3rd Easter 2014, My Soul a Shepherd

3^rd Easter

John 10: 1-21

“Yes, the truth I say to you: Anyone who does not go into the sheep through the door, but breaks into the fold elsewhere, he is a thief or robber. Only he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.

To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls each one by name, according to its nature, and he leads them out into the open.

When he has brought them out, he walks before them, and the sheep follow after him, for they trust his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but rather flee, because they do not know the stranger’s voice.”

Thus did Jesus reveal himself to them in pictures, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Then Jesus went on. “Yes, the truth out of the spirit I say to you. I AM the door to the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the sheep did not listen to them.

I AM the door. Anyone who enters through me will find healing and life. He learns to cross the threshold from here to beyond, and from there to here, and he will find nourishment for his soul. The thief comes only to steal, and kill and destroy. But I – I have come that they may have life, and overflowing abundance.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who works for wages, and who is no true shepherd, whose sheep are not his own, he sees the wolf coming, abandons the sheep, and flees while the wolf snatches them and scatters them. For he is only a hireling and he cares nothing for the sheep.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. I know who belongs to me, and my own recognize me, just as my Father recognizes me in the depths, and I know the being of the Father; and I offer my life for the sheep.

Other sheep have been entrusted to me who are not of this fold; I must also lead them. They too will listen to my voice, and one day there will be one flock, one Shepherd.

That is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up anew. No one can take it from me.  But in full freedom I myself offer it up. I have the power to give it away and also the power to receive it anew. That is the task given to me by my Father.”

Then there again arose a division among the people because of these words. Many of them said, “He is possessed by a demon and is out of his mind. Why do you listen to him?” Yet others said, “These are not the words of one who is possessed. After all, can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

3^rd Easter

May 4, 2014

John 10:1-21

One of the earliest art images of Christ is that of the good shepherd. He is shown carrying a sheep across His shoulders.

Christ says of Himself that He is a good shepherd. A good shepherd is one that devotes himself to the welfare of his charges, so devoted that he will fight the devouring predator to save them. A good shepherd not only protects the whole flock; he also knows each individual sheep by name. He guides all to pasture and back home again, regardless of cost to himself. In fact, he bears responsibility for a wider flock, flocks in other communities.

Conducting a life in Christ means that we too can be good shepherds. We can pay loving attention to each individual in the flock of our friends, family and acquaintances. We can keep a sharp lookout for the destructive social forces that attack and scatter.

And we can also be good shepherds of all the various voices and archetypes within ourselves. We can pay loving attention to all the inner voices that speak in our souls; we can deflect the negative inner predator who divides and devours our energies. In the words of George Herbert:

….

My soul's a shepherd too; a flock it feeds

Of thoughts, and words, and deeds.

The pasture is Thy words; the streams, Thy grace

Enriching all the place.

Shepherd and flock shall sing, and all my powers

Out-sing the daylight hours.

www.thechristiancommunity.org

3rd Easter 2013, Weight of the World is Love

3^rd Easter

John 10: 1-21

“Yes, the truth I say to you: Anyone who does not go into the sheep through the door, but breaks into the fold elsewhere, he is a thief or robber. Only he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.

To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls each one by name, according to its nature, and he leads them out into the open.

When he has brought them out, he walks before them, and the sheep follow after him, for they trust his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but rather flee, because they do not know the stranger’s voice.”

Thus did Jesus reveal himself to them in pictures, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Then Jesus went on. “Yes, the truth out of the spirit I say to you. I AM the door to the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the sheep did not listen to them.

I AM the door. Anyone who enters through me will find healing and life. He learns to cross the threshold from here to beyond, and from there to here, and he will find nourishment for his soul. The thief comes only to steal, and kill and destroy. But I – I have come that they may have life, and overflowing abundance.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who works for wages, and who is no true shepherd, whose sheep are not his own, he sees the wolf coming, abandons the sheep, and flees while the wolf snatches them and scatters them. For he is only a hireling and he cares nothing for the sheep.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. I know who belongs to me, and my own recognize me, just as my Father recognizes me in the depths, and I know the being of the Father; and I offer my life for the sheep.

