Lenten Reflections: Here

 "And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:20

"I'll be with you. I'll be HERE." 

Promises.

"I'll be right HERE."

"I promise to never leave you."

"I promise to stay HERE until it's over."

"I promise to get you through this."

"I promise to be HERE when you get back." 

"I'm HERE."
HERE
 
We make a lot of promises in our lives. We keep some and others we break. We promise to be HERE.

I Promise.

Promising to be HERE for one another is one of the most difficult of all promises, because the ego often gets in the way. We begin with the best of intentions, but life, and the false self, have the tendency to pull us in different directions; away from HERE. 

Selfishness takes control and before we know it, we're not HERE any longer. We end up THERE; alone, isolated and consumed by guilt for leaving the one to whom the promise was made. Even if we physically stay connected, we can leave emotionally or spiritually. We're here, but not HERE. 

The promise that Jesus made in Matthew 28:20 is the only promise to be HERE that has ever been kept.

He's HERE.  

The Christ nature dwelling within us all.  

There is a duality of Lent. Through our journey, we rest in knowing that God is HERE. He has been, he is and he will be. But we lament that we are not always HERE for one another. As we face the isolation of a global pandemic, being HERE for one another has become that much more difficult and complex. But perhaps this illuminates the truths of Lent with even more clarity. While Christ no longer dwells the earth in physical form, he still remains HERE. Within the spiritual realms. Within each one of us. Does that not reveal a much deeper dimension of being HERE?

In this time of isolation and solitude, let us be reminded that being HERE does not always manifest itself in the physical, but the spiritual. In fact, as with the presence of Christ, our spiritual connections can be much deeper. We're on this journey together; physically, emotionally and spiritually. However we connect with one another, let us commit to be HERE for one another.

I'll do my best. You'll do yours. 

But let's face it: You'll leave from time to time, and I will as well. 

Occasionally you won't be HERE. 

From time to time, I won't be HERE.  I'll leave. I'll let you down.

I promise.

Lord, we do our best to be HERE for one another, but selfishness often gets in the way. Life gets in the way. Help us to be as committed to one another as You have been to us. Amen  

Lenten Meditations: Heartsick

 
"The heart is deceitful above all things
    and beyond cure.
    Who can understand it?"

Jeremiah 17:9 

Look within. 

We don't chose to admit it. It's not a pleasant realization. We don't talk about it in social settings. But each of us, deep within the recesses of our souls, have the capacity for evil. We are all prone to mistreat others and ourselves in the most unthinkable ways, and yet always seem to find ways of justifying or excusing what comes from the heart. 

Look within. 

"I would never do something like that!" That's what he said before he had an affair and divorced his wife.

"At least I'm not like those scumbags!" You are. You just think about it. They do it.      

"What a sick freak!" You or her?  

Look within.

Darkness.

It lies just below the surface, waiting for just the right time. A moment of weakness. A temptation that is just too strong to avoid. The next little incremental step in progression.

 

Baby steps.   

"How did I get here?"   

Give evil an inch, it takes a mile. 

Out hearts are dark. Sickness undiagnosed. There's no sugar coating it. We just have plenty of band-aides and antibiotics to keep the inflection at bay. 

The water within is dark and contaminated. We just have a good filter to purify what comes out. CHANGE FILTER AFTER 6 MONTHS

Admitting how messed up we are, and what we are capable of is essential. It builds our defenses. We become alert. More aware. We avoid being caught off guard, because we know what could be. We keep evil in remission. Three months evil free. 

Look within. Embrace what's within.

"The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works." - St. Augustine    

As we begin this second week of Lent, let us keep in mind that it is only through the divine nature of Christ and Spirit that transformation is possible. Our dark hearts can become hearts of light. The sick tissue can become healthy. Our hearts of stone can become loving hearts that beat within us and give hope to the world around us.

Look within. Embrace within. Embrace without.  

God, we know that we have the capacity of evil. We admit this and come to grips with it this morning. But as we trust in you, the divine source of light, help us to open ourselves up to your love, in order for our hearts to be transformed. Work in us so that your Kingdom can be realized in this dark, chaotic and uncertain world. Amen.