Summer's here! As it happens, the liturgical celebrations surrounding the Easter season have also just recently been observed, and therefore we return to the 'season' of Ordinary Time. The wisdom of the scripture continues, day by day and week by week. In this case, it's spoken of in paradoxical terms.
Listen to this week's reflection or read the text below.
On paradox
Last fall, while I was traveling with a group of people in the Holy Land, one of the stops on our itinerary was in Bethlehem, in a souvenir shop of sorts. Most of the items for sale were wood crafts, and most of them were carvings from the local olive wood. I set out across the sea of sculptures in search of something that would speak of the experience of being in this place where Jesus himself had lived and walked. One of the treasures I uncovered was entitled Jesus with the children. Those of us who are not strangers to the writings of the scriptures know very well that Jesus spoke of children on a couple of occasions, mostly to reinforce the paradoxical nature of his message.
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In the English language, the word paradox is used to refer to statements, persons or situations that appear to be self-contradictory. Aesop's fable about the tortoise and the hare is a classic example of paradox made evident in the story of a race between two animals which results in the slower-moving one triumphing over the more fleet footed. Paradox exists all around us, and can often furnish occasions for great wisdom to come to light.
Evidence the scripture readings we have just heard. Jesus appeared on the scene and came to be known as a great prophet. For his apostles and disciples, he held the promise of a long-awaited messiah who would somehow free them from the tyranny of oppressive Roman rule. Yet, the key to Jesus' rule had nothing to do with political power, or with any system of governance devised by human ingenuity. In fact, he thanked his Father Lord of heaven and earth for having hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and revealing them to infants. As I read this line of the scripture, my attention was drawn to the olive wood sculpture of Jesus with the children, and I began to puzzle over the wisdom contained in these words.
The wisdom of our faith is not disclosed by ordinary means, that is, according to human reasoning. In order to understand the power of faith, we must become more and more like little children. The relationship we cultivate with our God is meant to be one of deep abiding trust, like the relationship of trust that a child has with his or her parents, and once we discover this truth, we also come to realize that unlike worldly success which necessitates hard work and ambition, Jesus invites all those who are wearied out and carrying heavy burdens to come in search of rest. The paradox here is that human beings who live in a world where we must work to earn our living may have difficulty believing that in order for this relationship to be plumbed, we need to set aside our ambition, and learn to trust again like little children do. That's not easy, but thankfully God gives us the gift of little children to teach us how to do this. The secret to this kind of success is balance. There's a time for hard work and dedication, but there should also be time in our day for inquisitiveness, for persistence, and for play. In short, adults should never forget that they were first children.
Throughout the history of our faith, this paradox has been an integral part of the relationship between God and his people. Even in Old Testament times, the creator of the universe was spoken of as one who would appear triumphant and victorious (which usually meant accompanied by vast numbers of armies and chariots), but not so in this case. Rather the book of Lamentations speaks of this victorious God being humble and riding on a donkey, a colt the child of the most humble of animals. Here again, there is a lesson to be learned. This is not the story of conquering the world as a powerful army would, but of conquering hearts through humble child-like trust, which leads us to serve others in love.
Perhaps as the ultimate proof of the power of this paradox, Paul reminded the Romans that Jesus himself was raised from the dead by the Spirit of God and in fact that this same Spirit of God ... dwells in you and me. Because of this, Christ gives life also to our mortal bodies through the same Spirit that dwells in us. So my friends, the story of faith which we have gathered here to celebrate and to reinforce is not a reward for anything that we ourselves can do, rather it is a gift that has been given to us on the day of our baptism, a gift that strengthens and sustains us in this life and prepares us for the life to come.
Listen to this week's reflection or read the text below.
On paradox
Last fall, while I was traveling with a group of people in the Holy Land, one of the stops on our itinerary was in Bethlehem, in a souvenir shop of sorts. Most of the items for sale were wood crafts, and most of them were carvings from the local olive wood. I set out across the sea of sculptures in search of something that would speak of the experience of being in this place where Jesus himself had lived and walked. One of the treasures I uncovered was entitled Jesus with the children. Those of us who are not strangers to the writings of the scriptures know very well that Jesus spoke of children on a couple of occasions, mostly to reinforce the paradoxical nature of his message.
In the English language, the word paradox is used to refer to statements, persons or situations that appear to be self-contradictory. Aesop's fable about the tortoise and the hare is a classic example of paradox made evident in the story of a race between two animals which results in the slower-moving one triumphing over the more fleet footed. Paradox exists all around us, and can often furnish occasions for great wisdom to come to light.
Evidence the scripture readings we have just heard. Jesus appeared on the scene and came to be known as a great prophet. For his apostles and disciples, he held the promise of a long-awaited messiah who would somehow free them from the tyranny of oppressive Roman rule. Yet, the key to Jesus' rule had nothing to do with political power, or with any system of governance devised by human ingenuity. In fact, he thanked his Father Lord of heaven and earth for having hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and revealing them to infants. As I read this line of the scripture, my attention was drawn to the olive wood sculpture of Jesus with the children, and I began to puzzle over the wisdom contained in these words.
The wisdom of our faith is not disclosed by ordinary means, that is, according to human reasoning. In order to understand the power of faith, we must become more and more like little children. The relationship we cultivate with our God is meant to be one of deep abiding trust, like the relationship of trust that a child has with his or her parents, and once we discover this truth, we also come to realize that unlike worldly success which necessitates hard work and ambition, Jesus invites all those who are wearied out and carrying heavy burdens to come in search of rest. The paradox here is that human beings who live in a world where we must work to earn our living may have difficulty believing that in order for this relationship to be plumbed, we need to set aside our ambition, and learn to trust again like little children do. That's not easy, but thankfully God gives us the gift of little children to teach us how to do this. The secret to this kind of success is balance. There's a time for hard work and dedication, but there should also be time in our day for inquisitiveness, for persistence, and for play. In short, adults should never forget that they were first children.
Throughout the history of our faith, this paradox has been an integral part of the relationship between God and his people. Even in Old Testament times, the creator of the universe was spoken of as one who would appear triumphant and victorious (which usually meant accompanied by vast numbers of armies and chariots), but not so in this case. Rather the book of Lamentations speaks of this victorious God being humble and riding on a donkey, a colt the child of the most humble of animals. Here again, there is a lesson to be learned. This is not the story of conquering the world as a powerful army would, but of conquering hearts through humble child-like trust, which leads us to serve others in love.
Perhaps as the ultimate proof of the power of this paradox, Paul reminded the Romans that Jesus himself was raised from the dead by the Spirit of God and in fact that this same Spirit of God ... dwells in you and me. Because of this, Christ gives life also to our mortal bodies through the same Spirit that dwells in us. So my friends, the story of faith which we have gathered here to celebrate and to reinforce is not a reward for anything that we ourselves can do, rather it is a gift that has been given to us on the day of our baptism, a gift that strengthens and sustains us in this life and prepares us for the life to come.
3 comments:
INSPIRING INDEED..THANX..
I love this picture! Who is the artist? Do you know anywhere it is possible to buy a full size version of it?
This is the picture of the Jesus I love!
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