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101423 faithposting
Oct. 14th, 2023 09:09 pmUniversalis rich today =
"Lord God, living light of eternal love, grant that, always aglow with charity, we may love you above all else and our brethren for your sake, with one and the selfsame love."
I will admit, that distinction is something "I" struggle with.
For a very, very long time, I was convinced that in order to love God, I had to reject everything and everyone else. I "wasn't allowed" to love ANYTHING BUT GOD. I couldn't have friends, or relationships, or family ties. I was only allowed to have God. I never realized this was, ironically, violently anti-Christian.
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More Ellicott. His insights are marvelous.
"The conditional form, “If I be lifted up,” answers to the “troubled soul” of John 12:27. He knows that it will be so, but He leaves the future to declare its own truths. Compare the phrases, “If it be possible,” “If this may not pass away from Me”.
Could that "if" also be crushing human pride as an example for us? Even Jesus isn't acting as if He assumed effortless obedience. To deny His real struggle, DESPITE HIS UNSHAKABLE WILL, would have been dishonest.
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"The word “draw” occurs... in a moral sense. It is accomplished in the work of the Holy Spirit, whose mission to the Church was dependent on the ascension of our Lord; and the promise is fulfilled even in the case of those who resist the Holy Spirit’s influence. They are drawn by the moral power of the life and death and resurrection of Christ brought home to them by the Holy Ghost; but no moral power can compel a will which is free. The whole mission-work of the Church and every effort which Christianity brings to bear upon the evil of the world implies this moral drawing; and implies, too, the power of man to reject it. But we may not say this moral power is not leading men to Christ, where we can least trace it, and we may not say that there is any limit where its influence ends."
That word PROMISE is stunning. Jesus said He would draw all men, and in His very saying it became true. NOTHING can contest it. ALL men will be subjected to that drawing of the Spirit, in one way or another, at some point in their life.
No one can see the wind, but we see where it blows, by the effects it has on the world. So too the Holy Spirit.
We might think some poor man a lost cause, with a heart like a fortress of iron, but the Spirit can still find a way to draft through the smallest crack, and no one will know or expect it until suddenly, there is fresh air in the stagnant shadow, awakening living hopes that the barricaded soul didn't realize it had.
Still, even then, that soul is not compelled to open its gates to the wind. That soul might even find the drafty spot and hammer more iron across it. That is the awful liberty given to the human will-- that we can reject even the influence of God!!
THAT, however, is His ONLY "limit," and only because He CHOSE to thereby limit HIMSELF of His OWN WILL. God does not want cold compulsion. God does not want grumbling obligation. God wants joyful obedience, like a child to his Father; God wants that childlike response of warmly selfless love. God draws; He never drags, and if we feel so it is only because we are at war with our own wills. It means the Spirit it gently yet firmly guiding us, and we are effectively throwing a tantrum.
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Another thought= what IS the "moral power" THAT draws? What is that lovely fragrance? What is that soothing breeze? It is CHRIST. It is the Truth of the Love and Power of His Life, His Death, and His Resurrection to save, justify, redeem, and free us. Like the very air we breathe, the effects of His Incarnation are omnipresent, whether we take notice or not-- but once we do, once we truly get a taste of that mountain air, we have a choice. Once we have known, however faintly, its tangible beauty & vitality & sweetness & promise of life... we can either pursue that higher joy with hopeful faith & courage, willing to risk whatever it takes if it means living in that promise... or we can deny the truth we glimpsed, deny that we were drawn at all, and go back to inhaling our fallen smoke & smog.
The wind will still find us, though. It cannot stop blowing throughout the world, by its very nature. You will have many more chances to change your mind, as long as you don't numb your very senses to it through obstinate refusal. That alone is your doom-- God Himself will not heal you from it then, for you have shut Him out at will.
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"Who is this Son of man?” they would say. “We know who is the Son of man who is to abide for ever, but this Son of man who is to die we know not.” The words express that they are wavering in their attachment to Him... The words are remarkable as throwing light upon the sudden changes of feeling which swayed the multitude from the pole of faith to that of rejection. They heard words from Christ or saw works done by Him which carried conviction to all minds; but then there came some technical interpretation of an Old Testament passage declaring what the Messiah was to be, and in the cooler moments, when no word was speaking to the ear and no work presented itself to the eye, this test seemed fatal to the claim, and disbelief took the place of belief, and hatred that of love."
The fickleness of human emotion is honestly terrifying. This is why beloved Proginoskes reminded us what isn't an emotion, and what therefore is the only true basis for faith... love.
The use of "we know" is scary too, and ties into this. To know IS to love, with corresponding depth & direction & truth.
