By Grace
Ya know, as I reflect on my last post about Jesse's honesty and journey in Kolkata. I am reminded of how we stand by grace alone. Here is a guy who really is doing all the stuff yet openly admits that he was missing Jesus.
Sorry bro' not picking on you, ya just got me thinking a bunch.
Along these same lines, what if we were to hear Mother Theresa openly speak of her own wretchedness and need for forgiveness?
Yes I know she past on years ago.
I think most of us would say something like, "oh she's just being humble" and we either would not be able to comprehend it or we would quietly accuse her of false modesty. The truth is that apart from Christ she is as bankrupt as anyone else who has walked the earth.
On that infamous Thursday night both Judas and Peter, and all the disciples for that matter, denied Jesus. Peter said he didn't even know who He was. Judas allowed the guilt and reality of his evil to drive him away from His saviour and ultimately take his life. Peter on the other hand was willing to return, hurt and humiliated, but still in love and he received restoration.
See up to that point Peter's problem, just like many of us, was simply that he believed his relationship with the Rabbi was grounded in his own ability to follow. After all, he was THE ROCK, and even if all these others leave you I won't. I will die with you.
When the flood came his house came crashing down in the reality that he had built it on the rock of his own shifting sands of self-righteousness instead of the real ROCK...the grace and truth of the Son, and the incomprehensible love of the Father.
Sorry bro' not picking on you, ya just got me thinking a bunch.
Along these same lines, what if we were to hear Mother Theresa openly speak of her own wretchedness and need for forgiveness?
Yes I know she past on years ago.
I think most of us would say something like, "oh she's just being humble" and we either would not be able to comprehend it or we would quietly accuse her of false modesty. The truth is that apart from Christ she is as bankrupt as anyone else who has walked the earth.
On that infamous Thursday night both Judas and Peter, and all the disciples for that matter, denied Jesus. Peter said he didn't even know who He was. Judas allowed the guilt and reality of his evil to drive him away from His saviour and ultimately take his life. Peter on the other hand was willing to return, hurt and humiliated, but still in love and he received restoration.
See up to that point Peter's problem, just like many of us, was simply that he believed his relationship with the Rabbi was grounded in his own ability to follow. After all, he was THE ROCK, and even if all these others leave you I won't. I will die with you.
When the flood came his house came crashing down in the reality that he had built it on the rock of his own shifting sands of self-righteousness instead of the real ROCK...the grace and truth of the Son, and the incomprehensible love of the Father.
posted by Mike Rea at 11:50 AM
2 Comments:
Hey Mike, may the lord give you His peace! I am a friend of Lew's and linked to you from his blog. I was intrigued by your pondering of what we would think of Bl. Teresa of Kolkata's ponderings on her own wretchedness and need for forgiveness. There is much to learn from Mother, especially her views on the nature of man, justification and all the other big words. I just wanted to encourage you to dig into some of the school from which she comes from. I was pretty rocked when I got past all the baggage and dug into what Catholics really believe on all this stuff-entirely scriptural, overwhelmingly good. Anyway, I am diggin' the journey. Thanks for sharing your writings
Thanks for taking the time to read and respond. I will TRY to take some time to dig into what you are talking about. I am sure there are some gems there.
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