「社会人のための英語回路構築トレーニング自習帖」著者のブログ

The third way to become like the Father is generosity. In the parable, the father not only gives his departing son everything he asks, but also showers him with gifts on his return. And to his elder son he says: "All I have is yours." There is nothing the father keeps for himself.　 He pours himself out for his sons.
He does not simply offer more than can be reasonably expected from someone who has been offended; no, he completely gives himself away without reserve. Both sons are for him "everything." In them he wants to pour out his very life. The way the younger son is given robe, ring, and sandals, and welcomed home with a sumptuous celebration, as well as the way the elder son is urged to accept his unique place in his father's heart and to join his younger brother around the table, make it very clear that all boundaries of patriarchal behavior are broken through. This is not the picture of a remarkable father. This is the portrayal of God, whose goodness, love, forgiveness, care, joy, and compassion have no limits at all. Jesus presents God's generosity by using all the imagery that his culture provides, while constantly transforming it.
In order to become like the Father, I must be as generous as the Father is generous. Just as the Father gives his very self to his children, so must I give my very self to my brothers and sisters. Jesus makes it very clear that it is precisely this giving of self that is the mark of the true disciple. "No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends."
This giving of self is a discipline because it is something that does not come spontaneously. As children of the darkness that rules through fear, self-interest, greed, and power, our great motivators are survival and self-preservation. But as children of the light who know that perfect love casts out all fear, it becomes possible to give away all that we have for others.
As children of the light, we prepare ourselves to become true martyrs: people who witness with their whole lives to the unlimited love of God. Giving all thus becomes gaining all. Jesus expresses this clearly as he says: "Anyone who loses his life for my sake . . . will save it."
Every time I take a step in the direction of generosity, I know that I am moving from fear to love. But these steps, certainly at first, are hard to take because there are so many emotions and feelings that hold me back from freely giving. Why should I give energy, time, money, and yes, even attention to someone who has offended me? Why should I share my life with someone who has shown no respect for it? I might be willing to forgive, but to give on top of that!
Still . . . the truth is that, in a spiritual sense, the one who has offended me belongs to my "kin," my "gen." The word "generosity" includes the term "gen" which we also find in the words "gender," "generation," and "generativity." This term, from the Latin genus and the Greek genos, refers to our being of one kind. Generosity is a giving that comes from the knowledge of that intimate bond. True generosity is acting on the truth - not on the feeling - that those I am asked to forgive are "kinfolk," and belong to my family. And whenever I act this way, that truth will become more visible to me. Generosity creates the family it believes in.


注釈：
The third way to become like the Father is generosity. In the parable, the father not only gives his departing son everything he asks, but also showers him with gifts on his return.
「shower … with …」で「・・・に・・・をどっさり与える」。

And to his elder son he says: "All I have is yours."
「ルカによる福音書１５：３１」「（子よ、お前はいつもわたしと一緒にいる）。わたしのものは全部お前のものだ。」

There is nothing the father keeps for himself.　

He pours himself out for his sons.
「pours … out for …」で「・・・を・・・へ注ぐ、移す」。

He does not simply offer more than can be reasonably expected from someone who has been offended; no, he completely gives himself away without reserve.
「offend」は「の感情を害する（hurt someone’s feelings）」。「without reserve」はここでは「無条件で」。「gives … away」はここでは「をただでやる」。

Both sons are for him "everything." In them he wants to pour out his very life.

The way the younger son is given robe, ring, and sandals, and welcomed home with a sumptuous celebration, as well as the way the elder son is urged to accept his unique place in his father's heart and to join his younger brother around the table, make it very clear that all boundaries of patriarchal behavior are broken through.
「sumptuous」はここでは「豪華な、贅沢な（expensive and grand）」。「patriarchal」は「家父長の」。

This is not the picture of a remarkable father. This is the portrayal of God, whose goodness, love, forgiveness, care, joy, and compassion have no limits at all. Jesus presents God's generosity by using all the imagery that his culture provides, while constantly transforming it.
In order to become like the Father, I must be as generous as the Father is generous. Just as the Father gives his very self to his children, so must I give my very self to my brothers and sisters. Jesus makes it very clear that it is precisely this giving of self that is the mark of the true disciple.

