"God cannot be seen or described in his own nature and in all his greatness by any of his creatures....Through his word the whole creation learns that there is one God the Father, who holds all things together and gives them their being." St Ireneaus, Against Heresies
One of the most vexing problems for the early church was how to fold the Hebrew scriptures into the teaching of Jesus, especially as Christianity began to reach into the gentile world, since it would make little sense to non Jews to accept the Hebrew bible as their own.
Despite these difficulties, early Christians did not put aside the Hebrew bible, but embraced it in its entirety, and St Irenaeus was the most important champion of integrating what we call the Old Testament into our understanding of Christianity. His reasoning was clear. If Jesus was an observant Jew and claimed that not a "letter of of the law" (Mt 5:18) would be done away with, then we must find a way to celebrate and pray the truth of the Hebrew bible.
Reading Irenaeus helps us understand how this early Christian martyr, whose name means peace, did this. When we admit with Irenaeus that, "God cannot be seen or described in his own nature and in all his greatness by any of his creatures," we begin thinking and praying in the right place. While every story of God in the Bible offers us a glimmer of insight, none of them allows us to understand God completely. Only God's graciousness allows us to know God in Jesus who is the fullness of the Father.
In other words, while the scriptures are a marvelous help in knowing who God is, they can never, in themselves, reveal the fullness of God. Only God can do that. If, then, we enter into Jesus as the head of the body of Christ, the entire bible will be our most important took in knowing God and God's love for us.
Today, open yourself to the transforming power of the Bible.
Do you struggle with the tone or images in the Old Testament? How do you resolve these conflicts?
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
People of the Book
"He had the entire contents of the book of the Covenant...read out to them...thus reviving the terms of the Covenant which were written in this book." 23:3
King Josiah was a powerful reformer, but he knew that no real conversion could happen to and for the people unless they were all involved in knowing and understanding the Word more deeply. Though it might not be appropriate in the 21st century, Josiah's order to read the entire contents of the covenant to the people was the first step in their renewal.
It is always important to renew our understanding and interpretation of the scriptures. Because the word of God will impact the people of the 21st century in very different ways than in past centuries, it is the task of modern believers to listen and proclaim God's word in a form that moves the people of this generation to discipleship and transformation.
We need also to grow our personal understanding of the scriptures by reading, listening to and living God's word regularly in order to become authentic people of the book!
Today, read the gospel for five minutes.
What is the best way you know to learn the scriptures?
King Josiah was a powerful reformer, but he knew that no real conversion could happen to and for the people unless they were all involved in knowing and understanding the Word more deeply. Though it might not be appropriate in the 21st century, Josiah's order to read the entire contents of the covenant to the people was the first step in their renewal.
It is always important to renew our understanding and interpretation of the scriptures. Because the word of God will impact the people of the 21st century in very different ways than in past centuries, it is the task of modern believers to listen and proclaim God's word in a form that moves the people of this generation to discipleship and transformation.
We need also to grow our personal understanding of the scriptures by reading, listening to and living God's word regularly in order to become authentic people of the book!
Today, read the gospel for five minutes.
What is the best way you know to learn the scriptures?
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Dogs and Swine
"Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine." Mt 7:6
Not infrequently, gentiles and the poor were compared to dogs, people who did not appreciate the word of God, but Jesus turns this saying upside down, just as he does when he reminds us that the first will be last.
In Jesus preaching, the only criterion used to judge people was their openness to the fullness of God's word. In other words, the rich, the powerful, the interpreters of the law were all judging themselves if they refused to hear Jesus' call to reform their lives and return to the heart of the law.
For contemporary believers the same standard endures. Unless we are open to the transforming power of God's word, which is more inclusive than we often want to acknowledge, we are the dogs about whom the Gospel speaks. When we use the Good News as a hammer to exclude those who are racially, religiously, culturally and spiritually different from us, even when they are enemies, we judge ourselves.
Today, pray to be free of prejudice.
What practices help you not to judge others?
Not infrequently, gentiles and the poor were compared to dogs, people who did not appreciate the word of God, but Jesus turns this saying upside down, just as he does when he reminds us that the first will be last.
In Jesus preaching, the only criterion used to judge people was their openness to the fullness of God's word. In other words, the rich, the powerful, the interpreters of the law were all judging themselves if they refused to hear Jesus' call to reform their lives and return to the heart of the law.
For contemporary believers the same standard endures. Unless we are open to the transforming power of God's word, which is more inclusive than we often want to acknowledge, we are the dogs about whom the Gospel speaks. When we use the Good News as a hammer to exclude those who are racially, religiously, culturally and spiritually different from us, even when they are enemies, we judge ourselves.
Today, pray to be free of prejudice.
What practices help you not to judge others?
Monday, June 25, 2012
Asking for New Eyes
"Remove the wooden beam from your eye first." Mt 7:5
It is a truism that the behaviors in others that bother us the most are the actions we dislike in ourselves. Nevertheless, recognizing this when it is happening is often difficult, especially if we are angry or hurt. Wanting only to be rid of the feelings that disturb our peace, we blame others for how we feel.
Jesus knew this well. When he corrected the leaders of the Jewish community about laying heavy burdens on peoples shoulders while doing nothing to help them, he was calling them to transformation. While it was easy for the leaders to spot small infractions of the law, because they were concerned more with their own power than the spirit of the Torah, they found it difficult to celebrate the good they uncovered. The gospel challenges these destructive behaviors.
Life is very different when we look for the good in others rather than their faults. Full of compassion because we recognize our own weaknesses in others, we ask for the mercy of God to help all who suffer from the blindness of blaming others rather than working and living together for the good of all.
Today, notice the good in the lives of those closest to you.
What habits of others most annoy you, and how does the gospel help you respond?
It is a truism that the behaviors in others that bother us the most are the actions we dislike in ourselves. Nevertheless, recognizing this when it is happening is often difficult, especially if we are angry or hurt. Wanting only to be rid of the feelings that disturb our peace, we blame others for how we feel.
Jesus knew this well. When he corrected the leaders of the Jewish community about laying heavy burdens on peoples shoulders while doing nothing to help them, he was calling them to transformation. While it was easy for the leaders to spot small infractions of the law, because they were concerned more with their own power than the spirit of the Torah, they found it difficult to celebrate the good they uncovered. The gospel challenges these destructive behaviors.
Life is very different when we look for the good in others rather than their faults. Full of compassion because we recognize our own weaknesses in others, we ask for the mercy of God to help all who suffer from the blindness of blaming others rather than working and living together for the good of all.
Today, notice the good in the lives of those closest to you.
What habits of others most annoy you, and how does the gospel help you respond?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)