“Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.” [1]
Jesus redrafted the boundaries of family, neighbor, and household, saying…
“Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother, sister, and mother.” [2]
“To answer the question of who Jesus Christ is, we look to how He acts to the shape of His relationships with others and with God.
Jesus was neither a doormat nor an autocrat, but free in Himself and from Himself to be open to other persons, despite those features that made them unacceptable in society.
The Gospels do not present a portrait of a feeble and irresolute man, someone who was so self-effaced as to command neither respect nor authority. Nor did Jesus importune Himself and demand the center of attention, forcing people to think and do things His way. Instead, He was a fiercely tender presence, passionate and outspoken, a charismatic preacher and healer. His words and life invited many of His listeners and friends into a different way of living.
Jesus was the gesture of God’s hand outstretched in love, mercy, and forgiveness. His ministry was devoted to healing and reconciling, intent on human flourishing, determined to bring the Good News of salvation to everyone, especially to the downtrodden. He promised that everyone who so desired would be given a place in the coming reign of God. Jesus was wholly devoted to the proclamation of God’s reign through service to others.
Jesus is the paradigm of what it means to live in the Name of God: Jesus’ whole reality was identified with God’s through serving and caring for others, even to the point of giving up His own life.”
“The achievement of communion (koinonia) is the proper work of the Spirit of God / Spirit of Jesus Christ. The Spirit gathers together in Christ persons who would not otherwise gather, making possible a true union of hearts and minds, the ground of which resides not in individual differences – age, gender, opinions, abilities – but in the very being of God.
The Spirit accomplishes unity-amidst-diversity, a communion that abolishes solitariness but not individuality. The uniqueness of the Spirit’s personhood lies in what the Spirit does: uniting everyone and everything with God through Jesus Christ.
It is impossible to think or speak of the Spirit except as the Spirit-of. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, Spirit of Christ; the Spirit of the Christian community.” [3]
“Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for modeling for us what it means to live for God and others. Please help us by Your Spirit to rebuild the Christian community to reflect Your life.”
[1] John 17:11
[2] Matthew 12:49-50
[3] LaCugna, Catherine Mowry, God For Us ~ The Trinity & Christian Life, Harper Collins Publishers, © 1973, pp. 293-295, 298
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