Gospel text for Sunday 18 December 2022

 Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”

which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Reflection        Of what are you afraid? Being censured for living in accord with your conscience? Being convicted for challenging the status quo? Being condemned for speaking the unspeakable? loving the unlovable?

The angel said to Joseph, “Do not be afraid…”  Do not be afraid to do what is right even though it puts you crosswise with social, cultural and religious laws and order. Do not be afraid to protect and cherish a pregnant teenager and raise her son as a Holy gift of God. “Do not be afraid.” The angel’s counsel rings through the years to awaken our ears.

Of what are you afraid? Being censured for living in accord with your conscience? Being convicted for challenging the status quo? Being condemned for speaking the unspeakable? loving the unlovable?

Fear is formidable. When bound by trembling, trepidation or timidity  there is no possibility for light, life and love to enter and take root in us. But, when we choose to live without fear we are the fertile ground in which the seed of Holiness is planted, gestates, is born and raised. This I believe is the heart of the story of the ill conceived birth of Jesus to Mary and Joseph. 

What will it take for us to awaken from the dream that by refusing risk or responsibility we can escape the rough and tumble stumbles of life? What will it take for us to consent to Holiness born in and of, with and through us? The answer is simple. Living without fear.

Living without fear; new light penetrates even our darkest darkness, love replaces faint heartedness and Holiness is born of us. And yes, the birth of Holiness costs our whole lives.

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Luke 17:11-19        On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Reflection There is an uncharted strangeness to borderlands. They hide and hold the fractious edge between native and other. When contrasting customs, language and beliefs collide, folks on both sides feel vulnerable and strive for protection by building walls both real and in our hearts. The problem is, no matter how ominous our walls, we still feel vulnerable. 

Therein lies the conundrum. For as long as we look through jaundiced eyes and hardened hearts we will be contemptuous of ‘those people,’ the in crowd, the out crowd, brown, black or white, for as long as we hold to us and them distinction we will feel vulnerable because we are fracturing what is meant to be one, whole and holy humanity. 

When Jesus arrives at “a (borderland) village, and, keeping the prescribed distance, ten lepers approach him, asking for mercy,”  he does not ask for their passports, “Are you a Jew or a Gentile?” He does not try to figure out who has leprosy and who has a minor skin rash. Jesus looks at them (and here I believe “look” means more than seeing the condition of their skin or physical appearance), Jesus really looks at them and sees their humanity.  Jesus sees people of God who have been separated from their communities and God. (It is helpful to remember that, unlike today, two thousand years ago people did not have a personal, private relationship with God. God was present with people in community which means, if you are cast out of your community you are separated from God.) Therefore healing means being restored to your place in the community with God. 

“God is with and for all people, regardless of which side of the border they live,” because people are not defined by geography, ethnicity, religion or disease. People find their identity in relationship with God therefore, all people are one and all deserve mercy.

Walking in the borderlands, the in between places, Jesus affirms the humanity of outcasts. As a devout Jew Jesus  knows the Hebrew scripture and acts precisely as  prescribed in the fourth book of the Torah, Leviticus. “ When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a leprous disease on the skin of his body, he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests. The priest shall examine the disease on the skin of his body…” (Lev 13.2-3) and determine whether or not the person may be received back in the community, worthy of being in the presence of God.  

Following accepted religious practice Jesus sends the ten lepers to the priests who will examine them to determine who is in and who is out. But, something more is going on in this parable. As soon as the ten lepers accept Jesus’ instruction to “Go and show (themselves) to the priests,” they are “made clean,” fit to return to their community.  I believe what we are meant to understand here is, as soon as the ten lepers turn toward God and ask for mercy, as soon as they acknowledge their dependence on something more than themselves, they are restored to relationship with their community and God. Nine of the ten lepers run off to the temple to receive the priest’s stamp of approval and return to life as they know it.

Turns out, one of the lepers is a Samaritan. A bit of background. Samaritans are half-Jew and half-Gentile. You have heard of the twelve tribes of Israel? When the northern kingdom of Israel was captured by Assyria in 721BCE the Assyrians dispersed the ten Northern tribes. A fragment of the ten tribes that remained in the Northern kingdom became the Samaritans, people who lived among and intermarried with the Assyrians, producing the Samaritans, half-Jew, half-Gentile. 

