Hosea 14: 1-9 (NRSV)
Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
Take words with you
and return to the Lord;
say to him,
‘Take away all guilt;
accept that which is good,
and we will offer
the fruit of our lips.
Assyria shall not save us;
we will not ride upon horses;
we will say no more, “Our God”,
to the work of our hands.
In you the orphan finds mercy.’
I will heal their disloyalty;
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.
I will be like the dew to Israel;
he shall blossom like the lily,
he shall strike root like the forests of Lebanon.
His shoots shall spread out;
his beauty shall be like the olive tree,
and his fragrance like that of Lebanon.
They shall again live beneath my shadow,
they shall flourish as a garden;
they shall blossom like the vine,
their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols?
It is I who answer and look after you.
I am like an evergreen cypress;
your faithfulness comes from me.
Those who are wise understand these things;
those who are discerning know them.
For the ways of the Lord are right,
and the upright walk in them,
but transgressors stumble in them.
Mark 12: 28-34 (NRSV)
One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ Then the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that “he is one, and besides him there is no other”; and “to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength”, and “to love one’s neighbour as oneself”,—this is much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.’ When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that no one dared to ask him any question.
Blog Reflection
If you have ever read any kind of book about sexuality, you will find that the chapter about love is the one that author have the most difficult time writing about. Love is something that has it's objective meanings, but also has subjective origins. In love we can say how much we love another person. Yet, there is always that part of ourselves that doesn't love the other in quite the way we would like to. We really should make more time for that someone we are avoiding, but our work stuff, our taking care of our homes, churches, doing our activism always gets in our way. We have been meaning to call our long time friend, but every time we sit down to dial the number, someone else calls us or we read something on the internet and we have put the other person off again.
Among the things to understand about God's love is that we are "the apple of God's eye's." (Psalm 17: 8). Each of us is some one that God loves very personally and deeply. Yet, God loves us in the same way a Parent loves all her/his children. Each of us is loved and provided for by God. As a Parent who seeks the very best for us, God also challenges us to love God and others with the same love, with which God loves each of us. A love by which God is the apple of our eye. A love for our neighbor, because God is present in her/him. We would not dream of offending and/or hurting that person so as to violate the love of God or the dignity of the other person.
Our problem is that we live in a world where love is based on conditions. Wealth, race, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, ethnic origin, language, etc. These and others I could name have become reasons for withholding and in some cases excuses for offending and denigrating the dignity of another person. There is this kind of "you don't measure up" so we have a reason to treat and think of others different than ourselves, so as to justify ourselves for not thinking about what we might be saying or doing. In some instances, we even use Bible verses violently to back ourselves up.
Last year, while at Creating Change 2011, I attended a workshop that addressed how non-white individuals see those of us who are, by way of the things we say and/or do. It is so easy to think that our best of intentions are enough to give an individual of another race a view that we don't see them as different from ourselves. Except for one problem. We do not see ourselves from their point of view. Their world view is different from ours. Their perspective on what is a racially biased behavior and/or comment. For example, there are many who will say: "I am a white person, with black friends. I don't have a race problem." When this is said by a person who is white, it means something very different to that individual, than it would for a non-white person to hear what was said.
The anger that has risen over these last few weeks about the attacks on women, and their rights to reproductive health care including contraception, from a male's view of the world, seems pretty foolish. However, the world as we have it, has always put a man's perspective ahead of a woman's. Hidden in there is a kind of "women should be grateful for all that we have provided for them." But, men are not women. Men do not face the consequences of an unplanned for pregnancy on their personal bodies, or future. That is why Sandra Fluke's testimony is so important. It helps men like me, be able to see the issue from where she is. Because of her courage and excellent understanding of the issue, she is able to help men understand, even from a very limited point of reference, that a woman's reproductive health care is no political game chip. We are talking about real women, who face real living consequences to their over all health and future when we subjugate their reproductive health care to the legislative actions of male privilege.
As a gay man, I can tell you that when I read or hear a comment such as: "Gays are after your children to recruit them" it hurts in more ways that can be understood by heterosexual people. It basically says that because I love my partner, I am now a danger to a child. Especially one who suddenly finds out he might be gay and is looking to confide in another gay person to better understand himself. That means that I now have to take every personal precaution, should I ever be approached by a questioning youth, as to what legal or personal consequences I could face if I advocated on a gay youths behalf. I am someone that struggled intensely with my sexual orientation and my Faith. When I hear of other gay youth struggling and/or committing suicide because of bullying and/or rejection in their schools, homes, churches and communities; I thank God that I had good people to inspire me. A great man such as Bishop Gene Robinson and many more. A Catholic Priest who told me to "love other people in the way God created you to love them."
A great Priest once told me to stop looking at myself through the eyes of the world, but to see myself through God's eyes. To see that God sees in me, God's beloved, with whom God is well-pleased. God sees me (and all of us) as a perfect masterpiece of God's creative design. In those places where we are not so prefect, God sent Jesus to take upon God's Self our human condition with all of our sins, grief, despair and disappointments. At the Cross, God shows us that out of sacrificial and self-giving love, death will meet it's match at the resurrection.
Do we see the Cross as the point at which God loves us unconditionally and all-inclusively?
Do we see ourselves masterpieces of God's creation?
Do we know ourselves as people redeemed by the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross?
How might we seek God's love so that we love others as Jesus loves each of us?
Where do we see ourselves in the Good Friday and Easter Day stories?
Prayers
Grant us, O Lord our Strength, a true love of your holy Name; so that, trusting in your grace, we may fear no earthly evil, nor fix our hearts on earthly goods, but may rejoice in your full salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Friday in the Third Week of Lent. Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, p. 52).
Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have
made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and
make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily
lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission
and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen. (Collect for Ash Wednesday, Book of Common Prayer, p. 217).
Lord Jesus Christ, who didst stretch out thine arms of love
on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come
within the reach of thy saving embrace: So clothe us in thy
Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring
those who do not know thee to the knowledge and love of
you; for the honor of thy Name. Amen. (Prayer for Mission, Book of Common Prayer, p. 58).
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