Abundant Life!

May 4, 2017

Abundant Life!

Scripture Readings for Sunday, May 7, 2017: Acts of the Apostles 2:14a, 36-41; 1 Peter 2:20b-25; John 10:1-10

To all,

At the end of our Gospel reading for Sunday, Jesus says, “I am the gate for the sheep….Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

What does it mean to have life “more abundantly?” Right now, for me it might be if the Rangers won the Stanley Cup. But, more seriously, for us Christians, the short answer might be, “Life in Christ.” But that, too, might need some clarification. What does it mean to have life in Christ? Our Scripture readings give us an indication. To have life in Christ is to be in a relationship with the One who loves us beyond our understanding; to love the One, in the words of our Gospel reading, who, like a shepherd, calls each of us “by name.” We are to love the One, in the words of our second reading, by whose wounds we “have been healed.”

In Jesus we have an abundance of love! In Jesus we have an abundance of grace! But that abundance of love and grace is not meant to just fill us up, but to be shared, in abundance, with the rest of the world! This is where, I think, the notion of abundance in Christ is in contradiction with the notion of abundance that is commonly understood.

We often think of abundance in terms of material wealth and possessions. We look at the lifestyles of the rich and famous and see what seems to be the very definition of having life more abundantly. Very often we can find ourselves striving very hard for this kind of life. It’s very appealing. But our faith, and even perhaps our experience, tells us something different.

When I was reflecting on this, I asked myself the question I asked above: “What does it mean to have life more abundantly?” What I came up with, was living life true to myself, which in turn means letting go of all that gets in the way of being the person God made me to be. It means abandoning myself to the love God has for me, trusting that Jesus is indeed a Good Shepherd, and being willing to have what has been given to me: love and grace and mercy and my very self, given to others. It means following the promptings of the Holy Spirit. It also entails living in community, in relationship. For me, living abundantly does not involve living in isolation. My abundance is tied to all of us (including all of creation) having enough to live and thrive and flourish.

Does this mean that I never get caught up in having stuff? Can’t say that. Does it mean that I am free from suffering and pain? Can’t say that, either. But if I can just give myself more and more over to God, I don’t imprison myself, but I let God free me! And even in pain and grief, I can experience His love for me, and know abundance.

Believe me, I am not speaking as one who has reached abundant life. I can still be hindered by fear or trying to control my own conversion. And so I see fear and apathy and greed and prejudice as the “thieves and robbers” that take us away from abundant life, more so than those we perceive as enemies. In the Third Step Prayer of Alcoholics Anonymous, it says, “Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will.” It is the “bondage of self” that keeps us from living life abundantly!

The hope of Easter enables us to trust in Jesus, our Shepherd. The promise of the Resurrection gives us hope in the promise of abundant life now. May God heal us from whatever we put in the way of living life abundantly, and set us free!

I welcome any comments or questions. Thanks for your time.

In the Crucified and Risen Lord,

Phil, CP

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