The New Year can offer some people new opportunities, new adventures and the chance to look forward to improving their lives.
Others, may be affected by unemployment, sickness, drought and the unavailability of decent housing. Some are still recovering from cyclones, floods and bushfires and all of us are continually facing rising costs. As a consequence, it would be easy to drop our bundles and look at the New Year as a time of further struggle, more pain and less jobs.
As we face a new year, we might consider taking up the challenges of life and re-examine our past experiences, failures and indiscretions. We could see these as opportunities to improve what we have, or even explore different avenues that could positively affect ours and our family’s future lives.
So often we start the new year with great ideas for change to our normal life style, and so often our New Year’s resolutions get thrown into the ‘too hard’ basket after a short time. Maybe we try and resolve to do too much. While our ideas might have considerable merit, some resolutions can tend to become difficult to maintain on an on-going basis.
Perhaps a simple resolution is to take positive steps to trust the God of our creation more than we do currently. I believe this requires an on-going daily discussion with God, preferably, before we get out of bed each morning.
If we can trust that the Divine Presence in our lives will help and support our actions and deliberations throughout the day, then this will seriously affect our approach to life and could be the only New year’s resolution we need to make.
When one of the Scribes asked Jesus what was the greatest Commandment, he replied, “…you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength and you must love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:29-31).
Let’s say then that as Christians we firmly believe that Jesus suffered and died that we might have eternal life. Let’s say, we feel we do the best we can to fulfill the loving of our God in the way Jesus wants of us. Then all we have to do is ‘Love our neighbour’.
Jesus even defined the word ‘neighbour’ for us in the parable of the Good Samaritan. So, it seems our ‘neighbour’ can be anyone with whom we come in contact. How we relate to this person determines how we fulfill the command to love them.
My understanding of loving one’s neighbour doesn’t mean we have to ‘like’ our neighbour, so perhaps we need to question how we go about ‘loving’ our neighbour! People are who they are, yet so often we find it easy to criticise a person behind their back because they are ‘different.’ Often, we tend to shy away from those with which we don’t wish to be involved, just like the priest and the Levite did in the Good Samaritan story.
Jesus never discriminated about who he helped, neither should we. He saw a need. He did what was needed. As Christians I believe that is also how we must react.
It is easy for us to relate to our family and friends within a comfortable environment. But what happens when we step outside our back fence? What happens when we are in the same situation as the Good Samaritan? Do we walk away because we don’t want to get involved? Are we frightened to be seen to be meddling in someone else’s business?
We need to accept others for who they are. So, let’s try and look for the good in people rather than how they differ from our own expectations of them. There is no doubt that nearly everyone you see has some problem they are facing within their lives. A loving smile is sometimes all they might need to make their day.
Loving our neighbour can therefore be as simple as realising others needs before our own.
It was the weekend I was celebrating my 82nd birthday. I mention this date because this story is all about time.
As I opened my eyes for the first time that morning, it was still dark. I could tell by the little red dot in the top corner of my digital clock radio that a new day had commenced. This little light only comes on after midnight and determines the difference between the AM and PM time on my clock.
Of recent times, I have made it a habit of saying my first ‘Good Morning’ to my God. So, if that red dot is glowing when I wake, I follow a little daily ritual that takes the outstretched hand of Jesus the Christ, as a child would take the hand of an adult, and I trust that the Divine Presence in my life will share with empathy my existence that day.
On this particular early morning, I suddenly realised the little red AM indicator light was telling me more than the fact that it was the morning of a new day. My God was telling me ‘I AM who AM’. I‘ve heard that phrase before, I thought to myself as I spent time contemplating the depth of its meaning.
It was then I realised the significance of the role this simple digital clock radio had played in my life. I still remember the day in Melbourne I purchased it in the early 1970’s. I recall looking over the counter of the shop at the rows of transistor radios and clock radios on the shelf behind the middle-aged shop owner. I guess, I just preferred the look of this particular unit over the others.
Little was I to know then that this digital alarm clock radio was to happily operate continually beside our bed for at least the next 50 years. And that my God would use it to eventually initiate my morning prayer.
The only time that clock has stopped, apart from power outages, has been when it was transported from our Victorian home in suburban Melbourne to our Queensland homes north of Brisbane.
It has heard our whisperings in the night as we questioned why we had chosen to move from our family and friends to a little-known destination over 1000 kilometres away. The clock knew we only wanted the best life for our children and ourselves and we were following the promptings from within our hearts. It also knew we were still questioning our decision as we walked out the front door of our Melbourne home for the last time.
