Wednesday 28, 2007
Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
March 28, 2007
“Blessed are you who look into the depths.”
Daniel 3:55
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In our so often superficial society we would all do well to pay attention to the “Abajo Rio.” The “Abajo Rio” is translated the “River Below.” It refers to what is really going on in the inside, in your heart of hearts. It is where the depth, profundity and mystery of life can come alive for us. To get there, it is a journey that takes risks and vulnerability but that is the only way we can get to the “Abajo Rio.”
Will we risk going to the “River Below?” Remember, no risk, no return. More risk, more return. That is the way it is with knowing the depth, profundity and mystery of our faith. If we are not willing to go into the river, we will never really know the river. Or, we can lightly wade in the river. Or, we could dive in and know it in its fullness. What will you risk in order to know the “Abajo River?”
I had an interesting experience as I was attempting to get men’s small faith sharing groups going in my church. I asked the men to break up into small groups to discuss ways we could get more real with each other on the level of our struggles and faith. A number of the men came back and said we go deeper with each other as men by doing some project together like painting or putting on a breakfast. While I know that can be true and is a more natural and relaxed way, something inside me protested this line of thinking. Why? Because I think it is not natural to dive in and get real. We tend to avoid, deny, delay, rationalize away and not go to the depths. If we do not plan to do it, then we will most likely not do it. It is all about living the confronted life and being honest with what is really going on in our hearts.
Blessed be Jesus who looks into the depths. He has suffered every suffering of all of us. He has been tempted in every way we have and has not sinned. He has gone there and shared with us the depth, profundity and mystery of who he is for us in our “Abajo Rio.”
It seems to me that the church would be most church if we would dive into the “Abajo Rio.” What is really going on with each of us? What if we shared all our struggles, temptations and failures of greed, lust, infidelity, fear, lying and such with each other and our God? How about our love-less marriages; the anger, unforgiveness and bitterness that imprisons us; the temptations to pornography, infidelity, lying, greed, drink? What if we risked everything on Christ who has risked everything on us? I think we would find everything we ever wanted as we found Christ in the “River Below.”
Live the confronted life!
+Fr. John
Will we risk going to the “River Below?” Remember, no risk, no return. More risk, more return. That is the way it is with knowing the depth, profundity and mystery of our faith. If we are not willing to go into the river, we will never really know the river. Or, we can lightly wade in the river. Or, we could dive in and know it in its fullness. What will you risk in order to know the “Abajo River?”
I had an interesting experience as I was attempting to get men’s small faith sharing groups going in my church. I asked the men to break up into small groups to discuss ways we could get more real with each other on the level of our struggles and faith. A number of the men came back and said we go deeper with each other as men by doing some project together like painting or putting on a breakfast. While I know that can be true and is a more natural and relaxed way, something inside me protested this line of thinking. Why? Because I think it is not natural to dive in and get real. We tend to avoid, deny, delay, rationalize away and not go to the depths. If we do not plan to do it, then we will most likely not do it. It is all about living the confronted life and being honest with what is really going on in our hearts.
Blessed be Jesus who looks into the depths. He has suffered every suffering of all of us. He has been tempted in every way we have and has not sinned. He has gone there and shared with us the depth, profundity and mystery of who he is for us in our “Abajo Rio.”
It seems to me that the church would be most church if we would dive into the “Abajo Rio.” What is really going on with each of us? What if we shared all our struggles, temptations and failures of greed, lust, infidelity, fear, lying and such with each other and our God? How about our love-less marriages; the anger, unforgiveness and bitterness that imprisons us; the temptations to pornography, infidelity, lying, greed, drink? What if we risked everything on Christ who has risked everything on us? I think we would find everything we ever wanted as we found Christ in the “River Below.”
Live the confronted life!
+Fr. John
posted by Patti @ 7:39 AM
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