St. Aelred: The Patron Saint of LGBT People and Integrity

Today's Scripture Readings

Ruth 1: 15-18 (NRSV)

So she said, ‘See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.’ But Ruth said,
‘Do not press me to leave you
   or to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
   where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people,
   and your God my God.
Where you die, I will die—
   there will I be buried.
May the Lord do thus and so to me,
   and more as well,
if even death parts me from you!’
When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.

Philippians 2: 1-4 (NRSV)

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.

John 15: 9-17 (NRSV)

Jesus said,"As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another."

Blog Reflection

I have a very important message today for those who wonder if the Church should be welcoming and affirming of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and/or queer (LGBTQ) people.

Being LGBTQ is about love.

Being Christian is about love. 

Our sexual orientation albeit homosexual,bisexual, pansexual, metrosexual, heterosexual is about love.

Being a Priest, Bishop, Deacon, Religious, lay member/leader etc is about love.  Allowing the Church to be more inclusive of LGBTQ people in all of our Sacraments and Sacramental Rites is about love.

Aelred was one of three sons of Eilaf, priest of St Andrew's at Hexham and himself a son of Eilaf, treasurer of Durham.^[1] He was born in Hexham, Northumbria, in 1110.

Aelred spent several years at the court of King David I of Scotland, rising to the rank of Master of the Household before leaving the court at age twenty-four (in 1134) to enter the Cistercian abbey of Rievaulx in Yorkshire. He may have been partially educated by Lawrence of Durham, who sent him a hagiography of Saint Brigid.

Aelred became the abbot of a new house of his order at Revesby in Lincolnshire in 1142^[2] and in 1147, abbot of Rievaulx itself, where he spent the remainder of his life. Under his administration, the abbey is said to have grown to some hundred monks and four hundred lay brothers. He made annual visitations to Rievaulx's daughterhouses in England and Scotland and to the French abbeys of Cîteaux and Clairvaux.
Aelred wrote several influential books on spirituality, among them Speculum caritatis ("The Mirror of Charity", reportedly written at the request of Bernard of Clairvaux) and De spiritali amicitia ("On Spiritual Friendship"). He also wrote seven works of history, addressing two of them to Henry II of England, advising him how to be a good king and declaring him to be the true descendent of Anglo-Saxon kings. Until the twentieth century, Aelred was generally known as a historian rather than as a spiritual writer; for many centuries his most famous work was his Life of Saint Edward, King and Confessor.

Aelred's work, private letters, and his Life by Walter Daniel, another twelfth-century monk of Rievaulx, have led some writers to infer that he was homosexual. In writing to an anchoress in The Formation of Anchoresses, Aelred speaks of his youth as the time when she held on to her virtue and he lost his.^[3] Nevertheless, all of his works encourage virginity among the unmarried and chastity in marriage and widowhood and warn against any sexual activity outside of marriage; in all his works he treats of extra-marital sexual relationships as forbidden and condemns "unnatural relations" as a rejection of charity and the law of God. He criticized the absence of pastoral care for a young nun who experienced rape, pregnancy, beating, and a miraculous delivery in the Gilbertine community of Watton.

Aelred died on January 12, 1167, at Rievaulx. He is recorded as suffering from the stone (hence his patronage) and arthritis in his later years (Patrologia Latina 195). He is listed for January 12 in the Roman Martyrology and the calendars of various churches.  (Source: Wikipedia).

Walking With Integrity last year wrote the story of how St. Aelred became the Patron Saint of IntegrityUSA.

At the 1985 General Convention in Anaheim, CA, at the suggestion of Howard Galley, Integrity/New York, the Standing Liturgical Commission recommended Aelred, along with a number of others, for inclusion in Lesser Feasts and Fasts. When this resolution came before the House of Bishops, the preconversion Rt. Rev. John Shelby Spong informed the house that, according to John Boswell, Aelred of Rievaulx had been gay--implying this might disqualify his inclusion. With little discussion the House of Bishops approved the others on the list but sent Aelred back to the commission which sent him back to the House of Bishops where, in spite of his being gay, and with the bishops' full knowledge that he was, he was admitted to the calendar.

During the 1987 national convention of Integrity, in St. Louis, the following resolution was submitted by the Rev. Paul Woodrum and was passed: "Whereas the Episcopal Church USA meeting in General Convention in Anaheim, California, in 1985, with full knowledge, thanks to the vigilance of the bishop of Newark, of St. Aelred's homoerotic orientation, did approve for annual commemoration in her liturgical calendar the Feast of St. Aelred on 12 January and did provide propers for the same, Therefore be it resolved that Integrity Inc. place itself under the protection and patronage of St. Aelred of Rievaulx and, be it further resolved that Integrity, Inc. dedicate itself to regularly observe his feast, promote his veneration and seek before the heavenly throne of grace the support of his prayers on behalf of justice and acceptance for lesbians and gay men." 

