Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost: Proper 18: Jesus, the Woman and Us

Today's Scripture Readings

Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 (NRSV)

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

and favor is better than silver or gold.

The rich and the poor have this in common:

the LORD is the maker of them all.

Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,

and the rod of anger will fail.

Those who are generous are blessed,

for they share their bread with the poor.

 

Do not rob the poor because they are poor,

or crush the afflicted at the gate;

for the LORD pleads their cause

and despoils of life those who despoil them.

Psalm 125 (BCP., p.781)

James 2: 1-17 (NRSV)

My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Have a seat here, please," while to the one who is poor you say, "Stand there," or, "Sit at my feet," have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, "You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You shall not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

Mark 7:24-37 (NRSV)

Jesus set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go-- the demon has left your daughter." So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

Blog Reflection

Today's Gospel is a difficult one to read and hear.  None of us likes to think about Jesus as having to confront a prejudice of His own, of which He would have gained from the culture He was in. Through out the Gospel accounts of Jesus, we read of His amazing compassion for the sick, lame, hungry, lonely, women and the marginalized.  This Gospel reading from Mark knocks the wind out of our sails if you will.  How could Jesus be so insensitive?

There are a variety of interpretations of this Gospel text, all of which have their merit.  One is that the the interaction between Jesus and this woman was not so much about prejudice of any kind on the part of Jesus, but about the faith of the woman who challenged Him.  Indeed, this interpretation is exactly the kind of thing that fits into what we are talking about when we bring up the matter of prejudice.  A woman would have had very little standing in her society to address a Rabbi in the way she did.  The fact that she was a Gentile woman in this time and culture and made her appeal and defended herself to Jesus, was that much more of a counter-cultural action on her part.  She would have become that much more of a social outcast than she already was.

Perhaps Jesus was not so much as dismissing her or even being biased towards her.  Maybe Jesus said what He said, so that the marginalization of the woman would be made so visible, that He was able to meet that prejudice of His culture and eradicate it from Himself and His culture.  I think what I am aiming for is some reverse psychology.  His appearance of rejecting her would have been good use of His adversaries to use against Him.  However, when Jesus recognizes her faith and her daughter is cured, the cultural bias is uncovered, as is God's mercy and grace that transforms her life and the culture around them.  The captive who is dehumanized is reclaimed as being God's own community and fellowship.

Jesus wants more than just the appearance of religion and its various requirements.  He wants the grace of God to move us beyond where we currently are.  Jesus wants to move us into a culture and faith that surpasses appearances, and brings the holiness of God to a living experience in our personal interactions with others.  A society and Church in which the message of the Gospel does not stop at our biases, but becomes a welcoming and healing place where God is present and moving among all of God's people with dignity and integrity.

This past week, the social media has been focusing on Kim Davis and her refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-gender couples.  Her case has been presented before judges and even the Supreme Court, and refused asking her to obey the law.  She is making the claim that she is acting on "God's authority" and her rights are protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution regarding "Religious Freedom."   Kim Davis was put in prison on a contempt of court charge.

I was both supportive of the pro-LGBT media that covered what was going on, yet, I also have a real concern.  I agree with those who are deeply disturbed by this County Clerk who under an oath, chose to ignore her duties to the people of the county and break the law because of a religious based bias.  I was also concerned that she chose to use her insubordination as a means of proselytizing others on the basis of her religious beliefs.  In addition, I am offended that she would be so arrogant as to suggest that she is acting on "God's authority" that is based on her understanding of the Bible.  Her actions suggest that no one who believes as she does has a right to receive what is lawfully and rightfully theirs, and she decides that as if she is the lone interpreter of God's will in that office.  Our magnificent Christian Faith is hijacked and Jesus Christ gets a bad Name once again.

I am also deeply concerned and disappointed however, that many progressive and pro-LGBT blog authors made their case for equality by using Davis' divorces and children as leverage to support their opposition.  While working to uphold the dignity and integrity of marriage equality for same-sex couples, Davis' dignity as a divorced woman who has multiple children was unjustly used to smear her.  In the effort to support equality, Mrs. Davis' and consequently others who married and divorced, with multiple children became a new chapter in sexism and degradation unnecessarily.  A most unfortunate example of favoritism by Mrs. Davis, the news media, and the political agenda of many.

