The lesson this morning from St. Peter’s epistle is addressed to the Christian diaspora in Asia Minor. They are under religious persecution, being labeled as atheists (!) because they don’t believe in gods but one God. We can imagine what they would need from other Christian communities, especially the well-respected elders, is words of encouragement that can inspire hope and resilience to continue to live out their Christian faith and values. And St. Peter seems to know what kind of literary form would be most effective. Rather than prose, poetic expressions filled with metaphors would help these Christians envision who they are called to be. So we see St. Peter’s use of metaphors in today’s lesson.
I would like us to reflect on these metaphors, not just for the sake of what they may mean for us, but to use them as various tools to strengthen our meditation practice. I’ll start from the symbol of “a living stone” to “a spiritual house, a holy and royal priesthood, a chosen race, a holy nation, God’s own people” and then to “newborn infants.” A living stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious Jesus is the living stone, the cornerstone chosen and precious, and the very head of the corner. His teaching on the gospel of God’s kingdom is rejected by local religious and political authorities. He becomes the stone rejected and unchosen by the builders. However, this rejected stone is resurrected in the lives of those who live out the way Jesus does despite his death on the cross. The resurrection of hope in God’s compassion carries on no matter what in the lives of Christ-followers. This rule of life grounded and built in the living stone entails two processes that happen simultaneously and deepen each other. One is to be convinced rationally and willingly that the way of Christ is the most ideal choice to live fully out of love. It’s not fear or anxiety-based, meaning our concern for heaven and hell or luck and curse is not a major motivating factor. Instead, the way of Christ compels us to be fully rooted in compassion and goodwill (God’s will) for ourselves and others. The other is our inner practice and prayer of contemplation to be in God’s presence, thus being one within, and becoming skillful in who we are and what we do. Conviction in Christ’s way opens one’s mind to desire more of God’s presence, and the practice of the Spirit’s presence in oneself deepens that conviction mutually. We hold onto the living stone as the rule of life and ground it in the depth of the mind and body through meditation, through breath. A spiritual house, a holy nation, God’s own people Based on the living stone, we build a spiritual house, a holy nation. We set ourselves apart from what’s opposite from goodwill, joy, compassion, and peace. In other words, we become the Body of Christ, the Church. Now, we become the Church in two ways: communal and personal. The communal way is through the Sacraments of the Eucharist. We become what we practice to be. As we partake in the Eucharist, we become the Eucharist. While the communal way is more like an outer part of the house, the personal way is like constructing inner structures. Everything should be tightly knit together. We allow the Spirit to weave our fractured parts together to be like Christ. Again, to do so is to practice contemplation. In meditation, every breath we take in and out is every pipe, every electric wire, and every brick to be carefully installed. We may have to reinstall some of them. Reframe and refabricate what’s harmful and unskillful to what’s beneficial and skillful to ourselves and others. We build a house and then a nation. Newborn infants One of the joys of witnessing an infant/toddler baptism is not merely limited to seeing their reaction to the cold water poured over their heads. Its joy is to remind ourselves of the image of “newborn infants” used by St. Peter in the lesson this morning. Whether one is actually baptized as an infant or not, we become like newborn infants through baptism. How often do we forget the fact that there were times when we were cute and adorable? Every baptism can be a reminder of our own baptism as well as that “once upon a time, I was the cuteness incarnate!” As we remember our baptism through which we commit to living out the way of Christ, we are like newborn infants. St. Peter directs what newborn infants desire: “Long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.” The pure spiritual milk, just like colostrum, is gained through our intimate, contemplative encounter with the Spirit. As the pure spiritual milk is spiritual in its nature, its source is the Spirit. In the presence of the Godhead, we are fed with the colostrum of the Spirit by which one will never thirst like “the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14) In conclusion: the metaphors we’ve reflected on must not merely remain symbolic. They can be used as various means for our meditation practice. We may imagine holding onto the living stone in our hand or setting it deep in our gut as we practice. We may visualize building a spiritual house. We may become like newborn infants, desiring pure spiritual milk, yearning to be free, innocent, and precious in the presence of God. |
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
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