St. Aelred was one who though he embraced a life of celibacy did not discourage other forms of physical love between monks in his own community.

Aelred allowed his monks to hold hands and give other expressions of friendship (Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 166).

Here in the 21st Century we understand that any physical relationship between consenting adults is a private matter between themselves and their Higher Power. 

I am writing this particular blog post on a day that means so much pain, sadness and anger among LGBT people.   The Canadian Prime Minister has dissolved thousands of same-sex marriages performed in Canada between couples who live in countries where they are not recognized.  The thousands of LGBT couples in the United States who went to Canada to be married there awoke this morning with the news that they are no longer married.  You can read the story of this move by the Canadian Prime Minister and the reaction of Dan Savage who's marriage in Canada has now ended here. 

Undoubtedly there are Christianist groups all over the United States who are celebrating this blow to equality for LGBT people.

The Scripture readings on this commemoration of St. Aelred remind us of how important love is to our vocation as Christians.  St. Paul tells us to have the mind of Christ who always put the needs of others a head of his own.   Even to the point of giving his own life on the Cross.   Jesus commands us in the Gospel to "Love one another as I have loved you."

The life vows of a Benedictine: Stability, Conversion of Life and Obedience are all about loving God, others and ourselves as the optional alternative Gospel reading from Mark 12: 28-34a says.  

Stability means offering ourselves to God as we are.  No masks on.  No pretenses.  No denying all that is strong and weak about us.  "The vow of stability" writes Esther de Waal in her book Living with Contradiction; An Introduction to the Spirituality of St. Benedict; "tells me that I must not run away from myself." (page 49).  By stability we mean anchoring everything about ourselves in God.

Conversion means allowing the God who invites me to not run away from myself, but ground everything about me in God; now I have to allow God to help me grow and "change".  This means that God takes me as I am, here and now and calls me to grow in my ability to love myself, my partner and others in a self sacrificing love. I am to take on the daily challenge of learning to accept others as much as I need to accept myself.  Loving myself and others is essential if I am going to live my life in a loving relationship with God.

Obedience, means that if I am going to achieve stability and allow God to help me experience conversion, I must be willing to listen to what God is calling me to do.  I must be willing to set aside all else I am doing and obey God's call to be obedient to what God is asking of me.  This means that I accept the struggle between my own will and the will of God.  If I am to experience growth in acceptance of myself and maintaining any kind of stability in God, while God calls me to conversion, I have to be willing to say yes to God's desire. 

If I accept God's will for my life as a gay man, then I must accept my sexual orientation, ground how I live it in the Gospel, the Rule of St. Benedict, and the Baptismal Covenant to serve others including my husband and many others in obedience to God's commandments.  If I make the attempt to change who I am, I am already being disobedient to God.

In St. Aelred we see an interesting dynamic about being LGBT and being someone who seeks God in our lives.  Instead of denying and trying to mask who we are, we are invited to be who we are and live it openly and honestly with God and others. 

We cannot find stability in God if we live in denial of our sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression. 

We will experience the most wonderful conversion when we allow ourselves to be loved as we are, and to love our spouses, friends, families, and communities in the way God created us to love.  God will show us how to put others needs before our own and find loves fulfillment and joy in serving others through the awesome gift of our sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression.  

When we face the reality of who we are and agree to serve others as God calls us, we are in fact obedient to God's voice in our lives and hearts. 

As we use our own experiences and tell our stories of how we learned to love ourselves and yet still fell in love with the God who created us and loves us as we are and by doing so help the reign of God to be established by working for the justice, peace, dignity, equality and inclusion of all marginalized persons including LGBT people, we are not only living the way of St. Benedict, we are also fulfilling the vows of our Baptismal Covenant.

The Baptismal Covenant, the Rule of St. Benedict, the life and patronage of St. Aelred, and the meaning of the Christian Life for LGSBT people is love. 

Let the inclusion and loving begun by our efforts continue.


Prayers

Almighty God, you endowed the abbot Aelred with the gift of Christian friendship and the wisdom to lead others in the way of holiness: Grant to your people that same spirit of mutual affection, that, in loving one another, we may know the love of Christ and rejoice in the gift of your eternal goodness; through the same Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.  (Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 167).

Pour into our hearts, O God, the Holy Spirit's gift of love, that we, clasping each the other's hand, may share the joy of friendship, human and divine, and with your servant Aelred draw many to your community of love; through Jesus Christ the Righteous, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.  (Prayer taken from Lesser Feasts and Fasts).

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, Book of Common Prayer, page 818). 

Proclaim Mercy and Love: Not Make Friends with Oppression

Today's Scripture Readings

Romans 12: 6-13 (NRSV)

We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Mark 10: 42-45 (NRSV)

Jesus called his disciples and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."

