Pope Benedict XVI rounds out his analysis of the Our Father by pointing out that this final petition of the prayer Jesus taught his Disciples picks up where the previous one left off and gives it a positive twist.
He explains: “In the next-to-last petition the ‘not’ set the dominant note (do not give the Evil One more room to manoeuvre than we can bear). In the last petition we come before the Father with the hope that is at the centre of our faith: ‘Rescue, redeem, free us!’ In the final analysis, it is a plea for redemption.”
Amen
Correction to the headline of the previous blog, it should be noted as Luke 11:4 and not Luke 11:5, apologies.
(Note to readers: I thought of next blogging about the seven virtues -- interested?)
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
“And lead us not into temptation” - Luke 11:5
This verse is probably the one that puzzles people the most, or at least the Christians with whom I have spoken about the Our Father, and for a long time I counted myself among them. When facing temptation, thanks to some notes in Gideon’s Bibles at hotels which I’ve noted in the front cover of my Bible, I’ve flipped the pages forward to the book of St. James.
“Let no one say when he is tempted: ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one” – James 1:13
In his book, “Jesus of Nazareth”, Pope Benedict XVI points to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 4, verse 1, which states: “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil”, so the Pope’s ensuing analysis is the following:
“Temptation comes from the devil, but part of Jesus’ messianic task is to withstand the great temptations that have led man away from God and continue to do so. As we have seen, Jesus must suffer through these temptations to the point of dying on the Cross, which is how he opens the way of redemption for us,” the Pope writes.
Again, I am not a Biblical scholar or a theologian but my best layman’s interpretation of this verse then is something like God tolerating or allowing us to be tempted as a means to test our hearts, our deepest and truest intentions. For me, it calls to mind the parable of the sower, with seeds (our heart-felt intentions?) falling on sun-baked rocks, shallow soil, and rich, moist deep fertile soil (a soul eager to please God?).
The Pope’s book draws on the Book of Job to help interpret this verse and he wraps up that strand of his logic in the following way:
“When we pray it, we are saying to God: ‘I know that I need trials so that my nature can be purified. When you decide to send me these trials, when you give evil some room to manoeuvre, as you did with Job, then please remember that my strength goes only so far. Don’t overestimate my capacity. Don’t set too wide the boundaries within which I may be tempted, and be close to me with your protecting hand when it becomes too much for me.”
Once I read that paragraph by the Pope, then I finally felt I understood this sixth petition in the Our Father.
“Let no one say when he is tempted: ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one” – James 1:13
In his book, “Jesus of Nazareth”, Pope Benedict XVI points to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 4, verse 1, which states: “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil”, so the Pope’s ensuing analysis is the following:
“Temptation comes from the devil, but part of Jesus’ messianic task is to withstand the great temptations that have led man away from God and continue to do so. As we have seen, Jesus must suffer through these temptations to the point of dying on the Cross, which is how he opens the way of redemption for us,” the Pope writes.
Again, I am not a Biblical scholar or a theologian but my best layman’s interpretation of this verse then is something like God tolerating or allowing us to be tempted as a means to test our hearts, our deepest and truest intentions. For me, it calls to mind the parable of the sower, with seeds (our heart-felt intentions?) falling on sun-baked rocks, shallow soil, and rich, moist deep fertile soil (a soul eager to please God?).
The Pope’s book draws on the Book of Job to help interpret this verse and he wraps up that strand of his logic in the following way:
“When we pray it, we are saying to God: ‘I know that I need trials so that my nature can be purified. When you decide to send me these trials, when you give evil some room to manoeuvre, as you did with Job, then please remember that my strength goes only so far. Don’t overestimate my capacity. Don’t set too wide the boundaries within which I may be tempted, and be close to me with your protecting hand when it becomes too much for me.”
Once I read that paragraph by the Pope, then I finally felt I understood this sixth petition in the Our Father.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
“From this man's descendants God, according to his promise,has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentanceto all the people of Israel” Act 13:23-24
This is a day that is marked by celebrations not only in Québec, but all over the world, be it in the Philippines or the country that counts among its citizens the single-biggest Catholic community anywhere on the globe: Brazil.
Whether you call it La Saint-Jean-Baptiste, San Juan Bautista, or Sao Joao, the message from Jesus’ maternal cousin remains the same: repentance.
