Saturday, August 11, 2007

comings- final sermonizing


Coreopsis Bloom
Jesus, self-described as a thief in the night, will come a second time. This weeks gospel (Luke 12:32-40) tells me so. The message is clear. Be awake. Be in the present moment. Be aware. Be mindful. Be in relationship with God.

One wonders why. Surely one would not miss this event. Prophesies of this great event have the dead being raised, last judgments being passed out, new ages beginning, and a new Jerusalem with come down out of heaven.

Maybe Jesus doesn't want us to be shocked. If we are ready, then it will be smooth sailing?

And whether or not it will happen while I am alive is a huge uncertainty in my mind. Odds seem to say it would not be a safe bet.

Maybe Jesus was a trickster and knowing the benefits of being mindful and being in relationship with God he came up with this thief in the night story. If it was a trick, it does great things even if it is hard work. The thoughts, that come into my mind, guide me into more intimate relationships or onto healing paths. The other night I turned back to my basic teaching desire: create a place of joy for my students. It came while doing what Saint Ignatius called a daily examen. I faced an interaction I regretted with a student and asked for the strength to move into better relationship with all of my students. The next day, when a student said, "You are in a great mood today." I felt blessed.

This morning I had a thought... get away from the computer and visit your garden. I took my pruner and camera with me. While dead heading our coreopsis a flower spoke to me. Well it caught my attention and as M just said it made for "one funky picture."

These are the comings that arrive when we are mindful of our faith. Our hope is to be ready to catch them like a thief in the night.

3 comments:

  1. I don't think I would personally consider Jesus a "trickster", Wayne, but do find that we have no apparent difficulty in deceiving ourselves. The walk, even with His abiding within, is a continual "through the veil" experience and, as I just noted in a comment to you over at my site, we learn as we go. I enjoy your spirit, my friend, and your shared walks with Him in the garden....

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  2. Jim- yes, I am not sure where the trickster thought came from (maybe an interest in native american literature during my 20's), and spent little time on it on Sunday... main message was that by being aware and being with God we get help to guide our lives. and that hope and faith can make the invisible visible.

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  3. Sounds like a great message, Wayne. I'm flying solo, it appears, tomorrow night at the rescus mission. Ego. Always ego; and my prayer is always to reduce that as much as possible, to decrease that He might increase. He's much better with words than I.......

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