Word to the Wise
Monday, May 7, 2007 - Monday in the Fifth Week of Easter
[Acts 14:5-18 and John14:21-26]Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
We Catholics (and other Christians) use the word "grace" in a religious context to mean the influence of God. In my own Baltimore Catechism days, we were taught about "actual grace" and "sanctifying grace." In many ways, it seemed like a kind of theological dust like Tinkerbell spread around, but it was the way of teaching in those days. Grace still is a challenging subject to deal with because we humans need some kind of way of expressing the way in which God can be present "to" or "with" or "in" a person and yet somehow the person remains free. The line from the Gospel of John suggests one possible approach (there are many). When we love someone, it is as if that person lives inside of us because we think of them and we experience their love as well. Jesus tells us that this is possible with him and the Father! What we experience is a relationship. A relationship is not some kind of "third thing" between two people. It cannot exist outside those in the relationship, like some organization that one joins. Grace is not a "fringe benefit" or "side effect" of God's presence. Grace IS the presence of God. When Jesus says that he and the Father will make their dwelling in a person, that means they are truly within the person, and not outside sending laser beams or staying in the guestroom. The challenge is whether or not we will let them in, much the same as we open our heart to anyone else. In the case of Jesus and the Father, it is a matter of eternal life! That kind of love radiates to others as well. This is why it is so important to be intentional about our love of God. It will not only give us life but we will be able to share that life - we become the gift and the giver as well. AMEN
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