DEACON TOM ANTHONY

Sunday, May 5, 2013



The Last Supper Discourses in the Gospel of John is a personal moment between Jesus and his disciples. It is the last time he sat with his inner circle and spoke with them before his Passion. It was an intimate moment between friends; sort of a final instruction. The disciples were confused, afraid, and troubled. Jesus, in his humanness, was also preparing himself for his impending suffering. Through it we too can encounter that human Jesus which is so necessary to develop our relationship with him so we can experience a transformation in our own lives. There is a challenge of sorts presented in the words, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” These commandments come directly from the Father and are the ones that offer a blueprint for our own lives. If we truly believe that God is the Father and Christ is the Son, then we are obligated as Christians to follow them to the best of our abilities. They become a starting point in our own journey of faith and dictate how we should conduct ourselves in this confusing world which sends us mixed messages and proclaims that nothing is ever black and white.

Life is indeed hard. There are expectations that we put on ourselves and others that are set by other people that are sometimes beyond our control. With all the challenges and obstacles put forth it is very easy to become lost or confused. That is when bad things can easily happen. To avoid this, Christ must always be the central focus. Through him our relationship and understanding can develop in regards to who we truly are and how important we are in relation to this wonderful creation around us. We are a part of this creation and a part of God's Divine Plan. Each one of us are important and have the ability to make a wonderful difference in this world around us. In fact, we are commissioned to do so. That is what God wants us to do: live our lives to its fullest through him and with him; always with the realization that he is with us.

These commandments are not to be followed through obligation. They are to be followed with the Greatest Commandment in mind:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Because God is speaking through the prophets and Jesus is God, we must reflect on this constantly. Love is the key to everything. The commandments and instructions of Jesus should be followed because we want to; not because we have to. It should be a true reaction to his love. To know God is to love God. We all have a longing to be loved. We are communal creatures by nature and our every interaction dictates who we are and how we behave. Perfection in our lives and true happiness lies in our ability to love and be loved. This all leads back to the Creator. We were created because he loves us. We are his children; members of his Royal Priesthood. With that we are invited to claim our birthright and react to his call of love. What an opportunity for us all to be truly happy. Happiness lies in a life with God. Everything takes on a new meaning. We can reflect back to the Gospel of John when Andrew and John began to follow Jesus after he was proclaimed the Lamb of God by John the Baptist. He turned to them them and said, “What are you looking for?” Christ is asking all of us that very same question. “What are we looking for?” Are we to concentrate completely on the material things around us or are we going to nourish our spirituality through Sacred Scripture and exercising our faith? We cannot ignore or take for granted that we are spiritual beings that must continually focus on God through our actions and our faith life. This is so important to achieve complete happiness.

This is something that is oftentimes overlooked as we are face constant and difficult choices between our faith and the demands of everyday life. But it must be remembered that each can coexist in complete harmony with the other. And that is the key. Even the most repetitious and menial task can be completed with Christ in our heart, mind, and soul. Through him we are unified with our Father. We are eternally bound together never to be ripped apart except when we choose to do so. And when we do so, there can be drastic consequences. You see, when we sin, we are actually turning away from God. It is a deliberate act.

There is a constant theme that I speak about in Prison Ministry: There is no Recovery without Christ. You can try as hard as you can to do right and not repeat the actions of the past that have led to self-destruction, but you will fail if you do not recognize why you want to do good: for yourself and to be complete by recognizing why you are here. Because of the love of God. The message is the same for all of us: recognize God and his love. For he so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. It begins and ends with love.

Through this recognition of our creator we can then be able to surrender to his will. All of our troubles and tribulations can be given to him and we can experience it with him. He will never abandon us. He is always with us. In the end, everything will be okay. That is when we can truly feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, the Love of God in action. We must be susceptible to it in order to receive it. When we then feel the presence of his love, we will want to feel it more. This is when God starts to shape us like an earthen vessel into what he wants us to be. If we resist this, we become hardened and brittle like dried clay.

We must ask ourselves: do we want our hearts to be hardened and brittle or do we want to be nourished by the Living Water of Our Lord Jesus Christ and slowly be shape and formed by him so that we may experience his eternal love. The Holy Spirit can indeed move us and lift us up to the greatest heights. Only if we permit it.

Deacon Tom


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