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“Encourage one another. Live in harmony and peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.”
St. Francis de Sales had this to say about one of the most profound mysteries of our faith - the Triune Nature of God.
“From all eternity there is in God an essential communication by which the Father, in producing the Son, communicates his entire infinite and indivisible divinity to the Son. The Father and the Son together, in producing the Holy Spirit, communicate in like manner their own proper divinity to him. So also this sovereign sweetness was communicated so perfectly outside itself to a creature that the created nature and the godhead each retained its own properties while still being united together in such wise that they were only one self-same person…In short, God's supreme wisdom has decided to intermingle this original love with his creatures’ will in such wise that love would not constrain the will but leave it possessed of its freedom.” (Treatise on the Love of God, Book 2, Chapter 4)
What can we hope to consider or explain about the profound mystery of the Trinity in a way that makes a practical difference in our lives and in the lives of those we touch? For the sake of simplicity, let us look at each person of the Trinity in very broad strokes, looking at those activities – in our attempt to take in the mystery of the divine nature – which we associate with the Father, the Son and the Spirit in recalling the history of our salvation:
- In the Trinity, we experience a Father who creates us out of love.
- In the Trinity, we experience a Son who redeems and reconciles us out of love.
- In the Trinity, we experience a Spirit who encourages and enlivens us out of love.
We are most like the Trinity when we establish and sustain in ourselves the things that most clearly reflect our God-given, Trinitarian nature - when we create, feed and nourish relationships in which we are redeemed, reconciled and inspired to live in the freedom of the sons and daughters of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In the words of St. Paul, we are faithful to our divine dignity and destiny when we “encourage one another…living in harmony and peace…”
We are most like the Trinity when we forgive, when we are willing to let go of hurts, disappointment, injury and betrayal. We are most like the Triune Godhead when we inspire, encourage, challenge and support one another to do the same.
Today, might we best act in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit? How might we encourage (a word that literally means, “give heart to”) one another?
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“Blessed the man who fears the Lord.”
We Christians are supposed to be “Alleluia” people. Happy people. Joyful people. So, what does “fear of the Lord” have to do with being happy? In fact, doesn’t it seem odd that the alternative antiphon for the responsorial psalm actually is ‘Alleluia’?
In his Treatise on the Love of God, Francis de Sales wrote:
“Just as seaman who set sail with a favorable wind and in fair weather never forget the cables, anchors and other things needed in time of danger and storm, in like manner even though God’s servants enjoy the sweet repose of holy love, we must never be without the fear of divine judgments so that we may use it in the storms and assaults of temptations. Again, just as the apple’s skin – a thing in itself held in small esteem – still helps greatly to preserve the apple it covers, so fear, which in itself is of little value in comparison with love, is yet very useful for preserving love during the dangers of this mortal life…Although fear is very necessary in this mortal life, it is unworthy of having any place in eternal life, where there will be certainty without fear, peace without distrust and rest without care. Yet, such services as fear may provide on behalf of love will be rewarded in heaven.”(TLG, Book XI, Chapter 17, pp. 245-246)
In a perfect world all we would need to live – to do what is right and to avoid what is evil – is the love of God. The tenants in today’s Gospel parable might have fared a lot better, if they had had even the slightest respect or fear for the representatives of the owner of the vineyard or for the vineyard owner himself. Their total lack of fear emboldened them to the point where they murdered the owner’s son – with disastrous consequences to themselves.
As we know all-too-well from our own lived experience, this world isn’t perfect, and neither are we. Try as we might to do everything out of love, there are occasions in which it doesn’t hurt to have a little fear to provide our love with a little “back-up” or reinforcement when times get difficult, or temptations become challenging.
What is the bottom line? When it comes to living a God-like life, a little fear goes a long way. But in the end it is love – and only love – that will take us the rest of the way home.
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“The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.”
In a conference given to the Sisters of the Visitation on ‘Hope’ (July 1620), Francis de Sales remarked:
“O my God, how happy should we be if we can accustom ourselves to make this reply to our hearts when they are anxious and troubled about anything: ‘The Lord will provide,’ and after saying that, to have no more care, anxiety or disturbance…Great indeed is the confidence that God requires us to have in His paternal care and in His divine Providence. Why should we not have it, seeing that no one has ever been deceived in it? No one ever trusts in God without reaping the fruits of His confidence…Continue to trust in God. Do you think that the God who takes care to provide food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth – which neither sow nor reap – will ever forget to provide all that is necessary for the one who trusts wholly in His Providence, seeing that we are capable of being united to God, our sovereign good?” (Conferences, Conference VI, pp. 89-90)
Is your heart anxious or troubled about anything? Then, speak with God. Pray to God. Walk with God. And most importantly, trust in God and reap “the fruits of His confidence.”
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“To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.”
In his Introduction to the Devout Life, Francis de Sales wrote:
“Consider the nobility and excellence of your soul. It is endowed with understanding, which knows not only this visible world but also that there are angels and a paradise. It knows that there is a God, most sovereign, most good and most ineffable. It knows that there is an eternity and knows also what manner is best designed for living well in this visible world so that our soul may be joined with the angels in paradise and enjoy God for all eternity. Moreover, your soul has a most noble will and that same will is capable of loving God...”
“‘O beauteous soul!’ you must acclaim, ‘Since you can know and desire God, why would you beguile yourself with any lesser thing? Since you can advance your claim to eternity, why should you beguile yourself with passing things? One of the prodigal son’s regrets was that he might have lived in plenty at his father’s table whereas he had eaten among the beasts. O my soul, you are made for God! Woe to you if you are satisfied with anything less that God! Raise your soul aloft on this consideration. Remind it that it is eternal and worthy of eternity. Fill it with courage for this project.” (IDL, Pat V, Chapter 10, pp. 282-283)
Amid all the things that you may experience and the people that you may encounter today, remember to lift up and to raise your soul aloft by reminding yourself of the respect and reverence with which you must treat yourself, worthy, as you might be, of eternity right here – right now – in this visible world. For that matter, remember to lift and raise up the souls of other people by also treating them with respect and reverence, too.
