The time is right

Deuteronomy 5:1-3

   

          I took the liberty today of shortening the actual reading from the lectionary. This is a mere 3 verses, hardly that which makes for a rousing sermon. I will try to make a small point.

          Today on Yahoo news, there was an article about 'rethinking gay marriage'. The Bishop of Salisbury, the Rt Rev Nicholas Holtam, pointed out that scripture had been used to justify slavery as well as apartheid. I would point out that scripture has also been used to keep women strictly subservient to their husbands, keep them without education and essentially barefoot and pregnant and not much more than chattel. It's all there in scripture so it must have been OK, right?

           Well, no, not at all, really. We now realize the moral implications of some our interpretations. We see that scripture was interpreted wrongly, too narrowly and without love. We have grown by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

           So in this passage, why didn't God make a covenant with Moses' ancestors? Why did he wait for Moses? Why didn't we just have Jesus come along a thousand years earlier? Why did Jesus come to earth when he did? Did you ever wonder about that? Almost everything in life is timing. It is so true and it's the basis for many TV episodes and movies. Notably a Star Trek episode called "The City on the Edge of Forever" and who can forget the Jimmy Stewart Movie "It's a Wonderful Life". Timing is everything.  My husband and I often have thought what would have happened had we met 30 years earlier? (The answer is, we wouldn't be the same people that fell in love when they did).

           Moses was given the laws at a specific time when the time was right. Jesus came to us at the right time in history as well. We have come to know that slavery is an evil, that apartheid is wrong. Now is the time, the time is right, for us to know, we are capable of understanding, that Gays are not evil. We know gay people are created by God as unique, special and are truly wonderful. Not everyone is gay but God created some of us that way and it is good. 

          The time has come, the time is right, we can undrestand, we can grow. Praise the Holy Spirit, praise revelation and God's never ending love.

Moses convened all Israel, and said to them:

Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances that I am addressing to you today; you shall learn them and observe them diligently. The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. Not with our ancestors did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today.or

Abandoned by the church

Mark 10:46-52

       How many gay and lesbian brothers and sisters have abandoned the Roman Catholic faith? I myself have told people to leave if they have an ounce of self respect. We are the blind man calling to Jesus for salvation, for wholeness and for respect for what God the father created us. The church would be the ones sternly warning us to be quiet but we will not be silenced. We call to the Lord for holiness. We call the Lord for wholeness and salvation. We call to the Lord as brother.

       There are those in the church that feel our mere presence is an affront. Still others in their arrogance feel compelled to tell us what our role is. We are to be silent and celibate. No one need know, be silent. No need to acknowledge who you are. You are all simply intrinsically disordered. It's unfathomable why God would create intrinsically disordered people. The church fails (once again) to look at the evidence around us in God's diverse creation to see that what is 'intrinsically disordered is quite in evidence throughout His created world. This is not the normal for all but it is the norm for those creations. God made it so.

       In a world where we are told that being gay is abnormal, shut up and do as we the enlightened ones say, we the gay community call out to Jesus as the bland man did. We call out for wholeness and love which sadly the Roman Catholic church of our upbringing does not offer and cannot conceive of.

       In essence then,  we have not abandoned the Church, the Church has abandoned us.

               

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

On your knees

Mark 10:17-27

        Kneeling before God (or anyone), is at the very least a sign of reverence, perhaps submission,worship and love. I was in that position when I was ordained, kneeling before the Bishop.  It was a very powerful and special moment in time for me.  How many of us can picture ourselves kneeling in a pew or at a church rail looking for guidance, acceptance or a solution to a problem? We may be deep in prayer asking God for help. Kneeling certainly conjures up many images.

        When we submit ourselves do we know what we are asking for? Do we already have in mind what we want? The young man in this scripture passage, knelt before Jesus, perhaps instinctively but he asked what he had to do to achieve eternal life? Perhaps he was looking for a pat on the shoulder saying you are already doing it all, you are a shoe-in for eternal life. It says the man was  shocked when Jesus gave him an answer he was surely not expecting.

          Part of total submission is not knowing what the answer is going to be, where you will be lead. It involves intimate trust. If it was a human, you can never be sure you will not be disappointed. With God the issue is our hearing is not as good as His voice. It takes clarity, faith and true listening to hear the answers that God gives to us.

         Two things are certain from this reading, the road to salvation begins with adherence to the law. Jesus gave two great commandments which encapsulate all other laws. Second, put your focus and your faith in God who loves you immeasurably, not in worldly riches and belongings.

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.” ’ He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’ And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ They were greatly astounded and said to one another, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’

Acceptance of self

Mark 10:28-31

          Each year in the fall, my pastor would pick one Sunday to give his financial report to the parish. As part of this he would invite ordinary parishioners to step up to the podium and give a short speech on tithing. Many people are familiar with the term but not so much in a Catholic church. Shrewd business man that he was, the pastor asked us to give only 5%, or half the tithe. He reckoned that we already give 5% in other ways to myriad causes. Even so, he did not ask that you give even 5%, simply try to give 5% or make supporting the church a part of your household budget instead of dollaring. Dollaring is that system where you simply reach in you pocket for a spare dollar or change as the collection basket comes by. The pastor asked for some thought and commitment. That's really all he asked for. We were a parish rich beyond measure on any yardstick you choose to use.

         Many people give as a sort of insurance policy. If they give to God, all should go right in their lives. I suppose simply going to church or the act of believing could be looked at the same way. We believe so that we will get eternal reward. What would we be guaranteed based on this passage?

        When you are willing to give up anything for yourself, to be yourself, to accept God's design for yourself, you have richness beyond measure. Th person who finds themselves is the happiest of all. They are doing what that they are supposed to be doing, they are themselves free and happy. Is seems the sixties were a testament to this type of search, people were trying to "find themselves". In many ways people are still searching but the goal is to find inner peace and happiness. You find that through acceptance of who you are as a creation of God. Once you live as yourself for others you have happiness beyond measure, wealth beyond measure.

