In the prior two posts, we’ve reflected on The Greatest Story Ever Told – salvation history. The story of God’s rescue operation for humankind. But we stopped at the Prologue, i.e., life on this earth and the transition towards an entirely different dimension of living. As Paul Harvey famously said on his syndicated ABC radio show: “And now, the rest of the story”.
Every time we recite the Apostles Creed, we say that we believe “in life everlasting”. Well, do you really? In the Nicene Creed we profess to “look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.” Are you truly looking forward to that?
The Greatest Story Ever Told (continued from prior post)
Every day of our lives, we can now choose to live the life of Jesus or to live for ourselves. We can choose things that meet our desires for pleasure, power, or possessions – but bring us no closer to the purpose for which we were created. We can choose people to meet our needs and wants for attention, affection, or adulation; but they will inevitably fall short of our expectations, frequently disappoint us, and predictably hurt us time and again. Only a daily relationship with God himself can fill the void at the core of our being: to be loved and to love.
This 1949 classic by Gulton Oursler recounting the life of Christ was an instant bestseller and has been read by millions. Salvation history is literally His-story. I learned about it in the Baltimore Catechism under the tutelage of the Ursuline Sisters during my elementary school years in Cleveland, Ohio. But knowing about someone is quite different from knowing someone from personal encounters. From a lifetime of personal encounters, I share my understanding of His-story, i.e., my statement of faith. It is the greatest story ever told to me.
The Greatest Story Ever Told – Part One AUDIO
We were created to be in a relationship with unconditional love. Jesus came into this world to reveal to us that the unconditional, uninterrupted, unending love for which we were created – is God. One of his closest disciples passed this revelation on to us in one of his letters, inspired by the Holy Spirit (1 John 4: 16b). “God is love and anyone who lives in love lives in God and God lives in him (JB). “ “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him (RSV).” “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God, and God in him. (NAB)” The translations of “live”, “abide”, and “remain” convey the essence of this love: we need it to have life (live), without interruption (abide), and to have it forever (remain). Just as all creation needs a certain environment in order to grow and be sustained (a combination of air, water, light, and nutrition), human beings need to be in the presence of unconditional love in order to grow, mature, and attain the fullness of the purpose for which we were created – perfect intimacy, unity, and harmony with unconditional, uninterrupted, unending love.
In ancient times, there lived a young man and woman who fell very much in love, married, and longed for a family of their own. Their joy could not be contained when they learned that the young wife was expecting their first child. But alas, the young husband’s grief could not be consoled when his beloved spouse died in childbirth. Still, he gave himself completely to the love, nurturing, and care of their daughter, never remarrying. And though the pain of his sorrow was greatest on that day each year, the celebration of his daughter’s birth knew no limits. The feast, music, gifts, and gathering of friends and relatives assured the young girl that her life was invaluable, and diminished not one iota by the tragedy of her mother’s death on that same day.
“If you cry out for wisdom and raise your voice for understanding; if you look for it as for silver, and search for it as for treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2: 3-5
Hidden Treasure AUDIO
An island search for a pirate’s treasure map. An archaeological dig for an ancient artifact. The discovery of a rare item with unimagined value in a grandparent’s attic. Even the popularity of the current television program, Storage Wars, where bidders compete to purchase the contents of unseen storage facilities in the hopes of acquiring something of untold worth.
There’s something about the intrigue surrounding hidden treasure. Jesus even used it when instructing his disciples. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” Mt. 13 44 (RSV). So let’s go treasure hunting.
“I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”
John 13:16 New International Version
Lord, you humbled yourself in taking on human form, even to the point of being born as a helpless baby. How can I seek anything other than the last place in all things?
Lord, you studied and learned and grew in wisdom and understanding as a young man. How can I ignore the study of Scripture and the teachings of the Church or the pursuit of knowledge and Truth?
Lord, you were obedient to the Father in everything, and prayed that His will be done, not yours. How can I be disobedient in any measure, and prefer my will to yours?
Lord, you chose to live in poverty. How can I seek wealth and possessions or be attached to anything of this world?
Lord, you spent your life in obscurity and simplicity, earning a living by the work of your hands. How can I pursue a path in life and career that can increase my visibility in the eyes of the world and promise recognition for my achievements?
Lord, you preferred to associate with the poor, the sick, the widow, the blind, the lame, the outcasts of society. How can I seek to associate with the strong, the wealthy, the popular, the esteemed of society?
Lord, you prayed and fasted for 40 days in the desert; many times you prayed through the night. How can I pray sparingly, go through the motions of prayer, or neglect prayer altogether, and resist the need to fast?
