WATCHWORD:
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9
Meditation:
(NOTE – I wrote the following essay on Friday, February 28, 2014, almost nine years ago. Some might read into this something political, but they would be wrong. When I posted this in 2014, I got some feedback, including one that claimed I had “misquoted Paul”, to which I replied that I wasn’t quoting Paul, I was speaking to disciples of Christ. In today’s hurting world, it seems appropriate to, once again, speak to us, the disciples of Christ.)
Whatever is Untrue
Whatever is untrue, whatever is unholy, whatever is unjust, whatever is ugly, whatever is of ill repute, whatever is vicious, whatever is cowardly, whatever is unfair…write of these things, speak of these things, think of these things, instill in the minds of others all these things.
These seem to be the watchwords or lexicon or stocks in trade of the media, of our social landscape, of stresses between peoples. Discrimination, racism, sexism, and all the other “ism”s that subtly, and not so subtly, work their way into our awareness and cling to narrow and literal definitions of “Christian”, while forsaking the core of Christianity – love. (When people say that they are “terrified” for the future, there is something desperately wrong.)
How can this be a foundation for a better world? Whatever happened to Paul’s admonishment to think and act on what is noble, what is right, what is true? How can we celebrate the goodness of God’s creation if our minds are filled with ideology, thoughts and images of areas of our world that WE have made ugly?
I read again the prayer of St. Francis, and wonder if in this environment one can survive being an “instrument of God’s peace”? Is it possible for truth to overcome error and falsehood, and hope and joy overcome despair and sadness?
The answer is YES! It is always yes. Our doubt is dispelled through faith. When we pardon, we are pardoned. When we love others, we are loved. When we forgive, we are forgiven, and when we seek to understand, we are understood.
Here is the rub: We pardon. We love. We forgive. We seek to understand. These are things we do as disciples of Christ, that we, individually, initiate, that we actively do.
When we pardon, love, forgive, seek to understand others and it is not returned…what then?
Paul has an answer for that: Do not dwell on that, only on what is right and what is true. Love is powerful, pass it on. Be at peace, pass it on. Amen.
The Prayer of St. Francis:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