Two of the twelve tribes of Israel never left the southern kingdom. These were the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. They remained pure Jews and wanted  nothing to do with the mixed breed Samaritans. Another case of us and them. 

There is no point in the Samaritan leper going to the priests of the Southern kingdom because with or without leprosy no priest will stamp his proverbial documents and he will not be welcomed into the temple community. Overwhelmed with gratitude the healed Samaritan leper turns around “praising God with a loud voice.”  He has been transformed by the grace of Jesus’ mercy. There we have it. From the depths of his transformed heart the Samaritan claims his true identity, identity found in relationship with God, in the unity of all humanity, the relationship that transcends all borders, inside and out. This is his healing.

Here is the thing. Nine of the lepers know the rules and know their place. They keep their distance when Jesus arrives, they follow the prescribed order to return to the priests and look forward to leaping back into life as they have known it. But the tenth leper who was an outsider even before contracting the ostracizing skin disease is transformed by the grace of Jesus’ mercy. 

On the way to Jerusalem we are confronted by important questions. ”Like the nine lepers, is it sufficient for us to follow the rules, know our place, stick with our tribe, get our passports stamped and continue life as we know it? Or, is it time for us to see the people we treat as lepers, foreigners, strangers, ‘those people,’ through Jesus’ merciful eyes? Is it time for us to stop fracturing the community of God and restore the one, whole and holy body of humanity by seeing with the merciful eyes of Jesus?  

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Hebrew and Gospel texts for Sunday 4 September 2022

1 Samuel 27.1-3, 8-12 David said to his heart, “Now, one day I shall be swept away by the hand of Saul; there is nothing better than that I escape to the land of the Philistines, then Saul will despair of seeking me any further within the border of Israel and I shall escape out of his hand.” So David got up and went over, he and six hundred men who were with him, to Achish son of Maoch, ruler of Gath. And David stayed with Achish at Gath, he and his troops, each man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, wife of Nabal. 

And David and his men went up and raided on the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, for they were the inhabitants of the land from of old on your way to Shur and on to the land of Egypt. Then David smote the land and there was neither woman or man living; and he took sheep and cattle and donkeys and camels and clothing and would return and come back to Achish. Then Achish would ask, “Against whom did you all raid today?” And David would say, “against the Negeb of Judah,” or “against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites,” or, “against the Negeb of the Kenites.” Neither woman nor man David left living to be brought back to Gath, saying, “Lest they tell about us, and say, ‘Thus did David.’” Thus was his custom all the days he lived in the country of the Philistines. Now Achish trusted David saying, “He has made himself an abhorrent stench in the nostrils of his people, in Israel; so he shall be my slave for all time.”

Mark 7.14-23         Jesus called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a woman or man that by going into them has the power to defile, rather what comes out of a person is what defiles a person.” 

Now when Jesus had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. He said to them, “Are you all then also without understanding? Do you all not see that whatever goes into a woman or man from outside has no power to defile? For it does not enter the heart but rather the stomach, and goes out into the sewer.” (Thus Jesus declared all foods clean.) Jesus said, “It is what comes out of a woman or man that defiles. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil thoughts come: sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, and evil eye [or envy], slander, pride, thoughtlessness. All of these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” 

Reflection      

2022 09 04 1 Samuel 27.1-3, 8-12, Mark 7.14-23

Sometimes I find it almost impossible not to take the bait and swallow things that come at me from outside. Cat calls, robo calls, family forgetting to call.  Cyberthreats, viral threats, threats to my right to choose and equality of my status as a single woman. I find it almost impossible to fend off fear of unprovoked violence and visions of nuclear disaster. I find it almost impossible to reject charges that cite me as the source of other peoples problems, deploring me for being white and having access to home, health and happiness. I find it almost impossible to dodge grandstanding politicians tongues denying responsibility for the havoc they wreck on we the people. Perhaps the kings Saul and David felt similarly felt similarly assaulted from outside more than three thousand years ago.

