Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Lies and abortion

         The admonition not to tell falsehoods ( don't lie ) is enshrined in religious law.  Of course we all lie every once in a while. There are fibs, whoppers and statistics. Those statistics are probably what were used to ignore the possibility the Mr. Trump could become President - speaking of liars.

         Many years ago my step mother game me the secrets to her fruit cocktail recipe. There were two facets of the recipe that made it work and set it far above any other that I have ever had. I made it at one time for a mothers day brunch, a tradition I once held for the mothers of our family, now all long gone. My own mother asked me where I got the recipe for the fruit cocktail? Diplomacy or blatant lie, I told her that I had gotten the recipe from a co-worker. It seemed safer that way. My mother and my step mother never got along. So I lied. It seemed safer that way but it was indeed a lie. As lies go that might considered a white lie, certainly not a whopper and there was no malicious intent at all.

         If lies are a symptom of turning from God, that was certainly a misstep on my part for which I think I have tried to dance towards God in repentance. But lies are a symptom. What are we to make then of 10,000 lies?   That is the stack of whoppers amassed by our President just while in office, just the publicized and spoken in public fabrications.

          I think I am glad that I am a man. It's not simply because I am gay either. In that respect I am practically gleeful. No, women have the hardest lot. If baring children were not so torturous that might be that but women are minimized, used and abused. So of course are men to some degree but not to the wholesale degree women are and not in the mass historical context that have made them a minority and never quite in control as they should be. Perhaps the most recent case in point is the control of woman genitals. Whether it is the demeaning words about being a lesbian, rules and laws restricting control over there own bodies or essentially being bartered off for marriage, women are subjected horribly to male domination.

         Let's look at abortion. Bold I know. I am not an advocate of abortion. I think it is wrong. At the same time, I am not the one who can become pregnant. I will not have to bare a child in pain. In spite of the major role I played raising my own children, most women are looked at as the major, if not sole caretaker and responsible for raising children - in addition to their other full time job , whatever that may be.  The truth is I really am not in a position to suggest what one person should do if they are raped, or have become pregnant. I think that there are people who think that abortion is an easy fix. It is no such thing and it is a decision that often haunts a person forever.  No, I don't think there are cadres of women out there who on a Saturday night decide, 'let's all go downtown and get an abortion'. This is a huge decision. So many who are not involved have plenty to say and judgments are made without any concern for the person, the actual singular person involved. Tough decision. I am glad I am a man even while I may be embarrassed to be a man at times.
    
         If there is a funny part of the 'pro-life' movement it is that it is a fallacy, a hypocritical lie. Most of these religious zealots are fixated merely on the birth of a baby. There is far less if not any concern at all for pre-natal care, post-natal care, money for school food programs, education, mental health, universal health or support of the aging. No, pro-life is a misnomer. These zealots are not in fact pro life, they are simply and solely, pro-birth.

          I use the term zealot and I speak of lies that are symptomatic of bad faith because they were joined in one fantabulous whopper by that monumental liar of a President just the other day. In his quest to appeal to some far right religious hypocrite fringe, Mr. Trump uttered the revolting whopper about killing a  baby while speaking at a rally in Wisconsin. It was a patent lie that once again showed what an truly unfaithful and horrible human being he is.

         Lies are a symptom and no amount of proclamations or justifications will make him right or holy. He is a bold, sinful man. That the religious right want to claim him as a Herold of God is laughable and deeply saddening. It is a stain on the word Christianity. 

       The real Christians are not the ones thumping Bibles on peoples heads, quoting Scripture passages like weapons, demeaning and abusing humans. Real Christians know that words are meaningless and false words are symptomatic of deep dark souls. Real Christians act on love, emulate the life of Christ and convert lives by their actions, raising the voice of God like a beautiful choir.

       For truth and love, compassion and mercy we pray.


1 John 2:1-11

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
 Now by this we may be sure that we know him, if we obey his commandments. Whoever says, ‘I have come to know him’, but does not obey his commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; but whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection. By this we may be sure that we are in him:whoever says, ‘I abide in him’, ought to walk just as he walked.

Monday, April 29, 2019

Itchy ears and small hands.

