In the gospel lesson this morning, the disciples ask Jesus the question that we would like to ask him for ourselves, “Teach us to pray.” The flow of Jesus’ instruction on prayer in the lesson has a pattern: a proper way of praying to God: the Lord’s Prayer – his analogy of God as a parent who provides the best to children – his exhortation for a persistent practice of prayer: “Ask, search, and knock.” This time, I would like us to reflect on Jesus’ teaching in reverse order. The reason for this approach is like solving a math problem. We don’t want to first look at the answer but try first and go through trials and errors to understand the nature of the problem and eventually resolve it. This isn’t a test but we want to earn wisdom and insight from our direct experience of prayer as we start where we are right now in our spiritual lives. So, we will start with his exhortation, then with the analogy, and with the Lord’s Prayer.
The order of “Ask, search, and knock” may not merely be a series of different expressions regarding prayer. It can be considered the stages of prayer. We can follow that exact order. The essential virtue of taking these prayerful steps, which is the only requirement, is honesty with ourselves in the presence of God. What matters is that we pray honestly. No masks are required as there’s no pandemic of judgment. Also, a misdirected prayer that is only concerned with self-interest is still better than no prayer. First, ask whatever is in your mind without filtering. No need to be conscientious and conscious of whether you’re being selfish or not. There are reasons for all of us to bring particular concerns in our lives for ourselves and others. These are aspects of ourselves that need to be explored with curiosity rather than with judgment. Then, search for what you truly desire. Notice what you initially asked for is changing, depending on changes in circumstances, our perceptions, etc. What we initially searched for may be quite different from what we are searching for as time goes by. After discerning our deepest desires which are mostly influenced by fear and anxiety, knock on the door of God’s peace and truth. We might wonder if this formula is Jesus’ way to get what we desire. Is Jesus teaching us to keep on asking, searching, and knocking? Jesus requires us to be persistent about placing ourselves constantly in God’s presence, asking, searching, and knocking to the point where we realize our act of persistence which leads to ardency weighs more than what we initially desired. Thus, at the end of this prayerful journey, we ask, search, and knock for the presence of the Holy Spirit. We come to realize God’s presence is that which fulfills all our desires in this life on earth as it is in heaven. God’s presence is the source of hope, peace, and resilience for us to carry on through struggles in life. This formula or “ask, search, and knock” has often been understood as a means to measure one’s faith in God. Say, someone gets ill and his faith community teaches him to pray hard enough so that God’s miracle of cure happens. This can happen of course. But what if this doesn’t happen? Are we to blame this person for lacking faith or not praying hard enough? Or are we to blame God for forsaking him? A miracle of curing terminal illnesses has its purpose but this has its limitations. Is it God’s will for us to live here forever or is it our will to be immortal? Think of the situation in a soccer game where one player scores. Her ceremony is to kneel and pray to God for gratitude while the goalie who is of the same Christian faith sees that. What would God feel? The point of this analogy is that we’re missing something about the purpose of prayer. The sole purpose of our prayer is to be in the presence of God beyond time and space, which is the best present that God can give to God’s children. From this ardent act of asking, searching, and knocking, silence becomes the language of prayer and we pray the prayer Jesus has taught his friends: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come…” The kingdom of God is the presence of the Holy Spirit. God’s kingdom takes place within us that our lives are attuned and patterned according to the breath of God. Be alert, passionate, and mindful of the breath of God in our own breath. “Your kingdom come” is our profession of faith in God that “My kingdom is no longer mine but yours as my breath is never my own but yours.” In light of Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, our Christian understanding of a neighbor should be redefined. How often do we take for granted his greatest commandment to love our neighbor as oneself as if we truly know what that means? If we were to take the approach of the lawyer in the gospel lesson this morning, we start off on the wrong foot. “Who is my neighbor?” Is a wrong question to ask. Instead, Jesus directs us to a right question: “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” We don’t choose who can be our neighbor but are rather chosen to be their neighbor. We don’t have the upper hand in this neighborly relationship.
