Thursday, April 12, 2018

As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” – Matthew 3:16, 17

I offer that Christ at that moment on the Jordan River was baptized with both the water and the Spirit, and that Spirit was as a gentle dove.

We in Christ are not baptized with water and Spirit coming as warring hawk, but, like Christ, we are baptized with healing restorative waters of grace and with the Spirit of the Lord coming as peaceful dove. And I find this distinction to be most significant for I believe it heralds the change in the way of God and humanity work with each other in covenant.

I have known many with the spirit of zealotry, folks believing that they are war with the world. Yet, I recall that Simon the Zealot, a man of swords and warfare, became a man of peace. These zealots love the rush of adrenaline. These zealots love the pageantry of going to war. These zealots sanctify their lust for power by draping it in holy cause. These zealots declare themselves righteous by declaring those others unrighteous.

I am devoted, every moment of my life is in His Service. I am faithful to my work in continuing the work of the Lord and I am faithful day after day until Forever is woven. I seek to be live the holy life, but not one defined by either me or the crowd about me … but by the Lord Himself. I am devoted, totally devoted; I am faithful, ever faithful; I seek to live with the Lord’s assistance a life of Holy Love; but I am not a zealot. I am not a zealot for zealotry has a way of slowly corroding the purity of the cause.

Always in His Service,
Fr. Charitas de la Cruz