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Opening Prayer
Dear Jesus, help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Thy presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others.
*Mother Teresa. From video Everyone, Everywhere.
Today's Scripture
17Your faith in the Lord and your service are like a sacrifice offered to him. And my own blood may have to be poured out with the sacrifice. If this happens, I will be glad and rejoice with you. 18In the same way, you should be glad and rejoice with me.
*Philippians 2.17-18 (CEV)
Spiritual Teaching
St. Paul refers to a common ritual in his readiness to die for Christ. Offerings of water or wine were, at times, poured on a sacrifice. He sees his possible martyrdom as such a pouring out; this reminds us of the blood and water pouring from the side of Christ on the cross.
33But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, and they did not break his legs. 34One of the soldiers stuck his spear into Jesus' side, and blood and water came out. 35We know this is true, because it was told by someone who saw it happen. Now you can have faith too.
*St. John 19.33-35 (CEV)
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In the 2004 movie “The Terminal,” Tom Hanks plays Victor, an Eastern European immigrant. Viktor, after having spent months at JFK airport, has finally gained clearance to go to New York City to make good on a promise to his father to collect the last signature for the jazz greats collection of the latter. Only the vengeful airport field commissioner, Frank, stands in Victor’s way.
Viktor arrives at Frank's office to get the final signature he needs, finally, to get into New York City. Frank will not give it. He considers Viktor to have been an irritant since his arrival, so, Frank will not help Victor. Frank tells Viktor that he will have to go straight home to Krakosia, but Viktor insists that he be allowed to go to New York City.
During residency at the airport, Viktor has made many friends. Frank uses them, viciously, to force Viktor to give up his quest to get into New York City. Frank observes, "Part of my job as field commissioner is to get rid of undesirables. There are quite a few. Like this guy, Joe Mulvoy? I think you know him. Joe's been here about twenty years, but it turns out that he's been running an after-hours poker game, bringing in liquor, marijuana. Poor guy's gonna lose his pension. I think he has kids, too. Then there's this guy, Enrique Cruz. I think you also know Enrique. Enrique, as it turns out, has been letting people into the food preparation area, that's a major security breach." Frank shows Viktor some security tape of Enrique escorting Viktor to get some food. "Poor guy, I think he's a newlywed, but I'm gonna have to let him go. Then there's Gupta Rajan, he's a janitor. But, as it turns out, he's wanted for assaulting a police officer back in India in 1979. I'll have to deport him."
All three of these men have been of much help to Viktor during his stay. Frank has known about them for a long time, but he is using them to force Viktor out. As Viktor recognizes what Frank is doing, he hangs his head and says, "I will go home. I will go home." Frank tells him that if he does not get on his plane today, "They're all gone, do you understand?" Viktor says he understands and moves to leave.
As Viktor walks toward his gate, he encounters the friends that he is trying to protect by leaving. None of them understands why he is, apparently, giving up so easily. Finally, Viktor passes by Gupta, the man from India, who upbraids him, telling him to fight and calling him a coward. Gupta continues to yell at Viktor as he walks away, until an airport policeman comes up to Gupta and explains the sacrifice Viktor has made to save them all.
Soon, Gupta is out on the tarmac of the airport. His goal is to delay Viktor's flight, so that Victor can have time to enter the city and make good his promise to his father. Gupta walks up to the arriving airplane, mop in hand, and strikes the tire on its landing gear. Police arrive on the scene to arrest him, and the flight is delayed.
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Victor was willing to give up his life quest to save his friends. He did this even when they did not understand his motives. Victor is a Christ-like figure, in his willingness to surrender his wishes out of love for his friends:
9"I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you. 13And here is how to measure it - the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends.
*St. John 15.9-13 (NLT)
Sacrifice is essential to the message of the Cross. Obviously, the image of Christ as blood sacrifice, while utilizing an image from an ancient form of Worship many today would consider barbaric, still powerfully resonates with many of us. And, regardless of different theories on how to interpret the death of Jesus, this image reminds us, we who will likely never be killed for our faith or ideals, that there are many ways that we are called upon to surrender our self-will, goals, comforts, and pride to serve others.
Giving our lives in many little sacrifices over the years, as well as some larger sacrifices, is one way we participate in the Likeness of God. The Universe provides us many invitations to embody gracefully the sacrificial Love of Jesus for us and in his Love for the One he called “my Father.”
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That the Cross offends modern sensibilities does not negate its centrality to Christian Life. Yet, the Cross is not merely something done for us in the past. The Cross is a passage to Life, spiritual Life. And we are to live the Cross as God leads us daily to surrender to be a conduit of Grace into Creation, and that begins with the creatures, family, and friends closest to us. Amen.
Quietly Responding
1) How do you see God using you to embody the Cross through little or big sacrifices you are making on behalf of someone else, or others?
2) What are some ways you may be resisting embodying the Cross? Share your response with a close spiritual friend. Ask him or her to pray for you to surrender in that area of resistance.
3) Name some persons who have sacrificed for you to have a better life? In what ways did they do this for you?
4) Is there one person you can identify who has sacrificed recently for you? Is there a way you can rightly tell that person how much you appreciate that?
Blessings! In Love! And Peace to All!
Brian Kenneth Wilcox July 22, 2009
briankwilcox@yahoo.com
Facebook: Brian Kenneth Wilcox
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*OneLife Ministries is a ministry of Brian Kenneth Wilcox, SW Florida. Brian lives a vowed life and with his two dogs, Bandit Ty and St. Francis, with friends and under a vow of simplicity. Brian is an ecumenical-interspiritual leader, who chooses not to identify with any group, and renounces all titles of sacredness that some would apply to him, but seeks to be open to how Christ manifests in the diversity of Christian denominations and varied religious-spiritual traditions. He affirms that all spiritual paths lead ultimately back to Jesus Christ. He is Senior Chaplain for the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, Punta Gorda, FL.
*Brian welcomes responses to his writings or submission of prayer requests at briankwilcox@yahoo.com . Also, Brian is on Facebook: search Brian Kenneth Wilcox.
*Contact the above email to book Brian for preaching, Spiritual Direction, retreats, workshops, animal blessing services, house blessings, or other spiritual requests. You can order his book An Ache for Union from major booksellers.
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