          Most gay people know this journey, this truth, very well. When a gay person accepts who they are and realizes they are good, loving creatures of God they may wind up having to give up all they knew. Family, friends, church all can vanish with the simple utterance of "I am gay". It should not be that way but it often is.  I use it simply to note a parallel between being gay and faithful. You may loose everything but you will gain everything. Those that leave you are gained a hundredfold in people that welcome you and love you. Most important of all is that you love yourself. This is true richness and true happiness.

          Whether you are gay or straight, no matter who you are, acceptance of self and acceptance of your loving relationship to God is true happiness.

Peter began to say to him, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.’ 

Simplicity

Luke 10:21-2

         I have taken a great liking to this show called the Amazing Race. Clues are given to teams and they race around the world. Sometimes the contestants read a clue and really over think it. In the process they are illiminated, great hilarity ensues or you sit on our side of the screen simply shaking your head at how dumb they seem.

           We all have a tendency to overthink things some times. The Catholic church is famous (or infamous) for rationalizing and creating elaborate arguments to support what they wish to beleive. The facts of the church as persented by Jesus are quite simple. the message is clear, no deep thoughts required really.  Jesus is the son of God who came to earth to show us how much God loves us. In the process he willingly died for us, all of us. 

           Some of the side show if you will, was his penchant to elaborate on who was saved and it usually involved an outcast group, the marginalized, the sick, the lame or the sinners of his day. This is not too difficult to understand.  God's love is all encompassing and all inclusive. No limits, no bounds. How could God dislike one of his hand made, special creations?

           At social hour after Mass, I ran across a young gay couple. I was quick to go and greet them as soon as they were pointed out.  I introduced myself and listened to them. One of them was in some way a displaced believer. He was a Christian but someohow had been lead to beleive he was not worthy or that by merely being gay he was an abomination in God's eyes.  What I would love to tell him at length is that it is not God who has disowned him but a man made church of one ilk or another.  God does not do such things. God is, as I said, loving with no limits and no bounds.

         If you feel trapped by some scripture passage that you are being beaten with, telling you that you are evil; or if you feel abandoned by your religion, the one that espouses God's love for all mankind; take heart. Your escape is free and easy. Bypass all the rhetoric and ritual that holds you down by one simple fact. God loves you as you are.  Your saving graces can be found in Jesus Christ. If you can know this simple yet glorious truth, then Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 

     You are loved!

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

Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.’

The confounded and the saved

John 1:1-18

            Jesus still confounds. He comes to those that seem the least worthy and chastises those who feel they are the righteous, the correct ones and the chosen. Once anyone begins to think in terms of we and they,  doom looms. As sure as putting yourself first and losing your life, so it will be with those who claim "They" this, and "they" that.

           And so it will come to pass that those that feel they have all the answers and are the righteous ones are the ones that will stand there gnashing their teeth and moaning as they are turned away at the gate or sent to the fires of Gehenna. That is my own personal prophesy. Nothing amazing really, Jesus said as much 2000 years ago.

           What this means to me and means even more perhaps to the gay community is that there is no reason why they have less of a shot at salvation than anyone else. God welcomes all, embraces all and loves all.   It is sadly funny when in an effort to condemn "the homosexual lifestyle" (I always wondered what that was. Is there a straight lifestyle? Is it a "choice" too? ) people turn to a so called Christian fundamentalist for their opinion. The are loaded with snippets of Bible references that are all mis-quoted, mis-interpreted and self serving. I love how people react when I say I am gay and a Christian as if it's some kind of oxymoron. In fact, being gay and being a follower of Jesus Christ and loving God are totally compatible. Especially in light of the fact that God created me this way. How I choose to live after that is between me and God, no one else. The self righteous and judgmental ones who feel otherwise are in for a rude awakening.

              His own people did not accept him is a sign of what is happening now as much as it happened in Jesus' time here on earth. The people who feel saved will go away in tears. The ones who are marginalized, humble and loving will be exalted.

           I thank God every day for being gay, for His love and guidance and the beauty and bounty of His world.

          

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” ’) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known. 

The Art Linkletter Show!

Mark 10:13-16

           There was a show many years ago called the Art Linkletter Show. I really don't know what his claim to fame was but he had his own show. One of the hallmarks of his show was when he sat down with children and had a conversation. Children say the most honest and amazing things.  It was enlightening, funny and entertaining. There is that simplicity and honesty about children that makes them adorable. Their innocence, their generosity.

           Jesus was (and still is ) revolutionary. Lesson after lesson spoke of inclusion, forgiveness, brotherhood, and a disdain for laws or religious rules that really hold people back from expressing their love for God and each other. Jesus was a social activist, speaking to women, consorting with tax collectors, healing Romans who were the occupiers after all, dining with sinners and prostitutes.  He was a rebel. When asked what the greatest commandment was he condensed them down to two simple commandments and that is what we should work with. Two simple commandments on which any law is based. 

        Two simple commandments like the simplicity of a child's love. A child's love is simple. A child's love is given freely. A child's energy is boundless and filled with anticipation and possibility. When you think of all these characteristics and perhaps a few more that you can think of, isn't this what our faith should be like?

        Our faith is not meant to be mired in rules and rubrics.  Our faith is not to be restricted by laws and lamentations of how bad other people are. Are faith should be as simple and loving as a child.  Dependent on the Parent, full of love, generosity, boundless energy and endless possibilities.   

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

Accomodation

Luke 14:1-6

          My most wonderful father-in-law and I often speak of religion when we visit. He has many brilliantly correct statements one of which is that Religion is nothing but accommodation. I could not agree more. Then, we each share some of our 'war stories' about our own faiths. He might offer how ridiculous it is for a Hasidim to not be allowed to push a button on an elevator on the Sabbath even if that person was headed to Synagogue. However, IF the elevator door was open and IF that Hasidim walked in and IF someone else pushed the button, now that was OK. With all do respect, how ridiculous. I might share how silly not eating meat on Fridays is. What was once a mortal sin is now OK, except in Lent. Even so, if St. Patrick's day falls on a Friday in Lent, there would be a dispensation for all the Irish in New York to eat their corned beef. Like the man said, accommodation. 

