Into the Sacred Hills of Jade

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Then Jesus continued, “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others. – Luke 11: 42

Among the woes Christ lists about the Pharisees’ version of living the holy life is this concern … You make such a fuss about the rules for tithing … yet, you neglect the far more important matters of treating others justly and expressing the Love of God.

Even today in the guise of crusade for the cause or moral indignation over this or that … we neglect in the blindness and narrow focus of such zealotry the far more important matters of treating others justly and expressing the Love of God.  It is the sin of the sanctimonious, the spiritually unbalanced, and the indoctrinated.  It is a sin of greater weight for it is done in the name of God.

So often, over and over again throughout Christian history, Christians we ourselves become sinful in the ridding the world of the sin in other people.  When we ought to have been confessing and repenting, we instead went about condemning with supposedly holy wrath.  And the more passionate our zealous cause, the more and more we neglect the quality of spirit found in the humbly just and the mercifully loving.

Woe to the Pharisees and woe to those fall into the delusional holiness of the Pharisees.

Focus on the matters of universal justice and Divine Love.

Always in Chris’s Service,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Jesus answered the woman whom He asked for water, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – John 4:13-14

And yet … Christ appeared to be thirsty that hot day in Samaria … and from the cross, He cried out, “I thirst”.

I am diabetic.  Before I was diagnosed as diabetic I was desperately thirsty.  It is a tell-tale symptom of diabetes for the condition causes marked dehydration.  But no matter how much I drank, the cause of the thirst was not remedied.  Now I am on insulin and my unquenchable thirst is no more.  But still, at times, … like even Christ Himself, I thirst.

Even with this spiritual spring of God’s grace welling up within me hour day by day, there are moments when my soul does thirst.  And when I am thirsty my soul does remind me to devote a few moments in prayer and to dedicate myself a little more to service.  In both the praying and in the serving, the wellspring of grace does flow once more and the thirst gives way to satisfaction.

Even in good health, the thirst guides us to the much-needed water … for as living creatures we need water to survive and flourish.  And so our spiritual thirst guides us to the river of God and the streams that flow from the sacred places in life … and there we quench our thirst.

I find in today’s world that is sometimes quite parched and dusty, there are so many thirsty people.  No wonder the Lord calls us to serve cups of cool water to others.

Always in Christ’s Service,

Fr. Charitas de a Cruz

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Monday, October 29, 2018

Then Jesus told His disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?  “For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then He will repay everyone for what has been done.   Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” – Matthew 16:24-28

What does Christ mean by “deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me”?

His words seem to speak of a sequence … denial of self, taking up the cross, following Christ.

Denial of self is to set aside the self-centeredness without obliterating one’s personhood.  Denial of self is to take on the humility of the servant.  Denial of self is to reach beyond the boundaries of one’s own needs and to care for the needs of others.  Denial of self is to no longer consider that it is not all about you.

Taking up the cross is to share in Christ’s act of self-giving Love.  Taking up the cross is also to make the necessary sacrifices that your faithfulness will require.  Taking up the cross is to endure the suffering for the sake of a greater glory, the glory of the Lord found in your human expression.

Following Christ is to be obedient to His teaching until His teaching is a natural expression of your soul.  Following Christ is to go to the places of need and to the people in need, as He did and as He now still intends.  Following Christ is to continue His work, His wishes and ways, in your earthly share of eternity.

The cross upon which Christ suffered and died as an act of love and mercy is not the only cross in Christianity.  We are all called to live with an unselfish, self-giving love for the sake of those whom Christ seeks to Love.  It is a state of Being but it is also a process of Doing.

Always in Christs Service,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Friday, October 26, 2018

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they realized that He was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest Him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded Him as a prophet. – Matthew 21:45-46

I am convinced that a gospel that does not challenge and, even at times, confronts one’s own point-of-view, then that gospel is more in line with your own opinions than in the concerns of God.  But a gospel that sometimes is uncomfortable to hear and may ask of one to change his or her ways, even ways of thinking, then quite possibly it is truly the message of a true prophet.  But always … there is that intimidating force … the fear of the crowds.

We get angry when a preacher or a passage of scripture confronts our present perspective, sometimes to the point of hostile resistance.  But far too often … we are drawn to the preachers, prophets, and words that affirm our already formed ways and opinions.  The devout and powerful reacted in such a way to the concerns and challenges of Christ … but through it all … they feared crowds just as much as they feared Christ.

It is far, far easier to preach to a congregation of “approving amens” than it is to preach to a congregation of “soul-searching silence”.  It is far, far easier to preach to a congregation about the sins of people out there in the world than about the sinfulness with which we all struggle.  It is far, far easier to preach what the people want to hear than to preach what the people need to hear.