"No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends."
「ヨハネによる福音書１５：１３」「友のために自分の命を捨てること、これ以上に大きな愛はない。」。

This giving of self is a discipline because it is something that does not come spontaneously.
「discipline」は「訓練（法）、修養（法）」。「spontaneously」は「無意識に、自然に」。

As children of the darkness that rules through fear, self-interest, greed, and power, our great motivators are survival and self-preservation.
「self-interest」は「私利、私欲、利己主義」。「self-preservation」は「自己保存」。

But as children of the light who know that perfect love casts out all fear, it becomes possible to give away all that we have for others.
「cast out …」は「・・・を追い払う」。

As children of the light, we prepare ourselves to become true martyrs: people who witness with their whole lives to the unlimited love of God.
「martyr」は「殉教者」。

Giving all thus becomes gaining all. Jesus expresses this clearly as he says:

"Anyone who loses his life for my sake . . . will save it."
「マルコによる福音書８：３５」「（自分の命を救いたいと思う者は、それを失うが）、わたしのため、（また福音のために）命を失う者は、それを救うのである。」

Every time I take a step in the direction of generosity, I know that I am moving from fear to love. But these steps, certainly at first, are hard to take because there are so many emotions and feelings that hold me back from freely giving. Why should I give energy, time, money, and yes, even attention to someone who has offended me? Why should I share my life with someone who has shown no respect for it?

I might be willing to forgive, but to give on top of that!
「on top of …」はここでは「・・・に加えて」。「私は喜んで赦すかも知れないが、それに加えて与えるなんて！（とてもできそうにない）」。

Still . . . the truth is that, in a spiritual sense, the one who has offended me belongs to my "kin," my "gen."
「kin」は「kind」と同じ語源で「血縁」。「gen」はここでは「遺伝子」の意で使っていると思います。

The word "generosity" includes the term "gen" which we also find in the words "gender," "generation," and "generativity."
generativity（ジェネラティビティ）とは、エリクソン（E.H.Erikson 1902〜1994）の造語で、 「次世代の価値を生み出す行為に積極的にかかわって行くこと」を意味します。 その代表的著作「幼児期と社会」の中で、 人間の精神的発達を8段階に分けて鋭く考察しましたが、その7段階目にあたる状態のことを指します。

This term, from the Latin genus and the Greek genos, refers to our being of one kind. Generosity is a giving that comes from the knowledge of that intimate bond.
「bond」は「きずな」。

True generosity is acting on the truth - not on the feeling - that those I am asked to forgive are "kinfolk," and belong to my family.
「kinfolk」は「親族, 一族」。

And whenever I act this way, that truth will become more visible to me. Generosity creates the family it believes in.

The second way that leads to spiritual fatherhood is forgiveness. It is through constant forgiveness that we become like the Father. Forgiveness from the heart is very, very difficult. It is next to impossible. Jesus said to his disciples: "When your brother wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I am sorry,' you must forgive him."
I have often said, "I forgive you," but even as I said these words my heart remained angry or resentful. I still wanted to hear the story that tells me that I was right after all; I still wanted to hear apologies and excuses; I still wanted the satisfaction of receiving some praise in return - if only the praise for being so forgiving!
But God's forgiveness is unconditional; it comes from a heart that does not demand anything for itself, a heart that is completely empty of self-seeking. It is this divine forgiveness that I have to practice in my daily life. It calls me to keep stepping over all my arguments that say forgiveness is unwise, unhealthy, and impractical. It challenges me to step over all my needs for gratitude and compliments. Finally, it demands of me that I step over that wounded part of my heart that feels hurt and wronged and that wants to stay in control and put a few conditions between me and the one whom I am asked to forgive.
This "stepping over" is the authentic discipline of forgiveness. Maybe it is more "climbing over" than "stepping over." Often I have to climb over the wall of arguments and angry feelings that I have erected between myself and all those whom I love but who so often do not return that love. It is a wall of fear of being used or hurt again. It is a wall of pride, and the desire to stay in control. But every time that I can step or climb over that wall, I enter into the house where the Father dwells, and there touch my neighbor with genuine compassionate love.
Grief allows me to see beyond my wall and realize the immense suffering that results from human lostness. It opens my heart to a genuine solidarity with my fellow humans. Forgiveness is the way to step over the wall and welcome others into my heart without expecting anything in return. Only when I remember that I am the Beloved Child can I welcome those who want to return with the same compassion as that with which the Father welcomes me.



注釈：
The second way that leads to spiritual fatherhood is forgiveness. It is through constant forgiveness that we become like the Father. Forgiveness from the heart is very, very difficult.

