#walk with God

[holystormfire]

John 7:40-52

Nicodemus challenged his fellow pharisees.

Nicodemus Visiting Jesus,

Painting by Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1957),

Painted in 1899,

Oil on canvas

© Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts

Gospel Reading

Several people who had been listening to Jesus said, ‘Surely he must be the prophet’, and some said, ‘He is the Christ’, but others said, ‘Would the Christ be from Galilee? Does not scripture say that the Christ must be descended from David and come from the town of Bethlehem?’ So the people could not agree about him. Some would have liked to arrest him, but no one actually laid hands on him.

The police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees who said to them, ‘Why haven’t you brought him?’ The police replied, ‘There has never been anybody who has spoken like him.’ ‘So’ the Pharisees answered ‘you have been led astray as well? Have any of the authorities believed in him? Any of the Pharisees? This rabble knows nothing about the Law – they are damned.’ One of them, Nicodemus – the same man who had come to Jesus earlier – said to them, ‘But surely the Law does not allow us to pass judgement on a man without giving him a hearing and discovering what he is about?’ To this they answered, ‘Are you a Galilean too? Go into the matter, and see for yourself: prophets do not come out of Galilee.’

Reflection on the painting

In today's Gospel reading, we encounter Nicodemus, marking his second of three appearances in the Gospel of John. Initially introduced as a curious seeker who approaches Jesus under the cover of night, Nicodemus is portrayed as intrigued by Jesus yet hesitant to fully embrace his teachings. His journey of faith is subtly woven through John's narrative, culminating in his participation alongside Joseph of Arimathea in ensuring Jesus receives a respectful (indeed, lavish) burial. This progression illustrates Nicodemus's gradual movement towards a deeper understanding and commitment to Jesus. Our reading today is the second (and middle) appearance of Nicodemus. Despite being a Pharisee, he displays remarkable bravery by questioning the outright dismissal of Jesus by his peers, who criticize Jesus based on his origin in Galilee, a region they regard as insignificant compared to the religious hub of Jerusalem. Nicodemus advocates for fairness and due process, arguing that Jesus should not be judged without first being heard. This stance places him at odds with the prevailing opinions of his colleagues, and his challenge is met with scorn, evidenced by their sarcastic comment "Are you from Galilee too?"

Nicodemus's growing relationship with Jesus left him increasingly isolated in the world where he had been so much at home. He actually reminds us that as we grow in our relationship with Jesus, there is often a price to be paid. We may find ourselves a lone voice among our peers. At such times, we know that the Lord is always with us.

Henry Ossawa Tanner painted our canvas in 1899, depicting the first of the three mentions of Nicodemus in John's Gospel (John 3:1-21). The painting was Tanner's entry to the 1899 Paris Salon. We see Nicodemus talking privately to Christ in the evening, a good example of Tanner's nocturnal light paintings. The painting was purchased there for the Wilstadt Collection, Philadelphia, and is now in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. The narrative of Nicodemus' meeting with Jesus held significant meaning for Henry Ossawa Tanner's father, Benjamin Tucker Tanner. He was a Bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and had aspirations for his son to join him in the ministry. While Henry's decision to pursue a career as an artist fell short of his father's dream, his talent for painting ultimately produced works that his father could admire and support.

Article by Father Patrick van der Vorst

[euesworld]

"Be the bigger person, be a gentle giant.. cause all of that love that flows through you can't be denied. Be patient, it's a virtue.. and who knows, good things may come to you. But even if they don't come in the ways that you wanted, be thankful for that love.. not everyone has the capacity to love the way you can. Life is hard, but it makes like harder for everyone else when you don't walk with love.."

All you can really do is try, can't ask any more of yourself until you are there - eUë

[perfecttragedyflower]

Dr took me off my meds to get a baseline of my symptoms

[dosesofcommonsense]

Faith is not just a word or this one time thing. It’s a daily walk, a journey, something’s that better on some days and worse of some days but you keep going.

[jatawrites]

Venting to God gives you peace, that no human on this world can give you . Before you vent to anyone.. talk to God first.

[foreverpraying]

Lenten Theme by Juan Moyano on GettyImages

"I would rather walk with God in the dark than go alone in the light." Mary Gardiner Brainard

[justana0kguy]

2024 APRIL 03 Easter Wednesday

"The Lord's absence is not an absence. Have faith, and the one you cannot see is with you. We were walking along, dead, with Christ alive, we were walking along, dead, with life itself. Constrain the stranger, if you want to recognize the Savior. What had been lost through infidelity was restored through hospitality. So the Lord made himself present in the breaking of bread."

