Persistent
Loving! By Wayne Miller
“…for
the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the LORD...” (Isiah 11:1-10)
“For he shall rescue the poor when he
cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall pity the
lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save. Psalm 72
“Welcome one another, then, as Christ
welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I say that Christ became a minister of
the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, to confirm the promises to the
patriarchs so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.” Romans 15:4-9
John the Baptist:
“… Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.” Matthew 3:1-12
Piety
Father God, give me the eyes to see, ears to hear, and heart to know
and rejoice at Your indwelling Presence and Love among my brothers and sisters. And thank you for always being at my side, even
when I don’t choose to be with you.
Study
Isaiah
spoke of a future filled with retribution for the wicked and earth filled with
the knowledge of the Lord. I believe the latter is here, and now, the former is
not within my power or purview to accomplish. The Psalmist promises that the
poor will be protected and uplifted. With the awareness and wisdom of the
Triune God as my guide, I believe I can help with that. St. Paul describes God
choosing to become a man and minister to a people that would not recognize or
accept him, explicitly so the Gentiles could see God’s everlasting acceptance
and faithfulness and know that God would never abandon them, either.
And
Jesus’ cousin, John, upbraids the Pharisees for their pretense, smug attitude,
and righteous certainty while ignoring the True Christ walking among them. The
eccentric evangelist cries pending doom on the pompous leaders. But of course,
both he and his cousin lost their lives for living their relationship with God
and loving God’s poor above mindless conformance to ritual piety. I hope that
my relationship will be strong enough to do the same if that time ever comes.
I’m
hearing much distress expressed in this “time of waiting” concerning all the
evil abroad and in our land. I choose to believe and act on the abundant Love
that exists in my brothers and sisters, notwithstanding the bad choices that
some continue to make. Free Will/Choice” was God’s Primary Gift to each of us
and He is big enough to Love us through the worst muddles that we can create
for ourselves. If I am to wait in anticipation of Christ’s coming, I choose to celebrate
and act upon the everyday comings with which He blesses me, trying to be always
ready to open my heart to let His Love flow through me to the next poor person
I meet. Maybe that “poor” person is the obstinate, neighbor who is utterly
convinced that the only way to save the world is an immediate return to the
rigorous pre-Vatican II good old days and rejection of Pope Francis as our
Shepherd. How do I welcome such a single-minded person “as Christ welcomed me?”
Action
We
only love God as much as we love the most unlovable person in our life. I also
heard just today that “every person I meet knows something that I don’t!” Can I
allow the Grace freely given to me to sustain a genuinely open dialogue with
the Grinch? I hope so, and you’re invited to join me in the quest to Make
a Friend, Be a Friend, and Bring Christ to our Friends.
May
we all experience His Presence in this special season, encouraging and leading
us to Love all His Children.
De
Colores!
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