Living in the Spirit and Aware of division

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the tension between celebration of Life in the Spirit and the challenge to us and others to accept the purification of our self, suffering through our fears and rejection of our choice by those close to us.

Fire of Life in the Spirit

The Letter to the Ephesians celebrates the gift of the knowledge and experience of the Holy Spirit in the life of the community.

* [3:14–21] The apostle prays that those he is addressing may, like the rest of the church, deepen their understanding of God’s plan of salvation in Christ. It is a plan that affects the whole universe (Eph 3:15) with the breadth and length and height and depth of God’s love in Christ (Eph 3:18) or possibly the universe in all its dimensions. The apostle prays that they may perceive the redemptive love of Christ for them and be completely immersed in the fullness of God (Eph 3:19). The prayer concludes with a doxology to God (Eph 3:20–21).

In the Gospel from Luke, Jesus uses strong language to make us aware that rejection of the offer of full life in the Spirit maybe the cause of division.

* [12:49–53] Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom is a refining and purifying fire. His message that meets with acceptance or rejection will be a source of conflict and dissension even within families.

Jeni Lee Goodwin shares that it is Jesus desire to refine us. But it is our choice whether we want to be refined.

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, ‘How do you know when the silver is fully refined?’ He smiled at her and answered, ‘Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.’

Angela Maynard asks if the division of which Jesus speaks leads to his passion and death? We know Jesus had followers, but his followers risked extreme persecution. It could be painful to follow Jesus. Some chose to follow, while others didn’t. This illustrates a conflict that followed Jesus all over.

We can take some time today to consider sources and impact of conflict.  Do I have a role in a conflict? What can I do to resolve conflict? We can pray for guidance on a path of forgiveness, and peace.

Don Schwager comments that Jesus used a typical Hebrew hyperbole to drive home an important lesson. Don quotes “The fire of the Gospel and being baptized in the Holy Spirit”, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"We affirm that the fire that Christ sent out is for humanity's salvation and profit. May God grant that all our hearts be full of this. The fire is the saving message of the Gospel and the power of its commandments. We were cold and dead because of sin and in ignorance of him who by nature is truly God. The gospel ignites all of us on earth to a life of piety and makes us fervent in spirit, according to the expression of blessed Paul (Romans 12:11). Besides this, we are also made partakers of the Holy Spirit, who is like fire within us. We have been baptized with fire and the Holy Spirit. We have learned the way from what Christ says to us. Listen to his words: 'Truly I say to you, that except a man be born of water and spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God' (John 3:5). It is the divinely inspired Scripture's custom to give the name of fire sometimes to the divine and sacred words and to the efficacy and power which is by the Holy Spirit by which we are made fervent in spirit." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 94)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Ephesians 3:14-21 notes that when Paul, a Jew, referred to God using the Greek word pater, it must have been striking.

Throughout his life, Jesus told his disciples to approach God as Abba, or “Daddy.” He astonished them with his own simple intimate conversations with God, and he encouraged them to do the same. In Bethany, at the tomb of his friend Lazarus, Jesus prayed, “Father, I thank you for hearing me, I know that you always hear me” (John 11:41-42). During the agonizing moments before his arrest in Gethsemane, he cried out, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you” (Mark 14:36).
It is in this same spirit that Paul describes kneeling “before the Father” (Ephesians 3:14). And it is in the same spirit that you can talk with God today. It can be hard to think that almighty God cares for you as personally and emotionally as a loving Father, especially if your own experience of family left much to be desired. But you don’t have to convince yourself of this truth. You can ask God to convince you instead.

Friar Jude Winkler fleshes out the call to live in full dignity with an honourable lifestyle in the Letter to the Ephesians. Sin drags us away from the fullness that He has called us to be. Friar Jude understands the challenging phrase, typical of Luke, to point out that being set on fire with vitality and enthusiasm in the light of the Spirit, will arouse opposition.

James Finley quotes Etty Hillesum that “Man suffers most through his fears of suffering”. He shares insights on suffering drawn from Jesus’ example and teaching.

Jesus invites us to discover … liberation from fear in the midst of a fearful situation.
As we long for and work toward this kind of liberation, it is important not to romanticize a person’s fear and painful experience by speaking in spiritual terms that can leave the person who is hurting feeling unseen and unmet. At a very basic level, any real response to suffering must always include letting the hurting person know sincerely, “I am so sorry you are having to go through this painful experience. What can I do that might possibly be helpful?

The mystery of living in the Spirit and consequently knowing both our blessings in knowledge and experience of the Divine and our fears about suffering and purifying as agents that change our reality is with us as we attempt to navigate conflict and division on our journey.

References

(n.d.). Ephesians chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved October 25, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/3
(n.d.). Luke chapter 12 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved October 25, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/12
(n.d.). The Refiner's Fire - a lesson from the process of refining fire in our lives. Retrieved October 25, 2018, from https://ourgoodwinjourney.com/refining-fire/
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved October 25, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 25, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved October 25, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 25, 2018, from https://cac.org/richard-rohr/daily-meditations/daily-meditations-archive/