With the removal of Sitemeter, the page should load more quickly.
I have long contemplated this, reluctant to remove it because I have found so many very good sites by tracing back through Sitemeter. But the time has come to abandon it--I may be slower about finding those of my visitors who choose not to comment, but I will not have the burden of checking the Sitemeter readings and of allowing it a certain measure of control over my actions.
Like sin, some things once abandoned open up great worlds of possibilities. This is one of those ventures.
We're almost at an end. I intend to break the application up into two posts, so after this merely two more and then I may start a discussion of St. Alphonsus's little treatise on prayer or on Uniformity with God's will. We'll see.
from "Christ Altogether Lovely"
Rev. John FlavelFourthly, Christ is altogether lovely in the relation of a friend, for in this relation he is pleased to acknowledge his people, Luke 12:4, 5. There are certain things in which one friend manifests his affection and friendship to another, but there is not one like Christ. For,
1. No friend is so open-hearted to his friend as Christ is to his people: he reveals the very counsels and secrets of his heart to them. John 15:15. "Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knows not what his Lord does; but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father, I have made known unto you.
2. No friend in the world is so generous and bountiful to his friend, as Jesus Christ is to believers; he parts with his very blood for them; "Greater love (he says) has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends," John 15:13. He has exhausted the precious treasures of his invaluable blood to pay our debts. O what a lovely friend is Jesus Christ to believers!
3. No friend sympathizes so tenderly with his friend in affliction, as Jesus Christ does with his friends: "In all our afflictions he is afflicted," Heb. 4:15. He feels all our sorrows, needs and burdens as his own. This is why it is said that the sufferings of believers are called the sufferings of Christ, Col. 1:24.
4. No friend in the world takes that contentment in his friends, as Jesus Christ does in believers. Song of Songs 4:9. "You have ravished my heart, (he says to the spouse) you have ravished my heart with one of your eyes, with one chain of your neck." The Hebrew, here rendered "ravished," signifies to puff up, or to make one proud: how the Lord Jesus is pleased to glory in his people! How he is taken and delighted with those gracious ornaments which himself bestows upon them! There is no friend so lovely as Christ.
5. No friend in the world loves his friend with as impassioned and strong affection as Jesus Christ loves believers. Jacob loved Rachel, and endured for her sake the parching heat of summer and cold of winter; but Christ endured the storms of the wrath of God, the heat of his indignation, for our sakes. David manifested his love to Absalom, in wishing, "O that I had died for you!" Christ manifested his love to us, not in wishes that he had died, but in death itself, in our stead, and for our sakes.
6. No friend in the world is so constant and unchangeable in friendship as Christ is. John 13:1, "Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." He bears with millions of provocations and wrongs, and yet will not break friendship with his people. Peter denied him, yet he will not disown him; but after his resurrection he says, "Go, tell the disciples, and tell Peter." Let him not think he has forfeited by that sin of his, his interest in me. Though he denied me, I will not disown him, Mark 16:7. 0 how lovely is Christ in the relation of a friend!
I might further show you the loveliness of Christ in his ordinances and in his providences, in his communion with us and communications to us, but there is no end of the account of Christ's loveliness: I will rather choose to press believers to their duties towards this altogether lovely Christ, which I shall briefly conclude in a few words.
Summary--no friend is as open-hearted, generous, sympathetic, impassioned, and constant. No friend is so able to bring contentment, peace and delight to all His friends. No friend loves as this Friend.
Jesus is our friend, our advocate, our constant intecessor, our companion. When we grow unaware of Him, it is not because He fails, but because we are weak and stubborn.
The Friendship of Christ is a prize beyond measure and beyond accounting. And that friendship costs so little. Indeed, even in making friends we gain much. We spurn a spurious "freedom" that enslaves one to the things of this world to achieve a true freedom that allows one to serve as part of God's Kingdom. We abandon the lies that substitute as a life and learn the Eternal Truth. We quit false comforts and seductions, and take instead the true Comfort of the one true Comforter, friend and advocate who prays for us when we do not know how to pray.
Jesus is a friend whose friendship is beyond our reckoning wonderful. His friendship is at once the most important thing and the only thing. Praise Him in His perfection as Friend.
Soon, we'll talk about what this entire long sermon means and how one actually uses anything said to improve one's life in God. That's one of the things I truly love about a well-constructed sermon or homily--one takes away something to act upon.
(And that reminds me of something I was remiss in not saying. I attended only a daily Mass at which Father Jim presided, but he gave a wonderful short homily--not spending the entire time trying to tell me the intricacies of what the particularly Bible passage meant [althought there was some of that], but instead gave me one solid positive thing to act upon. Which I did for about a week, which is why good homilies are important every week. Because, poor mortals that we are, our attention is captured for perhaps a week at a time and then trails off. Anyway, if you're out in the Woodbridge area, you could not do better than to stop in at Our Lady of the Angels. Each priest there is wonderful in his own way, and I was blessed by my attendance.]
