Love God; Love Others - Part 1

This phrase is both a statement and a question. Is Christ my king, or your king, and what does it mean to say yes?

Today's gospel is a very familiar one. How often we hear the story of the "good thief" and take comfort in it. But what about the other criminal? Both criminals seem to think that Jesus just might be the Christ, the Messiah, but they have very different attitudes about that.

The first is thinking only of himself and tells Jesus to save himself and them while the second is aware of his sinfulness and only asks Jesus to remember him when he comes into his kingdom.

Each time I have reflected on this one of the last words of Jesus on the cross it makes me think. Is just acknowledging Jesus as Messiah enough, or do we need to put that knowledge into action?

I once heard it said that the one who knows Jesus best is Satan. So I would guess that just knowing isn't enough! If we truly accept Jesus as King, then our actions must follow. We bow to the will of God and not our own.

We follow in the footsteps of Jesus; we call upon the Holy Spirit for guidance and we beg forgiveness when we fail. Perhaps a renewed commitment to having our lives bear witness to our faith is in order. And then we, too, might hear at the hour of our death,

"Today, you will be with me in Paradise."

Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar

Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon and requested that some of the children of Judah be brought into the palace to be taught the "learning and the language of the Chaldeans." Daniel and his companions were among those brought to the king. Instead of eating the rich foods and drink the wine that the king provided for them, Daniel requested vegetables and water so that they would not be "defiled." After three years, they were brought before the king and it is at this point that the story of Daniel really begins.

You know his companions better by the names given them by the prince of the eunuchs who were in charge of them: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Daniel has been going against the wishes of the king by not eating the rich foods and wine, but felt that he and his companions were following the will of God. The king was pleased with Daniel and his friends, but this would not be the last time that they would need to choose between the wishes of the king and the law of God.

Not breaking the dietary restrictions seems like a small thing, but I'm sure that refusing the delicacies and the wine wasn't always easy for the young men. However, resisting temptation in small things builds up a resistance to make it easier to resist temptations for bigger things. Think about diet as a good example. You have been told to avoid fats. You're out to breakfast and your friend offers you a piece of bacon. You can say "yes" or "no." The more often you say "no" the easier it is to say "no" to other forms of fat. The same goes for salt or sugar or whatever tempts you.

The same is true of other major or minor forms temptations that are placed in front of us daily. It's just one pen, and I need it. It's just one piece of candy. It's just one dollar, they'll never miss it. As you can see, temptation is all around us and usually starts small. The person who embezzles millions didn't start there. We can all start practicing today.

Be Careful

Don't let your hearts be loaded down with the cares of this life to the point that you forget about God. We've considered, and will again, the end of the world and our end, but one question we might ask ourselves is which would you prefer? Would you rather be still alive at the end of the world, or die first?

It's an interesting question! I think I would prefer to meet death on its own terms and wait for the end of the world from above not from here. I guess that as much as I believe that the world to come is the better part, I'm not ready to say that my grandchildren and great-grandchildren shouldn't experience what this life has to offer.

I'm sure that my family isn't going to like losing me, but I don't want to watch any more of them die before me! But, that doesn't mean that I shouldn't be careful and work to follow God's path of love just in case. The image of a snare is interesting to me.

It makes me think of a trap. I had to check out a couple of other translations to see if the same image is used in them. The Contemporary English Version and the New American Bible both say "trap" so I guess I was on the right track.

Personally, I don't feel like being caught in a trap, so that's an added incentive for me to live each day as if it could be my last, no matter which way it goes. What about you?