Too
often, we may become like the Pharisee focusing on how better we are than
others. Every generation has its
favorite sins to protest. This is often
as a response to real moral threats but the temptation is to see those who
participate in those sins as “those over there.” At its worst we see televangelists making
outrageous claims that natural disasters are God’s judgment on the sins of a
particular group or community. This is
just another way of saying that,"it is not me it’s you." Every good thing that we do is by the grace
of God, and every bad thing that we do not do is also by the grace of God. If I see someone committing a sin that is not
a temptation to me, I am in no place to judge.
If I struggle so much with what I think are small sins, what makes me
think that I could do better than another if I had their temptations.
The power of the gospel is that,
although we are born into a fallen humanity, and although we often have done
exactly opposite of what God requires of us, God did not abandon us to
ourselves. The sinless Christ became sin
for us, so that we may be conformed to his holy likeness. We are new creatures. The old has passed away
and all things are new.
Because of this, we are driven to
the feet of Jesus. It is our tears which
drench the feet of Jesus. The desert
fathers used to talk about the gift of tears.
There were stories of monks who coming into full awareness of what
Christ had done for them would weep, sometimes for weeks
We may not walk around weeping, but
there are other ways that we can show our gratitude to Christ. St. Ambrose said
that we kiss the feet of Christ when we spend time reading his words. He says that we anoint the feet of Jesus when
we care for the wounded and weary. He
continues to declare that. “They are the feet of Christ whom he himself says,
‘what you have done for one of the least of these, you have done for me.’”
William Cowper was an 18th
century priest and poet who was also a friend of John Newton, who wrote Amazing
Grace. Cowper penned the following
lines.
Hark
my soul!
It is the lord
Tis
my savior,
here these words:
Jesus
spake these words to thee,
Say
poor sinner,
lovest
thou me?
I
delivered thee when bound
And
when bleeding healed thy wounds
Sought
the wondering,
set thee right
Turned
thy darkness into light.
Thou shalt see my glory
soon when the work of grace is done
Partner of my throne
shalt be.
Say
poor sinner
lovest thou me?
Lord,
My chief complaint is
my love for thee
is faint.
Yet,
I love thee
and adore
Oh for grace to love
thee more