Dylan may have posted elsewhere yesterday, as you might imagine, I have had little time to really read my regular route, so I offer this small infobite as I have received a short note from him.
Dylan reported that the change expected for 10 December did not occur. He seems to be in reasonably good spirits, all things considered. He requests our continued prayers and looks forward to rejoining us (perhaps) sometime in the spring.
That's all for now, and I apologize if it is redundant.
For Ramon, who needs a miracle to survive.
For Dylan, as it turns out, his status did not change as expected. Please pray for a complete recovery.
For Katherine's Mom that the chemotherapy is a relatively easy course.
For Chris Keith, who suffered greatly through her biopsy, nearly dying, and who awaits the results of that biopsy. Please pray that the biopsy reveal nothing that modern medicine cannot contend with
For Davey's Mom's friend who is having another child shortly that her labor and birth be easy and light and both mother and child come through it safely.
For Katherine and Franklin, Christine and Gordon, Janet and Louis, and for all who are seeking employment and suffering through difficult times as they wait.
For the men and women of the American Armed forces who will not be able to spend this holiday season with their families, that this may nevertheless be a season of "comfort and joy" beyond their greatest expectations.
For Jane, Janet, Shirley, and for all for whom this season of the Nativity is a time of hardship and difficulty because of the pain of the past.
For Linda, Samuel, and me.
Thank you all for your prayers--they help more than you can know.
Please add your own requests via the comments box.
Now seems to be a good time to continue our reflection on Flavel's remarkable sermon and his vision of Jesus.
from "Christ Altogether Lovely" Rev. John FlavelThirdly, Christ is altogether lovely, in the relation of an Advocate. 1 John 2:1, "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the Propitiation." It is he that pleads the cause of believers in heaven. He appears for them in the presence of God, to prevent any new alienation, and to continue the state of friendship and peace between God and us. In this relation Christ is altogether lovely. For,
1. He makes our cause his own, and acts for us in heaven, as if for himself, Heb. 4:15. He is touched with a most tender understanding of our troubles and dangers, and is not only one with us by way of representation, but also one with us in respect of sympathy and affection.
2. Christ our Advocate tracks our cause and business in heaven, as his great and primary design and business. For this reason in Hebrews 7:25. he is said to "live for ever to make intercession for us." It is as if our concerns were so attended to by him there, that all the glory and honour which is paid him in heaven would not divert him one moment from our business.
3. He pleads the cause of believers by his blood. Unlike other advocates, it is not enough for him to lay out only words, which is a cheaper way of pleading; but he pleads for us by the voice of his own blood, as in Heb. 12:24, where we are said to be come "to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel." Every wound he received for us on earth is a mouth opened to plead with God on our behalf in heaven. And hence it is, that in Rev. 5:6 he is represented standing before God, as a lamb that had been slain; as it were exhibiting and revealing in heaven those deadly wounds received on earth from the justice of God, on our account. Other advocates spend their breath, Christ spends his blood.
4. He pleads the cause of believers freely. Other advocates plead for reward, and empty the purses, while they plead the causes of their clients.
5. In a word, he obtains for us all the mercies for which he pleads. No cause miscarries in his hand, which he undertakes, Rom. 8:33, 34. 0 what a lovely Advocate is Christ for believers!
For the complete sermon, see here
"No cause miscarries in his hand." What a wonderful and powerful reflection. When we consider that Christ's advocacy is an advocacy not merely of words, not merely of action, but of His own Precious Blood, poured out for us--more than sufficient--utterly efficacious. In this we obtain all that we need but know not to ask for. We obtain the reality of who we are in God. Once lame, we walk. Once blind, we see. Once deaf, we hear. All of our infirmaties are encompassed and abolished by the completeness of His offering for us. He is an advocate whose pleading cannot be resisted. He is a Lord who loves beyond all loving and who gives to the very last measure. He is indeed altogether lovely as advocate, as tender brother, Lord, and friend. Praise Him and welcome Him into your home--this most precious advocate, this most generous Soul, this most loving companion, this very Son of God who is the source of our hope and our salvation.
For Dylan, as it turns out, his status did not change as expected. Please pray for a complete recovery.
For Katherine's Mom that the chemotherapy is a relatively easy course.
For Chris Keith, who suffered greatly through her biopsy, nearly dying, and who awaits the results of that biopsy. Please pray that the biopsy reveal nothing that modern medicine cannot contend with
For Davey's Mom's friend who is having another child shortly that her labor and birth be easy and light and both mother and child come through it safely.
For Katherine and Franklin, Christine and Gordon, Janet and Louis, and for all who are seeking employment and suffering through difficult times as they wait.
For the men and women of the American Armed forces who will not be able to spend this holiday season with their families, that this may nevertheless be a season of "comfort and joy" beyond their greatest expectations.
For Jane, Janet, Shirley, and for all for whom this season of the Nativity is a time of hardship and difficulty because of the pain of the past.
For Linda, Samuel, and me.