John, like Jesus, preached at a time of political, social, and religious conflict. And the celebration of his nativity heralds his proclaiming of the coming of the Light during dark times in this world.
Since repentance is the precursor to forgiveness, it seems only fitting that the maternal cousin of God’s only son play this role.
As I shared in my previous blog, it took a simple statement of apology to bring me back into the Catholic church. Again I must emphasize the surprise I felt at the degree to which I experienced a huge relief and comfort from those three words, “I am sorry”, and I was happy to forgive and put old grievances behind me.
As I have also shared in earlier blogs, mine has been a particularly bellicose divorce and I have struggled in trying to figure out how to reconcile with the mother of my sons. I am prepared to offer forgiveness and reconciliation but my offers have been rebuffed.
I have wracked my brains trying to figure out ways to ease the tension and animosity, if for nothing else for the sake our sons. I frequently turn to Romans 12:14-20 for guidance.
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head’.” Romans 12:14-20
This is a day that is marked by celebrations not only in Québec, but all over the world, be it in the Philippines or the country that counts among its citizens the single-biggest Catholic community anywhere on the globe: Brazil.
Whether you call it La Saint-Jean-Baptiste, San Juan Bautista, or Sao Joao, the message from Jesus’ maternal cousin remains the same: repentance.
John, like Jesus, preached at a time of political, social, and religious conflict. And the celebration of his nativity heralds his proclaiming of the coming of the Light during dark times in this world.
Since repentance is the precursor to forgiveness, it seems only fitting that the maternal cousin of God’s only son play this role.
As I shared in my previous blog, it took a simple statement of apology to bring me back into the Catholic church. Again I must emphasize the surprise I felt at the degree to which I experienced a huge relief and comfort from those three words, “I am sorry”, and I was happy to forgive and put old grievances behind me.
As I have also shared in earlier blogs, mine has been a particularly bellicose divorce and I have struggled in trying to figure out how to reconcile with the mother of my sons. I am prepared to offer forgiveness and reconciliation but my offers have been rebuffed.
I have wracked my brains trying to figure out ways to ease the tension and animosity, if for nothing else for the sake our sons. I frequently turn to Romans 12:14-20 for guidance.
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head’.” Romans 12:14-20
Monday, June 22, 2009
"And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us" Luke 11:4
I particularly appreciate the way Pope Benedict XVI opens his analysis of this petition in the Our Father in his book “Jesus of Nazareth”.
“Every instance of trespass among men involves some kind of injury to truth and to love and is thus opposed to God, who is truth and love. How to overcome guilt is a central question for every human life; the history of religions revolves around this question. Guilt calls forth retaliation. The result is a chain of trespasses in which the evil of guilt grows ceaselessly and becomes more and more inescapable. With this petition, the Lord is telling us that guilt can be overcome only by forgiveness, not by retaliation. God is a God who forgives, because he loves his creatures; but forgiveness can only penetrate and become effective in one who is himself forgiving,” writes the Pope.
As the Pope states, forgiveness is a theme that pervades the entire Gospel. He points to the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount; that God stepped out of his divinity to come toward us and to reconcile us; before giving us the Eucharist, Jesus knelt before his disciples and washed their dirty feet thereby cleansing them with his humble love. There is the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:23-35) to underscore how whatever we have to forgive one another is trivial in comparison with the goodness of God.
“I am sorry,” are probably among the hardest three words for most of us to utter. The healing power of those three words, however, cannot be underestimated.
The day I was married the priest who officiated over the ceremony took my confession. I explained to him that I had stopped going to Mass five years earlier following work I did on a three-month investigative report on accusations a priest in Western Canada had allegedly sexually abused choir boys and that the archdiocese in that region chose to transfer him to other rural parishes each time these allegations surfaced. Although I called that archdiocese five times during those three months to get their comment, they did not return my messages. The story ran, and the next day the archbishop and a priest who worked as his assistant asserted that I had never called. They spoke with my supervisor’s boss and my freelance contract was cancelled the following week. Another outlet immediately hired the week afterwards, but French-Canadian communities out west being relatively devout I found myself shunned by half of the community and cheered as a hero by the other half. But what really hurt was a few months later when my grandmother died and her funeral service was officiated by the priest who claimed I had never called the archdiocese. Upon recognizing my family members, he insisted that my grandmother’s casket remain at the back of the church, despite my grandmother being a devout Catholic all her life.
