Bernadette of Lourdes: Give Witness

“The Church is you, me, all of us. It is not the local priest alone. Christians are the people chosen to give witness, everywhere, that God is love and He is only that!”

Bernadette of Lourdes (1844-1879) in 15 Days of Prayer with Saint Bernadette of Lourdes by François Vayne (Hyde Park, New York, 2009) 70.

As we approach the Passion Week, be sure to take good notes because our greatest act of generosity for the rest of our lives is to “give witness” to the God who is love. Jesus’ work on the cross for us–making atonement for our sins–is not just good news, it’s the best news ever, because He rose from the grave, conquered sin and death, and freely offers life to all who believe (cf. John 3:16)!

“Prayer changes things,” people say. It also changes us. The latter goal is the more imperative. The primary purpose of prayer is to bring us into such a life of communion with the Father that, by the power of the Spirit, we are increasingly conformed to the image of the Son…None of of us will keep up a life of prayer unless we are prepared to change. We will either give it up or turn it into a little system that maintains the form of godliness but denies the power of it–which is the same thing as giving it up.

When we begin to walk with God, He graciously and marvelously answers our feeble, egocentric prayers. We think, “This is wonderful. God is real after all!” In time, however, when we try to push this button again, God says to us, “I would like to be more than your Provider. I also want to be your Teacher and your Friend. Let me lead you to a more excellent way. I want to free you of the greed and avarice, the fear of hostility that make your life one great sorrow…” Each day in a new and living way the brooding Spirit of God teaches us. As we begin to follow these nudgings of the Spirit, we are changed from the inside out.”

Richard Foster in Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 57.

What will prayer look like in your life after Lent?

Don’t keep the form without the function! The form is prayer, the function is our transformation, and the agent of that change is the Holy Spirit. When we let God have His way in us, the Spirit produces the fruit of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control” in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23). This happens as we follow the “nudgings of the Spirit.” In plain language specifically related to generosity, we won’t be any more generous after Lent if we don’t submit to the work of the Spirit in our lives.

Father in Heaven, have Your way in each of us. As our Provider, transform our greed into generosity. As our Teacher, show us the more excellent way and help us walk in it. And as our Friend, move us from fear to faith by your Holy Spirit. Do all this we ask in the name of our risen Savior Jesus. Amen.

Yet even now, says the Lord, repent and return to me with all your heart. Joel 2:12.

“The real question of the Lenten season is: How will I repent and return to God with all my heart? This begs an even deeper question: Where in my life have I gotten away from God and what are the disciplines that will enable me to find my way back?

How many and how subtle are the ways we “leave” God and the true spiritual journey in favor of other pursuits—even those that seem very noble and even necessary. The cares and concerns of life in this world and even the dreams and visions that God has given us can become distractions from the relationship itself…Returning to God with all our hearts begins with repentance…

Lenten disciplines help us to abstain from the daily distractions that prevent us from seeing and naming reality correctly. As we allow some of the external trappings of our lives to be stripped away, we can return to a truer sense of ourselves and a deeper pursuit of God. We acknowledge the subtle temptations to which we are prone rather than pretending that we are beyond temptation.

The disciplines of fasting and other kinds of abstinence help us to abstain from that which distracts us and numbs our awareness so that we can become more finely attuned to what is going on in our lives spiritually-speaking. We allow ourselves to experience the necessary grief that leads to repentance and we ask God to lead us in a new and everlasting way.”

Ruth Haley Barton in “Practicing Lent: Invitation to Return to God” blog post dated 21 February 2012.

Hopefully what is happening to each of us this Lent is that we are experiencing “necessary grief that leads to repentance” while becoming “more finely attuned” both to God and the things that distract us from God, whether they be good things or bad things.

The prophet Joel instructs us how to do this: Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Joel 2:13. Is it time for a heart-rending and returning exercise?

Let’s take some time today to make a list of things that distract us from God. Father, forgive us, we are brokenhearted for pursuing these other things and missing you in the process. Recalculate our route back to you, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Do this we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Your charity and care must begin at home but it must not end there. You are bound to do the best you can to educate your children, so they may be capable of being most serviceable to God, but not to leave them rich, nor to forbear other necessary works of charity, merely to make larger provision for them. There must be some proportion between the provision we make for our families and for the church of Christ. A truly charitable, self-denying heart, that hath devoted itself, and all that it hath, to God, would be the best judge of the due proportions, and would see which way of expense is likely to do God the greatest service, and that way it would take.”

Richard Baxter (1615-1691) in The Reformed Pastor, 5th edition, ed. William Brown (London: The Religious Tract Society, 1862) 167.

Baxter lived in a day when Christian parents with resources exhibited a sincere desire to attend of the needs of their children (cf. 1 Timothy 5:8). That desire soon developed into an entitlement pattern: parents felt their children deserved “nothing but the best” of everything. Sound familiar? Many aimed to leave their children rich instead of being rich in charity, so Baxter shined light on this selfish and destructive trend (cf. 1 Timothy 6:17-19).