Blog Reflection

It's Monday.  The day after The First Sunday after the Epiphany: The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

I wasn't planning to write a blog post today.  I was not sure I would have anything valuable to contribute today. 

My anger and disappointment began today with the news that the Bishop of Rome has said that "Gay marriage threatens humanity."

No, Your Holiness.  The loving marriage between two people of the same sex does not threaten humanity.  Heterosexism based on ignorance that gives life to homophobia and keeping LGBT people as second class citizens because of religious based bigotry threatens humanity. 

I was further outraged when I read that the Archbishop of New York who has been selected to wear a red hat and become a Cardinal has bashed church rape victims.   It seems to me that cruelty and degradation are being rewarded with an honorary title. 

After I read that the Catholic League wrote that the molestation victims are "cry babies", I decided that I could not not write a blog post today. 

As I was thinking about these events and whether or not I should write a blog post today I was reflecting on John 12: 35.  "Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you."  This verse is used at the end of the third paragraph to the Prologue in the Rule of St. Benedict.  It is the paragraph that talks about getting up from sleep and learning about God's love for us by paying attention to what the Holy Spirit is saying to us.   St. Benedict reminds us "not harden our hearts" which we pray from Psalm 95 every morning in the Daily Office. 

Then I am brought to today's commemoration of Julia Chester Emery.  A woman who devoted herself to the missionary work of the Episcopal Church who helped begin the United Thank Offering.  The work of Julia Chester Emery was to bring the good news of God's mercy and love to the wider hurting world and call upon the Episcopal Church to become actively involved in that missionary work.

Jesus tells us not to lord ourselves over people, but to be in a constant attitude of the willingness to serve others.  Jesus is the greatest example of humility as he gives of himself and all that God is in him in service by giving himself as a ransom for many.  Jesus is telling the disciples that if they want to be anyone of greatness, they have to be willing to help heal the wounds brought about by the misuse of authoritative power and wealth. 

Through today's news we are seeing the misuse of church authority.  When religious power is used to over lord bigotry the results are destructive.  

St. Paul today encourages us to "Let love be genuine" by "contributing to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to the strangers."  

Love is genuine when people like Julia Chester Emery a woman in an age when women are no where near as accepted as they are today is patient in her suffering, but persistent in prayer; works to alleviate the suffering of others all over the world.   Her work continues to bear fruit as year after year Episcopalians all over contribute to the United Thank Offering to continue Emery's work of alleviating the poor and others in need.

As LGBT individuals we are angered and wounded by what we are hearing in the news these days.  We would do well to use our outrage and the cuts we feel to become part of the solution. Just because the religious minded individuals who have said and written the news we are hearing today choose to "follow the advice of the wicked" (see Psalm 1) does not mean we should follow their example.  We should do the good things the Christian Faith calls humankind to do.  Let us make our love genuine and serve the needs of others.  May we outdo one another in showing mutual affection, rejoicing in hope and being patient in suffering.  May we follow the example of Julia Chester Emery in proclaiming God's mercy and love and not make friends with oppression.

May we take the lesson and canticle in Philippians 2: 5-11 from the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus and make it our prayer and desire.

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
   did not regard equality with God
   as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
   taking the form of a slave,
   being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
   he humbled himself
   and became obedient to the point of death—
   even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him
   and gave him the name
   that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
   every knee should bend,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
   that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father.

Prayers

God of all creation, you call us in Christ to make disciples of all nations and to proclaim your mercy and love: Grant that we, after the example of your servant Julia Chester Emery, may have vision and courage in proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our light and our salvation, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 163).


Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River
Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him
with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his
Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly
confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy
Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, page 214).

Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name
of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart,
we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our
Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, page 213).

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. (Book of Common Prayer, page 815). 

The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ: We Are God's Beloved

Today's Scripture Readings

Genesis 1: 1-5 (NRSV)

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Mark 1: 4-11 (NRSV)

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."  

Blog Reflection

What will it take to get Christians to consider what it takes to be authentic?

As I hear the small tidbits of news about the Republican debate in New Hampshire, I am most disturbed by the news that there was an all out attack on LGBT people in the debate exchange.  I am equally concerned that the State of New Hampshire is considering a bill to repeal marriage equality there. 

This whole past year as the debates have unfolded, we have heard rousing cheers at the thought that we just might have to let an unemployed sick person die because they have no health insurance.  "Sometimes that's just how life is" replied one of the candidates.

When Christians become too comfortable with being uncharitable and empathetic towards those who are less fortunate and underprivileged, the Gospel of Jesus Christ becomes a dead story.   No wonder Bibles get so dusty.

Last year after Creating Change 2011 I chose the description of this blog.  I wanted to connect us to our Baptismal Covenant that we renew on this Baptism of Christ.  I wanted us to think about the last request about striving for justice and peace and respecting the dignity of every human person.  It is so interesting how the word "every" becomes "not you."

