Competition and Conquest

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today suggest themes of conquest of sin and the misunderstanding of competition in following the promptings of the Spirit. The letter of John proclaims that we need just ask for the help in doing the things which are according to the will of God and we receive. The movement against the will of the Divine is sin. The development of the intimacy between human and Divine through the indwelling Spirit makes to presence of those motions away from the relationship more visible. John warns, as the ancient texts caution, that idols, putting others before the Divine, are the underlying force to damage the relationship. The Gospel of John describes the misunderstanding of some of Jesus time that there are ‘competing preachers’ from whom the people can draw the best message for themselves. It may also be a vision of the state of spiritual seeking in the world today. The movement is from the Divine to humanity. The psalmist proclaims the ‘delight’ of the Lord in His people. This movement according to the prompting of the indwelling Spirit, has John seek to decrease as Jesus, who is the Messiah, Son of God, increases according to the Will of the Father.