I have had a few days rest out of the bush here in Alaska, and I thought I would write a brief post before I go back in this weekend.
I rejoice in the faith and sincerity that Ross has discovered, and I rejoice in his contributions to the blog.
The journey of faith is at times both light and darkness, revelation and mystery, both joy and pain. Now we know that there will be no more pain in heaven, so we ask ourselves why should the journey of faith involve pain? The reason is our carnality. Paul declared that the carnal man could not receive the things of God because they are spiritually discerned. Our tendencies to rely on our human intellect and our fleshly abilities get us all into trouble on a regular basis, yet we persist. The Apostle makes it clear that we need to be led of the Spirit in order to avoid the lust of the flesh. Being led of the Spirit simply means we hearken to that voice of Christ within us, and occasionally without us as well. We need to take instruction from the Church and those who lead, and we need to go even further by taking the word of God directly into our hearts. Sometimes the Church tolerates things, that the Spirit of Christ is very grieved with, and a perfect example of this would be the slavery issue. Many historians have pointed out the fact that the scriptures did not explicitly forbid slavery, and that Paul simply told slave owners, and slaves how to conduct their lives in view of their Christian confession. While this is true and evident to anyone familiar with the scriptures, it is also quite evident to me from years of studying the scriptures, and in particular the New Testament that Jesus would not have owned a slave. It is Jesus who declares that we are to be servants above all, not lords over each other like the rest of the heathen. Paul, while not expressly forbidding slavery, certainly forbids living any other way than the way of Christ. This is the way of forgiveness, liberating, healing, and blessing.
We must seek the heart of the scriptures, and realize that we are called to live above and beyond the norms of this present age, with its' hedonism and narcissism.
Ross asked where is Christ in those times of struggle, and I will simply quote Christ on this one "
I will never leave you, nor forsake you" and be reminded that you are the "
Temple of the Holy Ghost, and the Spirit of God dwells in you." This doesn't mean that you will always be emotionally aware of the presence of Christ, nor should you be, since this is not the road to maturity in the Spirit. Faith is the rock on which you stand, knowing He is present, without visible, or emotional signs. Give thanks for those consolations such as your tears at mass, which even consoles me greatly, and stand firm when you feel desolate and empty, because you are not ruled by your feelings, but the scriptures and the rule of the Spirit of Christ.
