THE ROMAN

JUNE 29, 2015

THE ROMAN

            Its dusk in the hills outside Jerusalem and Jesus’ band of faithful, men and women, are finishing up the meal and preparing for evening prayer when they hear the unmistakable sound of hoof beats, the creak of leather and the clink of metal.

Those sounds can only mean one thing-Romans.  All goes silent as the horses come near. There are three of them and in lead is the Centurion in charge of all the troops in Jerusalem.  The three stop several yards away and the Centurion dismounts, removing his sword and helmet,  walks toward them.  Jesus stands to meet him.  The fear is almost visible but all are silent.  The Centurion pays his respects to Jesus and quietly says; “I’ve come for your help. My servant is ill near to death”.  Without a pause Jesus begins to walk toward him when the Centurion puts out a hand to stop him and the disciples hold their breath, the men ready to do battle.  “No need”, he says, “say but the word and I know my servant will be healed.”  Everyone is shocked including the rest of the Romans and Jesus himself at this evidence of faith. 

Go forward, reader, months or years later when this Roman obeys the order to see this man crucified and calls out boldly from atop his horse for all to hear: ‘This is truly the Son of God.”  Evangelization has begun.

CHANGING THE WORLD

June 23, 2015

CHANGING THE WORLD

“All noble endeavors succeed eventually even when at first they fail”.

This is a statement by a man who died pursuing just such an endeavor.  Setting out to change the world or change ideas for the better begins slowly and more often than not is met with increasing violence as the idea begins to gain traction.  Every time an Apostle or disciple of Christ was put to death, those in authority believed that would put an end to the rise of Christianity. Many who witnessed those deaths were demoralized and yet Christianity survived.   A person who follows Jesus Christ finds an inner peace that can’t be explained and yet can never be abandoned.  People for centuries have gone to their deaths rather than give up or deny that peace.  People are doing it today 20 centuries after His earthly life because He still remains with us.  It can’t be explained it can only be felt.  I was going to say it’s a lot like love but of course, it is love.  The unexplainable, the inexpressible, all pervading glow that makes living bearable.  Love of and from Christ, unlike human love, never fades. He never tires of you, never looks around for someone to replace you but is steadfast even when you stray from Him.  Once you have it no power on earth is strong enough to take it away.  The noble endeavor to bring Christ to the world will succeed as we who live it share it.

With love, Carol

THE SUN

June 16, 2015

THE SUN

            As I sit by my computer in the morning, I watch the sun rise through the trees in anticipation of the day, but on some days it does not shine.  On those days I feel slightly less optimistic and my contentment level drops.  Then on the days when the sun does show, the garden I see before me is transformed and as the colors intensify my spirits lift.  It’s the same when the events of my life cast a grey shadow over everything and everything looks dull and often hopeless.  Enter Jesus, the sun in our lives.  When I connect with Him, really connect, not just pray words but connect mentally, emotionally and spiritually, everything changes for the better.

There is no way to describe that to people who can’t or won’t see it.  There is nothing freaky about it.  It’s not weird.  It is real.  I have tried to help others see this but I don’t have the words, maybe there aren’t any.  Maybe words are useless here.

All I know is that when I am fully aware of His presence I am whole.  In Scripture when the boat holding the disciples is rocking and their lives seem on the brink of extinction, Jesus calms the waves.   They are still in the boat, which probably needs bailing, its still a ways to shore and the sky is still dark but Jesus is with them and somehow they know they are safe.  And so it is with us.

With love from Carol

WHAT'S THE PLAN?

June 9, 2015

            In Jessamyn West’s stories Friendly Persuasion, a man muses as he takes flowers to a funeral for a young boy that perhaps that simple gesture is the whole reason he was born and that in doing so he has fulfilled God’s plan.  That idea has stuck with me for years.  After all, how do we really know what God’s plan for each of us is?  Oh, we can sketch a broad outline but no one can guess what the truth is.  Wise parent that He is, He has given us the tools and the guidelines to follow and set us free.   But it is scary out there on that limb all by ourselves!  But, wait, there is one more gift: Jesus. With Jesus as our model, things become clearer, not less scary maybe, but clearer.

            All the great adjectives, phrases and descriptions of good, honest, loving people apply to him.  He was compassionate and tolerant but he was not a fool as the moneychangers in the Temple discovered.  He drew people to him because he smiled and looked right at them acknowledging their very existence, which didn’t happen often to the poor. Still doesn’t, by the way.  He went wherever he wanted and fit in wherever that was because he was absolutely sure the love of the Father was with him.  We have both, the love of the Father and the companionship of the Son.  We can’t worry about what will define our purpose but live our lives in Christ, making every encounter count for something, forgive ourselves when we mess up and trust, trust, trust in the loving grace of God to get us through.

CAPTURING GOD

June 1, 2015

            When I walk along the lakeshore I am tempted to take a picture of the early morning sun on the water to capture the moment, but one can only capture the sight, not the smell, not the wind, not the sound of the waves gently lapping the breakwater or the quiet voices of the fisherman offshore. 

            Attempting to know God is something like that.  Let’s say when you sit outside and find God in nature by dwelling on His creation and its wonders but never seek God in other people or you pray only using words written by someone else and never address God heart to heart you have only connected to part of God. There are many paths to God and in order to fulfill our own destiny we have to look for God in everything. 

            In the Book of Sirach(42:19)  God is described this way; “He plumbs the depths and penetrates the heart; their innermost being he understands.”  By these words we understand that God is in everything, everyone, every event.   The ancients feared God while at the same time recognizing his perfect goodness, while many modern people have whittled God down to a size they can manage.  We have created a God who has become just like us, angry, vengeful, blind and deaf to the cries of humanity and easily manipulated.  It’s that God that people reject.  Again from Sirach: “God is from all eternity one and the same with nothing added, nothing taken away.” It is the duty of believers to present the true God, the unchanging ever-present lover, the merciful, and the just.

Carol Lemelin