Lectio Divina – 46

Fr Martin Kallunkal

ENCOUNTERING GOD AND WORLD IN SCRIPTURES

Reading

“I urge you, then, brothers, remembering the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, dedicated and acceptable to God; that is the kind of worship for you, as sensible people. Do not model your behaviour on the contemporary world, but let the renewing of your minds transform you, so that you may discern for yourselves what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and mature. And through the grace that I have been given, I say this to every one of you: never pride yourself on being better than you really are, but think of yourself dispassionately, recognising that God has given to each one his measure of faith” (Rom. 12:1-3).

Reflection

In these verses, the Word asks, at least, three things from each one of us: first, to present our bodies as living sacrifices, second, to allow ourselves to be transformed by the renewal of our minds, and, third, to think of ourselves dispassionately. We shall, however, consider these three things in a reverse order. First, an essential prerequisite for aspiring a life in Christ is the readiness to accept the truth about oneself. Often we pride ourselves on being more truthful, virtuous, and service-minded than we actually are. Most of the time, we are like the Pharisee who is obsessed by his own virtues; but, Jesus asks us to be like the tax-collector who accepts his lowly state and pleads for God’s mercy (Lk 18: 9-14). Second, a transformation that is lasting and irreversible can be effected by the renewal of mind only. Mind is, indeed, the key. Inner renewal must be preferred and prioritized over outward performance of rituals. Inner renewal needs to precede all outer rituals. We are easily attracted by good ideas; and, we are willing to entertain them in our thought-universe for quite some time. But, whether we are willing to be transformed by those ideas is a different question. Ancient teachers, both in the East and the West, insisted that mind of their disciples must be transformed into the shape of that which they learnt. This is the context in which St Paul urges his hearers to be transformed by the renewal of their minds. For Paul, the transformation is not into any abstract idea of good, as the ancient teachers taught, but into the image of Christ, the one single lesson he is concerned about. Philosophers believe that it is possible for one to conform one’s mind to wisdom; and, religious teachers believe that imitation of God is possible. But, according to St Paul, human ability cannot bring about transformation; it happens thanks to the work of the Spirit of God. How does the Spirit do this? The Spirit helps one to conform oneself with the crucified Christ. Knowing this led early Christians to long for martyrdom. Martyrs were regarded as transformed completely into the image of Christ crucified. Suffering does facilitate external opportunity for conformity with the crucified one; but, this does not mean that a Christian is solely oriented towards martyrdom, and that martyrdom is all about bloody physical death. This is where the third invitation in the passage becomes pertinent, where weare invited to offer ourselves as living sacrifices. A couple of points are noteworthy here. Firstly, as priestly people, Christians are called not only to offer sacrifices but also to become sacrifices themselves. Secondly, to offer oneself means that one totally becomes an instrument of God. Thirdly, in order to become a living sacrifice, one has to live each day with the same commitment as martyrs. This means that transformation into the image of Christ is an ongoing process.

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for letting me know that I have not yet started to live a truly Christian life. I have been busy with imitating the acts of Christian heroes. I cherish the moments I succeeded in imitation. But, I also realize that there are ever so many unredeemed aspects under carpet. Thank you, Lord, for these enlightening words. In following you, I must start with the renewal of my mind. Send your Spirit into me now so that the transformation of my mind starts readily.

Contemplation

Jesus is breathing the Spirit on you. Receive the Spirit each time you breathe in. Surrender all your self-help projects at the feet of the Lord, and allow the Spirit to empower your will to realize the Father’s will for you.

Action

The word “acceptable” occurs twice in the passage we have read.  Add acceptability as the first criterion in your discernment. You may have reasons for all that you do. But, find some time during the day to measure your thoughts, words, and deeds against the criterion of acceptability: Ask: are they acceptable to God, the poor around you and your own inner conscience?

Leave a Comment

*
*