In your personality, work hard to know your weak points. All your family and friends suffer from your quirks and your weaknesses. The last person to recognize them is yourself. This is why the ancient teaching, “Know yourself,” is so essential.
As a Church, know what are your weak points! Church: know yourself!
One of our serious flaws is that for too many born into the faith, is that religion is all about getting things done. You have to have your babies baptized! You have to get your children to make their first communion. It is like you have to check off the designated boxes!
The Christian faith is living, breathing and walking in the very spirit and person of Jesus.It is not checking off the correct religious boxes! The risen Jesus must flourish in our lives. Not only do we know that we are called by Jesus to be his disciples, but we are energized, shaped and moved forward by the very person of Jesus. We can sense Jesus in our prayers and in our body as we move out of ourselves to care for the poor and the suffering of this world.
This is where the uncomplicated prayer of Terese of Avila (she was a very significant mystic of the sixteenth century who has had a huge impact on Christiaan spirituality) is so useful. This is no sweet and pious believer. This has proven to be a giant in the spiritual life.
She begins: “Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands, but yours.” This is living in the resurrection of Jesus. The mystery of Jesus must now happen in us. We have been joined to Jesus in the waters of baptism to become the living extension of Jesus.
What has happened in the life of Jesus must now happen in our lives. As Jesus gave food to the hungry, so we become his living hands when we bring food to be shared at the food bank or when we help prepare meals for (mostly) homeless men. The mystery of the risen Christ takes shape in our sharing and our caring.
One of the homeless men shared with one of the volunteers. “The best thing you ever did for us was to talk with us and showed some interest in how we were doing. You did not ignore us and walk by as if we were entirely invisible.” There was Christ in human respect and kindness.
Terese continued: “You are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ looks out into the world.”
How we look at anything or anyone indicates what kind of value it has. If a vehicle is of no value to you, you will not even notice it let alone try to remember what make it is. If you can see Christ in the face of homeless man, you will pay attention and value his life.
We want to support and nourish that sense that Christ lives and works in and through us. We want to experience that we are the eyes and feet of Christ: right here, right now!
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