“Do You Love Me More than These?”

17 Friday May 2024

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Bible Reflections

Tags

Balance, Bible, Catholic, christian, Faith, Jesus, Jn 21:15-19, Love, Meditation, Mental Prayer, Order, Prayer, Rule of Life

In today’s Gospel, John 21:15-19, Jesus has just appeared to the disciples for the third time and has helped them catch a boat load of fish. He and Peter are sitting around a campfire on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias having a conversation. Jesus asks Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Over the years I’ve read this passage dozens of times and today my attention was not drawn to Jesus asking Peter to feed and tend his lambs and sheep. Today, I am pondering what Jesus means by “these”.

I imagine them sitting there together, and as Jesus asks the question, He is gesturing with His hands. At what are they pointing? Jesus could be pointing at the other disciples and asking if Peter loves Him more than the other disciples love Him. Or, He could be pointing at the other disciples and asking if he loves them more than he loves Him. Or, possibly, he’s pointing at the fish on the grill, the nets, or the boat and asking if Peter, the fisherman, loves those things more than Him.

I know that the Bible is God’s Word, and in it, especially the gospels, He is talking to us. He could be asking Peter for any of those reasons, but what is He asking us today in those questions? In the first possibility, it strikes me that one would have to be extremely judgmental and full of pride to think he/she loves Jesus more than other people love Him, especially one’s own friends. It’s a no-win question, “yes” and “no” are both wrong answers. Somehow I don’t think Jesus would put us in that predicament.

Answering the second option is also tricky. Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as He has loved us. Thus, to say we love one more than the other is, again, a Catch-22 situation, one that Jesus wouldn’t impose on us.

The third option, however, is certainly a possibility! Peter’s worldly life revolved around his boat, nets and the fish he caught. My life, and probably yours, too, is consumed with worldly things that too frequently eat up my time and draw my attention away from my Lord. For the most part, they are good things: work, family, relationships, food, rest, exercise, creating, admiring beauty, etc. They are all good things, either created by God or created from the gifts given to us by God. But, we get too attached to them in a disordered way. We become workaholics and fail to give attention not only to God but to our loved ones; or we neglect our work which then fails to provide the necessities for our families. Physically, we eat too much or too much of the wrong things, we exercise too much or too little. We spend too much time looking at our screens for entertainment rather than admiring what is truly beautiful or creating beautiful things.

Can you imagine yourself in that scene, Jesus asking you that question? Can you see His hands and arms spreading wide at all the stuff that draws your attention away from Him? It’s all good stuff in its own way, but you know you’re way too attached to it. And you know deep inside that it’s wrong, that it causes havoc in your life, that it’s the source of the imbalance and chaos that drives your anxiety and unhappiness. There’s a hole in your life that these things are not filling. It’s a God-sized hole that only God can fill.

How do you correct your course? The answer is creating a personal Rule of Life, that is, identifying the most important things in life and putting them first, ahead of less important things, then determining how much time ought to be spent on each of those things. I have a friend who considers a well ordered and productive life to be like following a recipe to bake a cake – you need the right ingredients (the things), the right amount or proportion of each ingredient, and incorporate them in the right order. Of course, time for Jesus in the form of prayer, especially mental prayer meditating on His Word, needs to be one of those ingredients. How much? Try just 30 minutes a day, preferably first thing in the morning, sitting with Him in silence and solitude, reflecting on His Word, loving Him and letting Him love you. That 30 minutes will change your life.

“Dear Jesus, we both know there are many things that draw me away from You, things that cannot bring the joy that You bring to life. Thank You for helping me create a Rule of Life by which I generally keep all of “these” things in order, and first things first. Yet, I know I often slip-slide. Through my devoted prayer time with You, You give me the grace to correct my bearings when I drift off course. Amen.”

(“Do You Love Me More than These?” was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

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Are You In or Out?

16 Thursday May 2024

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Evangelization, Faith

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Bible, Catholic, christianity, Discipleship, Evangelization, Faith, Fear, Jesus, Jn 16:33, Jn 17:11-19, Trust

It’s Wednesday, May 15th, but I know this won’t get posted until tomorrow. I’m writing this right after my morning meditation on today’s Gospel, John 17:11-19. After Jesus informed his disciples that he is going away (Jn 16) and they will have to take over from Him, He warns them of the trouble they will encounter from the world, but to have courage because He has conquered the world. Now (Jn 17), He prays to God before them to consecrate them to the truth, sends them forth into the world to continue His mission, and prays, “for those who will believe in me through their word”.

As I put myself in that scene as one of the disciples, I feel anxious. I am alarmed and sad that my Messiah, the One I love, is leaving me, and I am fearful because I now have a tremendous responsibility to carry on His mission even though I am hopelessly inadequate. At the same time, I think about all the good He has brought to the world – the miracles, the lessons about right living, the healing, the interior peace – lessons that simply cannot be set aside and forgotten. I have a decision to make: do I just remember Jesus as a friend, teacher, and miracle worker, or do I continue His work, sharing this beautiful life, and help others come to know Him?

I realize that it’s really a no-brainer. Up until now, I’ve just been tagging along on His robe-tail, letting Him do all the work. Now He’s asking me, and trusting in me, to step up and take command. He’s even asked God directly to help me…and I have no reason to believe His prayer won’t be answered no matter how afraid I am. I have never felt more loved than when I’ve been with Him. He has asked me to love others as He has loved me. How can I do otherwise?

My decision: I’m in. I know it won’t be easy but I trust that He will be with me. I’ll make mistakes. I’ll fall occasionally. He told me the world will work against me. I’ll accept that, but I’ll find ways to deal with it and evangelize nevertheless.

