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Jesus
said to [the Jews]..., "I am going away and you will look for me,
but you will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come."
So the Jews said, "He is not going to kill himself, is he,
because he said, 'Where I am going you cannot come'?" He said to
them, "You belong to what is below, I belong to what is above.
You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world.
That is why I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you
do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins."
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Chris
Gardner made a number of mistakes in his early life. In fact, in the movie
"The Pursuit of Happyness," he
calls that early part of his life the "being stupid" part. He had
invested his family's money in
a money-making scheme that didn't work out, and he had to move on to
another venture, one that finally did work, but its personal cost was
enormous. As he struggled with his problems, even to the point of
being homeless, after his wife decided to leave, Chris managed to
embark on his new venture. But as he
struggled, the one fact that he kept ever before his mind was the
importance of his son Christopher. Even
as he managed his own life, his constant thought was taking care of his
son. He understood how important it was for a young child to have
a stable upbringing. More than anything, above even his own
desires, he shielded Christopher from the hardships that he had to
face.
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In Jesus' mind, there
is a fundamental difference between the world of "below" and the world
of "above." The difference, he says, is whether one believes in him
or not, whether one accepts that he is the I AM, that is, God.
Christianity is defined in terms of whether a person truly
accepts Jesus and his teachings. The person who does, in Jesus'
mind, belongs to what is above.
Belonging to what is above can mean many things, of course, depending on what part of the Christian doctrine one is exploring. But in essence, belonging to what is above must deal with living a life of love, and especially love of others. The doctrine of love of others is not an easy one, and it is especially not easy when there are personal circumstances that demand attention. Such circumstances may come in the form of a sudden illness, personal tragedy, despair that may completely engulf us, or case in point with the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness," a loss of job. A person who truly loves others will manage to work at solving the problems, and at the same time uphold the Christian directive to love. At one point of the movie, Chris took his son to Church and joined in the service. Whether he knew it or not, he was giving himself to doing what "church" was all about, namely, giving himself totally to what was above, even as he had to function in the world. Part of "what was above" was his duty to love and raise his son properly, even in light of the major trauma in his own life. His is a lesson for every Christian who truly wants to belong to what is above. |
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THOUGHT
In your circumstances right now, what does
"belonging to what is above" consist of?
PRAYER Good
and gracious God, your
Son told us to belong to what is above, that is, to do the
things that you want us to do. Grant us the grace to know your
will, especially in the area of love of others, and the help to carry
it out. Be with us, we pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |
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