Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent(Click here for readings)
By FR ALFONSE NAZZARO
Jesus said to the Pharisees: "I am going away and you will look for me, but you will die in your sin. ...You belong to what is below, I belong to what is above. You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world."
Belonging to this world. There is a lot of good in this world. There has to be, for it all comes from God. There is more good than bad; more love than hate; more good people than bad people; more good times than bad times; more laughter than screaming.
Our world comes from an artist, not so much from an architect. Unlike most backyards, in nature there are very few straight lines and right angles, and trimmed trees, bushes and blades of grass. We must admit our world is that of a wild artist, and He and it are remarkable, beautiful!
But we can forget. We can easily forget that the light of the world is other than incandescent; and our world is not virtual but real; and that boundaries and nations do not really exist; and that all the world is a stage.
Yes, we must admit that our fallen human nature has the tendency to simplify or lower everything to its lowest common denominator. "Five easy steps to success." "Seven decisions that determine personal success." "Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens." Etc....
Yep, catchy phrases, simple formulations, easy to remember rules to explain all life experiences. Hence, it is easy for children to grow up thinking that our dogmas and doctrines are what we claim them to be: all that you need to live life and live it to the full.
It's easy to think that life is all about being practical and efficient as a machine, and not magical or beautiful, and wild or variable as a body with a soul.
Belonging to what is above. But even if we were to "get it;" that is, understand all that belongs to this world, we would still be a mess from missing those things that come from above.
There is more to life than just picking it apart to understanding it, and understanding it and living it. There is so much more to life than all of these things! There is what comes from above: love - forgiving and giving; redemption and salvation; humility and beauty.
Now when what comes from above mixes with what comes from below; then we have something amazing: Christ and the Cross.
Love and Sacrifice.
Salvation and Reconciliation.
Humility and Holiness.
Heaven and Earth.
The Lord has transformed the Cross into something magical. It is no longer to be feared but to be embraced out of love for God and neighbor.
The Cross is more powerful than Harry Potters wand. It has the power to forgive the unforgivable, love the unlovable, move the toughest of mountains - the human heart and mind - and convert sinners into saints.
If only we would mix a little heaven with earth to die to our sins, and not in our sins.
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