In the Hebrew text 1 Samuel David is the favored one, the youngest of Jesse’s eight sons, a shepherd boy called from his flock to be anointed by Samuel as King of Israel while Saul is still king. Saul is jealous of David’s popularity, fears his throne is threatened and attributes his ill-favored thoughts and feelings to David. Saul believes he is being defiled by David when in fact it is his own thoughts that pierce his heart and provoke him to defile himself. 

Although David is anointed King of Israel, his predecessor Saul refuses to step aside and accept the change in leadership. Instead he conspires to kill David.  David reacts saying “to his heart, “Now, one day I shall be swept away by the hand of Saul; there is nothing better than that I escape to the land of the Philistines…””  

Swallowing Saul’s bait, David decides he is threatened by what is coming at him from outside and heads south to the coast of Canaan. While seeking refuge among the Philistines he massacres entire communities of innocent people with whom he is not at war and who in no way pose a threat to him. Some suggest this is to ingratiate himself with the Philistines, but who knows. In any case, David defiles himself as he executes unwarranted brutality. Both kings Saul and David defile themselves in reaction to what comes at them from outside. What are we to make of this Shakespearean tragedy?

Perhaps Jesus’ words in the gospel according to Mark will help. “Listen. Understand… There is nothing outside a woman or man that by going into them has the power to defile, rather what comes out of a person is what defiles a person.” Listen and understand. This is a matter of the heart. It is “from within, from the human heart, that evil thoughts come…” and evil thoughts give rise to the defilement of evil action. 

The fact of the matter is this. Regardless of what other people say, threaten or actually do to us, defilement does not come from others. Defilement rises from within ourselves. Nothing anyone says or does can disgrace, degrade or dishonor us unless we take the bait and swallow it, unless we take their words or their ways to heart. 

The innocent women, men, children and animals that are massacred by David are not degraded or defiled. David is defiled by his evil thoughts and action. The children and teachers murdered in the twenty-seven school shootings that have taken place in 2022 are not disgraced, dishonored or defiled. The shooters are defiled. When we are subjects of every kind of verbal or physical slander or abuse we are not degraded or defiled. The perpetrators are defiled. 

“Listen and understand.” We are only defiled when we take the bait and swallow the double-dealing devilry that attacks us from outside. We are only defiled when like Saul or David we take what is happening outside of ourselves to heart.  By swallowing bad blood that comes at us from outside, we violate our own hearts. Then, feeling victimized we look for someone or something to blame, we strike out with our words or actions and we become defilers. 

“Listen. Understand.” It is not what is outside of us that defiles us. Rather it is what comes out of us that defiles us.

I believe we have wasted far too much time endorsing those by whom we feel victimized.  We have spent far too much energy composing lists to explicate the ways in which we have been defiled from outside. Do you see, we violate our own hearts when we swallow labels that define us as victims of sexism, classism, racism, agism, ableism, patriotism, liberalism, capitalism, socialism, conservatism, nationalism? Believing we are defined and defiled from outside we cram ourselves into ever shrinking boxes then fight like hell to get out, defiling ourselves.

What if we said “Stop. No more. Nothing anyone can say or do can touch who we truly are?” What if we listened to Jesus’ words and truly understood? “There is nothing outside a woman or man that by going into them has the power to defile, rather what comes out of a person is what defiles a person.” 

The deepest truth of ourselves is  safely hidden in the cave of our hearts where it is not subject to misuses or abuses from outside. Only the Holy has rights and access to our hearts. In spite of the fact that like the kings Saul and David we find it nearly impossible not to bite and swallow things that come at us from outside, hidden safely in the cave of our hearts is the Unborn, Undying, Eternal Holiness that can never be defiled. Let us stop swallowing the bait that comes at us from outside. “Listen. Understand.” It is not what is outside of us that defiles us. Rather it is what comes out of us that defiles us.”

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Gospel text for Sunday 31 July 2022

Mark 6:14-29     Now King Herod heard of [the teaching of Jesus], for Jesus’s name had become known and some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead and that is why the powers work through him.” Yet others said, “It is Elijah” while others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets [of old].” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”

         For Herod himself had sent men who seized John and bound him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, for Herod had married her. For John had told Herod, “It is not right for you to have your brother’s wife.” Now Herodias had a grudge against him and she wanted to kill him. But she could not. This was because Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous man and a holy man and he protected him and listened to him, though greatly perplexed; yet it pleased him to listen to him. 