As a consequence of this, my faith in the Catholic Church as an institution of mercy and reconciliation was shaken to its core and I opted to boycott the institution all the while remaining firm in my belief in God. After telling this story to the priest who was about to bless my marriage, he apologized to me in the name of the Catholic Church, which surprised me at the degree to which it came as a relief, and I committed to return to Mass and raise our future children in the Catholic faith.
Thank God he said “sorry” because that brought me back into the fold. The Catholic Church is made up of people who are as flawed and imperfect as you and me. But having boycotted the church for five years I think I became more flawed, imperfect and bore a growing amount of guilt as a result of that. Someone once described membership in a parish as being one of the white hot coals of a fire. If you pull that coal away it cools and loses its luminescence, but you just have to push it back into the fire and glows again.
“Every instance of trespass among men involves some kind of injury to truth and to love and is thus opposed to God, who is truth and love. How to overcome guilt is a central question for every human life; the history of religions revolves around this question. Guilt calls forth retaliation. The result is a chain of trespasses in which the evil of guilt grows ceaselessly and becomes more and more inescapable. With this petition, the Lord is telling us that guilt can be overcome only by forgiveness, not by retaliation. God is a God who forgives, because he loves his creatures; but forgiveness can only penetrate and become effective in one who is himself forgiving,” writes the Pope.
As the Pope states, forgiveness is a theme that pervades the entire Gospel. He points to the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount; that God stepped out of his divinity to come toward us and to reconcile us; before giving us the Eucharist, Jesus knelt before his disciples and washed their dirty feet thereby cleansing them with his humble love. There is the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:23-35) to underscore how whatever we have to forgive one another is trivial in comparison with the goodness of God.
“I am sorry,” are probably among the hardest three words for most of us to utter. The healing power of those three words, however, cannot be underestimated.
The day I was married the priest who officiated over the ceremony took my confession. I explained to him that I had stopped going to Mass five years earlier following work I did on a three-month investigative report on accusations a priest in Western Canada had allegedly sexually abused choir boys and that the archdiocese in that region chose to transfer him to other rural parishes each time these allegations surfaced. Although I called that archdiocese five times during those three months to get their comment, they did not return my messages. The story ran, and the next day the archbishop and a priest who worked as his assistant asserted that I had never called. They spoke with my supervisor’s boss and my freelance contract was cancelled the following week. Another outlet immediately hired the week afterwards, but French-Canadian communities out west being relatively devout I found myself shunned by half of the community and cheered as a hero by the other half. But what really hurt was a few months later when my grandmother died and her funeral service was officiated by the priest who claimed I had never called the archdiocese. Upon recognizing my family members, he insisted that my grandmother’s casket remain at the back of the church, despite my grandmother being a devout Catholic all her life.
As a consequence of this, my faith in the Catholic Church as an institution of mercy and reconciliation was shaken to its core and I opted to boycott the institution all the while remaining firm in my belief in God. After telling this story to the priest who was about to bless my marriage, he apologized to me in the name of the Catholic Church, which surprised me at the degree to which it came as a relief, and I committed to return to Mass and raise our future children in the Catholic faith.
Thank God he said “sorry” because that brought me back into the fold. The Catholic Church is made up of people who are as flawed and imperfect as you and me. But having boycotted the church for five years I think I became more flawed, imperfect and bore a growing amount of guilt as a result of that. Someone once described membership in a parish as being one of the white hot coals of a fire. If you pull that coal away it cools and loses its luminescence, but you just have to push it back into the fire and glows again.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
"Give us this day our daily bread" (Luke 11:3)
Pope Benedict XVI calls this the “most human” of all the petitions we find in the Our Father, and his analysis of these seven words opens up a broad spectrum of requests, responsibilities and degrees of engagement in one’s spiritual life.
First, while Jesus teaches his disciples to pay homage to God in the opening petitions of prayer, He recognizes humanity’s physical needs in this physical world. The Pope cites Matthew 6:25 “Do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat” he explains that this verse invites us to turn our care (and our worries) over to God.
Second, the Pope reminds us that there can be no bread, or wheat, without rain, or water, nor without a sun to shine on it so the wheat can grow. Pride (one of the seven cardinal sins) can lead us to believe we control the ability to produce our sustenance. He goes on to state that: “Such pride makes man violent and cold. It ends up destroying the earth. It cannot be otherwise, because it is contrary to the truth that we human beings are oriented toward self-transcendence and that we become great and free and truly ourselves only when we open up to God.”
