 |
| Photo by Jorn Olsen http://www.jornolsen.com/ |
One of the most memorable experiences of this past year was leading a Spiritual Life class at my church. The class was titled Voices from the Cloud. Over several weeks we acquainted ourselves with some of the folk that the writer of Hebrews vividly refers to in Hebrews 12:1 as, "... so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth]" (Amp). Together we did some sacred reading from the Scriptures and from the early Church Fathers (and Mothers) - martyrs, mystics, apologists and polemicists. People of whom it could be said truly loved, as Misty Edwards sings, "...with arms wide open and a heart exposed." And many who, like Ignatius and Polycarp, laid their lives down in evidence of that fact.
Often after reading their letters or stories the class would sit silent...enveloped in the cloud. Consciences pricked, perspectives altered, attitudes adjusted, hearts pumped full of gratitude. Grateful that our predecessors never gave up. Grateful that they lived with us in mind. Grateful to be benefactors of their legacy. Humbled to know that one day we will stand beside them in glory.
The class ended, but their voices still echo in my mind. I hear Catherine of Sienna praying, "Pazzo d'amore. Ebro d'amore," which translated means, "O divine madman, you are crazed with love and drunk with love for me," and I am undone by God's great love for me.
Irenaeus warns me like a loving father, "Error never shows itself in its naked reality, in order not to be discovered. On the contrary, it dresses elegantly, so that the unwary may be led to believe that it is more truthful than truth itself," and my eyes are opened to potential pitfalls.
And I hear Ignatius' voice from prison before being devoured by lions praying, “Father, make us more like Jesus. Help us bear difficulty, pain, disappointment, and sorrow, knowing that in Your perfect working and design You can use such bitter experiences to mold our characters and make us more like our Lord. We look with hope to the day when we will be completely like Christ because we will see Him as He is… My passions are crucified, there is no heat in my flesh, and a stream flows murmuring inside me – deep down in me saying, ‘Come to the Father,’” and I am left speechless.
We are not alone. They surround us. Their stories are our history. These are the voices of our ancestors, our people, and our tribe. Their gift to us is a profound legacy of faithfulness in the face of great persecution, suffering and ultimate martyrdom. They gave their all for Jesus. They gave their all for us – that we may have a godly example to follow and the courage to never give up. Do you hear them cheering us on?
Lord, give us ears to hear the voices from the cloud!
“Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” – Hebrews 12:1-3 The Message