       Why is it that we cannot seem to help ourselves in judging others?  In truth we compare how each of us responds to the Gospel message.  What is the basis for such judgments? To many it is doctrine. To some it is tradition. To others still, it is snippets of holy Scripture that support what they already want to believe. This latter group, these are the ones with 'itchy ears'. They will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 

        The two bold faces of Christianity then are the fake Christianity of itchy ears and the other, real and true Christianity, is the one that emulates the actions of Jesus Christ, His message and the Spirit. One can see by the taste of the fruit which good actions bare. Inclusiveness, justice, peace, love, forgiveness, generosity - the list goes on. When you see adultery, waste, boasting, hate, selfishness and lies - these are the signs of fake Christianity. These are the signs of those with itchy ears. These are the signs of people who claim to be believers yet whose actions strongly betray their beliefs with hollow justifications.

      If our President were to say, I am a weak and sinful man, I have erred and now choose to repent,  radically changed his course, no longer sinning but instead embracing all, that would be the sign of a man of God. It would also be a miracle in the same order of magnitude as the parting of seas.

         The difference is all in our acceptance of our own sinfulness and also in our responsibility and desire to be disciples. We are disciples by the outward fruit of our faith. Our actions. Our love. Our humble and contrite hearts.

       Do you have itchy ears? Does my life and yours witness to our beliefs? Do we emulate the good in the world as witnessed by Jesus as well as other holy men and women? I'm not even limiting this to Jesus or Christianity. Do you seek the wisdom of Buddha or the Dalai Lama in how we live and love?  Do our actions align with our belief in love and brotherhood? 

        For itchy ears and our life aligning with our beliefs in love and thanksgiving, we pray.

2 Timothy 4:1-11

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favourable or unfavourable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
 As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 
 Do your best to come to me soon, for Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful in my ministry.

Sunday, April 28, 2019

A rainbow of rocks



       I strongly suspect that there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Of course I am judging myself here so it is possible that there may be some great aha moments at the pearly gates when we discover who is actually in ( all of us? ) and who actually is out ( none of us? ) What am speaking about? In this passage we read about the rejected stone ( Jesus ). Jesus was all about not rejecting anyone. Whether it was a sinner, a gentile, an officer from the occupying army or anyone looked down on as 'less than'. Jesus was there without judgment. In fact, the only time that I recall Jesus speaking about judgment was with the woman found in the act of adultery. Jesus spoke to the would be stone throwers and said: “He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.” ( John 8:7 ) By the way, where was the man caught in that act of adultery? I always wondered why he seemed to have escaped judgment, by I digress.

A rainbow of rocks
       If we look at Jesus as the cornerstone, then we can certainly see as the passage says, that we are all living stones.  Have you ever noticed the variety of stones laying about? All different shapes, sizes, colours. A veritable rainbow of rocks.

        The point is that salvation is not found in the differences of rocks or the differences in us. Salvation is not found in the judgment of rocks or people either. At this point it might be wise to re-read the passage from today.  We are 'living stones' , we are 'precious' , we are all to be a 'holy priesthood'. 

        One of the many joys of Baptizing when I was graced to do so,  was reminding the faithful that we are all baptized "Priest, prophet and king".  We are all destined to wholeness and holiness. Our diversion to our heavenly inheritance is when we judge others and minimize others to try and somehow make ourselves look holier by comparison. This is tragically wrong. This kind of judgment is folly of highest order and not consistent with the message of love and inclusion that Jesus lived or preached.

             For diversity, inclusion and all the pebbles of the world, we pray.

1 Peter 2:2-10

Saturday, April 27, 2019

Cracked & broken

       Like many new age fathers, I was in the delivery room as my first child was born. I vowed right then that I could never ask for another child. I could not put anyone through the pain of birth. From all the evidence, the pain is excruciating probably right up there with CIA torture, water boarding and the like. Not for the faint of heart. I also recall the actual birth of my daughter, the tears of joy, the elation, the thankfulness and praise of God who had graced such a magnificent child to the world.

          There is a saying, whether you buy into it or not, "No pain, no gain".  I have likened Lent to us struggling to emerge from a cocoon, becoming and accepting the beautiful butterfly that God has us created to be. The struggles it seems are real to life.

