work of the Holy Spirit of God.
Family
In today's passage we learn that the family of Jesus is not constituted by physical relationship with him but by obedience to the word of God.* And this is something that should bind us together as family. Despite our many differences, when we hear the word of God and act on it, we become brothers and sisters of Jesus himself. Imagine it, Jesus tells us we have a family and he is our brother, and that is why we call God our Father!
And when you think about family, many things come to mind, but perhaps when we scratch beneath the surface just a bit--because it can be deceiving, we can see that the strength of family begins with faith and honesty, trust and love.
Mercy
And God's greatest attribute is mercy. Mercy is what we need most in this life. And in his mercy which has no limit or boundary, the Lord offers us forgiveness for all the times we hurt and ignore him. Can we ask him for this?
During this Jubilee Year of Mercy, may we learn to share God's mercy with others. May we show forgiveness to those who have hurt or ignored us and who do not deserve mercy. May we show them this true forgiveness, rooted in the love and example of Jesus himself.
God's Spirit
And it is by turning things over to God, who by the power of his Spirit, enables us to offer forgiveness and mercy to others who hurt or ignore us. And we do this because that's what our brother Jesus tells us to do. To let go of our anger, bitterness, pride, jealousy, ego, vengefulness, stubbornness, or simple bad attitude. To set aside the wrong done to us. To forgive first. It is only by God's Spirit that we can do this. And it works. It is the true power of God himself, brought to life in this world, by each one of us.
May each of us bring a little more of God's power to life each day by acting on the prompting of the Spirit within, with the same trust that Jesus had. Pray about it, then act.
This Gift
A final few thoughts.
Thank you Lord for this gift!
The opportunity to write this blog and to share this experience with others has been a gift to me, and I have always considered it a gift to my children. Writing a thousand blog posts has been a journey of learning and trusting, of praying and feeling, of talking and listening internally. It has brought me great joy, far beyond the cost of a little time and a little sleep!
We've had people join us from around the United States, Indonesia, France, Russia, Germany, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Poland, Romania, and Vietnam. We've had over 25,000 page views, and I'm grateful to know that in many cases, people encountered the Lord for a few minutes during their busy days. Wow! I think that is an awesome blessing!
The blog survived largely because of the patience and encouragement of my amazing wife! A daily writing discipline is extraordinarily challenging! If you've ever experienced a moment of peace or insight as a result of reading something here, know that she has been an unwavering anchor for me and a regular sounding board throughout the process. She has blessed us all!
The inspiration for this blog was the desire to remind all my children, each day, that the Lord waits for each of us, that He has a plan for us, and that he never forgets us even when we forget him! The idea to write each day grew out of a Christmas gift given to me, a desktop calendar with a daily scripture verse. My thoughts and prayers each morning were guided by the daily calendar verse.
Yes. Writing here has been a gift, but the real gift we are all given is the one from Jesus. It is the gift of faith in him that leads to eternal life. Too many people leave this present all wrapped up and sitting under the tree instead of opening it for themselves. Have you opened yours yet? If you haven't, why not pick up your present right now and open it! See what is inside for you!
Thank you to everyone who has shared this journey with me. I pray you will continue to grow in your faith walk and that you find the counsel of the Holy Spirit of God always leads you to Jesus and to the Father's will.
What Next?
I will continue to read these entries myself, meditating on the verses and learning from the saints. I encourage you to do the same. I suggest two ways of continuing.
- On any given date, you will find two or three entries for that date. Consider reading them together, open to what might come to mind.
- Use the search feature to find posts on a particular topic. Search "joy," "peace," or "fruits," for example, and spend some time with the search results, again, open to what comes to mind. Search the word "trust" for a really powerful starting point!
Today, on this Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, I will turn to the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, grateful for their example of trust and faithfulness which has inspired me for more than half a century, their responsiveness to the Holy Spirit which has shown me it is possible, and their continuing intercession on our behalf, which overwhelms me with a burning desire to share in the joy and peace they know in the eternal presence of Our Father.
Saint Joseph, husband of Mary, pray for us.
Mary, Mother of our Lord, Our Lady of Sorrows, Queen of Heaven, pray for us.
Thank you, merciful Jesus, who has prayed for us, who died for us, and who reaches out to us even now with your merciful heart, how could we thank you well enough? How could we praise you well enough?
 |
| Holy Family with the Lamb - Raphael |
No comments:
Post a Comment