Providing Soul Space

It is significant that in many of the encounters the risen Jesus had with people he offered them the gift of peace.  “Peace be with you,” was the way he usually greeted them.  After the death of Jesus many of his followers were anxious, some were frightened, others were feeling guilty.  They all needed the gift of peace.

Peace is indeed a precious gift; peace within families, peace between rivals, peace among nations, peace in the heart.  Perhaps the most important peace of all is peace in the heart.  If we have peace within ourselves then it will be easier for us to live in peace with others.  To be described as a peaceful person is one of the best compliments we can receive.

What is it that enables us to experience the peace offered by the risen Jesus?  I would like to suggest two things.  The first is forgiveness.  When we know that we are forgiven for our failures and the hurt we cause, we experience an inner peace.  This forgiveness can be received from members of our families, from our friends, from our work colleagues, from our neighbours.  It can also be received from Jesus himself.  Indeed, the forgiveness we receive from Jesus seems to bring a special kind of peace, a peace the world cannot give.  Of course there is no lasting peace unless we are also willing to offer forgiveness to the people who have hurt us and let us down.  To forgive is just as important as to be forgiven.  If we are not prepared to let go of the anger and resentment we carry within us our hearts will not be at peace. Forgiveness is an important part of letting go.

The second thing that creates inner peace is surrender.  Surrender is only possible if we know there is a powerful and caring presence in our lives that we can trust.  Jesus constantly assures us that his Father is this powerful caring presence.   In the resurrection of Jesus, God has taken control of our world and of our individual lives. God is with us, guiding us, caring for us, protecting us.  God is on our side and will not allow evil to overwhelm us.  Surrender to God does not come easy or natural to human beings, but when we are able to do it we feel safe and secure.  Surrender certainly helps us to experience the peace for which we long.

Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead on that first Easter Sunday.  He broke the chains of death and rose to a new way of living and loving beyond our wildest imagining.  The resurrection was an earth shattering event, the most important event in human history and it has many implications for us and for the way we live our lives.

One implication of the resurrection is the fact that Jesus is still with us.  The presence and power of the risen Jesus permeate our lives.  You see, as a consequence of the resurrection Jesus is no longer limited by time and space.  He is present to us and with us at every moment of every day.  He is the invisible companion of our life’s journey.  We do not have to wait for heaven to experience the friendship of Jesus or the healing of Jesus or the peace of Jesus or the joy of Jesus.  These things are already available to us.  The risen Jesus is working in our lives.  He is involved with us here and now.

A second implication of the resurrection has to do with the mission of Jesus.  The resurrection was a vindication of the way Jesus lived his life.  It was a confirmation of the values Jesus practised, preached and died for.  The way of Jesus works. When Jesus was nailed to the cross on Good Friday it seemed as if his mission was a failure, that he was a dreamer who offered the world an unrealistic vision of happiness.  His resurrection changed this. It transformed it.  Jesus was no dreamer.  His values of justice and compassion and service and humility and forgiveness are in fact the only values that work.  His values are the values that make the world a better place and that bring us personal fulfilment.  The resurrection of Jesus was proof that love is stronger than hate, goodness is greater than evil and life is more powerful than death. 

Of course another implication of the resurrection is that our death is not the end.  What happened to Jesus on Easter Sunday will happen to us.  We will share in the risen life of Jesus when we die.  Because of the resurrection of Jesus we have a life to look forward to beyond the grave.  Because of the resurrection of Jesus a new world will be opened up to us on the other side of death.  Because Jesus rose from the dead the place we call heaven is our destiny, our destination, our future home.  Indeed, in the words of St Paul, it is our true home.  For those who believe in Jesus and in the power of his resurrection the future is bright because the best is yet to come. 

The experience of suffering is common to all of us. No one goes through life without bearing the weight of the cross.  As Christians we believe that the burden of the cross is shared by Jesus.  During the last few days of his life Jesus came to know the pain of suffering in its many forms and with great intensity.

Throughout his trial and crucifixion Jesus endured terrible physical pain.  His body was torn apart by scourging, thorns, nails and the weight of the cross.  The strain on his limbs while he hung on the cross must have been immense.  Hundreds of years earlier a psalmist had foretold the experience of the suffering servant when he wrote, “All my body is sick, spent and utterly crushed.”  Crucifixion was indeed a cruel form of torture and death, the most shameful in the ancient world.

Then there was the emotional suffering.  For those last days of his life Jesus must have felt rejected and abandoned.  The very people he had come to help, those he had served tirelessly and patiently, now turned their backs on him.  The same crowds who had hailed him as king on Palm Sunday now acted as if they did not know him or want anything to do with him. In the words of the Prophet Isaiah, “He was rejected and despised by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Is.53:3).

