10 June 2013 - consolation prize

10 June 2013 - consolation prize

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of compassion and the God of all encouragement,

who encourages us in our every affliction,

Other translations have consolation instead of encouragement.  The temptation is to think of a mundane and indeed powerless earthly encouragement.  But the Father is the source of this kind of encouragement and it is not merely a word, no matter how well chosen, or a pat on the back.  The word in Greek gives us the clue we need to understand.  Encouragement is paraklēsis.  The encouragement that comes from the Father is the Paraclete, the Consoler, the Holy Spirit himself.

This helps to explain the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.

We are blessed when

• we are pour in spirit.
• we mourn
• we long for righteousness
• we show mercy
• we have clean hearts
• we act as peacemakers
• we are persecuted for Jesus

None of these is a particularly pleasant or "comfortable" circumstance.  But they all free us to find our comfort and encouragement in God more than in the transient things of the world.  They call us to rely on the Holy Spirit rather than ourselves.

The purpose of this isn't even primarily to make us feel better about bad circumstances.  The purpose is to free us to love others in spite of the drive toward selfishness which we all feel.

so that we may be able to encourage

those who are in any affliction

with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God.

All that God allows in our lives has the purpose of freeing us to love in this way.

If we are afflicted,

it is for your encouragement and salvation;

if we are encouraged,

it is for your encouragement,

As Vatican II teaches, man "cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself" (GS 24).  It almost sounds possible and then they have to throw in the word sincere.  Praised be the LORD who sets us free and empowers us to give this gift.  But, again, it isn't mainly something natural that we are called to give.  We are called to share the Holy Spirit himself.  

The psalmist does this by exultant praise, calling us to rejoice the LORD who delivers us from all of our fears.  Let us all glorify the LORD  together so that the whole world may know the promise of the Holy Spirit.

Glorify the LORD with me,

let us together extol his name.

David Crowder Band - Intoxicating