While I cannot explain how God reveals God's Self in Christ what I can say with conviction is that I believe it.  I also believe that in the very Person of Jesus Christ is all of humankind interacting with us and God in both prayer and community.  What Christians need to understand is that every human person is represented in the Divine God head and the humanity of Jesus the Christ.  There is no such thing to God as a worthless and unloved person.  Humans and Christians might make it appear that God plays favorites.  That is far from how God sees things.

When Jesus comes to John the Baptist to be baptized, Matthew's Gospel tells us that John said: "It is I who need baptism from you."  John recognizes that standing before him is the one he prophesied about.  Yet, Jesus in his humility recognizes his responsibility to fulfill what God requires of him and that is to be baptized as one who is like all humankind.  In Matthew's Gospel and in Mark, Jesus emerges from the waters of his baptism with the words: "Behold, my beloved in whom I am well pleased."

We are God's beloved and with us God is well pleased.  I have been writing that every year on this Baptism of the Lord and I will continue to write it.  It has to sink in that all of us are God's beloved and with us God is well pleased. 

All of us are broken. Wounded. Marginalized in one way or another.  We all miss the mark and do not quite get it.  On this day everything we are and are not is recognized by God through our Baptism into Christ.  Everything about us both good and not so good is so important to God.  God sees in us God's beloved with whom God is well pleased.

In his letter to the Galatians Paul wrote:

As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is no Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3: 27.28 NRSV).

Does this knowledge of our being beloved of God give us any right or privilege to look down on anyone else who is not quite like us?  No.  Jesus who is God's Incarnate Word through whom all things were made (see John 1: 2,3), humbled himself rather than sought equality with God (see Philippians 2: 5-11).  Jesus saw the beauty and wonder of God's creation in the hearts and souls of all who came to him.

There is no justification for taking away the marriage equality of LGBT people, nor seeking to pass constitutional amendments. 

There is no excuse for being happy about someone dying because they cannot afford health care. 

There is no righteousness in targeting Muslims and Jews and other religions or those who are of no religion at all. 

There is no witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in taking away a woman's options for reproductive health care.

If all of us could only stop for a brief period and remember that all of us are God's beloved with whom God is well pleased; perhaps we would respect and take care of one another better than we do.  The dead Gospel would truly come alive in the world if Christians were to make justice and equality for all people the purpose and mission of our prayers and life.   All of us are connected to each other in God's beloved with whom God is well pleased.  As each of us are God's beloved with whom God is well pleased, so are those without equality, justice and full inclusion in the Church and society.


Prayers

Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River
Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him
with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his
Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly
confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy
Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, page 214).

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, Book of Common Prayer, page 818).

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so
move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the
people of this land], that barriers which divide us may
crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our
divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice, Book of Common Prayer, page 823).  

The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Leaving the Manger to Heal Broken Relationships

Scripture Readings

Isaiah 60: 1-6 (NRSV)
  

Arise, shine; for your light has come,

and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

For darkness shall cover the earth,

and thick darkness the peoples;

but the LORD will arise upon you,

and his glory will appear over you.

Nations shall come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look around;

they all gather together, they come to you;

your sons shall come from far away,

and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms.

Then you shall see and be radiant;

your heart shall thrill and rejoice,

because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,

the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

A multitude of camels shall cover you,

the young camels of Midian and Ephah;

all those from Sheba shall come.

They shall bring gold and frankincense,

and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.

Psalm 72 (Book of Common Prayer, page 685)

1

Give the King your justice, O God, *
and your righteousness to the King's Son;

2

That he may rule your people righteously *
and the poor with justice;

3

That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *
and the little hills bring righteousness.

4

He shall defend the needy among the people; *
he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.

5

He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, *
from one generation to another.

6

He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, *
like showers that water the earth.

7

In his time shall the righteous flourish; *
there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more.

10

The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, *
and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.

11

All kings shall bow down before him, *
and all the nations do him service.

12

For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, *
and the oppressed who has no helper.

13

He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; *
he shall preserve the lives of the needy.

14

He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, *
and dear shall their blood be in his sight.

Matthew 2: 1-12 (NRSV)

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

`And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Blog Reflection

Esther de Waal in her book: "Living with Contradiction: An Introduction to Benedictine Spirituality" she writes:

Our God, the God of love, does not want a broken and divided self.  He created us for fullness of life. He created each of us to be a free son or daughter, that son or daughter whom in our deepest being each of us longs to be, to become.  And we all know in our heart of hearts (even if we are unwilling to admit it) that this healing of our divisions, this search for wholeness, must be an ongoing process. There is no once and for all moment when we can say that at last we are whole, the past is buried and over, the hurts forgotten, the wounds healed.  Instead we find that it is a search that we  must expect to be continued throughout our lives (pages 11-12).