It is next to impossible. Jesus said to his disciples:
「next to」は「ほとんど（almost）」。

"When your brother wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I am sorry,' you must forgive him."
「ルカによる福音書１７：４」「一日に七回あなたに対して罪を犯しても、七回、『悔い改めます』と言ってあなたのところに来るなら、赦してやりなさい。」。

I have often said, "I forgive you," but even as I said these words my heart remained angry or resentful. I still wanted to hear the story that tells me that I was right after all; I still wanted to hear apologies and excuses;

I still wanted the satisfaction of receiving some praise in return - if only the praise for being so forgiving!
「if only」はここでは「たとえ・・・だけでも」。「forgiving」はここでは「寛大な（merciful, compassionate）」。

But God's forgiveness is unconditional; it comes from a heart that does not demand anything for itself, a heart that is completely empty of self-seeking. It is this divine forgiveness that I have to practice in my daily life. It calls me to keep stepping over all my arguments that say forgiveness is unwise, unhealthy, and impractical. It challenges me to step over all my needs for gratitude and compliments.

Finally, it demands of me that I step over that wounded part of my heart that feels hurt and wronged and that wants to stay in control and put a few conditions between me and the one whom I am asked to forgive.
「wronged」は「不当に取り扱われた」。

This "stepping over" is the authentic discipline of forgiveness. Maybe it is more "climbing over" than "stepping over." Often I have to climb over the wall of arguments and angry feelings that I have erected between myself and all those whom I love but who so often do not return that love. It is a wall of fear of being used or hurt again. It is a wall of pride, and the desire to stay in control. But every time that I can step or climb over that wall, I enter into the house where the Father dwells, and there touch my neighbor with genuine compassionate love.
Grief allows me to see beyond my wall and realize the immense suffering that results from human lostness.
「lostness」はここでは「喪失」。
It opens my heart to a genuine solidarity with my fellow humans.
「solidarity」は「団結、結束（unity）」。

Forgiveness is the way to step over the wall and welcome others into my heart without expecting anything in return. Only when I remember that I am the Beloved Child can I welcome those who want to return with the same compassion as that with which the Father welcomes me.

Looking at Rembrandt's painting of the father, I can see three ways to a truly compassionate fatherhood: grief, forgiveness, and generosity.
It might sound strange to consider grief a way to compassion. But it is. Grief asks me to allow the sins of the world - my own included - to pierce my heart and make me shed tears, many tears, for them. There is no compassion without many tears. If they can't be tears that stream from my eyes, they have to be at least tears that well up from my heart.　When I consider the immense waywardness of God's children, our lust, our greed, our violence, our anger, our resentment, and when I look at them through the eyes of God's heart, I cannot but weep and cry out in grief:
Look, my soul, at the way one human being tries to inflict as much pain on another as possible; look at these people plotting to bring harm to their fellows; look at these parents molesting their children; look at this landowner exploiting his workers; look at the violated women, the misused men, the abandoned children. Look, my soul, at the world; see the concentration camps, the prisons, the nursing homes, the hospitals, and hear the cries of the poor.
This grieving is praying. There are so few mourners left in this world. But grief is the discipline of the heart that sees the sin of the world, and knows itself to be the sorrowful price of freedom without which love cannot bloom. I am beginning to see that much of praying is grieving. This grief is so deep not just because the human sin is so great, but also - and more so - because the divine love is so boundless. To become like the Father whose only authority is compassion, I have to shed countless tears and so prepare my heart to receive anyone, whatever their journey has been, and forgive them from that heart.


注釈：
Looking at Rembrandt's painting of the father, I can see three ways to a truly compassionate fatherhood: grief, forgiveness, and generosity.
「compassionate」は「思いやりのある」。「fatherhood」は「父であること、父の身分、父性」。「grief, forgiveness, and generosity」は「深い悲しみ、赦し、そして寛容」。

It might sound strange to consider grief a way to compassion.

But it is. Grief asks me to allow the sins of the world - my own included - to pierce my heart and make me shed tears, many tears, for them.
「pierce」はここでは「を突き通す（penetrate」。「shed」はここでは「を流す（drop）」。

There is no compassion without many tears.

If they can't be tears that stream from my eyes, they have to be at least tears that well up from my heart.　
「well up」は「わき出る」。

When I consider the immense waywardness of God's children, our lust, our greed, our violence, our anger, our resentment, and when I look at them through the eyes of God's heart, I cannot but weep and cry out in grief:
「immense」は「（計りきれないほど）大きな」。「waywardness」は「気まぐれ」。「lust」は聖書では「（罪と考えられる官能的）欲望」。「greed」は「貪欲、欲張り」。「resentment」は「憤り」。「cry out」は「叫ぶ」。

Look, my soul, at the way one human being tries to inflict as much pain on another as possible; look at these people plotting to bring harm to their fellows; look at these parents molesting their children; look at this landowner exploiting his workers; look at the violated women, the misused men, the abandoned children. Look, my soul, at the world; see the concentration camps, the prisons, the nursing homes, the hospitals, and hear the cries of the poor.
「inflict」は「を与える、負わせる（impose）」。「plot」は「を企む（plan）」。「molest」はここでは「虐待する（abuse）」。「exploit」はここでは「を搾取する（take advantage of）」。「misused」は「虐待された」。「concentration camp」は「強制収容所」。「nursing home」は「老人ホーム」。

This grieving is praying.