         Now an opportune time came on Herod’s birthday when he gave a banquet for his courtiers and commanders and for the leaders of Galilee. And Herod’s daughter Herodias came in a danced, pleasing Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish and I will give it to you.” And he swore to her repeatedly, “Whatever you ask me, I will give to you, even half of my kingdom.” And she went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” Immediately she returned to the king with haste and asked, saying “I want immediately for you to give me on a platter the head of John the Baptizer.” The king was deeply sorry, yet because of his oaths and the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier under orders to bring John’s head. And he went and beheaded him in the prison. And he brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl and the girl gave it to her mother. When John’s disciples heard, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb. 

 

Reflection           Worried about evil? Here is how it works.

Slave to his fear of people’s judgment King Herod does not have the courage to live his convictions. Although he knew John the Baptizer to be a “righteous and holy man,” when his pride and power are on the line, Herod orders John’s head be given on a platter to his daughter. Fearing his guest’s judgement were he not to satisfy his daughter’s egregious demand, Herod is subject to the work of evil through him.

By contrast, John the Baptizer, a wilderness wandering preacher,  dares to speak truth to power by calling out Herod for marrying his brother’s wife Herodias. Being a man who lives by faith not fear, John is confident in his convictions and  veritably glows in contrast to the cold footed King Herod.

Fearful people capitulate to social pressure to conform. Believing their source of strength is in themselves or with other people they bow to political squeeze  and aim to execute whoever threatens their sense of security, safety, esteem, power or control. Consequently the fearful become vehicles for the work of evil. It is not that the people are evil, rather, they are vulnerable to evil working through them when they live in fear.

On the other hand, when we choose to live in faith we find confidence and conviction in something greater than themselves. Finding faith with God (or Yahweh, Allah, The Light, the One, the Mystery...)  gives us the freedom to remain calm  in the face of threats to our security, safety, esteem, power or control. Being faithful we are free rather than slaves to the working of evil through us. 

Eight years ago we witnessed a show of faith in Charleston, South Carolina when the Emmanuel American Methodist Episcopal Church responded to the murder of their senior pastor and eight other church members who were gunned down during a Bible study. Rather than eat the bait of evil and set off riots and a race war, the leaders and people of the AME church chose to respond with calm confidence, which they were free to do because they live in faith, not fear.  

Four days after the tragic shooting during the Sunday morning service at the AME church, the Rev. Goff pierced the hearts of the people in his church and across the nation when he preached, “Some wanted to divide the races - black and white and brown - but no weapon formed against us shall prosper.” Outside the doors of the church hung a banner that read, “Holy City… let us be the example of love that conquers evil.” Choosing faith leaves no room for the work of evil’s hateful hand.

This is what the families in Lancaster, Pennsylvania did seventeen years ago following the hateful shooting of their ten young daughters in an Amish school house. This heart breaking incident shocked the nation, with strangers contributing more than  four million dollars to support the Amish families. For many of us, even more stupefying than the massacre of ten girls between the ages of six and thirteen years was the Amish community’s response to their tragedy.  

Almost immediately following the shooting the grandfather of one of the girls who was killed expressed forgiveness to the killer while other Amish folk visited and comforted the killer’s family. In the midst of unspeakable loss and grief, the Amish community refused to react with fear, anger, blame or seek retaliation. Instead they chose to respond with compassion which they were free to do because they choose to live in faith, not fear, which leaves no room for the work of evil’s hateful hand. 

In Luke’s gospel we see Jesus nailed to a cross, hanging between two criminals. We are stunned by his shocking words, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23.34) I believe Jesus’ remarkable words are intended not only for the criminals flanking him but also for the disciples who abandon him and all who participate by their action or inaction in his brutal suffering and death. Jesus chooses to live by faith leaving no room for evil’s hateful hand to work through him.

