tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3415815443006499013.post8972670942168123091..comments2023-04-27T04:14:30.583-07:00Comments on Straight from the Heart: Lenten CuisineDonna Farleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11884647995104136193noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3415815443006499013.post-15099565218777154022015-03-18T15:34:48.690-07:002015-03-18T15:34:48.690-07:00Richard: thank you for your comments.
Regarding t...Richard: thank you for your comments.<br />Regarding the first question, what the Lord said is not that the smallest act of love shown to any human in need would be the key to the Kingdom, but rather than the smallest act of love shown to His disciples because they were His disciples would have its reward (see Matthew 10:42, Mark 9:41). In other words, what brought reward from God was acceptance of the Lord's Gospel. Christ was a source of division in His day (and now), and He assures His hearers that God would reward any movement towards Him, no matter how small. The bar is not set as low as some might think.<br />Also, I do agree that the forces of this age are not going down without a fight. I think of Rev. 12:7-12: after Satan was cast from heaven at the Lord's ascension, he came down to earth in great wrath, knowing that his time was short. The last days, which began at Pentecost, are times of eschatological conflict--a conflict seemingly mirrored throughout the cosmos.Fr. Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13933248163052873060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3415815443006499013.post-89758371576357351602015-03-18T13:42:49.532-07:002015-03-18T13:42:49.532-07:00Thank you Father for this post.
Just reflecting o...Thank you Father for this post.<br /><br />Just reflecting on the significance of this I have two questions for you really.<br /><br />1) Christ mentions that even the smallest act of love and mercy (such as giving someone a cup of water) shown to any human in need is an act of love to Him and such love is precisely the key to the Kingdom. It's clear that our 'good deeds' can never outweigh the sins which have contaminated us through our lives (and the thief of the cross certainly was an 11th hour conversion with, we must assume, little previous to commend him). Therefore it appears that bar for salvation is scandalously low. But, looking at truly evil people in history, there will have been times in their life when they presumably showed mercy out of love (since no-one is 100% evil all their entire lives) but we wouldn't expect such to inherit the kingdom. Is it then more an issue about how we finish the race? Or perhaps the general trend of our lives?<br /><br />I guess I'm thinking of the Lady and the onion from the Brothers Karamazov where such a small deed of mercy would've been enough to save her but as her whole inclination was towards evil in general she wasn't even able to avail herself of this simple chance and thus self-condemned to stay in the lake of fire.<br /><br />2) Your point about the world becoming increasingly fractured since the Incarnation and Resurrection of Christ is interesting as I'm wondering if this explains the teaching about increasing wars/famine/tribulation etc. towards the end of this age since the fracture will become greater and instability will increase. I imagine the forces of this age aren't going down without a fight and the more the coming age intrudes the worse it'll get?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05587949556389994245noreply@blogger.com