Let’s put this in a context. The ones we want to call neighbors are usually the ones who are suffering. The fact that they’re disadvantaged makes it difficult for all of us to stand on even ground. The ones who get support are somehow lower than those providing. There’s no equilibrium between the giver and the receiver. Is this Jesus’ way of loving our neighbors as ourselves? How can I love them as myself when they are placed lower than myself? Even if I would, I should bring them up to my level to love them as myself. We must stand on the same level. Most of our Food Pantry participants, for example, are disadvantaged in this giver-receiver relationship. We’re helping them by creating a channel for other organizations and people in local communities to share their resources. We create this locus of love to be expressed concretely. Now, the question for us is not so much about “Who is our neighbor?” which already places us in the powerful position of choosing who can be our neighbor. The right question as Jesus raised is “Do these participants see us as their neighbor?” We’re at “their” discretion, not at our own, to be accepted as “their” neighbor. Jesus’ way of love then seems to be founded on the virtues of humility, compassion, and goodwill: humility to see others as my equal, compassion to join others’ suffering, and goodwill to wish them the best in a form of empowerment. I would like to invite us to reflect on Robert W. Service’s poem, “Neighbours.” Neighbours by Robert W. Service My neighbour has a field of wheat And I a rood of vine; And he will give me bread to eat, And I will give him wine. And so we are a jolly pair, Contentedly unwed, Singing with supper as we share Red wine and crusty bread. Now venison is mighty meat And so is trout and hare; A mallard duck is sweat to eat And quail is dainty fare. But such are foods for festal day, And we will not repine While on the table we can lay Crisp bread and rosy wine. A will to till one's own of soil Is worth a kingly crown, With bread to feed the belly need, And wine to wash it down. So with my neighbour I rejoice That we are fit and free, Content to praise with lusty voice Bread, Wine and Liberty Can we imagine ourselves partaking in the Eucharist, the Bread of humility, the Wine of compassion, and the Liberty of goodwill? Today’s gospel lesson shows Jesus’ strategy of evangelism. There are a couple of things that stand out for me. (I would also like you to think about what stands out for you and share if you can in our Sunday worship.) Let me break down his tactic.
1. The main objective of evangelism: Proclaim the gospel, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” 2. Background information of this evangelism initiative: Jesus cannot physically go to all the places on his own. He selects seventy disciples and sends them in pairs. We know it’s easier to do things together than alone. 3. Materials to prepare: Nothing. No purse, no bag, and no sandals, meaning all you need is your presence of the gospel. No talk at all on the way as if there’s no time and this evangelism should be done with utmost urgency. 4. Peaceful approach: Share peace, “Peace to this house!” Notice it’s not about “Fear everyone, for God’s judgment day is coming.” It’s the peace of Christ that one approaches others. No harmful intentions. Always goodwill, compassion, and empathic joy. 5. Actions to two different responses when received or rejected by people
6. Warning: Don’t be conceited and prideful in case you are able to be well-received by people and perform all the miracles. Jesus doesn’t deny all the wonderful work of healing his disciples have done but what matters most is for them to continue to rejoice that their names are written in heaven. This means to rejoice that the kingdom of God has found them. Never cease to cultivate the kingdom of God in you. Having reflection on Jesus’ tactic of evangelism, what are your thoughts? Are you able to do this or is this something that someone else should do? If we focus on performing miracles such as curing the sick and casting out demons, we may not be so interested in joining this campaign of Jesus’ movement and this task seems impossible. But what about your presence of the inner peace that is arising from your discovery of God’s kingdom in the very depth of your being? What if that presence is the only requirement for those who are spiritually, physically, and mentally suffering? Our presence can be a channel to enkindle God’s peace that is already residing in them. Even if they don’t acknowledge this, we wish them that God’s inner kingdom finds them at some point in their lives. While we can share our presence of God’s peace with them, it’s their sacred duty to invigorate the inner kingdom of God in themselves. My friends in Christ, I hope to see what Jesus saw: “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.” That Satan falling from heaven is the disappearance of avarice, aversion, fear, anxiety, and despair in people’s hearts, in our world. We’re in this ministry of evangelism together. We can make a difference in our world of violence as we ourselves persistently contemplate the inner kingdom of God in Christ. We have Jesus’ strategy. Will you join him? Why would anyone follow Jesus? What would be good reasons? Back in the day, fear was a motivating factor. Fear marketing still is an effective marketing strategy. Trigger fear in people’s minds and sell it. Fear of dying, death, afterlife, hell, etc. We can go on. If these are the reasons to follow Jesus, it’s straight-up depressing. How can his good news be good? How can the Holy Bible be holy? There must be better reasons to follow Jesus that not only motivate us but also convince and compel us to follow freely and wholeheartedly. It should never be coerced.
