"Bear Everything for the Sake of the Chosen" By Beth DeCristofaro
But the word of God is not chained.
Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that
they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with
eternal glory. (2 Timothy 8:9-10)
Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O
Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other
commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)
Piety
Dear Lord, may I die to myself and live with
you.
May I persevere in loving as you did, and
rise to you in life and death.
May I not deny you, nor give you reason to
deny me.
May I always be faithful.
May I always believe and act knowing you are
always faithful to me.
Through my Lord Jesus Christ in God, our
Creator, fired by the Holy Spirit, I believe.
Amen
(based
on 2 Timothy 2:12-14)
Study
Paul’s eloquence and passion are indeed
Spirit inspired. How can he and other
disciples, chained and persecuted, so clearly represent what he exhorts later in this same passage: Be eager to present yourself as acceptable
to God, a workman who causes no disgrace, imparting the word of truth without
deviation. (v. 15) There is so much upheaval today I feel stuck for
words. Yet along with stories of unrest
and violence, there have been many stories of caring and giving. We are threatened when anger takes precedence
over loving. How do we turn that into
loving? Paul tells us he bears
everything for the Word of Christ.
We can become imprisoned in the isolating noise
of these days even as we are restrained within our own homes. Fear surrounds us. God’s Word, God’s voice breaks through; it is
not chained. Can we also hear the voices
of those most troubled, those who are lashing out, not just those who we feel
are needy? Compassion compels us to be
aware of other’s humanity “they are suffering and that is avoidable”[i] The videos focus on religious differences but
compassion can also shine cleansing light on our political and racial
differences. We people of God are uniquely positioned to enter into the
sufferings of others as Jesus did for us and bear with those sufferings because
we are already all chosen people of God.
Action
Read the Statement of U.S.
Bishops’ President on George Floyd and the Protests in American Cities[ii]
and the Statement of U.S. Bishop Chairmen in Wake of Death of George Floyd
and National Protests[iii]. Hear them not as political statements but declarations
of Christian compassion, as loving your neighbor. Pray especially for those with whom you most
disagree – not to change them but for your own heart to soften with love and
compassion. Place those with whom you
most disagree alongside yourself at the feet of God and give thanks.
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