Wednesday, March 27, 2024

LIFT


 LENTENN RETREAT VIII


Dear All of Us,

Two days ago 

my daughter called.

Work had been a heavy lift

and she was down.

Yesterday she called again.

Work took off, soared, 

and she was up.

She wanted to report the uplift.


There's plenty much 

of both for us all.

We live our spiritual lives 

         "both-ed"


There's the heavy lifts 

of things like

really growing up,

getting up from a letdown,

struggling with a put down, 

overcoming opposition 

  and rejection,

suffering injury/illness,

digging out from depression,

pulling free of addiction to

  gossip, media mania, 

  overworking,...

getting an education,

career start up,

getting Soul Real,

springing free from an affair -

  one in fact or in fantasy,

striving for justice,

the drag of the day job, 

outs with the in-laws, 

a rocky stretch in marriage,

and ...and... and...

It's a long list of lifts heavy.


That list isn't the last word,

much less the last page, 

of our life journal.


Longer the list of uplift from

finding a life friend/mate

graduating, 

meaningful work,

maturing spiritually,

writing this blog for you 

   and you kind enough 

   to take time with it,

a week on The Outer Banks,

reconciliation -

   finances to family rift,

finding a for-real 

church community,

a Bocelli concert this month 

and The Boss next month,

cold water break 

  while bailing hay,

shrimp scampi,

a sunset beach walk,

loads and lots of life lifts.


Our life, with its 

ups and downs, 

is a lot like an elevator, 

or as The Brits have it, a

             Lift

At times,

it doesn't lift us at all. 

It's such a heavy lift that

it drops us in 

the deepest, darkest

of depths.

We suffer it.


Life elevates to 

height and light.

The sky isn't the limit.

There is none.

That's because 

The Life Source

took on the dark downs,

suffered them,

mixed in the mess,

Love Lifted Life

Up, Free, Light Bright


All this is what 

Augustine called

      The Pascal Mystery

 the death and resurrection 

               of 

      Jesus The Christ

 His life outpouring is filling 

   the void that is evil,

   enlivening the deadened,

   lifting up, freeing all creation

   from every dreadful down.

In a cosmic way and fullness 

it did, does and will do

for all what 

the outpouring 

of the paschal lamb

did to mark the way to freedom 

and new life for the Israelites -

up from their downed, 

dreadful slavery.


For us all this gets 

personal, social 

and right now.

We're all in on it.

The Paschal Mystery 

was a then, is a now

and a will be:

   "Or do you not know 

    that all of us 

    who have been baptized 

    into Christ Jesus 

    have been baptized 

    into His death? 

    Therefore 

    we have been buried 

    with Him through baptism 

    into death, so that as Christ 

    was raised from the dead

    through the glory of the Father, 

    so we too might walk 

    in newness of life."

       Romans:3-4

          The Up 

             Lift


It's a personal 

right now

and future:

   "I live now not I 

    but Christ lives in me."

       Galatians 2:20


In us Christ struggles with 

all the deadly 

hard heavy lifts in life.

It's messy, sweaty, 

bloody, painful.

So much for selective, comfy, 

casual, cafeteria Christianity.


In us Christ breaks free 

from all that deadens, 

all that holds down, 

        uplifts

   fresh and full 

"in newness of life"


Death and Resurrection

       Then/Now/

      Progressing

       Jesus/Us

"Essential Christianity"


  So, how in our now 

         are we 

     each personally

           and

     all as a people

     dying and rising 

        in Christ?

As it is, so it is.

That's how it is 

with our spiritual lives

right now.


       HELPS

List the heavy lifts.

List the uplifts.

Pray in naked honesty.

Journal candidly.

Share openly with 

a Soul Friend.

Consider, confer freely 

      within our 

spiritual community

    Open Souled

  We meet Christ 

    where we are

   Christ takes us 

    where he is

Trust  Accept  Recommit


LIFT HIGH THE CROSS

CHRIST THE LORD 

IS RISEN TODAY 


      Now that's

  an all the way up 

           LIFT

         ******      

Next Edition

        Online: Wednesday

                    April 3, 2024

        Email:   Friday

                    April 5, 2024


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              ******


     Blessings this week of

          heaviest lifts

               and 

        DIVINE UPLIFT

          Love to all, 

         John Frank

           ******