Other sheep have been entrusted to me who are not of this fold; I must also lead them. They too will listen to my voice, and one day there will be one flock, one Shepherd.

That is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up anew. No one can take it from me.  But in full freedom I myself offer it up. I have the power to give it away and also the power to receive it anew. That is the task given to me by my Father.”

Then there again arose a division among the people because of these words. Many of them said, “He is possessed by a demon and is out of his mind. Why do you listen to him?” Yet others said, “These are not the words of one who is possessed. After all, can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

3^rd Easter

April 14, 2013

John 10: 1-21

Children are given to parents directly from the spiritual world. And along with gift of the child comes the gift of the capacity for sacrificial love; this love is delivered directly to the parent’s heart. This gift of love from the spiritual world is without price. It is not something one can buy.

Christ was the Father’s gift to all of humanity. He came to his earthly parents, who sacrificed much to keep him alive. And he himself grew to become the parent of all humanity. He became a loving parent who was willing to sacrifice his own life so that his children could live. And he did.

Now the tables are turned. Now it is we who are all called upon to become parents of the divine child. Our soul is to become the loving parent to this divine child within the soul. And our community is to be the loving parent to this divine child who wishes to be born within soul of the group. The child wants to be born in us. We receive him. We are to lay down the substance of our own lives that He may continue to live in in us.

Where there is love, it is easy make such a sacrificial offering. In the Act of Consecration, we pray that in our offering of ourselves, the fire of divine love be born in us. In love, we receive the divine gift.  And in love we offer ourselves to keep Him alive in us.  For as the poet says:

The weight of the world

is love.

….

the weight,

the weight we carry

is love.

…it

anguishes

till born

…

looks out of the heart

burning with purity -

for the burden of life

is love,

but we carry the weight.[1]

www.thechristiancommunity.org

---

[1] Allen Ginsberg, “ Song” in Collected Poems 1947-1980. Picture: The Risen Christ, by He Qi

2nd Easter 2007, Risen Sun

2^nd Easter

John 20: 19-29

On the evening of the first day after the Sabbath, the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the authorities. Jesus came and stood in their midst and said,

“Peace be with you!”

And while he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.

Full of joy the disciples recognized the Lord. And again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

And when he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive Holy Spirit through which the world will receive healing. From now on you shall work in human destinies with spiritual power, so that they shall have the strength to wrest themselves free from the load of sin, and at the same time to bear the consequences of their offences.”

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not there with them when Jesus came. Later the disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”

But he replied, “If I do not see in his hand the marks of the nails, and do not put my finger in the place where the nails were, and place my hand in his side, I cannot believe it.”

Eight days later, the disciples were again gathered in the inner room and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

Then he said to Thomas, “Stretch out your finger and see my hands, and stretch out your hand and put it into my side. Be not rigid in your heart, but rather feel and trust in my power in your heart.”

Then Thomas said to him, “You are the Lord of my soul; you are the God whom I serve.”

And Jesus said to him, “Have you found my power in yourself because you have seen me? Blessed are those who find my power in their hearts, even when their eye does not yet see me.”

2^nd Easter Sunday

April 15, 2007

John 20:19-29

A child of two or three is absorbed with learning about the sense world, exploring and naming things. But around four, there comes a moment when the child will close its eyes and say, ‘I can see pictures’. An inner eye opens, and the faculty of picture-making, of imagination, day-dreaming, and ultimately of memory is born. Some children can then also image real beings that cannot be seen with outer eyes.

The disciples of Christ spent three years with Him, getting to know him in the sense world. They learned to name Him. After the great panorama of His tragic death, He was lost to their ordinary sight. But their love for Him had readied them to see Him with the imaging faculty of their hearts. He comes to them, and they see Him with the eye of the heart.

In His coming, He gives them a task: He breathes into them holy, healing Spirit, in order that they may work in a strengthening, healing way in the destinies of those whom they meet. Their hearts are to be open, filled with trust in His power, so that they may also see Him at work in the lives of others. They begin to trust in His power working in their hearts, in others, as a new capacity of seeing.

