Chapter XI. “Now and Then”
Without knowing who was coming to speak to him, Joseph had approved of Duca’s scheme, and prepared to receive his mysterious visitor on the veranda of his house. Overlooking the terraced gardens and fountains dotting the good man’s sprawling villa, the place of meeting was alive with fresh figs, dates, cheese, pine nuts, and the scent of warm Arabian tea.
Duca parted the drape to reveal that Mary of Magdala was the guest. Joseph could not believe his eyes. It was scarcely a month since she had attempted to quench his grief and confusion. He could not hear her then. He prayed he would be more receptive to her news today.
Joseph’s grace and chivalry, long banished from his demeanor, appeared quickly and naturally. “I cannot believe my good fortune that my Duca would find such a mysterious and scarce beauty to visit with me again.”
Joseph and the Magdalene embraced, this time as old friends. This day Joseph would dwell on her sincere service to Jesus, and not on her past.
He continued, “Ah, Mary, with all the commotion about our Lord, your safety must be a concern. Yet you appear from the shadows of our holy city to take time with me!”
“Duca must be mistaken,” she reacted. “The consummate business man and worthy member of the Sanhedrin seems at ease, hardly in need of God’s wisdom!”
“I have fooled you, as I’ve tricked myself since the moments of horror, not so long ago. But Duca knows the truth of my despondency. And so I ask, Mary, why has our world gone so wrong?”
Joseph graciously gestured her to sit. Both settled comfortably in the spacious wooden chairs, sipping the aromatic tea. Duca leaned anxiously against the serving table, flowers and the luscious fruits and nuts gracing its surface. Joseph had appointed him to act as scribe during these visits. Pen in hand and fresh papyrus scrolls before him, the curious servant was ready to record Mary’s wisdom.
“My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge, good Joseph,” Mary quoted the lamentation of the prophet Hosea. “If I may, my friend, it’s you who’s allowing your own demise, when knowledge of the kind of the prophet’s lament is an available antidote.”
“It cannot be so simple, Mary.”
Joseph glanced at the figure of Duca beside him, writing down every word. The servant had not even lifted his head as he reached for a ripen fig on the table, picked from only fifteen feet away in Joseph’s garden. He waited as Mary pondered her response.
“Your condition is not fatal, Joseph, but your countenance is clearly cast down. I warn you, my friend, without this vital knowledge, the spirit of destruction will ultimately pay you a visit.”
“I do feel such a weight, good woman.”
“The force, the power that fueled your expansive businesses, that drove your work with the Sanhedrin, is still with you. But you’ve allowed it to dissipate in your heart. Have you forgotten it was God’s strength that edified you, and not your own?”
“Mary, I still know of my Father in Heaven and His eternal wisdom that I’ve tapped by His good grace. But Jesus’ demise and the scattering of the followers have made my heart heavy and doubtful.”
Mary paused, as if to collect the thoughts that were crowding her.
“Joseph, I have many things to tell you. There are many things you need to know. But I’ll begin with your perception that events of recent days have destroyed your hopes. I can tell you are transfixed by the death of the Master. I understand this. All who saw it were hurt terribly by it. I witnessed it with my own eyes, and I’ll never be the same. And, who was it but you consoling me at the foot of the cross!
“You must understand—the past is not what you think it is. You look long and deeply at that awful day, and it’s like a stone pulling you to the bottom of the sea. But I say to you, it’s not the truth.”
The Magdalene paused, with Joseph softly requesting her to continue. “I’m with great anticipation of your guidance. Don’t stop.”
Mary stood and faced away from her friend, looking out across the gardens. The morning sun glistened in her eyes as the shadows of the palm trees danced across her elegant face. The everyday life of Jerusalem could be heard, seen, and smelled in the distance. Yet its vibrancy was so minimal from the gravity of that which she was about to share with Joseph.
“The past,” she began, “is something we should merely glance at, but never to stare, lest it becomes an idol to us. It’s like a leprous infection, that if touched repeatedly, would creep into our very souls with deadly consequences to God’s plan. Joseph, allow the past to die … and don’t resurrect it.
“Likewise, the future is not where your attention should be. The great task is to think not about what has gone on before or what’s yet to come—but that which is, right this moment.
“Yes, I’ll speak of Jesus, my friend. But know that God does not dwell in the past or in the future, but rather in this present moment. God is with us now.
“God was in the past when the past was the present moment. When the future is now, he’ll be there. But it’s in the moment at hand where God is in all His fullness, and it’s where we are as well! Welcoming Him into our presence will guarantee that our future will be fruitful, and that He will be there when the future is … now.”
Mary had set aside her warm drink. There was nothing on her mind other than Joseph of Arimathea.
Duca’s head had not risen since Mary’s first words. He was scribbling furiously, gathering each of her offerings like a priceless jewel.
The practical businessman in Joseph responded. “But, Mary, aren’t speaking in riddles? I don’t understand all this business of now and then!”
“No, Joseph, I’m sharing knowledge that you’ve forgotten, because you never fully understood. And without understanding the importance of where we live our lives, wisdom could not flourish in your mind.