We live in a world at war with our selves and one another. We have tuned our ears to hear insult and offense. We have set our minds to mine for misdemeanor. We screw up our eyes to find someone to blame for our wounded feelings. We harden our hearts to the suffering that abounds around us. We engage litigious means to execute retribution. We fail to follow the way of faith driven conviction commanded by God and embodied by the folks in Charleston, Lancaster, and Jerusalem. 

I believe we are at a crossroads in our community, our country and our world. Evil seduces us in the marketing of excess and tolerance of abuse. Evil thrives when we shade our eyes to lies and bow to corruption. Evil succeeds when we choose fear rather than faith as the standard for our lives. 

The only way I know to overcome fear is to choose faith, faith in something greater than ourselves that some call God, Yahweh, Allah, Mystery, Light, Divine Presence. Here is the thing. Choosing faith is not a once and done endeavor. It is a day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute commitment to choose faith in the face of whatever shows up on this wild journey we call life, because when we choose faith there is no room for evil to work its hateful way through us.

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Hebrew Testament & Gospel for Sunday 10 July 2022

1 Samuel 4.2, 5-11, 19-22         The Philistines deployed against Israel and the battle was lost and Israel was struck down by the Philistines, and they killed on the field of battle four thousand men. 

 

Now it happened as the ark of the covenant of the FIRE OF SINAI came into the camp, all Israel shouted a great shout and the earth herself echoed it. And when the Philistines heard the sound of the great shout, they said, “What is this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?” Then they learned that the ark of the ANCIENT OF DAYS had come to the camp. And the Philistines were afraid; for they said, “Gods have come into the camp.” And they said “Woe to us!” Never has there been such a thing. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with every kind of plague in the wilderness. Strengthen yourselves and be men, O Philistines, lest you become enslaved to the Hebrews as they were enslaved to you; be men and fight.” 

 

So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated and fled, each to their tent. Now there was a very great slaughter and there fell from Israel thirty thousand foot-soldiers. Then the ark of God was taken and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. 

 

Now Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth and when she heard the news that the ark of God was taken and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she squatted and gave birth, for her labor pains came on and overwhelmed her. Then at the moment of her death, the women standing with her said to her, “Fear not, for you have given birth to a son.” But she did not answer or incline her heart. She named the child “Ai Kavod,” Ichabod, meaning, “Woe [Ai]! The glory [Kavod] has departed from Israel,“ because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. She said,  “The Glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been taken.”

 

 John 14.25-31        “These things have I said to you while I am still with you all. But the advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Most High will send in my name, She will teach you all things and She will remind you all of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you all. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, nor let them fear. You have heard me say to you all, ‘I am going away and I am coming to you,’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Creator, because the Almighty is greater than I. And now, I have told you this before it happens, so when it happens, you all might believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming and has nothing in me. Rather, that the world may know that I love the Creator of All, just as the Sovereign God commands me, so I do. Rise now, let us leave this place. 

Reflection        Driving cross town late Thursday afternoon it was as if a hot poker was piercing my heart and my gut felt twisted as a grapevine. I was not listening to the news, not in a traffic jam, not late for an appointment, in fact nothing was actually happening to which I could attribute the labor pains in my body. It made me think of our Hebrew Testament text from 1 Samuel in which the Philistines kill tens of thousands of Israelites and steal their most sacred object, the Ark of the Covenant, a gold plated vessel containing the Law given to Moses. Unspeakably precious to the Hebrew people, the Ark is the outward and visible assurance of God’s presence with  them. Somehow my assurance of God’s presence with me was also stolen, but I have no ark and there are no Philistines to blame. There was no obvious cause for my restlessness. 

So I did what my Jesuit Spiritual Director instructed decades ago. “When something with no obvious cause on the face of the earth is stirring deep within you, pause and ask, “Is this the Spirit of God or the enemy of human consciousness?” A few miles down the road it occurred to me, it could be either. It depends on how I choose to respond. 

If I choose to experience the gut wrenching sense in my body as evidence of the enemy’s rampant success and myself as a vengeance seeking victim then like a violent tornado uprooting and destroying everything in its path, killing will continue with me and through me. But should I choose to experience my burning heart and twisted gut as a Divine invitation to labor for the glory of God, then like Eli’s newly widowed daughter-in-law I can use my words and actions to give birth to something new.