Poet Denise Levertov describes this moment of awakening in her poem about St. Thomas, who says:

But when my hand

Led by His hand’s firm clasp

Entered the unhealed wound,

My fingers encountering

Rib-bone and pulsing heat,

What I felt was…

…light, light streaming

Into me, over me, filling the room…

I witnessed

all things quicken to color, to form,

My question

Not answered, but given

Its part

In a vast unfolding design lit

By a risen sun.[1]

The Act of Consecration of Man is also a picture of Christ’s working. Gathered in prayer, we receive Him in the inner room of our heart. We see Him offering thanks to His Father. We see Him uniting His soul with bread, with water and wine. We feel His touch. He breathes His peace into us so that we too can work in a healing way in the lives of others, ‘in a vast unfolding design, lit by a risen sun’

 www.thechristiancommunity.org

---

[1] Denise Levertov, “St. Thomas Didymus”, in The Stream and the Sapphire, p. 81

2nd Easter 2010, See As God Sees

2^nd Easter

John 20: 19-29

On the evening of the first day after the Sabbath, the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the authorities. Jesus came and stood in their midst and said,

“Peace be with you!”

And while he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.

Full of joy the disciples recognized the Lord. And again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

And when he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive Holy Spirit through which the world will receive healing. From now on you shall work in human destinies with spiritual power, so that they shall have the strength to wrest themselves free from the load of sin, and at the same time to bear the consequences of their offences.”

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not there with them when Jesus came. Later the disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”

But he replied, “If I do not see in his hand the marks of the nails, and do not put my finger in the place where the nails were, and place my hand in his side, I cannot believe it.”

Eight days later, the disciples were again gathered in the inner room and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

Then he said to Thomas, “Stretch out your finger and see my hands, and stretch out your hand and put it into my side. Be not rigid in your heart, but rather feel and trust in my power in your heart.”

Then Thomas said to him, “You are the Lord of my soul; you are the God whom I serve.”

And Jesus said to him, “Have you found my power in yourself because you have seen me? Blessed are those who find my power in their hearts, even when their eye does not yet see me.”

2^nd Sunday of Easter

April 11, 2010

John 20: 19-29

At first the blossom is enclosed in a hard, green bud. But slowly the warmth and light of the sun coax it open, until it unfurls its fragrance and beauty before the sun and the world.

Thomas was absent on the first Easter evening when Jesus appeared resurrected to His disciples. Thomas remained in the pain and despair over the loss of his beloved friend for a full week longer than the others. His heart shut down in grief. He refused to believe in rumors. He refused to jump to conclusions based on someone else’s experience. He needed to recognize and experience the Risen One for himself, face to face and hand to hand.

On the one hand, this is an admirable quality, this refusing to fall for rumors. On the other hand, once he is presented with the reality of the Risen One, Christ encourages him to overcome his heart’s rigidity, and to instead allow trust in the Christ power to enter his heart.

Trusting in the Risen One is also a dilemma for us moderns. Deep in our hearts, too, there lies a yearning for substantial evidence, for proof. We, too, long for an encounter, for overwhelming evidence. But Christ’s comment to Thomas indicates to us a hidden pathway: “Blessed are those who find my power in their hearts, even when their eye does not yet see me.” John 20: 29

To find His power in our hearts is the goal of our existence. And what is His power in our hearts?

It is the power that rises to life in the face of all loss.  It is the power of love that sacrifices self-interest for the furtherance of others.   It is the power of love that overcomes death. In the words of Meister Eckhart:

Divine love will be eternally true to its own being,

And its being is giving all it can,

At the perfect

Moment.

And the greatest gift

God can give is His own experience.

…and it is the destiny of all,

to see as God sees, to know as God knows,

to feel as God feels, to Be

as God

is.[1]

www.thechristiancommunity.org

---

[1] Meister Eckhart, “To See as God Sees”, in Love Poems from God, by Daniel Ladinsky, p. 120

2nd Easter 2012, Utterly Real

2^nd Easter

Unknown

John 20: 19-29

On the evening of the first day after the Sabbath, the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the authorities. Jesus came and stood in their midst and said,

“Peace be with you!”