The experience of rejection brings with it the pain of loneliness.  For Jesus, this loneliness was intense because even his closest friends deserted him. Yes, his own group of companions, the ones who lived with him, eat with him, travelled the roads with him, witnessed his miracles, heard his stories and shared his most intimate secrets abandoned, betrayed and denied him.  On the night of his arrest Jesus was left completely alone without human support and comfort.

For Jesus, as indeed for many of the saints who came after him, the most intense form of suffering was surely darkness of spirit.  It is the suffering experienced by the psalmist who prayed, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? You are far from my plea and the cry of my distress.”  To describe this form of suffering is difficult.  It is an inner darkness which comes over the mind and heart leaving them without any sense of the presence of God or of consolation.  St John of the Cross, the Carmelite mystic, called it, ‘the dark night of the spirit.’  Whatever way we attempt to describe this experience, it is certain that trust in God is all there is left to hold on to.

The ways Jesus suffered are no different to ours. Holy Week offers us an opportunity to unite our sufferings with his and to draw inspiration and strength from his example.

Following Jesus is a demanding business especially if we are to take it seriously.  It involves taking the road to Jerusalem, along with Jesus himself.  Jerusalem is the city where Jesus suffered, died and rose to new life.  It is a place of sacrifice and reward, of pain and joy, of failure and triumph, of agony and ecstasy.  It represents the Christian life.  But what does taking the road to Jerusalem actually mean in practice?

It means that we refuse to build our lives around material possessions.  Material possessions have their place but they must be kept in their place.  It is our relationship with God that is the true source of our satisfaction and security not what we own.  Our relationship with God cannot be destroyed. It is eternal.

It means that we stop living in the past.  Dwelling on old memories and hurts keeps us tied to the past and trapped in a prison of regret and anger.  It belongs to the Christian to hope. Jesus is leading us forward in hope to a better and brighter future.  In Jerusalem the tomb is empty.

It means that we stop making excuses for ourselves and for our lack of ability and talent.  Of course we are limited; yes we have weaknesses.  The Christian community is full of misfits!  The people Jesus chose to bring his good news to the world were a pretty motley bunch!  Jesus is not looking for perfection; neither does he expect us to be geniuses. All he seeks is our generosity and enthusiasm.  What Jesus wants is what we call heart. Heart is the kind of thing that on the sports field often makes the difference between failure and success.

Finally, it means that when it comes to making choices we put the cause of Jesus, the mission of Jesus, the work of Jesus, first.  In the way we choose to live our lives the values of Jesus, known as Kingdom values, must come before earthly values.

As we move closer to Holy Week we are invited to travel with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem.

In St John’s Gospel we meet a woman who wasn’t able to find the love she needed.  She thirsted for someone to love her unconditionally.  This thirst led her to look for love in the wrong places and among the wrong people.  Because she sought love in the wrong places and among the wrong people, she became more and more isolated and lonely.  Why else was she visiting the village well on her own in the early afternoon, the hottest time of the day?

Then out of the blue something unexpected happened.  She had a brief encounter with a stranger and her life was never the same again.  In the presence of Jesus her longing was satisfied.  He looked into her soul and saw her hurt, her shame, her sadness, her need, her thirst.  He did not judge her; he did not condemn her; he did not reject her.  Instead, he accepted her and offered her the living water of unconditional love.  The encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman was short, but its impact was lasting.  It created a spring inside her that would well up to eternal life.

Like the Samaritan woman we too thirst for love; we long for someone to love us as we are.  This thirst can lead us also into relationships that are unstable and abusive; into situations that are damaging and hurtful.  At some point in our lives we have to acknowledge that only Jesus can offer us the kind of love that we need, a love that is truly gratuitous.  Once we do then we must learn how to access and receive this love.

There are a number of ways we can come to know the love of Jesus.  Not least among these is the willingness to create times of stillness and silence in our lives.  By having the courage and patience to sit still in silence we become aware from within that we are not alone, that we are being held by a strong yet gentle presence.  Within ourselves we know that we are being loved by Jesus in a way that does not expect us to be perfect and that does not condemn us for our weaknesses and our failures.  The love we are looking for is to be found inside.  It is there that Jesus is waiting for us, longing for us to make contact with him.

Perhaps one of the best descriptions of what I am saying is to be found in the writings of St Augustine.  In what is possibly the most beautiful passage in his Confessions Augustine tells us where and how he eventually found Jesus and the difference this made to his life.

“Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you!  You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you.  In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created.  You were with me, but I was not with you.  Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all.  You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness.  You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness.  You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you.  I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more.  You touched me, and I burned for your peace.”

