Fear No One

We can see how the Prophet Jeremiah is a “type” of Christ. He is plotted against and denounced because he was doing God’s work. Jeremiah preached to the Southern Kingdom and encouraged them to change their ways lest they fall like the Northern Kingdom fell. But the people did not want to hear it. I guess no one really wants to be told that they are going down the wrong path and to change their ways, but these people wanted to kill Jeremiah.

Perhaps there have been times in our lives when we felt not liked or unwanted for standing up for what we believe in or remaining true to our beliefs. In times such as these, we might feel unjustified, frustrated, and even all alone. But we know that we are not alone. Jesus tells His disciples, “Fear no one.” Not because they are invincible but because God is in control. That was true then and it is true today: God is in control. Whether good or bad, happy or sorrowful, everything and every situation that God permits to happen has a deeper and greater purpose than what it appears to be on the surface. This is especially hard to see in the face of tragedy.

God does not permit tragedies to happen because He is cold-hearted or because He wants to punish us but because even when out of our own free will and free choice we make bad decisions or others make bad decisions, God can bring good out of whatever consequence that should come. This good may not always be apparent and we may never even see it, but good always comes, whether for us or others, in this life or the next.

Brothers and sisters, with God watching over us and being in control, we truly do not need to fear anyone or anything. God will see us through the storms of our lives. God will walk with us through the dark valleys that frighten us. God remains with us always. Fear not!

The “R” Word

During this past school year, I have emphasized one word in all of the classes I taught. This word describes the foundation of our faith, of who we are, and of that which we were created. To drill this into the minds of the young people I always ask them, “At the end of the day it all comes down to one word that begins with ‘R,’ what is it?” Relationship.

Relationship is at the heart of who we are. It is the most fundamental and foundational building block of life. It was within and out of a relationship that we were created. Thinking back to Trinity Sunday, we are created in the image and likeness of a God who is relational — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a community of love. As Christians we pray, but what is prayer? Prayer is not simply the recitation of memorized words or sentences. At its core, prayer is relationship. Any prayer life presupposes a relationship between the individual and God. It is because we trust in God that we bring to Him all that is on our hearts. This would not be possible outside the context of a relationship.

There are many elements that exist within a relationship; among them are love and trust. God called the Israelites a “people peculiarly His own.” Jesus taught the disciples to call God “Father.” Because we trust that God loves us, we turn to Him. Because God loves us, He sent His Son so that we might not perish in our weakness and brokenness. God sent Jesus into the world so that our weakness and brokenness might not be sources of shame or guilt but rather reminders of how much we are loved. Even in our sinfulness, Jesus comes to save us. That’s love.

May we take a closer look at our relationships today, especially at our relationship with God. How involved am I in this relationship? Do I nurture this relationship? God is always waiting for us to enter into this loving relationship. Once you do, life will never be the same, and you will want to tell everyone all about the “R” word!

Mystery of Love

As Christians we believe in ONE God. We also know that the truth about the nature of God lies within the mystery that is the Trinity — three Divine Persons in one God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Today, on this Trinity Sunday, we celebrate this great mystery, the mystery about which we are all invited to ponder and the mystery whose life in which we have been invited to partake.

The Trinity is a community of love. St. Augustine illustrates the Trinity as the Father being the Lover, the Son as the Beloved, and the Holy Spirit as the love that exists between Them. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one yet distinct. They are one in that They are not three separate beings and they are distinct (not separate) in that they differ in role. The Father creates, the Son redeems, and the Holy Spirit sanctifies, yet all three Persons are together. When the Father creates, both the Son and the Spirit are there and this is the same with the other Persons. So what does this all have to do with us?

We were created and made in God’s image and likeness and so we were made out of love, with love, and for love. We are also baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, giving us a share in the life of the Trinity. Think about that. We were made to share in the life of God. By Jesus’s incarnation where He emptied Himself of all glory and became a humble man and by His death where He allow Himself to be emptied of all - blood, water, and giving His spirit over to the Father so that we might be filled with His life and love. The greatest expression of God’s love for us — His self-sacrifice and self-emptying so that we might be filled. The mystery of God’s love for us cannot really be understood, and it does not have to be, we need only receive it, rest in it, and live in it.

On this Trinity Sunday may we ponder the nature of God, which is love, and choose to live out our call and nature with which we have been created — the image and likeness of God, who is love.