ON BEING BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST (4)

ON BEING BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST (4)

Romans 6:3-4

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

Be in your prayer space, follow the usual steps and settle into silence.

Take a couple of gentle, slow and deep breaths…becoming aware of your breath going in and out… stay focused on this breath of life……

Breathe in all that is of God and from God…all that is true, honest, pure, admirable, noble, decent, virtuous, worthy of praise, good, loving, kind – all that deserves respect..

Breathe out all that is not of God and from God……..

Settle into silence, into peacefulness, into profound silence, into pure joy. Keep listening in quietness, stillness and serenity.

Come to that place, that space within, that place of deep silence – Solitude…to just being here and now, without having to accomplish something.

Now I invite you to consecrate your time and all that come with this moment….in your own way, in humble, simple, may be even inadequate words………..

Now from the depth of your heart begin to wish your mind well……….

We continue our meditation on being anointed priest, prophet and king, at our baptism. Our baptism brings us into solidarity with Christ and with him into solidarity with all people of God as brothers and sisters.

To be anointed is to be set apart, consecrated…..to be set apart for sacred use in prayer, in sacrifice, in worship, in the service of God….to be separated from other common things used for common purposes.

Take a moment now and consecrate your time and all that come with this moment….in your own way, in humble, simple, may be even inadequate words………..

Our last meditation was on being anointed prophet. We now take time to meditate on being anointed king, at our baptism as Jesus was……..

You are anointed king, with a royal mission…..to live noble lives, to build a just and peaceful world, to bring harmony, to participate in the governance of the universe. How awesome and challenging!!!!

We are God’s people, a “Kingdom People”, a “Royal people” and we have a royal culture and heritage”. We must be faithful to our royal character.

God is our King who, by his wisdom, established the cosmic order (Psalms 93, 96-99) and continues to governs it by his rule. To be human is to be created in the royal image of God (Genesis 1:26-28; Ps 8).

The concerns for peace and justice are in fact primary obligations of kingship (Ps 72). The kings, queens, counselors, and sages were blessed to be instruments of life, peace, harmony, justice and the total well-being, not only for Israel but for the world. All people are drawn into kingship
to be at the service of life, justice, harmony, peace, shalom – the total well-being of humanity.

Kingship finds its fulfillment in Jesus. He is the son of David who preaches and ushers in the Kingdom of God. His Lordship will ultimately be acknowledged by all (Phil 2:9-11). He is the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24); in Him, all things are created in the heavens and on the earth (Col 1:15-20). And He shows us what it means to be image of God (Col 1:15).

To be human is to be blessed by grace as image of God, to image God. We are made capable, empowered, put in charge, and trusted by God to be stewards of creation, to participate in the governance of the universe. We are called to live life creatively and not be afraid of risks.

To be human means also that we must be humble, down-to-earth and remember our dependence on God and one another. When things go well, it is easy to forget our dependence on God and one another (see Deut 8:6; Prov. 30:9; Hos. 13:6) and take credit ourselves.

We can look at ourselves as worthless worms; We can also look at ourselves as kings and gods ……Neither extreme can accept just being human with its dignity and humility.

Jesus announced the kingdom of God. His mission was to have God reign in the hearts of all and to have peace and justice in the world. Jesus exercised his royal office by serving. I have come to serve and not be served, He said. Royal mission is a mission of service with honor, humility and dignity and invincible love.

The heart of the king was centered on the will of the one who anointed him king and on the total well-being of those he is anointed to serve. The heart of Jesus was centered on the will of his father. We are anointed king at our baptism…we are anointed to share in the royal mission of Jesus.

• To share in the Royal mission of Jesus means to keep seeking the will of the Father, the will of the king.

   

• To share in the Royal mission of Jesus means living noble lives and being faithful to your royal character.

   

• To share in the Royal mission of Jesus means participation in the building of the kingdom.
• To share in the Royal mission of Jesus means healing brokenness.

• To share in the Royal mission of Jesus means creating a safe environment where all people can live without fear and suspicion.

• To share in the Royal mission of Jesus means working for creating a just society and a world where justice prevails.

• To share in the Royal mission of Jesus means Peacemaking and peace keeping.

• To share in the Royal mission of Jesus means bringing harmony into chaos.

• To share in the Royal mission of Jesus means caring for the children, the orphans, the poor, the marginalized and the vulnerable.

Jesus began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a pit for the winepress, built a tower, rented it out to a farmer, and went into another country. When it was time, he sent a servant to the farmer to get from the farmer his share of the fruit of the vineyard. They took him, beat him, and sent him away empty. Again, he sent another servant and still another and many others and finally the son. They took him, killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.” (Mark 12:1-12)

In the kingdom of God……..

• We are trusted stewards…..Be faithful! Be worthy of trust!

• We are trusted to cultivate, to nurture, to tenderly care…encourage and facilitate growth!

• God is Gracious – so we are gifted with all we need. The vineyard had everything for its fruitfulness, including the winepress…. Be generous with the gifts!

• God is Patient, compassionate in calling us again and again….Be patient! Be sensitive! Be compassionate! Be gentle! Be tender! Be forgiving! Be a blessing!

• Abuse brings disaster….Be attentive! Be cautious! Be respectful! Never abuse!

May God help you live out more fully your anointing to share in the royal mission of Christ. May God empower you with His Holy Spirit to fearlessly and courageously work for justice and peace! May He enable you to never make peace with oppression, injustice, violence or war! May you strive to fulfill your anointing to bring good news, to proclaim a year of the Lord’s favor!!!

Fr. Gus Tharappel,msfs