Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

Anita Mathias's Blog on Faith and Art

Friend, Come Higher

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Peter, from Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth
  
“You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter, the rock). John 1:42

Yes, I do know you.
I see you
and know you better than you know yourself.
I know you are friable.
I know you can crumble,
though these things may surprise you.
But your strength shall emerge from the weakness
you shall thoroughly conquer,
and thoroughly renounce.
I am calling you
from being Peter, the impulsive,
to becoming Peter who unshakeably loves me,
who is built rocklike on the bedrock of me.
I am calling you from being a fisherman
to being a fisher of men.
Following my will
will always lead you upward and onward
to a higher place.
Friend, come higher.
Come follow me.
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Come and you will see (John 1:39)

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Continuing my blogging through the Gospel of John
35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
   They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
   39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
You know, I would like to know where I was going.
I would like to know where the road ends.
It would be nice.
But, you, Jesus, are compelling,
your eyes, magnetic.
I don’t really have a choice.
The road that leads away from you
seems to lead into a dark, overgrown, dense forest.
I don’t want to enter it.
Following you leads into the light,
and, so Lord, I will follow you.
step by step, and find out where you live.
* * *
Yes, come, and you will see.
I make no promises, but these.
I will give you
myself,
and priceless gifts which can neither be bought,
lost, nor stolen.
I will teach you to give thanks for all things
so that you may progressively see
the joy which pulses through all things.
I will give you my peace,
which will abide unshakeably.
My love for you shall be
water which will quench your thirst.
My body will be real food for you,
as you learn to turn to me with your soul hungers.
My blood will be real drink.
I will give you light,
guidance, for I am the way.
Come to me, come to me,
keep coming, and I will teach you to see
truth.
* * *
Come and you will see.
Words of invitation and danger.
You will not tell us what you are going to show us
 as slowly, imperfectly, often lagging behind,
we follow you.
Glory or Gethesemene?
Or both?
Great fruitfulness,
or the great silence of the desert
in which character is forged?
Fame, our name a household word as yours was,
or the obscurity of your first thirty years?
The love of a circle of close friends as you enjoyed,
or your almost absolute aloneness on Calvary.
Will we experience the miraculous,
feed five thousand from five loaves?
Or will we be shunned and condemned as you were?
I do not know.
But you are too intriguing, Jesus,
for me to do other than what you ask,
and come and see where you will lead me.

What do you want? John 1:37

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What do you want?

Image Credit

What do you want? John 1:37
And no-nonsense, getting down to business,
the first thing you ask us.
in this most beautiful of books.
is a question.
What do you want?
I am today ashamed of the smallness
of my desire.
But here it is.
I place it in your hands.
Please grant it.
But if you transform it,
or deny it,
still, be thou blessed.
Just give me your joy.
Give me yourself.