THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

NOW IS THE ACCEPTABLE TIME

Cast away from you all the sins you have committed

and make for yourself a new heart and a new spirit (EZ:18:31)

            During Lent the acclamation before the Gospel contains quotations like the one above instead of the normal Alleluia.  Many of them are one or two line statements that one could easily pass over without thought. That would be a mistake.  Instead, we would be wise to take them to heart, memorize them, and keep them in mind when we want to help someone find their way back to God or remind ourselves where the path is.

Even now, says the Lord, return to me with

Your whole heart for I am generous and merciful. (JL 2:12-13)

                  We tend to forget that God has been speaking to us since our creation.  Many people don’t understand that God is ever-present, unchanging, and above all simple in His pronouncements so that all can understand.  The images of God created over time by humans often obscure and overcomplicate our relationship with him, which makes God seem remote, angry, and fierce even.  But God deliberately spoke through human beings – the prophets -and it is those phrases that have encouraged, strengthened and motivated people down through the ages.  God speaks our language.

Behold, now is the acceptable time.

Behold, now is the day of salvation. (2Cor.6:2b)

                  God does not refer to Lent when he says now is the acceptable time.  God refers to today, this minute, this point in your life when you are in need of him.  To tell people to open the Bible and pick a random phrase is not nearly as effective as speaking the phrase to them with conviction. 

No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed,

nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate

 us from the love of God that is revealed

in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Rom 8:39)

            Hear the words of God, share them, bring comfort and peace to those who need it so desperately.  Don’t put it off thinking there will always be time.  You know that’s not true.  If there ever was a time when the people of God need to speak with conviction of the love of God.  This is it.

Blessings to you all,

Carol Lemelin OPA

LENT AGAIN?

2/18/16

IS IT LENT AGAIN?

            Every year we are faced with another Lent.   What should I give up?

What good works should I do? The older you get the harder it is to be original. Before you despair, read these words from Isaiah.

“You call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? “

Says the Lord.

“This is the fast I want:

Releasing those bound unjustly,

Untying the ties that bind,

Setting free the oppressed

Breaking off every yoke.

Sharing your bread with the hungry

Sheltering the homeless and afflicted

Clothing the naked when you see them

And not turning your back on our own.

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn

And your wounds will quickly heal

And the Lord God shall be your rear guard!”  (Is 58:5-8)  

            There are many words in scripture that we read but do not live.  Few of them are as powerful and timely as these. The question is does anybody listen?  Has anyone ever listened?    God has been speaking to us for centuries, first through the prophets, and then through Jesus.   Telling us that all he wants from us is that we love one another.  People who do listen and act on these words of God are few and far between and they are called saints for living them, as though it were some incredibly difficult task that only a super-human could do.  God is so clear. He does not make his requests complicated.  He has told the world for millennia that what he wants is for us to love one another putting aside political, social and cultural differences. Instead of working on perfecting that, in or out of Lent, we have ignored the most important thing and concentrated on harsh sacrifices that carry guilt trips with them for good measure and, which do nothing to further his will.

            It’s time we looked at Lent with more clarity.  Giving up things for Lent in a vain attempt to make amends to Christ for his crucifixion is both foolish and vaguely insulting.  It’s like giving someone a dollar reward for saving your life.  God has told us numerous times what he wants from us. As he hung on the cross He continued to set the example by forgiving his murderers. It’s time we put away our past ideas and dedicate our Lent to be the one where we finally acknowledge the message and begin in earnest to act on it. We can begin by pledging to finally let go of that grudge, forgive that trespass, do everything in our power to drop a prejudice, resolve to stop gossip in its tracks or simply be kind to everyone.  Be warned, it could take the rest of your life.  Could that be the idea?

Blessings,

Carol Lemelin, OPA

           

WILL THEY KNOW?

WILL THEY KNOW?

“They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love.

Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” (Christian Hymn)

            It isn’t unusual for people to compartmentalize the various parts of their lives.  For, example, many people try to leave their work at work so that they can give all their attention to their home life.  That’s a good idea and, though often difficult to achieve all of the time, still it’s worth the effort.  Where that sort of division is not a good idea is in our spiritual life.  The part of our lives, which has to do with our relationship with God and through that with the rest of the human race, must not be compartmentalized or else it will break. Jesus roundly criticized those who did this.  He abhorred hypocrisy.  He called the Pharisees and moneychangers whited sepulchers and a brood of vipers!

            Jesus said: “ No one can serve two masters.”  (Matt 6: 24) You can’t keep a balance between spiritual and temporal because they are not equal. The spiritual is the driving force behind the life of a follower of Christ.  Everything has to been seen through that perspective.  When your life in Christ is the strongest part of you and gives you the greatest joy, it will be the last thing you would relinquish.  It is that which gives martyrs courage. 

            Once you have established Christ as the center of your life, all decision- making is based on His teachings of love.  The earliest Christians were so in love with Jesus’ message that they gave up their individuality and lived in community, sharing everything and living to care for everyone.  “Look at those Christians, see how they love one another” was a common cry among those who first observed them.  But even among them the simplicity of Christ’s command to love one another was misinterpreted.  Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan and his healings of people body and soul without regard to their families or tribes or origins were ignored in favor of long held prejudice.  Nothing much has changed.  Some groups never see the hypocrisy of mounting protests against other people while they carry a sign proclaiming their Christianity.  But even in less obvious ways, we judge, discriminate, find reasons to deny basic rights and never ever look for humane solutions but instead go immediately to prohibition.  We have to do better.  We must listen to Christ’s simple and uncomplicated words and resolve to live them if we want the words of the hymn to apply to us. 

Blessings,

Carol Lemelin OPA

JESUS IS SLEEPING

2-4-16

JESUS IS SLEEPING

             That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”  He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.  He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”  (Mark 5:35-40)

                  Despite the time they had already spent with Jesus, the disciples still did not know the extent of his power.  But they must have had some idea, why else would they have awakened him?  They still had a long way to go though, before they would be able to trust Him absolutely.  It wasn’t until the Resurrection and the descent of the Holy Spirit that they truly understood.  From then on they were courageous and steadfast.   They can be forgiven for their fear and uncertainty but what about us?

            Can we, who know the whole story, who have experienced first hand the wonder of his love and protection, find an excuse for not trusting him?  Sometimes we are like the crowds that so exhausted him that he slept through a gale, begging him in despair for help as though we were strangers.  When will we know better?  How can we tell others to seek Him out when we are so mistrustful?  When Jesus was overwhelmed, he prayed.  Did he recite ancient psalms or did he simply talk to the Father?  Did he find comfort in laying out the trials of the day and seeking God’s wisdom? When he finished his prayers did he not know without doubt that God would guide him and strengthen him to continue his mission?   Jesus human nature was no different than ours. Beset by fear, insecurity, hesitancy at the beginning, he found the strength he needed, the confidence to follow his head and heart with absolute certainty that God was at his side. 

            There is exquisite liberation in the moment when we fully believe that no matter what is coming, Jesus is not sleeping but fully awake, fulfilling his promise to be with us all days. (Matt. 28-20)

Blessings,

Carol Lemelin, OPA