Saint Mary Magdalene: A Woman of Deep Contemplation, Faith and Inspiration for Change

Today's Scripture Readings

Judith 9: 1, 11-14 (NRSV)

Judith prostrated herself, put ashes on her head, and uncovered the sackcloth she was wearing. At the very time when the evening incense was being offered in the house of God in Jerusalem, Judith cried out to the Lord with a loud voice, and said, "Your strength does not depend on numbers, nor your might on the powerful. But you are the God of the lowly, helper of the oppressed, upholder of the weak, protector of the forsaken, savior of those without hope. Please, please, God of my father, God of the heritage of Israel, Lord of heaven and earth, Creator of the waters, King of all your creation, hear my prayer! Make my deceitful words bring wound and bruise on those who have planned cruel things against your covenant, and against your sacred house, and against Mount Zion, and against the house your children possess. Let your whole nation and every tribe know and understand that you are God, the God of all power and might, and that there is no other who protects the people of Israel but you alone!"

Psalm 42 (BCP., p. 643)


2 Corinthians 5:14-18 (NRSV)

The love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

John 20:11-18 (NRSV)

Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, `I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Blog Reflection

The Church today,  honors a tremendous woman of faith.  Other than Mary the Mother of Jesus, there is probably no woman in the Gospels who's name and person is so easily recognized and denigrated at the same time.

There are many sketchy accounts of Mary Magdalene.  I believe of all of the accounts of the woman who washed the feet of Jesus seated in the house of Simon the Pharisee, only John actually identifies her as Mary Magdalene.  There is some possibility that she was a prostitute who gave up that way of life to follow Jesus more closely.  That possibility has been used to dehumanize women on the part of Christians for way too long.  It never ceases to amaze me how much Christians of all denominations and sects spend on matters below the belly button. 

Could Mary's faith that kept her at the foot of the Cross and/or her unparalleled courage through which she remained weeping at the tomb looking for the Risen Christ that makes many men envious of her relationship of total fidelity to Jesus?

Mary Magdalene shows us just how Jesus turned over the norms of His society.   Women were stigmatized, and poor women who resorted to prostitution for some kind of income were considered unclean and unable to participate in local worship.   Jesus did more than just change Mary Magdalene's life, He lifted her up from the bottom of the social ladder to be an important character in the story of how God brought salvation to the world through His life, Death and Resurrection. 

The month of July 2014 has been a terrible month for women in the United States of America due to the dreadful Hobby Lobby ruling by the Supreme Court.   The ruling is not only bad because of what it does to the dignity of women, but also of how it damages the so called "religious liberty" discussion. When "religious liberty" becomes the means by which we strong arm people into policies that violate the religious liberty of others who do not believe or practice in the way we think they should, we have made religion a burden of slavery.  At that point, religion is a matter of imprisonment and obligation for the sake of conformity.   The Christian Faith loses the argument in "not conforming to the ways of this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind" (Romans 12:2).   Why would anyone want to belong to such a lousy way of praying and believing?

Mary Magdalene is a magnificent example of how by God's transforming grace, God impacts not only one life in awesome and unpredictable ways, but entire communities. When one person responds by exemplary faith and action to the movement of God's Holy Spirit, that individual can impact human history with endless benefits.  

The Episcopal Church is approaching the 40th anniversary of it's decision for women to be admitted to ordained ministry.   The wonderful ways that women are taking their places as representing Christ and the Church to preach the Gospel and celebrate the Sacraments, have unleashed countless blessings on the Church and the world.   The contributions of women in the ordained ministry, can be likened to the changes brought by Mary Magdalene's prayer, faith and inspiration for change.

*At the resurrection on Easter Day, Mary's experience of Christ calling her by name in the midst of her pain and anguish, gave her first hand knowledge of God's love for her.  That love gave Mary the contemplative vision of God in the Risen Christ who spoke to her. *(See: The Mystery of Christ: The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience by Thomas Keating, p.73).  The story that she took to those twelve couldn't be believed, because she had been so filled with the experience of God's love, that they just couldn't bring themselves to accept it on word alone.  It was not until they each experienced the loving mercy of the Risen Christ for themselves, did they understand what Mary's experience was like.  Mary was the Apostle of the Resurrection who made believers out of those 12 men.  Her faith continues to inspire millions who attend Easter Day Liturgies all over Christendom.

