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Pastoral Ponderings -- January 2010

Happy New Year! I am actually writing this during the final days of 2009. As each year closes, I find myself reflecting upon the time that has passed, examining how my life and attitude have progressed. Most of the time, the progression is slow, exhibiting less than that necessary for healthy growth. I realize that the person I’ve become is just an older version of the one that lived during the past year. I keep hoping for some divine transformation; but, as has been said, God isn’t finished with me! Thus, I feel a need for deeper self-examination as a means for amending the ways of my life. Perhaps, some of you feel the same?

2010 has arrived. Looking forward, I find myself longing for the peace promised in the coming of the Christ-child. Our nation is bitterly divided over diverging political ideologies. One side seeks to expand our military might throughout the world; while, the other side seeks diplomatic negotiation. A very uncomfortable tension fills me as I observe the competing demands of power versus persuasion. Yet, the national collective seems much like the experience of every individual. We find ourselves caught between two ways of being: one of flesh, the other of spirit. The one that wins is the one we feed. We are challenged to become awake to the meaning of a spiritual life. In it, we are called into a divine relationship. An opportunity presents itself to engage God’s Kingdom. At the same time, we find ourselves forcing our beliefs upon others, or having the beliefs of others forced upon us. So often, we resist the call to spiritual collaboration, believing that ours is the only way.

The true challenge of Christianity is to see Christ in others. We are called to a deeper knowledge of God through humanity, and a deeper awareness of humanity in God. There exists a call for us to nurture one another spiritually. Divine enthusiasm, God manifested in human form, is the object of the Nativity story. The Christ in Jesus came to show the way to Christ in the human experience. Each New Year is preceded by the coming of the Christ. We all are guided by the Epiphany, the wonder of God’s manifestation in human form.

As the year progresses, may our eyes continue to be open to God’s presence. May we see the hand of God at work among all people; may we hear God’s call to us in community. Our life in Christ is one of picking up where Jesus left off following the Resurrection and Ascension. His ministry on earth continues through every one of us. It is a ministry we share with others in the Body of Christ, the Church. Our relationships with one another through, by, and in Christ serve to build God’s Kingdom within the people of God. This is the work of redemption and restoration established by God in Jesus. Those who accept Jesus, accept his work in humanity. May the mission of Christ continue in all of us in MMX.

Serving His Will,

Father E.J.