The Christian life, in fact all of human life is forever in a tension of contradictions.  Hot and cold.  Dry and wet.  Up and down.  Left and right.  Time and eternity.  Life and death.  Same and different.  Already, but not yet.  Fast and slow.  Love and hate.  Healed and broken.

The reality is that in this world there will always be those things we understand and do not make sense.  That is how life is.  The tension between what actually is; and has yet to be is constant.  No place is this more true than the relationship between God and humankind.  The God who is holy and merciful becomes human in Jesus Christ to heal a broken humanity.  Though Christ came and died for sins and rose again, sin and death still remain.

The Epiphany (revelation) of God in Jesus is a reminder that God has come to be with us in those tensions.  God's presence and grace came then, and is still with us in the Holy Spirit.  God's perfect revelation was manifested in the Person of Jesus, and the actions of one who is both God and human interacting with all humankind in one place to be found in many locations.

The arrival of the Magi to offer the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh are a reflection of Jesus' three fold life as king, priest and prophet.  At the same time, they reflect a servant, a Savior and One who's message of here and now; still has a future fulfillment.  The best has already been.  The very best is yet to come.

In Christ's Baptism the innocent man who never sinned, purifies the water by his humility to be there in the place of one who is most in need of repentance.   This part of our Epiphany celebration prefigures the death Jesus will die on the Cross as the spotless lamb who is slaughtered as a common criminal.

Jesus' first miracle at Cana shows how something as simple as water can become the sweetest and best tasting wine in John 2: 1-12.   The death of Jesus Christ that is so bitter and horrible, turns out to be the way to eternal life in the resurrection.

The manifestation of God to heal relationships will not happen without Jesus being in the middle of the brokenness of humankind. We must accept face the reality that we are so broken and wounded for us to seek healing and wholeness. We cannot find that healing on our own. We must look to the example of the life Jesus lived. We must witness his healing of those who are sick, vulnerable and on the margins of society and religion.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer (LGBTQ) people are constantly living in the midst of that tension of life.  In the story of creation, the Scriptures might read that God created male and female to be united in body and mind to be one.  However, the reality of our sexuality and identity says that we do not function quite that way.  Supposedly, our sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression is chosen; a consequence of original sin.  Yet, when we try to change and run from the reality of who we are; the more miserable we become.  It is only when we accept ourselves as we are and settle the question between God, others and ourselves that we are able to find some true and redemptive peace. That something that is not suppose to be; is exactly what it is and there is no changing of how things are. Christianists and those continue to use our religion and the Scriptures to condemn us as if God is as prejudiced as they are.  Yet, our experience is one that when we are honest with God within the quietness of our own hearts and minds what we find that God loves us as we are.  God comes to us to heal that broken relationship between who Christianists say we are vs the reality of who God has created us to be.

LGBTQ people are an Epiphany of Christ in our modern times.  We are the change in the tension of those who want things to remain the same.  We are the call to acceptance that contradicts those who want to reject us.  We are the one's loved and cherished by God, our friends and families amidst constant messages of hate and degradation.   We are the ones settled about God's love for us while those who cannot settle problems of their own insist on creating chaos.

The marginalized of the Church and society are the one's who remind humankind that gifts do not always come neatly packaged.  Those who make us and others uncomfortable with our being so comfy, cause us to notice different things beyond ourselves.  When life stinks for others, we have the opportunity to be the best deodorizer with the sweetest of fragrance. Unconditional and all inclusive love can heal while hate continues to destroy.

If we are going to walk with the Magi and "go to our homes on a different road" from the Manger, we must be willing to walk with Jesus as he walks with us.  The new road should be one that we should want to travel as people who are being transformed by God's healing and abundant mercy.  Those broken relationships will always be there for us to work on.  There will be days we work on them better than others.  Sometimes we will be like the Pharisees who want to accuse the healer of creating a new problem.  Sometimes we will be the one who needs Jesus to heal us.  Other times, we will be called to walk the way towards Jerusalem to join Jesus on the Cross and experience resurrection with him. 

Are we ready to leave the Manger and begin to witness God's Epiphany of Jesus to us and all humankind?


Prayers

O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son
to the Peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by
faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to
face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen. (Epiphany, Book of Common Prayer, page 214).

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, Book of Common Prayer, page 815).

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to
be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is
in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen.  (Prayer attributed to St. Francis, Book of Common Prayer, page 833). 

 

Twelfth Day of Christmas: Love in Truth and Action

Today's Scripture Readings

1 John 3: 11-18 (NRSV)

For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action

John 1: 43-51 (NRSV)

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’ And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’ 

Blog Reflection

On this last day of the Christmas Season in our Liturgical calendar the Lectionary brings us to the purpose of God coming to us in the Incarnate Word.  Jesus Christ came to help heal those broken relationships by commanding us to loving one another and encouraging one another to believe and act on our Faith.

