Come home to my heart

Come home to my heart

Twice in the Gospels we hear of a voice descending from the heavens, acknowledging “his beloved Son.” The first time is after the baptism of Jesus. In Matthew, the voice affirms him as the one “in whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3:17). That voice is directed personally to Jesus in the other two synoptic accounts: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mk 1:11, see also Lk 3:22). 

John does not directly describe the baptism itself, but records John the Baptist giving testimony to having baptized Jesus in response to being told by “the one who sent me” (Jn 1:23). All four references to the baptism clearly attest to the presence of the (Holy) Spirit (of God) descending in the form of a dove (Mt 3:16, Mk 1:10, Lk 3:22, Jn 1:32). In all the synoptic gospels, Jesus, filled with this Holy Spirit, is immediately led — in Mark’s gospel “driven” — into the desert in order to be tempted by the devil.

Such events are known, theologically and biblically, as theophanies, or incidents in which the presence of God is made manifest, typically in some supernatural event seen or heard in some way by witnesses. The second time something like this occurs in the gospels is at the Transfiguration, of which we heard the Matthean account proclaimed this past Sunday (Mt 17:1-9). Similar appellations are attributed to Jesus here and in the other two synoptics (Mk 9:2-9, Lk 9:28-36), all three of which add the exhortation: “listen to him.”

Following the account of the second theophany, in all the synoptics, Jesus warns the three witnesses (Peter, James and John) not to tell anyone of what they saw until after his death and resurrection. Then he leads them down the mountain, where he immediately performs an exorcism on a boy possessed by a demon. Sound familiar? In each of these rather spectacular accounts of the glorious presence of God in Jesus, no sooner are we led from what seems to be a moment of great elation, to the very depths of temptation and despair, even the devil himself.

Indeed, the demon possessing the poor young man had been tormenting him from childhood, according to his distraught father, and we have reason to believe from the account, that the parent had sought the help of many exorcists, including some of the apostles, who were unable to drive the demon out. Why not?

We have all had peak experiences in our lives, sometimes after working hard to achieve a goal, or after praying long and hard for a consolation, but more often by a surprising moment of grace, or after a particularly fine retreat. Oh, and we feel so holy, so blessed. Our faith seems to have been boosted. A good confession can also bring a great feeling of peace, especially if it comes after a long period of procrastination. It is like a weight has been lifted. Much like any honeymoon, however, a spiritual uplift can often be followed by a letdown, often a severe one, when we must suddenly face “the real world.” And we may begin to wonder why God lets this happen, even blaming God for seeming to abandon us. We equate a feeling God is near with what our faith reminds is God’s constant presence to us, even if we do not feel it. It is like when a parent picks up a crawling child and makes the infant, if only for an instant, feel as if he or she had wings and were in control of the flight. Once back on the floor, tears flow freely.

When Jesus was tempted in the desert — we cannot ignore the consistent gospel accounts — he was filled with the Holy Spirit and then sent there by that same Spirit. His divine reality never left him, even though he was experiencing great trials in his human nature. Nor did the revelation to those privileged three that he was the Son of God, free them from their mission to come down from the mountain of their ecstatic experience to face the burdens of discipleship.

All three accounts of the Transfiguration are directly preceded by Peter’s Spirit-empowered profession of faith, his waffling on accepting Christ’s passion and the subsequent demands of discipleship. This spiritual weakness was, apparently, shared by the other apostles, and not much dispelled after the theophany on the mount. Peter was still full of worldly thinking even after being correct on the godliness of Jesus and filled with a hint of the hidden glory present in his humanity. It was not enough just to know the truth and go to the head of the class; to be a disciple he had to submit to the school of Christ’s master class on humility and complete trust in the will of God. We know how long it took for him to learn his lessons and we should not be surprised if our growth in discipleship takes time, effort and discipline.

Not to be missed are the gospel lessons on how we are to make spiritual progress, grow in holiness and find the peace and confidence to move mountains and even cast out demons. And the message is clear. First, we will be tempted, just as Jesus was. Second, we will receive the help of the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus did. And third — what is easy to forget — is that God’s power in us, even the ability for God to answer our prayers, hinges on our trust in the grace of the same Holy Spirit and the cultivation of a life of virtue.

 Jesus laments the weak faith of his disciples and exhorts them to be more persistent in prayer. They complained they could not help the boy possessed by the demon and Jesus basically tells them they are not holy enough. These accounts are for our edification as well. The questions and challenges they offer us are no different. How many of my own idols, conceits, opinions, entitlements, power perks and creature comforts am I willing to sacrifice for the sake of the kingdom? We know the spiritual counsels from the scriptures and the living witness of the saints. We can start with the Beatitudes, if we need to be reminded of the basics. We are given the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving to help us get into a discipline that, with the sacraments, are guaranteed to sanctify us — to purify us — so that the light of God’s grace can get through the roadblocks we put in its path, our sins and habits of sin.

This grace is nothing else than the love that flows from the heart of God — the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit. It is a purifying, empowering and consoling love that brings peace and blessings, precisely because it is from the heart of God. It is an ongoing invitation to approach the holiness of God, treading sacred ground by removing our sin-soaked sandals and the baggage that we carry from attitudes, desires, grudges and prideful self-indulgence. God is inviting us: “come home to my heart.” The young people who gathered in Asbury and other colleges recently bore powerful witness to their longing for a peace that the world was not giving them. Hungry for truth and stability, tired of the isolation, lies and egoism of contemporary culture, they are finding in Jesus the peace the world can never give. So will all who come to that warm and loving heart. “And a little child shall lead them” (Is 11:6).
  @AlbBishopEd