12 February 2007

Good Thought from Chemnitz...

...upon the approach of Lent: "But men are to be admonished that they should through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the flesh and firmly adhere to Christ by faith and through the use of the Word and the Sacraments become more and more united with Him and seek from God the gift of perseverance, and wrestle, lest the wantonness of the flesh drive out the gift of perseverance." Examen I:607

What I found absolutely delightful in that was the language of "becoming more and more united with Christ" and that this happens through the faithful use of the Word and Sacraments. What on earth does Chemnitz mean by the phrase? I'd suggest simply this:

that Christ's will becomes more and more our will;
that Christ's "yes" to the Father becomes more and more our "yes"'
that Christ's joy becomes more and more our joy;
that Christ's peace becomes more and more our peace;
that Christ's love becomes more and more our love;
that Christ's LIFE becomes more and more our life.

The gift of Christ has been given to us entire and whole, but we've only just begun to discover the joys of living from that life as our own. Lent is all about God through the Church calling us back to THAT life which was once given in the font, renewed ever by absolution and the Eucharist, and fed daily by the Word. That we might live from it, rather from HIM, more and more.

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