Raising a family is never easy, but it has its fun times and the clock watched as we shared our love with our family and with those who came to our home. While this clock might be our time indicator, like us, its time can only go forward. However, this particular clock, has allowed us to see how our God has been with us, and continues to be with us, each moment of every day. My hope is that it continues to operate for years to come.
So often you hear people say, ‘If there is a God, why is there so much death and misery occurring in our world today?’ or ‘Where is God with so many innocent people suffering and dying due to wars, famine and disease?’
‘If our God is supposedly a God of love, why does God allow these horrible things to happen?’
In blaming God and even questioning God’s existence, we are considering our ‘God’ in human terms, as if God was the mighty conqueror who would defeat our enemies, solve our hunger and climate change problems and allow peace to reign on earth.
This is precisely who the Jews saw as the messiah who would come and drive the Romans soldiers from their lands. Yet they got a bloke called Jesus who preached about the need to love one’s enemies and to do good to those who hate you.
In between the cyclones, fires and family and work concerns, we have survived another year. If we are honest with ourselves, do we ever consider calling a silent halt to the rigors of our lives for a few moments to think about the world into which, each Christmas, we welcome our creator’s representative.
What a mess us humans have made of the planet so far in seeking to satisfy our own greed and constant search for wealth and power. We continue to pollute our atmosphere and disregard nature. We continue to kill innocent people and make millions homeless. Many of us can only concentrate on ourselves and our wants, all at the expense of others.
Maybe, as individuals, we need to start rectifying this whole situation by getting back to the basic call of Jesus and many of the other mystics and holy people whose teachings all amount to a similar phrase. ‘Love one another’.
Let’s start in our own homes, our streets and our communities. If we can think and act on other’s needs before our own, this would be a good start and would have ramifications that could echo well beyond our personal environments, for it is not God creating havoc in our world, it is ourselves. So, no matter how we look at the situation, I believe it all starts with us.
In our human understanding, infinity is often restricted to as far as we can see. We build large telescopes to see further into the unknown. We send spacecraft to search beyond the planets into the currently unseen void of our universe.
The interesting thing about our understanding of infinity is that we see our position as the starting point and we define infinity as that which extends beyond us and has no end. How then do we see our God who always was and who always will be? (Col. 1:17)
Maybe when we symbolise our God as a triangle, we are falling short of using the symbol to define our meaning. Perhaps a more accurate symbol of the Divine would be the infinity horizontal eight symbol touching a circle and then another infinity symbol.
The circle has no beginning and no end and infinity on both sides indicates our God always was and always will be.
The use of a triangle to explain the Christian understanding of three persons in the one God tends to humanise the Almighty and I believe it can only confuse those trying to understand more about the Trinity. We learn about The Father, Son and Holy Spirit because Jesus himself prayed to his father and the apostles were told on the mountain that, “This is my son…”.
Just as Jesus gave his message to his followers in stories they could understand, so, scripture allows us to see in a simple way the existence of the Trinity.
Because God became human in the form of a man born in the same manner as we all recognise, it is easier for us to understand the terms of Father and Son. However, the Holy Spirit is not so easily recognisable. Pictures of firey tongues sitting on the top of the Disciples heads is, to say the least, a very restricted way of depicting the Holy Spirit.
While the Father and the Son might be seen as ‘persons’ it is hard to classify a tongue as a person. Hence the triangle depicting the three ‘persons’ in the Trinity is somewhat inaccurate, especially as the second ‘person’ in the group didn’t become a ‘person’ until he was born and the first ‘person’ wasn’t born at all.
Let us go back to the circle symbol of our God and let us not see God as a person but as a free Spirit. In each of us there exists a spirit which cannot be seen by an x-ray but we all know is part of us. We refer to some as having a ‘spirit’ of adventure or a ‘spirit’ to survive. When a group strives towards a common goal, they are said to possess a team ‘spirit.’ Some see their conscience as a guiding ‘spirit’; others refer to their mental or moral nature as their ‘spirit’.
If we believe in the miracle of birth, then, at the moment of conception we are gifted by our God with the ‘spirit’ of life. Our body grows in the womb according to the genes of our parents and our ‘spirit’ remains with us forever. At our death, our body returns to dust but it is our spirit that goes to meet its maker. At His death on the Cross, Jesus yielded up His spirit.
