Dear People Whom God Loves,
I write this series of columns not as a professional theologian or a scripture scholar. I write this from my own religious studies, but much more, from my own spiritual journey including 60 years of being with people as a priest. This is not more than that. It also is not less than that.
The mission that Jesus gave to his disciples—and thus to all who choose to follow him— was to spread the good news to all nations. That good news is the reign of God. To enter the reign of God is to be transformed into the vision and values of God. To know what this vision and these values are, we look to the life, the teaching, and actions of Jesus.
Jesus experienced God (whom he called Abba) as compassionate, merciful, forgiving love…a love that embraced all humans regardless of their standing in the eyes of society and religion. Society and religion were interwoven in the world in which Jesus lived.
If we choose to follow Jesus, we must ask ourselves if we are a bridge that draws people into the reign of God or an obstacle that hinders that entry into the reign of God.
I am suggesting that when we are in touch with our humanness, we are more likely to be a bridge. When we are not in touch with our humanness, we are more likely to be an obstacle.
I say this because being in touch with our humanness is an essential component of entering the reign of God. If we are not entering the reign of God ourselves, how can we help draw people into that reign. I think that St. Ireneus was pointing to this when he wrote, “The glory of God is a human being fully alive.”
I find it helpful to approach this by looking at Jesus and the Pharisees. As an aside, the Pharisees were not bad people. However, when we look at them in the light of Jesus, they were headed down the wrong path.
More next time.
Smile, God Loves You,
Father Clay
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