Also, no one can follow Jesus just because one wants to according to today’s gospel lesson. He expects a full commitment. Then, our initial question, “Why would anyone follow Jesus?” should be addressed to Jesus himself as “Jesus, what do I gain from following you, living like you?” While there would be many responses from the gospels, I would like to link it to St. Paul’s insight from the second lesson which we didn’t read this morning: “For freedom, Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another.” (Galatians 5:1, 13-15) The key word here is freedom. For freedom, we follow Jesus. Freedom is the reason to follow in his footsteps, but this freedom is not “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint” as we usually understand. We’re strictly talking about the freedom Jesus manifests in his way of life. We’re drawn and attracted to the person of Jesus who is set free from everything but love. It’s the freedom from self, particularly thoughts and feelings from which one creates one’s self-image. We find in Jesus the way to freedom from self to God’s beloved. How often do we suffer from our own thoughts and feelings that are evoked from various relationships we have with others? What about the self-image we fabricate using those thoughts and feelings as raw materials? In this constant I-making process, which is neither mindfully watched nor is skillfully done, we become believers in our self-image. We are fixated on that image to the point we’re supposed to act in ways dictated by that image. Controlled and enslaved by our own creation. We’re locked in not just one but many of these fabricated images which in turn hold us back from reaching out to others. Then we suffocate and suffer in isolation. Jesus never puts himself in a box. He’s the son of a carpenter, uneducated and low in social status. He doesn’t want to be called a teacher. He never calls himself the Son of God but the Son of Man, a fellow human being just like everyone else. He’s free from all the labels both his followers and haters would like to put on. He’s never hung up on any images he creates for himself but on the cross only as God’s Beloved and remains as one, inviting those who follow him as God’s beloved. Imagine that you have no second thoughts about yourself. No self-doubt. No self-attack. No self-indulgence. Free from any remorse thoughts and feelings about yourself. Don’t pay attention to your self-worth but to your actions. What actions of kindness, goodwill, compassion, joy, and love can I give to others as God’s beloved rather than what kind of person should I be in order to do all those good deeds? In doing so, we can learn that the best way to love oneself is to be free from oneself. Loving neighbors is not the end but the means to that end that paradoxically helps us love ourselves in a healthy manner. Recollect your memories of genuinely helping others when you have no ulterior motives, no intention to save or rescue them as if you can somehow redeem yourself by helping those who are in a similar situation as yours. We feel happy for ourselves and others. There’s no attempt to take any credit. It’s not even necessary because recognition doesn’t make us happy at this point. This kind of act is content in itself and selfless in its nature. Being liberated from our own baggage, we act in love, goodwill, and compassion. This is the life Jesus leads us into. The kingdom of God within myself is never “my” kingdom but to live as God’s beloved in God’s kingdom. We set aside our fabricated images of self and willingly invite God to create us. God re-creates us not in better-perfect self-images but based on acts of grace, love, and compassion for others in God’s own image. My friends in Christ, to follow Jesus is to be liberated from self to God’s beloved and also from things we are attached to. Visualize yourself being so light without any heavy burdens that you’re truly free as Jesus says, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) Isn’t this life good? “The soul is kissed by God in its innermost regions. With interior yearning, grace and blessing are bestowed. It is a yearning to take on God's gentle yoke, It is a yearning to give one's self to God's Way.” (Hildegard of Bingen) The following poem is Meryl Stratford’s “Helen Keller at Niagara Falls.”