Here is the thing. Even though the treasured Ark of the Covenant may be stolen from the people, as promised by Jesus in John’s gospel, God’s presence is restored to all by “the Advocate, the Holy Spirit.” As an outward and visible assurance of God’s presence with us, like the Ark of the Covenant, Jesus is about to be stolen from this earth but like Moses law secured in the ark, the wisdom he teaches is written on the pages of our hearts and this cannot be stolen.  

Returning to the person who came to my office and  lamented,“I am weeping for  the way things used to be and racked with fear for what may come,”  I would like to suggest that one thing is missing from their sentiment. The present moment. Grief is for the past. Fear is for the future. But the present moment is what is real and it demands just one thing, consent. 

What is consent? Consent means saying “Yes,” to reality as it is. Consent does not presume we approve or prefer things the way they are. Consent does not mean we escape risk. Consent is saying “Yes” to the present moment as exemplified by the fourteen year old unmarried peasant girl Mary who, when the Angel announces, “You will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son… and he will be great,” consents declaring, “Let it be with me according to your word."  (Luke 1.26-38) 

Thirty two years later Mary’s son consents to pick up his cross and submit to unspeakable suffering. Sweating fear in the face of his impending crucifixion, Jesus prays, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

Consent is saying “Yes” to reality as it is which means, we make ourselves indifferent. As Eric Clayton writes in his book, Cannonball Moments,* indifference is not about apathy, uncaring, bitterness or giving up. In this context indifference is better understood as detachment, refusing to judge everything as it appears on the horizon of our lives. “Not preferring  health to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to dishonor, long life to short life.”*  By refusing to judge the present moment as good or bad, desirable or undesirable, deserved or undeserved we experience interior freedom, a spaciousness within which we can choose how we want to respond rather than react and become slaves to the situation or our emotional state. 

As long as we react to external circumstances or our interior emotional state, we are not free. We are not free to discern wisdom written on our hearts. We are not free to experience God with us, not free to act for the glory of God. And when we are not free we live in fear.

Here is the thing. Something new is always preceded by labor pains. An acorn must fall to the ground, freeze and crack before a tender shoot emerges and gives rise to a glorious oak tree. The muscles of a woman’s uterus contract as pain sears her abdomen, groin and back until she strains with every ounce of her being to push something new into the world. 

When we consent to restlessness, unsettledness, pain, even suffering rather than seek quick antidotes (think drugs, alcohol, obsessive compulsive doing whatever, looking for someone to blame) there is every chance we will find our selves stepping across a threshold into an expanded experience of freedom, freedom to be more whole and more holy, freedom to act for the glory of God.  

Dear people of God, it is time for us to evolve from living in fear to living in freedom regardless of our circumstance. When we feel on edge with ourselves or with the world even though nothing is actually happening in the present moment, we pause, ask ourselves, “Is this the Spirit of God or the enemy of human consciousness?” then we choose how we will tell our story. 

*  Puhl, S.J., Louis J (1951). The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Loyola University Press. p12.

** Clayton, Eric A. (2022) Cannonball Moments: Telling your Story Deepening Your Faith. Loyola University Press. p128.

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Psalm for 2nd Sunday of Lent 20 March 2022

 Psalm 27 v 1-12, 18

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;

whom then shall I fear? *

the Lord is the strength of my life;

of whom then shall I be afraid?

2 When evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh, *

it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who 

stumbled and fell.

3 Though an army should encamp against me, *

yet my heart shall not be afraid;

4 And though war should rise up against me, *

yet will I put my trust in him.

5 One thing have I asked of the Lord;

one thing I seek; *

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life;

6 To behold the fair beauty of the Lord *

and to seek him in his temple.

7 For in the day of trouble he shall keep me safe 

in his shelter; *

he shall hide me in the secrecy of his dwelling

and set me high upon a rock.

8 Even now he lifts up my head *

above my enemies round about me.

9 Therefore I will offer in his dwelling an oblation

with sounds of great gladness; *

I will sing and make music to the Lord.

10 Hearken to my voice, O Lord, when I call; *

have mercy on me and answer me.

