Present to make it happen

The Collect in the Liturgy of today, which uses the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, prays that God will cast light upon the faithful so that they would not cease to acknowledge their Saviour and truly hold fast to Him. Friar Jude Winkler tells us that the passage from the first letter of John needs to be considered in the light of the Gnostic heresy which John was combatting. The Gnostic philosophers could not accept the Divinity of Jesus. The gift of love which John encourages the followers of Jesus to practice is the witness to the life of the Spirit in the believers who are the Body of Christ. The demands on the Lover require a Divine Transcendent Presence. Those who believe in Jesus, Son of God, are empowered by this belief to practice the healing and forgiveness of Jesus in the world. This healing, compassion, inclusion, empathy and self-giving is often beyond what the humanistic philosophies of sharing expect people to do. John tells us we are children of God now and in that status is the power to overcome through the resonance of our indwelling Spirit, in the Body of Christ, with the Spirit which is the eternally existing Love between Father and Son. John the Baptist is aware of the need for mercy, forgiveness, empathy, compassion and loving action in the world. He is also alert to the need for those who forgive and give mercy to  receive mercy and forgiveness themselves. When this forgiveness is sought from God, the Spirit responds and brings the Love which is the fuel for the children of God to live as active members of the Body of Christ. The Gospel of Mark proclaims the pleasure of the Father in the action of the Son to bring the Love (symbolized by the Dove) to the children of God. (all people). The Communion of Saints as affirmed in the Christian Creed links the Body of Christ in time and space with those who have transitioned to the Eternity beyond the limits of time and space.