“She could not see the avalanche cascade / from foam-flecked marble rapids, being blind, / but torrents of egrets and apple blossoms played / whirlpools of nebulous beauty in her mind. / She could not hear, tumultuous mystery, / the thunderous plunge, a sea’s storm-breaking crests, / crescendo of a choral symphony, / only the silence when the music rests. / But the earth beneath her trembled. She could feel / a power like perseverance, truth, or love, / the joyous lifting of a bridal veil, / a thirst fulfilled, the mist, the memory of / her teacher’s cool, wet fingers like a brand, / burning that first word water in her hand.” In this poem, the poet imagines how Hellen Keller would experience Niagara Falls differently from hers and many of our own. But this seemingly common experience of the poet and ours is not universally shared and is indeed limited to only those who have been to Niagara Falls. The best way to fully grasp this poem is probably to read it at Niagara Falls. My point in sharing this poem is to expose the limitation of the use of our language to fully capture one’s experience, and the keyword here is experience. The success of a poem then mostly depends on how it helps its readers to visualize its subject matter so that there’s some common experience with which both the poet and her readers can resonate. Similarly, we want to take an experiential approach to Trinity Sunday this morning. As we can never conceptualize the beauty of Niagara Falls, our intellectual attempt to understand the Trinity without any experience is bound to fail. God is to be experienced first and then in our practice of making sense of it we gain wisdom and insight. This is a prayerful process. So where should we start to experience God in a trinitarian way? Close your eyes, and imagine that you are standing in the Jordan River. You see two people. One looks like St. John the Baptizer, and the other Jesus. As Jesus is immersed in the river and rises again above the water, you can see the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove upon Jesus. You hear the voice from heaven speaking to Jesus, “You are my Son, the Beloved.” (Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22) Now, John looks at you. It’s your turn. Jesus stands right next to you. He looks excited for you. John gently immerses you into the Jordan River. The water temperature is strikingly cold, waking up every cell of your body. Quite far from your everyday warm shower. As you rise above the water, you try to take a breath of fresh air, as if a newborn baby’s breathing reflex kicks in. When that Breath, descending like a dove, enters through your nostrils to the lungs and the whole body, you hear the same voice from heaven that spoke to Jesus, “You are my Beloved.” That Breath of love flows into you the Beloved who hears the voice of the Lover. This is one of the ways to experience God the Trinity. Father-Son-Holy Spirit can be experienced as Lover-Beloved-Love Overflowing. We start with Jesus and stand together in his place through the symbol or sacrament of baptism. He becomes our entry point to the life of the Trinity, Lover-Beloved-Love Overflowing. Let’s then re-read today’s gospel lesson according to the Lover-Beloved-Love Overflowing experience: "When Love overflows, that Love will guide you into all the truth of love itself; for Love Overflowing will not speak on her own but will speak whatever is heard, which is from Lover to Beloved, and Love Overflowing will declare to you the things that are to come. Love will glorify Beloved, because Love will take what is Beloved’s and declare to you. All that Lover has is Beloved’s. For this reason, Love Overflowing will take what is Beloved’s and declare it to you." So would you share your experience of the Trinity with me or your neighbors? This sharing is in and of itself the gospel proclamation. |
Paul"...life up your love to that cloud [of unknowing]...let God draw your love up to that cloud...through the help of his grace, to forget every other thing." Archives
January 2025
|