“It takes God’s wisdom to recognize that the past will never happen again, and that the future is uncertain because of the tribulations in the world.
“This is one of the many gifts our Lord has given us—an understanding about time. Jesus taught us, ‘… be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.’ He has overcome our misunderstandings about the past and the future. We need feel neither guilt nor shame for the past, nor anxiety and fear for the future. He’s restored us to a single moment where we can dwell in peace, and that is now. He recognized each moment as a gift. That is why our language calls it … the ‘present.’”
Duca looked up, his eyes staring at Mary. Hearing her words, his own ever-simmering unease had left him. He knew she was speaking not of her own accord, but from another authority he did not know. And with her every sentence, Duca could not erase the image of his visitor in the desert.
For his part, Joseph was now speechless. He knew he was hearing from on High.
Mary read both of their minds. “Peace will come over you, Joseph, as you meditate and contemplate on these secrets. It will be the same peace you experienced as a young boy in the Temple, the same peace you felt in the presence of Jesus, even when he was a young man under your guidance. Have you forgotten the early days when he was permitted by his father Joseph to travel with you to your ports of call? That peace you experienced on those dangerous journeys and should recall now signals you are ready to learn more. You agree, don’t you?”
“Yes,” answered Joseph, not unlike a schoolboy.
“Joseph, you’ve lacked peace since before Jesus’ death. Rather, a current of worry has been running deep within the stream of your soul. It’s been blocking your access to the truth and to knowledge hid from you, or that which you never understood. Perhaps you clogged your mind with too many thoughts—mistaken by you as facts, but simply thoughts of that which would never happen.
“Blessed peace and accursed anxiety are at war inside you. They battle each other in your spirit because of the drudgery, tribulations, and heartaches of this life.”
Joseph protested. “But what about my secret support of Jesus, his crucifixion, my purchase of his body, the accusations of my role in his disappearance, my Sarah’s death, … and the decline of my merchant routes because people have lost confidence in me? Yes, Duca encourages me about the future of my business, but are not these things real? Did I make them up in my mind?”
Joseph looked at his hands, and thought of all that had slipped through them.
“Joseph?” Mary gently prompted him to continue.
“How can I be at peace and be confident in a world of such horror, madness, and uncertainty?”
It was a question for the ages.
Mary of Magdala had a ready answer. “Joseph of Arimathea, you must remember the peace and assurance you felt in God’s presence, and that peace can only be found in the present moment.
“It takes work on your part, Joseph. But this is not the hard work you’ve been accustomed to as that central theme of your entire life. No, rather it’s the task of receiving God’s grace; sometimes hard to do.
“You’ve abandoned your peace because of many dark events. Yes, we all have doubted. Yes, we’ve focused on our sorrows. But I say to you, my friend, there is a portico to eternity and all its peace and wisdom. And that portico is the present moment. Stand on that portico. Make it your abiding place. Be humble now in this present time, and you’ll know what it means to live eternally.
“Rather than being so anxiously consumed by your focus on good things in the past, the difficulties that surfaced, and the unsure and immature hope that things will or will not change in the future, look to now.
“Please forgive me, Joseph, but your problems are not the tribulations before you this day. Your problems are your memory … and your obsession with your destiny. Make a decision.”
“What kind of decision?” asked Joseph, disturbed but transfixed.
Mary regarded him with an expression of utmost compassion. “Joseph, God gives us a choice. We may dwell with our troubles and hopes in the past and future, or we may join Him in the peace and humility of this moment, now.
“Join me and God as you know Him to be,” Mary said, her words shimmering in the air. “Join us now … in this present moment!”
Characteristically, Joseph was careful in accepting her description. “But, Mary, as a business man, I know it can’t be that simple. Past and future are not figments of our imaginations!”
“Wise friend, merchant, and religious leader, of course you’re correct. Life is not simple. It must be lived, and that means we have many complex choices. But it is much simpler to discover all that is good than you think. The present moment is the best gift, most effortless to open. Why not find this present and stop dwelling where there is no roof … in the unchangeable past and the never-arriving future?”
“Are you saying the future is not real? As a Decurion in the Empire, accursed as the Romans may be, I’ve planned a very real, very successful future.”
“Yes, you are to be congratulated, Joseph,” Mary replied. “But you must be honest. Planning for the future is … a present activity. You dwell in the moment to plan, and while many of your strategies have come to past, many more did not. Your success is attributable not to dwelling in the future, but in the present moment.”
Joseph slouched in his chair and stared out over the countryside, its winding dirt roads busy with midday traffic into the Holy City. The pause seemed eternal for Duca, but he welcomed it, catching up on his note taking.
Joseph then sighed. “I sense a truth in what you say. These thoughts strike me as divine wisdom, Mary of Magdala. How did you come by them?”
Mary smiled. “When Jesus was with us, did not he say, ‘Before Abraham was, I Am.’ Is not our Father in Heaven the great … ‘I Am?’ If God is eternal, does time even matter to Him?