Third, like the first word of the first verse of the Our Father, in this verse we do not ask for “my” daily bread but for everyone’s. The Pope’s interpretation is that no one may think selfishly in this or any of the other petitions. We are praying for our sustenance as well as the rest of humanity’s – family, friends and foes alike. “Those who have an abundance of bread are called to share,” the Pope states, then adds: “By expressing this petition in the first person plural, the Lord is telling us: ‘Give them something to eat yourselves’.” (Mark 6:37)
Fourth, this verse presupposes poverty, that some people have renounced the world and its riches for the sake of faith and that they ask for nothing beyond what they need to live. Although the Pope does not state it explicitly, my interpretation between the lines of what he says in his book “Jesus of Nazareth” at the middle of page 152 is that embedded in this verse is a petition for all those whose vocation is of a religious calling. Tell me if you think my interpretation is overblown, because it is based on this sentence by the Pope: “There must always be people in the Church who leave everything in order to follow the Lord, people who depend radically on God, on his bounty by which we are fed – people, then, who in this way present a sign of faith that shakes us out of our heedlessness and the weakness of our faith.”
Just imagine if people like Father Joe, who could arguably earn a lot more money as a motivational speaker, did not “depend radically on God” to help us grasp Scripture.
Fifth, the Pope argues that this verse’s petition for bread for just today evokes Israel’s 40 years in the Sinai. Each Israelite was only allowed to gather as much manna as was needed for that day and only on the sixth day was it allowed to gather enough to last two days, so as to keep the Sabbath.
Sixth, this bread we ask for is God’s sustenance, as Father Joe has mentioned in past sermons at the feast of Corpus Christi. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3)
First, while Jesus teaches his disciples to pay homage to God in the opening petitions of prayer, He recognizes humanity’s physical needs in this physical world. The Pope cites Matthew 6:25 “Do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat” he explains that this verse invites us to turn our care (and our worries) over to God.
Second, the Pope reminds us that there can be no bread, or wheat, without rain, or water, nor without a sun to shine on it so the wheat can grow. Pride (one of the seven cardinal sins) can lead us to believe we control the ability to produce our sustenance. He goes on to state that: “Such pride makes man violent and cold. It ends up destroying the earth. It cannot be otherwise, because it is contrary to the truth that we human beings are oriented toward self-transcendence and that we become great and free and truly ourselves only when we open up to God.”
Third, like the first word of the first verse of the Our Father, in this verse we do not ask for “my” daily bread but for everyone’s. The Pope’s interpretation is that no one may think selfishly in this or any of the other petitions. We are praying for our sustenance as well as the rest of humanity’s – family, friends and foes alike. “Those who have an abundance of bread are called to share,” the Pope states, then adds: “By expressing this petition in the first person plural, the Lord is telling us: ‘Give them something to eat yourselves’.” (Mark 6:37)
Fourth, this verse presupposes poverty, that some people have renounced the world and its riches for the sake of faith and that they ask for nothing beyond what they need to live. Although the Pope does not state it explicitly, my interpretation between the lines of what he says in his book “Jesus of Nazareth” at the middle of page 152 is that embedded in this verse is a petition for all those whose vocation is of a religious calling. Tell me if you think my interpretation is overblown, because it is based on this sentence by the Pope: “There must always be people in the Church who leave everything in order to follow the Lord, people who depend radically on God, on his bounty by which we are fed – people, then, who in this way present a sign of faith that shakes us out of our heedlessness and the weakness of our faith.”
Just imagine if people like Father Joe, who could arguably earn a lot more money as a motivational speaker, did not “depend radically on God” to help us grasp Scripture.
Fifth, the Pope argues that this verse’s petition for bread for just today evokes Israel’s 40 years in the Sinai. Each Israelite was only allowed to gather as much manna as was needed for that day and only on the sixth day was it allowed to gather enough to last two days, so as to keep the Sabbath.
Sixth, this bread we ask for is God’s sustenance, as Father Joe has mentioned in past sermons at the feast of Corpus Christi. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” (Luke 11:2)
Sometimes, when I recite this verse while I am going through a rough patch in life, I can’t help but think to myself that God’s will for what I need to be living in life at that particular moment doesn’t seem to be very enjoyable.