Jesus desires even more than we do to heal our deafness to the needs of others.  Jesus' healing of the man who could not hear is symbolic of God's wish for us to be able to listen more attentively to the Holy Spirit within our hearts.  Jesus asks us to make room for others who are different from ourselves.  This is difficult for us to do because of our pride and our being so self-centered.  Jesus comes to call on us to confront the biases we all carry inside of us.  God's unconditional love and transforming grace wants to help us soften our hearts, and open our ears to the presence of Jesus in others around us.  It is God's opportunity for us to make our faith something we live, from the inside out and from the outside back inside of us in a continual relationship of community.  The breath of God can breathe new and refreshing air that brings with it healing and reconciliation to the hurting and broken world we live in.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what thou doest love,
And do what thou wouldst do.
(Hymnal 1982, #508).

Amen.


Prayers

Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as
you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength,
so you never forsake those who make their boast of your
mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Proper 18, The Book of Common Prayer, p. 233).

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for the Human Family.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.815).

Almighty God, you have so linked our lives one with another
that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives: So guide
us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but
for the common good; and, as we seek a proper return for
our own labor, make us mindful of the rightful aspirations of
other workers, and arouse our concern for those who are out
of work; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Collect for Labor Day.  The Book of Common Prayer, p. 261).

Tenth Sunday After Pentecost: Proper 13: Jesus, the Bread of Life

Today's Scriptures

Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15 (NRSV)

The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."

Then the LORD said to Moses, "I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not."

Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, `Draw near to the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.'" And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. The LORD spoke to Moses and said, "I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, `At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'"

In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat."

Psalm 78:23-29 (BCP., p.696)


Ephesians 4:1-16 (NRSV)

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it is said,

"When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive;

he gave gifts to his people."

(When it says, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.

John 6:24-35 (NRSV)

The next day, when the people who remained after the feeding of the five thousand saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal." Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." So they said to him, "What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, `He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

Blog Reflection

Our meditations on Jesus as the Bread of Life continue.  Last Sunday, we looked at Jesus feeding the five thousand, and the hunger we all experience.  This Sunday, we begin to hear Jesus proclaim Himself as the Bread of Life.  Jesus tells us that He is the One whom if we come to, we will not be hungry or thirsty.

I think we have to confront our problem with this Scripture.  So many of us Christians believe in Jesus as the Bread of Life in one way or another.  Whether it is Sacramental in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, or symbolically through out the various signs of life.  Christians can see in Jesus, One who feeds and fulfills.  Yet, we all remain hungry and thirsty.  Each of us experiences loneliness.  We all experience rejection through which we hunger for companionship.  We long for that special friend who will lead us into a sense of self value to be among others.  Aside from this, there are Christians all over the world who physically hunger and thirst for an experience of God that is beyond a mere emotional lift.  They long to be part of Christ through His Body the Church.  Instead they find division and value judgments on those different from ourselves.

Jesus Christ comes to all of us in this Gospel, and in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.  He comes to us regardless of who we are, and where we come from.  Jesus comes to all that is broken and hurting.  Jesus approaches us in Word and Sacrament to mend, feed, nourish and offer solace.  Though each of us will disagree with each other about something, Jesus offers Himself to us in the form of Bread and Wine to invite His Real Presence to become real in those of us who receive Him.  Jesus does not come to us and ask who is for or against abortion, same-gender marriage, a democrat or a republican.   He comes to unite us one to another, in all our differences to experience God's unconditional and all-inclusive love.

We are often suspicious to believe in this experience of Jesus as the Bread of Life because of all the injustice and oppression in the world.  Jesus comes among us as the Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation to empower us to be the change we want to see in the world.  Where individuals become scapegoats for political and social campaigns, Jesus gives us the grace of God to embrace one another as part of that One Body.  We are given the grace to recognize in each other a Eucharistic vessel worth handling with great care, and wanting to preserve in the spaces within our hearts.

Jesus comes to us in the Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation, and asks us to discern how God the Holy Spirit may be calling each of us.  We are invited to commit ourselves again to Christ in prayer, so that the Spirit can call us to feed the hungry among us and to become the wine that turns sadness into joy.  As Christ is known to us in the breaking of the bread, so we are called to bread bread with one another.  As we break and share the bread, we listen to each others stories and enter into the life of Christ with each other.  We enter into the greatest gift of hospitality as we meet Jesus in them through that Bread that gives life and that Cup salvation. 

Perhaps Reginald Herber said it best in Hymn # 301 in The Hymnal 1982.

Bread of the world, in mercy broken.
Wine of the soul, in mercy shed,
by whom the words of life were spoken,
and in whose death our sins are dead:
look on the heart by sorrow broken,
look on the tears of sinners shed;
and be thy feast to us the token
that by thy grace our souls are fed.