“Time is inconsequential to God. It is we who obsess over it. If with the Almighty there is no dimension of time, why do you and others spend so much of it in the past or the uncertain future? The great things of our civilization have been achieved through total concentration on the moment.
“Could God have created the universe, thinking about something else? Our friend Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead—the Lord was only focused on the love he felt at that moment for Lazarus, not the imminent betrayal of Judas or his prophesized fate on Calvary! One moment at a time was good enough for our Lord, dear Joseph; it should be good enough for us as well! Right?”
“Mary, my mind tells me it’s hard for mere flesh to grasp the intentions of God.”
Duca’s left writing arm was in spasm. Knowing he must not miss a word, he placed the pen in his other hand.
“Yes, Joseph, we must keep it simple,” Mary agreed. “Please listen to this: We know from the old writings and from Jesus’ own teaching that God will never leave or forsake us. Over and over he pledges his faithfulness in this moment. He did not say, ‘I will be with you to the end of days.’ His words were, ‘I am with you, until the end of days.’
“That implies he’s with us, even in this place. The past is not a place, Joseph. It was a place. The future is not a place. It will be a place. God is not in the past or in the future. God is the ‘I Am,’ not the ‘I was’ or ‘I will be.’ He was in the past when it was the present. He will be in the future when it’s the present. The present moment is a place, and God is present with us.
“That is were you must be, my friend … here, in the present, and not in the past or future. Overcome that, Joseph, and your life will receive renewed energy.”
“My God, woman of Magdala. This is so much to consider. But, my spirit already feels lighter. My regrets of the past and my fears for the future have no place in my life. I’m starting to see this—you’re correct. They have no place in this moment. But I must tell you, dear lady, my questions have multiplied. May we speak more?”
Mary glanced at Duca. She waited for the scribe to finish his writing. He looked up to the guest, and they exchanged smiles.
“You’ve been blessed, noble Joseph. You once saved Duca, and now he’s committed to saving you. His plan to nurse you back to the power and might of your days before Calvary has been cast. He tells me there’s hope for your businesses. My role has simply been to begin this mission and help him find others who will answer your questions.
“There will be visitors who will follow me. After that, I shall return. It will take about two weeks to confirm in detail what I’ve shared with you today. The secrets to be revealed will drive all who discover them into the present moment. Duca will record them. Then, they will be your secrets to share.”
“Mary, then your help will end just before the Festival begins?”
“Yes, Joseph. This is a divinely appointed schedule.”
“How?”
“You’ll discover how and why soon after we meet again. In the meantime, I must depart. The Roman authorities, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees watch Jesus’ followers day and night. They’re determined to find the body that was in the tomb.”
Joseph rose and peered into his guest’s eyes, reaching for both her hands. “Mary, the things you told me on the night of my prison release—I could scarcely attend to your tale, so wild it seemed, and so broken was my heart. Do you still believe the things you said?”
She arose. Duca moved the pen back to his left hand.
A mid-spring breeze gently lifted Mary’s auburn hair, revealing her soft neck, accentuating her still blooming femininity.
She smiled as she spoke more tenderly than during all their conversation. “I know what I experienced. I know whom I saw. We spoke.” She looked to Duca to assess his reaction, and then back to Joseph. “I’ll see you both in but two weeks. By that time I expect to behold the honorable man from Arimathea fully restored. He’ll be ready to understand his destiny is not for some future day, but rather for now.”
Joseph and Mary embraced.
Duca escorted her to the door. She turned to him to ask one last question. “Has Joseph discussed the shroud?”
“No.”
No further words were spoken. It was midday. Mary scurried into the sun-splashed hillside sloping toward Jerusalem, her cloak over her head, destination unknown to all but her. To the authorities, she knew too much. For Joseph, he had to hear more. Duca believed his plan had started well.
Joseph did not leave his breezy porch for some time. Sitting there, he experienced a peace he had seldom sensed in his life. With a brief prayer, he entered into the moment. What do I now do with this new wisdom? How do I stay in this present moment? I must get all of my questions answered.
As is the nature of urgent questions, they promptly pulled him out of the moment.
Duca had already retreated to his own chambers. He and Joseph had agreed beforehand: Record the wisdom with pen and prepare it for their future use and that of others. Duca simplified his notes:
The All-Pervading #1 Secret of Life
Live humbly in the moment.
Always be willing to learn in each moment. Knowledge is not enough— understanding and wisdom must follow.
The past and the future are not where we should be spending time. Our focus should be on the present moment.
Our problem is not before us. Our problem is our memory and our obsession with our destiny.
In the present moment, we will get a glimpse of eternity, because we have escaped the dimension of time.
Peace will be the proof you have entered the precious present moment.
The power of focus will then be released to allow for the magnificence of the individual to be revealed … in the now.
Yes this help the relationship to build a good relation with the parent. The fathers day gifts are used by us in our day to day life and thus they serve as affectionate gifts also.
Posted by: yacoob | April 09, 2008 at 04:46 PM