          I am also amazed, raised and schooled as a good Catholic, how it would be OK to practice the rhythm method (or it's current equivalent) but not acceptable to practice other forms of birth control. I could understand arguing that an IUD is not OK because it literally caused a fertilized egg to be aborted. But what about 'the pill' that essentially prevents fertilization from occurring? What about condoms?  Whatever the method, the intent is the same. I always looked at the intent. One method was no different than any other because the intent was the same and they all originated from the intelligence God gave us to discover and discern such information. 

            Another more laughable moment was when one of my fellow Deacons yelled at a parishioner saying that to merely read Dan Brown's book The DaVinci Code and discuss it was a mortal sin. Mortal sin??!! Really? It astounds me that this man of the cloth does not even realize what constitutes a mortal sin. The same goes for another person who told a class of young boys that looking at a Playboy magazine was a mortal sin. While I loath objectifying women, this is a natural curiosity of adolescence so, really, a mortal sin?

         I am sure everyone has some examples of religious BS. I have great respect for the Muslim faith. Every Muslim I know is a fine person, welcoming, loving and lives a good life. However even I have heard of some very silly Fatwas that have been issued.  Every religion it seems has rules or even traditions that are unrealistic or not based in any intelligence that God wishes us to honor. If I did not want to offend anyone more than I may have already done, I would have entitled this blog entry simply "Religious BS". 

         God gave us intelligence to learn , to discover him and cut through the BS to what the true message is, love. That is the lens we must always use.  Let our conscience dictate how we act in concert with the laws Jesus gave us and there are really simply the two.

             

          

One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully.  And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy.  And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”  But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away.  And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?”  And they could not reply to these things.

Millstone necklaces

Mark 9:42-50

          When I was rather young kid there was a slightly older boy in our neighborhood that was viewed as a trouble maker. He instigated a whole array of things to do that I won't go into simply because I am still a bit ashamed. Nothing illegal mind you, well maybe it was - but we were kids. Some might argue juvenile delinquents. In any event "Patrick" goaded several of us on to doing things we knew we ought not be doing. I was caught on a least one occasion and that was probably a good thing for me.  When we think of leading 'little ones astray', this is more likely what many of us think of. Evil temptation and succumbing to the temptation that some evil person deliberately places in our face. 

          If life was only that simple. We love to view things as black and white, good and evil. Countless movies are based on it. Many religions rely on it. We like to see things that way. It seems to make things easier.

          The fact is, many people are lead astray by well intentioned folks who convince others that they "know the truth". Lives can be ruined.  Sometimes people who learn something or have an epiphany about something in life and maintain that knowledge as their golden rule as if it's the pinnacle of learning or knowledge. They seem willing to lead everyone else their way.  This does not show any respect for others journey. We must discover many things on our own. Of course guided advice should always be handed out as needed. We certainly would not let our children touch a hot stove so they learn the hard way not to touch.  But life is so complex and our journeys are so varied, we really need to respect where each and every one of us are without meting out judgements and pronouncements about what is absolutely right or absolutely wrong.

               Where am I going with this? Leading 'little one's astray' is such a cute term that we fail to see sometimes that life is not black and white. The greatest rule we have is to love one another. If any situation does not have love added into the equation, it is faulty. We risk leading others astray.

              So when you are told that living together is a "mortal sin", it may not reflect the commitment and love that lives in the heart of those people. They may not have a legal or formal religious sanction but it may be valid and true none the less. I can think of a exhaustive and sadly boring array of issues that the many Churches seem free to lecture on without respect for individuals and without emphasis on a living love that is a hallmark of our Creator and Jesus Christ. Knowledge is spouted and quoted as if it is divinely given without human error. This is dangerous and as I said can ruin lives and actually can lead any child or adult astray.

         Before we start quoting or spouting truths, rules or lies, we should think twice - at least.  We should not feel cock sure in life like we have all the answers lest we lead astray some other chap on their own journey. Who knows (except God) you may be wrong! The Church could be wrong, imagine that!

         Be more concerned with your own journey, share, but respect each other. Millstone necklaces are tough to bear. 

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.  If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,  where

“‘the worms that eat them do not die,
    and the fire is not quenched.’

Everyone will be salted with fire.

“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

A Bishop should be

1 Timothy 3:1-16

       I am stunned that I have not come across this reading before, certainly not since I started blogging. This passage is quite explicit and yields much information about not only how the early Church was, but also about how far afield the church has gone since those early days. And lastly, seeing all the turmoil in the Church locally and globally, this passage is an indictment of the current Roman Catholic Bishop of Rockville Centre.

       Let's begin. So, Bishops can be married only twice? Once? Never? The tradition of a celibate priesthood and Deaconate seems to be in direct conflict with this reminder by Paul of who can be a Bishop.  Besides marriage, what is this about being beyond reproach? The actions of countless Bishops around the world, in the United States, Ireland and England to name a few have certainly not been beyond reproach. There have been sex scandals, cover-ups, lies and more. In attempts to save the church from scandal, the exact opposite has occurred. The moral teaching authority of the church has evaporated.

        Far from the traditions of Ordered Priests, Diocesan priests and Bishops have lived quite well healed lives.  The Bishop of Rockville Centre for example, while this is admittedly old news, evicted elderly Nuns so he could build his own specially designed quarters complete with special refrigerators to keep his myriad wine collection at their proper temperatures.  If a Diocese is the Bishops household, Rockville Centre surely is not a sign of good management, Christian love, generosity or not being puffed up.

    It seems curious to me that the guidelines for Deacons seems to be followed quite well. Although, candidates for the Diaconate in Rockville Centre are all at the first tested and proven blameless. Service must be a living part of a man's character to even be considered for Diaconal formation.  What I find interesting too is that the scripture has been scrubbed, perhaps even by the time it was approved in Canonical form, of any reference to women Deacons (or a Diaconess if you will) which actually did exist and have been well documented in the early church history.

          While I am the first not to take passages out of context, this passage seem very clear. I pray that one day the Spirit will infuse the Roman Catholic church to return to it's roots.

     

          

The saying is sure: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way— for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil.

Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not greedy for money; they must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them first be tested; then, if they prove themselves blameless, let them serve as deacons. Women likewise must be serious, not slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be married only once, and let them manage their children and their households well; for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great:
He was revealed in flesh,
   vindicated in spirit,
     seen by angels,
proclaimed among Gentiles,
   believed in throughout the world,
     taken up in glory. 

Immutable truths

Mark 4:1-20

           Yesterday (and on many previous occasions), I spoke of proper translations. Surely the immutable truths that scripture gives us is not about condoning slavery, the wisdom of handing your daughters over to rapists or that sexual intimacy is wrong. 

          In this reading we have a more clear presentation of immutable truths spoken by Jesus in reference to the sowing of seeds.  And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. 

          We are all searching for wholeness in life whether we realize it or not. Many people spend their entire lives searching for wholeness and meaning that is really only found in acceptance of self and loving God.  That I know it is a blessing for which I am eternally grateful. Many though seek wholeness and meaning in a variety of different ways before they find true meaning (if they ever do). In an effort to fill the void inside, many try to fill it with toys, spouses (plural), affairs, exhilarating experiences, travel and myriad other activities and possessions. Even in Jesus' day this was true although  I don't think there was bungee jumping and exoticars.

           It would be a wise man (or woman) who takes this very reading and thinks long and well on the subject. It could easily have an impact on their entire life. Further, it might save you countless tawdry affairs, alimony and the cost of countless toys, be that cars, games, boats or what have you.

       Please don't get me wrong, I am not arguing for the life of the Amish. There is nothing wrong with toys and possessions per se. Tawdry affairs, well that is nothing to be proud of and certainly is a way toward another goal if you are inclined to intensely warm places. It has been wisely said that it is not money that is the root of all evil but the love of money that is the root of all evil. I am sure God wishes us to enjoy our lives as we seek wholeness, meaning. But it is our willingness to share, love and seek Him that counts. We need to keep everything in perspective lest the word of God and our wholeness and beauty be choked off.

Again he began to teach beside the lake. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the lake on the land. He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’ And he said, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’

When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, ‘To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that
“they may indeed look, but not perceive,
   and may indeed listen, but not understand;
so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.” ’

And he said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’

Beuler? Beuler? Beuler?

Anyone? Anyone? Anyone?

Comments are always welcome on this blog

Sodomites!

1 Timothy 1:1-17

           As a gay man my eyes widen a bit when I read scripture that speaks of sodomites in the same breath as murderers, fornicators and slave traders.

           Take a deep breath. Huhhhhh. OK, so I recall that sodomite is a word invented to refer to a single sexual act  in about 395 AD, perhaps a thousand years after the story of Sodom and Gomorrah was written. How interesting. Time to consult some biblical texts and exegesis. 

           I have always warned my readers of proper translations and in this case, the reading is rampant with translational problems. First, a sodomite might be simply a citizen of Sodom. Unfortunately, we know that is not what is being said in this passage. It is trying to refer to a sexual act. In correct translation the sin of Sodom (and Gomorrah) was not that of sexual relations between men, it was being inhospitable to Lot's guests. Even if you were to judge the male citizens of Sodom for wanting to have sex with Lot's guests it would be more on the vane of rape. It certainly does not correspond to a loving physical relationship of any kind, committed love or not. It was going to be a rape, pure and simple. I do not think that is acceptable in any reasonable religion or society. And what of Lot's daughters who were offered up in place of Lot's guests, what sin should we make of that? Is it acceptable to throw his daughters to the wolves and allow them to be raped? Where is the reasoning that the sin called Sodomy after the year 395 is homosexual anal sex and not rape? 

        If we are to accept the translation that is being used in this reading, what are we to make of some of the other listed sins? If fornicating is sinful, are we to abstain from sex altogether? Does this apply to straight and gays? What sense does that make? Is all sex a sin? No, not likely. Did God make such beautiful intimate life sustaining acts a sin? I believe intimacy is a gift from God. 

         Further, what of slave traders? I thought I read in Leviticus that having and selling slaves was OK. You can even pass them along and their children down as inheritance. At least that's true according to Leviticus.  Here it is listed with fornicators and murderers. What's up with that?

          Bad translations it seems are just that, bad translations.

          The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was inhospitality. Communities that had much and did not share or welcome strangers. Those are the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. I would add the willingness to hand over your daughters to a gang of rapists might also be an incredible evil as well.

          As for fornicators, I would equate that with sexual promiscuity rather than loving, intimate sexual relations. Frankly, I think an argument could be made that it applies more to the straight community than it does to the gay community. Check out the one night stand crew at any club on a Friday night. Drinking and sex seem to be the order of the day for the young straight set. If sexual promiscuity is wrong, it is wrong for all, straight and gay. But if loving committed intimacy is OK, it is OK for all as well.

       As if to drive the whole bad translation thing down altogether, we see that slave trading is bad when in Hebrew scripture it is condoned as OK. How can faithful people change the Bible like that? The answer is that we have grown and realize that everything in scripture is not a universal OK. We are guided by the Holy Spirit to realize Slavery is wrong. We must pay careful attention to translation, context and the growth of mankind.

       Once again, bad translations are bad translations. Be careful. Read, inquire, nurture your faith and watch what you are reading.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope,

To Timothy, my loyal child in the faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I urge you, as I did when I was on my way to Macedonia, to remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach any different doctrine, and not to occupy themselves with myths and endless genealogies that promote speculations rather than the divine training that is known by faith. But the aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. Some people have deviated from these and turned to meaningless talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make assertions.

Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it legitimately. This means understanding that the law is laid down not for the innocent but for the lawless and disobedient, for the godless and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their father or mother, for murderers, fornicators, sodomites, slave-traders, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever.^* Amen.

Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on us.

