Peace be with you!

Fr. Freeh and parishioners Vicki Phillips and Pat Henry continue their discussion about the Holy Spirit.

What Fr. Freeh is describing, when he discusses the development of our understanding of God from Old to New Testament, is called “revelation history.”

Extending even back to ancient pagan times, revelation history traces how God has revealed Himself to humanity, preparing the way for the fullness of revelation in The Christ’s Incarnation.

Revelation history traces the threads of timeless truths, written into the human heart by God Himself, that are woven into the fabric of faith throughout history. The earliest pagans recognized the tragedy of sin and the need for sacrifice. But their gods were many, often a strange amalgam of man and beast…and usually petty, jealous of their own bit of turf. Worship and sacrifice were reduced to placating capricious tyrants, or currying favor. In ancient days, nothing less than human blood would suffice on major feasts, or to avert catastrophe.

When God revealed Himself to Moses as “I AM Who AM,” He revealed Himself as the One Who was above mere creation…and as the One Who yearned for a covenant relationship with the people He created. The Jews also recognized the tragedy of sin, and the need for sacrifice. But rather than sacrifice human blood to animal-like gods, they sacrificed the god-animals to the God above all others to atone for sin. (No wonder they weren’t popular with the neighbors. They were slaughtering everybody else’s gods in sacrifice to theirs.) They sought to place themselves in right relationship to God through the Mosaic Law–the term calls up an image in my head of the Jews laboriously piecing together their friendship with God tile-by-tile, never quite getting the whole picture–while placing their hope in The Christ who was to come. And at last, “in the fullness of time,” He came….

Did you ever wonder why we’re supposed to bow (or at Christmas, kneel) when we recall the Incarnation of Christ in Mary’s womb by the power of the Holy Spirit? If we truly understood the thousands of years of yearning; the incredible, miraculous, humility of God to take on human flesh and spirit and enter into time and mortality…I think we’d fall flat on our faces in joy and amazement. All we’re asked to do is give a simple bow.

Over the millenia, the Holy Spirit has led human hearts and minds to a fuller understanding of the Power beyond our comprehension. Without Him, the task would be impossible. With Him, humanity has moved from appeasement of petty man-beast tyrants; to seeking right relationship with a loving Creator; and now, through Christ’s saving passion, death, and resurrection…to participate in the very life of God Himself. There is still the tragedy of sin; still the need for blood sacrifice. But the singular sacrifice on the Cross of the Blood of God Himself has brought about our atonement…and we are called to embrace His sacrifice in the un-bloody re-presentation of it in the Eucharistic feast of the Mass, welcoming the transforming life of God into our heart, mind, soul, and body.

That’s “revelation history”–which fills a library’s worth of learned tomes–in a miniscule and colloquial nutshell of less than 500 words. And it’s all by way of pondering some questions…

What has happened on the grand historical scale is happening right now in our own lives. So we have to ask: Where do we–each of us–stand in our own personal revelation history?

Do we worship other, lesser gods of our own making? Do we sacrifice our humanity to the gods of power, control, and greed? Or do we seek to keep our relationship to God bounded by the minimalism of the Law–going to Mass on Sunday, throwing a token in the collection basket, etc., only because we have to? Or are we reaching for something more…participation in the life of God.

This coming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent…and a holy day of obligation. (As in, “required” and “not optional.”)

Remembering that we are holy to the extent that we daily wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit, let us pray in a special way for Him to move in our hearts and minds throughout these 40 days. To reveal God’s loving call to us, so that we may celebrate Easter joy committed to entering into the very life of God, the way prepared by the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus, the Holy Spirit guiding our steps along the path.

+ Ann
(Signing these now, to clarify Fr. Freeh does the video, not the blog.)

This Sunday’s readings. (02/15/15)

Ash Wednesday readings. (2/18/15)

P.S. I’m glad to see people are stopping by. I hope you’re getting something out it. I can tell you that even if you’re not, I am. Having become an alarmed and reluctant spiritual blogger, I live life more conscious of the sacred, more open to what God might be asking of me–or telling me–in any given moment. (In other words, I’ve become a lot more aware of how far I have to go!) But this has been such a gift, that I want to share it with you. Stop being a lurker. Stay long enough to become an alarmed and reluctant spiritual blogger yourself by sharing your thoughts in a comment below. Even go so far as to make a Lenten commitment to leave a comment on each post. It doesn’t have to be long. But I hope you’ll share your particular insight with visitors to this blog, enriching us all. God bless! + Ann