And while he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.

Full of joy the disciples recognized the Lord. And again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

And when he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive Holy Spirit through which the world will receive healing. From now on you shall work in human destinies with spiritual power, so that they shall have the strength to wrest themselves free from the load of sin, and at the same time to bear the consequences of their offences.”

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not there with them when Jesus came. Later the disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”

But he replied, “If I do not see in his hand the marks of the nails, and do not put my finger in the place where the nails were, and place my hand in his side, I cannot believe it.”

Eight days later, the disciples were again gathered in the inner room and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

Then he said to Thomas, “Stretch out your finger and see my hands, and stretch out your hand and put it into my side. Be not rigid in your heart, but rather feel and trust in my power in your heart.”

Then Thomas said to him, “You are the Lord of my soul; you are the God whom I serve.”

And Jesus said to him, “Have you found my power in yourself because you have seen me? Blessed are those who find my power in their hearts, even when their eye does not yet see me.”

He Qi

2^nd Easter

April 15, 2012

John 20: 19-29

Movies nowadays are capable of creating amazing visuals. Characters in 3D can seem to hover in the space before us. They can become transparent and finally disappear, while their voice still continues to speak.

On Easter evening, Christ Jesus appears in the room though the doors are locked. He must have looked somewhat different, for it takes a moment for his friends to recognize him. His wounds are the keys that open their hearts. And his breath. He breathes peace into them. And He also breathes His power and strength into them, and to us—the strength to gradually work ourselves free from the burden of our destinies; the strength at the same time to carry the necessary consequences of our deeds.

Thomas was not present when Christ appeared, and so he questions the reality of what his friends had experienced. Thomas is a figure for our time. For we are all struggling to recognize the reality behind the appearances. Pilate’s question to Jesus—what is truth?—is answered through Thomas. For Thomas learns that truth has many layers, of which the material is only one. Thomas must learn to trust in the non-material physical evidence. He trusts in what he can see, but also in what he can perceive as body warmth through his sense of touch, and through his recognition, his intuition, that the One who appears before him really is who He seems to be.

For at that moment, Christ inhabits a non-material body. It looks like a human body, yet I imagine it is transparent, and yet still visible, still bearing the marks of His suffering, still touchable, still real. As real as warmth, as real was His death, as real as is His Love. And through trust, Thomas awakens within himself the reality of Christ.

Friedrich Overbeck

www.thechristiancommunity.org

As a poetic theologian says:

… let yourself receive the one

who is opening to you so deeply.

For if we genuinely love Him,

we wake up inside Christ's body

where all our body, all over,

every most hidden part of it,

is realized in joy as Him,

and He makes us, utterly, real,

….

he awakens as the Beloved

in every last part of our body[1].

---

[1] “We Awaken in Christ's Body” by Symeon the New Theologian (949 – 1032 AD) English version by Stephen Mitchell. 

2nd Easter 2013, Breath of the Beloved

2^nd Easter

John 20: 19-29

On the evening of the first day after the Sabbath, the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the authorities. Jesus came and stood in their midst and said,

“Peace be with you!”

And while he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.

Full of joy the disciples recognized the Lord. And again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”And when he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive Holy Spirit through which the world will receive healing. From now on you shall work in human destinies with spiritual power, so that they shall have the strength to wrest themselves free from the load of sin, and at the same time to bear the consequences of their offences.”

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not there with them when Jesus came. Later the disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”But he replied, “If I do not see in his hand the marks of the nails, and do not put my finger in the place where the nails were, and place my hand in his side, I cannot believe it.”

Eight days later, the disciples were again gathered in the inner room and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”Then he said to Thomas, “Stretch out your finger and see my hands, and stretch out your hand and put it into my side. Be not rigid in your heart, but rather feel and trust in my power in your heart.”Then Thomas said to him, “You are the Lord of my soul; you are the God whom I serve.”And Jesus said to him, “Have you found my power in yourself because you have seen me? Blessed are those who find my power in their hearts, even when their eye does not yet see me.”