Typically, I’ll wrack my brains trying to remember where I read a Bible passage that reminds us to welcome trying times as God testing our hearts and effectively raising the bar on our spirituality and faith. Then, I’ll flip to my notes either on the front or back cover of my Bible and there it is: James 1:2-5
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:2-5)
Pope Benedict XVI, in his book “Jesus of Nazareth”, opens his analysis of Luke 11:2 by stating the following: “Two things are immediately clear from the words of this petition: God has a will with and for us and it must become the measure of our willing and being; and the essence of ‘heaven’ is that it is where God’s will is unswervingly done.”
Although it seems obvious after reading this that Heaven is where God’s will is sovereign in the most absolute and eternal sense but, for some reason, until reading the Pope’s book, I would not have articulated it this way if asked what I imagine Heaven to be.
The Pope adds this statement: “Earth becomes ‘heaven’ when and insofar as God’s will is done there; and it is merely ‘earth,’ the opposite of heaven, when and insofar as it withdraws from the will of God.”
Having read this adds a further level of my understanding of God’s will and plan for the life I’ve been given. There are circumstances I have been handed that, quite frankly, I am not thrilled about. But, as I’ve often said to family and friends, life isn’t so much a question of the cards we’re dealt but how we play them. The Bible, or users’ manual on how to live life according to God’s will, is replete with guidance on how to live life properly. (I particularly like reading Proverbs.)
Of course, life is full of considerations that make it a mine field of grey zones and the Pope has a very helpful comment on this point in his analysis of Luke 11:2.
“But what is ‘God’s will’? How do we recognize it? How can we do it? The Holy Scriptures work on the premise that man has knowledge of God’s will in his inmost heart, that anchored deeply within us there is a participation in God’s knowing, which we call conscience.”
The Pope goes on for two pages exploring this line of reasoning and then comes to the point that Jesus’ whole existence is summed up in the words “Yes, I have come to do thy will” and that the ‘gravitational pull’ of our own will constantly draw us away from God’s will but that Jesus accepts us, draws us to Himself, into Himself, and in communion with Him we learn God’s will.
So, concludes the Pope, what we are praying for in the third petition of the Our Father is to come closer to Him so that God’s will conquers the downward pull of our selfishness.
Typically, I’ll wrack my brains trying to remember where I read a Bible passage that reminds us to welcome trying times as God testing our hearts and effectively raising the bar on our spirituality and faith. Then, I’ll flip to my notes either on the front or back cover of my Bible and there it is: James 1:2-5
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:2-5)
Pope Benedict XVI, in his book “Jesus of Nazareth”, opens his analysis of Luke 11:2 by stating the following: “Two things are immediately clear from the words of this petition: God has a will with and for us and it must become the measure of our willing and being; and the essence of ‘heaven’ is that it is where God’s will is unswervingly done.”
Although it seems obvious after reading this that Heaven is where God’s will is sovereign in the most absolute and eternal sense but, for some reason, until reading the Pope’s book, I would not have articulated it this way if asked what I imagine Heaven to be.
The Pope adds this statement: “Earth becomes ‘heaven’ when and insofar as God’s will is done there; and it is merely ‘earth,’ the opposite of heaven, when and insofar as it withdraws from the will of God.”
Having read this adds a further level of my understanding of God’s will and plan for the life I’ve been given. There are circumstances I have been handed that, quite frankly, I am not thrilled about. But, as I’ve often said to family and friends, life isn’t so much a question of the cards we’re dealt but how we play them. The Bible, or users’ manual on how to live life according to God’s will, is replete with guidance on how to live life properly. (I particularly like reading Proverbs.)
Of course, life is full of considerations that make it a mine field of grey zones and the Pope has a very helpful comment on this point in his analysis of Luke 11:2.
“But what is ‘God’s will’? How do we recognize it? How can we do it? The Holy Scriptures work on the premise that man has knowledge of God’s will in his inmost heart, that anchored deeply within us there is a participation in God’s knowing, which we call conscience.”
The Pope goes on for two pages exploring this line of reasoning and then comes to the point that Jesus’ whole existence is summed up in the words “Yes, I have come to do thy will” and that the ‘gravitational pull’ of our own will constantly draw us away from God’s will but that Jesus accepts us, draws us to Himself, into Himself, and in communion with Him we learn God’s will.