As I stated on December 27th the Holy Day and Commemoration of my Oblate name sake John; I find his writings to be oh so full of things to chew on.   There is both depth and simplicity.  The Gospel and the three letters according to John the Apostle and Evangelist ask us to think about who Jesus was and how we should respond to God's gift of God's perfect revelation.

Christians have positively and negatively responded to the Biblical writings attributed to John.  The unmistakable proclamation of what Christians are to believe and think with regards to Jesus Christ have also led to some of the worst religious discrimination and spiritual violence.  What is central to Christians by the Gospel and writings according to John, have also become the unfortunate weapons of choice when Christians decide to act contrary to the heart of our Lord and Savior.  

John reminds us to learn to see every person that we encounter as our brother and sister.  Those who translated what they understood John to say were dealing with the backlash of the Jewish religion and their people who were protesting and rejecting the newly forming Christian Church.  In response to that backlash came the unfortunate and inappropriate use of religious exceptionalism that Christians were claiming made them resort to a great deal of anti Semitism that suggested that if Jews did not supercede into Christianity they were not able to gain salvation.  

As I read 1 John 3: 11-18 I hear a real plea to not become a people who murder our neighbors because of our evil deeds.  I would include that our attitudes which can breed violence in our hearts and minds towards others who are different than ourselves are also from the evil one.  John encourages us to love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.

As soon as I read that, I am immediately reminded of what we call "Minnesota nice."  People are often quite "nice" in their words and speech to your face, but the truth of that all too often comes out in the action of complaining behind one's back to someone else. 

Additionally, I remember the phrase: "We do not hate homosexuals, but we do not think they should have their equal rights either."  These words and speeches have often been given by Christianist groups working against marriage equality for LGBT people during and after they have succeeded.  Their actions during the campaign have been extremely violent. The cruel rhetoric about LGBT people in the attack ads that breed fear about the "dangers of same-sex marriage to children and the sanctity of marriage" are not only damaging, but completely false.   It is pretty hard for the LGBT communities to believe some anti-equality hate group saying that they "love us" while using false information to create more fear and violence around a people who are already marginalized by the Church and society.   It does appear to be "kicking the sick and wounded, when they are already vomiting and bleeding." 

In the Gospel we see Philip the Apostle questioning if there can be anything good to come from Nazareth.  Philip obviously has a stereotype attached to those who come from Nazareth.  Jesus does not qualify his question with a "well of course there is".   Jesus invites the skeptic Philip to "come and see" for himself    He invites those he encounters to do more than just pay attention to only what they know and/or see, but to come and witness the great things God can do beyond their limited ideas and understandings.

The Incarnate Word invites us on this last day of Christmas to venture forth with him to see God's revelation (manifestation, Epiphany) through Jesus Christ.  We will learn that God's love for all  humanity in Christ is not just for a selected few, but for all who wish to find salvation through the unconditional and all inclusive love and grace of God.  Everyone who knows marginalization and separation are invited to find God through the means that they find best to approach this mystery.

Christians will not make God's revelation of Christ known if we do not learn that our differences are not barriers to God's interaction with all human kind. Christianists with prejudice in their hearts place those barriers there. God's prejudices are not their prejudices.  The ignorance about people different from ourselves that gives life to fear, which tends to lead society towards violence and often death is not ordained by God, nor is it God's will.  Those who claim to be protecting what is God's by using political maneuvering to get people who do not share their opinions out of the way; such as those planning the meeting in Texas to decide which Christianist should be promoted to the Presidency and which should not be; is hardly a move that shows the love of God towards others in truth and action.   

When Christians learn and act by showing the most radical hospitality and reconciliation towards all people, reverencing Christ's presence in everyone, then God is truly revealing God's Self to others through us.   St. Benedict begins chapter 53: The Reception of Guests with: 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).

May this truly be part of our prayer and work to heal broken relationships in 2012.


Prayers

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully
restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may
share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share
our humanity, you Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns
with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen. (Second Sunday after Christmas, Book of Common Prayer, page 214).

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, Book of Common Prayer, page 815).

Gracious Father, we pray for they holy Catholic Church. Fill it
with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt,
purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is
amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in
want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake
of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen. (Prayer for the Church, Book of Common Prayer, page 816).

 
 

Tenth Day of Christmas: The Importance of Periods of Silence

Today's Readings

1 Kings 19: 9-18 (NRSV)

At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’

He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.’  

John 6: 15-27 (NRSV)

When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going. 

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the lake saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd 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 lake, 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.’ 

Blog Reflection

The holiday season of Christmas and New Year's seems so very loud.  All the shopping.  Cooking.  Wrapping.  Holiday muzac.  The annual New Year's eve parties.  The phone calls, cards, letters, and endless things to do. 

