Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Getting unwrapped

I'm reading a fascinating book by James Martin, S.J.  It is titled Jesus, A Pilgrimage.  I recommend it.  Martin and a friend made a pilgrimage to Israel. This book is written as a travel journal but with interesting comments about scripture interpretations as well as gentle, personal applications related to their various site visits.  Having traveled to Israel it is easy to see again the sites which he describes.  He writes very well so it is an engaging read.  I like the way he enters into the scriptures and wonders about the various differences of an event as well as interpretations.  I also like his scripture applications as they seem so real.  For example, he muses about Lazarus being "raised from the dead" and wonders how we, like Lazarus, can get so wrapped up with the things of this world that we are dead to our true-self and, therefore, Jesus calls us out of the "tomb of our false-self," helps us to get unwrapped so we can be free to be our true-self.  The "true-self" being the person God would have us to be rather than who others want us to be.  Don't know about you, but my reality is that there are a whole host of folks around, ex. media, Church, supervisors, peers, clients, etc. telling me who they think I should be.  It is so easy to get wrapped up in their expectations that it is difficult to hear Jesus helping me get unwrapped.  

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