WEEK OF PRAYER #22: JESUS AS HUMAN AND DIVINE
THE CHURCH HAS LONG TAUGHT that Jesus Christ is fully human and fully divine. As fully human, Jesus is like us in all things but sin. As fully divine, Jesus shows us who God is most completely. To be faithful to this teaching, we must avoid two extremes: emphasizing the humanity of Jesus so much that he becomes just another admirable human being or emphasizing the divinity of Jesus so much that he becomes otherworldly and inaccessible to us.
Day One: Matthew 14:22-33 “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” . . . Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, “O thou of little faith.”
So this first BibleVerse we need to address really feels very common. Like Jesus says these two lines all the time. . . “BE NOT AFRAID” to Be, Do, Say and Act as He leads us everyday. . . And “Oh OF LITTLE FAITH” to trust in his Strength and Wisdom in leading us to Be, Do, Say and Act as He leads us everyday. . . I Know that is our task before us, to each step into the WILL of GOD and Be, Do, Say and Act as He leads us. And I know we are all challenged by fear, insecurity, etc, never sure we know what we are doing or are really ready for it!
Course, I’m almost always anxious to share and do whatever I can in the Light of Jesus. It’s kinda weird how I seem to cherish the experience most all the time. . . But then AVOID certain tasks before me, or run and hide in fear almost randomly, or especially from others.

I mean, I know I need to get more social, and I still avoid speaking or asking questions, or seeking deeper connections with people. Even when I hear them speak about the challenges of listening and connecting to the DIVINE! Which I really seem to do all the time, without any effort or without even knowing at times. I mean, if it’s really so clear and obvious to me, why don’t I get to teach and share it more. It always seems weird for me that such a SMALL number of people actually reach me, and even fewer ever really listen enough to grow and learn.
So now as I read this question about “how do you respond to Jesus’s Invitation” . . . I stop and consider what this means and where it really is for me. I kinda listen and follow all the time, and really feel blessed knowing how Jesus GIVES me this time now to consider and write about this experience more deeply. I remember walking home from St Pauls after the lady asked me about the Welcome Volunteers. . . Then standing outside next to my bike, frustrated that I needed to get on my bike and go back. I mean, i was literally arguing about doing or not doing the invitation to follow Jesus. That particular moment I jumped on my bike and went, but then I wonder now how many time I choose to do something else, and readily see that sometimes that is equally as important?!?!
Day Two: Luke 9:18-36 jumps at me with “take up his cross daily, and follow me. 'For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” . . Of course I read the question in the book now, and realize I’m in the right place again. I always feel like everything I do is about carrying my cross. And I’m often sorta challenged by it and never really know where, when or why. Like the bike ride to the Welcome Retreat at St Paul’s. I kinda knew and then kinda didn’t. That feels like a very common experience for me. Like giving up everything. I gave it all up in NJ when I left Maryanne, and then again when Colleen left, and they gave up even more when Kim Left. But now here in a Bigger Prettier house than ever, I seem to have more than I could ever use or need! I mean, to literally give it all up and end up with more than ever believed possible makes me feel really wonderful that I’m actually doing something valuable enough for Jesus to Protect me and guide me more each day!
DAY Three: Read John 11:1-44 I think this is interesting as we have no questions to answer this time but only to imagine myself in this scene. Several other places I could imagine and see very clearly. Sorta “been there, done that” feelings area already present, but this time it’s a bit more distant and abstract, or out of reach. I guess the feeling and experience of death really doesn’t mean anything to me. It’s really just a transition from the physical to the non physical. I recognize it’s something we can go back and forth through over and over again. And since time doesn’t mean anything on the other-side then the idea of being here or there is really almost meaningless too.
