Hear the Ancient Wisdom. Charles Ringma

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СКАЧАТЬ they said, “is the forerunner of love, as John was the forerunner of Christ; . . . humility draws to love, that is to God Himself, for God is love.”54

      There are also other qualities that reflect the way of Christ and

       therefore point to him. To go the way of peace, to be a peacemaker, is also a reflection of Christ and a pointer towards Christ.

      And so we may speak of faith, hope, and love. We may point to gifts of healing and reconciliation. We also may note the blessing of hospitality freely extended to others. These are all signs and indicators of the way of Christ and therefore are ways to bring Christ into focus.

      But while we may be forerunners or signposts it is only when Christ “appears” to a person that eyes are opened and hearts are changed. We may prepare the way, but only Christ himself is the way, the truth, the life. Thus we play our part as a witness, but Christ is the one who captures a person’s heart.

      Reflection

      In pointing to Christ we are not first and foremost pointing to the church or to ourselves, but to the Christ in the Gospels who makes himself known in the encounter of faith.

      Ephesians 4:26–27

      February 24

      Dealing with the Small Issues

      We are ever busy and always preoccupied. In this state we

       easily overlook things. And we are not too discerning and thus leave things undone that should not be left unattended.

      There are many good reasons for learning to slow down, no matter what this may cost us in terms of a life reorientation. To do less and think more is a good idea. To create space for reflection is valuable for one’s way of life. To practice solitude is not only good for prayer, but also good for one’s health.

      But Thomas à Kempis helpfully reminds us that, “If you do absolutely nothing about your small faults, you will, little by little, fall into greater ones.”55 This is true regarding our faults. It is also true regarding most other matters. If we don’t attend to things that need to be dealt with, then soon we will find ourselves in more difficult circumstances or we become overwhelmed.

      The matter of attentiveness is key. And so is taking appropriate

       action. Surprisingly, this does not come from doing more but from

       doing less and from creating space. Time to be still. Time to listen. Time to discern.

      To live this way inevitably means changing our lifestyle. It is, in our daily affairs, becoming more like monks. It is becoming a contemplative in the midst of life.

      Reflection

      At the heart of contemplation is attentiveness. And this is both a gift and a work.

      Deuteronomy 5:15

      February 25

      Memory

      While we are to live the present and to anticipate the future, the past is still very much with us. It lives on in our memory and continues to shape us for good or ill.

      It is true there is much we forget. With the passage of time things simply drop away. They fall into forgetfulness. But it is also true there are things we actively remember. These things are part of our conscious life. There are also things that come to memory at certain times and in certain circumstances. We thought we had forgotten some things, but

       suddenly the memories are back with a vengeance.

      St. Augustine understood this. He writes, “My childhood, for

       instance, which is no longer, still exists in time past. . . . But when I call to mind its image and speak of it, I see it in the present because it is still in my memory.”56

      It is good to remember both the good and bad times. The latter we need to grieve, the former calls us to ongoing thankfulness. And in

       remembering we can often see more clearly the traces of God’s loving

       fingers and the footprints of God’s grace.

      To remember the faithfulness of God in our past is a way of

       reminding ourselves of our journey and of the One who has so amazingly

       accompanied us. And while much of this accompaniment may have gone unnoticed, God’s goodness has left its traces.

      Thought

      To remember is to embrace all of who we are and to see the signs of God as a reminder of God’s presence.

      Job 1:18–19

      February 26

      When Things Suddenly Change

      While we may wish we could be safely cocooned in life, this is not the case. Unfortunate and even terrible things can happen to all of us. Trials, therefore, are also the important transition points in life.

      There are those, of course, who have a sunshine theology. Only bright days ever come their way and only good things ever happen. They seek to live a fair-weather gospel. Bad things only happen to bad people, never to those who are good.

      Such a simplistic vision of life has nothing to do with the biblical story. In that story even God’s only and beloved Son is cruelly put to death.

      Therefore, to reframe the above, we must say that all sorts of things can happen to all kinds of people. Loss, ill health, and suffering also come to the good. And Christians are not immune to the pain and difficulties of life. They too face the whole gamut of weakness, life’s difficulties, and the pain and brokenness of our world.

      Meister Eckhart, regarding these matters, points out, “A man who has been well-off for many years, loses it all. He ought then to reflect wisely and thank God for his misfortune and loss, for only then will he realize how well off he was before.”57

      The point Eckhart is making is clear. There are lessons to be learned in goodness and in times of difficulty. It is both joy and difficulty that shape our lives for the glory of God. And difficulty in particular can help us make transitions and can make us more thankful for what we have been given, even when these are taken away.

      Thought

      Loss invites us into reflection, and reflection can lead to transformation.

      Psalm 91:4

      February 27

      Healing

      Healing has many dimensions. While there may be need for physical healing, there may also be need for emotional

       restoration. And full restoration is always relational.

      St. Anselm in his writings on prayer, pens one of great tenderness. He writes, “run under the wings of Jesus your Mother and lament your grief under his feathers. Ask that your wounds may be healed and that,

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