Mary Magdalene's prayer and life of faith, should inspire us to continue our work to change hearts and minds regarding the marginalization of women, LGBT people and any number of persons in the Church and Society.    If we so choose to do our part to raise up many who are bowed down by prejudice and oppression, we can help people to see the real reason why people could Christians.  That real reason is because Jesus Christ changes lives to become God's Apostles for inclusive love and welcoming faith communities.  Communities that are committed to healing and reconciliation for all people with no exceptions. 

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, whose blessed Son restored Mary Magdalene
to health of body and of mind, and called her to be a witness
of his resurrection: Mercifully grant that by your grace we
may be healed from all our infirmities and know you in the
power of his unending life; who with you and the Holy Spirit
lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 242).

Almighty God, who created us in your image: Grant us
grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace
with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom,
help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our
communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy
Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 260).

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost: Come to and Welcome Christ in Humilty

Today's Scripture Readings

Zechariah 9:9-12 (NRSV)

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!

Lo, your king comes to you;

triumphant and victorious is he,

humble and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim

and the war horse from Jerusalem;

and the battle bow shall be cut off,

and he shall command peace to the nations;

his dominion shall be from sea to sea,

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,

I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;

today I declare that I will restore to you double.

Psalm 145 (BCP., p.802).


Romans 7:15-25a (NRSV)

I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.  Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good.  But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.  For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.  Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.
 
So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand.  For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self,  but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.  Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 (NRSV)

Jesus said to the crowd, "To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,

`We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

we wailed, and you did not mourn.'

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, `He has a demon'; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, `Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."

At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Blog Reflection

I join the many who have voiced their concern about the Hobby Lobby ruling at the Supreme Court on Monday, June 30th.   The ruling by itself was an egregious one against women and contrary to what real religious liberty is about.   Religious liberty is not a matter of one particular religious group's position being able to define our laws and regulations for the rest of us.  It is about the opportunity to make a choice about what we will or will not believe and/or practice with regards to our own religious beliefs without undue coercion or adherence on behalf of the State.  In all of the instances where the freedom to marry has been made legal for same-gender couples for example, there has also been granted an exemption that allows for any religious institution or house of worship to decide not to bless a same-gender relationship.  The same right however, does not, nor should it extend to a public business just because the owners are of a particular religious persuasion on the matter.  A business that serves the whole public, must serve everyone in the public.

This decision by the Supreme Court has opened the doors for uncontrolled abuses in the name of religion.  While rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the United States has gained significant ground; a series of decisions by the Supreme Court regarding corporations being defined as persons in the Citizens United case and a few more since then, the gutting of the Voting Rights Act and now this one, has taken racial equality and the equal treatment of women under the law backwards.

As I have been reflecting on this matter this week, I think the biggest issue I have with it is that this is being pursued by a group of people, that honestly believe that this is what Jesus Christ would want.  An imposed set of laws that continue to denigrate women and other racial minorities in ways that increase bias on their behalf.  Given our Scripture readings this weekend, I find it very difficult to believe that this is what Jesus would want.  

I won't attempt to break down all of the Scripture readings for today, but I will synthesize them a bit for us.  It is the 4th of July weekend, and I think we have all had our ears filled with news, opinions and more about the Hobby Lobby ruling.   Yet, I want us to meditate a bit on another view of Jesus than those who may be celebrating this ruling.

Jesus did not come to represent any one particular group of people.   He came as God's perfect revelation of God's Self.   Jesus came to bring about the Reign of God for all people, in particular those who had been brushed to the side.   His desire to draw everyone closer to God went to the point of entering Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, and eventually to His agonizing death on the Cross.   He came that way to announce a new era of God's reign that wasn't about scapegoating, violence, weaponry or the need to dominate anyone.   Jesus came as God's human face to connect us to God through a relationship with one another.  A relationship that is full of ups and downs.  A way of living together despite our many differences and understandings of the world around us.  All Jesus did and calls us to do is to love one another as He loves each of us. (See John 15:12-17). 

One of the many reasons why I am so attracted to The Rule of St. Benedict is because of what is written in Chapter 4: The Tools of Good Works verse 21: "the love of Christ must come before all else."   And later in the famous Chapter 53: The Reception of Guests, Benedict writes: "All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me" (Matt 25:35). 

