What is God asking us to put into our lives?
| “Let the little children come to me” - This painting of Christ, which graced the first-floor hallway of St. Mary’s Hall at Manresa prior to the current renovation project, clearly communicates His gentleness toward children. | |||
Retreat lecture #6 examines Jesus - an expression of God's love for us
“Jesus!” Father Nick Schiro enthusiastically begins the sixth of his 11 lectures, and this single word spoken by our retreatmaster fills the lecture hall. He pronounces it with such respect and devotion, it takes on musical qualities. The mention of this name captures the undivided attention of the 109 men here on our annual July retreat at Manresa. During Father’s trademark reflective pause which follows, we realize that he has certainly spoken about Christ during each of his previous lectures, but we are now poised to see where he guides us during this instruction period. He continues. “Yesterday we asked, ‘What is God asking us to take out of our lives?’ Today we ask, ‘What is God asking us to put into our lives?’” Father Schiro beautifully explains that “just as a child is an expression of a couple’s love for each other, Jesus is an expression of God’s love for us.” The gentle cadence of his speech allows the men to reflect upon that statement and to realize its deeper truth. He says that faith is not doctrine, it consists of trust and belief. “But in order to believe in Jesus,” he emphasizes, “we must commit ourselves to Jesus.” “But I thought I was committed to Jesus,” many retreatants silently wonder during the next pause. As Father continues, he neither attempts to confirm nor deny the retreatants’ devotion and dedication. He points out that there are no descriptive words in scripture about Jesus, but there are certain characteristics that we can infer. To begin with, Christ would have had Jewish features, and he would have had dark skin from all the time he spent walking and fishing. He would have been well built from carpentry, and would have had a strong grip from working with the primitive tools of that time. He would also have had some of Mary’s features. Jesus spoke Aramaic, and since there was a different accent in Galilee, this would be recognized in Jerusalem. We know from the Gospels that He also knew how to read Hebrew, the language the scriptures were written in. We know that throughout his life, He was a man of singular purpose, always moving toward his Father’s will, even unto death. We know that He was gentle with children, and that He shocked the Pharisees when He interpreted the Law in his own name. As we read the Gospels, it is clear that every miracle Jesus performed was done out of compassion. He also experienced great fear, especially during the agony in the garden. “The same man that inspired us two thousand years ago,” Father Schiro segues, “still inspires today.” But how do we respond to this inspiration? Father recalls for us the German philosopher Nietschke, the atheist who argued that "the last Christian died on the cross," and issued the challenging statement that we are not Christ-like. Father Schiro also tells us about the great Mahatma Ghandi, who said “Oh, I don't reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ." Father Schiro rhetorically asks the retreatants, “What would the world be like if we lived according to His teachings?” Without difficulty, each of the 109 men in Loyola Hall quickly pictures his own beautiful answer to this poignant question. Father says that in his classroom at Jesuit High School where he teaches religion, there is a sign posted which reads: “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" Again, the men silently contemplate their answer. Our insightful retreatmaster says that being Christian is much more than just going to Mass and saying prayers. Father says that “Jesus calls us to be something else,” and he soon concludes his lecture by saying that we must ask ourselves, “What is He calling us to do?” As we have learned on this retreat and on previous retreats we have taken, the time we later spend contemplating the lecture - and in this case the answer to Father’s leading question - will be greatly rewarded.