So, concludes the Pope, what we are praying for in the third petition of the Our Father is to come closer to Him so that God’s will conquers the downward pull of our selfishness.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
"Thy Kingdom come" Luke 11:2
Again, in his book “Jesus of Nazareth”, Pope Benedict XVI’s verse-by-verse analysis of the Our Father goes straight to the premise of each statement. In this verse, he explains that we are acknowledging the primacy of God and that where God is absent, nothing can be good. Like a true scholar, he cites Matthew 6:33 to back his analysis (“Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well”).
But what the Pope states next speaks to the core of one of the main objections levelled by atheists, agnostics, and other degrees of doubters against Christianity. How can a loving and omnipotent God allow such injustice and suffering in the world?
“This is not a promise that we will enter the Land of Plenty on condition that we are devout or that we are somehow attracted to the Kingdom of God. This is not an automatic formula for a well-functioning world, not a utopian vision of a classless society in which everything works out well of its own accord, simply because there is no private property. Jesus does not give us such simple recipes.
“What he does do, though…is to establish an absolutely decisive priority. For ‘Kingdom of God’ means ‘dominion of God,’ and this means that His will is accepted as the true criterion.”
I recall reading once, in one of C.S. Lewis’ many publications, an explanation of the paradox of free will and God’s omnipotence and dominion. God granted humankind the freedom to choose to follow either our own will or His will. Lewis then argues that since we are all tainted by original sin, even if we choose to submit to God’s will, the suffering and injustice of this world is a consequence we bring on ourselves through selfishness and sin.
I often find the representation of God as Father a useful guide in considering issues such as objections to Christianity based on the great deal of suffering in this world. I watch my sons on play structures at the park and want to encourage them to play, exercise and conquer fears of heights so I let them run the risk of falling of the play structures. When they sometimes do fall, then I gather them up in my arms and take care of them. At this time, this is my best attempt at reconciling the paradox of free will and God’s omnipotence and dominion. I am not a Biblical scholar or theologian but from the little I understand of God’s Word, what matters is the intentions in our hearts. So, if in exercising our free will we are not making the dominion of God our absolute decisive priority, that’s when we get ourselves and others in trouble.
The Pope also goes on to draw a parallel between the order of priorities that Jesus instructs us to invoke in the Our Father and the Old Testament account of Solomon’s first prayer on rising to the throne. In a dream, God gives Solomon the opportunity to make one request that the Lord promises to grant. Here is what Solomon asks for in 1 Kings 3:9: “Give thy servant therefore a listening heart to govern thy people, that I may discern between good and evil”
The Pope concludes by stating: “To pray for the Kingdom of God is to say to Jesus: Let us be yours, Lord! Pervade us, live in us; gather scattered humanity in your body, so that in you everything may be subordinated to the Father, in order that (1 Corinthians 15:28) ‘God may be all in all’.”
But what the Pope states next speaks to the core of one of the main objections levelled by atheists, agnostics, and other degrees of doubters against Christianity. How can a loving and omnipotent God allow such injustice and suffering in the world?
“This is not a promise that we will enter the Land of Plenty on condition that we are devout or that we are somehow attracted to the Kingdom of God. This is not an automatic formula for a well-functioning world, not a utopian vision of a classless society in which everything works out well of its own accord, simply because there is no private property. Jesus does not give us such simple recipes.
“What he does do, though…is to establish an absolutely decisive priority. For ‘Kingdom of God’ means ‘dominion of God,’ and this means that His will is accepted as the true criterion.”
I recall reading once, in one of C.S. Lewis’ many publications, an explanation of the paradox of free will and God’s omnipotence and dominion. God granted humankind the freedom to choose to follow either our own will or His will. Lewis then argues that since we are all tainted by original sin, even if we choose to submit to God’s will, the suffering and injustice of this world is a consequence we bring on ourselves through selfishness and sin.
I often find the representation of God as Father a useful guide in considering issues such as objections to Christianity based on the great deal of suffering in this world. I watch my sons on play structures at the park and want to encourage them to play, exercise and conquer fears of heights so I let them run the risk of falling of the play structures. When they sometimes do fall, then I gather them up in my arms and take care of them. At this time, this is my best attempt at reconciling the paradox of free will and God’s omnipotence and dominion. I am not a Biblical scholar or theologian but from the little I understand of God’s Word, what matters is the intentions in our hearts. So, if in exercising our free will we are not making the dominion of God our absolute decisive priority, that’s when we get ourselves and others in trouble.
