Potentials

Most blessed are you among women. (Luke 1:42)

Don’t you find it remarkable that God chose to bring about his work of redemption through two unborn children and their mothers? Jesus was still in Mary’s womb, yet in his presence, Elizabeth and her own unborn son, John, were filled with the Holy Spirit. This short but powerful scene gives us a glimpse of the forceful love of God, who is always eager to pour out his life. What a foreshadowing of the glory of the risen Christ, who wants to pour his Spirit on all people!

Elizabeth’s pure and humble response to the work of God in their lives must have brought great comfort to Mary. In Elizabeth, she finally found someone with whom she could share her joy and awe at what was happening within her. Who else at this time could understand the song welling up within Mary’s heart? Rather than being jealous of her younger relative’s exalted position, Elizabeth rejoiced with Mary and embraced her own supportive role. For her part, Mary did not wait for Elizabeth to come to her, but hastened to her side.
While this meeting between Mary and Elizabeth is unique, there is something here that we can all experience.

 As baptized believers, each of us is capable of bearing Christ to the world. If our eyes were opened to the glory of this truth, we too would rejoice and be humbled in the presence of so holy a vessel as a sister or brother in Christ. Even nonbelievers would move us to great reverence because they too are created in God’s image and have just as much potential of being filled with the Holy Spirit. If God has so highly honored human beings this way, how could we fail to show them equal honor?

God used Jesus, even when he was just a fetus in the womb, to pour out divine life. Everyone, no matter how young or old, no matter how strong or weak, has been created as a dwelling place for God. So how can we long for God’s presence and yet disregard him in the people all around us?

“Lord Jesus, just as you opened Elizabeth’s eyes in the presence of Mary, please open my eyes to those who also bear Christ. Help me to honor the potential of each person to be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

taken from wau.org

Join the chorus

He will glorify me. (John 16:14)

Most everyone has a favorite song, but did you ever think of what goes into writing a song? Often it takes more than one person. An idea starts in someone’s head, maybe words or just a melody. But often someone else is needed to complete that idea. And then there are the musicians who provide the accompaniment, not to mention the producer who puts together the final version. Gilbert and Sullivan, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber—these were songwriting teams, not lone superstars.

By analogy, we can think of Jesus in the same way. He has a beautiful, inspiring message that he wants to bring us. But that message doesn’t come from him alone. He works hand in hand with the Father, who is the author of salvation, and the Holy Spirit, who is the breath of God’s love and grace. Jesus is the “Word,” but the one who plays the tune is the Holy Spirit. He works in our hearts to guide us to “all truth,” to the astounding truth that God loves us and has an eternal plan for our lives (John 16:13).

But the Holy Spirit doesn’t play the same melody over and over again. He plays endless variations on a theme. He thrills us with a song about the power of Jesus’ resurrection. He soothes us with a song of mercy. He makes us want to dance to his song of salvation. His love song is fresh and new every day, so we never get tired of hearing it! 

Great music has the power to move hearts, and no music can do that as much as the Spirit’s music. The more we listen to his song, the more we are shaped by it and the more we come to resemble Jesus. It’s not because we are being compelled to act differently; it’s because the Father’s love melts our “stony hearts”—and then we too have a “new song” to sing! (Ezekiel 36:26; Psalm 40:4). So today, try turning off the world’s noise for a few minutes, and listen for what the Spirit is saying, or singing, inside you. But don’t let it stop there. Go ahead, and join the chorus! 

“Holy Spirit, open my heart to hear your music. I give you my cares and anxieties, my past, present, and future. Come, and renew in me the joy of my salvation!” 

from wau.org

Friends

I have called you friends. (John 15:15)

Doesn’t that make your heart skip? Jesus has called you his friend. You aren’t a slave or a subject or a liability. You are a friend, sharing a mutual trust and affection with him. The Son of God has chosen you. He has set his heart on you so that you can bear fruit for his kingdom, fruit that will last.

Lasting fruit—this isn’t an impossible goal, because Jesus, your friend, has given you access to his Father and all the resources of heaven. As a friend, he freely shares his Father’s thoughts and plans with you. And this is precisely what can make you have a lasting effect on the world. Because Jesus has his Father’s permission to give us whatever we ask for in his name, we will always have whatever we need to bear fruit. This is a far cry from slaves fulfilling their master’s whims. It’s a loving collaboration!

The only condition Jesus makes is that we love one another by laying down our lives for each other, just as he did for us (John 15:13).

Now, few of us will end up physically dying for someone else, but that’s not really an obstacle. We all have opportunities to practice self-sacrificing love every day. We can “die” by not insisting on our own ideas in an argument. We can die by doing something as simple as agreeing to watch a television show someone else chooses or by giving up a little bit of our time to get to know a new neighbor. Kids can do it by giving up some computer time to run a load of laundry for tired parents. Maybe we can visit with someone who lives alone or cook a meal for a neighbor who is sick or has a newborn. There is no shortage of ways we can lay down our lives!

The best news is that God will give us whatever strength, kindness, self-control, or patience we need to fulfill this call. We’re friends of his Son, and he is a very generous God. 

“Thank you, Jesus, for calling me your friend. Pour your grace into my heart so that it overflows to those around me today. I trust that you will give me all the resources I need to bear fruit that will last.”

taken from wau.org

Scales off

Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. (Acts 9:18)

Imagine passing a stranger on the street who abruptly stops to talk to you. You try to ignore him and pass him by when he suddenly calls your name. Stunned, you turn and ask him how he knows you. He replies with a name that sounds familiar. You take a closer look at the unfamiliar face and recognize him as an old schoolmate. Those bright, familiar eyes—how could you not have seen it?

Within seconds, that face of a stranger has transformed in your mind into the face of a dear old friend. It’s as if scales have fallen from your eyes, and you recognize the worth of the person inside that unfamiliar exterior. Happy memories and a sense of love flood back to you as your mind goes from general indifference to active interest in the person before you. 

Today’s first reading shows us two people whose hearts suddenly soften. First we see Saul, who has had a vendetta against Christians, being blinded by the Lord. When the scales fall from his eyes, his heart is suddenly opened both to Jesus and to his followers. As a result, he turns his life around dramatically and becomes one of the Church’s greatest apostles. 

Then there is Ananias. He is scared of Saul. He has heard that Saul was trying to capture the Christians. Still, he valiantly trusts God’s word to him and goes to visit him. Luke gives us a moving insight into Ananias’ change of heart when he tells us that Ananias called Saul “my brother” (Acts 9:17). There is no sense of judgment, condemnation, or fear in Ananias’ words. Just the same welcoming acceptance that Jesus has for all of us.

Today, think about one person you are indifferent toward—and not just a stranger on the street but someone at work or in your family whom you’ve never connected with. Look for an opportunity to make some small contact with that person. Take one little step, and see where it leads you. Let God melt your heart. Ask him to help you see everyone as your brother or sister in Christ. After all, that’s how Jesus sees you!

“Here I am, Lord, stumbling toward you. Open my eyes to the dignity of everyone around me. I know that you love them. Help me love them, too.”

from wau.org