        When we submit ourselves to challenges and growth it is not easy. Sometimes we must strain to see the obvious we somehow fail to see. Sometimes we must overcome our very own selfishness and ignorance. Growth it seems is not easy.

        Returning to nature, seeds must crack and open to produce new growth, a new life, a plant. Perhaps not having any self awareness, it still knows to reach to the sky, the sun as it's source of nourishment and for life itself. Do plants praise?

           In our own brokenness and pain we can find new life. We can also crawl back into ourselves trying to nourish ourselves with the pain, living on that. It never works. It may work for a while but attempting to nourish ourselves on pain and anguish, sadness and fear is a slow and lingering death. It is not what we are meant for. Like plants we are made to reach up and out, especially in the face of our pain and brokenness.

         For brokenness, pain, new growth and love, we pray. 

John 16:16-33

 ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me.’ Then some of his disciples said to one another, ‘What does he mean by saying to us, “A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me”; and “Because I am going to the Father”?’ They said, ‘What does he mean by this “a little while”? We do not know what he is talking about.’ Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, ‘Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant when I said, “A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me”? Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. When a woman is in labour, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

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Friday, April 26, 2019

Raising up

     I am  a pretty blessed man on a lot of counts, perhaps too numerous to mention. One of my many blessings is my daughter. I get the opportunity to speak with my adult daughter quite regularly. She calls me, it's somewhat of a routine but never taken for granted. I love it. She is a truly beautiful person too in every way you might judge. 

      Many years ago this sainted young girl went on a retreat of sorts, a Cursillo if by some other name. I picked her up from her 'weekend' and she was aflutter with so much that she felt, that she had to say.  Her wisdom and faith at such a young age was profound. I had to note that she had been gifted with grace and knowledge that many people never attain.

      I am reminded of the Genesis stories. Was ancient man capable of understanding more than that story conveyed?  The truth is there, but not fully revealed. Humanity was not capable of understanding the scientific truths of creation any more than they would have understood the switching on of a light bulb. It would have all been too complex and seemed liked voodoo, magic or gibberish.  God, and by extension, the Spirit, has not revealed everything to us. In time we learn and are capable of understanding still knowing that God is the driving force or "The Force" if you will.  There is much more that remains an enigma to us.  I can think of God's forgiveness and unbounded love that at times seems unfathomable to me, to us. 

      We may not fully understand until we die. Perhaps even then we'll realize it isn't that important anyway. What is important is that we love.

      I am thrilled that my 'little girl' of 38 years old has grasped some significant truths about God and love at an early age. These are things I can only strive to learn and emulate. Like I said there are others that will never 'get it'.  That is a cross for her to bare and for all of us to bare as we try to raise up each other, even the ones that seem to be willfully ignorant or choose not to 'get it'. With a spirit of love and help from the Advocate that Christ spoke of, we will endeavor to show what is truly important, love, compassion, mercy beyond comprehension and forgiveness as we have been forgiven. 

       For less arrogance, more love and more 'raising up' of each other, we pray.

John 16:1-15

‘I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God. And they will do this because they have not known the Father or me. But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them.
‘I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Getting all pruny with pruning

        I was reading an article in an entertainment rag the other day, apparently there is a plan afoot to resurrect the Six Million Dollar Man and it will now become the Six Billion dollar man. Who doesn't like the action packed adventures of someone with superior parts, intellect and perhaps compassion?  I am not sure what the general consensus is about the compassion part but I think it might be a big hit. Perhaps as big as the original with Lee Majors.  I am reminded of my growing list of replacement parts, hip, knee, vessels. I joke that my husband is replacing me piece by piece. 'I can make him better, stronger!'  I just pray he doesn't arrive at a moment in time when he realizes "you're not the man I married!'.

         Be that as it may, I think we all like to improve ourselves. Lent was in great part about becoming our fully human selves, fully engaged. Improving ourselves by getting rid of the muck in our lives and focusing on the magnificent creation we are as created by God.  We also of course work on the physical, improving our strength, physique and mind too.  We are all about improving the mind, better educated, better though processes, better memory.

        John today focuses on God who removes branches that do not bear fruit, pruning to produce more fruit.  Sounds very much like a Divine self improvement program. Lent is over but we are not about resting on our laurels. Have we become the best that we can be? Do we love as much as we can, forgive that "70 times seven" that Jesus spoke of? ( Mt. 18:21-22 ).

