Sunday, June 12, 2005
LUKE 4:38-44
Very often we hear people say : "In God's time". Of course, it is God's sole prerogative to choose whom and what He wants to reveal and at the proper place and at the proper time. This accounts for the progressive way by which God reveals Himself and His love gradually, through the course of the salvation history of His people. Although the Church has its history, individuals do also have their own personal salvation history being revealed to them. Unless one is receptive and appreciates this, it is up to each person's free will – for us to choose whether or not to accept this. Salvation is not only a free gift from God but also a matter of personal choice.
Timing is one of the primary factors in determining when God will reveal the truth to any one of us. In the course of our history, events occur because perhaps of the way the society has been behaving and reactions towards the physical and interpersonal relationships between us. God intervenes and reveals Himself to us at the time appropriate to different circumstances. God also uses people as His messengers to bring us his message.
When St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he was very careful in his manner of preaching the Gospel. He understood the behavior of the Corinthians and was very patient in the way he brought forth God's message to them. He said that "what I fed you with was milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it; and indeed, you are still not ready for it since you are still unspiritual. Isn't that obvious from all the jealousy and wrangling that there is among you, from the way that you go on behaving like ordinary people?" This is also why St. Paul warned, in his letter to Timothy, about electing leaders from recent converts.
We believe that different circumstances require different approaches. We see this in the development of Christian spirituality because these came about as responses to the demands of the time and not because they are "fads" that determine the spiritual fashion of the era. Even the ecumenical councils of the Church are reactions meant to address the problems of the Church at the time they were convened.
When Jesus walked the earth, He performed many healing miracles mainly because He loved the people and wanted to bring them a greater message - that God loves His people and that they must respond to His love by doing the same to others. However, the people were still naïve and they clung to the physical need at every possible opportunity.
They wanted Him to remain with them in an exclusive way. However, Jesus said that he must "proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also", because that was what he was sent to do.
Do we hold on to our old and stubborn ways of thinking and behaving? Are we stagnant in our faith and hold on to Christ as if he were only meant for us alone? How have we responded to God's revelation to us in our personal lives?
Timing is one of the primary factors in determining when God will reveal the truth to any one of us. In the course of our history, events occur because perhaps of the way the society has been behaving and reactions towards the physical and interpersonal relationships between us. God intervenes and reveals Himself to us at the time appropriate to different circumstances. God also uses people as His messengers to bring us his message.
When St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he was very careful in his manner of preaching the Gospel. He understood the behavior of the Corinthians and was very patient in the way he brought forth God's message to them. He said that "what I fed you with was milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it; and indeed, you are still not ready for it since you are still unspiritual. Isn't that obvious from all the jealousy and wrangling that there is among you, from the way that you go on behaving like ordinary people?" This is also why St. Paul warned, in his letter to Timothy, about electing leaders from recent converts.
We believe that different circumstances require different approaches. We see this in the development of Christian spirituality because these came about as responses to the demands of the time and not because they are "fads" that determine the spiritual fashion of the era. Even the ecumenical councils of the Church are reactions meant to address the problems of the Church at the time they were convened.
When Jesus walked the earth, He performed many healing miracles mainly because He loved the people and wanted to bring them a greater message - that God loves His people and that they must respond to His love by doing the same to others. However, the people were still naïve and they clung to the physical need at every possible opportunity.
They wanted Him to remain with them in an exclusive way. However, Jesus said that he must "proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also", because that was what he was sent to do.
Do we hold on to our old and stubborn ways of thinking and behaving? Are we stagnant in our faith and hold on to Christ as if he were only meant for us alone? How have we responded to God's revelation to us in our personal lives?
# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 5:36 PM 
