Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Humble Yourself, Exalt God




February 26, 2013
Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent

By Beth DeCristofaro

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. … Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
   (Matthew 23:1-3, 12)

Piety

We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.
“Touched by an Angel” by  Maya Angelou

Study

Maya Angelou’s love, downright earthy and personal, is sure a Cursillo kind of love.  We gather, groups of strangers, dare to be brave proclaiming Jesus and thus unleash a kind of freedom that percolates love.  We give each other courage to be bold for Christ.  Richard Rohr in  “Falling Upward:  A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life”  says that “Jesus did not seem to teach that one size fits all…Every time God forgives us, God is saying that God’s own rules do not matter as much as the relationship that God wants to create with us.”  (p. 56). But as Maya points out:  “love costs all we are and will ever be.”   This is all God wants:  all we are.  This takes guts not glory.  Glory, however, is what the Pharisees chose and what our culture rewards. 

Action

How are we bold for God’s love?  Are there categories of people – perhaps even Pharisees with their misguided priorities – that we have particular difficulty loving?  Ask for Jesus’ forgiveness.  Extend forgiveness.  Try humbly loving someone unlovable.

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