Amen.


Prayers

Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your
Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without
your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Proper 13, The Book of Common Prayer, p. 232).

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.  (Prayer for the Church, The Book of Common Prayer, p.816).

 

Third Sunday After Pentecost: Listening From the Heart and the Mustard Tree

Today's Scripture Readings

1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 (NRSV)

Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.

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 20 (BCP., p.608)


2 Corinthians 5:6-17 (NRSV)

We are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord-- for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.  For 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!

Mark 4:26-34 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come."

He also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."

With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

Blog Reflection

I have written the words before.  They are such powerful words.  Yet, even after they have been read, written and/or heard; they still move people.  Well, here they are again.

"Listen, my son, to your master's precepts, and incline the ear of your heart. (Prologue of The Rule of St. Benedict).

God is so often trying to get our attention through life, through our relationships and experiences.  God seeks to speak with us from within the depths of our whole selves.  When we listen with the ears of our heart, we can enter into the laughter, tears, joys and fears of God through one another.  Most likely God is telling us through the ears of the heart of our stories that basically say,  "Hey, I am here.  I want you to know that I am here."

In their book, Radical Hospitality: Benedict's Way of Love, Second Edition, Lonni Collins Pratt and the late Fr. Daniel Homan, OSB tell us, 

"To Benedict, listening is not the same as intellectual comprehension.  Listening, as Benedict understood it, is a special kind of deep attentiveness to all of life.  Benedict understood that we can live in ways that either dull or sharpen this attentiveness.  Benedict's Rule is a guide to sharpening the ears of the heart." (Page 259).

To listen for God within the ears of the heart is about allowing them to be moved by God in such a way, that there is no analyzing or classifying.  All that is there is God loving us and calling us to love one another.

The Reading from 1 Samuel about Samuel anointed David, and God "knows what is in the heart" is the kind of listening that St. Benedict had in mind.  It is enough to allow ourselves to be open to hearing what God has to say to us through one another, and to respond to the presence of God with love and faith as we embrace each other.  When we listen, God does amazing things in our lives.  We can do more than hear of how people are affected by oppression and prejudice; we can actually experience what that is like from within the depths of ourselves and seek God's will to be part of the solution.

When we listen from the heart, the seed of God's word gets sown into us.  That seed can be very small, but as we listen and contemplate God's presence, that seed can grow in to something that becomes attractive to everyone and brings hope where it appears that hope is lost.  When we actually listen to peoples' stories and respond in love, God's word gets planted in new hearts for potential growth.

Just look at what happened in the mid 1970's when The Episcopal Church began opening up the small seed of inclusion for women to be ordained, and LGBTQ people to be recognized as holy people.   Though that tree has grown and been cut, and new branches added, it is something that many others look to for an example of how individuals can believe in the Gospel and live it in everyday life.  We now accept LGBT people as Bishops, Priests and Deacons, and we have a Rite to bless same-gender relationships.   In a couple of weeks, at General Convention, The Episcopal Church will once again gather to share our stories of why (or why not) we should take the next step and change the Canons in The Book of Common Prayer so that same-gender couples can be recognized as being married in the Church.  People will come with their stories about why the Canon should be changed, and why it should not be changed.  As difficult as it is with all of our hopes and emotions about the subject of marriage equality, we will need to listen deeply as people tell their stories and seek the Holy Spirit as to how The Episcopal Church should respond.  There will be those who will agree with what is decided, there will be those who will disagree.  In the end, the important thing is that we listen to each other tell their stories and remember we are responding to God's presence in them as to where the Spirit may be leading us.

As marriage equality has been becoming the law in many States, individuals have been telling us their stories about what it means to be able to marry the person they love with the full approval of their civil government.  We have also been listening as LGBTQ people continue to struggle with the issue of religion.  Yet, we have seen the Presbyterian Church USA decide that their same-gender couples will be married.  The Scottish Episcopal Church is beginning to study their Canons to see if they can make a change.  The Spirit seems to be moving, not only for the sake of marriage equality, but so that those who are telling their stories of what it is like to have their relationships on a second class status can finally feel that they have been heard.  The tree of an inclusive Episcopal Church, continues to grow, and that too is God speaking to the ears of our hearts so that the Reign of God expands and embraces all people.


Amen.


Prayers

Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast
faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim
your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with
compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now
and for ever. Amen.  (Proper 6.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.230).

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for the Human Family.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.815).