Why were they "attached," then wavered? Why did their feelings for Him change so suddenly? Because they did not include love... not for Him, at least; not in truth. Their "love" was only lust, and for power & prestige-- they "knew" their own idol of Messiah, a hope skewed by national pride and hatred of oppressors, a hope closed off to anyone but themselves. They wanted a King whose robes were red with the blood of their enemies, and a Kingdom that shut out everyone but themselves. Their hearts were full of self-love, and in their egoism they thought this was love of God. But they did not know Him, because their embittered hearts had no room for love and mercy. Like Adam of old, they defined God by His sheer power & authority, not by His patiently tender Heart-- as a Sovereign, but not a Father. They only knew half of Him, and so they couldn't recognize the FULLNESS of the Godhead Who was now speaking to them face to Face, with a love that was self-sacrificial, and able to die, because it was truly eternal.
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"...it is not said that “He answered them,” because what He said (about the light) was not a direct answer (to their question about the Son of Man). They are asking questions in which we may trace the spirit, if not the very words, of the formal, literal objectors who had, with like technicalities, stifled the truth whenever it was springing up in their minds. Such questions cannot be really answered, because they are not really questions."
Again we see the frightful power of both the human will, and the extent of its corruption by original sin.
To nitpick religious truth is to mangle your conscience, and tear faith to pieces. The point is that you ONLY do this WHEN you feel faith & truth getting a foothold. That's when the fear-based resistance of "logic" kicks in, a inherently flawed defense because you are just a mortal with mortal knowledge; you only fling up these cavilling ramparts because you know you can't take the Truth down. You can only stop it from entering your fortress, and wait until it blows away.
This is why their questions aren't questions, but diversions. They're not trying to actually learn or clarify anything, they're just trying to get the wind to blow in a different direction, away from them.
Whenever people start arguing over technicalities, insisting on splitting hairs, they have closed their minds to anything but their own agenda.
"The better reading is, Walk according as ye have the light—i.e., “Walk as men who are conscious that the light is among them, use your opportunities; do not ask questions to raise objections, but ask them in order that you may know the truth.” The man who thus used the light would by no means walk in darkness, but would have the light of life. For him that neglected to use the means and faculty he had, both would cease to exist."
Today's Gospel said, "happy are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" Jesus reminds us that just hearing "was not enough: there must be a positive response." Like Mary, we must "treasure these things in our heart", but in order to "ponder them" there. When we become aware of the Light, we must ACT on that awareness. It isn't for us to suntan in. That's self-seeking again!! Instead we must recognize that this Light has blessed us with opportunities to walk IN it, in honesty and openness, and to therefore GO OUT ON THE ROAD to meet and help others, instead of staying shut-up at home like we would at night. The sun will set sooner than we realize, and then both the light and its opportunities will disappear, and it is only once the dark sets in that the idle will fully comprehend and grieve the significant loss of what they had neglected. It is a fact of nature, and so too of the spirit. "Night is coming when no one can work."
"Knoweth not whither he goeth.—The last word means “goeth away,” “departeth.” The frequent use of the word by St. John to express departure to the other world suggests that meaning here. He was going away. They ask, “Who is this Son of man who is lifted up,” “who goes away?” He warns them lest darkness seize them, and they go away into darkness."
THAT IS TERRIFYING.
He's basically warning them that, if they neglect & reject the Light-- if they fail to recognize and follow Him as Messiah-- then they would be seized by consequent darkness of spirit, a darkness that will ultimately drag them into death... of BOTH body AND spirit!!
Jesus IS Light AND Life. Without Him they have no hope of either, by the very definition of both-- a definition Whom they have disdained.
Jesus is literally warning them that there is a deeper darkness than they know, waiting to swallow their souls, and which He is offering them brilliant refuge and safe deliverance from.
Every human will eventually die and "goeth away" somewhere. Whether we go with the Son of Man into Light, or away from Him into darkness, is the choice offered to us all right now.
...Lastly, I just want to emphasize that word "seize"-- katalambánō. That is the scariest word here. It implies that the "darkness" of persistent ignorance and subsequent death is NOT some passive force. It means to "seize tight hold of, arrest, catch, capture"... to "aggressively take"– properly, take hold of exactly, with decisive initiative (eager self-interest); to grasp something in a forceful (firm) manner; (figuratively) to apprehend (comprehend), "making it one's own.""
There's a LOT of deadly depth here.
Let's take it at the most dangerous. Let's assume this what you CHOOSE in the darkness when you don't choose Jesus as your Light.
This implies that YOU are the "active force," that YOU are effectively doing the seizing, even subconsciously.
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But... the second take isn't actually an alternative. It's synonymous. It's simultaneous.
When you "take hold" of the darkness, it is really you that is being seized.
Numbers 32:23.
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(CONTINUE https://biblehub.com/greek/2638.htm)
"While ye have light, believe in the light.—Better, as above, According as ye have the light."
OH! This deepens the warning! It means that, just as you can only walk in the daylight when it shines upon you, you can only BELIEVE in the Light Who Is Christ when HE is "shining upon you" by grace!! If you NEGLECT that grace, you CANNOT BELIEVE ON YOUR OWN WILL, any more than you can make a replacement sun. Try as you might, even your best inventions will inevitably lack the Life that the True Light brings, and will ALL burn out and die. THAT is real darkness-- when even your "light" is as shadow.
