Ecclesiasticus 38: 1-4, 6-10, 12-14 (NRSV)
- Honor physicians for their services,
- for the Lord created them;
- for their gift of healing comes from the Most High,
- and they are rewarded by the king.
- The skill of physicians makes them distinguished,
- and in the presence of the great they are admired.
- The Lord created medicines out of the earth,
- and the sensible will not despise them.
- And he gave skill to human beings
- that he might be glorified in his marvelous works.
- By them the physician heals and takes away pain;
- the pharmacist makes a mixture from them.
- God's works will never be finished;
- and from him health spreads over all the earth.
- My child, when you are ill, do not delay,
- but pray to the Lord, and he will heal you.
- Give up your faults and direct your hands rightly,
- and cleanse your heart from all sin.
- Then give the physician his place, for the Lord created him;
- do not let him leave you, for you need him.
- There may come a time when recovery lies in the hands of physicians,
- for they too pray to the Lord
- that he grant them success in diagnosis
- and in healing, for the sake of preserving life.
Psalm 147 (BCP., p. 804)
2 Timothy 4: 5-13 (NRSV)
As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Do your best to come to me soon, for Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful in my ministry. I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.
Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
- 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
- because he has anointed me
- to bring good news to the poor.
- He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
- and recovery of sight to the blind,
- to let the oppressed go free,
- to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
Blog Reflection
Today is one of those days through which there are so many messages going back and forth in the news, politics and the Church. There is confusion, pain, the struggle for justice and equality, a fatigue from all of the campaigning, and a fair amount of anger. Every one is experiencing the urgency of the moment to seeing what can be done to get on the path towards securing some kind of certainty for the future. Yet, there is still great hope, with a sense of cautious optimism.
We commemorate a special holy day on this feast of St. Luke, the evangelist and physician. He is considered the patron of the sick, doctors and hospitals. He is also the patron of the Companions of St. Luke/Order of St. Benedict. St. Luke is recognized for the focus of the Gospel attributed to him, by which the focus of Jesus is the ministry of healing and reconciliation. We can certainly derive that from the Gospel reading chosen for today's feast. Jesus proclaims the reading from the Prophet Isaiah "fulfilled in your hearing" after he reads it aloud from the scroll in his local synagogue. Jesus views as his mission and purpose to bring good news to the poor, release the captives, give sight to those who are blind and to allow the oppressed to go free. What Jesus read and accepted as his mission, is the work of all baptized Christians. As we are incorporated into the Body of Christ, which is the Church, we vow in our Baptismal Covenant to "seek and serve in Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself" and "strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being" with God's help (see The Book of Common Prayer, p.305).
The care of the sick in St. Benedict's monasteries was so important to him, that he devoted Chapter 36 to the sick in The Rule. Benedict instructs that: "Care of the sick must rank above and before all else so that they may be served as Christ who said: "I was sick and you visited me" (Matt 25:36) and, "What you did for these the least of my people you did for me" (Matt 25:40)."
What role of healing and reconciliation, might Jesus be calling us to today?
The Episcopal Church is experiencing a time of great difficulty, because we have taken a position with the Holy Spirit with regards to the reception of LGBT people for ordination as Bishops, Priests and Deacons, creating marriage rites for same-sex couples, non-discrimination policies for transgender individuals, and the ordination of women. Recently, the Board of Discipline along with the Presiding Bishop have written a Certificate of Abandonment for the Bishop and Diocese of South Carolina.
Earlier today, the Second Circuit Court ruled the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional.
What direction for healing and reconciliation might God be calling the Episcopal Church to, with regards to the inclusion of LGBT people, and those who do not agree? What role might God be calling on LGBT and allied Christians to help the Diocese of South Carolina and it's Bishop recognize their role in healing and reconciliation?
The issues at hand are not without their challenges. The challenges are as much with the pros as they are with the cons. The individuals on both sides of the debate are just as passionate about their call to serve Jesus Christ and the Church. How can everyone remain at the table and talk, allowing the Holy Spirit to do her work of healing and reconciliation?
Christians have an unfortunate history of using the Name of Jesus Christ, the Holy Bible, the Sacraments to drive wedges between people of diverse opinions and ways of living. Just recently the Roman Catholic Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis told the mother of a gay son, that she could go to hell if she does not embrace the teaching of the Catholic church with regards to marriage equality. Chris Kluwe of the Minnesota Vikings and Herbert Chilstrom, a former Presiding Bishop in the ELCA have responded to the Roman Archbishop's statements and push to pass an amendment that would limit the freedom of same-sex couples to marry the person she/he loves.
I think the Gospel attributed to St. Luke gives us an image of Jesus as allowing to go free those who are oppressed. As part of the ministry of God, through Jesus for healing and reconciliation, we have a picture of a compassionate Holy One, who through grace comes to those who are sick with despair and a feeling of separation and isolation. Jesus welcomes each with the love of our Creator to graft all of us into the vine that is Christ, so that we who can do nothing without him, may experience the healing and reconciliation that can only come from God. Jesus does not use the Name of God to exclude, to act in violence or prejudice. He comes as the perfect revelation of God, to welcome, receive, soothe and restore all who are oppressed and experiencing injustice to their right place as one created, redeemed and loved by God. To call each of us to play our part in the ministry of hospitality, healing and reconciliation, by seeing in each person, Christ present: coming to us, sick, wounded, lonely, excluded and in need of God's mercy. As Jesus has made us part of the Body of Christ, he empowers us by the Holy Spirit and the ministry of the Church, to help graft others onto the Body of Christ so that God's ministry can gain more people and become the greatest vehicle of diversity and compassion, that the world could ever see and know.
Is Jesus calling us to use his Name to be more about the work of healing and reconciliation?
How are we answering that call?
Prayers
Almighty God, who inspired your servant Luke the physician
to set forth in the Gospel the love and healing power of your
Son: Graciously continue in your Church this love and power
to heal, to the praise and glory of your Name; through Jesus
Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity
of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for St. Luke, Book of Common Prayer, p. 244).
Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and
follow us, that we may continually be given to good works;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 23, Book of Common Prayer, p. 234).
Gracious Father, we pray for they holy Catholic Church. Fill it
with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt,
purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is
amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in
want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake
of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen. (Prayer for the Church, Book of Common Prayer, p. 816).
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so
move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the
people of this land], that barriers which divide us may
crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our
divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice, Book of Common Prayer, p. 823).
No comments:
Post a Comment