Follow in His Steps

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. (1 Peter 2.21-25)

Beloved, the holy Apostle here shows us the path of true godliness and truth. It is not an easy way but a narrow one. It is the path of our Saviour who calls to him those who are his (John 10.3) and says to them, “Look, I am he who created all worlds and all inhabitants that live in them, I am he who has no beginning and end; yet, I came to my own who did not receive me but put me to shame and grief. It is this path I call you too. A path of hardship, for the world will hate you, for you are not of it.” It is path that causes great sorrow, pain, tribulation, and death. It is a path which follows in the steps of our dear Saviour, who left us an example of such magnitude that we cannot but break into praise and love.

The bruises and scars which mark his holy body now are signs of the suffering he endured for all our sakes. How can we forget the price he paid to secure our salvation? And yet, what are we prone to do, dear ones? We complain and moan when we do not get our way. We long for something that will do us harm and we will do everything in our power to get it and if we do not get it, oh how we fly into such rages! Once we set our minds on anything immoderately we lose all other powers and long for that which we, foolishly think, will grant us all peace. And what happens when we do get our way? As a Kempis says:

…if he gives way to his [immoderate passions] and gets what he wants, all at once he is struck down by remorse of conscience; that is all that comes of yielding to passion–he is no nearer the peace of mind he aimed at. No, the heart can only find rest by resisting its passions, not by humouring them; heart’s rest is for the fervent, the devout, not for the carnally minded, for those who give themselves over to the love of outward things.

But how sinful we are! What are we to do? The good that we attempt to do, we fail to do; and the evil we try desperately to avoid, we find ourselves doing! O how we fall and fail so often! How can we be delivered from this body of death? Look to Jesus Christ, beloved! Look to him by faith, by faith gain hold of him, clutch him, bind yourself to him, say to him, “I am yours! Save me!” Do not look within, to your own righteousness which will get you nowhere, look outside yourself to Christ, the risen Saviour, whose righteousness is perfect, he who did not sin nor was guile found in his mouth, trust in his righteousness for your salvation! Only there can you hope for salvation. There is our hope and trust secured, tied to him, Anchor of our souls, by faith these promises become ours so that we may, as the Apostle Paul says, “be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3.9). And then we may stand against the Devil, as Martin Luther said, “So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: ‘I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where he is there I shall be also!’”

And we know this path is also one of great joy, love, and praise. It is the path of salvation. It is the Path of Peace, a peace which passes all understanding (Philippians 4.7) and keeps our minds focused upon Christ in faith. As our Saviour said, “Come unto me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11.28-30). Jesus has given us so many gifts to rest and refresh our weary souls. He has given us his holy Word to read (and that Word speaks about him, John 5.39-40), his holy Sacraments (look back to your Baptism and see what Christ did for you there, partake of the holy Body and sacred Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, feeding upon him in your heart by faith, and recieve forgiveness of sins, John 6.35-58), prayer to him, confession and absolution, all these areas we can find in the Church which Jesus gave us to comfort us. He knows we are weak and need things we can see and touch so he has given us bread and wine to feed our souls in that holy mystery, he shows how he can use water to save us (John 3.5; cf. 1 Peter 3.21; Titus 3.5), he shows us pictures of holy scenes so we can learn to love him better.

Oh, my beloved, may you all learn from this holy lesson from St Peter and love Jesus with all your hearts. Trusting in him alone for your salvation, may we all walk the hard, narrow path of abundant life. Look to Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen. Pax Christi vobiscum!

Lord’s Day meditations and a reminder

As some of you may know I am an administrator of the blog, The Lingering Pilgrim, and will be attempting to co-ordinate these two blogs into a more unified (and thus useful) purpose. As my personal blog will be more meditative and ecumenical, I will be more polemical on “The Lingering Pilgrim”, both in posts and comments. All are welcome to go to “The Lingering Pilgrim” and read and join the discussion. As such some of what I will post on “Meditatio Christi” will be posted on “The Lingering Pilgrim”. And vice-versa.

In addition, I will begin posting my thoughts and meditations on the great work by Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ. This will hopefully turn into a weekly habit as there is much to be learned from the great words of this holy monk. I hope it may be useful to those who read it and bring greater glory to the holy, blessed, undivided Trinity. A notice of the posting will be given on “The Lingering Pilgrim”.

