The Holy Spirit inspired our blog.
Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter
Jesus said to the crowds,
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”
Emphasis Mine Jn 6:35-40
I will not reject anyone who comes to me, and this includes St. Paul.
What are you talking about, many of you are thinking, Paul was a Saint, in fact, Paul was one of the greatest Saints.
I agree,
But,
I think you forget,
Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;
entering house after house and dragging out men and women,
he handed them over for imprisonment. Acts 8
I just finished reading Great Lives: Paul: A Man of Grace and Grit by Charles Swindoll.
As I finished the book, I finally realized how horrible a man Paul was BEFORE his conversion. The Christians feared Paul, as we would have feared Adolh Eichmann if we were Jews in Germany in the nineteen-thirties and forties.
Charles Swindall said that Paul’s conversion happened at just the moment when, if he hadn’t been converted, he would have been lost.
Rabbi Jason Sobel said the same things about the Jewish people leaving Egypt. If God had waited any longer, the Jews would have been fully assimilated into Egyptian culture.
I was at a Saturday Men’s Faith Group meeting and one of the men at our table mentioned his dissatisfaction with one of our presidents. The thought that came to my, mind (Holy Spirit) was:
- Questioning a leader no matter how bad or good goes against what Paul said in Romans 13: 1-2
Let every person be subordinate to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been established by God. Therefore, whoever resists authority opposes what God has appointed, and those who oppose it will bring judgment upon themselves.
The second thought was just as powerful because when we decide to tell God that this or that leader is a mistake, we are making the same mistake as Ananias.
But let’s set this up:
Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. Acts 9: 1-2
- There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there praying, and [in a vision] he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay [his] hands on him, that he may regain his sight.” But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. Emphasis mine Acts 9: 10-15
Imagine trying to advise God.
Never forget, God has a plan to get all people to build His Kingdom. His plan is perfect. We have a plan, and in most cases, it’s to build our kingdom, but our plan starts out flawed because it is in opposition to God’s plan.
The next time you want to complain to God about leadership that doesn’t meet your criteria, remember Ananias and the above readings and appreciate that we don’t have the advantage of foresight, only hindsight. This is a big stumbling block for all of us, and our thinking may not be about growing the Kingdom of God.
Also remember, Paul, was taken to Rome and martyred by Nero, not exactly a kind and loving Emperor of Christians.
Oh, by the way, I just realized I am guilty on both counts.
Never forget that God’s plan is perfect. All we are asked to do is listen to the whisper of the Holy Spirit and do God’s will as obedient sons and daughters, I will not reject anyone who comes to me, and the man crucified to the right of Jesus is proof of this statement.
Join Team Jesus:
We suggest starting every day this quarter with, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.”
Sidebar:
In Maine today, April 8, 2024, we had a total Eclipse of the sun. Gail bought us special glasses, and we went out and enjoyed the show.
I didn’t know what to expect, but we both noticed and remembered that we only had a ninety-eight percent eclipse. The temperature went down eight degrees. The Birds stopped singing, and the spring peepers, which we hadn’t heard this year, started singing. It was great to hear them again.
What a show though.
God is awesome.
The picture Mark sent really completed the afternoon. Mark said they had high clouds, but you would never know it from his picture.
Fr. Richard Rohr had an interesting blog on 4/5/24. He said we DON’T have to die to experience resurrection.
Every time you forgive or love someone who doesn’t love you, you are experiencing resurrection.
Every time we trust even though we have had repeated failures, we are experiencing resurrection.
Every time we overcome thoughts that are cynical, hopeless, and negative we experience resurrection.
Resurrection is NOT Jesus’ private miracle, it’s the shape of the new reality.
Resurrection is not a storyline proving Jesus is a winner it’s a new reality allowing us to be winners.
But,
Most of us hoard this new reality—Spirit, Love, Life—and the grace that makes it happen. The only way we can defeat our hoarding is by giving any spiritual gift away consciously and intentionally.
Fr. Rohr ends this Blog by saying this is why so many people are mad, sad, and bitter: because they are disconnected from God, and refuse to give.
In a previous blog, we quoted C.S. Lewis as saying, “We would rather make mud pies in the slum than be on Holiday at the beach.
How true this is!
Today, 4/10/24 Fr. Rohr wrote:
It’s a paradox that God’s gifts are totally free and unearned, and yet God does not give them except to people who really want them, choose them, and say “yes” to them. This is the fully symbiotic nature of grace. Divine Loving is so pure that it never manipulates, shames, or forces itself on anyone. Love waits to be invited and desired, and only then rushes in.
Picture:
Eclipse Taken in North Texas Picture by Mark Rusch
Please keep Snapping!
If you want a copy of the prayers we discussed, email me.
fprince101@gmail.com
Remember, if you want to submit a picture, no people, please, because we have to get permission from that person to use their photograph.
By submitting a picture, you agree to let us include it in our next God Thoughts 2024 book.
