Comments on: chosen, blessed, broken, given http://www.swingingfromthevine.com/2008/07/16/chosen-blessed-broken-given/ digging deep, stretching up, reaching out Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:31:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Heather http://www.swingingfromthevine.com/2008/07/16/chosen-blessed-broken-given/comment-page-1/#comment-2565 Heather Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:48:29 +0000 http://www.swingingfromthevine.com/?p=665#comment-2565 My brother remarked to me the other day that any time faith becomes complicated, then it misses the point. I scoffed, but thought about it, because Jesus said that the faith of a child is enough, and childlike faith, while not shallow, is certainly simple, I think. I used to pray frenetically that I wouldn't "miss the will of God," begging with tremendous fear and shame, afraid that I wouldn't be worthy to receive divine direction to the will of God, and then would face certain unhappiness. What a vicious circle of misery that was. I think we are chosen; we were chosen in the act of the atonement. Everyone was. Discovering it isn't always so cut-and-dry, clear and simple. But I think the small things matter--making eye contact, giving a smile, listening a little extra long to a boring conversation when it means that the talker will feel less alone (but, good lord, let's not get crazy--we don't have to let her blather on through the night.) I wrote an essay (yeah, you saw it coming) about how profound the explaining of the Eucharist was to my daughters, and it hinged on what is said in our liturgy: "As this bread is Christ's body for us, send us out to be the body of Christ in the world." Well, thanks for the meditation. My brother remarked to me the other day that any time faith becomes complicated, then it misses the point. I scoffed, but thought about it, because Jesus said that the faith of a child is enough, and childlike faith, while not shallow, is certainly simple, I think.

I used to pray frenetically that I wouldn’t “miss the will of God,” begging with tremendous fear and shame, afraid that I wouldn’t be worthy to receive divine direction to the will of God, and then would face certain unhappiness. What a vicious circle of misery that was.

I think we are chosen; we were chosen in the act of the atonement. Everyone was. Discovering it isn’t always so cut-and-dry, clear and simple. But I think the small things matter–making eye contact, giving a smile, listening a little extra long to a boring conversation when it means that the talker will feel less alone (but, good lord, let’s not get crazy–we don’t have to let her blather on through the night.)

I wrote an essay (yeah, you saw it coming) about how profound the explaining of the Eucharist was to my daughters, and it hinged on what is said in our liturgy: “As this bread is Christ’s body for us, send us out to be the body of Christ in the world.” Well, thanks for the meditation.

]]> By: Random Acts of Linkage #70 : Subversive Influence http://www.swingingfromthevine.com/2008/07/16/chosen-blessed-broken-given/comment-page-1/#comment-2559 Random Acts of Linkage #70 : Subversive Influence Sat, 26 Jul 2008 10:55:42 +0000 http://www.swingingfromthevine.com/?p=665#comment-2559 [...] “When we take bread, bless it, break it, and give it with the words ‘This is the Body of Christ,’ we express our commitment to make our lives conform to the life of Christ. We too want to live as people chosen, blessed, and broken, and thus become food for the world.” — Henri Nouwen Makeesha has more… [...] [...] “When we take bread, bless it, break it, and give it with the words ‘This is the Body of Christ,’ we express our commitment to make our lives conform to the life of Christ. We too want to live as people chosen, blessed, and broken, and thus become food for the world.” — Henri Nouwen Makeesha has more… [...]

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