It is true what St. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, that our nature is such that we do what we do not want to, and do not do what we know we should.   It is in our human nature to give ourselves over to what we know is not the best for us, and do what is leaning on the worst side.   However, the story does not end there.   In chapter 8:1 of Romans we read that "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."   The victory won for us by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is such, that we no longer need to held captive to sin, but have the freedom of children adopted by God through Christ (See Ephesians 1:3-14).

Jesus invites all of us to come to Him so that we may find our rest in Him.  We are not bound by attitudes and behaviors of prejudice, cruel rhetoric and judgmental thinking.   In Christ Jesus we have all been made free women and men to pursue the goal of "overcoming all these things through the One who has loved us. (See Romans 8:37).    And, because Christ has loved us, we  must be willing to open our eyes, minds and hearts to show reverence and respect for the dignity of every human person, welcoming Christ in them. 

The Hobby Lobby decision this week is a disaster in terms of what being a Christian really means.  It suggests demeaning and stereotyping women who decide to use contraception including in cases where it protects them from more than an unwanted pregnancy.   A woman is no less of a Christian if she uses contraception, nor is she more of a Christian because she does not.   A man is not less of a Christian if he uses a condom to protect himself from HIV or other STD's, or from impregnating a woman accidentally.   A man is not more of a Christian because he is married to a woman and with her has seven children, etc.  Whether individuals practice or do not practice certain things, does not, nor should it mean, that we deprive them of their dignity as human beings just because.  The greatest evil in the Hobby Lobby decision is that it gives Christians the license to make value judgments on each other, when we have had more than enough of that.

As we move forward, may our prayers and work be for the good of all individuals without prejudice or undue harm.  May our Lord Jesus help us to make room in our hearts for His presence as He comes to us in all persons.   May we honor and reverence the presence of Christ in others.

Amen.


Prayers

O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments
by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your
Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole
heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Proper 9, Book of Common Prayer, p.230).

Almighty God, who created us in your image: Grant us
grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace
with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom,
help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our
communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy
Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p.260).

Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the
earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace:
Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the
strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in
accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.258)

Fourth Sunday in Lent: Open Our Eyes, O God!

 

Today's Scripture Readings

1 Samuel 16:1-16 (NRSV)

The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, `I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you." Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the Lord." But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any of these." Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

Psalm 23 (BCP., p.612)


Ephesians 5:8-14 (NRSV)

Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light-- for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

"Sleeper, awake!
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you."

John 9: 1-41 (NRSV)

As he walked along, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?" Some were saying, "It is he." Others were saying, "No, but it is someone like him." He kept saying, "I am the man." But they kept asking him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, `Go to Siloam and wash.' Then I went and washed and received my sight." They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know."

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see." Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, "What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened." He said, "He is a prophet."

The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, "Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner." He answered, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?" Then they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from." The man answered, "Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." They answered him, "You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?" And they drove him out.

Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered, "And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him." Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he." He said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped him. Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind." Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not blind, are we?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, `We see,' your sin remains."

 Blog Reflection

Lent is now in its fourth week.  Two weeks from today we will begin Holy Week.  As we draw closer to the celebration of recalling Christ's total self-sacrifice for our redemption, the Revised Common Lectionary brings us to this reading of Jesus healing the man born blind.   It is another long Scripture reading.  Before we arrive with Jesus to enter with him into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, we need to reflect on how well we see the compassionate love of God before our eyes.

In interpreting today's Gospel reading about Jesus healing the man born blind, we need to take some important key facts in mind.  In the time in which this narrative would have occured, many had the horrible presumption that anyone who was disabled or a beggar was such because of some sin she/he or even their parents must have committed.

The major problem with John's Gospel, is that it is most likely written by the oral tradition of the Johaninne Christians. There was probably not one person telling the story, but many.  They faced a great deal of persecution and affliction because of their faith.  It resulted in a terrible amount of dislike for the Jewish Faith. That is why there is a lot of texts in John's Gospel that is very sadly antisemitic. In the case of this Gospel reading in John 9:1-41, it really does not help much that Jesus' reply was that the man was born blind so that "God's work might be revealed in him."  This too suggests that God afflicted the man from birth for this moment.  It is not exactly a ringing endorsement of God's graciousness.

