Gospel Text for Sunday 22 June 2014

Matthew 10:24-39       Jesus said to the twelve disciples,  "A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!

"So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

"Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

"For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one's foes will be members of one's own household.

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”

Reflection       

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!

Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice;

tender to me the promise of his word;

in God my Savior shall my heart rejoice.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his Name!

Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;

his mercy sure, from age to age to same;

his holy Name--the Lord, the Mighty One.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!

Powers and dominions lay their glory by.

Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight,

the hungry fed, the humble lifted high.

Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!

Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord

to children's children and for evermore!**                                                                                    

This great hymn says it all. If only I would be as forthright in my speech when I leave church on Sunday! That is what Jesus is instructing the disciples and us to do, “Have no fear…  What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.” We are to “tell out” our souls, to make known the wisdom and truth revealed to us.  In the words of Ken Wilber, “shine your headlights into the eyes of the complacent.” ***

Jesus knows this will not be easy. Speaking deep truth of the soul stirs the pot, unsettles the peace, even puts us cross-ways with family members. When we speak truth, though we may still experience fear, it is no longer fear that is driving the ship. Fear becomes a mere emotion in the great vessel of freedom. 

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” Like Jesus, Nelson Mandela calls us to action, to stand on rooftops or whisper in strategic places and demand the dignity and care of all of humanity. Now, let us find ways to dignify the migrant women and children left at bus stops in Tucson and Phoenix without resource to care for themselves. 

Supplies may be dropped off Catholic Community Services, 140 W. Speedway, Tucson, AZ, north entrance, on Monday-Friday, from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm. Please do not drop anything off at Casa Mariposa or the Greyhound Station because they do not have the space.

         

instant ramen soup (cup of noodles)

bottled of water and Gatorade

bananas (good potassium)

flavored Pedialyte for dehydration

sweaters or hooded sweatshirts for children and adults

socks for children

children’s blankets

diapers (size 3 and 4)

sanitary supplies (sanitary napkins especially needed)

toothbrushes and toothpaste

clean stuffed animals

Beth Lowry, of Casa Mariposa, has asked those wishing to volunteer to attend a Volunteer Orientation/Training on Saturday, June 21st, from 11 am – 1:30 pm at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church located at 1300 N. Greasewood Road, Tucson, AZ.

** Words: Timothy Dudley-Smith inspired by The Song of Mary (Magnificat) (Luke 1:46-56);

Words © 1962, Renewed. 1990 by Hope Publishing Co., Carol Stream, IL 60188. 

*** Ken Wilbur, One Taste: Daily Reflections on Integral Spirituality, p35

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Gospel text for Trinity Sunday, 15 June 2014

Matthew 28.16-20        Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’

     

Reflection        Love poured out, love received. This is the dance among the Three Persons of the Trinity. The dance step, or action of love being poured out, is kenosis, from the greek kenóō which means ‘to empty.’ God emptied God’s self to be incarnate in the Son.  By this same self-emptying love, Jesus poured himself out, gave himself away to everyone he encountered. And then, to insure the continuation of the dance, God the Father in Jesus the Christ sent the Holy Spirit to live and breathe in each of us so that we too can participate in the divine dance.

Which brings us to the empty place, the opening at the foreground of Rublev’s icon ( see above). This is where we enter the Trinity. We bring our gifts to the table  knowing that all that we are and all that we have is gift, poured out to us by the Father, with the Son, in the Holy Spirit. We come to God’s table and offer our selves, our souls and bodys  to participate in the holy dance of the Trinity.

This of course begs the question, how do we participate in the dance? I believe St. Francis of Assisi has the answer, “Pray ceaselessly, use words when necessary.” Now let me assure you, praying ceaselessly does not mean stopping everything and  dropping to our knees. Most of us are not heading for a convent or monastery. We, who are called to live in the world as teachers, bankers, custodians, gardeners, retirees, parents, health workers, care givers, scientists, CEOs, friends, the way we pray ceaselessy is by dignifying and caring for one another and all of creation. 

When we dignify and care for the weak, the disenfranchised, the sick, the migrant women and children left at bus stops in Tuscon with no means of support we are in the dance, the divine dance of the Trinity, we are participating in the aliveness of God. We continue the dance by pouring ourselves out to dignify and care for one another and all of creation. This is our true offering to God; to open ourselves to extend dignity and care to the broken, suffering body of Christ in the world. 

