Deacon Anne Strong

Luke 22: 39-53

My dear sisters and brothers,

What would happen if we take the words of the Gospels seriously? Would we realize that we cannot sit in Church and passively wait ? That outreach is paradigmatic to the Way of Jesus? Would we know that the ability to quote and analyze scripture or to reach for church prestige is not and should not be the goal? We are called hypocrites why? Because we do not “ practice what we read or preach!

The  Gospel of Luke tells us to leave “everything” and follow Christ. It is an example of God loving us first…a blessing and what are we to do with blessings? SHARE
them with joy!

How quickly I can lose myself to a tiny vision..proving that the balance of human and Divine within me is delicate. I believe that what counts above all is “faith working through love” Gal. 5:6…works of love directed toward one’s neighbor… servitude. I “wallpaper my heart” with love letters like Psalm 139 and my collection of experiences of awe and wonder.

The commandments exhort us not to kill or commit adultery. Might this extend to exclusion and inequality? Rather than the powerful feeding upon the powerless?

Jesus teaches that money must serve, not rule. Outreach and Pastoral activity need to exemplify our relationship with God, which encourages oneness and communion; we ought to bear one another’s burdens.

Jesus warns us to live in and with joy. Where do we find this? How do we build our own “Holy of Holies?”

-Receive by giving
-Humility..first shall be last
-Understand our weakness is our strength
-Rule by serving

The gospels are also examples of Jesus’s need to talk with His Father through prayer; it is as necessary as breathing. Prayer enables us to find Jesus in the face of others,
even when we are unjustly attacked or met with ingratitude.

“Do NOT be overcome by evil, overcome evil with good.” Let us not be robbed of fraternal love. An open heart filled with joy enables us to be a spring gushing forth, refreshing ALL.

I think we are being asked to live in intimacy with the mystery of Jesus Christ.

A grateful Amen,

—Deacon Anne