What can we do to accomplish the works of God?

First, readers, happy Easter! I hope your celebration of the risen Lord was, and is, good. Because it’s still Easter!

This week, I am thinking about the words in Monday’s Gospel. The entire reading is John 6:22-29. The line that struck me, though, is right at the end:

So they said to him,
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

I must have missed this bit of Scripture in the past, as I do not remember Jesus ever literally saying that believing in him was a work of God.

Now why is this so interesting? Because there is a tendency in the spiritual life to believe that one’s value equates to one’s output or productivity. I think it’s just easier to understand; we know that loving our neighbor and the poor, etc., is also a way to love God and do his “works,” and they’re tangible. Feeding the poor is quite literally accomplishing the works of God. But just believing? Interesting.

I was reminded of something someone told me recently: she reminded me that Jesus came so that we might have “life abundantly.” He did not come so we could take on a to-do list for him.

I am not talking about the “you are saved by works vs. faith alone” debate - that is not of interest to me. I am interested in the concept that, while feeding the poor (and all the other works of mercy) are often difficult, I wonder if it is just as difficult to - believe. Just simply believe, and that is it, not augmented by those works which are a good and necessary expression, but probably not as fundamental as belief.

What stands in the way of belief? Do works become a band-aid, so to speak, for lack of belief? Do we always do for others out of true generosity, or is there ever a tinge of competitiveness, or seeking validation?

There are many things that can get in the way of our friendship with God - vices being the obvious choice - but perhaps one of the most sly is not believing. Not believing in the resurrection, yes, or the reality of the Eucharist, okay, but even in God’s unfailing love. That he wants what is best for us, that he has a plan, that our most fundamental identity is “Beloved by God.”

I ask myself, do I believe those things? If not, why not? This is the perfect thing to take into conversation with the Lord, especially at Easter when graces abound.

My first job is to love God, and out of that love, serve others. The love is grounded in belief. If every things seem too complex, or the problems in my own life (or especially the world) too great, I can relax into that truth.

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Checking in during Holy Week

You may have noticed, friends, that it is Holy Week. How was your Palm Sunday? How is it Easter already?

I have a few recommendations for this week. One, watch The Passion of the Christ on Friday, and Jesus of Nazareth on Saturday. Bake something Saturday, also. Attend the Easter Vigil Mass if you can, because you will get so much more out of it.

Pray in a special way this week for people who are lost. The faith has been, in addition to salvation, both an anchor and a compass for me, and if I did not have it, I am not sure how the past few years would have gone. I think about all the things coming at normal humans these days, from every side, and it is especially hard for those who do not have the perspective of eternity. I do not say that to be snooty, I say that because it is true. As humans, we long for eternity, even when we cannot put a name to it like that. Easter is a time for light entering into the darkness. It is a time for light to enter into hearts in a transformative way. May this Easter be yet another change, but a good one, a welcome one, that includes a level of acceptance, too. And a remembrance that God is in control, Jesus is King, no matter what happens, for ever and ever, amen.

Audio from my Morning Air interview

The audio from my conversation with Morning Air’s John Morales is up! Catch the audio here, and my portion starts at 06:55.

We talked the concept generally of creating peace, but also moved into a discussion of everyone’s calling to be with God in prayer, and discern where he is calling us. I also made a point of mentioning something from my article, Creating Peace in Your Corner of the World, which is that creating peace is not just the domain of those specifically trained diplomats working in international relations, but the purview of each one of us. I find I often talk about the job or work of a lay Catholic in pretty strong terms - as in, it is a critical part of your calling is to evangelize - because I believe it with my whole heart! And, I believe it to be true. Nothing negotiable about it.

Enjoy!