~ Saint Augustine, Sermons of St Augustine : Sermon 235, section 3

[i-am-deeply-poem]

“God On A Shelf”

I’ve been stuffing him on a shelf

Thinking of nothing but myself

Limitless, limited, endless, ending

Chronos has the knife, and my flesh he has been rending

Demons twist the device between my shoulder blades

Other than indifferent, older age

I can’t reconfigure in a way I find meaningful

I can’t realize, the forgiveness is inconceivable

I am broken beyond ruin

Destitute in my mind

The progress still ensuing

What do I find?

Same conclusion, second best, rely on myself but what do I get?

Full seclusion, intermixed with self loathing and self pity and

I don’t mind unless I make myself

I don’t mind unless I make myself

Strip it away, crush it all down

Wear that smile instead of a frown

Mix the emotions till I just feel numb

I’m not what I am, I’m not what I was

I need him, he sure as hell doesn’t need me

I am so blind in this endless night I beg him to let me see

Pressure points give way to pressure

Joints crack under the weather

I can’t get peace of mind

I’d like to give him a piece of mine

It doesn’t matter, I tell myself because I know it’s true

I’m in err, but I thought I could fix it with you

I know reality is indifferent to my truth

For I have none within me, far too soon

Iron sharpens iron

Brass dulls

Copper fades

Corrosion gives way

Sit on that shelf and do what I tell you

So big to think of myself as to tell you what to do

The truth is I’m sick of myself but equally as sick of you

You want more than I want to give

You want more than I feel like I could live

Without

Not a doubt in my mind

I know that I’m wrong

Not to suck it all up or push it down

I want to cut that smile up into a frown

He said “come all you weary”

I said I’m fine alone

He said “lay down your heavy loads”

[littleflowerfaith]

The road to Emmaus

[holmezc]

[odysseyofemily]

Fear’s Power to Inhibit Our Walk with God

If you’re a Christian, chances are that you know the story of the first sin very well. God tells Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree, the serpent tempts Eve with the fruit, she eats it and shares it with Adam. They’ve sinned. It’s the start of our world’s downward spiral into despair, turmoil, sadness, death, fear. This last point – fear – is something I hadn’t really paired together with this first sin story before because of the subtlety of how it’s written, but it’s actually quite a crucial learning point for us in the story:

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” Genesis 3:6-10, NRSV

Did you catch it? Adam and Eve were afraid to walk with God. And instead, they hid themselves away from Him. Normally, before their sin, they wouldn’t fear God coming to find them to walk with them in the cool of the evening, because fear simply didn’t exist. Sin hadn’t happened yet. But after sin... they experienced fear and let it lead their thoughts and actions. And it affected their relationship with God.

The main takeaway for me today is that fear can inhibit our walk with God – sometimes literally, in the case of Adam and Eve. We need to be careful how we deal with fear. That’s not to say that we should minimize fear or simply choose not to acknowledge the scary things in life. But while there are many fearful things in this world that we cannot escape, it’s how we deal with those fearful things – and those fearful feelings that creep in – that will either strengthen or weaken our walk with God. We can choose to either trust in Him to see us through or we can choose to doubt His abilities. 

There are lots of accounts of “fear not” throughout the Bible. Today, let’s take that command to heart and choose not to let that fear take hold. By letting fear manifest, all we’re doing is inhibiting our walk with our Creator. Instead, let’s choose to strengthen our walk with God by trusting in Him to see us through whatever we are facing. We just may see that those fearful things aren’t so fearful after all.

[euesworld]

"Love unhindered, love unabashed.. love with all of your heart and fall in love so fast. Love with your heart, love with your soul, cause love is a blast.. love forever, love at last."

Walk with love in your heart - eUë

[mockvangelical]

[davedocrogers]

Working on an End-Result

I’m working on an end-result.I am not there yet, but I am going to be.…Romans 12:1-2 KJVI beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and…

[samanthaxjesus]

My Journal Entries

Welcome to my online journey where I document my Catholic life of faith, personal thoughts, and various other things! Thank you for being here, and may God bless you. ♥️

"A little faith will bring your soul to Heaven; a great faith will bring Heaven to your soul." —C.H. Spurgeon

♡☾ Journal Entry #1 – Renewing My Prayer Life & Spirituality

♡☾ Journal Entry #2 – Giving All of My Heart to God

♡☾ Journal Entry #3 – Fitness Accomplishment

[dwuerch-blog]

Just Take the First Step

Oh how sweet the memories of helping my children and grandchildren take their first steps.  It was an achievement for them, but even more so, it was an achievement for us.  Jesus understands children and He understands us.  He Who created water certainly knew His ability for walking on water.  Nowhere do we read about Him practicing walking on water before He walked on water.   Can you imagine…