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Gospel text for Sunday 8 June 2014

John 20:19-23        When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Reflection        And Jesus came and stood among them, stands among all of us who are locked in the upper room, locked in our fear, suffering or self-loathing and says, “Peace be with you.”

Peace be with us?  What is that about? How can we be peaceful? This situation is dreadful. The world outside hates us – persecutes us – it’s exploding in violence and every dis-ease. And inside, we feel awful, guilty and broken-hearted.  We don’t follow You Jesus. We follow our selves.

And Jesus breathed on them (Huuuhhhhhh ) ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ 

Ohhh – what’s happening?  You are not going to condemn us? Rebuke us and cast us out? What is this strange calm, friendship we feel? How can there be ease in the midst of all our guilt and fear and tears? How can there be peace in the midst of all the hatred and violence in the world?

 And Jesus breathed on them (Huuuhhhhhh ) ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.

For three years Jesus ate with the disciples, talked with the disciples, walked with the disciples and when they arrived at locked doors, he knocked. But on the evening of the first day of the week, Jesus did not knock. He did not enter as the others had, through the doorway.

Jesus arrived as a spiritual presence rising within the hearts of the disciples, as close as their breath. And how did they know Jesus’ presence you ask? By the peace they experienced in spite of the fact that they had locked themselves into a room for fear of being persecuted. They knew Jesus’ presence by the peace they experienced in spite of the regret and guilt and pain in their broken hearts. 

I wonder if when Mary Magdalene saw how upset the disciples were, I wonder if she reminded them of the promise Jesus made while he was still with them? “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” (John 14.26-27)

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Gospel text for Sunday 1 June 2014

John 17:1-11       Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.

"I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. “

Reflection       Hears, believes, has… this is all present tense. According to John’s gospel eternal life is not about delayed gratification. It is not about post mortem reward. Right here, right now, hearing the Word of God, believing the Word of God, and acting in accord with the Word of God, we have already “passed from death to life.” This new life is eternal life. 

The way it has generally been understood we might envision eternal life as an enormous circle (which of course it is not because it could not possibly have edges). In any case, at some location far below the circle of eternal life is the tiniest of circles. That would be me. Or you. In our relationship to the enormous circle our understanding of eternal life is as something far above and beyond us, and, given my track record, probably inaccessible to me. 

Imagine again the enormous circle of eternal life but this time put our tiny circles inside the circle of eternal life. Our relationship with eternal life is utterly transformed. We are not outside eternal life, bouncing up and down trying to break in. We are always and everywhere intimately part of eternal life. Any sense of separation we may experience is because we are not hearing the Word of God, believing the Word of God or acting in accord with the Word of God. 

When we hear, believe and choose to act in accord with the Word of God we realize that the work of our life is to disentangle ourselves from any concerns that block the flow of Divine Presence. Actions driven to accumulate power, comfort, wealth or any other selfish motive create a false sense of separation between us and God and one another (our little distinguishing circle). But, we can choose to “sell everything,” which is to say,  we can choose to surrender our natural inclination toward selfishness. When we “sell everything” that interferes with the flow of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity and self-control, the insubstantial membrane that seems to separate us from one another dissolves and we experience our lives as the unified whole that they are.  This is the answer to Jesus’ prayer.

“I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through (the disciples’) word, that they may all be one…  as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one…” (John 17.20,23)

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Image by Alex Grey

Gospel text for Sunday 1 June 2014

John 17:1-11        Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.

"I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. “

Reflection         Eternal life is now. That is what Jesus tells us in the Gospel according to John; “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgement, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5.24)

Hears, believes, has… this is all present tense. According to John’s gospel eternal life is not about delayed gratification. It is not about post mortem reward. Right here, right now, hearing the Word of God, believing the Word of God, and acting in accord with the Word of God, we have already “passed from death to life.” This new life is understood as eternal life. 

In the customary interpretation of Mark, Matthew and Luke’s gospels we might envision eternal life as an enormous circle (which of course it is not because it could not possibly have edges). In any case, at some location far below the circle of eternal life is the tiniest of circles. That would be me. Or you. In our relationship to the enormous circle our understanding of eternal life is as something far above and beyond us, and, given my track record, probably inaccessible to me. 