       Yesterday was a breathtakingly beautiful spring day. There were landscapers all around mulching, trimming and yes, pruning. Until the plants and trees are dead, there is pruning and routine care to be be tended to.  I hope that we are not under the delusion that now that Lent is over, we do not need to prune ourselves. Yes, until the day we die at least, we need to be growing, pruning and be constantly on edge to hear the word of God and grow. The only essence that has already reached and in fact IS perfection is God. We need to give ourselves attention always.

           For pruning and growth, we pray.

John 15:1-11

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

The Advocate

       There is a scene from the Golden Girls where 'Ma' chokes. Before she is resuscitated, she dies and we get a view of her at the pearly gates being greeted. A discussion ensues where the greeter laughs off a comment about who is welcomed by saying 'oh, you Catholics'.  Many Roman Catholics do hold a  rather special view of life, salvation and who is saved. Let's leave out words likely arrogance, willful ignorance and such, not to mention all the scandals, vitriol and hypocrisy.

          In today's passage we are reminded by John that we are given the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Spirit of truth, the third person of the Trinity. The Spirit has brought us a long way in understanding and love. We no longer view native Americans as people who are soul-less. We see slavery as a sin of humanity. We may be divided but we can see the wisdom in the many ways God reveals herself to us, in religions, and nature. While on one level I can see that the Spirit may be moving us to recognize the diversity of creation as witnessed by the LGBTQ community, I am not so certain that if I asked the Spirit about gay rights, I would get a round of applause much like 'Ma' at the pearly gates.  Sometimes we fixate and focus on the relative minutia of the world, issues that we think are the most important. We miss the forest for the tress. We cannot see what is right in front of us.

         What is right in front of us? The one true church of Roman Catholicism?   Abortion is murder? You can list 1000 issues that we beat our drums to, gay rights included. What does any of it matter compared to the ( not so ) simple message of  love as witnessed by Jesus death and Resurrection? It's all about love baby. We can get so bogged down with the details, the rules, rubrics, issues which we rationalize, theorize and bastardize that we forget the fundamental of Christ's life which is an overwhelming inclusive and unbounded love for each and every one of us. There is no judgment that we are justified in. There is no issue and no situation that cannot be resolved or looked at without love. If you live without love, you are a noisy gong or that clanging bell ( 1 Cor. 13 ).

            The Spirit is alive and well, guiding us and moving us forward in understanding, faith and love. No issue, event or treatise can be promulgated or lived out without love. Love trumps everything. The Spirit lives !

John 14:15-31

 ‘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.’ Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, ‘Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.
 ‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 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. You heard me say to you, “I am going away, and I am coming to you.” If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.

Monday, April 22, 2019

Who witnesses the Resurrection

       I read an interesting book a few weeks ago, yet another mystery detective novel which I seem to have become addicted to. In this story the villain actual sets up a scenario so that he arranges a bomb for a victim set to go off after he himself ( the villain ) is dead. It is up to our protagonist to save the final victim.

        The Risen Jesus is not content to give us all the answers we need while he walked as a human. He sticks around a while to make somethings crystal clear to his Apostles.  But rebel that Jesus is, his very first 'act' as the Risen Christ is yet another zinger from beyond the grave.

       'He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve' is really not true in so far as it is a half truth. Who is it that first discovered that Christ had risen? It was not the manly, male centric church, those Apostles or Peter. The first witnesses were women.  They may have followed Jesus with as much if not more gusto than the Apostles. The fact remains though that in that period of time women were not the real power brokers or ones called to be witnesses for any real purposes. It is so incredibly interesting to me that it is the women who are the first witnesses to the Resurrection. Yet another swipe by Jesus that the fringe, the lowly are the ones that He speaks to. It seems to me Jesus continues to speak to the marginalized, the lowly and the ones looked down upon.

        There is drama aplenty these days because 'Mayor Pete' claims his Christian faith and holds it high. He says if you don't like him, don't take it up with me, take it up with my creator because God made me this way. Wow! Powerful stuff for sure. Mayor Pete is vocalizing what so many of us already know but are looked down upon by the faux Christian right religious 'elite' that adhere not to Jesus' message but their own myopic view of their own.

