The gospel is absurd and the life of Jesus is meaningless unless we believe that He lived, died, and rose again with but one purpose in mind: to make brand-new creation. Not to make people with better morals but to create a community of prophets and professional lovers, men and women who would surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within, who would live in ever greater fidelity to the omnipresent Word of God, who would enter into the center of it all, the very heart and mystery of Christ, into the center of the flame that consumes, purifies, and sets everything aglow with peace, joy, boldness, and extravagant, furious love. This, my friend, is what it really means to be a Christian.
~Brennan Manning
“I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My Name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! Now we know that You know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that You came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with Me. I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
~ Jesus, King of The Universe, in John 16
Oh beloved, it is true.
Each of the days we spend here in the body, have the potential to drain us just a little bit. And some days, the leakage is larger than we expect. Our sense of wholeness feels like it is draining away. Circumstances batter against us, and we feel the wholeness within us beginning to ebb away into a dry and anxious state.
The testing is the best part, actually. It just doesn’t feel like it. Not one bit. But, each day of our draining away holds two beautiful opportunities out there, right in front of us.
The first part of testing that is so useful, is the truth that we really are not what we should be yet. And so, in comes the testing to work to break us free from ourselves, and to break away from us the parts of us and the things in our lives that drag us down.
But, there is another part of the testing, that feels wonderful, and gives us what we were looking for in the first place. Upon the accomplishment of the testing, there is a need to prepare us for the next step in our growth, and along the path. For, if we were to endure emptying upon emptying, with no respite, then we would be in trouble.
As is usually the case, Jesus gives us the answer.
Can we see it?
The passage indeed talks plainly about the relationship between Jesus and His Father. But, much of the passage talks about something else that flows from that relationship: Love. And this makes all the difference in our lives.
Jesus says it best: take heart.
To take heart is for us to allow ourselves to be refilled by both the reality of the truth, and the reality of His Loving and pervasive Presence in our lives. Jesus knows we are going through things that empty us out. He has been right where we are. He has felt his very life ebbing away. He has felt the testing.
But Jesus too, knew how to get through. His heart was always being refilled by a deep, and eternally abiding relationship with His Father. Love continually conquered everything that put itself in Jesus’ way.
So, are you feeling the need for some encouragement? We all do, and this is actually a good sign. We are realizing that nothing in life is actually working for us. We need to fill up on just one thing: Jesus. Tonight is your night. Let His Spirit fill you up!
Christians, always rejoice, for evil, death, sin, the devil and hell have been conquered by Christ. But when all of this is conquered, is there anyone in the world who can bring our joy to naught? You are the lord of this eternal rejoicing as long as you do not give in to sin. Joy burns in our hearts from His truth, love, resurrection, and from the Church and His saints. Joy burns in our hearts all because of sufferings for Him, mockings for Him, and death for Him, insofar as these sufferings write our names in heaven. There is no true joy on earth without the victory over death, but the victory over death does not exist without the Resurrection, and the Resurrection does not exist without Christ. The risen God-Man Christ, the founder of the Church, constantly pours out this joy into the hearts of His followers through the Holy Mysteries and good deeds. Our faith is fulfilled in this eternal joy, insofar as the joy of faith in Christ is the only true joy for human nature.
~St. Justin Popovich