There are so few mourners left in this world.
「mourner」は「悲しむ人」。

But grief is the discipline of the heart that sees the sin of the world, and knows itself to be the sorrowful price of freedom without which love cannot bloom.
「discipline」は「訓練（法）」。「sorrowful」はここでは「悲しみを誘う」。

I am beginning to see that much of praying is grieving. This grief is so deep not just because the human sin is so great, but also - and more so - because the divine love is so boundless. To become like the Father whose only authority is compassion, I have to shed countless tears and so prepare my heart to receive anyone, whatever their journey has been, and forgive them from that heart.

Against my own best intentions, I find myself continually striving to acquire power. When I give advice, I want to know whether it is being followed; when I offer help, I want to be thanked; when I give money, I want it to be used my way; when I do something good, I want to be remembered. I might not get a statue, or even a memorial plaque, but I am constantly concerned that I not be forgotten, that somehow I will live on in the thoughts and deeds of others.
But the father of the prodigal son is not concerned about himself. His long-suffering life has emptied him of his desires to keep in control of things. His children are his only concern, to them he wants to give himself completely, and for them he wants to pour out all of himself.
Can I give without wanting anything in return, love without putting any conditions on my love? Considering my immense need for human recognition and affection, I realize that it will be a lifelong struggle. But I am also convinced that each time I step over this need and act free of my concern for return, I can trust that my life can truly bear the fruits of God's Spirit.
Is there a way to this spiritual fatherhood? Or am I doomed to remain so caught up in my own need to find a place in my world that I end up ever and again using the authority of power instead of the authority of compassion? Has competition so pervaded my entire being that I will continue to see my own children as rivals? If Jesus truly calls me to be compassionate as his heavenly Father is compassionate and if Jesus offers himself as the way to that compassionate life, then I cannot keep acting as though competition is, in fact, the last word. I must trust that I am capable of becoming the Father I am called to be.



注釈：
Against my own best intentions, I find myself continually striving to acquire power.
「strive」は「努力する（try hard, attempt, endeavor, aim, make an effort）」。

When I give advice, I want to know whether it is being followed; when I offer help, I want to be thanked; when I give money, I want it to be used my way; when I do something good, I want to be remembered. I might not get a statue, or even a memorial plaque, but I am constantly concerned that I not be forgotten, that somehow I will live on in the thoughts and deeds of others.
「live on」はここでは「（記憶に）残る」。

But the father of the prodigal son is not concerned about himself. His long-suffering life has emptied him of his desires to keep in control of things.

His children are his only concern, to them he wants to give himself completely, and for them he wants to pour out all of himself.
「pour out … for …」は「・・・に・・・をついでやる」。

Can I give without wanting anything in return, love without putting any conditions on my love?

Considering my immense need for human recognition and affection, I realize that it will be a lifelong struggle.
「immense」は「（計ることができないほど）大きな（huge）」。

But I am also convinced that each time I step over this need and act free of my concern for return, I can trust that my life can truly bear the fruits of God's Spirit.
Is there a way to this spiritual fatherhood?

Or am I doomed to remain so caught up in my own need to find a place in my world that I end up ever and again using the authority of power instead of the authority of compassion?
「doom」は「を運命づける」。「be caught up in …」で「・・・に没頭する」。「end up doing」で「ついには・・・することになる」。「ever and again」は「時々」。

Has competition so pervaded my entire being that I will continue to see my own children as rivals?
「pervade」は「・・・全体に浸透する」。

If Jesus truly calls me to be compassionate as his heavenly Father is compassionate and if Jesus offers himself as the way to that compassionate life, then I cannot keep acting as though competition is, in fact, the last word. I must trust that I am capable of becoming the Father I am called to be.