"...the believer should become like unto Him in Whom he believed. Those who believed in the light should receive light, and become themselves centres whence light should radiate to others and illumine their own paths."
Likewise, "Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
When Jesus changes us to be like Him, we become self-sacrificing like Him. We become living proofs of the Law of Life that IS Christ. We die in order to live, and we live in order to enliven others.
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"...our Lord Himself had explained His method of teaching by parables, and has based it upon this prophecy of Isaiah 6 (Matthew 13:14). The principle was that which has been repeated in His last public words: that power used is increased, and power neglected destroys itself. Here, then, in these prophetic words, was the reason they could not believe. Wilful rejection had been followed by rejection which was no longer within the power of the will."
Remember the brain patterns, and the final withdrawal of grace long spurned. They are using the wrong power. They are choosing so resist, reject, deny, and avoid the Truth, to the point where its pattern has been burned in so deep it has scarred. Its "power" increased with each decision, until it was so powerful it overrode decision. On the other hand, the "power" of grace that was offered them by hearing Christ, the power TO respond in faith, to have hope, to open one's heart-- it was just as frequently and consistently neglected, and like a flower deprived of sunlight, it withered up and destroyed itself. No violence was done to it; there was no conscious offense taken towards its potential... it was just pushed into a corner, deemed unimportant, not a pressing issue, a "maybe later" or a "not today". It was unloved and so it was undone. Meanwhile the brutal engine of rejection kept picking up steam, until it could no longer be controlled.
I'm rambling. I just want to emphasize the essential importance of this principle, as it applies to our daily faith response. We still choose, you realize, every single moment, what powers we use and what powers we neglect. All virtues, all vices, follow this principle. Every choice or lack thereof has a lasting spiritual consequence. Be careful to discern where your will is losing its own power, as you neglect to use it to instead respond automatically. This is the prophet's warning. Your will is sacred, meant to serve God. Do not let the flesh gain power over it. Do not let that holy flower wilt away. You MUST CHOOSE to ACT ON GRACE, and you must KEEP CHOOSING. If you slack off, your heart will slowly but surely harden accordingly. It's not too late. Use the power God has given you in Christ!
"There is, indeed, a judicial blinding and a judicial hardening—let no man therefore presume; but these come only to eyes that will not to see, and to hearts that will not to hear—let no man therefore despair."
If all you have left is a sliver of will, use it to choose to see. Use it to choose to hear. I assure you, God will light that spark ever brighter with each use. Use your faith. Neglect your resistance. The principle can work in your favor, too, and better-- for love is always more powerful than fear. When you choose God, it means He has already chosen you, and if you stay faithful, He will work miracles to keep you. Do not despair.
To conclude with a note from Ellicott in Matthew 16:
"The words point to the obstinate, wilful ignorance which refuses to look on the truth, lest the look should lead to conviction, and conviction to conversion—the ignorance of those who love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil... [in contrast, the Apostles] might see but dimly, and be slow of heart to understand, but, at least, they had eyes that looked for light, and ears that were open to the divine voice."
That speaks warning & consolation for itself. No more talking from me, I'm degenerating into platitudes again.
""And he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me" = The word means to see, in the sense of “behold, contemplate, gaze upon"... He that beholdeth Christ doth behold Him, and in Him beholds the impression of the substance of God."
This immediately makes me think of examples in human life. When we really "gaze upon" something, it is a willingly prolonged look, with the intention to take in further details, to better grasp the thing beheld. We contemplate it, taking it into ourselves, and why? Well. Think of the examples.
People gaze upon sunsets & sunrises, waterfalls & snowfalls, flowers & flames, stars & fireworks. They contemplate the beauty, the wonder apparent in it all. But people also gaze at other people. Spouses contemplate each other in their wedding garments. Parents contemplate their infant child. It's that same recognition of beauty and wonder, but this time it's saturated with love. And then we SEE.
THAT is how Christ wants us to look upon Him. He isn't asking for a glance, or a casual apprehension. He doesn't want logical staring, either. He doesn't want anything that begins and ends in the eyes... at least, not the ones on our face. We need to see Him with our heart. We need to SEE Him.
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"It is clear that our Lord intends a distinction here between “saying” and “speaking.” ...That which He should say was the matter of the revelation which He made; that which He should speak was rather the method in which He made it. He claims for all the authority and commission of the Father. Every truth uttered by Him, and every work and word by which it was uttered, was ordained by the Father’s will. He was Himself the Word of God. Every tone and accent in which that Word spoke was divine."
NO EXCEPTIONS. This amazes me, but it makes sense to think about it. Jesus was fully God; He was the WORD of God!! So He COULDN'T speak an "idle word." Literally everything He said had divine purpose, in some way, by virtue of His very Nature IN speaking.
