Friday, September 16, 2022
Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
(click here to listen to or read today’s scriptures)
Looking for adventure
Hide me under the shadow of your wings.
I notice that when my body begins to wear out, as age takes its toll, I see the world the same way. The good old days were so much better than today. My perspective narrows and I think of my short lifespan as all there is or ever was. Civilization is wearing out, and all seems lost. Complaint becomes the order of the day, whether about my health or the culture that is falling apart around us.
But this perspective is wrong. Every generation sees regression and advance, and the advances are just a little more than the regressions. Otherwise we would all be extinct by now.
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
I love this statement by Paul. Jesus frees us from the power of the devil (1 John 3:8) AND offers himself as a “tithe” for all who are gone. He is our firstfruits. We die in order to be raised again. The last enemy is death, and Jesus conquered it utterly.
Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
And his glory has appeared. Let our joy be full and full and full. Faith in God’s love and absolute commitment to his little “I Am’s” changes everything for all of us. There’s no need to wait for heaven. The kingdom of God is here.
Accompanying Jesus were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, Susanna, and many others.
Imagine walking down the roads of Galilee with Jesus, singing. In Prayer for Beginners, Peter Kreeft pictures life as a highway. At the far end of the highway is Yahweh, the great I AM. At the other end is me, a little “I Am,” made in God’s image. I walk toward God, and that’s my life. On the road we encounter other pilgrims – other little “I Ams” and angels.
Everything else in the universe is what Kreeft calls “betweens.” They are shiny and tempting, but just “betweens.” They are real only in the context of the highway and the Destination.
When God gives us a glimpse of this most real highway, it’s enough. Enough to hold us close for the rest of our life. No fear.
(1 Corinthians 15, Psalm 17, Matthew 11, Luke 8)
(posted at www.davesandel.net)
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