        Is this that much different than when the women proclaimed to the Apostles that Jesus had risen and they refused to believe it? How many of those fake Christians and even others, really reject one message or another that Jesus is speaking to us?  While I challenge and chastise those fake Christians of the religious right, how many of us cherry pick what we want t believe of Scripture. We can see where 'they' fall short of the message, where they have bastardized Scripture passages but can we see where we fall short?

          I recall a time where we were radically campaigning for marriage equality. In our celebration of our victory in the State of New York, we held a gathering of our neighbors and friends, all members of the LGBTQ community. When someone had casually discussed our bisexual brothers and sisters, there was a muffled guffaw that they were a joke. Pick a side already, will ya?  And there we were, victimizing our own community. As with being gay, it is not about the parts. It is a horrible thing for a gay man or lesbian to reduce someone from our own community to some kind of sexual addict that in some hedonistic way wants every person to be subject to their sexual desires. And that is the furthest from the truth. Just as gay men and woman do not want to be reduced to sexual acts that we are condemned for, neither should a bisexual person. All that is being said is that a person can be sexually attracted to male or female, that what is most important is the hearts, not the parts. It is a dangerous, ignorant leap to say that sexual attraction equates to rampant, mindless sex with unlimited partners. Can someone simply say they are open to a deep meaningful relationship with a 'person'? 

             As faithful people, we are called to respond to Jesus' message by looking inside ourselves and digesting the full message of his life, the Gospel and the gracious gift of new life in the Resurrection. It is easy to see where some have gone astray but let us also know that we ourselves are quite capable of going astray without help from those that might seem willfully ignorant. 

          Jesus rose for all of us, every one of us, the likable, the not so likeable, those that agree with us, those that do not. We are not called to judge or reject, but to love with the same reckless abandon that we are graced with.

           For clearer vision and conversion of our hearts, we give thanks and pray.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Saturday, April 20, 2019

Holy Saturday.

       It was in the news again just the other day. A politician who barricaded himself behind a wall of homophobia, hatred and anti-LGBT rantings was found to be have his hand down another mans pants at a gay bar. A closeted gay man. Not just a gay man, but an amoral man. The worst. Imagine that?

          There is a similar scenario in politics right now with our President. He spews and tweets all sorts of accusations and lies all of which more accurately describe his own actions.

       While most of the faithful are content to wait and live good and decent lives, letting their actions be their witness of salvation, there are a whole other group who spend their time plotting and trying to deflect the fact that they are not actually waiting but acting out, lying, cheating and worse. Their actions are mere deflections of their own guilt.   They should spend more time living good and decent lives, being more concerned with their own action than the actions of others and judging them. The conniving of the Pharisees is seen in this passage today of Holy Saturday. A day of waiting. It is a day of simply living and witnessing.  To others who do not want to wait, they act out a perverted gospel and accuse others to make themselves look not only better, but the best.  It really speaks to a fundamental lack of faith in God. It speaks of not really understanding the message at all. It speaks to fake Christianity. 

       While we wait today, let us act in the best of ways, consistent with good scripture scholarship and the love that Jesus lived long before any written word was transcribed or translated. Let our actions be our own Gospel of Jesus Christ. We pray.

   

Matthew 27:57-66

 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, ‘Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, “After three days I will rise again.” Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, “He has been raised from the dead”, and the last deception would be worse than the first.’ Pilate said to them, ‘You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.’ So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

Friday, April 19, 2019

Another Good Friday ( Queer Jesus )

       Was Jesus gay ?  That sure gives the Hunky Jesus contests a new slant on things. I am sure some people would think even the question as blasphemous. That same person considers me blasphemous for asking and more so for being gay myself. Blustering aside, there is evidence that Jesus could have been gay.

       Let me first note, what would you call a 33 years old single Jewish man?  Now a days that might not muster any raised eyebrows but in Jesus' day, 33 was pretty old. Would he be viewed as 'dedicated batchelor'? Usually a Jewish young an would already be married. Of course that argument is almost comical bordering on the cliche.
       