Seventh Sunday of Easter: Jesus Prays for Us

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 (NRSV)

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, "Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus-- for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry. So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us-- one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection." So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed and said, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place." And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

Psalm 1 (BCP., p.585)


1 John 5:9-13 (NRSV)

If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

John 17:6-19 (NRSV)

Looking up to heaven, Jesus prayed, "I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth."

Blog Reflection

Those who will be attending the 77th General Convention of The Episcopal Church might be feeling what those first Apostles did.  We have four very viable candidates to be elected as the next Presiding Bishop.  Whoever is elected to the task is the Primate for Episcopalians throughout this branch of the World Wide Anglican Communion.  There is a lot more on the plate for The Episcopal Church than just the election of the next Presiding Bishop.  Whoever is elected will be TEC's leader of the House of Bishops who helps guide us into the joys and struggles of what the General Convention decides with regards to any number of issues.  Let us all be in prayer for the Bishops and Delegates to the General Convention as they prepare for this important Convention.

As Christians, the other readings present us with some troubling words.  As Christians we profess our belief in Jesus as God's Son and the one who brings salvation to the world.  However, these many words present us with proclaiming the love of God through Jesus in a climate that still marginalizes other religions with their diverse beliefs and practices.  What we must take into account is that the writings of 1 John and this section of John's Gospel are written by Johannine communities.  The Gospel of John in particular represents a very highly intellectual view of Jesus as opposed to the narratives of the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.   It is strongly believed that there were three contributors to John's Gospel; one of whom could have been St. Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple of St. John the Evangelist.  Having written that, it is important to be careful about reading too much into what Jesus says during what we call The Last Supper Discourse with a literal, face value interpretation.  We must be very careful of what we call the "Jesus only" references, especially John 14:1-5.

We can interpret 1 John and the reading from John's Gospel today from a similar view point of last weeks readings.  Jesus is praying that Christians will go beyond what we see the world is about; and respond with a reverence and respect for the dignity of every human person.  Throughout the Gospels, Jesus gives to the Disciples and to all of us the means of how we can follow Jesus in word and example.  Jesus showed us how to welcome the stranger.  He was the example of how God values every human person so that no one is left on the fringes of society and/or the Church as if they do not matter.  Jesus loved those whom others considered unlovable and received them with radical hospitality with the intention of reconciliation.  Jesus not only told the Pharisees how to purge themselves of hypocrisy and relying on visible religious piety for the sake of being seen and celebrated; He taught all of us in our own hardness of heart.  In the reading from John, Jesus is praying with earnest desire that those He has shared the Goodness of God with, will be the outstanding example of what He taught them.   I truly believe that Jesus continues to pray that prayer for all of us.

I need this prayer as a Benedictine Novice as much as anyone else who follows Jesus.  I continue to be inspired by The Rule of St. Benedict, in particular Chapter 53 about receiving guests.  However, I have to confront within myself every day those attitudes and behaviors by which I am not open to welcoming Christ in others.  I can get so wound up in what is on the outside that I forget what real Benedictine hospitality is truly about.

Ultimately, hospitality is not about the table you set, or the driveway you plow. Hospitality is about the holiest of holies. It is about the heart you make ready. Yours. (Radical Hospitality: Benedict's Way of Love. Lonnie Collins Pratt and Fr. Daniel Homan, OSB p.169).

Whether our particular practice of hospitality is a ministry of receiving the countless individuals affected by racism, sexism, heterosexism, gender bias, the poor, the sick, the lonely, the Muslim, Jewish person or Atheist.  Jesus is praying for us to be protected from the blindness that keeps us from opening our hearts to His presence with reverence and respect for every human person.  Jesus did not leave us without God's help.  Jesus sent us the gift of the Holy Spirit which we will celebrate next Sunday on Pentecost.   When we allow the Holy Spirit to help us surrender ourselves to God's will, all of us can be an answer to the prayers of Jesus in our world.  God knows how much our world needs us to be the answer to those prayers.

Amen.


Prayers

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son
Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:
Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to
strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior
Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.  (Collect for the Seventh Sunday of Easter.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.226).

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. The Book of Common Prayer, p.823).

Second Sunday of Easter: Thank You Thomas

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 4:32-35 (NRSV)

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

Psalm 133 (BCP., p.787)


1 John 1:1-2:2 (NRSV)

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us-- we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

John 20:19-31 (NRSV)

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Blog Reflection

Imagine what a great world we would have if all of us lived like those first Christians in Acts 4:32-35.  Everything was truly held in common.  Those who had property sold it and gave the proceeds to those who needed it.  If such a community in the times in which these events occurred was not all that well received by the power structures then; they certainly are not a draw for popularity now.  Every politician and religious based organization would be put to shame.  Such is mostly the case now.  Is it any wonder why many see the Christian religion as a stage act full of soap box speeches?  

