Monday, April 25, 2011

"Cut to the Heart"

The readings right after Easter season show us different pictures of human chaos and confusion. Over and over again some revelation about Jesus in the midst of this chaos and confusion transforms people. The stories today fall into this familiar pattern. In Acts many people are moved to repentance and a new identity after coming to a new understanding of Jesus after hearing Peter speak. Mary Magdalene has messages from angels and a personal visit – but it takes Jesus calling her name for her to move from confusion to a new level of understanding, hope, and action.

Still today, after years and years of learning and reflection collectively and individually, Jesus still reveals Himself in new ways to provide hope and meaning amidst chaos and confusion. If we spend time with the story in Acts we may find ourselves “cut to the heart” in some new way. We may see how we’ve been going with the crowd or staying in our comfort zone and need to repent. We may feel empty in this post-Easter weekday and need to hear Jesus calling our name and be assured again that He is always with us.

The verses in Acts and in John both remind us that Jesus reveals Himself and the Father through our sharing of our experiences with one another also. The crowds were “cut to the heart” because Peter shared the message revealed to him about who Jesus was. Jesus specifically instructs Mary Magdalene to go and tell the others what she has seen. In the body of Christ graces from new insights are meant to be shared. Consider how often a new insight comes from hearing or reading about reflections that others have shared. We see the goodness of the Lord and His love for us as we see how He keeps revealing Himself to us and calling us to encourage and challenge one another. Someone “waiting on the Lord” may be waiting now for hope or justice through words or actions of a transformed person who has just seen the Risen Lord. Who is Jesus to us today? How does our transformation and gratitude move us to action?

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"I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.

I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor:
the first — by deed, the second — by word, the third — by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy.

Many souls ... are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul.

If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy".