The third temptation that Christ faced in the desert as he began to shape his ministry was that of placing worldly power and might ahead of allegiance to God. Jesus was led to a very high mountain and was shown the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. The Tempter promised Jesus that these could all be his if Jesus dropped his allegiance to God and turned instead to worship the prince of this world. (Matthew 4:8-10 and Luke 4:5-8)
The people at the time were ready for a military messiah, one who could rally the people together to oust foreign intervention and reestablish a separate and sovereign people. It would have been easier to rise to power on a platform of revolution in response to this need than on a platform forming a world-wide community based on the love of God.
Is there really such a difference between the two systems? God inspired Isaiah to write on this, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)
There is nothing wrong with having geographical divisions of space such as countries, states, provinces, cities, towns and streets. It makes finding things a lot easier, helps the postal service deliver things, and provides game shows with challenging questions. But when these divisions grow into collective egos called nations that become dysfunctional, we create fertile ground for racism, greed, economic imbalance, preferential treatment, and exploitation - things that are not of God, but of man. People begin to coagulate around fear-based causes and principles that separate one people from another; creating short-sighted vision that eventually turns into provincial blindness.
Man's tendency is to divide. He does so out of fear. He forms separate groups for safety, identity and pride. If my group is more powerful than your group, he reasons, then we are safer, we are better, and you are not. God's tendency, however, is to unite. He does so out of love. If we realize that we are all members of the same family, all brothers and sisters, then fear is destroyed, and we can build systems to make sure everyone has enough food, clothing, shelter, medical care, healthy relationships, and other truly human aspects of life. We can help each other become who God made us to be, serving Him in this world in our own unique way based on the special gifts he has given to each one of us.
It is a classic choice we all face today - should we live according to God's rules, or our own? Jesus' response to this temptation was to reiterate, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him." Perhaps one day we will all become one family, a place where, as St. Paul writes, "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together." (1 Corinthians 12:26)
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The Second Temptation of Christ - Physical Safety
The second temptation of Christ in the desert was perhaps the most insidious of the three. We read in Matthew 4:5-7 (and Luke 4:9-12) that Jesus was placed in a physically dangerous position (the pinnacle of the temple) by his tempter, who quoted scripture trying to convince Jesus that he would not be hurt if he jumped off, "For it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you, and on their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"
Quoting scripture to promote falsehoods is done far too often even today. But this is not the deepest concern here. Inherent in the tempter's promise is that if you follow God's will and do His word in your life, He will keep you from harm's way. Psalm 91 is often used as an example of this, and there are many more.
The tempter knew that if he could get people to believe this, they would be set up for a fall that would be very difficult to recover from. People living good lives get hurt somewhere along the way, and then they get angry with God. They question what they have done to deserve this pain and suffering. They turn from God, severing the one connection that would help them get through. The connection with our Creator is replaced with anger, frustration and a sense of betrayal.
The truth is, good people and bad people both get hurt in life. Some worse than others. And most of the pain and suffering in the world is caused by people in the first place. We cause many famines; we cause homelessness; we cause many of the diseases we are trying to cure. We cause accidents through impatience, carelessness, or cutting corners for extra profit. Of course, nature unleashes some of her own fury in earthquakes, tornadoes, and tsunamis, etc. Let's face it - we live in a dangerous place. We make it worse when we try to live above nature rather than with it.
But within the world also comes beautiful things - mountains, trees, flowers, and people who bring love and compassion. There are medicines to cure illnesses; roads to share goods and services; materials to build homes to protect us from the weather and keep us warm; rich soil to grow food; communication networks to share stories and information; and much, much more. We could reclaim Eden if we became a family once again.
We may not be able to prevent physical harm coming to us. Eventually something gets all of us. One thing we CAN count on, though, is that no harm will come to your spiritual self, that is, your true self, regardless of what happens to your physical self. St. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 , "Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal."
The other thing we can count on, too, is the fact that God WILL be there during our times of trouble to help out, if we let Him. When trouble enters our lives, it is time to turn toward Our Father and not away from Him. We can find Him in friends, counselors, therapists, scripture, pastors, doctors and out in nature. We can find Him deep within ourselves, right there in your heart.
Quoting scripture to promote falsehoods is done far too often even today. But this is not the deepest concern here. Inherent in the tempter's promise is that if you follow God's will and do His word in your life, He will keep you from harm's way. Psalm 91 is often used as an example of this, and there are many more.
The tempter knew that if he could get people to believe this, they would be set up for a fall that would be very difficult to recover from. People living good lives get hurt somewhere along the way, and then they get angry with God. They question what they have done to deserve this pain and suffering. They turn from God, severing the one connection that would help them get through. The connection with our Creator is replaced with anger, frustration and a sense of betrayal.
The truth is, good people and bad people both get hurt in life. Some worse than others. And most of the pain and suffering in the world is caused by people in the first place. We cause many famines; we cause homelessness; we cause many of the diseases we are trying to cure. We cause accidents through impatience, carelessness, or cutting corners for extra profit. Of course, nature unleashes some of her own fury in earthquakes, tornadoes, and tsunamis, etc. Let's face it - we live in a dangerous place. We make it worse when we try to live above nature rather than with it.
