Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 12:50 pm on October 17, 2018  

October 16, 2018 – Saint of the Day – Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque: Her early years were marked by sickness and a painful home situation. “The heaviest of my crosses was that I could do nothing to lighten the cross my mother was suffering.” After considering marriage for some time, Margaret Mary entered the Order of the Visitation nuns at the age of 24. On December 21, 1674, three years a nun, she received the first of her revelations. She felt “invested” with the presence of God, though always afraid of deceiving herself in such matters. The request of Christ was that his love for humankind be made evident through her.

“The true character of wu wei is not mere inactivity but perfect action—because it is acting without activity. In other words, it is action not carried out independently of heaven and earth and in conflict with the dynamism of the whole, but in perfect harmony with the whole. It is not mere passivity, but it is action that seems both effortless and spontaneous because performed “rightly,” in perfect accordance with our nature and with our place in the scheme of things. It is completely free because there is in it no force and no violence. It is not “conditioned” or “limited” by our own individual needs and desires, or even by our own theories and ideas…. The key to Chuang Tzu’s thought is the complementarity of opposites, and this can be seen only when one grasps the central “pivot” of Tao which passes squarely through both “Yes” and “No,” “I” and “Not-I.” Life is a continual development. All beings are in a state of flux.” (Thomas Merton, Thoughts On The East,  “Taoism”)

Don’t we all wish we could reach a relationship with Jesus where our lives were actively lived defined by G-d’s will, but without effort or thought? Imagine having such a relationship with Jesus that our every thought, action, and deed were within His will and without hesitation or resistance. Jesus hints at this kind of relationship with him when he says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

As Thomas Merton writes, “…all life is a continual development, and all beings are in a state of flux.” We are not the same people we were yesterday, and we will not be the same tomorrow. Yet Jesus remains the same, yesterday, today and forever. To base our lives on the love of G-d found through Jesus Christ, though our lives will be in constant states of flux, the presence of Jesus is not. And the more we have Jesus as our foundation, the simpler our lives will be.

Pastor Dave