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No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth the new: for he saith, The old is better Lk5:39 The natural life is an active life. It is a rational life and a conceptual life. It is a life of the world and of the flesh. It is ego-centric, elevating or condemning, seeking praise or choosing to blame. It seeks wealth and fame, popularity and approval. It is a sexual life and at times a violent life. It is the life we are born into and the one we are accustomed to. It is in scriptural terms: the old wine. The spiritual life is a contemplative life. It is non-rational and non-conceptual. It does not grasp or grab nor is it physical. It sits in stillness and quietude and does not seek the world or worldly pleasures. The ego does not exist so it does not desire fame or fortune, praise or approval. It views people without the prodding of the flesh so there is no ulterior motive in dealing with people. It could be called in scriptural terms: new wine. The paradox that exists for the church is this: On the one hand we are called to an active life. We are called to engage in the world but not be of the world. We are called to preach, teach, and heal and be at it for the kingdom of God. On the other hand in order to have the proper relationship to people, places, and things, we must cultivate a spiritual life. That is the paradox and that is the dilemma. For St. Paul the only way to do this is to “crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts” (Gal5:24) and for St. Peter, “we must abstain from the lusts of the flesh which war against the soul” where in his first letter he addresses the body of Christ and in his second, God's ministers. Now what Jesus is telling us in Luke is that many people in the church have an inkling of the choice but most choose to stay with the old wine rather then crucifying the flesh and drinking the new wine. But unless we drink the new wine our call to ministry will be ineffective. For the Scholastic in the Middle Ages the life was one of 'contemplation in action'. Time spent in silence as well as time spent in ministry. There were some who emphasized the contemplative over the active like St. Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican, and others who emphasized the active over the contemplative, like St. Francis of Assisi, a Franciscan. But unless we drink new wine we are far from the kingdom of God and regardless of whether we are born into the kingdom of God and are spirit filled we are in danger of not experiencing eternal salvation. This seems to be consistent for both Paul and Peter. Crucifying the flesh seems violent at best. St. Paul says he is crucified with Christ (Gal2:20). In order to crucify the flesh one needs to spent time in stillness and quiet and this for most is difficult at best. But if we allow the Spirit to work in our lives the fruit is drinking new wine and a life pleasing to God. One that will produce results in the world. Be at it for God! amen. |