hour had not
Posted on

His Hour Had Not Yet Come

His hour had not yet come.  The “Jews”( codeword in the Gospel of John for that subset of Jewish people who opposed Jesus), were out to get Jesus.  They wanted to kill him, to wipe him from the face of the earth, to put an end once and for all to this one who was obnoxious to them.  Our reading from the Book of Wisdom reveals harshly to us the mind of those who wish to kill God’s Just One.  Wisdom also tells us that those who do so think themselves able to put God to the test, able to thwart the plans of God.

His hour had not yet come.  They had tried to arrest him, they had forced Jesus to move about in a hidden way.  And yet he was still recognized, the people still knew who this Just One was and that he is the Christ.  What would someone have thought who was there, who saw Jesus in Jerusalem for the feast of Tabernacles?  He was not, at least for the moment, teaching on the mountaintop or in the Temple, but he was still clearly the Christ, the one sent by the Father.

His hour had not yet come.  The Jewish authorities, those who opposed Jesus, thought that they were in charge.  This pattern had repeated itself many times: a prophet arises, a bunch of desperate people follow him, the prophet is killed, the story ends.  In the minds of those in charge, Jesus was nothing more than another instance of this story, and they were in charge of the ending.  Time to take charge and end the story.

His hour had not yet come.  Even the people had doubts about Jesus.  “But we know where he is from.  When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”  The Christ is supposed to be unknown to them, someone with an enigmatic history and a story that does not look like the story of our lives.  Somehow or other the Christ, the anointed one of God, the savior, is supposed to be drastically different than the rest of us, a Superman figure.  But they know that Jesus is from Nazareth, and that he is the son of Joseph and Mary.  This must rule him out.

His hour had not yet come.  Jesus reminds us that God is in charge.  The will of the Father will not be thwarted, will not be undone.  Nor will the plan of God bend to the ordinary rules of human engagement: politics and power and expectation.  In the plan of God, Jesus was not supposed to be arrested yet, he was not supposed to die yet.  And so he did not.  Perhaps the story really is that simple: God has not willed it, it has not happened.  Period.

His hour had not yet come.  What happens when his “hour” does come?  What then?  Is God still the one in charge?  Or does he cede control to someone or something else?  Is the plan of God still moving forward at that “hour”?  No one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come.  Soon enough, they will lay a hand upon him, and much more than that.

Yet I did not come on my own.  Jesus was – is – sent by the Father do to the will of the Father.  Nothing more, nothing less.  The will of the Father is that he die on the cross and rise to new life to save our lives.  And nothing, no one, will stop him.

 

time had not yet comeFr. Scott Nolan is a priest of the Diocese of Grand Rapids and serving as the Pastor of St. Stephen Parish in East Grand Rapids, MI.

potter
Posted on

Clay In The Hands Of The Potter

In today’s Mass readings, we have a beautiful passage from the book of Jeremiah:

This word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
Rise up, be off to the potter’s house;
there I will give you my message.
I went down to the potter’s house and there he was,
working at the wheel.
Whenever the object of clay which he was making
turned out badly in his hand,
he tried again,
making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased.
Then the word of the LORD came to me:
Can I not do to you, house of Israel,
as this potter has done? says the LORD.
Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter,
so are you in my hand, house of Israel.

What a rich image! In our mind’s eye, we see the artist: molding and shaping the clay, over and over. He is not frustrated when the clay does not conform to his will; he simply begins again, working with the clay until he is pleased.

The prophet Jeremiah likens this to God and His relationship to the nation of Israel, His chosen people. Remember, Israel was not easy to work with. The Old Testament is filled with images of Israel complaining as they wander in the desert (despite being led out of Egyptian slavery by God), their turning to false gods, rebelling against His word, even going so far as describing Israel as an unfaithful harlot. Yet the potter simply begins again, his wheel spinning, his hands working the clay.

We can apply this image in other ways. How often do we have a project or a prayerful desire that we work at creating? How often do we become impatient, even angry, when that situation goes sideways, like a lump of clay on the potter’s wheel, spinning out of control at our fingertips? We cry out to God, “Why are You not helping me here? I’ve been at this for a long time, and it’s still not turning out the way I want?” Rather than following the calm, gentle example of God, we become unnerved, ready to give up. Yet God never gives up on us.

Each of us can look back on our lives and see the hand of God at work. Perhaps you can even see where you had prayed desperately for one outcome, only to have something entirely different take place. In hindsight, you see that God’s plan was so much greater than yours. There are times when we may be angry at God, blaming Him for turmoil and difficulties in our lives. Yet, like the potter at his wheel, God is tranquil yet persistent in molding us. And if we allow ourselves to be fashioned, formed, pliant to His will, we become a master creation.

It is always good to ask ourselves, “Am I trying to please God or myself? Am I seeking His will or mine?” Let us be the object of His will, shaped and formed in the hands of the Creator of all good things.

nun
Posted on

Pray Like A Nun

Really, the title of this post should be “Pray Like A Nun or A Sister.” There is a difference, even though we Catholics typically use the words interchangeably. A nun lives a monastic life, usually cloistered – away from the world. She spends her day in prayer and work behind the walls of the monastery, where there is little contact with the “outside.”

A sister lives in community with her fellow sisters, but they live in the world. There are sisters who teach, who are nurses, social workers, counselors, midwives, and on and on. Their lives are meant to be active: to be a sign of Christ in our world. (For a complete and excellent explanation, see here.)

Now, back to “Pray Like A Nun.” No, we are not suggesting that you formally pray six times a day while still doing your job (but wouldn’t it be great if we all did?) However, nuns can certainly teach us a thing or two about prayer.

For instance, St. Catherine of Siena: You, eternal Trinity, are a deep sea. The more I enter you, the more I discover, and the more I discover, the more I seek you. Perhaps before or after Mass, you can spend just a few minutes in prayer to the Holy Trinity.

Then there is St. Therese’ of Lisieux: Do you realize that Jesus is there is the tabernacle expressly for you – for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart…” Wow! Make sure your time spent before the tabernacle and during Mass truly focuses on Jesus and His immense love for you.

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross: Let go of your plans. The first hour of your morning belongs to God. Tackle the day’s work that he charges you with, and he will give you the power to accomplish it. How many of us start our day without a thought to God? Before our feet hit the floor in the morning, we should lift our hearts and minds to God.

Mother Angelica:  We need to be attuned to the Will of God so that we only ask for the things He desires, then you will get all you ask. It has been said that the phrase from the Lord’s Prayer, “thy will be done,” is the perfect prayer. Are we praying that with sincerity of heart and mind and will?

We’ve all heard Catholic school stories where Sister hit everyone with a ruler or made the same kid stay after school to clean erasers because he forget his homework every day. Nuns and sisters are not icons of days gone by, or the butt of jokes and stories. These holy women, dedicated to Christ, have a lot to teach us. Are we listening?