Thanks for your faithfulness in prayer. Please add your prayers by mentioning them in the comment box.
As many predicted, Samuel is taking this all in stride, although he has a disconcerting way of talking about Linda's sister (who died a couple of years ago) and other dead people he has known or that he knows of. As far as he's concerned, Mommy's absence simply means that he gets to sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed--so there's little trauma.
And no word yet as to the extent of the stay or the real purpose. Linda tends not to tell me things, thinking, perhaps that it would be less worrisome. . .
I'll try to answer e-mails, but I'm sure you'll understand if I am slow about it.
Linda will be admitted to the hospital this afternoon. At this point I'm uncertain of duration, reason, or any number of details. Please pray. Particularly pray that Samuel will be okay with all of this--he's too young to know the implications, but I'm sure that he will be bothered by it.
This is an especially important day for Dylan, please remember him in some special way today.
Katherine's mother is about to undergo some arduous treatment via chemotherapy--please remember her in your prayers.
Please remember those who long for children and those who have suffered the great sorrow of miscarriage.
Franklin and Katherine and Gordon and Christine and Louis and all of those in search of gainful employment that they may find it quickly and return their families to stability.
For Janet, Jane, Shirley, and all of those who feel a special burden at this time of year, that their pain may be eased by the triumph of Love.
For Linda and Samuel, for recovery from their respective illnesses.
Please add to the requests via the comment box. Thanks so much for your faithfulness in prayer--it makes a world of difference.
Dylan, who is to undergo a change in status tomorrow if all goes according to schedule and who will need the additional support of our prayers.
Franklin and Katherine and Gordon and Christine and Louis and all of those in search of gainful employment that they may find it quickly and return their families to stability.
Chris Keith who undergoes a difficult medical procedure this morning that the procedure goes without hitch and the results are good.
Linda and Samuel for recovery from their respective illnesses.
Your prayers are greatly needed and more greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Don't know how this person came up with their results, but it's pretty darn close to my favorite color and certainly in the very near family. The perfect colors--once streaked through with refractive wave-bottom yellow-white to look like the sand under the still water behind a Caribbean reef.
#48D1CC |
Your dominant hues are green and blue. You're smart and you know it, and want to use your power to help people and relate to others. Even though you tend to battle with yourself, you solve other people's conflicts well. Your saturation level is medium - You're not the most decisive go-getter, but you can get a job done when it's required of you. You probably don't think the world can change for you and don't want to spend too much effort trying to force it. Your outlook on life is brighter than most people's. You like the idea of influencing things for the better and find hope in situations where others might give up. You're not exactly a bouncy sunshine but things in your world generally look up. |
An excerpt from a remarkable little book produced by St Paul's, Questions Jesus Asked:
Jesus instructs us to "take up" the corss. The assumption here is that the cross will be readily at hand, well within our reach. Experiencing the cross is inevitable in our life. It does not present itself as an option for us to consider at our leisure. It can and will come in many forms, emerging within any dimension of our life--physical, emotional, psychological, relational, spiritual. If we are alive, the cross will come. The only point we need to consider is whether we will take it up or pretend to ignore it. The latter approach will consume a great deal of time and energy without contirbuitng to our growth and deveolpment toward union with God. Gradually we learn that taking up the cross is inseparable from following Jesus.
It is intriguing to note the Jesus does not instruct us to search for the cross. The very fact that the cross is inevitable, and thus accesible, would preclude the need for any extensive search. But there is a more significant point here that touches the quality of our growth and development in the spiritual life. If we search for the cross, then we risk creating and customizing it according to our own preference and convenience so it does not disrupt our scheduled plans. Self-created crosses are truly expression of pride regardless of how weighty we construct them to appear. Ultimately, they are decorative and designed to shine the spotlight on us, to draw attention to ourselves. . .
Wow! Isn't that a slap upside the head?
We're supposed to "take up" our crosses, not construct, deconstruct, invert, implode, or otherwise tamper with them. They are uniquely ours and they represent our share in working out our own salvation, but also our share in the salvation of all who surround us. Paul told us that he "made up what was lacking in the sacrifice of Christ." What could possibly be lacking in that sacrifice? It is a puzzlement, but I accept it as truth and from it conclude that we all have some duty to do the same. One thing we present to people that may "be lacking" is a sense of the immediacy and the intimacy of Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior. As we toil through Advent and thirst with the ancient peoples of the desert, awaiting our Salvation, we can take steps to make His presence known. Among those steps is taking up our crosses, not begrudgingly, but thankfully--knowing that by this sign we are saved and we proclaim salvation.
Please continue to pray for Linda who makes a slow, uneven recovery from near-pneumonia.
Please pray from Katherine and Franklin and family as they go through some difficult straits ahead.
Please add Christine and Gordon back into your prayer list. His contract was not renewed and so he is once again seeking employment.
And as always, please remember the women and men of the American Armed forces abroad who are unable to spend these holidays with their families. Pray for a swift and safe return.