0
0
I would like to invite you to walk together through the beginning of the Gospel according to St. John. For me, it is a unique Word that makes me realize what a relationship with God is and how God wants to be close to man. Close to me. I invite you to reflect.
“In the beginning was the Word , a the Word was with God, and the Word was God. It was in the beginning with God. W everything happened, and without Him nothing will happen happened, what happened. W It was life, and life was light people, and light in the darkness shines and the darkness has not embraced it. P a man sent by God appeared – his name was John. He came for the certificate, to certify the luminous intensity, so that everyone would believe through him. N he was light, but [sent] to testify to the light. B there was real light, which enlightens every person, when it comes into the world. N and the world was [Word], and the world was made through Him, but the world. did not recognize Him. P came to your property, and your friends did not accept it. In all those who accepted It, however, gave the power to become God’s children,
for those who believe in his name – k with no blood, neither from the lust of the body, nor by the will of the husband,
but they were born of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us. And we saw His glory, glory that the Only-Begotten receives from the Father, full of of grace and truth. an gives witness of Him and calls out loudly in words : «The one about whom I said: The one who comes for me outstrips me in dignity because he was before me.” From His fullness we have all received – grace upon grace. While the Law was bestowed by Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, This Only Begotten God, who is in the womb of the Father, taught [about Him]. “ (J 1, 1-18)
I am struck by two issues in this passage. First of them: “And the Word became flesh” . He tells me that God, the eternal Logos, all-powerful Love, descends to the level of humanity by assuming our flesh. Theologians say that Jesus was fully God and fully human. This means that it had to be subject to all the physiological processes that each of us is subject to. He was a baby, a child, an adolescent boy, finally a mature man. It had to meet all physiological needs, from food to the toilet. He has been subject to a limited body that feels hungry, thirsty, cold, warm, painful and sick. Jesus grew up, in other words he grew old. Or, in other words, it was going to the point at which each of us is going. Namely until death. Anyway, what is obvious, because it was done so, Jesus could be beaten, spat on, scourged, nailed to the cross and killed. The Son of God was also subject to the processes of emotional, mental and spiritual maturation. He developed a personality, he got to know himself and God as his father. This is mentioned, among others, by fragment of the Gospel of Luke, just after finding Jesus in the temple: “ Jesus made progress in wisdom, age and grace with God and with people ” (Lk 2:52). Did Luke write a dozen or so verses earlier, after all ritual activities had been performed, that: “The child grew and grew in strength, being filled with wisdom, and God’s grace was upon him” (Lk 2:40). Jesus functioned in relationships with other people. As a son, student, colleague, friend, teacher, debater etc. And as we know, these relations were not always pleasant for him. He also lived under certain conditions and in the political, social and religious system, which, by the way, contributed significantly to his death.
I realized these facts for the first time during Pasterka in 2014. When in my life I experienced my weakness and limitations so much. The disease reached its zenith, I felt pain and discomfort. I had to be dependent on other people. For this various types of acids in relationships. It was a very difficult time for me. Also throughout my life I experienced many humiliations, rejection by people or various systems. I did not understand and still do not understand certain solutions in the state, society or the Catholic Church. And suddenly, in all of this, it comes to me that God also experienced similar things, apart from sin, of course. Suddenly, God, Jesus, turned out to be someone very close to me. It dawned on me that He took on our humanity so that we wouldn’t feel lonely going and experiencing what life brings with it. I was struck by God’s great sensitivity and empathy towards me. Great and deep understanding of my position. Then I experienced His real presence with me at all times. I really didn’t feel alone in all this! I knew that I had a friend who had performed a scandalous act of humiliation (kenosis) in his deity, so that I would never feel emptiness and loneliness. I remember that when I listened to this passage during the mass, tears flew into my eyes and I couldn’t stop crying until the end.