       Let us look today at the last supper and the disciple John. John was a younger man and he attached himself well to Jesus. In fact, at the last supper it is noted that he is resting his head on Jesus' chest during the meal.  Was John that young as to be a child who would rest his head on an elder? I think not. John was in fact an Apostle. Then later we get another clue. John the Evangelist refers to himself as "The disciple whom Jesus loved". That seems pretty clear. Why is it that no one else refers to themselves that way?  Scholars will argue this point. I myself  have thought how wonderful it was that John grasped the fact that Jesus loves him. We should all feel sure enough to say that. Jesus does love us. But again, did the other Apostles and Evangelists not feel that way or simply didn't think it important enough to mention? Further, when Jesus asked Peter 3 times "Do you love me?" it was not with the same intent. The original texts do not use the same words.

         There are other more subtle clues. The naked young man in the garden of Gethsemane. Who was that with Jesus? There is also the time Jesus cured the male lover of that Roman Centurion, his "Pais".  It was perfectly normal for a Roman Centurion to have such a relationship in a foreign land that they occupied, far away from Rome. There is no note of Jesus chastising the soldier or even mentioning the relationship. Jesus simply cures the young man. Is it because to Jesus , it was a non-issue?

          At mid afternoon today, Jesus will have given his last breath and died for us. Just before he did that he gave these directions: ( John 19:26-27 )

     Jesus, therefore, seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing               by, saidt o his mother: Woman, behold thy son.; Then, he said to the disciple               Behold thy mother.; And from that hour the disciple took her to his own (home).

In light of all the information, I see this as a handing off or reminder of the responsibility of an in-law. Did Jesus see that kind of relationship and responsibility with John? Mary seemed to honour Jesus' direction as well, another 'approval' of whatever relationship John had with Jesus.

       Does it matter that Jesus might have been gay? It certainly does not. It may make me feel like He understands me even more as a man but that is a mere possibility. What is truly important is that at 3 this afternoon we will have seen Jesus give up his spirit and breath his last breath for us - all of us, no matter who we are. That is what Jesus' entire life was about.
Jesus' inclusiveness and love points to both His Divinity and our divinity. It offers us the opportunity to rise again anew both now and for our heavenly inheritance.  A somber day that points to Jesus' generosity, inclusiveness and love for all.

       

Good Friday

       Jesus fully submitted to his crucifixion.  Of course we know that he did that for us, so that we might taste new life, have a share in the imperishable inheritance of God, the Father, Creator, lover of all that is.

         That makes it sound sound easy, maybe even sanitary. He willingly did so. So easy. I loath the Passion of the Christ for its disgusting, rabid and gratuitous blood shed. I think it serves to minimize the gory, almost diminish the horror. The only saving grace if you have seen it is to know that Jesus saying yes was far, far from easy.

            Recently I heard the story of a young woman who threw herself off a highway overpass, killing herself. I wonder what kind of anguish, guilt or mental torment drives a person to do such a thing. Part of me knows the anguish of that. The realization that I am gay when I was married and an ordained minister in the Roman Church is not something you tend to cheer about. No matter what my course of action, I felt doomed. I am sure you can see the opposing sides as much as I did. Under the situation, I was graced with numerous people whom I believe were sent by God to guide me. They did not speak for me or act for me but helped me with questions and insights that allowed me the peace to make my the correct decision, my decision, the direction God would want me to take. In the end offering oneself up in submission to God is all we can do. It is a matter of arrogance, fear, unfaithfulness or perhaps illness that has one make a permanent and irreversible solution for such temporary pain and anxiety.

        I now know in the most intimate ways how someone feels when they are faced with the kobayashi maru scenario - the apparently no win situation. I have the deepest empathy for someone who thinks death is the only solution.  To give in to God and let the chips fall where they may, knowing God will be beside you is a difficult one. 

        Perhaps a gay person coming out has a closer idea of what it is to say yes to God, to say yes to whom God created you to be in spite of what the world may think, your family may do, the backs that might be turned against you.  

        For saying yes to God, even in the face of interminable anxiety and the unknown, we pray. For Jesus showing us the way, we give thanks.



John 19:30

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished". With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Maundy Thursday

       I have met a great deal of new people recently through my travels. There is a woman whom I became friendly with, we shared ineterst in our same sport, both from the medical field, loves animals, volunteer at our respective churches and neighbors as it turns out. Perhaps a bit older than myself and I love the Texas drawl and smile that seems ever present on her face.  Turns out she went to the doctor last week and she confided that she'd been told to 'get her things in order' because she has one of those cancers ( that I was familiar with ) that has a particularly high fatality rate. Progress has been made I do know, but some diagnoses are clearly much worse than others.

         Worship of idols as noted in this passage is not something I would associate with my frined. Not a slave to fashion and living a faithful life of joy in relative simplicity. When I think of jolts, I can still recall a friend who worked for Apple. She stayed year after year while she got richer and richer, a powerhouse for that company who previously had a similarly powerful job for the government. She delayed retirement time after time and eventually, retired. One month later she also discovered she had the same cancer that my afrorementioned friend has. My rich Apple frined died within 6 months. 

       None of this is news really. People seem to die all around us, every age, every situation. Lord knows I have seen enough in my time just because of my day job. It seems though as we get older, we see more and many more of them are our frineds and family. I think that is one reason I decided to retire when I did. Not only are people dying but I have had a few rather serious calls myself. No time to waste then , eh?

       Tonight will be the last supper, Maundy Thursday. Celebrating the Passover meal, not everyone at the table realized what is going down. Everything was just fine. Passover dinner with Jesus! Does it get any better than this?

        And then the other shoe drops as it does.  All of a sudden there is a tectonic shift in our reality and priorites seem to fall right into place. Nothing in life seems easy except at this moment, we know not to be worried about what shoes to wear, what school, what house, what jewelry, phone, etc. etc.  We know what is important but we more often than not, get zero warning. I am certain the Apostles had no idea what was really about to go down. I am sure Gladys and Sue had no idea what was happening up until the monet the were told 'get your affairs in order'.

         There is no meditation or call to action that I can muster up. For me, there is a realization to be present to the life we are living and a sincere thankfulness for everything and mostly, everyone we are graced with. In thanksgiving and somber presence this Maundy Thursday, we pray.  

1 Corinthians 10:14-17,11:27-32

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Wednesday of Holyweek

       I have always wondered what role I may be playing in the betrayal of Jesus. I dont think I have gone ourt of my way to turn as Judas seemed to do.  But I have made decisions that are wrong and counter to myself, my own well being, and perhaps been hurtful to others. I am no angel, I have no allusions that I am. I will confess that I claim to have a good heart and good intentions as if that means anything. 

         I don't think that Judas was necessarily that evil either. If anything perhaps he was impatient and was guilty of an unrealistic zeal. Impatience and zeal can get you into a great deal of trouble.

       When it come down to it, impatience is a lack of trust that things will turn out ok.  It is a unwillingness to place yourself in the hands of the Potter. How many times have you heard a story of someone who scrupulously planned something only to have plan mixed by an event, perhaps even by death. Prudent planning is crucial of course but we have to be patient and above all listen and be patient. 

       About that unrealistic zeal? Again, impatience on our part but maybe simply arrogance. Do we really know what is the most important? We think we see the whole picture, we know what the problem is and we are going to fix it. Again, planning is prudent but listening is also key.

       There is great wisdom in listening, and respecting the higher power, human and Divine that may have a better solution in mind than we could possibly imagine.

       Judas was a zealous follower of Jesus. He took Jesus’ message about the poor to heart, he held the purse strings too. It has been alleged he mismanaged funds and ‘skimmed’ funds too. That is hearsay and more justification to hate to my mind. What we do know and see is an impatient and zealous believer who feels things are not going the way he wants. Arrogance and impatience. Judas is not as thoughtful about what He wants, that is Jesus. 

      We can see that good intentions, impatience and arrogance can intersect in a very bad way. It happened once ( at least) and surely will happen again.  For patience and peace, for listening and less arrogance, we pray.

Matthew 26:14-15
We pray. One of the Twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and asked,
"What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?" So they counted out for him, thirty pieces of silver.

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Tuesday of Holy Week

       What tools do we have to attain the level of sainthood that God has created us to be?  The clues are all there. The Word became _________. Jesus was fully ________, and fully Divine. The answers there are flesh and human.  Of course we also have a divine aspect as a creation of God too. That helps I am sure. But mostly, we are steeped in our humanity from the moment we take our first breath and perhaps let out a shrill wail at the transition from comfortable womb to life as we know it. Frightening, big change, a vulnerable, magnificent new life - a human. God went through this, God did so willingly and completely. There were no shortcuts.

