Participating in Kindness and Compassion
Isaiah 35:1-10
Luke 5:17-26
Again today, a common theme bridges the Old Testament lesson to the Gospel.
Isaiah 35 anticipates a time when God will cause the dry land to be fruitful, when the feeble will be strong, when the blind will see, when the deaf will hear, and when streams will gush through the desert.
The Gospel reading in Luke 5 points us to a day when the prophecy is fulfilled. A paralyzed man is carried to Jesus by friends who creatively drop him on his mat into the presence of Jesus through a hole in the roof. The crowds were large and the four persons carrying the mat could not navigate the throngs; yet, they found a way to act with kindness and compassion on behalf of the lame man.
While the story moves on toward a larger point of contention -- the religious leaders who object to Jesus healing the man by means of forgiveness -- we dare not miss the obvious. Not only is the kingdom of God (life which is lived with God at the Center) present in Jesus, but there are also those who come alongside Jesus, necessary participants in the compassionate, kind, and healing work Jesus is about. Those who carry the man on the mat join in the saving work of Jesus, whether they know it or not.
The hope of Advent is not that Jesus will come in order to free us to sit and watch him set the world aright.
The hope of Advent is you and I actively participating in God's work in the world through common acts of mercy, compassion, kindness, and self-giving.
Not only is Jesus mystically present in the world. He is also present in the world through you and me. Together, we join him as a sign of the kingdom's presence.
For Reflection:
1. Spend time in the Gospel story, Luke 5:17-26, among the different characters. For example, meditate on the story as the person on the mat . . . then as the friends who carry the mat . . . then as the religious people who object to Jesus' healing and forgiving . . . even as Jesus. Be careful not to analyze the story, but rather allow yourself to feel and sense along with the different persons in the narrative.
2. Make a pledge to some small acts of mercy and kindness this Advent as a way of joining Jesus in the kingdom's coming.
Showing posts with label mercy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mercy. Show all posts
Monday, December 10, 2018
Friday, December 2, 2011
Friday of the First Week of Advent -- December 2, 2011
Matthew 9:27 - 31
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they replied.
Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.
With the advent ("coming") of Jesus into their life-paths, these two blind men asked for "mercy." They did not ask for sight. Perhaps their cry out to Jesus was an implicit plea for healing, but then, maybe it was just what it was: A request for mercy.
I'm having a hard time coming up with synonyms for mercy . . . maybe "generosity" is a close cousin . . . maybe the same words I would use for "grace" come close. Forgiveness and pardon are somewhere in the mix.
When I ask for mercy, what is it I'm asking for?
Maybe "mercy" simply stands of its own and cannot be defined by something else.
I do know that there are few things I need more than mercy. I need God's mercy, the generous, merciful wholeness of the One who holds all things together. If mercy is a central aspect of who God is, then I need mercy.
I also need to be merciful toward myself. I need to honestly acknowledge my limitations, the boundaries of my human personhood. That self-mercy is essential if I am to live a life that is fully human. I am Jerry, not God, and I need to mercifully allow myself to be Jerry, not God.
I need the mercy of others, the generosity of those I've harmed both intentionally and unintentionally.
Mercy is a major foundation for life. The recognition that I need mercy is not a sign of weakness; rather, it is an expression of the desire to live a life that is fully human.
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they replied.
Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.
With the advent ("coming") of Jesus into their life-paths, these two blind men asked for "mercy." They did not ask for sight. Perhaps their cry out to Jesus was an implicit plea for healing, but then, maybe it was just what it was: A request for mercy.
I'm having a hard time coming up with synonyms for mercy . . . maybe "generosity" is a close cousin . . . maybe the same words I would use for "grace" come close. Forgiveness and pardon are somewhere in the mix.
When I ask for mercy, what is it I'm asking for?
Maybe "mercy" simply stands of its own and cannot be defined by something else.
I do know that there are few things I need more than mercy. I need God's mercy, the generous, merciful wholeness of the One who holds all things together. If mercy is a central aspect of who God is, then I need mercy.
I also need to be merciful toward myself. I need to honestly acknowledge my limitations, the boundaries of my human personhood. That self-mercy is essential if I am to live a life that is fully human. I am Jerry, not God, and I need to mercifully allow myself to be Jerry, not God.
I need the mercy of others, the generosity of those I've harmed both intentionally and unintentionally.
Mercy is a major foundation for life. The recognition that I need mercy is not a sign of weakness; rather, it is an expression of the desire to live a life that is fully human.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)