Month: November 2015

Music Monday: Even Unto Death

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I’ve decided to take a little break from blogging during Advent. There’s a lot going on in my life at the moment, not least of which is the culmination of a project at work. I’ll be back blogging regularly in the New Year. In the meantime, expect lots of “Classic Pilgrim” posts on the Facebook Page.

Since this post will be the first thing on the blog which visitors will see for the next month, I spent a little bit of time thinking about what would be my last entry. When I realized that this post would be a Music Monday entry, the decision was easy…

Justin

Last week I found out that my friend Justin Schaefer died. So, with this in mind, today’s song is “Even Unto Death” by Audrey Assad. Many of Audrey’s recent songs have meditated on the subject of death:

Death, be not proud, though the whole world fear you:
Mighty and dreadful you may seem… [but] if your sleep be the gates to Heaven, why your confidence?

– Death be not proud, Audrey Assad

Today’s song focuses not such much on death, but of a life poured out for love of Jesus. This is what makes me think of Justin. I first met Justin through the Taizé services which he organized during his stay in San Diego, later leaving to work for Christ the King Service Corps. Justin was a real class act, a real gentleman and a wonderful man of prayer.

May he rest in peace.

Jesus, the very thought of You, it fills my heart with love
Jesus, You burn like wildfire and I am overcome

Lover of my soul, even unto death
With my every breath I will love You x2

Jesus, you are my only hope
And You, my prize shall be
Jesus, You are my glory now and in eternity

In my darkest hour, in humiliation,
I will wait for You, I am not forsaken
Oh, I lose my life, oh, my breath be taken
I will wait for You, I am not forsaken

One thing I desire to see You in Your beauty
You are my delight, yeah, You are my only
You have sacrificed, oh, Your love is all consuming
You are my delight, yeah, You are my glory

I will love You, even unto death, I will love You
With my every breath I will love You
Jesus, the very thought of You
Jesus, the very thought of You…

Deprived of oxygen

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Today I went to Confession. I try and go at the start of each month. I don’t know about you, but whenever that time rolls around, I almost always have an interior battle with myself:

“Do I really need to go to Confession? I mean, it wasn’t that long ago since I last went. It’s not like I’ve done anything that bad this last month. Wouldn’t it be better to wait until I’ve got something a bit more substantial to confess? After all, I don’t don’t want to waste the priest’s time with trivialities…”

Of course, sometimes the battle goes in the other direction:

“Ugh…it’s time to go to Confession again already?! I can’t believe how much I’ve messed up in the space of a few weeks. If I go, I’m going to have to re-confess everything from last time, plus a few extras. No, I really can’t go to Confession with my life in such a mess. I should wait until I’ve got things more under control…”

The problem with both of these internal monologues is that they both fail to recognize the grace available to us in the Sacrament of Confession.

As I was driving to the church today, I was reminded of a story told by Ravi Zacharias in Jesus among other gods, a work from which I’ve quoted quite in recent weeks. In the book Ravi tells the story of Andy Harris, a mountaineer who tackled Mount Everest. This adventurer unfortunately stayed too long at the peak and on his descent he started to get short on oxygen. He radioed the base camp to tell them the situation. In response they told him to use the oxygen tanks which he had in his pack. Unfortunately, by this time, the lack of oxygen had started to affect Andy, rendering him confused and disoriented, so much so that he was completely convinced that the tanks he had with him were empty. His friends begged him to use them, but resolute that they would be of no use to him, he refused. He died on the mountain.

Climber

What spiritual lesson can we draw from this tragic story? Without sanctifying grace in our lives, our minds and consciences become confused and disoriented. As we fall deeper into sin we only become more befuddled. The longer we remain in our diseased state, the harder it is for us to receive the medicine needed to effect a cure. Left untreated, we even begin to doubt the benefit of the medicine available to us, so much so that we spiritually die, all the while having the remedy within easy reach.

Advent begins today and I would invite you all to begin this time of preparation by going to Confession. In the days leading up to Confession you will no doubt experience something of the battle I described at the beginning of this post. Remain steadfast. There is grace in the Sacrament to help you in your walk with God. Trust in the power of the Sacrament given to us by Christ. Confess fully and truthfully without making excuses, “lest having come to the Physician, you depart unhealed”*. There is no sin you have committed which is too great for God to forgive.

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