The Pope also goes on to draw a parallel between the order of priorities that Jesus instructs us to invoke in the Our Father and the Old Testament account of Solomon’s first prayer on rising to the throne. In a dream, God gives Solomon the opportunity to make one request that the Lord promises to grant. Here is what Solomon asks for in 1 Kings 3:9: “Give thy servant therefore a listening heart to govern thy people, that I may discern between good and evil”
The Pope concludes by stating: “To pray for the Kingdom of God is to say to Jesus: Let us be yours, Lord! Pervade us, live in us; gather scattered humanity in your body, so that in you everything may be subordinated to the Father, in order that (1 Corinthians 15:28) ‘God may be all in all’.”
Sunday, June 7, 2009
"Hallowed be thy Name." Luke 11:2
This second verse of Luke, chapter 11, is the first petition Jesus Christ teaches the Disciples to make when praying to the Father. Pope Benedict XVI draws a link between this first petition of the Our Father and the second of the Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not speak the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
The Pope sets this in historical context, bringing us back to the voice of God calling to Moses from the burning bush, in a polytheistic era. When Moses asks God His name, God's reply is both a refusal and a pledge, explains the Pope. God replies: "I am who I am."
The Pope writes the following in his book: "This pledge is a name and a non-name at one and the same time. The Israelites were therefore perfectly right in refusing to utter this self-designation of God, expressed in the word YHWH, so as to avoid degrading it to the level of names of pagan deities." Then he goes on to state that recent translations of the Bible are wrong to write out this name "as if it were just any old name".
And then the Pope goes further back, to Adam, and makes what struck me as a particularly insightful observation. Adam named the animals of Eden and, by doing so, he names their essential natures and fits thim into his human world. Assigning names allows us to address and invoke one another. By replying "I am who I am" to Moses, God establishes a relationship between Himself and us and puts Himself within reach of our invocations and in a sense hands himself over to the human world.
In other words, this is a great privilege that has been accorded to us and should not be abused. Yet, I'm sure many of us hear the word "God" often being used in expressions of surprise, or "Jesus" as part of an expletive.
I have the misfortune of having the first syllable of my given name corresponding to an expletive in Argentine jargon. My ex-spouse regularly addresses me using only the first syllable of my given name, knowing full well I know the other, less-than-flaterring meaning, of my abbreviated name. This habit has proven particularly offensive to me, but I exercise restraint not to take the bait, but it does make it more difficult for me to listen attentively to her when she moves on to matters of more importance, like our childrens' welfare. Imagine someone using your name as an expletive on a regular basis, and then turning around, uttering your name to you before asking you to do something for them.
This is when it dawned on me at a much deeper level that if we indulge in speaking the name of the Lord our God in vain, it must undoubtedly alienate Our Father and make it harder to hear our supplications.
I found the Pope's summation of this verse particularly poignant: "How do I treat God's holy name? Do I stand in reverence before the mystery of the burning bush, before his incomprehensible closeness, even to the point of his presence in the Eucharist, where he truly gives himself entirely into our hands? Do I care that God's holy companionship with us will draw us up into his purity and sanctity, instead of dragging Him down into the filth?"
The Pope sets this in historical context, bringing us back to the voice of God calling to Moses from the burning bush, in a polytheistic era. When Moses asks God His name, God's reply is both a refusal and a pledge, explains the Pope. God replies: "I am who I am."
The Pope writes the following in his book: "This pledge is a name and a non-name at one and the same time. The Israelites were therefore perfectly right in refusing to utter this self-designation of God, expressed in the word YHWH, so as to avoid degrading it to the level of names of pagan deities." Then he goes on to state that recent translations of the Bible are wrong to write out this name "as if it were just any old name".
And then the Pope goes further back, to Adam, and makes what struck me as a particularly insightful observation. Adam named the animals of Eden and, by doing so, he names their essential natures and fits thim into his human world. Assigning names allows us to address and invoke one another. By replying "I am who I am" to Moses, God establishes a relationship between Himself and us and puts Himself within reach of our invocations and in a sense hands himself over to the human world.
In other words, this is a great privilege that has been accorded to us and should not be abused. Yet, I'm sure many of us hear the word "God" often being used in expressions of surprise, or "Jesus" as part of an expletive.
