Splitting Hairs or Houses?

A wise man named Abe....Oh wait he wasn't the first person to say it? May be the response when someone is quoting "A house divided against itself can not stand." Actually a smarter Person, but not person, He was actually both Person and...Forget it I'll just say it, it was Jesus who said this in the Gospel according to St. Matthew. Since it is presidents weekend I thought this would be a good subject to talk about.

This subject actually popped into my head after a discussion I had with some of my friends last night. Although this exact verse was not discussed I feel that it is very applicable to our conversation now.

The conversations and questions were awesome and it really inspired me to dig a little deeper. And lo and behold this verse hit me.

"Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand." (Matt 12:25)

It really makes a lot of sense when we talk about our lives. We talk a lot about how we can not co-exist with the beliefs of the Bible and the beliefs of this world. The Bible tells us to sell all we have and follow Christ and the world tells MORE MORE MORE. Whether it be money, cars, houses more anything is better then nothing. How can I spread the love of Christ to everyone they'll think I have _________(fill in the blank). How how how and why why why??

Well it is simple (not really), these two can't be separated. St. Ambrose writes of this when likening us to a wheel,

"Think of yourself always as like a wheel, the more lightly the wheel touches the earth, the more easily it rolls forward. Do not think of or speak of or concern yourself with earthly matters more than is necessary. Remember, too, that a wheel that is completely in the air cannot roll."

Even St. Ambrose a 4th Century Bishop faced this problem but describes it nicely in the last paragraph,  "a wheel that is completely in the air cannot roll." We have to live in this world. But something we don't understand is that all though we are bond to the earth doesn't mean that the words that we pray everyday, "On Earth as it is in Heaven," can not really happen.

A really good book that was recommended to me, and I recommend to all who haven't read it or are wondering how Heaven on Earth can exist, is called "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence.

But until you read it maybe we can think of it like this and use some of the sacraments to help us out with this crazy concept. In our liturgy we partake of Body and Blood of Christ and by this we are the dwelling place of Christ. But this isn't limited to those who only partake of this mystery. 
By th reading and doing of the scripture we have Christ in us so in all places that I went to that day, Christ was there, people were able to experience a real and living Jesus through me. 

This is true even in our liturgy.  The church in her wisdom made it so that the believer and non-believer can experience this mystery in that there are two times that we receive Christ. One time of course during communion but also in the readings of the scripture at the end of the liturgy of the Word. 


This is all around us and Christ coming, showed us that it is not something to only talk about but something to actually do! The critical thing is to not be weighed down by the world and the worries the can really bog you down. 


God has put us in the world for a much bigger reason then for us to simply say that these can not co-exist. And its not even God saying to us don't be successful or don't get an education or any of that all He is saying is, let them see YOUR good works and give glory to our Heavenly Father (Matt 5:16), to seek first the Kingdom and all things will be added (Matt 6:33). He doesn't want to take us away from the Earth He wants us to experience Him in all the small things. 


P.S. Is this turning into a holiday blog?