The Liturgical preparations and celebrations can also have their challenges to silence.  There are the decorations for the church.  The choral rehearsals.  The sermon preparation.  The unexpected cypher in the organ.  The lector who showed up for Christmas mass drunk.  The one day a year church goer who can't keep their mouths shut during the services.

All of these things go by us with the usual noise of the computers, telephones, cell phones, television and radio.  The Iowa Caucuses have taken center stage in all the news programs this year.  Can we please get a momentary break?

I am no expert in keeping quiet.  My mind buzzes all day long.  I usually have something that distracts me from the important things in life.  This blog and these Scriptures are for me as much as for anyone else.

Among my many interests in the Rule of St. Benedict; here are the two that I would like to focus on for today.

The very first word in the Rule is the most important. Listen (Prologue, 1).  The second focus is; silence which is based on chapter 6 of the Rule.

We cannot listen if we do not take the time to be silent. Our silence no matter how devout bears no fruit if we are not listening.

St. Benedict begins chapter 6 of  the Rule by quoting Psalm 29: 1.  "I said, "I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue".   What I like about Psalm 29 is what is not included in the Rule, yet I think the next few verses are important here.  "I will keep a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence,"  I was silent and still; I held my peace to no avail; my distress grew worse, my heart became hot within me." Verses 1-3a.

These verses speak to an unfortunate reality that can happen when we chose to be quiet.  Our hearts are still restless.  There is no peace there.  At least not yet.

In the reading from Kings we see the Prophet Elijah in a situation not too unfamiliar.   His enemies within the King and Queen are seeking to kill him.  He has escaped to a place where he is all alone.  He actually wanted God to take his life before his enemies did.  God sent an angel ahead to offer food and drink to the Prophet.  After, Elijah with God's prompting tells God what is troubling him.  God tells Elijah to go to the mountain and God will come and speak with him.  Many things happen around Elijah as he waits for God.  Yet, God is not in the earthquake, the wind or the fire.  God is present in a silence so deep that it is almost piercing.

God speaks to us in the silence of our hearts when we stop and take time to listen. 

This means turning off the computer.  Clicking the off button to the remote control and literally putting it on the other side of the room if necessary.  Switch the cell phone to silent and leave it in another room.    Find a place where you can be quiet with very little; if any possibility of being disturbed.  Just be quiet.  Listen to your heart and your breathing.  Enter into a period where you detach yourself from everything you are thinking about.  And just listen to God speaking in the silence of your heart.  When you feel something coming into your heart, let God speak to you about what is there.  If it is painful, cry and let God be with you as you grieve.  Let God be the compassionate Savior.

As activists for LGBT inclusion and equality in the Church and society, this is most important.  Without some time to be quiet and listen to God all of the negativity and noise of rejection and injustice will harden our hearts to the movement of God's Holy Spirit with in us.  We can find ourselves being torn apart by the mixed messages of God loves us as we are, but Christianists and others are out to define us as second class citizens.

The reality is that God does not see us as second class citizens.  God sees us as God's holy people. God desires to bring us salvation and the healing of those broken relationships that need God's mercy to be made whole.  We cannot do the work of healing, unless we take time to allow God to heal us from within.  We cannot achieve justice and equality for ourselves and others, if we do not take time to be alone with the God who sees us as equal to all who call upon the Name of the Lord. 

Jesus also knew that he had to take time to be alone and pray.  Once he took the time to do that, he could walk on the water in the midst of the storm and claim himself to be the Bread of Life for those who hunger for the Goodness of God.

The Christmas Season still has two and half more days to go.  There is still time to sit and be quiet and listen to the peace, love and joy that the Christ Child brings to those who will take time to be with him. 

In this silence you just might hear the words from "Praying with Benedict" by Katherine Howard speaking to your soul.

"I know you; I love you as you are.  I will be your strength and consolation.  My mercy, not your own strength, will save you." (Page 107).

Prayers

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully
restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may
share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share
our humanity, you Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns
with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen. (Second Sunday after Christmas, Book of Common Prayer, page 214).

O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and
rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be
our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray you,
to your presence, where we may be still and know that you are 
God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for Quiet Confidence, Book of Common Prayer, page 832).

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to
be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is
in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen. (Prayer attributed to St. Francis, Book of Common Prayer, page 833).

 

The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ: In 2012 May that Name Be Used to Heal; Not Wound.

Scripture Readings

Numbers 6:22-27 (NRSV)

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them,

The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;

the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them. 

Philippians 2:5-11 (NRSV)

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

as something to be exploited,

but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death--

even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Luke 2:15-21 (NRSV)

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Blog Reflection

The Feast of the Holy Name brings a mixed emotions for me. 