A Christian community such as what is described to us in Acts needs witnesses to the redemption of Christ.  It also requires those who profess a belief in the Incarnation and Paschal Mysteries to give evidence of what they believe in how they live.  How can we give evidence of what we believe those first Apostles saw if we ourselves have not seen Jesus alive after the resurrection? 

This is where Thomas comes in.  Speaking to the Soul: Touching Faith an article in The Episcopal Cafe says it well.

Lucky Thomas, he literally got hands-on proof to bolster his faith. We will have to wait a little longer for that awesome experience. Until that time, Jesus tells us we are blessed because we believe in what we do not see. But before we congratulate ourselves on a pious achievement, we should understand that our faith is entirely a gift from God. It is his grace infused in us, not a virtue generated by us. Our job is to cooperate with God’s grace… to nurture, protect and share it. That means our faith cannot be rationed, hoarded or hidden. Jesus did not go to the cross so that closet Christians could slink under the radar of an increasingly cynical, secular world.

In a world in which hospitality, reconciliation and healing are less appreciated unless their is a large sum of money is on the other end of achieving it; the experience of those first Apostles and especially Thomas seems like a long shot.  On the contrary, the opportunity to witness the power of Christ's resurrection and a faith like that of Thomas is in our neighbor next door, our co-worker, the transgender person just beaten when a guy found out his date has different organs that what she/he appears.  The Risen Christ comes and says, "peace be with you" to the communities all around the world wounded by racism, sexism and religious intolerance.  Those who are tired of the Christian religion being used as an excuse for this ridiculous  argument of "religious liberty" to exempt public services from serving LGBTQ people, Muslims, Jewish people and more; the Risen Christ invites you to come and put your hands in the holes in his hands, feet and side.  The Common English Bible for John 20:27b reads that Jesus told Thomas, "No more doubting!  Believe!"  Such is what the Risen Christ tells us know.

We are able to doubt and find faith, because Thomas was a skeptic.  He was not satisfied with just being told that Christ rose, he wanted to see it for himself.  He questioned faith, and he found faith.  Because of Thomas' courage, we who have not seen the Risen Christ as Thomas did are blessed when we believe without seeing.  We are empowered to be witnesses of the Resurrection as we embrace the disenfranchised, the oppressed and  those living with injustice; and respect the dignity of every human being.

Thank you Thomas!

Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

The Lord in risen indeed.  Alleluia!

Prayers

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery
established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all
who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body
may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday in Easter.  The Book of Common Prayer. p. 224).

 O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior,
the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the
great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away
all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us
from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body
and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith,
one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all
of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth
and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and
one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.  (Prayer for the Unity of the Church.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.818).

Fifth Sunday in Lent: Christ Lifted Up for All

Today's Scripture Readings

Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NRSV)

The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt-- a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

Psalm 51:1-13 (BCP., p.656)


Hebrews 5:5-10 (NRSV)

Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,

"You are my Son,

today I have begotten you";

as he says also in another place,

"You are a priest forever,

according to the order of Melchizedek."

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

John 12:20-33 (NRSV)

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

"Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say-- `Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

Blog Reflection

This past Thursday I was in the supermarket check out lane.  I was a bit late that day, and had finished my grocery shopping for the week.  I was really looking forward to checking out quickly and getting home.  Things seemed to be moving quite a bit slower than usual.  As I looked more closely at the cashier, I realized that things were moving a lot slower because she was moving very slowly.  It seemed to take her a longer time to count the change from the register, tear off a receipt and fold it.  I saw her eyes and they did look a bit dreary.  Perhaps she was not feeling particularly well that day.  It was difficult for me not to become a bit irritated by the slow pace of things, until I meditated just a bit on St. Benedict's admonition to regard the earth and all it's goods, including all people as the "sacred vessels of the altar." (RB 1980: Chapter 33). Once I began to remember that, I found myself admiring how carefully she was doing her job, irregardless of the attitudes of others around her.  I also found it a bit easier to be aware of the presence of God in the situation.  Whatever the reason the cashier was moving so slowly was really not important.  What is important is that whether it is easy or difficult, God's presence really is every where.  God's law of love is always being rewritten in our hearts as God makes God's presence known to us in those situations, people and places where it just seems that things just are not quite what we think they should be.  All God asks of us, is to take the time to seek union with God, with the God who has already found us.

