Bro. Theodore's Lenten Talk on Wednesday March 31, 2004
Modern life can be deeply stressful and confusing because of its complexity. Like a maze with to many directions, life fosters anxiety because it is difficult to know which way to go. This fuels helplessness, generating the worst kinds of stressful states of mind: desperation and despondency. We become trapped in habit patterns of negative thinking, blind to opportunities, victimized by powerlessness.
We as Monks are not immune from this phenomenon; we may get wrapped up in our many assignments, our personal pursuits and our Monastic responsibilities and may become apathetic. If affected we would go about our duties or attend Mass and Office, but it would appears that we were only going through the motions. Our singing, our praying, our meditation, our zeal would seems listless. We would be leading lives of quiet despair. Certainly God desires more for us.
I suspect the problem is one akin to an athlete or sport team, which is @in a slump
@. Such a person or team @goes through the motions@, but they are not performing up to their true potential. The solution in sports: Work on the @fundamentals@. The same is true for us; when we find ourselves @in a slump@ We need to stress the fundamentals. In Revelations we are admonished, A...you have turned aside from your early love. Keep firmly in mind the heights from which you have fallen. Repent and return to your former deeds...@ We need to get @Back To The Basics!@In Romans we hear
@..may God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that through the power of the Holy Spirit you may have hope in abundance.@ This passage summarizes what I would like to stress as some of the @fundamentals@ or @basics@ that we need to get back to when we find our lives are in a spiritual slump. My first suggestion would be to ENERGIZE YOUR @FAITH@@
FAITH@ is defined in Hebrews @Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.@Faith can be called @a firm conviction@, or a @confident trust@.The importance of
@FAITH@... In Hebrews we are told that Faith in God is essential to pleasing Him. Faith in Jesus is essential to finding forgiveness and eternal life, John tells us at the conclusion of his gospel. Without faith, the only alternative is doubt accompanied with fear as relayed by Matthew when describing Peter=s attempt to walk on the water.Energizing your
@FAITH@... The Word of God is designed to produce faith, in Romans we read @Faith, then, comes through hearing, and what is heard is the word of Christ.@ Thus through diligent reading of the Bible, we can @energize@ our faith! So when you find yourself in a spiritual slump, pick up your Bible and allow it to rebuild that @confident trust@ you once had! It will also help you to...FORTIFY YOUR @HOPE@Defining
@HOPE@ ... It could be said that it involves @the happy anticipation of good@. It is not wishful thinking, or an insecure AI hope so@ It could further be described as @a confident expectation@ A common definition of hope is @desire plus expectation@.Importance of
@HOPE@... In Romans we find that hope is necessary to persevere and in 1st John that hope is necessary for our motivation to become pure and finally in 1st Peter that hope is necessary to increase opportunities to evangelize. Without hope, we not only lose our souls, we will not be any good for saving others.Fortifying your
@HOPE=... In Romans we read that @Everything written before our time was written for our instruction, that we might derive hope from the lessons of patience and the words of encouragement in the Scriptures@. Through this revelation of God=s dealings with man in the past, we know God keeps His promise. This encourages us to expect Him to deliver on His promises for the future. Peter in 1st Peter encourages us to @rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ@ Where do we read of @grace@ that is to be revealed? In Scripture of course. So nothing @fortifies@ our hope better than those wonderful passages that reveal the eternal destiny of the saints! When an athlete gets discouraged, he or she is often told to @Keep your eye on the prize!@ This is what we must do, and it is with the aid of God=s word that we can keep our focus where it ought to be. Getting @Back To The Basics@ will also include an effort to... ACTIVATE YOUR @LOVE@Paul gives the best definition of love in 1 Corinthians: @Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
@ A simple definition that is easy to remember: its @active goodwill@.Importance of
@LOVE@... can be found mainly in the 1st letter of the Apostle John: Expressing love gives us @assurance@ of our salvation if we @love in deed and in truth@. Expressing love assures us that God will answer our prayers if Awe love one another@. Later on we find out that expressing love reassures us that we abide in God and He in us.Activating your @LOVE
@... Like the Thessalonians, we can be thought by God how to love. Jesus taught us how to love by His sacrificial life as we see in 1 John A...He laid down his life for us...@ God taught us how to love by giving His Son as a propitiation for sins as seen also in 1st John: @By this the love of God is revealed in us: that God has sent his one and only Son into the world so that we may live through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if God so loved us, then we also ought to love one another.@ Through careful meditation upon what the bible reveal about God=s love for us, we can @activate@ our love for others! As I continue to list what is involved in getting @Back To The Basics@, I also encourage you to... ENHANCE YOUR @JOY@In defining joy the Greek word CHARA, is closely related to the word CHARIS. CHARIS (grace) is @undeserved favor
@which in turn gives joy, pleasure, delight. CHARA (joy), then is the response we have to undeserved favor. I like to think of joy as the @delightful response@ to the grace we receive from God.Importance of
@JOY=... in Romans we see that Joy is an essential element of what constitutes the Kingdom of God, @For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit@. In 1st Peter we find that joy lightens the burdens of trial in this life A...and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, because you are attaining the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.@ It is often the loss of this virtue that is most evident in our lives.Enhancing Your
@JOY@... Both Jesus and His apostles gave us words whereby our joy might be full In John@s Gospel, Jesus says AI have told you these things so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete.@ and in 1st John, John writes; @Thus we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.@ Once again we see the value of the Bible in our daily lives. Just as the Bible can ...; Energize your faith ...; Fortify your hope...; Activate your love ...; so too it can @enhance@ your joy!Jesus also stressed the importance of Prayer in Regards to Joy in John we read
@Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive it, so that your joy may be complete.@ Answered prayer certainly excites us, and increases joy, so too the practice of daily Bible reading. A key to getting @Back To The Basics!@ is the habit of regular prayer. There is one more @basic@ I would like to point out before I conclude. You should also... ENJOY YOUR @PEACE@@
PEACE@ can be defined as @harmonious relations.@ It is used to describe such harmony between... Men, between... Nations, between... God and man, between... One=s own self. A lack of peace often contributes to the @spiritual doldrums@ that may afflict us from time to time.Importance of
@PEACE@... It is another crucial element constituting the Kingdom of God as seen in Romans, @So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another@. And, @Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice, set things right, be encouraged, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.@ we hear from Paul in 2nd Corinthians. In Proverbs we find out that having peace with God has a positive effect in our peace with our enemies.Enjoying your
@PEACE@... Peace with God begins with justification found only in Christ as we see in Romans, @Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ@. In Philippians, we read @Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus@. So just as prayer can @enhance@ our joy so can prayer help us to @enjoy@ our peace that surpasses all understanding.Faith, hope, love, joy, peace: simple words, yet so essential to the @abundant life
@ Jesus has to offer those who come to Him. Why are they often in short supply in our lives? Because we neglect two fundamental tools God provides for us. These tools? The Word of God and Prayer!Brothers whenever you find yourself in a spiritual
@slump@, let these two avenues of communication with God be the key to: Energize your faith! Fortify your hope! Activate your love! Enhance your joy! Enjoy your peace!We hear in James "... put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls.
@ and from Colossians, @Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.@ Resorting to the basic elements of the abundant life found only in Christ is not a mystery receive the implanted Word of God and continue earnestly in prayer. It is just that simple!