You may have had the experience of climbing a mountain.  Two things are helpful if you are to be a mountain climber.  The first has to do with determination.  Before you set off you have to make up your mind that, come what may, you are going to persevere until you reach the top.  Having a strong determination means that when you meet obstacles and difficulties you will be able to make the necessary sacrifices to overcome them.

The second thing that is helpful when you are climbing a mountain is the knowledge that a whole new vista opens up to you at the summit.  At the top of a mountain you experience a great sense of achievement and fulfilment.  But you also see the world below in an entirely new way.  Your view of the world is unimpeded, a full 360 degrees.  Indeed, on the mountaintop not only do you experience the world differently, you also experience yourself differently.  You feel good about yourself and who you are.

The season of Lent reminds us that the Christian life is a lot like climbing a mountain.  To live as a follower of Jesus we need a strong determination and a willingness to make sacrifices.  Living the Christian life can be quite demanding.  It challenges our tendency to indulge ourselves and it invites us to respond to others in a loving way.  Without a discipline of perseverance and generosity it is difficult to stay faithful to the way of Jesus.

Of course, like the journey up a mountain, the Christian journey also has a happy ending.  It leads to what we call resurrection.  At the end of our Christian pilgrimage in this world a whole new other world will be opened up to us.  We will see in a way we have never seen before.  We will see God face to face.  We will see ourselves reflected in God and we will also see other people reflected in God.  Indeed, we will find ourselves saying the same thing as Peter when he was enveloped by the presence of God on Mount Tabor: “Lord, it is wonderful for us to be here.  Let this be our home forever” (see Matthew 17:4).

What often helps mountain climbers persevere is an eye on the summit.  If they keep looking up to the mountaintop, the goal of their efforts, they are more likely to succeed in their climb.  Likewise, it is important for us as we struggle to remain faithful to the Gospel not to lose sight of the destination of our journey – heaven and a share in the risen life of Jesus.

It is no secret that the religion of Jesus can be summed up in the word love.  In his Sermon on the Mount he focuses on three things which could be described as a practical programme to help us grow in love.  These are the three things the Christian Churches invite its members to practise in earnest each year during the season of Lent.  They could be described as the non-negotiable essentials of the Christian religion.  They are prayer, almsgiving and fasting. 

Jesus says: “When you pray, go to your private room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is in that secret place” (Matt 6:6).  What a beautiful and accessible description of the activity of prayer!  Spend time on your own with your Father. During this time thank him for his presence in your life and for looking after you.  Talk to him in a personal way about what is happening in your world.  Ask him for the things you need, especially the things you need to help you develop a loving heart.  And, perhaps most importantly of all, hear him tell you that he loves you unconditionally, as you are.  For Jesus, prayer is our personal act of surrender to the Father; to the Father’s love, to his help, to his care. 

Perhaps the thing we most associate with Lent is fasting.  Jesus understood the value of fasting and promoted it in his teaching.  He knew there is a tendency in human nature towards attachment and addiction that is not healthy and balanced. Jesus wants us to keep our hearts mellow and grateful.  To keep our hearts mellow and grateful it is not enough to give up things like sweets and alcohol. We need to control our desire for possessions, power and popularity. As Jesus himself discovered during his retreat in the desert these are potent demons in the human heart that need to be tamed. Fasting is unfashionable today.  Yet never has it been so necessary.  In the so-called first world which is mainly nominally Christian we are now the most indebted, obese, addicted and medicated generation in history.  Jesus’ teaching on fasting has the power to improve our health, our relationships and our environment. 

The third thing the Lenten season invites us to practise is almsgiving.  Jesus insisted that we care for those in need and that we do this without looking for a reward. We can look at almsgiving in the specific sense of offering practical help to those who are hungry or homeless or without clothes. But we also need to look at it in the much broader sense of our attitude to life.  Our lives are not just about ourselves and our own needs.  Our lives are for others too.  When we serve other people we are making a difference to their lives. We are also making a difference to our own.  Here is a truth worth reflecting on: Unless and until we give our lives away to others we are not going to have them ourselves at any deep level. It is in giving that we receive.

“You are the light of the world. You are the salt of the earth.”  These are the words of Jesus which we find in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:13-14). We may not mind being described as light, but I am not so sure about salt!  Light penetrates the darkness and enables us to see; it gives warmth to the earth and is a source of energy and growth.  Salt is a preservative and a cleanser; it seasons and flavours food.  It might not be good for our cholesterol, but it certainly makes what we eat more tasty and enjoyable.

Jesus compares his followers to light and salt.  Christians are meant to be a leaven in society, a force for good, a positive influence, an effective and enriching presence.  But how do we do this?  By fighting poverty, by working for justice, by acting with honesty and integrity, by showing kindness.  These are the ways the light of Christ shines in the world; these are the ways God’s presence in the world is made tangible.