One of the problems found in times gone by and the times in which we are now immersed is that we huddle in tribes of common, mutually affirming opinions.  We are pressured by the peers whom we have chosen and who have chosen us.  It happens with gangs on the streets and with gangs in corporate boardrooms; it happens with political parties and religious communities.  In fact, far too many zealous groups, political or religious, exploit the power of peer pressure, sometimes blatantly, more often, subtly.  And if a dissenting prophet stands up to challenge … the prophet is severely rebuked and if possible, silenced.

Loved Ones, do not be tempted to become the accusatory judge of other people’s sins, but rather be the humble penitent seeking to overcome one’s own sinfulness.

Always in Christ’s Service,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Thursday, October 25, 2018

When Christ was alone, those who were around Him along with the twelve asked Him about the parables.  And He said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables;  in order that ‘they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.’” – Mark 4:10-12

This particular teaching of Christ has always troubled me.  This secret or key is what enables some to perceive and understand, yet the parables are a way to keep those who have not the secret or the key from repenting and receiving mercy.  For years, this seems to go counter to my understanding of Christ’s invitation to all and His forgiveness of all.  Puzzling, at least for me.

What is this undefined secret or key to the Realm of God?  Possibly it is the risk of daring to trust that Christ speaks of a deeper understandings.  Possibly it is the humility that sets aside the pride and arrogance that confessing our need.  Possibly it is the understanding that it is not in debating law or doctrine that reveals the Truth, but the openness to the still-speaking Voice of God.  Possibly it is the yearning for a clearer, fresher, further understanding than what we presently have.

Christ asked many questions in His teaching of the people.  And I find that in how the people answered those questions either opened their minds and heart to new understandings or closed their minds and hearts by clinging to old understandings.  How can we believe in this new Realm of God, this new world where heaven and earth do mingle, this new age in the Divine and the human are coming together, if we are not willing to truly open our eyes, to healed of the particular blindness that colors and distorts our vision and to truly open our ears, to no longer be deafened by the prejudicial past?

Loved Ones, the secret, the key to the Realm of God … is to want to understand what God is presently revealing.

Always in Christ’s Service,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works… – John 14:8-10

The disciple and apostle Philip is portrayed as a straight-forward soul, direct in his questions and plain-spoken in his words.  He asks for his rabbi to point him to God, the Father in Heaven, the Parent of us all, the Creator and Sustainer of all life.  And Christ responds with a measure of frustration in His voice … “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father…” then furthers the explanation with that enigmatic phrase … “I am in the Father and the Father is in me”.”

Philip wanted to see the God of Heaven, God in the Spirit, and Christ responded with a radical new understanding … you now see God on earth, God in human flesh.  It is the amazing initiative of God to bring heaven and earth together as well as the Divine and the human.  God now dwells not only in heavenly realms but also in this earthly realm, in a ream not only within an individual’s life but also in our human relationships, in our human community, even, if we so choose, in our human endeavor.

Christ was the forerunner and His Life was the first expression of the human and the Divine living together in a mystical Oneness.  And by the seed of his life falling to earth, we by way of extension become a harvest field of that coming together by way of His Spirit within us and among us.  I like to call this … the ongoing process of the Christ-ification of this world.  As Christ was One with the Father, so in a less purer way, we also are One with the Father.  By our being in Christ, Christ is then to be in us, not only in hearts, but in words and actions, our values and purposes.  And as we develop and nurture this ever-closer Oneness with Christ, more and more the world is able to see God living within us and transforming the world through us.

It is my prayer that people will be able to behold the Christ within me.  And it is my prayer that people will be able to behold the Christ living within you and amongst us.

Always in Christ’s Service,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and they conspired to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.” – Matthew 26:3-5

The evil that devout people conspire to do under the guise of holy cause.  The chief priests and elders were supposedly men of God but, in truth, were more about worldly power and Jewish nationalism.  They wanted to be rid of this Galilean messiah, this self-anointed one, who was stirring up the hope and fervor of the commoners putting at risk their own plans to deal with the Roman occupation.  They had negotiated a nervous and tentative peace with the Romans, but this charismatic rabbi and his following might trigger a heavy-handed military response.  And as the chief priests and elders conspired, I believe they often invoked the name of God.

What is truly tragic is that throughout the centuries since this conclave of conspiracy to kill Christ, even Christians have invoked the name of God to do evil.  Usually they blind themselves to the evil they are doing by overly focusing on this cause or that cause.  They burn heretics in order to preserve what they have declared the correct doctrine.  They conquer lands and even kill the natives to claim lands in the name of the Lord.  They abandon wise discernment and compassionate ethic in a war against the sins they have selected.  They hide and conspire to gain control of the worldly powers so that they might accomplish their “holy” mission through questionably unholy means.

