“Yes, God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him may not die but may have eternal life. God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” - John 3: 16-17
“God chose us in him before the world began, to be holy and blameless in his sight, to be full of love; he likewise predestined us through Christ Jesus to be his adopted sons- such was his will and pleasure- that all might praise the glorious favor he has bestowed on us in his beloved.” - Ephesians 1: 4-6
THE PARADOX OF INTIMACY WITH GOD:
We are very unequal partners when it comes to our relationship with God. God is merciful and holy; we are recalcitrant and sinful. Were it not for God’s passionate desire to transform us into His sons and daughters, it would be audacious and pretentious to imagine that we could enter into intimate union with the Divine. We will never be able to understand why and how, in spite of our rebellious nature, God made the decision from all eternity to accord us the most intimate of invitations: to become the children of Abba, God through Jesus Christ. “God chose us in him before the world began, to be holy and blameless in his sight, to be full of love (Ephesians 1:4).” While this invitation boggles the mind, it nourishes the heart and gives us hope and strength even in our darkest passages through life. Whatever objections our finite intelligence may throw up against this plan of salvation, the Author, being God, is immensely credible because His Son “though he was in the form of God, did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather, he emptied himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of man. He was known to be of human estate, and it was thus that he humbled himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a cross (Philippians 2: 6-8)!” Let us examine further this bedrock of intimacy between God and us, its characteristics and far reaching implications.
GOD’S COMMITMENT AND LOVING KINDNESS:
Salvation history is an amazing story of God’s commitment to us. From the very beginning God created us in “the divine image and likeness,” desiring that we walk with God in love, harmony, and joy. Yet God’s designs for us kept getting frustrated by our recalcitrance. When universal covenants as with Noah did not work, God entered into covenant with Abraham and his family. God continued this steadfast faithfulness to Abraham and his descendants by liberating his family that had now become an enslaved people in Egypt, and formed them into a nation under Moses’ leadership so that they understood themselves as God’s Chosen People. God sealed this intimate relationship with His people through the Sinai Covenant. Through their history and through covenant after covenant, God invited Israel to intimacy and faithful love. Sadly enough, in numerous chapters of Israel’s history, God was the only partner who remained faithful to the covenant. On different occasions, God referred to Israel as His adulterous wife. Matters worsened to the point where Israel brought exile upon itself in 587 B.C. Israel had then entered into the darkest chapter of its history with God.
With the exile it seemed as if God’s dreams for Israel, “His first born,” were shattered. In these very adverse circumstances, God’s commitment to His promises to redeem Israel and bring her back to Him never faltered. Through Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the other prophets, God made reassuring promises that the Messiah would be sent to redeem us from our sins. In Jesus, the Suffering Servant, God established a new and everlasting covenant with us, a covenant that would never need to be renewed and refurbished. In spite of our rebelliousness and untrustworthiness, God’s commitment to us has been steadfast and rock solid. Indeed our salvation is a pure and totally gratuitous gift to us from our God and Savior!!
Fortunately for our edification, we have had remarkable models of faithfulness and trust among holy men and women both in the Old and New Testaments. Saints like Abraham, Moses, Esther, Isaiah, Jeremiah are some examples from the Old Testament. Mary, mother of Jesus, Peter and Paul, the other apostles, and the men and women who kept company with Jesus are instances from the New Testament. We can dare to trust in God and indeed become steadfast in our commitment to God, because the Holy Spirit is our Advocate, working within us, bringing to completion the good work begun through our Savior, Jesus Christ.
GOD’S MAGNANIMITY:
God does indeed have a magnanimous (can be translated as large-hearted or generous-minded) disposition toward us. A magnanimous spirit hitches its wagon to the stars, never yielding to the temptation of lowered horizons. Magnanimity is best demonstrated in challenging times. Throughout salvation history, through thick and thin, God’s commitment to us never wavered. On the contrary, it expressed itself in even stronger and more hopeful terms, the more Israel wavered and sinned. Thanks to God’s hope and passionate commitment to us, we can set our sights on heaven itself!. God’s dreams for us are as inexhaustible as the divine mysteries. No wonder in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul can assert that God wants to make us holy, blameless, and full of love as God is. In our journey with God, regardless of our personal failures and miserable track record, we need to have limitless horizons because God’s designs for us are fathomless depths. We need to believe that we can do anything in Christ who strengthens us. Discipleship wilts and founders when the heart is faint. It blossoms when the spirit is intrepid and indomitable because the Holy Spirit is at the helm of our affairs.
GOD’S LOVING EMBRACE:
In his first letter, John tells us that fear and love are incompatible with each other. The context of our relationship with God will always be one of enduring love and unfailing forgiveness. Imputing motives and descriptions to God that are born of fear and trepidation are an anomaly. The God whom Jesus revealed is a God who is full of love and compassion as Jesus amply demonstrated through his life. “Yes, God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him may not die but may have eternal life. God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him (John 3: 16-17).” When the disciple has gotten in touch with the God of Jesus Christ, he/she is filled with love and an intense desire to reciprocate. Such a desire generally results in the disciple making a serious commitment to live a life of dedicated service to God and God’s reign in the world. And as intimacy with God deepens, so does reverence for God’s holiness and goodness.