So, in the Spirit Circle of God, we can now see how the ‘Spirit’ has been involved in creation; in loving that creation by giving us Jesus; and in the on-going support for that creation by giving us all a part of God’s own ‘Spirit.’ Jesus said, “Behold I am with you always.” Let us take time out occasionally from our busy life to embrace the Spirit of God that lives within us.
Jesus referred to Heaven as ‘Paradise’ when on the cross He spoke to the thief who had defended him. It’s not a place we know much about really other than everyone seems to want to get there. There are references to heaven in the Bible that mention houses and the availability of wine. We are told it will be a place where no pain exists.
Some might see it as a fitting reward for a life well lived. But seriously, who can judge how well we have lived to deserve eternal happiness? And what if we haven’t been ‘good’. How might this affect our final destination?
Is heaven the great golf course in the sky as some would hope or would we dance around God’s throne all day singing ‘Alleluia?’ Our problem is that we try to envisage something we know little about and couch it in human terms.
Jesus made it very clear our role here on earth is to love one another. Yet, when you consider our search for power, money and greed put us constantly at war with each other in different locations around the globe, killing and maiming each other. We can’t even effectively care for the planet our God has created for us. What a mess we are making of our lives down here, yet, through all the pain and misery we heap on each other, our God has only constant love to give each one of us.
In our search for a better understanding of Heaven, we might turn to the song writers and singers, many of whom have given us differing versions of their understanding of Heaven. Belinda Carlisle tells us ‘Heaven is a place on earth.’ Bryan Adams found Heaven in his lover’s heart and Eric Clapton refers to tears in Heaven and wonders whether life would be the same when we get there. Led Zepplin was on a stairway to heaven and the Bee Gees claim that ‘Nobody gets too much Heaven no more.’
However, it was Col Joye who most impressed me with his understanding of Heaven. “Heaven is my woman’s love. Heaven is the way I live, She gives me all the love she can and then somehow finds more to give.”
Perhaps if we resolve to give ourselves totally to loving, helping and supporting each other, we might get a glimpse of what Heaven is like here on earth and might get to enjoy what the Father has in store for us when at last we knock on His golden gates.
As a young bloke I remember my grandmother gave me a holy picture depicting a white robed person with large wings who appeared to be protecting two small children as they crossed a rickety looking bridge. On the reverse side was a small prayer to ‘My Angel Guardian.’
While there is nothing to substantiate my claim, I have often thought that while God has given us a free will, our Guardian Angel might well be our conscience. We have often heard the saying, ‘let your conscience be your guide.’ Certainly, in decisions in which we are confronted affecting integrity and morality, maybe that prick we feel to our conscience might well be a prompting from our Guardian Angel.
The belief that angels can be guides and protectors for us is evident throughout the Bible In both the Old and New Testaments. In Psalm 91 we read, “He will put you in his angels’ charge to guard you wherever you go”.
In 1997, Pope John Paul ll mentioned that we can be supported by our guardian angels, to be authentic witnesses to the Lord’s paschal mystery. It has been said Pope John XXX III attributed the idea of the Second Vatican Council to an inspiration from his guardian angel. In his 2014 homily for the Feast of Holy Guardian Angels, Pope Francis said, “No one journeys alone, and no one should think they are alone”. He also told us that according to Church tradition we have an angel with us who guards us.
Today the word ‘Angel’ is generally only used in a supporting role. ‘Shaymin’ is the guardian angel in the Pokemon series. ‘Teen Angel’ was Frenchy’s guardian angel in the film ‘Grease.’ We have charities such as ‘Angel Flight Australia’ whose role is to support rural and remote communities and ‘Drought Angels’ support Aussie farmers and their communities.
While during our lifetime we all might have led our individual guardian angel through some rough patches, it seems it is their job to stick by us and to guard and guide us. Perhaps we can all look back on times in our lives when we have been protected during certain situations which might well have been as a result of some ‘divine inspiration’. While there is no scriptural foundation to the suggestion, some people think that the finding of a feather on their pathway can be their angel making them aware of their presence.
So, is it possible that the guardian angel God has allocated us might be known to us? Perhaps we will find that out when that angel takes our soul up to meet our maker after our death. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thought if God were to give us the nod and we might be allocated a guardian angel role for one of our own future family members.
May we never drive faster than our guardian angel can fly!
The world-wide organisation, Alcoholics Anonymous is, in reality, the organisation from which this story has been inspired. In assisting alcoholics in their efforts to rid themselves of the curse of alcoholism this organisation suggests a process based on treating the problem one day at a time.
