Pope Poo-pooed by GOP for Being too Jesus-like

I was encouraged to read this morning:  Pope Poo-pooed by GOP for Being too Jesus-like.

Jesus was not popular with the power-brokers - religious, economic, political, even social and familial.
We have the gospels, which spell this out very clearly.
But, it is hard to remember and engage this reality, as we are steeped in our Christian-culture overlay, through which we live, read the gospels, experience God.

I am really grateful for Pope Francis for being Light in this world, and for helping to shed light on this disparity between the way of power and the way of God, so clearly.
As the essay concludes, and it may serve us to grok:

I suspect Pope Francis really doesn’t care if the U.S. Congress honors him this way.  Kind of like Jesus probably wasn’t hoping to be honored by Pilate.

Jesus was not run by the world, the flesh, the devil - rather he did what he saw the Father doing.
We are called to follow Jesus: to let-go of being run by the world, the flesh, the devil - rather to do what we see the Father doing.

And, of course, when we also do what we see the Father doing,
we also inevitably and quickly come up-against the domination systems of our world
- inside us, in our lives, and in our world.

In case we haven't noticed lately, domination systems do Not Mess Around.
Empires - in any arena (religious, economic, political, even social and familial) - do not become 'king of the mountain' through 'live and let live', they get there by utilizing 'the cross', early and often.

Empires of this world are playing the physically-focused game, and playing it to WIN.
Jesus was playing a completely different game, a spiritually-focused game, and playing it to WIN.
Jesus called this game, this focus, this spiritual-reality which he spoke of incessantly, the Reign of God (the Kingdom of Heaven).

Jesus was crystal-clear that we cannot play both games, we can not serve two Masters.
Jesus operated through the Reign of God, always - it was the secret to his spiritual success
and it cost him everything in this world: followers, friends, and eventually his life.

He called us to do nothing less.
For example:

25And great crowds went with him; and, turning round, he said to them, 26If any man come to me, and shall not hate his own father and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yea, and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple; 27and whoever does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
 - Luke 14 (Jesus was hard-core, this whole chapter is an inspiration in living the spirit-focused life)

We have the gospels, which spell this out very clearly.
But, it is hard to remember and engage this reality, as we are steeped in our Christian-culture overlay, through which we live, read the gospels, expereince God.

We die daily.
The the world, the flesh, the devil have less and less hold on us
- inside us, in our lives, and in our world.

We live and move and have our being in God.
This becomes more and more our conscious reality, and we live as spirit in this world, in Glory.
Bringing more and more Light - inside us, in our lives, and in our world.

Amen, Wendy