April 26, 2010
Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter
As I began to speak, the holy Spirit fell upon them as it had upon us at the beginning, and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, 'John baptized with water but you will be baptized with the holy Spirit.' If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?" Acts 11:15-17
I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. John 10:9-10
Piety
He was a lot like you and me.
The government didn’t like him.
The church thought he was weird.
His friends were few.
What friends he had, denied him.
He was persecuted by hypocrites.
He hung around people like you and me, not the goody-two-shoes Pharisees.
Yes, if Jesus were on this earth in the flesh, he would be next to you on his Harley telling you he loved you…enough to die for you.
Biker’s Prayer
God, I know you are real.
Thank you for being in the wind with me even before I ask.
Thank you for your son, Jesus, who died for me.
Forgive me of my sins, for I truly repent and turn to you.
Jesus, I ask you now to come in my heart that we might ride together daily.
I dedicate myself and my scoot to serving you.
Thank you, Lord, for my salvation.
Thank you for I an now “in His wind.” Amen.
(From His Laboring Few: Biker Ministry of Jesus)
Study
What exactly is this theology of abundance that Jesus promises?
Is it a promise of an abundant blessing of material goods, money and status? If we set out down this rabbit hole, we will end up in a restless/never-ending pursuit for power, status, security and affection.
Sitting on Ocean Isle Beach contemplating this Gospel as the wind picked up to 35 mph gusts and the high tide was flooding the beach, provided a near perfect metaphor for Jesus’ theology of abundance. The ocean waves came with regularity. Closer and closer the tide came to the beachcomber chairs. The westerly winds whipped up the sand.
God’s abundant love must be like those ocean waves. They come at us, relentlessly. If we don’t meet God where he is, God comes to us where we stubbornly sit until he engulfs our chairs. Our only choices are to accept the life-giving waters that surround us or move further away. Yet God keeps coming. Even when the tide of our life ebbs because of sickness, poverty, or some other “dis-ease,” those waves of love keep pounding the shore until we accept God’s freely given love.
We imitate this natural cycle in our daily, weekly, or yearly prayer life. Consider the Rosary. After each Hail Mary, another bead of God’s love presents itself to our fingers and mind to contemplate. When you complete one cycle of mysteries, another cycle is ready for your prayer.
Are you ready to open the gate and accept this abundant love and share it with others?
Action
Jesus does not equivocate. He definitely states that his saving power is for all who follow Him. Not just the Jews. Not just the Catholics. Not just the Anglicans. Not just the Methodists. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.
Who are our Gentiles? With whom do we refuse to talk?
Is it the person who looks like they are a foreigner? What if the Native Americans treated our ancestors that way? The Pilgrims had no papers.
Is it the person we think is a terrorist? However, is our faith not about respecting all life and seeking peace even among our enemies?
Just as the Jews were challenged to be more accepting of those who accepted God, we, too, are so challenged.
