November 2014
Christian Light 2014
We all want something for nothing and when it comes to Christians we make no exceptions. Dietrich Bonhoeffer used the term cheap grace and it fits nicely. We all want forgiveness and salvation but we want it to come in convenient packages – in other words to come cheaply without too heavy a price
If we are to take the New Testament seriously and follow what it asks us to do we are going to have to reconsider how we live our lives. It has been said the poor would not be with us if we all followed and did what Christianity asks of us. Obviously, that is not the case.
This needs some elaboration and discussion since we know the example that Jesus left for us to follow on Calvary isn’t what most of us have in mind. If there is one thing that distinguishes the saints from the rest of us is that they take the message of Calvary seriously and follow it. That’s what makes them saints. Where does that leave the rest of us?
Somewhere in our evolution to modern Christianity, the rules didn’t change, but how we chose to define the rules, did. And that is where the trouble starts. Somehow reciting and proclaiming dogma replaced following the Cross.
To be fair, I am sure that from the beginning, most Christians did not completely embrace the fullness of grace they were given. It was there for the taking. The catch was, of course, to let it happen and evolve to the destiny you were to follow regardless of where it required you to go. For most of us this required courage beyond human understanding since it would lead to our personal Calvary.
Each person’s Calvary may be different, and certainly they do not all lead to martyrdom. That fact does not make it any easier. The embracing of our personal Calvary means facing situations that may be beyond our ability to endure. That is where faith, love and grace begin to flower within each of us if we travel the road we are meant to take.
However, while most of us will not face martyrdom, we all face the need to embrace the sacrifice we are asked to make. For each of us this requires accepting without condition the fullness of love for Jesus and what he stands for. Christianity is not a reasonable religion. It calls for great personal sacrifice and willingness to accept in faith the path your belief demands.
And what better example do we have than the life of Jesus. As He realized the totality of whom he was and what he was asked to do, even He could not accept initially the agony of sacrificing himself. While alone in the garden, in those excruciating moments, as He began to understand what was about to happen and the personal agony He would endure, the agony became unbearable. And to make it worse, a loving father was asking him to accept his destiny not only without resistance but to accept it with the fullness of love and understanding.
From the readings in the New Testament, you can feel the final acceptance that Jesus commits himself to, and with that acceptance the embracing of the unconditional love for His father, and the belief that his father would always be there beside him. This is truly one of the most remarkable moments in Christian history.
We are not all asked to be Jesus, or are we? It is easy to water down the Christian commitment by allowing ourselves to believe that what Jesus was asked to do and sacrifice was unique to Him. Certainly, He is the “Cosmic Christ” and we are not. But does that allow us to make our commitment any less?
This is the question each of must face and eventually answer. Without prayer, love and faith, the answer will always elude us.
Brother Franco, commenting for the Pizzaonian Monasteries, Pizzaonia
We also recommend GiovanniandFranco.com
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