IN Christ

discipleshipmeetingatsaintandrew.blogspot.com

March 23, 2009 IN Christ

St. Andrew’s Discipleship & Bible Stories

Our introductory exercise this evening followed this format:

Pondering the Annunciation / Incarnation / Magnificat –

“God thank You for how wonderful I am, and God, thank You even more for how wonderful we are all becoming together – My name is : <Doug Logsdon from Alhambra, CA>; <Vincent from LAX>; etc.

Authentic spontaneity

The Ever Blessed Virgin Mary : My soul magnifies the Lord (proclaims the greatness of the Lord)

The FULLNESS of Her whole person is doing nothing but magnifying God –

<There was so much, Fr Paul, that you said on this and I wish you’d add more: I was (fingers couldn’t begin to keep up) zoned out in awe pondering/contemplating. But above is the substance. KRK>

Joseph breaking down the soul :

The soul is ONLY known by God: (we do not know the state of our own souls)

The perfect state of the soul is the union of the intellect (truth) and the will (good)

When we have union of intellect & will – we have Peace of Soul

Angels only have access to everything below the intellect and will (lower functions of the soul)

Concupiscence & irascibility (animal kingdom)

Imagination & memory

Before the Fall

(Original Sin of Adam & Eve)

perfect order (original Justice) higher faculties ordered the lower

Joseph drew a diagram for us:

God - Trinity

Mary

Angels – 1/3 fell -- 2/3 protecting us

Man

Animals

Plants

Matter

The only way to become Holy is to WILL IT – Charity/Love

AFTER THE FALL

Lower faculties in control of higher

Due to Fall the Intellect and Will are no longer in union

GRACE switches the triangle back right side up

1 Cor 15:45

Spirit – Soul : are these terms the same? No. Do the Scriptures distinguish them in any way? Yes.

45 The first man Adam was made into a living soul; the last Adam is a quickening spirit.

The first Adam was a living soul; the last Adam [Christ] is life-giving spirit.

It is the Spirit that gives Life––Divine life.

Heb 4: 12

12 For the word of God is living and effectual, and more piercing than any two edged sword; and reaching unto the division of the soul and the spirit, of the joints also and the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrew: mind, heart, soul, spirit – one leader in a life-time –

(psycho) = mind not spirit

(pneumatos / πνευματόϛ = spirit)

Adam has a living soul

Christ – IS – a LIFE GIVING Spirit

God is Spirit – we worship God in Spirit and Truth by a disposition of Grace

There is a dispositional grace for us to start cooperating with

To move from grace to grace – this is development – growth “in Grace”

When Mary would receive another Grace she would ponder it in her Heart, and allow it to shape her – “Let it be done unto me according to Your Word” – don’t let me understand Your Word but let Your Word form me.

God’s Form-ation of our souls is compounding– as we cooperate with God’s Grace we are then ABLE to cooperate more

We practice natural virtues but we have infused supernatural Graces that accelerate our growth in natural and supernatural virtue – to grow into our inheritance – He wants to ACTUATE in us our potential, our inheritance

In Jesus Christ, in His natural life, His Divinity was hidden

Jesus Christ had the full unity of His Divinity and Humanity – bringing human nature into alignment with the Divine Will : Heb 5: 7-9 (Sunday 5^th Lent)

7 Who in the days of His Flesh, with a strong cry and tears, offering up prayers and supplications to Him that was able to save him from death, was heard for His reverence. 8 And whereas indeed He was the Son of God, He learned obedience by the things which He suffered: 9 And being consummated, He became, to all that obey Him, the cause of eternal salvation. 10 Called by God a high priest according to the order of Melchisedech.

Look in the Garden – if this cup …

Lk 22: 42

39 And going out, he went, according to his custom, to the mount of Olives. And his disciples also followed him. 40 And when he was come to the place, he said to them: Pray, lest ye enter into temptation. 41 And he was withdrawn away from them a stone's cast; and kneeling down, he prayed, 42 Saying: Father, if thou wilt, remove this chalice from me: but yet not my will, but thine be done. 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony, he prayed the longer. 44 And his sweat became as drops of blood, trickling down upon the ground. 45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow. 46 And he said to them: Why sleep you? arise, pray, lest you enter into temptation.

(rest in Prayer and wake up in Prayer) –

Jesus is accustomed to prayer – get in touch with the REAL Jesus and get in touch with the reality we need to

Jesus needed to enter into deep, intense and frequent prayer – we read in Scripture: the He was in prayer – that He was all night in prayer

There might be a clue here

A watch in the night = 4 hours

Can you spend a watch (a soldier’s shift) – you’re only good for 4 hours – be with Me for a “watch” – “an hour” is calculated as “a watch” not 60 minutes but 4 hours

Jesus was used to stable, sober periods of alertness Himself – used to doing this in that Place (Garden of Olives, Desert, etc.) where He spent these big chunks of time

We don’t think we need to pray this way – that’s not a part of our life – or what we really think we need to do

We need to get very real about this – we act as if this were a metaphor – Christ is fully praying

– to stay in tune with and to advance in receptivity and readied capacity to what do as My Heavenly Father is doing – To be as my Father is being.

to stay in union in Spirit and in Truth – His faculties were edified, strengthened and consoled so that when He’s with a foolish St Peter – all His faculties need to be loaded in Prayer for these times – making more delicate and nuanced His faculties.

