‘Adulterers! Do you not realize that love for the world is hatred for God? Anyone who chooses the world for a friend is constituted an enemy of God. Can you not see the point of the saying in scripture, the longing of the spirit he sent to dwell in us is a jealous longing? But he has given us an even greater grace, as scripture says: God opposes the proud but he accords his favor to the humble’ {James 4:4-6}
An adulterer is one who is not contented with his/her spouse hence goes outside the bed of matrimony to obtain wealth, satisfaction and happiness yet returns with betrayal, diseases and emptiness which can only be filled by the Source of all our longings {“In the daytime God sends his faithful love and even at night; the song it inspires in me is a prayer to my living God” Ps.42:8} who made us (Gen.1:27) and is always ready to remold us, if only we are willing to return sincerely to Him [‘if you come back, Israel, the Lord declares, if you come back to me, if you take your horrors out of my sight, if you go roving no more, if you swear, As the Lord lives! Truthfully, justly, uprightly then the nations will bless themselves by him and glory in him’ Jer.4:1-2].
Are you an adulterer? Have you inactivated the Holy Spirit you received at the waters of Baptism by sin? Which type of sin? Or the unending quest for genuine love from men and women that cannot be trusted? The craving for money/fame/favor/societal-class/spouse/carrier/education and its related degrees/power e.t.c
These yearnings we use to replace the major desire of our heart which is righteousness and peace in the Holy Spirit (‘for it is not eating and drinking that make the kingdom of God, but the saving justice, the peace and joy brought by the Holy Spirit’ Rom.14:17-19) as Christ demanded of us “set your hearts on his kingdom first and on God’s saving justice, and all these other things will be given you as well” [Mtt.6:33] nevertheless after getting all these things if God permits (‘so it is not a matter of what any person wants or what any person does, but only of God having mercy’ Rom.9:16) the soul’s emptiness and yearning for God increases thus a rich man whether cultic or righteous begins to seek God’s blessings with regards to the fruit of the womb (male/female/either sex), protection on family, business, partners, relations, state e.t.c. as well as eternal life just like the rich aristocrat “one of the rulers put this question to him, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?...” {Lk.18:18-23}
The woman who was a sinner “one of the Pharisees invited him to a meal. When he arrived at the Pharisee’s house and took his place at table, suddenly a woman came in, who had a bad name in the town. She had heard he was dinning with the Pharisee and had brought with her an alabaster jar of ointment. She waited behind him at his feet, weeping and her tears fell on his feet and she wiped them away with her hair; then she covered his feet with kisses and anointed them with the ointment…for this reason I tell you that her sins, many as they are, have been forgiven her, because she has shown such great love. It is someone who is forgiven little who shows little love…” (Lk.7:36-50)
Priests and would-be-priests as well as all of us (royal priests; baptized Christians; 1 Pet.2:9), who find it very difficult to descend a little low to aid the poor around us {face to face neighbor/sick relations/widows/orphans/religious extremists/unlearned/difficult parents/stubborn brothers & sisters/indecently dressed people/unethical office colleagues/annoying course-mates/friends e.t.c} with admonishing words, gifts and heart-warming presence remember “…now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him and passed by on the other side…” [Lk.10:29-37] as you prepare to acclaim yourself ‘A CHRISTIAN’ or “A Sacerdotal Priests” before God on the last day (‘it is not anyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven’ Mtt.7:21)
Hence let all you seek in life be primarily rooted on the fear of God (“In fear be submissive to the Lord; with trembling kiss his feet lest he be angry and your way come to nothing, for his fury flares up in a moment. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” Ps.2:11-12), love of God {‘My dear friends, let us love one another, since love is from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God’ 1 Jn.4:7}, garnished with self-control [“so with you, as you are eager to have spiritual powers, aim to be rich in those which build up the community/Church” 1 Cor.14:12] as we call to mind death (‘since human beings die only once, after which comes judgment’ Heb.9:27), judgment {“talk and behave like people who are going to be judged by the law of freedom. Whoever acts without mercy will be judged without mercy but mercy can afford to laugh at judgment” James 2:12-13}, Hell [‘but the legacy for cowards, for those who break their word, or worship obscenities, for murderers and sexually immoral and for sorcerers, worshippers of false gods or any other sort of liars, is the second death in the burning lake of sulphur’ Rev.21:8] and Heaven (“the curse of destruction will be abolished. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city; his servants will worship him, they will see him face to face and his name will be written on their foreheads. And night will be abolished; they will not need lamplight or sunlight because the Lord God will be shining on them. They will reign forever and ever” Rev.22:3-5)
No comments:
Post a Comment