1 Corinthians 2:1-13

          When I took philosophy in college there were certain arguments that were used in class. Not arguments that were fights, but logical discussions of sorts that were used to make a point, to prove something. As it was a Catholic University, very often it was an argument to prove the existence of God. It's all very intellectual and it is difficult to deny all the steps in the argument so that you are just carried along until you come to the final (correct) conclusion. I guess there is some value in all of it from the point of view as a believer. But for me, all you need do is open your eyes and look around to show that God exists. For those that need the intellectual approach, the philosophy stuff was good. 

            The Catholic Church has many such arguments. They have spend thousands of years formulating and perfecting arguments on a whole array of subjects and they would be loath to change anything that is not in line with approved beliefs. These beliefs become self sustaining too because after such length of time, other thoughts or arguments are dismissed because not only does the church have the so called logical arguments, they have the heavy weight of tradition behind them.

           In one fell swoop though, the arguments can be dismissed by simple and utter love. Far too little emphasis or attention is placed on the movement of the Holy Spirit within the church or in our own lives. There is a name for it, Sensus Fidelium, but it does not garner the power of logic or tradition.
Ironically , it is logic and tradition, two things that Jesus railed about.

          No one could say that Jesus life and works could be logical in any way.  From the standpoint of love it makes complete sense. But to rail against the religious elite, to stand against an occupying army, to consort with women, prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners, well, the result could easily be predicted. The only logic is that it was a way to certain death.

          The Spirit that is given to us is not to be trifled with. The power of the Spirit is alive and well. It is not born of logical arguments. It is not born of a male dominated hierarchy. The Spirit is born of love because God is love and the Spirit speaks. It was recognized by St. Francis and is true today as it ever was. It's essence is spoken of in this passage. Preach the Good news at all times, use words if necessary. Dispense with the rhetoric, the logical arguments, the tradition that falsely props up an ailing church. What is needed is love and listening to the Holy Spirit. If actions preach the Gospel, what is a faithful person to see from pedophilia, cover ups, organized suppression of women, financial scandals and the rest? What made the New Pope so endearing in his first days was his actions that were counter to tradition, actions that were open and loving, actions that showed the Spirit alive.

             Allow the Spirit in, allow the Spirit to live in our actions, words are not necessary when love abounds. Jesus whole life were actions of love for us. Emulate Jesus, welcome the Holy Spirit.

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,
‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
   nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him’—
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.

Irony: once rejected, now a cornerstone.

1 Peter 2:4-10

       The Bible is sometimes used as a weapon against the gay community. When this is done, two things happen. One I believe is that God cringes and cries at the abuse of passages that are truly meant to be love stories between God and his people. Scripture contains immutable truths of love. If God is vengeful, I think the intolerant, unloving people who claim to hear His word as restrictive and in line with their own agenda should watch out. If not in this life, then the next. A secret corner of me wants to be at the pearly gates when they are turned away. They'll have this look of shock on their faces. That is, if God is vengeful. The second thing that happens when the Bible is misused and misinterpreted is that people in the gay community turn away from God. How many of us have been drummed into believing we are not worthy, we are evil, we are sinful? The innocents of God are turned away and the so called holy people are nothing more than agents of the devil. What else would you call someone that convinces people that God does not love them and that God's love is not inclusive and complete without restrictions. God's love is free and complete, total and without restriction.

         So when you come to a passage like this one, I almost cry because it speaks not only of Jesus as the stone rejected by man who becomes the cornerstone, it also speaks loudly to the gay community in a very positive way.

         Gays are often rejected.  To know that you were once rejected and now know that you are not evil just because of who you are is a beacon of hope and a source of joy and celebration. There are still those individuals and even churches that do not accept gays as full members of Gods love and creation just as they are. This passage is one of the ones that really helps you know that  it isn't so, you are accepted , loved and welcome.  You were rejected and now I am lifting you up, celebrating you as a special part of creation. No, not better than any other part of creation but a unique and planned part of creation. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

         What a glorious day to celebrate being gay. What a glorious day to say thank God for loving me and making me this way. Praise God. I was rejected and now am whole.

Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture:
‘See, I am laying in Zion a stone,
   a cornerstone chosen and precious;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’
To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe,
‘The stone that the builders rejected
   has become the very head of the corner’,
and
‘A stone that makes them stumble,
   and a rock that makes them fall.’
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
Once you were not a people,
   but now you are God’s people;
once you had not received mercy,
   but now you have received mercy.

Reflection on perfection

Hebrews 8:1-13

          There are those that set themselves up as leaders, both religious and secular. Then too, there are those who claim a lineage or devine right to rule. Agan, both religious and secular.

           This should not be so. There are no greater or lesser. There is no divine right to rule by any man.  Men are imperfect and as such cannot claim any direct and perfect line to the words of God. Men cannot claim infallibility for only God is infallible and perfect. Our words can only be imperfect reflections, adapatations and imperfect expressions of a perfect God. We can see God all around us and only in equality and in God's love can we claim our heritage. But we can claim nothing more than our heritage. We cannot claim to be better than anyone else. We cannot claim our journey is any better than anothers and we cannot claim that ours is the one true enlightened journey.

         We can and should help each other on our journeys to wholeness, this is the essence of our being which is to love. Help abounds all around us, in people, in texts of all kinds, in simply looking around us.

         That there is no perfect mediator here on earth, written or living. The love of God is in our hearts and is shown by our actions.

          

Now the main point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent that the Lord, and not any mortal, has set up. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; hence it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They offer worship in a sanctuary that is a sketch and shadow of the heavenly one; for Moses, when he was about to erect the tent, was warned, ‘See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.’ But Jesus has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need to look for a second one.

God finds fault with them when he says:
‘The days are surely coming, says the Lord,
   when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
   and with the house of Judah;
not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors,
   on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt;
for they did not continue in my covenant,
   and so I had no concern for them, says the Lord.
This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
   after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds,
   and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
   and they shall be my people.
And they shall not teach one another
   or say to each other, “Know the Lord”,
for they shall all know me,
   from the least of them to the greatest.
For I will be merciful towards their iniquities,
   and I will remember their sins no more.’
In speaking of ‘a new covenant’, he has made the first one obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old will soon disappear.

The Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

          I have mentioned before the value I place on using the Lord's Prayer as a meditation. By spending time on each word, this kind of meditation can take some time. It could take weeks if you really wanted to think about, research and pray on each word. Today's passage seems to focus on the word neighbor. Who is our neighbor, just as who is the "Our" in the Our Father.

          I am guessing it is never an easy choice no matter who you are, it almost always involves expanding your horizons, loving someone or some group that are at odds with what we think.

           For me that might be trying to understand and love the right wingnuts of American politics. For them it might very well be me, an out, proud, gay married man - and a Christian too!  It's never easy.

            What isn't easy is the part about loving and understanding. Jesus is not speaking of merely tolerating others whom we might view as social outcasts or at odds with our opinions.  Jesus wants us to love as in the verb "to love". We are called to action. We are not allowed to justify our position as the Priest or the Levite did.  To the Samaritan, it apparently did not matter what political persuasion the victim was.  It didn't matter who he was in life at all. What mattered was that he was a fellow human, a brother, part of "our" and a "neighbor" who was in need.  Empathy, love, compassion and action.

               If you recall my blog entry called "a Dear Slave" ( Sept. 27, 2012 ), you know that it was a Centurion that asks Jesus for help to cure his "slave". Look at the direct conflicts inherent in this. Officer of an occupying army. Itinerant Jewish preacher of the occupied. Jesus might have every reason to deny this man anything, even the time of day. Jesus' love though cannot be contained and we have a cure and another miracle. Not unlike the Samaritan helping the victim only kicked up a few notches.

        We are called to empathise, try, really try to understand others, not merely tolerate, to have compassion and to put our love into action as Jesus did and as the Samaritan did.  

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’

Wolves in the Church

Acts 20:28-38

         I can see where the church hierarchy gets it's desire to maintain purity in the church and resist change if only from this one reading. The hints of problems are right here in this reading. Savage wolves will come among you leaves little doubt as to the problems the church would have.

         Before Jesus died for us on the cross, the Apostles argued about who would be first among them in heaven. This might be a glimpse of things to come. While Jesus knew what they were discussing and gave them the perfect response (if you want to be first, be the servant of all), the seeds were laid for trouble. Perhaps not in a malicious way, the faithful wanted to keep things as the were when Jesus was alive. There is a human tendency it seems to want things to remain the same and be like the good 'ol days.

           So perhaps the churches problems started with wanting it to be 'like the good ol days', it quickly moved to followers who were distorters of the truth. To heresy among followers and eventually (over hundreds of years now) to a complete distortion of the message where the crusades and the inquisition become rational ideas to address real concerns. In that case the wolves among you is actually a wolf within.   It seems a wolf within has been one of the biggest problems for the church over it's entire history.

        In wanting to protect the Church, seemingly at all costs, sometimes the Church itself has been sacrificed. There may have been a relinquishing of the message and ideals of Jesus for the sake of purity and maintaining the church. In reality, in following this approach, nothing of value is saved and what would remain becomes a hollow shell. What has become of the church, it's moral authority and the message of Jesus because of the cover ups of pedophilia and sexual abuses in the church? Where has that left the moral authority and message of the church?

        It seems ironic that the attachment to tradition and fear of change, itself a means of a wolf among the church, has lead to a further decay of exactly what the Holy Spirit has been trying to guide the church through. That is, a movement to a cohesiveness of God's message that is reconciled and reflective of the message He gives us in his natural world. Yet, the church has resisted over the centuries almost all attempts that the sciences have made to expand the mystery of God's creation. I say that because it is a truth that the more we actually know, the wider the mystery of creation becomes. The grander God becomes because of the beauty and complexity of His creation.

       This is a very broad overview of the wolves that have attacked the church, more from within than from without.  Perhaps it is the ideal time to stop and simply pray for the Church, pray for all of us.  We pray to listen well to you, Lord God, King of the Universe.
                                                          

Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified. I coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothing. You know for yourselves that I worked with my own hands to support myself and my companions. In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” ’

When he had finished speaking, he knelt down with them all and prayed. There was much weeping among them all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, grieving especially because of what he had said, that they would not see him again. Then they brought him to the ship.

The seventy

Luke 10:1-17

        I don't believe it's uncommon to diminish ourselves in the eyes of others , if not ourselves. In fact very often I think we lack good self images and we put ourselves down. I don't think God likes us to do that even if we may have done something wrong. God sees the good in us always like the doting parent that he is. Perhaps more so because he created each one of us with intent as well as love. Biologically speaking I'd say most of us were born simply of love. In any event we tend to diminish ourselves.

           When I think of Jesus' followers curing people, I think of the Apostles, the big guns of the church so to speak. And yet these seventy others were sent out and people were cured. I wonder if we know the names of who those seventy were? Somewhere in the Vatican archives perhaps if it's known at all. Perhaps it doesn't matter .

        Or does it? It really does matter in the that we need to realize the power God gives each one of us as believers. That's right. We have power. We could have been one of those seventy if we were followers then. Are you a follower of Jesus now?

         When we diminish ourselves , we diminish the power of God and the power of His love working in us and through us. It gives you a new slant on why we should not be demeaning ourselves. For one thing, when we say things to ourselves, like "oh how stupid can you get", there is a part of our brain that listens to such tripe. Don't go there, don't say say stuff like that. It demeans who you are and it denies the power, love and uniqueness of whom God wanted in creating you. You, adorable, lovable you.

          I know it may be hard to realize the implications of demeaning yourself but how can you channel the power and love of God if you don't feel worthy? God said if we had the faith the size of a mustard seed, we could move mountains into the sea. We have such healing powers from God, in the name of Jesus, that we should respect ourselves all the more.

