in our Christian growth. So is having Christian friends. But to have a mentor or soul friend or spiritual director is a wonderful gift. Such a person can more specifically aid us in the deepening of our life in Christ. And such a person may help us in the important transition points of life.
But such a person must be characterized by humility and wisdom. He or she must know the ways of God and understand the workings of the Holy Spirit. And such a companion must understand psychological and social development as much as the path to spiritual maturity.
Prayer
Lord, grant that I may find such a companion in the journey of faith. Amen.
Luke 22:19–20
March 12
Healing in the Eucharist
Embedded in the biblical concept of salvation is not only the idea of reconciliation and forgiveness, but also the power of healing. Faith in Christ brings grace and restoration. Christ also seeks to make us whole.
Within the life and praxis of the Christian community there are many avenues for healing. The most basic healing is healing for our
estrangement from God. This healing occurs when through teaching or speaking or witness one comes to faith in Christ.
Through participation in the life of the church and in small groups various forms of relational healing may take place. And most churches provide healing through their counseling services and pastoral ministry.
But the fathers of early Christianity also understood the healing power of the Eucharist. Theophilus of Alexandria encourages believers, “Eat the bread which purges away the old bitterness, and drink the wine which eases the pain of the wound.”71
This vision of healing in the Lord’s Supper is a recognition that this sacrament is much more than a feast of remembrance. It is a sacramental participation by faith in the Christ who continues to be the life-giver and healer.
Holy Communion is sharing in Christ present with us under the elements of bread and wine. And as such, Christ is truly our spiritual food and drink.
Reflection
Only speak the Word, Lord, and I will be healed.
Romans 8:5–6
March 13
Nature and Grace
The movement of what is natural in us leads only to the self. The dynamic of grace invites us to reach out in love to the other. What is natural to us turns in on itself. Grace is always expansive in its generosity.
To suggest that there is only a singular movement in us is to deny both the witness of the biblical story and the reality of the human condition. We are capable of great good and disastrous evil.
What is clear is that the human being, far from being centered and whole, is instead a conflicted creature. There are contrary forces in the human heart.
Thomas à Kempis understood this well through his own reflections on the biblical story, his own life, and his formation of novices in the
religious life. He writes, “nature accomplishes everything for its own gain and profit [and] does nothing without receiving recompense. . . . Grace, however, seeks nothing temporal, asks for no reward other than God Himself.”72
All of this is not to say that naturally we can’t do good. We can and we do. But we are also still on about ourselves. Grace brings a new dimension, however. This is living life out of a deep gratitude because we have been loved into a new existence and have been redeemed by the Christ who gave his life to gain our freedom and healing.
Prayer
Lord, may my life be marked by your grace and my gratitude, and may I live for your glory and the blessing of others. Amen.
Psalm 61:4
March 14
God’s Protection
The Christian life is lived not simply by worship and obedience, but also by God’s sustaining goodness and protection. And, therefore, think of Christ as a shield before and behind you.
The life of spirituality begins in faith birthed by grace. Grace is the life-giving action of God’s goodness in our lives. The impact of this
goodness is the movement toward relationship, renewal, and healing.
Living the Christian life also has to do with participation in the Christian community and in practicing the spiritual disciplines. This
empowers us for the journey of growth and for the challenges of witness and service.
But there is also more to the Christian life. An underlying theme is not what we are and do, but what God does in holding us safe.
St. Augustine understood this. He writes, “But see, O Lord, we are thy little flock. Possess us, stretch thy wings above us, and let us take refuge under them. Be thou our glory; let us be loved for thy sake.”73
This is a prayer. It is a prayer we are invited to pray all of our lives. And it is a prayer we pray not only for ourselves but for the church both local and universal. It is a prayer that recognizes our vulnerability and our need of God’s protection and care.
Prayer
Lord, you are the giver of life. Grant us the power of your Spirit to sustain us in the journey of faith. May you hold us, even when we have no sense that we are being held. Amen.
John 17:15–16
March 15
In the World; Not of the World
Christians are fully a part of the world. They too work and play, make things and rest. They too are born and die. But they are also strangers and pilgrims, for they have set their face
towards the heavenly city.
Just as a person who has lived cross-culturally no longer fully belongs to his or her homeland nor to the host country, so Christians do not
belong wholly to this world nor have they as yet entered heaven. They are in-between, or more correctly, in-both. They have already tasted something of the age to come while they are called to live in and serve the world for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.
The early Christians knew something about this strange status. The author of the Epistle of Diognetus writes, “They share their food, but not their wives. They are in the flesh, but do not live according to the flesh. They live on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven.”74
This in-between and in-both status means Christians can never fully give their full support to a particular political or economic ideology. It also means Christians are able to relinquish things rather than cling to wealth or power, as if these are the whole meaning of life. Further, it means Christians are out of step with the dominant values of a society. Therefore, they are the true subversives, for they see a different world—the world to come—beckoning and groaning towards fulfillment.
