Smile!

 

The Gospel has Nicodemus asking Jesus: “How can a man be reborn again?”  He was thinking of physical rebirth, while Jesus was speaking of spiritual rebirth.  Nicodemus thought physical rebirth impossible, but Jesus came to make spiritual rebirth a possibility.  In Baptism, we are born again spiritually, but like a physical birth, Baptism is only the start of our spiritual journey.  Jesus came to light our remaining spiritual path home, to show us the way.  Still, many are choosing a dark path.

Following Him and imitating Him, we are meant to be a light in this world.  To me, today it seems that many people are not focused on enlightening others but are more self-centered.  Their primary focus is on self.  They say and do what they believe and what benefits themselves, and don’t understand why other self-centered people don’t agree with them.  Jesus said to live, in summary, to love God and love neighbor --- living your life to give yourself to others IS the path He showed us.  He IS the Light and the Way.  Looking at His life, we need to see what we can imitate and also be a light in this world.

Yesterday, someone dared disagree with me --- because I had voiced disagreement with them!  We were both trying to do something good, praying for others, but I reacted as if my way were the only way, or at least a better way.  I judged this person and what they had said, rather than loved them --- and their efforts to imitate Jesus.  As I later said in an apology note, a better response from me (if any) would have been to say: “Here’s how I try to pray.”  I try to love, but it is so easy to fail.

At the time of Jesus, people lived their religion so much that there wasn’t even the word ‘religion’.  What you believed was how you lived.  The Jewish people lived a certain way; it’s who they were, Jewish.  Later, after people began noticing that the followers of Christ lived a different way, that they had differing priorities, they call them ‘Christians’.  It wasn’t a new ‘religion’; it was a new way of living.  “See how they love one another”.

I wonder how future historians will look back on these days, and see how we are living.  Will there be a new religion named, to describe our self-defined gods?  Or will they look back and see how the renewal of Christ’s church began; how Jesus was true to His promise to never leave us. 

Last night someone saw me at the chapel.  Later they called me “to see if you are alright”.  She said I seemed different, that I didn’t smile.  I responded that you couldn’t see my smile through the mask I wore in the chapel.  But I thought about her concerns.

This morning, I thought of that while I was saying my Morning Prayers.  A smile is a sign of love.  In our masks, the world is handicapped right now from showing or seeing love, a sign of the commandment we are supposed to be living isn’t visible.  Our love needs to be visible actions.  The love Jesus showed us was a love we should choose to give, to anyone, and show it so they know they are loved.  Going forward, through these trying times, I now resolve to love more (not judge) --- because so many people are in desperate need of love --- and, even if only for a moment, I will take down my mask and smile at them. 

Someone may be in the dark on their spiritual journey; I will give them a little light.  Smile!

The Gospel has Nicodemus asking Jesus: “How can a man be reborn again?”  He was thinking of physical rebirth, while Jesus was speaking of spiritual rebirth.  Nicodemus thought physical rebirth impossible, but Jesus came to make spiritual rebirth a possibility.  In Baptism, we are born again spiritually, but like a physical birth, Baptism is only the start of our spiritual journey.  Jesus came to light our remaining spiritual path home, to show us the way.  Still, many are choosing a dark path.

Following Him and imitating Him, we are meant to be a light in this world.  To me, today it seems that many people are not focused on enlightening others but are more self-centered.  Their primary focus is on self.  They say and do what they believe and what benefits themselves, and don’t understand why other self-centered people don’t agree with them.  Jesus said to live, in summary, to love God and love neighbor --- living your life to give yourself to others IS the path He showed us.  He IS the Light and the Way.  Looking at His life, we need to see what we can imitate and also be a light in this world.

Yesterday, someone dared disagree with me --- because I had voiced disagreement with them!  We were both trying to do something good, praying for others, but I reacted as if my way were the only way, or at least a better way.  I judged this person and what they had said, rather than loved them --- and their efforts to imitate Jesus.  As I later said in an apology note, a better response from me (if any) would have been to say: “Here’s how I try to pray.”  I try to love, but it is so easy to fail.

At the time of Jesus, people lived their religion so much that there wasn’t even the word ‘religion’.  What you believed was how you lived.  The Jewish people lived a certain way; it’s who they were, Jewish.  Later, after people began noticing that the followers of Christ lived a different way, that they had differing priorities, they call them ‘Christians’.  It wasn’t a new ‘religion’; it was a new way of living.  “See how they love one another”.

I wonder how future historians will look back on these days, and see how we are living.  Will there be a new religion named, to describe our self-defined gods?  Or will they look back and see how the renewal of Christ’s church began; how Jesus was true to His promise to never leave us. 

Last night someone saw me at the chapel.  Later they called me “to see if you are alright”.  She said I seemed different, that I didn’t smile.  I responded that you couldn’t see my smile through the mask I wore in the chapel.  But I thought about her concerns.

This morning, I thought of that while I was saying my Morning Prayers.  A smile is a sign of love.  In our masks, the world is handicapped right now from showing or seeing love, a sign of the commandment we are supposed to be living isn’t visible.  Our love needs to be visible actions.  The love Jesus showed us was a love we should choose to give, to anyone, and show it so they know they are loved.  Going forward, through these trying times, I now resolve to love more (not judge) --- because so many people are in desperate need of love --- and, even if only for a moment, I will take down my mask and smile at them. 

Someone may be in the dark on their spiritual journey; I will give them a little light.  Smile!