How did Christ usher in this new universal realm of God?  By way of self-giving sacrifice, a sacrifice of Love.  By way of unbelievable mercy, a merciful grace.  By way of a gift of Peace, a spirit filled with the Hope of God.

Always in Christ’s Service,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Monday, October 22, 2018

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed Him. So Jesus said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God. – Luke 16:14-15

The Pharisees ridiculed Jesus … seemingly because they were “lovers of money”.  But were not the Pharisees the lovers of the Law?  Were not the Pharisees the ones who preached if they nation would repent the Messiah would come and save them?  Were not the Pharisees those who sought to separate themselves from the sinful ways of this world?  And yet, Luke characterizes them as “lovers of money” and in so being …they ridiculed the seemingly unrealistic teachings of Christ and His ethic of the compassionate community.

What does it matter if they were “lovers of money”?  If money is a priority than matters of spirituality and community become a lesser priority.  If money is the measure of one’s worth, then other measures are disregarded.  If money is the deciding factor in determining what is right or wrong, good or bad, wise or foolish, worthwhile or not worthwhile, then money has gained more influence than God.  If the love of money is center and forefront, then God is moved to the side and background.

The love of money creates an obsession with materialism, always thinking that more money is the answer to our spiritual and communal lacking.  The love of money creates a world of haves and have-nots, the haves fearful of losing what they have, the have-nots envying what they have-not.  The love of money awakens the demon of greed, giving it license to flourish and to consume more than our providential share.

So many times when I have taught those teachings of Christ that seem unrealistic and naïve, impractical and non-profitable … they are ridiculed by those who are deeply immersed in a materialistic world-view.  It is as if the love of money has near-blinded us from the world of spirituality.

In America, on our money we engrave the words, “IN GOD WE TRUST”.  I find that a rather odd place to make that statement of faith.  It almost as if God and the money were somehow one and the same.

Always in Christ’s Service,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”– John 20:1-2

Mary Magdalene, finding the empty tomb, enters into a state of anxiety, the kind of anxiety that comes with sudden changes and a bewilderment as to what to do.

Mary Magdalene, by her coming to the tomb to do widow’s work, was quite naturally trying to extend her love of Jesus.  He had died, she had wept, now his body needed to be prepared and then laid to rest.  It was what loving widows did in those days … and it appears Mary Magdalene placed herself in that role.  But then … even that grieving act of love was snatched away, his body was nowhere to be found.  Surely an anxious gasp filled that bewildering moment …”What do I do now?!”

She first runs to find someone to lean on, to ask the questions that now fill her mind, to find an embrace of comfort for the wounds in heart.  “What has happened?  What do I do? What does this all mean for me and for all of us?”

I have lived through a number of those anxiety-filled sudden changes.  And each time my mortal self has cried out to God, “Lord, what has happened?  What do I do?”  It is a shock to one’s soul, and each time I “ran” to someone and Someone who would give me an emotional embrace, give me time for the shock to settle, and then to reassure me that soon I will better understand.

Everyone needs a someone and the Someone in times of sudden anxiety.  It is the work of faith that has someone and Someone into whose steadying arms one can run.

Always in Christ’s Service,

Fr. Charitas de la Cruz

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Saturday, October 20, 2018

 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. – Matthew 9:35-36

And Christ saw with His own eyes and with His own heart that the people without power, the poor and the working poor, those deemed of possessing less worth than those with money and positions of prestige, were harassed and helpless.  And today … when Christ looks out over the people, He still sees with compassion the harassed and the helpless, the defenseless and the desperate.  And if the heart of Christ had this compassionate response … then it would seem that our own hearts, we with Christ living within us, would have that same compassionate response.

Yet, so many Christians in whom the qualities of compassion and mercy appear rather faint, choose instead to blame, chastise, cast aside, ignore these people in the crowd .We fear being taken advantage of by these lesser ones; we fear being asked to share in God’s Providence for the community; we fear being burdened with dealing with the needs of others.

Jesus speaks of flocks without shepherds, leaders who care, guide, protect the flocks, shepherds willing to risk themselves to provide care for both the individual and the community.  Jesus understood that He would need to be that shepherd and His disciples in their turn and we in our turn.

When you look upon the crowds, the poor, the refugees, the harassed and the helpless … what is the response of your heart?

Always in Christ’s Service,

Fr Charitas de la Cruz