If you are journeying through Lent with children (or grandchildren), be sure to teach them that the aim of self-denying simplicity is to make space for works of charity and grow as faithful disciples of Jesus. We invest money on resources and outings to impart these lessons. Why? We must train children in grasping the value of sacrifice and charity, so that their souls may be “most serviceable to God” rather than self-absorbed.

“If you love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15. Our Lord never insists on our obedience. He stresses very definitely what we ought to do, but he never forces us to do it. We have to obey Him out of a oneness of spirit with Him. That is why whenever our Lord talked about discipleship, He prefaced it with an “if” … If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23…

The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear. If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation. If I hesitate, it is because I love something I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself. Jesus Christ will not force me to obey Him, but I must. And as soon as I obey Him, I fulfill my spiritual destiny.

My personal life may be crowded with small, petty happenings, altogether insignificant. But if I obey Jesus Christ in the seemingly random circumstances of life, they become the pinholes through which I see the face of God. Then, when I stand face to face with God, I will discover that through my obedience thousands were blessed.”

Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) in “Obedience or Independence?” the November 2 reading in My Utmost for His Highest an updated edition in today’s language (Grand Rapids: Discovery House, 1992).

While Lent is the season for nurturing spiritual growth by focusing on key aspects of the faith, we must not wait for a special call to the mission field or a divine sign from heaven to put what we have learned to practice. We must obey in the “seemingly random circumstances” of life.

Our obedience in loving God and loving others creates “the pinholes” through which we see “the face of God.” That reminds me of the famous statement near the end of Victor Hugo’s, Les Miserables: “To love another person is to see the face of God!” What motivates us to love people?

For disciples of Christ, it’s not a rule; it’s a response to the love we have received from Him. What about you? Do you obey without hesitation? Does He have competition? Take ten minutes in silence today to consider your answers. Do this so that you are prepared to stand face to face with God.

Sometimes, O God, my thirst for you
is pushed aside, ignored,
or simply quenched by something other—
something more reasonable,
something more popular—than you.
But you never go away,
never stop,
never leave the depths of me.
Like an underground spring,
you are fresh and free,
breaking through.
Help me prepare a place for you in the caverns of my soul.
Amen.

Pamela Hawkins in The Awkward Season: Prayers for Lent (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2009) 36, 38.

What’s bubbling up in the “caverns of your soul” this Lent? I pray it is the living water of Jesus Christ that is the only thing that can satisfy, the only refreshment that causes a person to never thirst again (cf. John 4:14). What happens to those who partake? Hawkins suggests we enjoy and share it freely, and to that end, she invites each of us to pray this prayer:

O Christ, who is Living Water,
who is deep calling to deep.
You call us to carry
hope to the hopeless,
love to the lost,
and water to the thirsty.
Fill me with your love
to overflowing
that I may have a part in you
and freely give it away.
Amen.

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:19-21

“From their expression, “Why could we not?” it is evident that they had wished and sought to do so; they had probably used the Master’s name, and called upon the evil spirit to go out. Their efforts had been vain, and, in the presence of the multitude, they had been put to shame. “Why could we not?”

Christ’s answer was direct and plain: “Because of your unbelief.” The cause of His success and their failure, was not owing to His having a special power to which they had no access. No. the reason was not far to seek. He had so often taught them that there is one power, that of faith, to which, in the kingdom of darkness, as in the kingdom of God, everything must bow; in the spiritual world failure has but one cause, the want of faith.

Faith is the one condition on which all divine power can enter into man and work through him. It is the susceptibility of the unseen; man’s will yielded up to, and molded by the will of God. The power they had received to cast out devils, they did not hold in themselves as a permanent gift or possession; the power was in Christ, to be received, and held, and used by faith alone, living faith in Himself…

But such want of faith must have a cause too. Well might the disciples have asked: “And why could we not believe? Our faith has cast out devils before this: why have we now failed in believing?” The Master proceeds to tell them ere they ask: “This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”

Faith needs a life of prayer for its full growth…And prayer needs fasting for its full growth; this is the second lesson. Prayer is the one hand with which we grasp the invisible; fasting, the other, with which we let loose and cast away the visible…

Fasting helps to express, to deepen, and to confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, to sacrifice ourselves, to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God. And He who accepted the fasting and sacrifice of the Son, knows to value and accept and reward with spiritual power the soul that is thus ready to give up all for Christ and His kingdom.”

Andrew Murray (1828-1917) in With Christ in the School of Prayer (New York: Caledonian, 1912) 76-77.

The aim of Lent for each of us is to learn that prayer is the pathway for grasping “the invisible” and when coupled with fasting, that is the casting away of “the visible,” we gain reward (cf. Matthew 6:18). So what’s the reward? Faith. With faith we learn to live according to the realities of the Christ’s eternal kingdom here and now.