        Our good deeds, a cheerful caring voice, our listening, our mere presence can be healing to people. Do not diminish the power of your very presence to others who made need your help. You may not even know the effect you have but you could easily change someones life for the better by showing your healing love and concern for someone. I'm not sure what to call it but we have this notion that we have to actually do something overt and with intent to help others, to heal them or raise them up. My point is that the healing powers we have in Jesus' name can also be simply by caring, a hug, an intimate moment that helps someone realize they are loved , wanted and respected.  Even a smile has curative powers.  In Jesus' name it is all possible.

         As believers we care called to love and cure. Are you one of the seventy?
     

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, “Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.” I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.

‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But at the judgement it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum,
will you be exalted to heaven?
   No, you will be brought down to Hades.

‘Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.’

The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’

The rat race

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

          To many the routine is the same. Wake up in a rush, hurry and do whatever chores you can, perhaps a kiss to everyone before you leave, drive, drive, drive, yell at a few fellow drivers, just the stupid ones of course, get to work, chug some coffee, deal with, maybe participate in some bad mouthing and gossip, play angry birds sitting on the corner of your desk, text, tweet, perhaps call home, cheat at work a little, run home, ferry kids to endless activities, grab a beer or two or three? head to bed. repeat, repeat, repeat, TGIF.

           Is this the life we are called to ? Is this what we feel we have to do to keep up appearances and to find 'true happiness' suburban style?

           The answer is NO! When we accept who we are and love with a thankful loving heart, even the 'tasks' that we must do are not angry and rushed, they are joyful and done with purpose and sincere intent. Anger dissipates, love prevails. It's not that you are restraining yourself, holding back anger, it's that you have no will to be part of a rat race that is not reflective of how you feel inside.

           In the face of self joy, faith and love, we are called to live entirely different lives. We may have to do many of the same things all day but they take on new meaning. They are performed differently. You realize some things need not be done and perhaps should not be done. You are changed. You are at peace. Yelling, anger, gossiping all become wasted energy and anathema to your true being. Like the wise men who met (baby) Jesus and returned home via a different route, when we meet Jesus in faith and love, we continue our journey (in life) via a different route. We are changed. As it says in the Broadway show Wicked, ironically perhaps, We have been changed for the better.

            If your life seems a jumble and filled with angst and anger, no time for the good stuff and thoughts of thankfulness elude you - it's time to reevaluate your life and get acquainted or re-acquainted with Jesus. We are meant for truly wonderful lives.

So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbours, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labour and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Born that way

Ephesians 2:1-10

      Yesterday I spoke about (bad) childlike behavior that infects the world and is responsible for so many of the ills the world has. The passage today speaks of being dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived. While I wrote of our struggle to be who God made us to be, to love and to learn, there is one additional thing we need to realize. This passage spells it out for us.

          We must know that our innate goodness is not something we earn. Who we are, each one of us, in our wholeness, in our beauty, in our ability to love is gifted by God. It is part of all of us and in our own special ways, each one us individually. What did we do to deserve it?  As Lady Gag said, we are 'born that way'. So whether we are straight or gay, black or white or someplace in between or neither at all, we are created by love and a plan by God to have a beautiful world. It is only possible if we cooperate and love. It is only possible if we accept growth. It is only possible if we realize how good we are right from the get go.

           You know our world seems to operate on a different schema, earn enough points and get X.  Get enough boxtops and you get a free toy. Collect enough frequent flyer miles and get a free flight.
With God there is nothing to earn. We do not have to achieve something in order to get his love and salvation. He created us as beautiful creatures out of love so that we can live and love some more. Jesus died on the cross so that we are already forgiven for our trespasses. We could not possibly do enough to earn enough 'points' to obtain salvation or to overcome the sins we may have committed. Jesus died to cover it all and God created us to live joyous and loving lives.

          It's as if God is saying 'I got ya covered', just enjoy, live and love. That makes him happy.

You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

To learn to grow and love

Hebrews 5:7-14

         When I read this passage I get two competing images. One image is all of the wonderful attributes of children. The boundless energy, the simple and unrestricted love that they have. Then there is the down side of children's behavior. I don't think that the bad behavior is really who they are but learned from the world. None the less, there are tirades, tantrums, screaming, telling half truths and lack of maturity so that that they don't get (nor can they understand) the bigger picture. As parents, we sometimes try to explain but the comprehension is like sand slipping through our fingers.

            I am still like that myself sometimes. I am slow to understand and learn but once I learn something, I never forget. Perhaps it's good that I came out after 20 solid years of Catholic education. I learned well the limitless love, the self esteem and peace of God before they told me I wasn't worthy (for being gay). Then it was too late, I know I am loved, I am know I am whole as I am.

             It seems to me that many of the worlds ills, from poverty, war, factions, intransigence, greed and any number of others you care to mention, all come from an immaturity in us as adults. In so many ways we are still acting out adolescent behaviour in an adult world.  I heard a very learned, wise and generous person once say that everything they needed to learn in life was learned in kindergarten. Sadly, instead of learning good lesson there, some people learned to grab all the toys, cry for their own way and lie and cheat. The behavior is still with them as adults and the world seems a mess.  Are the problems of the world from a lack of understanding, lack of maturity or lack of love as a child?

                 What this might have you believe is that we have learned behavior from childhood that cannot change. Nothing however could be further from the truth.  All of the world's ills, all our personal issues, problems with the churches and problems within governments can be solved by maturity and strong doses of love and understanding.  We are slow to get it. I know I am. But with love and a willingness to change and grow, everything is possible. Perhaps that is one of the fundamental messages Christ gave us. New life, Easter people, the ability to mature, change, grow and reach new states of being and maturity.

                 For any change, there are catalysts and true effort, perhaps struggle. Seeds need to be watered, need sunlight and have to burst through the soil. Caterpillars must build a cocoon, and eventually break free of that tomb to emerge as a beautiful butterfly.

          Jesus' message of love is the catalyst the world needs. We must free ourselves from the tyranny of learned behavior. We must free ourselves from the bondage of 'traditions' that only serve to perpetuate inequality, systemic incompetence and self righteousness. We must be willing to place ourselves at the disposal of others for help, have a willingness to learn and accept that we are not 'all that'.