As ‘Faithaholics,’ in order to develop and maintain our faith we might consider following this example by a daily practice that continually renews our trust in our God.
When we feel close to our God within us, we feel we are blessed and bask in the wonderment of our spiritual relationship. But this is life and the reality is that situations are always happening that can distract us from a mindful relationship.
It is during these difficult times when our relationship with God can take a backward step. We might call out for Godly guidance and there doesn’t seem to be any help forthcoming. Even Jesus suffered in this way as he cried out from the cross ‘My God, my God, why have you abandoned me.’
In looking at how we might maintain our on-going spiritual relationship on a day-to-day basis, I am reminded of a hit song that was released in 1974 entitled “One Day at a Time”. The lyrics were written by Marijohn Wilkin and Kris Kristofferson and say it all:
One day at a time, sweet Jesus That’s all I’m asking from You Just give me the strength to do every day what I have to do Yesterday’s gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine Lord, help me today, show me the way, one day at a time
Do You remember when You walked among men? Well Jesus You know if You’re looking below It’s worse now than then Cheating and stealing, violence and crime So for my sake teach me to take one day at a time
I’m only human I’m just a woman (man) Help me believe in what I could be And all that I am Show me the stairway I have to climb Lord for my sake Teach me to take one day at a time.
If we develop a daily routine of habitually greeting the Divine Presence in our lives, then it must benefit us throughout our day. By renewing our trusting relationship ‘one day at a time’ I believe this will strengthen our Faith and we can proudly refer to ourselves as Faithaholics.
God had lots of angels flapping their wings around heaven with not a lot to do, so He got a few of his more talented angels together and gave them a few samples of what He proposed to create. He asked that they might use their skills to add what they would consider to be appropriate colours that would enhance His creations.
To help complete their task God gave them the three primary colours; Yellow, Magenta and Cyan and the angels set about the task of colouring the samples God had given them.
Upon completion of their suggested coloured versions, they took them to The Father and waited in anticipation for His response. The Father was so impressed he told the angels:
“Oh, you can colour my world with sunshine yellow each day! Oh, you can colour my world with happiness all the way! Just take the green from the grass and the blue from the sky up above! And if you colour my world just paint it with your love! Just colour my world.”
The Father made a note to give these words to a pair of song writers he would create in the future to enable this decision to be remembered forever. And so, Jacki Trent and Tony Hatch wrote the song ‘Colour My World’ which became a big hit for singer Petula Clark in 1966.
The angels were so excited The Father approved of their work and made plans to continue colouring His creations. They established a whole new ‘Colour My World’ industry which enhanced creation.
The littlest angels loved colouring in, so they got involved and enjoyed splashing vivid colours onto their subjects. Other angels were appointed to blend and mix colours together, while others ensured everything God created was unique in different ways.
God was happy with creation, so he sat back and rested.
Many young children love having close to them a soft toy, a doll or a special ‘blankee’. This item is their comforter or security and they are at peace within themselves while closely associated with this special item.
But, for whatever reason, if this ‘comforter’ is ever misplaced, the child becomes extremely upset and cannot be calmed until it is found and is once more in their possession. While the searching process can be most frustrating for all members of the family, the child will know no peace until they are reunited with their special ‘comforter.’
Among the final words Jesus said to His disciples before returning to The Father 40 days after His Resurrection were: “Know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.” He had also told them this on the night before He died. If our God makes a promise like this, who are we to dispute it?
Knowing the disciples would find it difficult to set about the task of taking his message of love to the world, Jesus told them to wait together for the ‘Comforter,’ the Holy Spirit to come to them. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled them with power and enthusiasm which was all they needed to commence the mission for which they had been prepared.
Had the Holy Spirit not fired up the disciples at Pentecost, heaven knows how we might be floundering around in the dark today trying to find the meaning of life, or for that matter, why we even exist.
We don’t have to go it alone in this world as Jesus, part of the Divine Presence, is constantly there for us. Why worry and be anxious as we attempt to control our own lives, when the Divine Presence of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is offering us the peace and security we need.
If we have doubts about our ability to reach out to this Divine Presence Jesus has promised, a simple prayer to the same Holy Spirit that energised the disciples, ‘Come Holy Spirit,’ could be all we need to say.
It is through our faith and our trust in this Holy Presence we will be comforted, just as a little child would be when their lost security soft toy or ‘comforter’ is found.