I have the misfortune of having the first syllable of my given name corresponding to an expletive in Argentine jargon. My ex-spouse regularly addresses me using only the first syllable of my given name, knowing full well I know the other, less-than-flaterring meaning, of my abbreviated name. This habit has proven particularly offensive to me, but I exercise restraint not to take the bait, but it does make it more difficult for me to listen attentively to her when she moves on to matters of more importance, like our childrens' welfare. Imagine someone using your name as an expletive on a regular basis, and then turning around, uttering your name to you before asking you to do something for them.
This is when it dawned on me at a much deeper level that if we indulge in speaking the name of the Lord our God in vain, it must undoubtedly alienate Our Father and make it harder to hear our supplications.
I found the Pope's summation of this verse particularly poignant: "How do I treat God's holy name? Do I stand in reverence before the mystery of the burning bush, before his incomprehensible closeness, even to the point of his presence in the Eucharist, where he truly gives himself entirely into our hands? Do I care that God's holy companionship with us will draw us up into his purity and sanctity, instead of dragging Him down into the filth?"
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Our Father who art in Heaven
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
He said to them, "When you pray, say: "Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name," Luke 11:1-2
I say this prayer every day and find the words both comforting and challenging. I recently read the Pope’s analysis of the Our Father and uncovered a whole new set of insights in what are arguably among the best known verses in Scripture. Allow me to share those insights with you.
In his book “Jesus of Nazareth”, Pope Benedict XVI first points out, on page 132, how Luke emphasizes Jesus’ frequent and regular practice of prayer throughout his Gospel. He explains how Luke places the Our Father in the context of Jesus’ praying as a means to include us in His own prayer to the Father, teaching us how to enter into dialogue with the Holy Trinity.
“This also means, however, that the words of the Our Father are signposts to interior prayer, they provide a basic direction for our being, and they aim to configure us to the image of the Son,” writes the Pope. “The meaning of the Our Father goes much further than the mere provision of a prayer text. It aims to form our being, to train us in the inner attitude of Jesus (cf. Phil 2:5)
Philippians 2:5 states: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus”
The Pope’s analysis goes on to state that we must listen as accurately as possible to Jesus’ words as found in Scripture and that we must also bear in mind that the Our Father originates in his own praying – the Son’s dialogue with the Father.
“This means that it reaches down into depths far beyond the words. It embraces the whole compass of man’s being in all ages,” the Pope added.
He also cites German author and poet Reinhold Schneider, who offers an even more arresting insight: “The Our Father begins with a great consolation: we are allowed to say ‘Father’. This one word contains the whole history of redemption. We are allowed to say ‘Father,’ because the Son was our brother and has revealed the Father to us; because, thanks to what Christ has done, we have once more become children of God.”
He said to them, "When you pray, say: "Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name," Luke 11:1-2
I say this prayer every day and find the words both comforting and challenging. I recently read the Pope’s analysis of the Our Father and uncovered a whole new set of insights in what are arguably among the best known verses in Scripture. Allow me to share those insights with you.
In his book “Jesus of Nazareth”, Pope Benedict XVI first points out, on page 132, how Luke emphasizes Jesus’ frequent and regular practice of prayer throughout his Gospel. He explains how Luke places the Our Father in the context of Jesus’ praying as a means to include us in His own prayer to the Father, teaching us how to enter into dialogue with the Holy Trinity.
“This also means, however, that the words of the Our Father are signposts to interior prayer, they provide a basic direction for our being, and they aim to configure us to the image of the Son,” writes the Pope. “The meaning of the Our Father goes much further than the mere provision of a prayer text. It aims to form our being, to train us in the inner attitude of Jesus (cf. Phil 2:5)
Philippians 2:5 states: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus”
The Pope’s analysis goes on to state that we must listen as accurately as possible to Jesus’ words as found in Scripture and that we must also bear in mind that the Our Father originates in his own praying – the Son’s dialogue with the Father.
“This means that it reaches down into depths far beyond the words. It embraces the whole compass of man’s being in all ages,” the Pope added.
He also cites German author and poet Reinhold Schneider, who offers an even more arresting insight: “The Our Father begins with a great consolation: we are allowed to say ‘Father’. This one word contains the whole history of redemption. We are allowed to say ‘Father,’ because the Son was our brother and has revealed the Father to us; because, thanks to what Christ has done, we have once more become children of God.”
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