Prayer, Paradox and Glory

The themes of the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today lead us to examine the intimacy with God which is the fullness of life we are invited to experience. The Prophet Jeremiah positions our understanding of the Way of God as being written on our heart. Friar Jude Winkler explains that the understanding of "heart" among the Israelites was the location of deep understanding within people. The psalmist joins Jeremiah in the dual understanding of our sin always being before us, yet it is forgiven by God in the Covenant whereby we "teach" by our lives the mercy and faithfulness we know of God in our heart. The Letter to the Hebrews sheds light on the method of Jesus and therefore, the Way for us, to live and teach. This requires our movement toward the invitation of God through prayer and supplication. In our communion with the Divine, through the resonance of our indwelling Spirit with the Holy Spirit, we will be called to obedience to the Will of God. This obedience, Friar Jude explains, was highly valued in Greek culture, the audience to whom the Letter was written. The Gospel of John presents teaching of Jesus to some Greek converts about the love of God to which Jesus testifies by the example of giving all, including life itself, to the transformation of humanity by that Love. The great paradox, which is shown to be the Great Truth of the Resurrection, is that Life comes from death. Jesus uses the image of the seed which is buried to rise as life giving wheat. Father Larry Gillick exposes our delusion that the life we surrender is ours. It only has meaning in relationship with the Creator of Life and our gods, addictions, habits of self aggrandizement and movement with our desires block our path to hear the call to glory which John presents as the complete Love in Jesus on the throne of the cross. Follow Me is written on our hearts.