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Online GivingThe second reading this week from Revelation gives us a picture of the new Jerusalem as a sign of the power and majesty of God. Gleaming with precious stones, a massive high wall with twelve gates, it is illuminated not by the sun but by the glory of God. Yet the other two readings seem to describe a humble God who wishes “not to place on you any burden beyond necessity” (Acts 15:28), and Jesus in the Gospel tells his disciples that “the holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you” (John 14:26). This gentleness reminds me of an icon by the Russian monk Andrei Rublev that depicts the Trinity as three angels bowing in deference to each other. This humility may be what moved Jesus to say that “the Father is greater than I” (John 14:28). It is certainly a unique way of understanding God.
I used to think of free will as God’s way of testing our worthiness for the kingdom of heaven. But it is more likely part of that same humility, God not being forced on us. While we are given ways to know God, especially through the scriptures and the witness of those who went before us in faith, God leaves us free to believe or not, to love God or not. When the Father sent his Son to show us his love, he sent us a tiny baby, born in a stable, not a mighty warrior leading an army. When Jesus rose from the dead on Easter, he appeared not in triumph to strike down Herod and those who had put him to death, but quietly to a handful of disciples who already believed in him.
So, does this mean God leaves us on our own to get through life? No, God gives us the Holy Spirit to teach and remind us of all that Jesus said. That “reminding” is an important way the Spirit helps us today. You may have spent years in religion classes or the faith formation process. When you need an answer to life’s questions, the Spirit may remind you of something you heard from a teacher or read in the scriptures. As you pray over that question, the Spirit may help you understand how the scripture applies to you. So, the more you read the Bible, the more likely that the Spirit will have something of which to remind you. -Tom Schmidt, Diocesan Publications
TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION
Why is it still Easter? The lilies have long since faded. The roots of our tradition of fifty days of rejoicing from Easter to Pentecost lie in the seven-day rhythm of the Jewish week, drawn from the six days of creation plus a Sabbath day. A favorite name for the Lord’s Day among our ancestors in the faith was “The Eighth Day,” meaning that in Christ a breakthrough to a new humanity was achieved. With that inner architecture, it makes sense to see Pentecost as a week of weeks, forty-nine days plus one, again signaling that a new age has begun in Christ and the outpouring of his Spirit. The Jewish appreciation for Pentecost gave rise to the Jubilee year, the fiftieth year, when debts were released and prisoners set free. Today, the character of our Easter Sundays is conveyed by joyful Alleluias. Long ago, people expressed this joy by suspending all rules of fasting and by never kneeling at liturgy.
These customs all point to our conviction that time is holy. There is an elegant balance to the Christian year: forty days of Lenten fast and discipline give way to fifty days of unrestrained rejoicing. That’s why it is still Easter!
—James Field, Diocesan Publications