The Christophers have a saying, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”  There is no doubting the fact that there are many sources of darkness in our world.  These include poverty, injustice, inequality, discrimination, conflict, violence and war.  Our news bulletins are a constant reminder of this darkness.  In response, we can either allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by the darkness and give up or we can choose to do something, however small and insignificant, to overcome it.  We can light a candle.  We can try to practice the values of Jesus in our daily lives.  We must never underestimate the contribution that each one of us can make to the building of God’s Kingdom of justice, peace and compassion in the world.

And if we think we must rely on our own power and strength to be light and salt to the world, think again!  Let’s listen to St Paul describe his own experience: “Far from relying on any power of my own, I came among you in great fear and trembling and in my speeches and the sermons that I gave there were none of the arguments that belong to philosophy; only a demonstration of the power of the Spirit.  And I did this so that your faith should not depend on human philosophy but on the power of God” (1Cor 2: 3-5).  In our efforts to make the world a better place we have the power of God with us and within us at all times.  So let’s claim this power; let’s take possession of it. If we do, we will be light to the world and salt to the earth.

I once had a very wise spiritual director who said to me about himself, “The most necessary thing in my life is sleep; the most important thing in my life is prayer.”  I am sure many of us would agree with his first statement about sleep.  It would be good if we also agreed with his second about prayer.  Prayer was the most important thing in his life because the most important relationship in his life was his relationship with God.

Prayer is an expression of our relationship with God; indeed prayer helps us to grow in our relationship with God.  But who is the God whose friendship and help we experience in prayer?  Jesus calls him Father; in fact he calls him Abba which literally means papa!  To call God Abba means that God is not someone who is remote and distant from us, someone who is uninvolved and uninterested in our lives.  On the contrary, the God of Jesus is a God who knows each of us personally, loves us unconditionally and cares for us faithfully.  The Abba of Jesus is a Father who wants what is best for us as parents want what is best for their children.

So how should we pray to this God who passionately loves us?  Jesus is clear that we should use simple, honest words when we talk to God.  There is no need to babble, to use many complicated words.  The best words are those that come from our hearts.  The best words are those that are an honest expression of what is in our hearts.  What Jesus is asking us to do is talk to God as if we were talking to our best friend.

Jesus is also clear that we should ask God for what it is we need and to keep on asking.  Jesus insists that we persevere in prayer.  Our prayer must be persistent. Jesus assures us that God does answer our prayers of petition, but we must remember that when God answers our prayers he does so in a way that is best for us.  God sees the overall picture of our lives whereas usually we only see the immediate, present really.  When God answers our prayers God has our true good, our lasting good at heart.  It is important that we do not get discouraged if we do not get from God what we ask for.  What we ask for may not be what we truly need at the time.  Our prayers are never wasted on God.  After all, God is our Father.

Some years ago a woman by the name of Teresa came to talk to me about her experience of religion.  She was carrying false and negative images of God.  For her, God was distant and demanding.  He was like a policeman watching to catch her doing something wrong.  He was also like a judge handing out sentences from on high.  Needless to say Teresa was frightened of God and because of this she was finding it difficult to pray.

After listening to Teresa I asked her if she would be willing to try a new way of praying.  I suggested that she spend ten minutes each day picturing in her mind what happened at the Baptism of Jesus. I invited her to do two things.  Firstly, to imagine what it was like for Jesus to hear God the Father say to him, “You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Secondly, to imagine that God the Father is saying the very same words to her, “Teresa, you are my beloved daughter in whom I am well pleased.”  I asked Teresa to notice what she was feeling as she heard God the Father telling her that he was pleased with her.

Three weeks later Teresa came back to tell me how she was getting on.  She said she was beginning to experience God differently.  God was becoming easier to relate to.  Rather than feeling that God was disappointed with her, she was starting to feel that God was in fact pleased with her. Indeed, she was beginning to accept that God knew her personally and that he was involved in her life.

The baptism of Jesus took place when he was an adult and it was a very significant event in his life.  During his baptism Jesus had an overwhelming experience of unconditional love.  He knew he was God’s beloved Son.  He also knew that his Father took delight in him. 

What happened to Jesus at his baptism also happened to us at our baptism even though we were children and unaware of it.  As our parents held us over the baptismal font, God the Father said to each of us, “You are my beloved son/daughter in whom I am well pleased.”  Unfortunately, because of life’s negative experiences this is a truth many of us find difficult to accept.  Instead of believing in a loving and affirming God, we find ourselves believing in a demanding and judgemental God.  Like Teresa, we need to find a way of getting rid of our false and negative images of God and of taking possession of the real relationship, the loving relationship, which God has with each of us.  In short, we need to find a way of hearing God’s words of affirmation and approval.  Perhaps a prayer exercise like the one Teresa was willing to try can help us.