Ever since I fell in love with the Name of Jesus Christ I have never been the same.  That Name for me is comforting when I am a nervous wreck.  The Name of Jesus Christ for me means that the forces of darkness and evil in this world do not have the last word.  Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.  I believe that I will have everlasting life some day, because of Jesus Christ. I believe that when I receive Holy Communion I am receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the Bread and Wine.  I believe that Jesus Christ can and does forgive me when I sin forget to put God's will before my own. 

Yet, this Holy Day also carries with it some painful memories.  Throughout my time of being a conservative Christian; I remember how that Name was and still is used by fundamentalist and evangelical Protestant Christians to rebuke people who do not conform to their ideologies.  The Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians use the Name of Jesus Christ to perform their exorcisms, based on their emotional experiences and understandings of the Holy Spirit.  I once heard about a Pentecostal evangelist who brought forward a young 10 year old girl.  He attempted to use the Name of Jesus Christ to command this girl to speak in tongues.  He eventually got pretty violent.  I also remember many of the contemporary Maranatha songs for worship that romanticize the Name of Jesus Christ and so forth.

I am sure all of us have heard the Commandment in Exodus 20: 7

You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who missuses his name.

The Commandment has otherwise been referred to as "taking the LORD'S Name in vain."

The common interpretation is that if you accidentally hit your finger with a hammer while using it and you scream out the Name of Jesus Christ or better yet God dammed, that you have taken the Lord's Name in vain.  Aside from the accidental use of the words in the scenario I have just mentioned, there are those who use those words very loosely in conversations with other family members and friends.  I have heard endless complaints by many fundamentalists and conservative Christians/Catholics etc who talk about people swearing and using vulgar language.  As with most things like this, I have come to the conclusion that the people who complain most about others swearing and the like; are often doing it to avoid not having to pay attention to their own weaknesses in these and many other areas.  There is a little hypocrisy in all of us.

My husband Jason on various occasions has said that he feels that when Christianists and others use the Name of Jesus Christ to defend callous and violent attitudes and behaviors towards LGBT people and others, it is also a wrongful use of the Name.  I think Jason is on to something there.

Just think about it. 

Every time the Name of Jesus Christ is used as a reason to exclude someone from the Church or violate another person's sacred worth, we are misusing his Name. 

When ever we say that the Christian religion is why we should target Muslims, Hindus or Atheists, we are defaming the Name of Jesus Christ. 

The Name of Jesus Christ is used over and over again to defend cruelty and oppression such as the Uganda Bill that would execute or put in prison known lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender people. 

The Name of Jesus Christ is used in this country as a reason why LGBT people should be denied our rights to marriage equality, protection from discrimination in the work place, hate crime violence, financial and/or public assistance and/or housing. 

The Name of Jesus Christ is used to defend the use of ex-gay or reparative therapy to change one's sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression through the means of psychological, spiritual and social abuse.  

Jesus Christ's Name has been used to deny the rights of women, defend racism, deny health care and defend tax breaks for the wealthy, while middle class America continues to lose every hope for prosperity.. 

Our Christian Faith tells us that God perfectly revealed God's Self in the Person and Name of Jesus Christ.  The Name of Jesus actually means Joshua, which means "Savior."  Jesus came in the midst of our poverty and messiness as a helpless child.  Jesus spent his life reaching out to the marginalized, the sick, the poor, the widow and even the dead to give them a new life here on earth as well as in eternity.  Jesus praised the eunuch's, the homosexuals of this time (see Matthew 19: 10-12).  Jesus healed the Roman Centurions male sex slave (see Matthew 8: 5-13).  Jesus warned the arrogant and the self righteous.  The only time Jesus really uses the word hell is towards those who think they are above all simply because they follow the rules. 

My prayer for 2012 is that Christians will make a heartfelt effort to use of the Name of Jesus Christ to heal; not to wound.  I pray that Christians may understand that the Name of Jesus Christ is not a supercession of all other religions and philosophies, but that the life of the Name of Jesus Christ is about love and inclusion.  I pray that the Name of Jesus Christ will give us every reason to embrace others who are different; instead of being every excuse to exclude.  I pray that in 2012 Christians will proclaim that Jesus Christ is alive by our desire to be authentic in our relationships with God, others and ourselves.

St. Benedict wrote his Rule for beginners.  It means that every day; even after a day where we failed miserably to proclaim the Name of Jesus Christ; we get up and we begin again.  This is also why year after year, God gives us the 1st of January.  A New Year to begin again.

Amen.


Prayers

Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name
of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart,
we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our
Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.  (Collect for the Feast of the Holy Name, Book of Common Prayer, page 213).

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully
restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may
share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our
humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Prayer of the Incarnation, Book of Common Prayer, page 252).

Gracious Father, we pray for they holy Catholic Church. Fill it
with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt,
purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is
amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in
want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake
of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen. (Prayer for the Church, Book of Common Prayer, page 816).

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to
be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is
in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen. (Prayer Attributed to St. Francis, Book of Common Prayer, page 833).