DAY FOUR: REPEAT! and of course I heard this week the same ideas from Matthew 14:22-33 of No Fear and Stepping out more in Faith. It’s just something I need to do and I realize it’s not out of reach for me, but more present than ever. Like doing my classes and bible studies again. St Joseph’s Society yesterday had Neb and Sirhc sitting next to me and I commented how the preacher mentioned about doing more service for the community teaching about the Saint of the Day who was St Katherine Drexel. She did so much for the African Americans in our country and I knew I was able to do more with Larry, his kids, and the food desserts here, where we can grow so much. I mean stepping away from the grass and greed world, to grow and harvest real food and goods is everything here. . . And really easy! Or really easy for me as I’ve been doing it part time for years. Now with more classes I wish I could do more. But find it challenging to get myself focused. Inviting them to take it over was easy, and I’ve asked Larry too for months, and helped him start. . . No traction yet!
DAY 5: Read Luke 7:11-17 is really short and sweet. Or His Words again are so strong and clear. It’s really what he said each time to Lazarus and to Nilli, Jurus’s daughter. Each time saying, acting, feeling that they were just asleep, while always knowing that His own Breath, as the Breath from God, could bring each back.
It’s sorta wonderful to say this. I mean, I recognize and share something that I kinda know intuitively. I mean, I’ve never read these verses before, and rely on the Chosen Movies for some understanding and recognition. But I guess like I’ve stated earlier, here my own personal experience of Death, really gives me deeper understanding and a completely different view entirely. Course I always makes me wonder about my own place in all of this.
Now working as a professor, and inspiring students to grow and learn into more and more each day. I wonder, get insecure, and question myself. Today I had several notes about getting mid-term grades in and connected with John again. What a wonder and joy of course. Helping him do something more with the technology, but also sharing my joy just hearing from him. It’s funny I commented about how I felt he was the dad I never had, and he always corrected me, saying he was the older brother kicking my ass. I’m sure he’s thrilled to know I’m teaching again. And even more so that I’m back where I started with entrepreneurship and where I belong with sustainability.
DAY SIX: Read John 14:1-14 is beautiful too, as when I read it, the lines I felt were again that “been there, done that” feeling deep into my bones. And I guess this is really what I’ve been learning in this SEEL class more than anything else. Yes, knowing and recognizing how much Jesus is really present inside of me. And it’s funny when I reach out to a Saint or Ancestor, they always seem so responsive and delighted to be called on to join us. I know it’s about the Guardian Angels and I know I’ve taught people how to speak and share with their Guardians. Wow, is that what I need to do? Teach and share more about how to speak with Guardians. But really I’ve been challenged just to keep up with what I have been given here and now. I was so excited to cleanup my room yesterday. Yes to actually pickup everything on the floor and vacuum is clean. I’ve been noticing my hair everywhere. Yes I know that’s what happens when you grown a beard and refuse to cut it or anything. But yuck, hair everywhere. And I’ve had the vacuums laid out in the way so I’d trip over them every day until I finally cleaned up.
I really only vacuumed, and still have so much cleaning to do all around. Inside, outside, really everywhere. Oh Sorry, this is about SEEL, lol. . . Not my regular Blo where I just seem to be babbling all the time.
BUT OF COURSE, I’m on Day Seven, which is a repeat of day five or six. So now I go up above and reset the image size in my blog for those two verses so they both are really big and easy to read now. I am the Way the Truth and the Life, there is nothing beyond Him. This came up this morning with the Society of St. Joseph at St Pauls church next door. Yes, Fr Curtis has been listening to too much gossip at St Raphaels so I’m avoiding them a bit.
Anyways, the St Joseph’s Society this morning was on this same subject, what is TRUTH. . . Wow, this was strong and clear. . . . Reminded me of my son who thinks he has his own truth, or whatever. Like there could be some variable there like truth was somewhere in the gray area between black and white. NOT, it’s either black or it’s white, that’s simply the truth whether we want to pretend to be color blind or something else to justify some version or grey instead of accepting that the truth is not both or not a matter of opinion. It’s simply the fact of life where we are in Truth or we are not. That’s very simple to me I guess since I’ve been able to know at some level deeper than everyone. Like Death and Love, which some think are variable or permanent, but each easily fluctuate over time by everything and everyone. . .



























