THE SPIRIT IS WILLING BUT THE FLESH IS WEAK

Jesus weeps over Jerusalem
Jesus pleure sur Jerusalem
Jesus llora sobre Jerusalen

 From time to time over the years the Holy Spirit comes and whispers something into our hearts that changes our point of view about how we understand our relationship with Him.
Today, Palm Sunday, while listening to the story of the Passion in the Garden of Gethsemane, it seems as though I only heard one single sentence, the heading of this reflection.  It struck me that Jesus wasn't scolding the apostles with His words.  I now think that He was commiserating with them.  He was telling us that He knew what they were suffering at the time and that He too at that moment, was getting another lesson about the weakness of the flesh.  He had felt weakness before.  He had shed the tears of human frailty before this night.  He recovered from the two first recorded episodes, and He knew that He would have to see this one through to the end.  He knew, and His apostles knew that this was the end.  They all knew that this was their last pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  Remember their remonstrations to Him as He made the decision to come to the tomb of His friend Lazarus?
This is the Hour that they knew would come.
This is the hour when the strength of the spirit would have to prevail over the weakness of the flesh.  Even then, the God-Man Himself needed help...

The help promised in Psalm 91?
L'aide promis, psaume 91?
El ayudo prometido, salmo 91?

Jesus knew that no matter how valiant the human spirit is, there are some realities that it cannot overcome.  It is captive of the flesh and in some instances there is no escape from the nature in which it is locked.  Jesus knew that it is only in the Spirit that humanity can endure the troubles that assail it during the most difficult of times.  He was well aware that He had just shed tears over His friend Lazarus just a few days before.  I stood there listening and assessing my own fleshly weaknesses.  I stood there and wondered how many "Resurrections" I had celebrated over the years...not mine alone, but His in me.  Today, I knew that what He was telling His apostles was not coming from anything but the deep understanding that comes from past experience.

Our Mother in tears
Notre Mère en larmes
Nuestra Madre llorando

Finally, something else filled my soul as I was standing there in the presence of the proclamation of the Scripture.  It was the picture of strength and authority captured in the story that the Weeping Mother of God brought us at La Salette.  If this is not a reminder of the valor of human weakness sustained by the Spirit of God, what is?  The mixture of a resolute Spirit speaking though a weeping human can make miracles.  Mary did not accomplish the same work as Her Son did, but look at the results nevertheless.  Surely Her Son would not disparage His Mother for weeping in public over the sins of His and her people.  No, after my personal experience today, I am sure that the Suffering Jesus, the Risen Messiah knows that the weakness if the flesh in which the Holy Spirit is lodged is not to be disparaged.  This is the very weakness that is used by God Himself to demonstrate His glory and His indomitable Spirit's dominion over the process of our salvation.

Think about this as you spend a moment praying an "Our Father" and a "Hail Mary" before going on to the other things that you have scheduled for today.
When you're done with that, promise yourself that you will not cry at my funeral

YOU CANNOT SERVE TWO MASTERS -- $$$$, AND ???

A couple of thoughts about the effect of wealth on people.  Nothing serious, just some opining of two people who heard the same talk in church the other day.
We both noticed that with all the talk about wealth not being important in life, God sure knew how to pick the wealthy to help Him get established.  The Bible makes no bones about making the point that Abraham was a well heeled dude.  You can look it up.  This guy wasn't worried where his next air conditioned camel payment was coming from.  Abraham is not the only one of God's helpers who had a shekel or two to his name.  It is striking how often we are shown in the Bible that rich people are the instruments of God's work.  
Even Jesus picked people who were comfortable enough in life to be able to spare the time to help Him achieve His objective.  True, the apostles left everything, but I'm convinced that their wives and other relatives took care of the patrimony while they were walking all over Galilee with the Master.  After all, these people were fishermen.  They were far from hurting.  As Peter said, "We have left everything."  Right on.  You left it, but it continued in the hands of the extended family.  I'd bet on it.
So,what's the secret?  I'll tell you.  Two things:  Relationships first, plus, You can't take it with you.
Consider first what it took for the true followers of God to be considered righteous in His sight.  They had to leave their country (birthplace, most times), their kindred and their father's house.  They had to replace this with a sincere and loving intimate relationship with God.  Abraham is the first true example of this.  Through the ages there are many examples of exactly the same kind of heroic behavior in the name of God and for the sake of His Will.  The Judges did it; the Kings; the Prophets; the Apostles and the Post-Resurrection disciples of Jesus.  Some of them did it despite a rather high degree of economic comfort.  Jesus, it is true, left a lot behind.  Joseph was a craftsman.  He could support a family.  There do not seem to be any truly rich people in the Gospel Entourage, but there does not seem to be any real poverty either.  What there is, is a complete detachment from economic comfort and a total dedication to making life spiritually more comfortable for the members of the community.  When the emissaries of John ask Jesus, "Are you the One who is to come or should we await another?"  We hear Jesus say, "Go tell him who sent you that the deaf hear, the blind see and the lame walk."  
Yep, they were comfortable economically, but they were nervous about the well-being of their peers. Not so much for their own.  They left their comfort behind knowing full well that it was gone for the rest of their life.   So now we know what is expected of us.  Use the little cushion of comfort that God gives us to make our brothers and sisters in the communion of saints at least as comfortable as we are.  It starts with the recognition that we have to leave those three bold things behind to live in God's Country, with God as our Father, in God Our Father's house.
Tomorrow, some real life examples.