Recently one of our substitute
chaplains at the monastery used the Greek word Meno in his homily; which intrigued me
greatly. A Google search found me a plethora of
information which touched me profoundly.
The Scriptures included will be from the New American Standard Bible within the
New Testament Greek Lexicon.
WORD: Meno Phonetic Spelling : Men’o
Definition
I to remain, abide
a.
In reference to
place : sojourn, tarry, not to depart, stay
b.
To continue to be
present, to be held, kept, continually
c.
To continue to
be, to last, to endure
d.
In reference to
state or condition: to remain as one, not to become another or different.
NAS WORD USAGE---Total in New
Testament 118+ The word has multiple layers of meaning.
The Apostle John has used it
extensively in his gospel and letters.
Let us explore some of these.
John uses ‘meno’ to say God
abides in Christ. As He abides in Jesus, He has a constant influence upon him
and is continually operative in Jesus.
John 14—10 “ I am in the Father,
who remains in [meno] Me…..The Father who remains in Me does His own work.”
Jesus is the one completely at the Father’s disposal.
John 14: 18—20
“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. After a little while
the world will behold Me no more; but you will behold Me, because I live, you
shall live also. In that day you shall
know that I am in my Father and you in Me, and I in you [meno:
in,abide,stay,will not leave this vital union]. ‘ This is the work of the Holy
Spirit that I am sending to you.’
Mark 14: 34
“Then Jesus said to them [the disciples] My soul is exceedingly
sorrowful to death, [meno] stay and watch with Me.
As we ponder many of the
passages during this coming Lenten time, let us practice meno in our thoughts
and prayers. If we are abiding and
staying truthfully then we will live in Christ : enduring, waiting, one with
Him, showing and sharing His love to our sisters and brothers surrounding our
daily lives.
Sr. Joan Gripshover, OSB