But within the world also comes beautiful things - mountains, trees, flowers, and people who bring love and compassion. There are medicines to cure illnesses; roads to share goods and services; materials to build homes to protect us from the weather and keep us warm; rich soil to grow food; communication networks to share stories and information; and much, much more. We could reclaim Eden if we became a family once again.
We may not be able to prevent physical harm coming to us. Eventually something gets all of us. One thing we CAN count on, though, is that no harm will come to your spiritual self, that is, your true self, regardless of what happens to your physical self. St. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 , "Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal."
The other thing we can count on, too, is the fact that God WILL be there during our times of trouble to help out, if we let Him. When trouble enters our lives, it is time to turn toward Our Father and not away from Him. We can find Him in friends, counselors, therapists, scripture, pastors, doctors and out in nature. We can find Him deep within ourselves, right there in your heart.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Statio - The Pause that Refreshes
The busyness and concerns of our day can have a dampening effect on our connection with reality and the connections with God that we established in our early morning prayer session. We started our day feeling right with ourselves, but the world of mankind that we interact with throughout the day may begin to wear against this. We may end up feeling a bit lost or frustrated, thinking about "getting out of this place," or daydreaming of being in a different situation.
To regain our "grounding," our effectiveness and creativity, along with a true understanding of the relationship of things in our field of awareness, we sometimes will need to pause during the day for a quick "reorientation." These pause-to-refresh moments are sometimes referred to as "statio". The spiritual discipline of statio is simply the discipline of taking a moment or two from the activities of the day to reconnect with reality, with God and the world around us.
Statio can come in many forms, but the idea is to employ similar methods used in early morning prayer. If you can find a moment alone, either at your desk, walking along a hallway, or sitting in your car, allow the current thoughts and worries of the day to flow through your mind until they begin to dissipate. Do not try to force them out or block them from coming. Gradually they will settle down. Remind them that you can deal with them later.
Next, get a feel for the day so far. Ask yourself something like, "How is this day (or moment) going for me right now? How am I feeling about it?" Be sure to ask the question from two perspectives: first, from your ego perspective, and second from your true self. Be honest with yourself. Often you will find that the answers between the two perspectives will be different. The things that are important to the ego are usually very different from the things that are important to your true self.
It is this difference that you are now defining that is probably the cause of your troubles this day. It is also very important to remember that this difference is purely ego-based.
This realization will often change your perspective as you re-engage the day and once again begin interacting with others. (And realize that you are often interacting with their egos, not their true selves.) Your behavior, and therefore the outcome of the day, will be much different following statio. This will help you be more present in each forthcoming moment, bringing a calmness to you and to others.
The practice of statio is meant to center us and make us conscious of what we're about to do and make us present to the God who is present to us. Statio is the virtue of Presence.
How often do we do statio? Initially, it may have to be done frequently, depending on where we are in our spiritual journey and what the circumstances of the day happen to be. Over time, the need for statio will be less, because we will remain in the Presence more often and for longer periods.
How can I remember to do statio? Mostly this is a matter of monitoring our current state of mind and feelings during the day. Become an observer of yourself. If you are not at peace in the present moment, it may be time to try a little statio.
Watch for those openings in your hustle-bustle day where you can put the brakes on, pause for a moment, and remember who and what you really are!
To regain our "grounding," our effectiveness and creativity, along with a true understanding of the relationship of things in our field of awareness, we sometimes will need to pause during the day for a quick "reorientation." These pause-to-refresh moments are sometimes referred to as "statio". The spiritual discipline of statio is simply the discipline of taking a moment or two from the activities of the day to reconnect with reality, with God and the world around us.
Statio can come in many forms, but the idea is to employ similar methods used in early morning prayer. If you can find a moment alone, either at your desk, walking along a hallway, or sitting in your car, allow the current thoughts and worries of the day to flow through your mind until they begin to dissipate. Do not try to force them out or block them from coming. Gradually they will settle down. Remind them that you can deal with them later.
Next, get a feel for the day so far. Ask yourself something like, "How is this day (or moment) going for me right now? How am I feeling about it?" Be sure to ask the question from two perspectives: first, from your ego perspective, and second from your true self. Be honest with yourself. Often you will find that the answers between the two perspectives will be different. The things that are important to the ego are usually very different from the things that are important to your true self.
It is this difference that you are now defining that is probably the cause of your troubles this day. It is also very important to remember that this difference is purely ego-based.
This realization will often change your perspective as you re-engage the day and once again begin interacting with others. (And realize that you are often interacting with their egos, not their true selves.) Your behavior, and therefore the outcome of the day, will be much different following statio. This will help you be more present in each forthcoming moment, bringing a calmness to you and to others.
The practice of statio is meant to center us and make us conscious of what we're about to do and make us present to the God who is present to us. Statio is the virtue of Presence.
How often do we do statio? Initially, it may have to be done frequently, depending on where we are in our spiritual journey and what the circumstances of the day happen to be. Over time, the need for statio will be less, because we will remain in the Presence more often and for longer periods.
How can I remember to do statio? Mostly this is a matter of monitoring our current state of mind and feelings during the day. Become an observer of yourself. If you are not at peace in the present moment, it may be time to try a little statio.
Watch for those openings in your hustle-bustle day where you can put the brakes on, pause for a moment, and remember who and what you really are!
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