Here we are on the fifth Sunday and Week of Lent.  Next weekend we start Holy Week and the journey towards Easter Day.  How has Lent been for you?   How have you drawn closer to God through prayer, alms-giving and self-denial?   Well, we still have at least two more weeks to go.  Make the best of it.

The overriding message of the readings for this Weekend's Eucharist is that God wants to enter our hearts renewed by Christ's redemption.  The renewal is ongoing and ever working.  Our biggest obstacle is ourselves.  Our Christian Faith teaches us that not only is it okay to step out of the way and let God help and guide us, it is necessary if we are to search for that union with God in the here and now to find our way forward.

As Christians, we believe that Jesus Christ was lifted up on the Cross to draw all people to himself.   Once again, our Gospel Reading presents us with a bit of a "Jesus only" picture.  As a Christian believer myself, I agree that Jesus is my only Savior and Lord.  I can sing those great evangelical Gospel like hymns that "Jesus saves" and believe it in my heart all I like.  However, the moment that I make it my business to judge the journeys of others by my own beliefs (and I know I have done plenty of this), I am as guilty of making Jesus into a business proposition to benefit my own ego as anyone else.  This is not evangelism.  This is religious zeal by coercion and self concern only.  Instead of keeping me sensitive to others, it makes me blind to the presence of God in the other.  Oh, Lord, have mercy on me.

As has become the tradition of this blog that I have been writing for the past six years, I must at this point in Lent condemn all forms of antisemitism.  There is so much prejudice and violence going on these days over religion.  Christianity by itself does not hold the monopoly on all religious and/or spiritual truth.  The awesomeness of our Faith is that we are one of many great Faiths around us, which includes our Jewish Sisters and Brothers.  No amount of justification for condemning Judaism and those who continue to worship Yahweh on the part of Christians is appropriate or to be condoned.  The Jews are not responsible for the death of Jesus.  Please, let's not continue with this insult to God and to other religions by promoting disrespect or violence towards other religious faiths, including those who chose to practice no religion at all.

Jesus in our Gospel today, welcomes those who came to Him, because He was about to do God's will in what must have been a very frightening time for Him.  Yet, He also knew that if He was going to over throw the powers of sin and death, and be the source of God's love in the world for those who believed in Him, that preparing for the reality of the Cross was going to be God's way of doing it.  Jesus would be lifted up to draw all people to Himself.  No amount of exclusion on any basis including but not limited to sexual orientation and/or gender expression/identity comes close to honoring what Jesus did for all of us.  Jesus who is the fulfillment for Christians of what it means to live with the law of God written in the heart with a renewed faith, was about to be the visible reality of the love of God that has no end.

As Christians who profess a Baptismal Covenant, we Episcopalians along with others are committed to recognizing and loving Christ in our neighbor, seeking justice and peace, and upholding their dignity.  It is a work we must recommit ourselves to not only at the Great Vigil of Easter now less than two weeks away, but every day of our lives.  Each encounter with that person that drives us crazy is the presence of God made as real as the Eucharist, and is to be cared for as such.

May we continue through our Lenten Journey to pray and work together to be the living example of Jesus being lifted up and drawing all people to Him through those of us who love Him so much.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly
wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to
love what you command and desire what you promise; that,
among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts
may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Collect for the Fifth Sunday in Lent.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.219).

Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this
land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as
their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to
eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those
who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law
and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of
us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Oppressed.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.826).

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost: The Seed, The Word, Our Prayer, Our Response

Today's Scripture Readings

Isaiah 13:10-13 (NRSV).

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

and do not return there until they have watered the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

For you shall go out in joy,

and be led back in peace;

the mountains and the hills before you

shall burst into song,

and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;

instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;

and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial,

for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Psalm 119: 105-112 (BCP., p. 772).


Romans 8:1-11 (NRSV)

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.  For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,  so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.  For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.  To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law-- indeed it cannot,  and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.   

But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.  But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Matthew 23:1-9, 18-23 (NRSV).

Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!"

"Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

Blog Reflection

This Sunday and next, the Revised Common Lectionary will present us with two texts from Matthew's Gospel that are about the word of God.  How the word is planted like a seed, and  how the followers of Christ respond to the word.  Jesus tells two parables to make his point.  Parables by which Jesus uses imagery common to the people of His time, to take them further into the meaning of what He is saying.

