5th Sunday after Easter 6.5.18 God became Man
In a noisy and busy world there are many claims on our
attention.
We gather here each week and affirm that the most important
reality in the world for us is God. Or if He is not the most important we know that
He should be!
Our Lord tells us today of His exalted status with God the
Father. To pray in Jesus’ name is as acceptable as asking the Father directly.
This is the same Lord who was dismissed by some as the
‘carpenter’s son’, or one who comes from ‘Nazareth’. What could he know? How
does he come to have this authority he claims?
We believe what He Himself tells us, that He is God. How can
a mere man be God? He is not a mere man. He is the Word made Flesh, God made
Man. He was God first, then took on human nature as well, without ceasing to be
God.
There are men who act like they are God, but that is just
arrogance. This Man really is God, and is worth knowing, beyond any other
person or thing in our lives.
So, as to being busy we must always find time for Him. (As
we can see, from the way people treat the Sabbath, most people do not get this
point.) We must bring ourselves into union with Him. If we do that all else
will fall into place; if not then chaos reigns.
By refusing to acknowledge the divinity of Christ people
reduce Him to just a philosopher, or a do-gooder, just one among many others
that have tried to change the world.
To worship Him as God is another dimension altogether. Every knee shall bow before Him, every tongue
confess (Ph 2, 10-11) There are qualities about Him that no other figure
can equal. Others have some of His characteristics, but He has everything.
It is to worship we are called. We ask Him for what we need,
but this presumes that we are prepared to give Him total obedience and
allegiance.
We can dare to ask Him only if we are on proper terms to be
able to do that. We cannot ask for things if we are not prepared to acknowledge
His divinity.
It is up to us to give Him due attention, to fill the gaps
that others have left.
Our asking really comes to how can we serve Him better.
In no way do we assert ourselves to be apart from Him, or
reserving our obedience on some points.
He can save only those who are united with Him. As in a
rescue operation we cannot pull people out of the sea if they are not within
reach, or if they resist.
Salvation is like that. People have to want to be saved,
then to let whatever process is necessary take effect.
So we converge on Him, plead with Him to save us, gather us,
keep us close.
We cling to Him like branches to the vine, sheep to the
shepherd.
We express gratitude for saving us; we seek to please Him;
to fit in totally with His plans for us.
To achieve all this we need to pray very often, and meditate
on the absolute importance of Jesus Christ; lest we fall into thinking He has
somehow become remote.
He took our humanity so that we could share in His divinity.
We are called to greatness here; may we have the grace to see it.
No comments:
Post a Comment