Jesus Who Came to Change the World

 God’s people were a desert people.  Abraham started them off in a pasture, Moses made a covenant in the desert.  In fact, every time they got out of the desert they seemed to get into trouble. 
 
       The Church has been generally faithful to its desert tradition.  This is seen most radically in its early hermits, and later in its monks and nuns, and for everybody else during the season of Lent.  
 
       We need a yearly Lent because the sign of the cross gets fragmented as we pursue our different goals during the year.  There is always the temptation to chop the cross into manageable pieces and play Scrabble with them.  However,
that is only a word game. Religion that is not actually experienced is just table talk!    
 
       Like Abram, like the Pharisees in the Gospels, we sometimes tend to honor the practices and traditions of our faith while failing to grasp the deeper meanings expressed in those traditions.  The Christmas decorations and shopping displaces the profound mystery of God’s Word becoming human.  We reverently receive the Eucharist every Sunday, but becoming the Christ we have received is the furthest thing from our minds on Monday through Saturday.  
 
       Unfortunately, religion often becomes a series of social milestones, and acknowledging our faith is relegated to certain major holidays.  However, we must begin to realize that rituals and prayer formulas mean very little unless they truly express the faith of our spirits in the God who is the Author of love! Also, our rituals mean very little unless they also express our gratitude to the God who is the upholder of life!  
 
       Jesus came, and continues to come, to re-infuse our dusty legalisms and empty rituals of the Mosaic Law with a spirit of love and thanksgiving for all that God has done for us, and promises to do for us.  Jesus also urges us to live to the fullest those moments in which he is present in the love of others.  We must continue to cherish those experiences in which the ―Bridegroom,‖ Christ, is with us in times of joy, discovery and wonder.  This week, allow yourself to become really attuned to the voice of God within you when he calls you to attend to him!  During Lent, which begins on Wednesday, you might want to read Lule’s Gospel and try looking for the Jesus who came to change the world and you.