Too often we think of ourselves as righteous and our duty, our calling to wag a finger at others...it's often done from a position of fear (not fulfilling our duty or calling) or from lack of faith...God just doesn't quite get it or know what He's doing. It is He that touches the heart and turns it whichever way. We are called to love. Love does not include wagging a finger and making judgments. In fact, it imprisions us if we don't love freely and with unreasonableness. Is it easy...no, not until I practice it into a habit. FG
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(I think the "Path of Descent" is a great example)
PATH OF DESCENT
The second temptation of Jesus is another one that all of us must face. Satan takes Jesus up to the pinnacle of the Temple, symbolizing the top of the religious world itself, and tells him to play “righteousness games” with God. “Throw yourself off and he’ll catch you” (Matthew 4:6). It’s the only time in the Bible where the devil quotes Scripture. Holy words can be used for evil purposes, it surely says. This second temptation is to think of yourself as saved, superior to others, the moral elite on the side of God and religion, and to quote arguable Scriptures for your own purpose—being against God in the name of God. Actually it is quite common.
As Mother Teresa loved to say, “We were not created to be successful [even spiritually successful!], but to be obedient.” True obedience to God won’t always make us look or feel right (that is why it takes faith!), so be careful before you stand on the pinnacle of any Temple, Scripture, or Sacrament. It is the common temptation of actually loving ourselves under the guise of loving God.
From Radical Grace: Daily Meditations, p. 295, day 309
No comments:
Post a Comment