11 You speak in my heart and say, "Seek my face." *

Your face, Lord, will I seek.

12 Hide not your face from me, *

nor turn away your servant in displeasure.

18 O tarry and await the Lord's pleasure;

be strong, and he shall comfort your heart; *

wait patiently for the Lord.

Reflection        How do we breathe beneath the threat of nuclear disaster? How do we stand in the ashes of bombed homes and hospitals? How do we to live with our heads above ground and our hearts unbound when images of disaster bombard us? How do we trust the premise that there is a solution to every problem if only the people at the top “get it right?”

I don’t know. Which is why I turn to the psalms, ancient scripts for how we humans navigate the unbearable. When the gravel in my belly grinds with fear of nuclear disaster I borrow the psalmists words, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid?” When images of mangled buildings and injured babies follow me to bed and bombard my dreams, I lean into the Israelite’s song, “Though an army should encamp against me, yet my heart shall not be afraid…”

When I am tempted to bury my head in the sand; taking a pill, making a purchase or planning another adventure vacation, I recall to heart the promise,  “Even now (God) lifts up my head above my enemies round about me… And though war should rise up against me, yet will I put my trust in him.”  And there we have it. 

For as long as we put our trust in the presumptive people at the top “to get it right,” we miscarry the war laden moment by failing to allow God’s mystery to unfold within us. But when we choose to put our heads in our hearts, there we “behold the beauty of our Lord,” tasting peace in the promise, “For in the day of trouble he shall keep me safe in his shelter; he shall hide me in the secrecy of his dwelling and set me high upon a rock.” 

This is not wishful thinking nor magical intervention. Washed in the river of our tears and hidden beneath the rubble of our fears we hear, “You speak in my heart and say, "Seek my face." Your face, Lord, will I seek. Hide not your face from me, nor turn away your servant in displeasure.” The voiceless voice of the only One in whom we dare put our trust and find our peace calls us from the inside to be transformed into the peace that is not contingent upon the rampant wiles of circumstance and unholy men. 

Therefore, even though we find ourselves short of breath beneath the threat of nuclear disaster and squirming in the ashes of bombed homes and hospitals, we put our heads into our hearts and offer God “an oblation with sounds of great gladness…” because nothing can annihilate the peace we find in God. Nothing can touch us where I AM. 

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The Collect and Gospel text for 4th Sunday of Advent, 20 December 2020

 The Collect        Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Luke 1:26-38         In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Reflection        “Purify our conscience.” This is the work of Advent. This is also the work of Lent. In fact, this is the work of our lifetime; to prepare a room in the mansion of ourselves and welcome the light of Christ to be born again and reign through us. If that sounds like a tall order, it is. That is why we need a daily visitation with Almighty God. That is why today’s opening collect is worth praying every single day.

But what does it mean to purify our conscience? I believe it means cleaning out our proverbial attics and downsizing;  discarding our disappointments, annihilating our affronts, casting out complaints, releasing our losses, banishing blame,  shutting the door on shame,.  A daunting undertaking. No wonder we need a daily visitation with God to purify our conscience. 

Now let me be clear. Not everything we experience and store in our attic belongs in the incinerator. The process of purifying our conscience is meant to reform whatever prevents the innocence of our open, empty, receptivity. I hear you protest, “I am an adult. I have a long and patchy past. My innocence was lost when dad took the training wheels off my bike. As a matter of fact, it is probably a bad idea to be open, empty and receptive. Seems like a sure recipe to be exploited or abused.”

Let me clarify. I believe you are speaking of naive innocence. In the context of the purification of our conscience I refer to what I call “wizened innocence.” Please ponder with me the possibility of the open, empty, receptivity of wizened innocence one word at a time.  What does it mean to be open? It means to be honest, transparent and accessible. What does it mean to be empty? Humble, not full of our self. Being empty we are content, not envious or grasping for more. What does it mean to be receptive? It means being sensitive and open-minded, responsive to others and hospitable. To purify our conscience means to abolish whatever prevents us from being honest and transparent, humble and content, sensitive, open-minded and hospitable. It means purging whatever inhibits our wizened innocence. Why does this matter? Why should we bother?

