Imagine the spectrum of emotion that the Apostles and the rest of Jesus’ followers have gone through; from the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and the Ascension. Jesus is taken from them, returns, and then leaves once again. Through these events, Jesus’ message has been slowly revealed to them and their purpose within it.
But what an overpowering message and responsibility they are given. I would offer that human nature would raise the question: “Where do we start?”, “How are we supposed to accomplish what we have been invited to do?”
Then, they do the natural thing. They gather together in the upper room where they were staying and pray. They seek comfort in the presence of God and find themselves close to Christ being in that same place where he broke bread with them one last time. The very place where He instituted the Eucharist is where they return to. Here, possibly in the same room where Christ instituted the Eucharist, for is states the upper room a phrase of familiarity, is where we start to see the formation of the Early Church: a community gathering together immersed in prayer seeking guidance from God. And when they emerge from the upper room they are no longer the same. They become focused and begin to lay the foundation of their ministry.
Throughout the scriptures we are given a window into the humanness of Jesus’ followers and it is not only through their strength that we are able to learn more about our own faith and spirituality. It is more through their shortfalls and weaknesses that we are able to examine ourselves and our relationship with Christ. Many times, we already know what our obligations are and what we have to do. It is our very nature to look ahead: days, weeks, months, and even years. It is not uncommon to have a roadmap before us; a plan already in place. There are some more meticulous than others and there are those who prefer to “shoot from the hip,” so to speak. We have an intellect that we use to experience life before us. When the plan is followed and things run smooth is when we tend to coast; we get into a pattern and that pattern is very comfortable. Comfortable is good.
It is those times when confronted with adversity that some sort of crisis can arise; where faith can be questioned and doubts can be raised. It is here where we can receive our guidance from the Apostles, those before us who faced the most insurmountable challenges imagined. Being human, they too had their own doubts and felt overburdened by what they had to do. In the end, they brought it to prayer and turned it over to God. This we are encouraged to do. Through prayer we can bring clarity to life and its challenges. The simple act of prayer strengthens our relationship with Christ and has that ability to give all of us the support we need to circumvent obstacles and emerge from crisis all the more easily. It offers clarity and a safe-haven, as did the upper room to the Apostles.
But there is another aspect of prayer that cannot be forgotten. And that is prayers of thanks and appreciation. Through these prayers we can remind ourselves of the wonderful gifts that we have been given in our lives. We cannot ignore all the beautiful and glorious things that we have been given and the opportunities unique where we can seek comfort when we need it and love him because of what he has given us. Paul extols us that when we are troubled and are put to the test in matters of our faith to compare ourselves to the suffering Christ and all the more rejoice and celebrate that same faith. We can also bring this into our everyday life, knowing at all times that Christ is with us and loves us. Learn by his example and follow his example. Avoid the pitfalls and temptations of this world and keep the focus on him and his everlasting glory. Christ being central to our faith must also be central in our lives and the lives of our families. The more we live by the virtues of Christ, the more we will be able to shine forth as an example of the Christian Faith.
Christ taught us to pray by praying. He laid before us his own roadmap and plan for us. He prayed for us to the Father and continues to do so. We pray with him in the mass. Here in the mass we have a wonderful, beautiful liturgy that strengthens our faith with its celebration. The Church asks us to look beyond the Liturgy and see what is behind it. Jesus is present with us in this celebration and is praying amongst us. What a beautiful image that is. And what a wonderful truth. He is with us, immersing us with his love. It is sometimes easily to forget that as we go through the motions, but that is the ultimate truth of our faith: Jesus is here and he is also present in the Eucharist. The opportunity is there to feel him and truly be a part of the liturgy, an active participant, and not just an onlooker. It is all in how we approach it.
As Christ himself says, he is glorified within us. We are personally his in a very special way. That will never change.
Imagine the spectrum of emotion that the Apostles and the rest of Jesus’ followers have gone through; from the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and the Ascension. Jesus is taken from them, returns, and then leaves once again. Through these events, Jesus’ message has been slowly revealed to them and their purpose within it.
But what an overpowering message and responsibility they are given. I would offer that human nature would raise the question: “Where do we start?”, “How are we supposed to accomplish what we have been invited to do?”
Then, they do the natural thing. They gather together in the upper room where they were staying and pray. They seek comfort in the presence of God and find themselves close to Christ being in that same place where he broke bread with them one last time. The very place where He instituted the Eucharist is where they return to. Here, possibly in the same room where Christ instituted the Eucharist, for is states the upper room a phrase of familiarity, is where we start to see the formation of the Early Church: a community gathering together immersed in prayer seeking guidance from God. And when they emerge from the upper room they are no longer the same. They become focused and begin to lay the foundation of their ministry.
Throughout the scriptures we are given a window into the humanness of Jesus’ followers and it is not only through their strength that we are able to learn more about our own faith and spirituality. It is more through their shortfalls and weaknesses that we are able to examine ourselves and our relationship with Christ. Many times, we already know what our obligations are and what we have to do. It is our very nature to look ahead: days, weeks, months, and even years. It is not uncommon to have a roadmap before us; a plan already in place. There are some more meticulous than others and there are those who prefer to “shoot from the hip,” so to speak. We have an intellect that we use to experience life before us. When the plan is followed and things run smooth is when we tend to coast; we get into a pattern and that pattern is very comfortable. Comfortable is good.
It is those times when confronted with adversity that some sort of crisis can arise; where faith can be questioned and doubts can be raised. It is here where we can receive our guidance from the Apostles, those before us who faced the most insurmountable challenges imagined. Being human, they too had their own doubts and felt overburdened by what they had to do. In the end, they brought it to prayer and turned it over to God. This we are encouraged to do. Through prayer we can bring clarity to life and its challenges. The simple act of prayer strengthens our relationship with Christ and has that ability to give all of us the support we need to circumvent obstacles and emerge from crisis all the more easily. It offers clarity and a safe-haven, as did the upper room to the Apostles.
But there is another aspect of prayer that cannot be forgotten. And that is prayers of thanks and appreciation. Through these prayers we can remind ourselves of the wonderful gifts that we have been given in our lives. We cannot ignore all the beautiful and glorious things that we have been given and the opportunities unique where we can seek comfort when we need it and love him because of what he has given us. Paul extols us that when we are troubled and are put to the test in matters of our faith to compare ourselves to the suffering Christ and all the more rejoice and celebrate that same faith. We can also bring this into our everyday life, knowing at all times that Christ is with us and loves us. Learn by his example and follow his example. Avoid the pitfalls and temptations of this world and keep the focus on him and his everlasting glory. Christ being central to our faith must also be central in our lives and the lives of our families. The more we live by the virtues of Christ, the more we will be able to shine forth as an example of the Christian Faith.
Christ taught us to pray by praying. He laid before us his own roadmap and plan for us. He prayed for us to the Father and continues to do so. We pray with him in the mass. Here in the mass we have a wonderful, beautiful liturgy that strengthens our faith with its celebration. The Church asks us to look beyond the Liturgy and see what is behind it. Jesus is present with us in this celebration and is praying amongst us. What a beautiful image that is. And what a wonderful truth. He is with us, immersing us with his love. It is sometimes easily to forget that as we go through the motions, but that is the ultimate truth of our faith: Jesus is here and he is also present in the Eucharist. The opportunity is there to feel him and truly be a part of the liturgy, an active participant, and not just an onlooker. It is all in how we approach it.
As Christ himself says, he is glorified within us. We are personally his in a very special way. That will never change.
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