NURTURING INTIMACY WITH GOD THROUGH PRAYER:
Prayer is the place where the love affair between God and the disciple occurs and gathers momentum. Prayer is the place where the disciple develops transparency of spirit, where bondage to sin is loosened, and freedom to act as God desires takes precedence. In the transparency of the disciple’s spirit, now being conformed to the image and likeness of God, the mystery of God can be revealed and the teachings of Jesus can become a life force for holiness and transformation. Ultimately, prayer is the place of worship and adoration of the Triune God who is bringing to completion the work of union with the disciple decided upon from all eternity.
HELPFUL ATTITUDES FOR PRAYER:
- We are very unequal partners when it comes to our relationship with God. Were it not for God’s passionate desire to transform us into His sons and daughters, it would be audacious and pretentious to imagine that we could enter into intimate union with the Divine.
- Whatever objections our finite intelligence may throw up against God’s plan of salvation for us, the Author, being God, is immensely credible because His Son “though he was in the form of God, did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather, he emptied himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of man (Philippians 2: 6-7)!”
- In Jesus, the Suffering Servant, God established a new and everlasting covenant with us, a covenant that would never need to be renewed and refurbished. In spite of our rebelliousness and untrustworthiness, God’s commitment to us has been steadfast and rock solid.
- The context of our relationship with God will always be one of enduring love and unfailing forgiveness. The God whom Jesus revealed is a God who is full of love and compassion as Jesus amply demonstrated through his life.
- Prayer is the place where the disciple develops transparency of spirit, where bondage to sin is loosened, and freedom to act as God desires takes precedence.
- In the transparency of the disciple’s spirit, now being conformed to the image and likeness of God, the mystery of God can be revealed and the teachings of Jesus can become a life force for holiness and transformation.
- Ultimately, prayer is the place of worship and adoration of the Triune God who is bringing to completion the work of union with the disciple decided upon from all eternity.
GUIDELINES FOR PRAYER:
- Be faithful to your time of prayer, and make it between 20 and 30 minutes daily.
- Begin every prayer session with an earnest prayer to the Holy Spirit like the one I have composed for you: Come, Holy Spirit, and overshadow me with your gentle wisdom and power as I endeavor to sit at the feet of Jesus during this period of prayer. Purify my mind and heart as I seek to make the teachings of Jesus my priority in life, thinking, speaking and doing as He desires. You are the keeper of my soul, leading me into God’s heart. May I be docile and submissive to your wisdom and guidance. May my life be a pleasing offering in your sight. Amen.
- Take one of the passages suggested for prayer. During the week you might want to ponder the question, “Is your prayer the place where God is slowly becoming your breath and your pulse?”
- Lastly, during your prayer make sure you also address God directly and listen for the Holy Spirit’s responses.
- You can end your prayer with the following: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I thank you for your gracious companionship. I praise you for being my Creator, Savior and Lord. May I take your blessings to my day, and may your presence envelop and permeate all my thoughts and actions. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
PASSAGES FOR PRAYER:
Luke 15: 1-10: Parable of Divine Mercy
John 3: 14-21: Salvation in Jesus
John 10: 8-18: Jesus, the Good Shepherd
John 15: 9-17: A Disciple’s Love
Romans 8: 28-39: God’s Love for Man
Ephesians 1: 1-14: The Father’s Plan of Salvation
Philippians 2: 5-11: Imitating Christ’s Humility
SPIRITUAL READING:
The Imitation of Christ:
After the Bible, this classic is the most widely read. There are four books and 114 chapters in all. You could savor this book three times over if you read a single chapter each day of the retreat. For this week the following chapters might be useful:
Book IV: The Book on the Sacrament:
Chapter 2: What great Goodness and Love God shows us in this Sacrament
Chapter 8: Of Christ’s Offering on the Cross, and of our own Self-Surrender
Chapter 9: That we ought to offer Ourselves and all that is ours to God, and that we ought to pray for all Others
SCRIPTURAL READING
The Bible:
It would be even more important for you to become familiar with the Bible, especially with the New Testament. Similarly, beginning with the New Testament you can choose to read a few chapters on a daily basis, and/or the ones recommended during this week.
Old Testament:
Psalm 119: Praise of God’s Law; Psalm 138: Hymn of a grateful heart
New Testament:
John: Chapters 13 through 17
JOURNALING:
- Journal for a few minutes daily about your experience with God in prayer and during the day. Your journal will help you with your sharing in spiritual direction.
- Gradually patterns of insights, themes, consolations, and resistance to God’s promptings will emerge.
- Your journal will help you appreciate the Holy Spirit’s action in your being
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