"Lord God, help us who have dipped a foot into the waters of life to plunge in over our heads, dead to the old ways and fully alive to the new, for the sake of Jesus, who gave his life for those He loved. Amen."
It is amazing how sometimes a phrase or two from a simple prayer can have depth of meaning and can impact one like a sudden gust of wind in the face. Such a thing happened to me last week at the monthly meeting of the Oblate associates of Mary Immaculate. The above prayer was one of the ones used in the prayer service. I was struck by the opening line. How many times , especially recently, have I merely dipped a foot into the waters of life as opposed to plunging in head first, fully immersed in the Christian life.
Too much dipping
I have been guilty of just wading in lately, distracted by holiday activities, house cleaning, various events, undefeated football seasons, etc. There is nothing wrong with all this and most of these activities are necessary. There is no sin in these per se.
But it must be remembered that the Christian life is about our relationship with God, not merely following rules and moral precepts. It says in scripture;
" Therefore , as you have received Jesus Christ our Lord, so walk in Him; be rooted in Him and built up on him, and strengthened in the faith, as you also have learnt, rendering thanks abundantly."(Colossians, 2: 6-7)
Thomas Merton writes;
"But morality is not an end in itself. Virtue, for a Christian, is not its own reward. God is our reward. The moral life leads to something beyond itself-to the experience of union with God, and to our transformation in Him."(1)
Need for constant growth
I have learned lately that halfway measures won’t do. It may be possible to go through the motions for awhile, not committing outward sin. But if I let life distract me from feeding my soul, by contemplation, communing with God, growing in knowledge then eventually, because I haven’t built up enough of a relationship with God to dread cutting myself of His grace, I will fall. If I don’t do what is necessary to continually be transformed in Him, I will regress.
Can't neglect God
Thus, in order to grow in His likeness, we must plunge in His waters. Dipping our foot is not enough. Our earthly relationships won’t work by neglecting to spend time with our loved ones, it is the same with God. We do have to do our duties and live our vocations, but in doing so we can not forget our lives belong to Him. We can’t let anything distract us to the point where we forget to strengthen and deepen our relationship with God and plunge in the waters of His grace.
1. Thomas Merton, The Thomas Merton Reader, Image Books, Doubleday, Ny. Ny., 1974, p.375
It is amazing how sometimes a phrase or two from a simple prayer can have depth of meaning and can impact one like a sudden gust of wind in the face. Such a thing happened to me last week at the monthly meeting of the Oblate associates of Mary Immaculate. The above prayer was one of the ones used in the prayer service. I was struck by the opening line. How many times , especially recently, have I merely dipped a foot into the waters of life as opposed to plunging in head first, fully immersed in the Christian life.
Too much dipping
I have been guilty of just wading in lately, distracted by holiday activities, house cleaning, various events, undefeated football seasons, etc. There is nothing wrong with all this and most of these activities are necessary. There is no sin in these per se.
But it must be remembered that the Christian life is about our relationship with God, not merely following rules and moral precepts. It says in scripture;
" Therefore , as you have received Jesus Christ our Lord, so walk in Him; be rooted in Him and built up on him, and strengthened in the faith, as you also have learnt, rendering thanks abundantly."(Colossians, 2: 6-7)
Thomas Merton writes;
"But morality is not an end in itself. Virtue, for a Christian, is not its own reward. God is our reward. The moral life leads to something beyond itself-to the experience of union with God, and to our transformation in Him."(1)
Need for constant growth
I have learned lately that halfway measures won’t do. It may be possible to go through the motions for awhile, not committing outward sin. But if I let life distract me from feeding my soul, by contemplation, communing with God, growing in knowledge then eventually, because I haven’t built up enough of a relationship with God to dread cutting myself of His grace, I will fall. If I don’t do what is necessary to continually be transformed in Him, I will regress.
Can't neglect God
Thus, in order to grow in His likeness, we must plunge in His waters. Dipping our foot is not enough. Our earthly relationships won’t work by neglecting to spend time with our loved ones, it is the same with God. We do have to do our duties and live our vocations, but in doing so we can not forget our lives belong to Him. We can’t let anything distract us to the point where we forget to strengthen and deepen our relationship with God and plunge in the waters of His grace.
1. Thomas Merton, The Thomas Merton Reader, Image Books, Doubleday, Ny. Ny., 1974, p.375
1 comment:
I just read this through for the second time, slowly, and I like how you put it, Frank. Beautifully and economically said.
And that graphic is to die for! Can you imagine happening upon a place like that? One couldn't help but plunge right into the water, and only too late wonder about its temp! Still, one'd just stay submerged rather than lose the peace and beauty. Yes, it's hard to stay focused on Him, but while He begrudges us nothing of life except sin, He actually desires us, now and for all eternity.
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