This week's Gospel and the corresponding Readings from the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament, cause me some nervousness.  The Bible has been used, abused and misused again and again to support many positions on behalf of Christians that are contrary to the message of Jesus Christ, who is Himself the Word of God.  There is a huge difference between what is written in the Scriptures themselves being the word of God, and Jesus Christ who is the Incarnate Word of God.  In addition, there is also a very real difference between using the Scriptures to edify believers, support theological positions and move people to an experience of conversion vs. using them as weapons of mass destruction to score points in a debate.   It is often my opinion, that both the conservative and more progressive Christians get into this trap.  In the end, all that is accomplished is Bible verse slinging.   The actual issue(s) are lost in the disagreement.

Among my many reasons I love The Episcopal Church and it's three legged stool approach to Scripture, is that we don't leave our brains at the door.   We also do not leave our faith open to the abuses of those who use the Bible recklessly just to defend a Church teaching or "just because it's in the Bible" mentality.   The God given gift of human reason and an honesty about what Church Tradition has brought us, are points made by many Biblical scholars and Priests within our Church.  Thanks be to God.

Today's parable is about reading the word and it becoming a life altering experience.  Jesus challenges us to allow the message of the word to reach into our hearts, and to call forth in us a response in our prayer and way of existing.   A true listener of the word of God, hears the word and allows her/his heart to be moved into a deeper relationship with God.  A relationship that responds to God's call in our lives, through our relationships with others.  A relationship through which prayer is the expressed direction of our lives, because it is a continuing conversation with God in thought, word and action.

Michael Casey in his book Toward God: The Ancient Wisdom of Western Prayer wrote: "To live in accord with the Gospel, we must bear its message in mind and heart--that is, live in mindfulness (page 79)."

St. Benedict admonished his monks in The Rule to devote a measure of time each day to the prayerful reading of Scripture referred to as Lectio Divina.   In the quote above by Michael Casey, he was writing about how our response to our prayerful reading of Scripture should be such that it's message becomes a way of life.  Because through the prayerful reading of the scriptures, the seed of the word goes deeper into our being, and calls in us a conversion of heart and life towards a greater holiness of living and serving others around us.

I often wonder if the issues that Christians tend to have with accepting diversity, and living out the full meaning of our Baptismal Covenant, comes from not letting the word go deeper into our hearts and souls. 

 If Christians did let the word go deeper, might we all speak more boldly concerning children who are deported back to their countries where more oppression and poverty keep them from their loving families?   

Might a deeper sense of the word in our hearts and lives move us to end the ongoing discrimination towards women in terms of contraception and reproductive health care options?    

If we listened more attentively to the Holy Spirit in the word of God, might we become more serious about doing something about the horrific violence by the means of guns that are becoming common place, every day occasions?

If the word really did make a difference in the lives of Christians, might the hateful rhetoric towards Native Americans, LGBT, Muslims and Atheists end, and a greater urgency for justice, inclusion and peace finally prevail?

The last point I want to write about is the necessity of allowing the word to become our prayer.   As human beings, we face moments of disappointment, grief, anger, resentment and even revenge.  It happens to us more often than we care to admit, that we don't bring these to our prayer because we are embarrassed, or think that God might zap us one if we pray to God in anger.   This kind of thinking is a real danger to the spiritual life.   It keeps things all bottled up, and does not allow us to grow through the experiences that happen to us.

Among the wonderful things about the Scriptures is that they can become our prayer.   In chapter 8 Models of Prayer, Michael Casey in the book I wrote about earlier, encourages using the Psalms and many of the Canticles from the Hebrew Scriptures to let all that is within us become part of our prayer to God.  The few examples Casey uses include the Old Testament Prophets who just let their anger and grief out are Jeremiah 20:7-18, the Canticle of Hezekiah in Isaiah 38 and of course the cry of Jesus on the Cross in Mark 15:34.   Only by letting God know what is in the depths of our being can we truly allow our Heavenly Father to heal us and bring us wholeness and mercy. 

Our God speaks to us in many ways.  God has planted the seed of faith within our hearts and souls, to respond to God's loving kindness with thanksgiving and holiness.   In Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, God has redeemed and empowered us to respond to God's invitation to prayer with a firm amendment of life and gifts for the ministry of hospitality, healing and reconciliation.    All of this is possible by the inspiration of the Scriptures, the Tradition of the Church and human reason that give growth to our spiritual selves.   All God wants from us is to "incline the ears of our hearts" so that God's love can be shared with us and others around us.

Amen.


Prayers

O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who
call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand
what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and
power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ
our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Proper 10, Book of Common Prayer, p.231).

