Life, Love and Joy



Fellow priests preparing for Mass



This week Fr. John Fuellenbach, a 75 year old theologian, gave us lectures of the Kingdom or Reign of God.  They were inspiring.  There is no easy way to share 16 hours of lectures in a short blog.  Therefore, let me just summarize a few highlights and how his reflections inspire me.

One way to summarize the entire mission of Jesus can be in a two-fold message.  Jesus came to connect us with the true image of God, which is ABBA, Father.  He wishes to set us on "fire" for the Love of God which begins with God's unconditional love for us.  The second is to share in God's dream or vision for the world, which is the Kingdom of God or Reign of God.  This really makes life simple for us Christians.  We are to love God since He already loves us and to help cooperate through the power of the Holy Spirit to transform this earthly life into the Kingdom of God.  That's all.

A further clarification of who God truly is can be summed in three statements;  God is Love. God is Life. God is JOY.  The word joy appears 252 times in the New Testament.  It is one we often forget. Fr. John emphasizes over and over the JOY of the Lord.  He says peace and justice commissions need to be justice, peace and joy commissions.  If they have no joy then do not reflect the God who is.



Jesus, who is God and came to earth in the flesh, has four main characteristics.  First, He is a man born of the Spirit. Second, he is a social prophet.  Third, he is a wisdom teacher. Fourth He starts a table fellowship movement.  To unpack all of this for myself, much less for my friendly blog reader, would take too long.  Yet, what is important is that Jesus does not separate our bodily life on earth for our spiritual life in heaven.  The two are connected Now.  The Kingdom of God is already here because Jesus is here.  Yet, it is incomplete because we still have work to transform the evil of this world by love into God's creation. If we imitate Jesus then we are people of the Way and the Kingdom will more visible.



Justice and Compassion are what indicates that we are holy and purified.  It is all about the Holy Spirit and Her living presence on earth.  This love of God for us transforms us into children of God and disciples of Jesus.  This is how we will transform the world-- by love and compassion.

Maybe this is enough to give you a flavor of the dynamics.  God is all about love, life and joy.  He delights in us, His beloved creatures made in His likeness and image, male and female.  Together empowered by the Spirit we can transform the world by loving everyone as God overwhelming loves us.



So my personal challenge is to love out evil.  That means I have to love me and allow God to transform my sinfulness into grace.  I need to share that forgiving love with others, including those who do not want it or deserve it.  Then I need to help create conditions so everyone can feel and know the Love of God. Only Love and patient love, compassionate love can do this.  It needs to burn within me so I can let it fire up those around me. Evil cannot stand the heat of God's compassionate Love.  May I burn with His joy and have evil disappear like ashes against the wind. Yet, none of it is my work.  It all belongs to the work of God , the Father, in Jesus through the Holy Spirit.  It just happens the Spirit lives in me so I am a spark for the Kingdom.



I doubt the power of this message is being transmitted clearly to my faithful readers and fellow disciples, but  maybe you get a hint.  Maybe we can together create a more Loving World that reflects the table fellowship of Jesus and includes everyone.  Let us try anyway.  Live in the Joy of the Spirit and light the world on Fire with God's Love.