2^nd Easter

April 7, 2013

John 20: 19-29

Our breath is in two parts: we inhale. We take in not only life-giving oxygen, but also moods, atmospheres, inspirations. And then we exhale. Our spent breath nourishes the plants. We add our own moods and inspirations to the atmosphere.

The disciples had been holding their breath in fear and sorrow. The locked door was an image of their hearts, closed in fear. But Christ enters anyway. He breathes on them. After his own ordeal, imprinted into his hands and his side, he exhales an atmosphere of joy and peace. His healing breath, the loving exhalation of his spirit, gives us the strength and power to work in a positive way with destiny. He gives us all the strength to do the work of repair.

Thomas is not wrong to want to experience Christ directly himself. Christ only warns him against being rigid of heart. When Thomas has satisfied his healthy skepticism, he opens his own heart, so that Christ’s healing, loving power can enter.

Since His resurrection, Christ’s power is available in every breath we take. For He inhabits the earth, the air, as His body. As the poet says:

It's not magic; it isn't a trick.

Every breath is a resurrection.[1]

www.thechristiancommunity.org

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[1]  Gregory Orr, in Concerning the Book that is the Body of the Beloved. 

2nd Easter 2014, Peace with You

2^nd Easter

John 20: 19-29

On the evening of the first day after the Sabbath, the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the authorities. Jesus came and stood in their midst and said,

“Peace be with you!”

And while he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.

Full of joy the disciples recognized the Lord. And again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

And when he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive Holy Spirit through which the world will receive healing. From now on you shall work in human destinies with spiritual power, so that they shall have the strength to wrest themselves free from the load of sin, and at the same time to bear the consequences of their offences.”

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not there with them when Jesus came. Later the disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”

Luca Signorelli

But he replied, “If I do not see in his hand the marks of the nails, and do not put my finger in the place where the nails were, and place my hand in his side, I cannot believe it.”

Eight days later, the disciples were again gathered in the inner room and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

Then he said to Thomas, “Stretch out your finger and see my hands, and stretch out your hand and put it into my side. Be not rigid in your heart, but rather feel and trust in my power in your heart.”

Then Thomas said to him, “You are the Lord of my soul; you are the God whom I serve.”

And Jesus said to him, “Have you found my power in yourself because you have seen me? Blessed are those who find my power in their hearts, even when their eye does not yet see me.”

2^nd Easter

April 27, 2014

John 20: 19 – 29

The disciples had locked themselves in out of fear. We could imagine their souls in a state of agitation. Even though some have reported seeing Christ Risen, the shock waves of the previous week are still reverberating. Everything that happened, the physical earthquakes, the torture and execution of their Beloved, his rising from the dead, it is all so stupefying.

Then He appears. He brings them the gift of Himself; and with that gift he brings them another, the gift of calm. He brings tranquility, serenity. The creative Word of God speaks peace into their hearts. He breathes the love of His healing Spirit into them. Look, He says, here are my wounds. I even died, but I am still radiantly and joyfully alive.

Our emotions can signal important information to us. Danger may be near; we may need to take action. But by His own actions, Christ indicates that we are nonetheless to move fairly quickly into a state of peace, of balance, of equanimity. As He says, lingering in agitation will not help us

to work in human destinies with spiritual power, so that they shall have the strength to wrest themselves free from the load of sin, and at the same time to bear the consequences of their offences.[1]

Christ would have us work calmly, in peace and in love, from the center of our being. And whether we see Christ or not, we can hear Him say to us, in every Act of Consecration of Man: ‘My Peace can be with you because I give it to you.’ The healing breath of His spirit of peace is available for us to inhale always. We can always ask Him: make me a channel of Your peace. For as
Fra Giovanni said in the 16^th century:

No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today.  Take heaven!

No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present little instant.

Take peace! The gloom of the world is but a shadow.  Behind it, yet within

our reach, is joy. [2]


www.thechristiancommunity.org

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[1] John 20:23

[2] ~ Fra Giovanni ~ Written on Christmas Eve, 1513