Lord, you chose celibacy and lived a perfectly chaste life. How can I indulge in wrongful sexual desires in my thoughts, words, or actions?
Lord, you were tempted by the devil repeatedly but never sinned. How can I so easily give in to the temptations of the Evil One?
Lord, you chose homelessness during your years of mission and ministry and had nowhere to lay your head? How can I seek the comforts and privacy of a home, and be unwilling to open it to others in hospitality and generosity?
Lord, you embraced the role of an itinerant rabbi with no title or position of honor. How can I seek positions of influence and esteem in order to be well regarded by others?
Lord, you came to spread the Good News of the Kingdom of God on earth. How can I value any other mission more highly?
Lord, you healed those who came to you and delivered those in bondage. How can I deny those who come to me for help in any form?
Lord, you suffered silently when falsely accused, publicly mocked, and physically tortured. How can I complain about any treatment of injustice?
Lord, you gave your life for us. How can I hold back any aspect of mine? You poured out your life’s blood for us. How can I retain anything in my cup?
Lord, you forgave even your persecutors, those who reviled you, condemned you and executed you. How can I continue to bear grudges, harbor vengeance, hold on to anger, or demand conditions for my mercy.
Lord, you forgave your disciples who abandoned you, betrayed you, and denied you. How can I hold on to resentments and withhold my love from those who have wronged me, or refuse forgiveness to those who have hurt me?
Lord, you are the Master, and I am your servant. Grant that I may more fully follow in your footsteps as I seek to be your disciple, your brother, and your friend.
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father, I have made known to you.
No evil shall befall you, nor shall affliction come near your tent, for to his angels he has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways. Upon their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the asp and the viper; you shall trample down the lion and the dragon (Psalm 91: 10-13).
Tommy’s third year of life was like an obstacle course for all of us. Our goal was just to get to the end of it as quickly as possible.
It started shortly after his birthday in January when his ENT doctor wanted to schedule a surgery to have his tonsils and adenoids removed. But he’s so little and fragile, we protested. She insisted it was necessary for his ability to swallow. So we gulped ourselves and relented. It seemed like his recuperation was barely over when another surgery followed. Tommy needed bilateral tubes in his ears to overcome his chronic ear infections. His ENT assured us that he could tolerate a second procedure. I remember consoling myself with the thought that he might be too young to recall any of this in the years ahead.
Then came an unexpected development. Tommy started walking. His balance had been inhibited by the blockage in his ears. Almost overnight he abandoned his little walker on wheels and started wobbling around the house like a newborn chick. My new pastime was to watch him explore with a crooked smile pasted on my face.
In recognition of Down Syndrome Awareness month in October, I’m reprinting a modified version of an article I wrote some 18 years ago that appeared in a couple of websites. Maybe it will be the catalyst to penning a follow up story in the remaining months of 2020.
Although it was her 44th birthday, my wife is the one who came home from her doctor visit with a surprise for me. Madeline was pregnant. I stifled the question “How is that possible?” as it tried to force itself past my lips. After six children, I guess I knew pretty well.
Our youngest was then nine years old. Each milestone he passed had given us a growing sense of freedom: last one out of diapers, last to tie his shoes, ride a bike, learn to swim, go to school. We had already negotiated our mid-life passage without the proverbial crises. Madeline pierced another hole in her ears for a second set of earrings. I started wearing contact lenses because she told me it made me look younger. We were more than ready for a new and exciting chapter in our life. But we weren’t ready for this.
Where’s the competition?The Race To Last Place audio
The infectious disease experts around the world are currently racing to be the first to find a vaccine for COVID-19. When I was growing up in the sixties, the primary players in the Eastern and Western blocs of the Cold War were racing to be the first to land a man on the moon. Every two years athletes from around the globe compete in the Olympic Games to bring home a coveted gold medal. We seem to be a planet populated by people with an innate drive to be numero uno.
From the earliest age, we even urge our children to approach education as a competition. To be at the top of the class in order to get into the best university, in order to be offered the best job, in order to make the most money, in order to have the best possessions, in order to achieve the highest social status.
One can’t help but notice that there’s very little traffic headed in the opposite direction in any walk of life – a race for last place. Yet that is precisely the thrust of the teachings and actions of Jesus of Nazareth.
“What’s in a name?” quoth the hero in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. And verily what doth it mean to speak in the name of another? I am delighted thou wouldst ask.
Christians the world over dare to pray in God’s name. In the name of Jesus…; In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The words begin and end so many prayers. But are they so formulaic that the full meaning is lost on the lips of the speaker? What’s in a name, indeed?