You are not alone, He is with you at all times. If you are experiencing difficulties, you experience limitations and weaknesses, know that He has experienced it too! He knows perfectly well your pain, suffering, bitterness, disappointment, rejection, abandonment, exclusion and your loneliness. Don’t struggle with your windmills. Embrace your weaknesses and limitations. Make up with them and love them. And you will experience the grace and power of the Lord’s Spirit in them. Remember what St. Paweł: “ My grace is enough for you. For strength is made perfect in weakness “ (2 Cor 9). Anyway, God, the Christian one, somehow loved what was weak. He never chose the best, but usually average and weak people. Moreover, he himself allowed himself to be “locked” in the body and suffered a shameful and seemingly stupid death on the cross. Paul says that he will not boast of anything other than Christ and the crucified one, because it pleased God to give you and me salvation (cf. 1 Cor 1: 22-23). Through the cross, shame, death of God, life came. Likewise, in my life and in yours, where death seems to reign, life is born there. In my case, the foolishness and curse of disease have borne incredible fruit. It is similar with loneliness, because it is in it that man is the most creative. And probably if my life had been different, God wouldn’t be able to use me so well. Consider it in your life, where there is weakness, there is strength, wherever there is death, there is life! And remember, He knows what it means to be only human. Don’t be afraid of this. Don’t be afraid to be only human!
The second thing that touches me just as much about this Word is the second part of the sentence previously considered: “ And the word became flesh and dwelt among us” . Well, in the original, in Greek, it does not say “… he dwelt among us” , but “ set up a tent among us” . If we look at the book of Exodus, in chapter 33 we read that Moses pitched the tent, later called the Tent of Meeting. To this tent, as we read, Moses came to talk to God “face to face, as you talk to a friend” (Ex 33, 11). Which shows that God had a very strong relationship with Moses. God made himself known to Moses. God in Jesus took on our body and pitched the tent because He wanted to have a close, friendly relationship with each of us. Earlier, in the Old Testament, only Moses was the only one who had this honor of talking and communing with God and did not die. Now each of us is called to friendship with God. The veil has been torn and each of us has direct access to the Father, with Jesus being the only mediator. This is what Christianity is all about, a friendly relationship with Christ. Failure to obey commandments or the law. There is only one law here. The law of love of God and one’s neighbor as oneself. Jesus invites each of us to come to Him with everything that happens in our lives (cf. Mt 11:28). He wants us to share our lives with Him. With our cares but also joys! He wants to talk to us. He gives us signs, sacraments and the living Word. He wants communion with us.
Jesus, when he calls Matthew, tells him: “Follow me” (Mt 9,9) , but he comes to help again us the original text. There, Jesus addresses the tax collector with the words: “Accompany me” . And it seems to me that there is a big difference in whether someone tells me, follow me and accompany me. The statement: follow me, I would rather refer to someone who is subordinate to me, a slave, a servant. Someone weaker and lost than me, to whom I have to show the way. The words comrade me, I would rather address to someone I trust very much. And remember that Jesus sees Matthew for the first time! But she already trusts him and recognizes him as a friend! He recognizes him as the one who will cope with the hardships of our common journey. Jesus sees strength in him, he sees him as a partner for dialogue!
Basically, we choose the people we want to be our friends and companions very carefully. It takes a while to get to know the person and decide whether we will be more open to them or not. Usually, we are rather cautious towards other people, and we don’t trust too much right away (and rightly so !!!). And here Jesus sees the visitor for the first time and says to him: Accompany me! Otherwise we would say be my friend! I invite you to business! Together we can do something good! With the words “Accompany me,” Jesus also calls Philip (see Jn 1:43). Peter and Andrew are called with the words “follow me” (Mt 4:19). On the other hand, the authors of the Gospels, both Matthew and John, say that they all began to “accompany” Jesus (see Matthew 4:22, Jn 1:37, 1:40).
And so was the first Society of Jesus. And I think that each of us is called to be a Jesuit, that is, a Companion of Jesus. And I am writing this as a would-be Jesuit. Each of us is called to a deep relationship of friendship with God. Because to each of us, Jesus addresses the words: “Accompany me!”, Be my friend! I want to be with you as you are. For me, you don’t have to change, I love you regardless of your sins, weaknesses or limitations! I want you to share your worries and joys with me. I understand your pain, suffering and loneliness. I know what rejection, exclusion, insults etc. are. I know all of this and I took the sins against you on the cross as well. I am closer to you than it may seem. I want you to be and talk to me so much because I want to be your God. I want to give you happiness and everything necessary for life. I have a plan for your life and I want us to implement it together! Will you join the business?
And you know what’s the biggest scandal in all of this? The greatest scandal is God, begging for a relationship with man! And he is ready to sacrifice his life for that!
Your Wojtas.
Number of views:
3