“So I am first of all a simple country person, a refugee, and unlearned. I do not know how to provide for the future. But this I know for certain, that before I was brought low, I was like a stone lying deep in the mud. Then He who is powerful came and in His mercy pulled me out, and lifted me up and placed me on the very top of the wall. That is why I must shout aloud in return to the Lord for such great good deeds of His, here and now and forever, which the human mind cannot measure.

So be amazed, all you people great and small who fear God! You well-educated people in authority, listen and examine this carefully. Who was it who called one as foolish as I am from the middle of those who are seen to be wise and experienced in law and powerful in speech and in everything? If I am most looked down upon, yet He inspired me, before others, so that I would faithfully serve the nations with awe and reverence and without blame: the nations to whom the love of Christ brought me. His gift was that I would spend my life, if I were worthy of it, to serving them in truth and with humility to the end.

In the knowledge of this faith in the Trinity, and without letting the dangers prevent it, it is right to make known the gift of God and His eternal consolation. It is right to spread abroad the name of God faithfully and without fear, so that even after my death I may leave something of value to the many thousands of my brothers and sisters — the children whom I baptised in the Lord. I didn’t deserve at all that the Lord would grant such great grace, after hardships and troubles, after captivity, and after so many years among that people. It was something which, when I was young, I never hoped for or even thought of.”

Patrick of Ireland (387-461) in his own words in Confessio, 12-15, translation by David Kelly.

What a confession!

My favorite part is where Patrick proclaimed: “His gift was that I would spend my life…serving them in truth and with humility to the end.” My life, your life, our lives, are gifts “to make known the gift of God and His eternal consolation.” Whether you fancy a cool glass of water, a hot cup of coffee, or a pint of Guinness, let’s toast the perspective of Patrick of Ireland today and follow in his footsteps.

I’m in. How about you?

“My sisters and myself desire to bring Christ into the unhappy holes of the slums of Calcutta poor and later on to other places…by going amongst the people, nursing the sick in their homes, helping the dying to make peace with God, having little free schools in the slums for the little children, visiting the poor in the hospitals, and helping the beggars of the streets to lead respectful lives. In a word, act the charity of Christ among the poorest and so make them know Him and want Him in their unhappy lives.”

Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997) in a letter to Archbishop Périer, Feast of Corpus Christi dated 5 June 1947, in Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the “Saint of Calcutta” edited with commentary by Brian Kolodiejchuk (New York: Doubleday, 2007) 74.

As we find ourselves in the second half of Lent and begin to look to life beyond Easter, Mother Teresa would urge us to adopt a lifestyle of going amongst the destitute and filling “the unhappy holes” of their lives with Jesus Christ in word and deed. Consider doing this in your neighborhood, a section of the inner city, or wherever it makes sense based on where God has planted you.

Few things cause our light to shine more brightly than acts of charity. That’s the view of the prophet Isaiah. Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. Isaiah 58:10. Want to learn from some of our friends who have dedicated their lives to offering this kind of care to the poor in Guatemala?

Come to our home and meet Edgar and Gladys Güitz of Potter’s House. They serve the Treasures, the poor who scavenge to survive in the garbage dump in Guatemala City. Edgar and Gladys are coming to visit us in Littleton, Colorado, so we are having an open house on Sunday, 19 April 2015, from 1:00pm-3:00pm. Reply to this meditation if you want to attend, and we will email you our townhouse address.

“The life of a monk ought to be a continuous Lent. Since few, however, have the strength for this, we urge the entire community during these days of Lent to keep its manner of life most pure and to wash away in this holy season the negligences of other times. This we can do in a fitting manner by refusing to indulge evil habits and by devoting ourselves to prayer with tears, to reading, to compunction of heart, and self-denial.

During these days, therefore, we will add to the usual measure of our service something by way of private prayer and abstinence from food or drink so that each of us will have something above the assigned measure to offer God of his own will with the joy of the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 1:6). In other words, let each one deny himself some food, drink, sleep, needless talking and idle jesting, and look forward to holy Easter with joy and spiritual longing.”

Benedict of Nursia (480-543) in The Rule of St. Benedict in English 49.1-7 (Collegeville: Liturgical) RB 1980, 71.

We are about halfway though Lent. Today, Benedict reminds us that this season teaches us self-denial. Many Christians don’t like to talk about self-denial. They think (wrongly!) that it views God’s gifts as bad and not to be enjoyed. Nothing could be further from the truth! The aim of the Benedict’s community of Christ-followers was enjoyment with self-denial so that indulgence is precluded and sharing is possible.

My prayer for readers on this feast day is that this journey leads you to a lifestyle of “continuous Lent.” Don’t do this because I say so. Do it because it is the pathway Jesus marked for us. Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” Luke 9:23. Self-denial is “Spring Training” for disciples of Jesus who desire to follow Him through the seasons of life!