The central meaning here is that Jesus put compassionate and healing love for the dignity of the man blind and poor ahead of the ritual rules.  As the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees heats up, the issue becomes what is more important; the person born blind and being ridiculed and denigrated by those from whom he begs, or the rule about the sabbath?

As Christians, we too need to think and pray about what is more important.   Is it more important for our Congressional leaders to please the Koch Brothers by denying millions of hungry people the funds for food stamps, unemployment insurance and protection from high-powered magazine rifles?   Or do we value even more the Baptismal Vow to uphold and respect the dignity of every human person to motivate us to tell our Congress and President to stop putting politics ahead of people?

As the nations of the world decide how to best respond to what is happening with Crimea, Russia and the Ukraine; are economic sanctions really the answer?   Those in control of the Russian government are not going to feel the most painful impact of such sanctions.  It is those who really are poor who will pay the biggest price.

Christians in the United States really do have another matter that we need to examine to question as to the clarity of our vision.

The recent issue of "religious liberty" has swept its way into every important social issue from abortion and birth control, to equal rights protection for LGBTQ people, and to reducing gun violence is out of control.   Any legislation on any Federal, State or Municipality level that seeks to address the needs of the poor, marginalized and oppressed becomes the subject of the "religious liberty" debate.  It has become one of the most potent whispering campaigns that amazingly has found it's way into the ears, pulpits and court rooms of our country via the work of the Alliance Defending Freedom organization.  I cannot remember such outrageous nonsense like this uniting the efforts of fundamentalist Christians and the entire National Conference of Catholic Bishops like this one has.  The religious liberty talking point is nothing more than a sham on behalf of selfish and narrow minded people claiming to be followers of Christ who are sore losers.  It is pathetic and immature. It is not liberty on the basis of religion.  It is  spiritual malpractice and doctrinal abuse disguised as religious zeal.  It is meant to blind people about the real truth about what is happening. Conservative religious based bigotry.  Because the same Christianist organizations who claim they are the victims of discrimination based on "religious liberty" think nothing of bullying a human service organization such as World Vision USA because they decided to end their employment discrimination practices towards same-gender married couples.

This past week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard the arguments in the case of Hobby Lobby with regards to their "religious liberty" right to refuse to cover the cost of contraception to their employees as a result of the Affordable Care Act.  As to what I think of this matter, I am going to defer to an article in USA Today written by Bishop Gene Robinson.  See the quote below.

Sometimes, even for a bishop, it's embarrassing to be a Christian. Not that I'm embarrassed by Jesus, whose life was spent caring and advocating for the marginalized, and whom I believe to be the perfect revelation of God. I'm just sometimes embarrassed to be associated with others who claim to follow him.

The Jesus I follow always stood with the poor and powerless — and trust me, this struggle is about about power. Whether the issue touches women or gays and lesbians, our religion should be about more love, not less; more dignity, not less.

Christians need to be very careful about using our religious beliefs as weapons of mass destruction that could have a lasting impact well beyond the non-existent issue of "religious freedom" that has been exploding into a harmful and unnecessary holy war.  What is in our hearts may be very well intentioned.  But, if many of us would look into our hearts with Jesus, we may often find that what God is seeing there and what we think is there are not one and the same thing.

In our reading from the Hebrew Scriptures today, God tells Solomon: "Mortals, ,, look on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).  During Lent, we are looking with prayer, fasting, alms-giving and self-denial at what is in our hearts.  We are inviting God to go there with us as we repent of our sins and ask for forgiveness.   At some point, it befits us to see honestly the blindness we pretend is not there with regards to our personal relationship with God and others, and seek the help of Jesus to change our ways.  That is what repentance means.  To change the direction in which we are going.  Christians have way too many examples in our history both far back and most recent of giving Jesus Christ a bad Name by fueling our prejudices.  It is time for Jesus and others to see in our hearts and lives the unconditional and all-inclusive love that is compassionate and self-giving with no exceptions.   It is time to put the love of God, neighbor and self ahead of our erroneous Bible interpretations and politics. It is time for our ritual worship and how we live and love to become one and the same.  Handling people with the same care as we would the Sacred Vessels of the Altar.

Amen.


Prayers

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down
from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world:
Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in
him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p. 219).

Almighty God, who created us in your image: Grant us
grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace
with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom,
help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our
communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy
Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.260).

Gracious Father, we pray for thy 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.  (Book of Common Prayer, p.816).