*****
“Blessed are those who fear the Lord.”
We Christians are supposed to be “Alleluia” people. Happy people. Joyful people. So, what does “fear of the Lord” have to do with being happy?
In his Treatise on the Love of God, Francis de Sales wrote:
“Just as seaman who set sail with a favorable wind and in fair weather never forget the cables, anchors and other things needed in time of danger and storm, in like manner even though God’s servants enjoy the sweet repose of holy love, we must never be without the fear of divine judgments so that we may use it in the storms and assaults of temptations. Again, just as the apple’s skin – a thing in itself held in small esteem – still helps greatly to preserve the apple it covers, so fear, which in itself is of little value in comparison with love, is yet very useful for preserving love during the dangers of this mortal life…Although fear is very necessary in this mortal life, it is unworthy of having any place in eternal life, where there will be certainty without fear, peace without distrust and rest without care. Yet, such services as fear may provide on behalf of love will be rewarded in heaven.” (TLG, Book XI, Chapter 17, pp. 245-246)
As the psalmist reminds us, fear is merely the beginning of wisdom. Fear is a first step, a means to a much greater end, a good that is vividly illustrated in the twofold commandments in today’s Gospel: the love of God, and the love of neighbor.
When it comes to living a God-like life, a little fear goes a long way, especially when just starting out on the journey. But in the long run, it is love – and only love – that will enable us to go the distance on our pilgrimage to our heavenly home.
*****
“How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David?”
In English grammar, illeism is the act of referring to oneself (often habitually) in the third person. Also called self-talk. Someone who practices illeism is (among other things) an illeist. Adjective: illeistic. In the contemporary imagination, the usual context in which illeism appears is when people are signaling their own power or status. Your basic supervillain posturing (“Kneel before Zod!” – from the film Superman) has its analogues among real-life power-seekers going back as far as ancient times, the most notable example being Julius Caesar, who self-aggrandizes via the godlike character of “Caesar” in his surviving letters and throughout the chronicles of his wars in Gaul and elsewhere.
Jesus appears be speaking about himself in the third person in today’s selection from the Gospel of Mark. But, unlike others who engage in illeism, Jesus is not drawing attention to his own power or status; in fact, he is attempting to distance himself from his contemporaries (Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, lawyers) who attempted to make the world revolve around themselves.
In the opinion of William Barclay, what Jesus is attempting to teach is this: he is not denying that the Messiah is the Son of David, nor is he saying that he himself is not the Son of David. What Jesus is saying is that he is the Son of David and far more: not only David’s son but David’s Lord! Barclay observed:
“The trouble was that the title Son of David had itself become entangled with the idea of a conquering Messiah. It had got involved in political and nationalistic hopes and dreams, aims and ambitions. Jesus was saying that the title Son of David, as it was popularly used, is a quite inadequate description of himself. He was Lord. This word Lord is the regular translation of Yahweh (Jehovah) in the Greek version of the Hebrew scriptures. Always its use would turn peoples’ thoughts to God. What Jesus was saying was that he came not to establish any earthly kingdom but to bring people to God.”
For a person who had a noticeably clear sense of his own identity, have you ever noticed how Jesus consistently refers to the primacy of his Father’s will in his life? Ironically, Jesus’ dedication to his Father’s will did not diminish Jesus – in fact, it made Jesus even more influential in the lives of others.
As followers of Jesus, it is good for us to remember that doing our part in helping to build up God’s kingdom is not all about us: it is all about God.
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“Prayer and fasting are good, but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness.”
Part and parcel of the spiritual life is the need to closely examine our relationship with God, ourselves and one another in an ongoing manner. One dimension of this examination is acknowledging our need to name those sins, vices, weaknesses -- anything -- that prevent us from making real in thought, word and deeds our God-given dignity. A popular way of ritualizing this inner journey is to fast – to “give up” something. Some people may refrain from tobacco; others may eschew alcohol; still others may pass on desserts. Some people may give up something good; other people may give up something bad, while still others may give up a combination of both.
Fasting, however, is only part of the program of self-discipline and self-mastery. In its fullest expression, feasting is also as important as fasting in the spiritual life.
In their book A Sense of Sexuality, (Doubleday, 1989) Drs. Evelyn and James Whitehead remind us that “fasting, at its finest, is neither solely punishment nor denial. We fast not only to avoid evils but to recapture forgotten goods”. Put another way, “the ‘no’ of fasting is fruitful only if we have some deeply valued ‘yes’ in our life”. The arduous discipline of feasting complements our fasting; we need something for which to fast.
That's right. Feasting requires no less discipline than fasting. The discipline of feasting celebrates well and heartily the God-given blessings that we enjoy without engaging in selfishness and excess.
A life of devotion, then, is as much a matter of ‘doing’ as it is “doing without”. St. Francis de Sales wrote in his Introduction to the Devout Life:
“Both fasting and working mortify and discipline us. If the work you undertake contributes to the glory of God and to your own welfare, I much prefer that you should endure the discipline of working than that of fasting.” (Emphasis editor)
Francis continued:
“One person may find it painful to fast, another to serve the sick, to visit prisoners, to hear confessions, to preach, to assist the needy, to pray, and to perform similar exercised. These latter pains have as much value as the former.”
Whether through fasting or feasting, turning away from sin or turning toward virtue, living a life of devotion consists in integrating our spiritual insides in such a way as they can be seen as a source for good on the outside.