       The scene today in this passage from John, indeed from this Holy Week, is one where Jesus has already died. In this passage he was crucified, buried and is now risen. Awesome for us to think about, the hope, the Resurrection! But the passage speaks to something much more human, much more intimate.

        John speaks of weeping. I don't think there is anyone that has escaped the excruciatingly human aspect of life, a loved one's death.  We can know in our head and heart that they are in a better place, embraced by God in loving arms. We might even be thankful that the person we love is no longer subject to the pain and torment of life. What we are left with though is a huge void, an unfillable gap in the humanity that we experienced and truly miss. That hole is what Mary was experiencing at the tomb. It is not the divinity we are thinking of in the weeping it is the crushing separation in the humanity. It is the relationship that is gone.

       I could list ad nauseam all the people who have died in my life. I am close to tears at the thought of people who graced my life, people that I loved and who loved me.  Parents, friends, sibling, mentors, people of faith.  While it is glorious to know they are alive in their heavenly inheritance, man, oh man, do I miss them so.  It is the human relationship and expression of love that I miss.

       Going back to the beginning, what  tools do we have to attain the level of sainthood that God has created to be? It s all in our humanity, relationships and how we love. In the end, it is the love that matters.

John 20:11-18

Monday, April 15, 2019

Monday of Holy Week

       There is that donkey again. God incarnate, the conqueror is coming to town, the Holy city . . . . . on an ass. I just can't wrap my head around how counter that is, how revolutionary that is. Clearly not the Messiah the Jews were waiting for and expecting. When the believers did not have a written record of Jesus yet, there was no New Testament, at least in words. The 'New Testament' was Jesus' actual life. The written word would not come for decades and even then, the final accepted 'books' would not be approved until even later. The Gospel of John for example wasn't even written until the latter part of the first century.  What does this mean? It means that there is the "book" and there is also "the life" of Christ. The books bear witness to the life, explain the life and convey truths about Jesus' life. The books are distinct from the actual life. When people converted to Christianity and accepted The Way, they did so on eyewitness testimony and on preaching about the actual life of Christ. Initially, any Eucharistic celebration would not even have had readings because they didn't even exist yet.

        The Books of the New Testament are often used, abused, cherry picked and mistranslated to support actions and agendas that are not consistent with the actual life of Christ.  Right now there is a kerfuffle of sorts between two politicians both of whom claim Christ as their saviour. They both claim to be Christians.  Vice President Mike Pence and 'Mayor Pete' have had words and this is the crux of the situation because they again, both claim to be Christians. This is exquisitely typical of what is going on in the United States today. In encapsulates the problem par excellence. Can a believer eschew the love and the actual life of Christ by His own examples for a faith apparently based solely on errant  translations of Holy Scripture? I have been calling this type of person a faux Christian for quite some time now. How can your actions be against the very values and words you profess?  This fake Christianity not only seems to apply to Mr. Pence but also to the man-child in the highest office in the land, President Trump. Can a three time adulterer, molester, philanderer, chronic liar and cheat really call himself a Christian? Can anyone say with a straight face that God chose Trump?? The absurdity of it flies in the face of Holy Week.

       I am not sure that Mayor Pete is the best candidate for President. I do know at face value, he is more qualified in a great number of ways. Mr.Trump cannot even come close to Mr. Pete's qualifications, decency and faith. . If we are to lead a good Christian life, a life that respects who we all are as people, I have to lean to someone who emulates more than the sometimes hollow words of misused scriptural passages, I have to lean towards emulating the life of Christ in a radical way. The man named Jesus that came conquering humanity riding on a ass.  

       For politicians, for myself, for all of us , our lives should emulate the visionary radical life that Jesus lived. Only then will we emerge from our cocoons as the beautiful butterflies we are meat to be, only then will the course of the world be changed towards love, peace and equality.   

John 12:9-19

 When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.
 The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting,
‘Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—
   the King of Israel!’ 
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: 
‘Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion.
Look, your king is coming,
   sitting on a donkey’s colt!’ 
His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. The Pharisees then said to one another, ‘You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!’