The Zone

John 3:7-15

Jesus said, 'Do not be astonished that I said to you, "You must be born from above." The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.' Nicodemus said to him, 'How can these things be?' Jesus answered him, 'Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

'Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.'

A gathering of believers is different from any other group of humans. What distinguishes a community of "faith" is the acknowledged presence of Christ...the breath of peace and forgiveness. To be sure, just like the assembly of disciples was not immune to doubt or fear or fractious behavior, we may not always BEHAVE peacefully. When we remember Christ at the center, though, our thoughts, words and deeds radiate in ways that transform the relationships WE share, and subsequently the relationships WE have with others.

Prayer is the "zone" in which a gathering of believers dwells. Today's reflection on Sacred Space (link to the right), describes prayer as an "ecological zone". I was reminded of how "we" are influenced by the atmospheric conditions of a zone. Think of how the ecology of a rainforest affects the form and function of its native life. Needless to say, rainforest visitors from a desert or a polar ecology are immediately aware of the "other-world" appearance the forest, right?

In the same way, visitors to a community of faith that is intentional about basking in the prayer zone will notice that they are in a "zone" that is profoundly different from the "world".

Jesus bestowed upon the faithful the capacity to communicate the truth of God, even though WE don't fully understand God's mysterious ways. When we pray, all of our thoughts and dreams are intertwined with the eternal...it is a zone to which Christ invites us...it is where we are called to "be" so that we may "be" emissaries and messengers of that zone to the rest of the world.