We welcome this process of purification because the work of Advent, Lent and our entire lifetime is to prepare ourselves to be the hospitable mansion in which the Christ incarnates and through which the Christ Light reigns on earth. Here is the wrinkle.  The single greatest stumbling stone in our attic is fear. Fear of being open. “If I am honest and transparent people will see who I really am. I will not measure up and I will be rejected.” Fear of being empty. “ If I am empty I will have no sure footing, no safety net. I may be lacking and suffer.” Fear of being receptive. “If I am receptive I will be vulnerable,  influenced or deceived. People will take advantage of me.” 

Thanks be to God there is an antidote to fear. Every time Almighty God breaks through our conscience to prepare a human mansion in which to incarnate and through which to reign, an angel or prophet appears and proclaims, “Do not be afraid, Mary (Diann, John, Linda, Dave, Susan, Ron, Ken…)  do not be afraid.” 

Then God said (to Jacob), "I am God, the God of your father;  do not be afraid to go down to Egypt; for I will there make of you a great nation. (Gen 46.3)

And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid.”(Jos 11:6)

Then the angel of the LORD said to Eli'jah, "Go down with him; do not be afraid.” (2Ki 1:15)

But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid: Zechari'ah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. (Luk 1:13)

And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid: Mary, for you have found favor with God. (Luk 1:30)

But the angel said to the women (at the tomb), "Do not be afraid: for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. (Mat 28:5)

Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid: go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” (Mat 28:10)

God knows we are afraid AND we know that every time one of God’s people steps over fear to say “Yes, here I am… “ their fear is replaced with light that incarnates through them and reigns on the earth.  

Here is the punchline. We are all virgins until we abolish every obstacle, step over our fear and say, “Yes. Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then, with our consent in a baptism by fire, fear is incinerated as the Light of Christ finds in us a mansion in which to live and from which to reign. 

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Acts of the Apostles and Psalm texts for 3 May 2020

Acts 2:42-47        Those who had been baptized devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; *

I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures *

and leads me beside still waters.

He revives my soul *

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I shall fear no evil; *

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; *

you have anointed my head with oil,

and my cup is running over.

Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Reflection        Could it be that in this time of stillness, silence and social distance our shepherd, our God is leading us to recognize the beauty that surrounds us? lying down in the green pastures of our homes? being still by the waters of our pools and fountain features? resting in the thick nest of silence?

Could it be that in this time of stillness, silence and social distance our shepherd, our God is showing us a new way of being (not doing) in the world? joining our neighbors sitting six feet apart in the crook of our cul de sacs, raising our cups and crackers in thanksgiving for a community we did not know was there? thanksgiving for the simple pleasure of being present, being alive?

Could it be that in this time of stillness, silence and social distance our shepherd, our God is teaching us the way of holy waiting? offering messages of encouragement by card or call or written in chalk on our driveways? bidding blessings to strangers hand painted on rocks tucked beside cactus and street posts? pausing and being embraced by an unknown person’s care?

Could it be that in this time of stillness, silence and social distance our shepherd, our God is inviting us to look into the mirror and examine the ways in which our personal programs for security, safety, esteem, power and control enslave us? admitting our addictions and confessing our hidden agendas? seeking help and praying for the grace to be healed?  being the source of healing?

Could it be that in this time of stillness, silence and social distance our shepherd, our God sees us as sheep conformed to the status quo? damned by the deception of civil, religious and political officials? confused by contention? provoked by propaganda? bound by our fear of the unknown?

Could it be that in this time of stillness, silence and social distance our shepherd, our God calls us by name?  guiding us along the right pathways? reviving our souls as we pass through the valley of the shadow of Covid-19 deaths? anointing our heads with the hands of Divine blessing?

Could it be that we will emerge from this time of stillness, silence and social distance a new and transformed people? recognizing how quickly the earth heals when we are still, silent and let God be God?  the air is purified, the water is clarified and we are restored to immaculate innocence. 

Could it be that this time of stillness, silence and social distance is God’s way of transforming our hearts, our minds, our lives and our planet? leading us on the pathways of righteousness? anointing our heads with the oil of gladness? Could it be?

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