What’s your decision? Are you in or out?

“Lord Jesus, thank You for inviting me to a deep relationship with You, and Your trust in me to lead others to You. Thank You for the gifts You give when I receive You in Communion, the gifts of love for others, and of courage and strength to overcome my fear of evangelizing as I bring that love to them. Amen.

(Are You In or Out? was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

If You’re Going to Believe in Everything You Read, then Start with Your Bible

17 Wednesday Feb 2021

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Bible Reflections

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Bible, Leaven of Herod, Leaven of the Pharisees, Lenten resolutions, Mainstream Media, Mark 8:14-21, Turn off your television

Last week I drove by the United Methodist Church in our town of Lebanon, Ohio and saw on their marquee this thought provoking quip, “If you’re going to believe in everything you read, then start with your Bible.” I thought at the time how it has become almost impossible to believe anything one reads or hears. The mainstream media distorts the truth to fit their agenda, and social media is filled with half-truths and opinions making it difficult to know what is reality. And, I agreed that the safest place one can go to read the truth and preserve one’s intellect is the Bible.

I thought about this again when I read today’s Gospel passage, Mark 8:14-21, where Jesus tells his disciples, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” I know I’ve read this passage many times before but I was always like the disciples, not understanding Jesus’ intent. Today, I think I grasped His meaning.

Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.
Mark 8:15

Leaven, or yeast, is added to flour and water to make bread rise. Without it, you get flatbread. But, flatbread is still bread, unadulterated bread. The leaven is a change agent that adds air to the dough without adding any nutritional value, yet makes the bread look more attractive, and imparts a pleasing and desirable flavor.

The Pharisees, who were the religious component of authority in Jesus’ time, added their “leaven” of man-made laws which camouflaged God’s commandments, making them secondary. Herod, the Roman political component of authority, demanded that the Roman laws, his “leaven”, also supersede God’s laws so that he and his government would remain in power. Although the Jews were oppressed by the Romans, they also depended on them for their security.

We have a similar set up in our culture today. The modern day pharisees preach love of self over love of God (individualism), love of things before love of God (materialism), love of disordered pleasure over morality (hedonism), and that we can make up our own truth and disregard the truths of human nature given to us by God (relativism). Our society seems to have accustomed itself to depending on our government, our own Herod, for all its needs, placing our political leaders on a pedestal higher than God, which is right where they want to be. Together, the two are like the right and left hands of a marionette in a puppet show being orchestrated by Satan himself, the puppet master.

And, our mainstream media is narrating the entire production, telling us what to believe, who to believe, and how we should and should not act. It’s not just the news sources but also television shows billed as family entertainment, movies whose producers are coerced to present non-Christian content in hopes of receiving industry recognition, music that promotes every sort of immoral decadency, literature that entices us to believe that fantasy is preferential over reality, and declares pornography to be an art form.

And we wonder why our world is a mess. We have dug our hole deep and it’s caving in on us. The only way to dig ourselves out is to turn back to God and live by His commandments instead of the perverted norms of our society. We must adore God more than we do our political leaders and more than we do those who promote immorality.

How might you do this? For starters, turn off your television. Ask yourself if the information you glean from a news broadcast makes a positive difference in your life or does it simply cause anxiety, fear, and mistrust. Decide if watching that sitcom you’re addicted to is making you a better person. Do you really want to support Netflix or HBO or any of the other media sources by watching a not-so-bad movie yet knowing that their real appeal is in their “racier” offerings? Consider whether watching a televised sporting event is going to make a difference in your life, or could you be spending that couple hours building relationships with your spouse or children. The media knows we are weak. They know we will gravitate to what feels good over what is good. You can be stronger than they are.

Impossible you ask? It’s not. This month marks the thirty-fourth year my wife and I have not watched television. We have a television but it is only used to watch a handful of movies in a year. Spending time together in conversation, playing games, praying together, taking walks together and other mutual activities are much more rewarding. Our children grew up without television. Instead of parking them in front of the television as children we played with them, read books to them, helped them with homework, provided opportunities for creativity. In other words, we were present in their lives. It made a difference. I’m not pridefully patting myself on the back, just hoping to be an inspiration to you by giving an example that it can be done. Think about it.

The same goes for every other type of entertainment including books and music. Ask yourself if that which you are reading or listening to feeds your intellect with the truth of reality. Ask whether it is good or not. By good I mean that it not only brings you satisfaction but makes you a better person, whether it fulfills the purpose for which you were designed by God. We are only truly happy when both conditions are met. You can find that happiness in the Bible.

As I write this it is Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, the eve of Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. If you’re looking for something to “give up” for Lent, or wondering how you might grow closer to Christ in this season, consider fasting from television and replace it with reading Scripture, building relationships with God through prayer and with your family, friends and neighbors. I guarantee you will reap more rewards than by giving up chocolate.

Since television is not an issue for me, my lenten resolution is to fast from FaceBook completely. I venture there mostly to see pictures my daughters might have posted of my grandchildren. But, while looking for those, I easily become distracted by all the other addicting content that steals my time, and which may or may not be believable. I would much prefer reading the One Book that is believable because I know it is truth, letting it make me a better person, and then going out and practicing what I’ve learned.

I pray that each and every one of you grows closer to our Lord this Lenten season.

“Heavenly Father, You made us for more than we have become. Help me and all Your faithful during this Lenten season love You more and grow closer to You through prayer, as well as building loving relationships with our family, friends and neighbors. Amen.”

(If You’re Going to Believe Everything You Read, then Start with Your Bible was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)