Every Sunday (Lord’s Day) a short meditation from the Fathers, Mediaeval saints, Reformers, and other Christians (Western or Eastern), will be posted (with minimal commentary from the poster) on a passage of Scripture or other holy matter to exhort us to look to Christ in faith and repentance, bettering our lives in his service. To learn more about this see the post at “Lingering Pilgrim” here.

I will begin by posting a meditation from the holy and blessed doctor of the Church, St Augustine, next Sunday. May you all have a blessed Lord’s Day; listening to the Word preached, confessing your sins, receiving absolution, feeding on Christ in your hearts by faith in the holy mystery of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. My brothers and sisters, may Christ continue to work mightily in you, renewing you constantly and teaching you to love him more and trust in his precious promises with all your heart. Look to Christ and by having faith in him, may you have rest and peace. May the Lord bless us and keep us; the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon us, and give us peace, now and forevermore. Amen. Pax Christi vobiscum!

Introductory welcome

Well, I guess I knew the time had to come eventually, I am now officially a part of the blogosphere. I don’t know yet whether this is a good or bad thing. Well, on the plus side, it will divert my attentions (supposedly) from MySpace. On the negative, it might suck whatever free time I do have left (after work, school, and study) away from me. I hope I can find a balance between those differing avenues of time-spending. Though, I suppose I might co-ordinate my blog with my studying habits, thus, what I am currently studying could find a place here to further dialogue, monologue , and perhaps to vent frustration.

Anyway, this is my first post and I suppose it would be fitting to describe the purpose of the blog, the subject of the blog, and other related matters. I think it might be wise to begin with what I have titled my blog: Meditatio Christi. It is Latin for “meditation on Christ”. It is no secret that this blog is one that will be devoted primarily to theological ends. I do not claim the mantle of theologian or scholar, far from it, though I aspire to that end. However, I am a Christian (worse, a Protestant Anglican!) and a student of theology. This is where the title comes into play. We as Christians are called to study the Faith, growing in it, maturing more and more, renewing our minds as the Apostle Paul says (Romans 12.2). We are to meditate on the Word of God (Psalm 1.2; cf. Psalm 119). This is streneuous and hard labour. Yet, our Saviour says that to come to him, to believe in him is restful; those of us who labour can find rest in him through his Word, through the Sacraments, through the life of the holy Church, and by faith in his promises (Matthew 11.28-30), for his yoke is easy, and his burden light. To meditate on Christ is to find life, and have that life more abundantly. What a peace! One which passes all understanding. To reflect on these great Truths of our Christian catholic Faith and heritage should be considered a great honour. An honour which should not be taken for granted or boasted in, for we have nothing to boast in save the Cross of Jesus and the grace of God. To believe in Jesus, what a rest, peace, and delight. Let us reflect and meditate on this Gospel and we shall have all life. By faith, we gain this rich treasure, for the Gospel is a true and great comfort, and as Martin Luther said, “So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: ‘I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where he is there I shall be also!’”

You may notice that the banner mentions these are “Reformed Catholic reflections”. This is to highlight the catholic (comes from the Latin, catholicus, meaning “universal”) nature of our Faith. To remind me to avoid sectarianism; to strive toward greater and fuller catholicity. To show me that my manifestation of Christianity is not the only one. That Christians are in many different communions whether they are Roman Catholics, Eastern Catholics, or Reformed Catholics. To long for the day that our Lord prayed for when we may be one as he and his Father are one (John 17.11). This catholic Faith is found in the inspired Sacred Scriptures, summarised in the Ecumenical Creeds, and explicated in the Ecumenical Councils. It is not tied to one communion but to many in one organic Body that continues to grow and develop and whose Head is Christ (1 Corinthians 11).

I end this introductory post with a reminder from the Heidelberg Catechism, (Q&A 1) that our only comfort in this life and in death lies in Jesus Christ: “Q. What is your only comfort, in life and in death? A. That I belong–body and soul, in life and in death–not to myself but to my faithful Saviour, Jesus Christ, who at the cost of his own blood has fully paid for all my sins and has completely freed me from the power of the Devil; that he protects me so well that without the will of my Father in Heaven not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that everything must fit his purpose for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.”

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen” (Psalm 19.14).