We all can think of those who taught and spoke accurately about Jesus to help us grow in faith. Then there were others along the way of our faith journey who have explained the Way of God more accurately to us. Still others have provided great assistance at various points in our lives to help us believe through grace. This is how we became “church” in the early years after Jesus’ resurrection. It is also how we are to be church in our contemporary lives. What I took from the lessons today is that we all need to help each other to better seek and do the Will of God.
At the center of that journey is Jesus. Jesus as teacher, Jesus as Lord, and Jesus as the one who goes before us. Jesus is our connection to the Father. Jesus reminds us in the lessons today, as he is leaving the disciples and this world, that he came from the Father and he is going back to the Father. To have faith, we must believe that Jesus came from God. Our professions of love for Jesus must be centered on our belief that he came from and has returned to God.
To me, those professions of that love and faith in the community of believers in the church empower us to ask God for whatever we need in Jesus’ name and to receive God’s blessings in joy. It is the gathering of the people of God to sing hymns of praise and gladness that gives us so much confidence in our relationship with God. That confidence comes through Jesus, who does not leave us alone, but with each other and the knowledge that God loves us.
Yet, we often forget that love. We need others to remind us. And there are many who have not heard. We need to share that love with them. That is the work of the church, to teach and speak accurately about Jesus in a way that helps us grow in faith and in love. We must provide for others assistance to help each other believe through grace. This was the work of Priscilla and Aquila and the disciples and other early believers. Those of us who have been instructed in the Way of the Lord have also been given a great commission in addition to the gift of faith. We are called to help others to know Jesus and the Will and love of God. And we are also to seek out others who will help us continually grow in our faith. The work of the church as the community of believers is how we can keep Jesus with us and among us.
For this work of teaching and seeking each day, we can be truly grateful to God. God is with us.
Barbara Dilly
I came to Creighton in 2000 and retired in 2020. My twenty years of teaching, research and service in the Jesuit tradition enhanced my own life. It was an exciting time of celebration. I loved teaching and interacting with Creighton students because they responded so eagerly to the Ignatian pedagogical emphasis on the development of the whole person. It is this spirit of whole person development and celebration of life that I hope to infuse in my reflection writings.
My academic background is eclectic, preparing me well for the Liberal Arts academic environment at Creighton. I earned my BA in World Arts and Cultures from UCLA in 1988 and my Ph.D. in Comparative Cultures from the University of California, Irvine in 1994. My research focused on rural communities in the American Midwest, Latin America, and Australia. I taught Environmental Anthropology, Qualitative Research Methods, Social and Cultural Theory, and Food Studies courses.
I retired to Shell Rock, a small rural community in Northeast Iowa where I enjoy gardening, cooking, quilting, driving my 65 Impala convertible an my 49 Willys Jeepster. I have lots of fun playing my guitars with friends from the Cedar Valley Acoustic Guitar Association. But most importantly, I am still working to make my community and rural America a better place. I host a community quilt studio and serve on the Mission Board of my church. I also serve as the Climate Committee Chair and on the Executive Board of the Center for Rural Affairs.