Imagine again the enormous circle of eternal life but this time put our tiny circles inside the circle of eternal life. Our relationship with eternal life is utterly transformed. We are not outside eternal life, bouncing up and down trying to break in. We are always and everywhere intimately part of eternal life. Any sense of separation we may experience is because we are not hearing the Word of God, believing the Word of God or acting in accord with the Word of God. 

When we do hear, believe and act in accord with the Word of God it is as if the thin membrane that seems to distinguish our individual tiny circles from the enormous circle of eternal life dissolves. For an instant we experience the unborn, undying, always and everywhere Presence of Divinity. We know that we know that we know we are not free-lancing bubbles of being vying for a ticket to paradise. 

When we act in accord with the Word of God we realize that the work of our life is to unentangle ourselves from worldly concerns that block the flows of Divine Presence. Actions driven to accumulate power, comfort, wealth or any other selfish motive create a false sense of separation between us and God and one another. When we choose to “sell everything” that contributes to the oppression of another and choose to surrender our natural inclination toward selfishness and acquisition, the insubstantial membrane that seems to separate us from one another dissolves and we experience our lives as the unified whole that they are.  This is the answer to Jesus’ prayer, “….as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one…” (John 17.23)

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Gospel text for Sunday 25 May 2014

John 14:15-21        Jesus said to his disciples, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

"I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

Reflection        When I was a child I understood God to be up, up and away,  far above me; out of sight and unreachable. Even if I could climb a few steps of the ladder toward God’s supreme place of excellence the gap between my bumbling humanity and God’s unwavering divinity was too great for me to navigate. My early experience of life with God was rather like walking on a gangplank. With boldness of heart and firmness of spirit I would mount that plank and head toward God - until the inevitable plunge. I’d fall from grace into the ocean of shame, wallow there for a time then drag myself out to try again. 

There is every chance I would still be running and rerunning the gangplank scenario; crashing, treading water and dragging myself out, if I had not really ‘heard’ Jesus’ words to his disciples, “On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” From then on the gangplank and unmountable ladder were replaced by an image of God as a boundless circle with Jesus in the circle and me in it too! The best thing about it was that there was no way to be out of the circle. God is in me and I am in God just as Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus. 

Some of the time the edge of my slight circle seems to dissolve into God’s infinite circle and I experience the joy and the love, the grace and the peace, the wisdom and the blessing that I know belong to God - not me. Those moments come unbidden and last but for a breathe.  Pure gift they arise like God’s oceanic love to inhale the droplet of my being then breath me out again. It’s a gentle breathe, a coming in and a going out, always within God’s circle. Always a gift. And then, there is the slight circle again. The merest me engulfed in God’s endless sea. 

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Gospel Text for Sunday, 18 May 2014

John 14:1-14        Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."

Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it."

Reflection     “I am the way and the truth and the life…” With his I am statements Jesus is saying to the disoriented community of  late first century religious Jews -  Believing me does not require that you dissociate yourselves from God of our ancestors. Believing me does not require that you turn away from the Great I Am as revealed to Moses and the prophets.  Believing me is contiguous with believing the God of our Fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Don’t you see, in God the Father’s house of creation there are many places in which to live.  There are many ways to be in relationship with I Am, God, first person present here and now.

Jesus’ I am statements were given to people who were steeped in the Jewish religious tradition, who understood the Torah, and who hopefully would make the connection between the God whom Moses encountered on Mt. Horeb from where he was sent to “say to the Israelites, “I am has sent me to you.’” (Ex 3.14) and God as revealed more fully in the person of Jesus.

Jesus is the way of inclusive participation in the mystery of God, I Am, first person present. Jesus is the way first century Jewish Jesus followers could continue to connect with the mystery of the God of Israel. Their experience of Jesus as the way they could encounter God of their ancestors was never intended to be an exclusionary claim that Jesus is the only way for anyone to experience the God of Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. In the Gospel according to John, Jesus is speaking to a particular people in a particular time about being in relationship with God who is always first person present.

I believe Jesus’ words to the late first century Jews, “I am the way, the truth and the life,” were intended to bridge the chasm between God of history and God first person present. Never were they meant to be an exclusionary claim to an exclusionary God.  I believe we would do well to recall Peter’s counsel  in the Acts of the Apostles, ”Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” (Acts 10.34) 

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