Be Contemplatives in Action
(Acts 20:28-38; Ps 68;Jn 17:11b-19)
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Some see Richard Rohr as a modern-day prophet, whose career spans founding the New Jerusalem community, recording a ground breaking Great Themes of Scripture, delving into Male and Female Spirituality, an expert on the Enneagram and finally founding a Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
His work contributes to the message from the readings today: Balance contemplation and action.
In the readings, Paul and Jesus continue their farewells, like the words of a dying person that we should pay attention to.
Paul has a focus on contemplation as source of our ministry, including his conversion paradigm shift and his single-minded focus on prayer. He encourages us to stay alert, watchful, focused on the grace that builds and fulfills. Then we are to move into action and support the weak.
Jesus for his part has a focus on contemplation and relationship as source of our ministry. He extends an invitation to communion in prayer with him and the father. He stresses unity and community among the disciples, then sends them into the world as he was sent into the world with John 20:19-23 as a mandate. We now share the mission of Jesus to redeem and sanctify the world. We do that through forgiveness and healing; teaching it and living it in our lives. The result will be growth in the kingdom of God among us: peace, joy and justice of the Holy Spirit.
John had suffered for years working under a racist boss who tried every trick in the book to get him fired, just because he was Indigenous. On the way to a Cursillo weekend (a short course on Christianity), John started to get second thoughts, and headed south to another city instead. Just then the song, “The Old Rugged Cross” came on the radio, and for some reason, John started to cry. The song touched his heart, and he decided to turn back and go to the Cursillo after all. There, he learned all about forgiveness, and thought about his racist boss who for eight years had tried to make life miserable for him and kept looking for a way to fire him. When he got home, he phoned his boss, thanked him for making life miserable for him, and told him he forgave him. His boss was silent and didn’t even say a word, but the next Sunday, he was in church for the first time in years.
The Eucharist is an experience of God’s forgiveness and healing power through Jesus; it missions us to go out and serve our brothers and sisters.
So, let us balance contemplation and action in our lives, and be joyful instruments of God’s forgiveness and healing for the world.
In this world is full of joy, happiness, peace , mercy and unconditional love which is having a mind of consolations and desolations . The society that we live in is full of positive things and negative things. There is bad things happening if we wish not to follow God the Father and believe in him as he is the creator. If we learn to know that God can change disasters into pleasant joy and sanctify the world with balance contemplation. God is the one who can save us from any sins we intend to commit and heal us from any problems we have. He sends his son Jesus to complete this task and appear to his disciples to the same thing . At last, he wants us to complete his task in living it out , teaching it and healing people and forgiving people all the time . Amen Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
Well thanks Bishop Lavoie on how to balance contemplation and actions in our lives. We needed to hear this message all the time, double thanks for the teachings and lessons we need to learn in this world. Bravo! Gracias !
God is the only one who can heal the entire world and forgive us for our sins by working his power through us. We are joyful instruments of God , as long as we keep his word. Amen