Keeping the Commandments: It's the Love That Matters

From today's gospel:

Jesus said to his disciples, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."  John 14:15

And excerpts from today's meditation in Magnificat:

It is not the magnitude, or otherwise, of the work we have to do that should concern us, but the magnitude of the love with which we do it.  It is a terrible mistake to suppose that if we simply carry out the commandments externally we have nothing to worry about. 


That can be no more than lip-service; it can be simply self-culture, the service of the self; and it can be form of self-complacency . . .  Of course we have to try to keep the commandments; but the essential is to try to keep them in such a way that we learn to see more and more clearly our true Center, to keep our eyes more and more on God and less and less on ourselves, to say "I live, now not I, but Christ lives in me." 


There are, in fact, two opposite heresies here which we have to avoid:  the one says, If I do right it doesn't matter what I am; the other says, If I am right it doesn't matter what I do.  We have to try to live in God, to be right; but we learn to be right only through slowly and painfully trying to do right; and on the other hand if we were really living in God then inevitably we should, as a matter of fact, do right, for we should hunger and thirst after righteousness. 

Father Gerald Vann, O.P.

Accomodations

Turning five this November, Rebecca is our youngest kindergartner ever. She had some formal schooling last year, but not as much as she would have liked. :-)

This year she's thrilled to have her own checklist, with an array of subjects: phonics, math, Bible, piano, handwriting, memorization, and other stories. We're learning together about persevering with learning whether in an eager or reluctant mood.Rebecca is an orderly child. It can take her a long time to make her bed or tidy her kitchen area, not because she is dilly-dallying, but because she is so, um, particular about how everything should be arranged.

Sometimes her orderliness veers into perfectionism and begins to cause trouble. During school this is most obvious when we work on Bible stories together. Here's our routine: Mom or Dad reads a Bible story aloud. Becca retells it as the tale is typed. She then illustrates the printout.

I have had my children draw their own pictures, sometimes helping brainstorm (for the Garden of Eden: an apple, the snake, Adam and Eve, the snake in the tree, Eve with the apple, etc.). I might also coach the drawing, make a sample (a simple ark, maybe) to copy, or even draw part of the illustration for a frustrated child. Their effort and creative work have always been more important to me than the actual product.

That hasn't been working with Rebecca. She started out well enough, but even on Day One was frustrated that her drawing didn't match her vision. The Creation picture below (Saranac Lake, our bank, and Tommy's Rock) was NOT her first try.

Each day became more of an ordeal than the last. Here are a few more "coached" drawings:Next came parental tracing or drawing. I outlined Joseph in his coat of many colors. Rebecca colored it in and drew his head and face. I traced the fat cow of Pharaoh's dream and then semi-traced the skinny cow.Eventually I began finding pictures online. Now I use Google Images to preview designs (search for coloring pages, like "Red Sea coloring page" to find simple choices) and copy them onto the story even before I type it up.This technique is a winner. Becca is no longer anxious about her drawing, which makes her more willing to work on the story itself. Sometimes she even helps pick the design; like me, she shies away from the silly (babyish) versions.My older children might tell you I've gotten soft. I will admit to mellowing, but I think that for Rebecca at least, this solution is the best for now. She can think about the story as she colors rather than obsessing about executing a drawing that meets her standards.

Let's remember, too, that way back when the first children were retelling the Bible, our internet connection was that amazingly slow dial-up, not really conducive to googling!

St. Paul Doesn't Mince Words

From today's second reading:

"Brothers and sisters: Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord."

Ephesians 5:15-17

A Holy Family

Yesterday was the Feast of the Holy Family. The second reading, from St. Paul's letter to the Colossians, grabbed my attention. We homeschoolers had memorized this passage last year, which explains how God wants us to live in community, as our own holy family. We keep some laminated copies near the prayer table and still read Paul's words together now and then.

Here is part of the passage (Col 3:12-17). We still have a long way to go before reaching this goal...how about you?

"Brothers and sisters: Put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful."

The Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35)

This is one of my favorite gospel readings. Every year I am moved almost to tears by this story of two disciples walking to Emmaus on Easter morning. They meet Jesus on the way but don't recognize him. He asks what they are talking about, and they tell him of the crucifixion and the report of the women at the tomb that Christ is alive. Then comes the best part:

And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?" (25-32)

God has given me faith, but I would love to have more wisdom and understanding. How I long to walk with Jesus and have him explain the Scriptures to me as he did to those disciples. I wonder if heaven will be like that.

Another beautiful part of this gospel is how the eyes of the disciples were opened at the Lord's table. They immediately got up and returned to Jerusalem and the apostles: "Then they recounted what had happened on the road and how they had come to know him in the breaking of bread." (35) The Eucharist is our opportunity to be with Jesus now. Do I appreciate this amazing gift?

The Five Parables Meme

Anne has tagged me for my very first meme! The rules are simple:

1. Name your five favorite parables.
2. Tag one blogger per parable.
3. It would be nice if you link back to this post.

This has given me a wonderful opportunity to think about and read scripture these past few days. I browsed through the New Testament to make sure I didn't miss any contenders, although a few parables did come to mind quickly.

As I look over my favorites, I see that many of them are listed not because they make me feel good, but because they reach out and grab me. God is talking to me and teaching me and showing me where I need improvement. So:

1. The Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16): The owner of the vineyard hires workers throughout the day, then ends up giving them all the same wage. Those who worked longer protest that it's not fair, and the owner responds, "My friend, I do you no injustice...I intend to give this man who was hired last the same pay as you. I am free to do as I please with my money, am I not? Or are you envious because I am generous?" I've grown up a lot, but there was a time when I would have cared more about "fairness" than the beauty of God's generosity.

2. Parable(s) on Prayer (Luke 11:5-13): If you knock on the door long enough, your friend will get up in the night because of your persistence. The second part is another reminder of God's love and care for us: "What father among you will give his son a snake if he asks for a fish, or hand him a scorpion if he asks for an egg? If you, with all your sins, know how to give your children good things, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him."

3. The Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30): A man sowed good seed, but his enemy sowed weeds among the wheat. They needed to grow up together, not separated until the harvest. This reminds me of my children (and me) growing up in this fallen world. There are weeds that can damage them. They need to be strong to recognize and resist.

4. Dutiful Servants (Luke 17:7-10): This parable is a reminder of the need for humility. If I think I'm doing well, I need to remember that I'm really just doing my duty! And considering He gave his life for me, He's really not asking that much, is He?

"If one of you had a servant plowing or herding sheep and he came in from the fields, would you say to him, 'Come and sit down at table'? Would you not rather say, 'Prepare my supper. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink afterward'? Would he be grateful to the servant who was only carrying out his orders? It is quite the same with you who hear me. When you have done all you have been commanded to do, say, 'We are uselesss servants. We have done no more than our duty.'"

5. The Vine and the Branches (John 15:1-8): My favorite part of this parable is verse 5, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who lives in me and I in him, will produce abundantly, for apart from me you can do nothing." 'Nuff said!

What are your favorites? I'm tagging Ouiz, Elizabeth, Margaret, Nutmeg, and Marianne.