          Like the birth of a butterfly, our birth will be slow and will be a struggle but humanity will be better served and a true image of God's design for us if we love as Jesus loved and be true to the innate goodness that each of us was created with.  

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

About this we have much to say that is hard to explain, since you have become dull in understanding. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food; for everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.

On not writing people off

Acts 18:1-8

         I am as out and proud as just about anyone. I'm not wearing rainbow belts and scarves and the like, but I am out and proud and I am politically, religiously and socially active. I am often at odds with people over a variety of issues. I suppose most of all about being gay. When you say for example that gays shouldn't marry or that it's not a real marriage, I do take it personally. You are talking about my relationship with my husband, our commitment, our love. As a Christian, I believe my marriage as Sacramental as well.

        So what of those e people that disagree with me? The ones I would view as misguided or worse, hard hearted and outright wrong.  Should I shake the dust off my feet and pretend they do not exist? Should I write them as as idiots and have nothing more to do with them?

        One of the things I have learned and this has nothing to do with right, wrong, left, write, Jew, Christian, Muslim or Buddhist, is that life is a journey. Each and every one of us is on a journey to wholeness.  It can take a lifetime. Well, really, it does take a lifetime.  We all learn at different rates, we have different experiences, different frames of reference. What you learn at 9 years old I may not learn until I am ninety and visa verse. Who am I to judge your journey?  When I dust the sand off my sandals for good, I am closing my mind to the possibility of change and growth in the other and myself. I am judging in the worst possible way. I have to respect the others journey. That doesn't man I am not going to try to reach out, teach, educate and expose people to what a decent life is like. I wish to convert people to respect by good example and a loving life. Dusting the sand off your shoes forever won't do that.

          This reading seems to be one of the ones that Paul writes that one could take issue with. He has a problem with the Jews for not accepting the word and so he condemns them that they will have blood on their heads. I am glad that Paul so eloquently argued that Christ's message of love and salvation was open to the gentiles, the non-Jews. But at the same time I think Paul's message of condemnation is not from God. The same generosity he would heap on the gentiles  is absent in his speech towards the Jews.  This is just another example of the scriptures written by imperfect humans about a perfect God. Does the perfection of the creator translate to perfection in us fallible humans who write their story about God?

            Love, forgiveness, tolerance, understanding and respect for journey must be universal and reciprocal. I know it isn't always so but I would rather die living a good life than taking up the banner of intolerance and hatred that is often foisted on the gay community.

          

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them, and they worked together—by trade they were tentmakers. Every sabbath he would argue in the synagogue and would try to convince Jews and Greeks.

When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with proclaiming the word, testifying to the Jews that the Messiah was Jesus. When they opposed and reviled him, in protest he shook the dust from his clothes and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’ Then he left the synagogue and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshipper of God; his house was next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the official of the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord, together with all his household; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul became believers and were baptized.

Stand by me

Matthew 28:16-20

           Did you ever make note of how differently people act in different situations? Kids will act one way in front of their parents or teachers and another way when they are alone with their friends. Many adults are the same way, they act differently in different situations.  I would think I might act differently in the presence of our President. I certainly would be on my best behaviour if Jesus was in the room. It is a true blessing for anyone who has the peace and surety to be themselves always at all times. What gives you such inner peace?

             For one thing, it might be knowing your own value. Another might be knowing in every fiber of your being that you are loved. In this passage, Jesus says "I am with you always". If we truly believe that, I think we would act differently at least some of the time. It wouldn't be because we are afraid to be ourselves. It wouldn't be that we'd always be on guard because you know who is with me. I suspect the assurance that we are loved and the knowledge that He is always with us is transformational. The surety that allows someone to be a peace is from knowing they are loved, know they have value and know that God is with them always.

            Perhaps for today, try to realize that at any given moment, God is there with you. Remember that He has a good sense of humour and loves to laugh. Remember he's holding you when something goes wrong. Remember he is along side you as you do even mundane tasks and interact with people that are not perhaps as aware as you are that they have worth, are loved and are living in the presence of God because "I am with you always".

           Just for today perhaps, hopefully know for every moment and for all time, that you are special, you are loved and that God stands with you wherever you are.

           

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.’

In the blink of an eye.

Luke 12:22-31

          Last week I was riding my brand new bike for a pleasant Sunday afternoon ride. I had gone to Mass, visited my grandson (and my daughter and son-in-law) and now was at mile marker 4.87 on an intended 12 mile loop around the surrounding farms. Then it happened, I saw a car coming at me and wham, down I went, bike crumpled. I was blessed to see him coming so I had a chance to dive off at the last second. Still I hit the road hard on my hip and lay there in the middle of the road. I will confess to you all that the words out of my mouth were not saintly. I really screamed at the guy but that's not the point. I was actually OK and that is paramount.

         What could have happened though was that in the blink of an eye at mile mark 4.87, my life could surely have ended. No fanfare, no warning (well, a little, praise God) and it would have been all over, one day shy of my first anniversary to the most wonderful man in the world. Plans and looking forward to our wonderful life for years to come would have evaporated.

          So suddenly the obsessive checking of the stock market seems hollow. What's for dinner seems trivial at best.  What could I possibly have to worry about that is not put into perspective by a near death experience? I still check the stock market but there's a part of my brain that  has been rattled back into the real world. That is, treasure every second, love at every opportunity, do not hold grudges and be thankful for everything. Most of all, thankful for a man and a cat.

          I can rattle off a dozen things to worry about. I suppose they could keep me from sleep. But it won't keep from that deep sleep we will all come to some day so what good is the worry? Put your energy into something more fruitful. Have a good conversation (pray) with your heavenly father who wishes only the best for you. Say thank you. Lay out your concerns to Him but don't let those concerns consume you. Like I said, put your energies into something more fruitful. Work hard. Play hard. Pray hard. My motto that seems to fit nicely right here about where to put your energies. Certainly NOT into worrying.

       

He said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.