With these words, Benedict seems to be making an offer which few would knowingly refuse. There are conditions, however, which must be met before obtaining the "good life:"
"And if, hearing Him, you answer,
'I am the one,'
God says to you, '
If you will have true and everlasting life,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips that they speak no guile.
Turn away from evil and do good;
seek after peace and pursue it' (Ps. 33[34]:14-15).
And when you have done these things,
My eyes shall be upon you
and My ears open to your prayers;
and before you call upon Me,
I will say to you,
'Behold, here I am'" (Ps. 33[34]:16; Is. 65:24; 58:9).
"What can be sweeter to us, dear ones,
than this voice of the Lord inviting us?
Behold, in His loving kindness
the Lord shows us the way of life."
Of course, the promise and the offer isn't Benedict's. It is God's offer.
A few months ago I posted the first few lines of the Prologue as my "status" on facebook and was surprised by the number of people who wanted to know the secret of having a good life. When I filled in the conditions necessary, one person wrote back in disgust, "Pah! I thought you were serious!" He "unfriended" me, too. Clearly he and a few others thought I was teasing and snarky to have posted this.
Why do we so quickly write off such clear and simple counsel? What is there in the American psyche that is so mistrustful of, or disgusted by the notion of seeking and pursuing peace, and of truth-telling? Yet the popular (at least as of a poll taken a few years ago) opinion is that we are a Christian nation. We'd do well to define our terms. We may call ourselves anything we want, but unless we cherish the same ideals as the One we call Christ, and seek to live them out, we're just noisily clanging cymbals and add nothing to the reign of God.
G.K. Chesterton once dryly observed, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." No truer words were ever spoken.
Ephesians 2:5 reminds me that I am not the author of my own salvation, that it is grace, and I am pretty sure, grace alone that is responsible for my salvation. Just can't shake those Presbyterian roots, although today I am so very grateful for TEC. Thanks for this post Barbara. Wonderful stuff!
ReplyDeleteTrey, thank you for your reply! "Grace" truly is "all in all." (Have you read Diary of a Country Priest, by Georges Bernanos?)
DeleteThis line from Ephesians and others like it are a source of strength whenever I am feeling "dead,"spiritually or emotionally. But once I am refreshed and set back on my metaphorical "feet," it seems to me we are invited into closer relationship with the One who lifts us out of the mire. In that unequal dance, our small part mysteriously seems nonetheless important to the One with Whom we are invited to "dance." Thanks again for your encouragement!