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for
our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn,
and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever
hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have
given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 28, Book of Common Prayer, p.236).

Almighty God, kindle, we pray, in every heart the true love of
peace, and guide with your wisdom those who take counsel
for the nations of the earth, that in tranquillity your dominion
may increase until the earth is filled with the knowledge of your
love; 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 Peace, Book of Common Prayer, p.258).

Saint Benedict: Prefer Nothing Whatever to Christ

Today's Scripture Readings

Proverbs 2:1-9 (NRSV)

My child, if you accept my words

and treasure up my commandments within you,

making your ear attentive to wisdom

and inclining your heart to understanding;

if you indeed cry out for insight,

and raise your voice for understanding;

if you seek it like silver,

and search for it as for hidden treasures--

then you will understand the fear of the LORD

and find the knowledge of God.

For the LORD gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

he is a shield to those who walk blamelessly,

guarding the paths of justice

and preserving the way of his faithful ones.

Then you will understand righteousness and justice

and equity, every good path;

 
Psalm 119:129-136 (BCP., p.774)

Philippians 2:12-16 (NRSV)

Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labour in vain.

Luke 14:27-33 (NRSV)

Jesus said to the crowd, "Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, `This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions."

Blog Reflection

It is indeed a gift of God and a great privilege for me to celebrate the Commemoration of Saint Benedict as a second year Novice to the Companions of St. Luke/Order of St. Benedict.   I cannot put into words the wonderful gifts of grace that I have experienced in the twenty years that I have come to know more about the Patriarch of Western Monasticism   I am so thankful to God and all of my blog readers who support me by your faithful visits to this blog, and your prayers as I continue to discern God's call upon my life.

During this past winter, I was given probably the most powerful book yet to read by my Formation Master.   A book by Thomas Merton entitled The Rule of Saint Benedict: Initiation into the Monastic Tradition 4.    Thomas Merton is his usual "go to the soul of the matter" style breaks up the Rule of St. Benedict and takes the reader into three particular subjects from The Rule.   Obedience, Poverty (or better understood  by Benedictines as use of the things God gives us), and humility.    I won't go into depth about what Merton wrote concerning each, but I will write about a point that he made with regards to The Rule itself.

The purpose of the Rule is to furnish a framework within which to build the structure of a simple and pure spiritual live, pleasing to God by its perfection of faith, humility, and love.  The Rule is not an end in itself, but a means to an end, and it is always to be seen in relation to it's end.  This end is union with God in love, and every line of the Rule indicates that its various prescriptions are given to us to show us how to get rid of self-love and replace it by love of God (page 6).

There are many things that can be written on this Feast of Saint Benedict.  The Rule of St. Benedict, his decision to leave his families' wealth and fully funded education for the cave in Subiaco, the thwarted plot to kill him by poisonous wine by which the medal of St. Benedict is inspired and more.  I  would not be a good Novice if I did not mention Benedict's emphasis on silence, prayer and hospitality in this blog post.  All of these and more are important aspects of Benedict's life and Rule.  Yet, they are all means to an end.   Even today's Scripture Readings for Benedict's Feast Day, are trying to point us toward a culminating end.   The conclusion is found in verses 11 and 12 in Chapter 72 in The Rule of St. Benedict.

Let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ, and may he bring us all together to everlasting life.

In our prayer and work, including our work for justice, equality, inclusion and respecting the dignity of every human person; in our daily practice of Lectio Divina, praying the Daily Office and going to Sunday Eucharist; Benedict's focal point is for us to seek union with God, by which we prefer nothing whatever to Christ.   Christ present in one another, in the marginalized and oppressed, and in ourselves.   As Merton wrote, the Rule is a framework that guides us to live according to the Gospel which is to pick up our cross daily and follow Christ.   We are to prefer the love of Christ above all else, and to serve one another with the consciousness of God's presence in all people every where.    And should we fall short and mess up, we need not give in to despair.   "God's mercy endures forever" (Psalm 118).  And, Saint Benedict tells us "everyday we begin again." 

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty and everlasting God, your precepts are the wisdom of a loving Father: Give us grace, following the teaching and example of your servant Benedict, to walk with loving and willing hearts in the school of the Lord's service; let your ears be open to our prayers; and prosper with your blessing the work of our hands; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints, p. 457).

God our Father, you made St. Benedict an outstanding guide to teach us how to live in your service.  Grant that by preferring your love to everything else, we may walk in the way of your commandments.  Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.   (From the Roman Missal, 1985, p. 666).

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)