Jesus shows us what true sonship is. He is the younger son without being rebellious. He is the elder son without being resentful. In everything he is obedient to the Father, but never his slave. He hears everything the Father says, but this does not make him his servant. He does everything the Father sends him to do, but remains completely free. He gives everything, and he receives everything. He declares openly: "In all truth I tell you, by himself the Son can do nothing. He can only do what he sees the Father doing; and whatever the Father does the Son does too. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he himself does, and he will show him even greater things than these works that will astonish you. Thus as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to anyone he chooses; for the Father judges no one; he has entrusted all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father."
This is divine sonship. And it is to this sonship that I am called. The mystery of redemption is that God's Son became flesh so that all the lost children of God could become sons and daughters as Jesus is son. In this perspective, the story of the prodigal son takes on a whole new dimension. Jesus, the Beloved of the Father, leaves his Father's home to take on the sins of God's wayward children and bring them home. But, while leaving, he stays close to the Father and through total obedience offers healing to his resentful brothers and sisters. Thus, for my sake, Jesus becomes the younger son as well as the elder son in order to show me how to become the Father. Through him I can become a true son again and, as a true son, I finally can grow to become compassionate as our heavenly Father is.
As the years of my life pass, I discover how arduous and challenging, but also how fulfilling it is to grow into this spiritual fatherhood. Rembrandt's painting rules out any thought that this has anything to do with power, influence, or control. I might once have held the illusion that one day the many bosses would be gone and I could finally be the boss myself. But this is the way of the world in which power is the main concern. And it is not difficult to see that those who have tried most of their lives to get rid of their bosses are not going to be very different from their predecessors when they finally step into their places. Spiritual fatherhood has nothing to do with power or control. It is a fatherhood of compassion. And I have to keep looking at the father embracing the prodigal son to catch a glimpse of this.



注釈：
Jesus shows us what true sonship is. He is the younger son without being rebellious.
「rebellious」には「反抗的な」「反乱の」の日本語が対応しますが、ここでは前者。この本の中では「wayward」も同じ意味で使っています。

He is the elder son without being resentful.
「resentful」は「feeling bitter or angry about something that you think is unfair（憤慨している、腹をたてている、怒っている）」。

In everything he is obedient to the Father, but never his slave. He hears everything the Father says, but this does not make him his servant. He does everything the Father sends him to do, but remains completely free. He gives everything, and he receives everything. He declares openly:

"In all truth I tell you, by himself the Son can do nothing. He can only do what he sees the Father doing; and whatever the Father does the Son does too. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he himself does, and he will show him even greater things than these works that will astonish you. Thus as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to anyone he chooses; for the Father judges no one; he has entrusted all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father."
「ヨハネによる福音書５：１９−２３」そこで、イエスは彼らに言われた。「はっきり言っておく。子は、父のなさることを見なければ、自分からは何事もできない。父がなさることはなんでも、子もそのとおりにする。父は子を愛して、御自分のなさることをすべて子に示されるからである。また、これらのことよりも大きな業を子にお示しになって、あなたたちが驚くことになる。すなわち、父が死者を復活させて命をお与えになるように、子も、与えたいと思う者に命を与える。また、父はだれをも裁かず、裁きは一切子に任せておられる。すべての人が、父を敬うように、子をも敬うようになるためである。子を敬わない者は、子をお遣わしになった父をも敬わない。

This is divine sonship. And it is to this sonship that I am called.

The mystery of redemption is that God's Son became flesh so that all the lost children of God could become sons and daughters as Jesus is son.
「redemption」はここでは「キリストによる救い」⇒信仰によって精神的に救われるということだと思います。「flesh」は聖書では「人間」の意になることがあります。

In this perspective, the story of the prodigal son takes on a whole new dimension.
「perspective」はここでは「観点（viewpoint）」。「take on …」は「・・・を帯びる、を呈する」。

Jesus, the Beloved of the Father, leaves his Father's home to take on the sins of God's wayward children and bring them home.
「take on …」はここでは「を引き受ける」。

But, while leaving, he stays close to the Father and through total obedience offers healing to his resentful brothers and sisters. Thus, for my sake, Jesus becomes the younger son as well as the elder son in order to show me how to become the Father. Through him I can become a true son again and, as a true son, I finally can grow to become compassionate as our heavenly Father is.

As the years of my life pass, I discover how arduous and challenging, but also how fulfilling it is to grow into this spiritual fatherhood.
「arduous」は「困難な」。「challenging」もここでは同じような意味で「骨の折れる」。「fulfilling」は「達成感を与える」。

Rembrandt's painting rules out any thought that this has anything to do with power, influence, or control. I might once have held the illusion that one day the many bosses would be gone and I could finally be the boss myself. But this is the way of the world in which power is the main concern.
「rule out」は「を除外する、認めない」。

And it is not difficult to see that those who have tried most of their lives to get rid of their bosses are not going to be very different from their predecessors when they finally step into their places.
「get rid of …」はここでは「を厄介払いする」。「predecessor」は「前任者」。

Spiritual fatherhood has nothing to do with power or control. It is a fatherhood of compassion. And I have to keep looking at the father embracing the prodigal son to catch a glimpse of this.
「glimpse」は「一瞥」。