Devotion for today: The mountains are calling and I must go - John Muir

Scripture for meditation: Psalm 121:1
I raise my eyes unto the mountains, from whence comes my strength. My strength comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

Scripture for reflection: John 12:24
“Amen, amen I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.

Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio tells us: The Garden of Gethsemane, by the way, is on the slope of a mountain. The guards approaching the garden with their torches were visible to Our Lord from a long way off, as they made their way along the Kidron Valley. Jesus saw them coming. He could have simply walked over the crest of the Mount of Olives and disappeared into the Judean wilderness…. Unless a grain of wheat fall to the ground and die, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it produces much fruit. Jesus knew that his death would be fruitful beyond all imagining. And being fruitful was more important to him than being safe or comfortable.  We gratefully celebrate this love in every Eucharist…But the Lord calls us not just to remember it, but to imitate it. We are called to be not just believers, but disciples. Jesus lost his natural human life, but was given in return a new, risen, humanity which explodes the limits of the humanity we know.  We all have a life that we’re rather attached to, with people, places, things, and activities that we are comfortable with. My life may not be perfect, but it is familiar. And it’s mine. The Lord invites me not just to give up dessert for a few weeks, but to give up myself. He asks me to die to my own plans, my own will, and put my destiny entirely in his hands. Incidentally, that is what baptism is supposed to mean–that it is no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me (Gal 2:19b-20). That I’m no longer in the driver’s seat, but I’ve put Jesus there. That all that is dearest to me, I’ve put on the altar, and will only take it back if the Lord gives it back.  Why would we do such a radical thing? Only if we truly believe that planting the seed of our lives and dreams in the fertile soil of the Lord’s vineyard will produce much fruit. That we, like the apostles, will grow to be more than we’d ever hoped we’d be. That he would do through us, as through them, more than we’d ever dreamt possible. So here’s the question: is being fruitful was more important to you than being safe . . . or comfortable . . . or in control? (http://www.parishworld.net/con_TopStory.cfm?contentUUID=43247609-2219-118E-D57D600C7EE2DBBD%7C201203)

Prayer: Psalm 23

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want;
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil;
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the
Lord forever.

 My thoughts: My daughter Lauren lost a good friend this week. He had been scaling a mountain in Peru and fell to his death. Apart from the tragedy of such a loss, I am speechless at the legacy he left behind in his short life. Reports about him have been in all the major and local newspapers and on all the television broadcasts. Every one of them centered their reports on the profound love for Christ this young man had. Whether he was climbing or working, hanging out or studying, he managed to bring his love for Christ into every aspect of his life. One young woman said that even if he disagreed with you, he still loved you with his eyes, just as Christ would do. He loved this quote from Russian climber Anatoli Boukreev: “Mountains are not stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve; they are the cathedral where I practice my religion.” I think this young man brought many people to Christ even in his death. I think many young people hearing the commentary on his life will now say to themselves, “It is ok to be in love with Christ, to seek that love in all I do, and to let that love be known.” I think that would make him happy. A seed has fallen to the earth, but new life has sprung from it. We should all learn this lesson: love Christ, see Him in the beauty of His creation, and proclaim Him from the mountain tops. Ben Horne, rest in peace.