“His disciples followed Him … pray that you may not undergo the test… kneeling He prayed… Father if You are Willing… not My Will but Yours be done … He was in such agony … sweat drops of blood”

“Why are you sleeping ….”

I only do what My Heavenly Father is doing – if you want Me to do anything outside of that you’d better talk to the Big Guy

Our Lady says:

My soul … my spirit rejoices in God my Savior … lowly handmaid

The Almighty has done great things for me

His Mercy is from generation to generation

Dispositional graces – cooperates with those graces – God can DO wonderful things in her own nothingness – but God cannot do His Will in her without her cooperating -- her cooperation is allowing True Love to be occurring from her

We need a “personal trainer” – if your technique is a little off – you’re going to hurt yourself

– Our Lady is our personal trainer

Humility – what is humility : Virgin of Guadalupe look at her – magnificat

God WANTS to be glorified in Mary – God WANTS to be glorified in me –

Is it God’s will for me to be glorious with God’s glory

Without my trying very hard – let it be done unto me – it is HIS wonder – He looked on me in my nothingness (Mary)

Onus (burden) is on God – to glorify Himself in us

This will be easy and light (according to Jesus): “For My yoke is sweet (easy); My burden light” (Mt. 11:30)

Padre Pio – lower and higher aspects of soul

God wants us to be sharers in his divine self –

Only IS thee only ONE Christian – Jesus Christ

Ephesians 1:3 “In Christ” … “In Christ” … “In Christ” …. Is there a theme here?

Ephesians 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, to all the saints who are at Ephesus, and to the Faithful in Christ Jesus. 2 Grace be to you, and peace from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with spiritual blessings, in Christ: 4 As He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unspotted in His sight in Charity.

We cannot become Christians – this entire Gift of Faith is all in Christ – we can insert ourselves into His own Christ-ian-ness –we always remain in Him as members of His ONE Christ-ness

The ONLY one Who will BE Good is God Himself – us in God in Christ – He is God He is God’s Will – Christ brought His Human Will into complete obedience – this obedience to His Will is part of who we are in Christ

We get all of the Jesus stuff in us – we do NOT have to be good with our own goodness. Then we cooperate with moral participation.

 

Ephesians 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, to all the saints who are at Ephesus, and to the Faithful in Christ Jesus. 2 Grace be to you, and peace from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:   4 As He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unspotted in His sight in Charity. 5 Who hath predestinated us unto the adoption of children through Jesus Christ unto Himself: according to the purpose of His Will: 6 Unto the praise of the glory of His grace, in which He hath graced us in His beloved Son. 7 In Whom we have redemption through His Blood, the remission of sins, according to the riches of His grace, 8 Which hath superabounded in us in all Wisdom and Prudence, 9 That He might make known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure, which He hath purposed in Him, 10 In the dispensation of the fullness of times, to re-establish all things in Christ, that are in heaven and on earth, in Him.

 

 

Movement and power of God in us – allow movement of Grace and cooperate with Grace IN Christ Jesus

“so that we might exist for the praise of His glory – have believed in Him – first installment

2 Peter 1:3

His divine power has bestowed on us everything that makes us Holy in Christ

Thru the knowledge of Him

He has bestowed on us precious and very great promises

A share in the Divine Nature

after escaping from the corruption of sin

We are NOT “meditating” to discover – that we are God

Only He has all the Virtues to handle that much glory – otherwise it incinerates us –

With, through and IN Christ we can handle that much glory

The Ever Blessed Virgin Mary had a little snapshot of it

We are saved, sanctified, glorified

Glorification – we show forth God’s own Glory and Divine Nature

NO creature can claim they are God – Mary is the Mother of God but not God

God wants to share the fullness of His Divinity – I Am Who Am – God – development of that progression is taking place

Most effective mode – divinization process – through the Church through the Sacred Liturgy - The Sacrament of “My” Body and Blood

Transforming power of the Eucharist – central Sacrament for nourishing that process

St Augustine paraphrase – This Bread wants to Eat you Alive and Divinize you

“I Am the Bread of Life”

May we come to share in the Divinity of Christ

His process is to take us into HIS Paschal Mystery; His dying and rising; Divinization through participation – this IS the central work of God to bring us into Himself

Titus 3:6-7

Titus 3:4 But when the goodness and kindness of God our Saviour appeared: 5 Not by the works of justice, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us, by the laver of regeneration, and renovation of the Holy Ghost; 6 Whom he hath poured forth upon us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour: 7 That, being justified by his grace, we may be heirs, according to hope of life everlasting.

BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST JESUS

we cease to be as we were – only human –

we are united in Him in His death – there goes your best excuse * down the drain

* “ I’m only human ”