Thanks for the melodies

       One of the things that I feel totally out of touch with in my transition from Roman cleric to Episcopal lay person is the music. I don't know many of the songs that everyone else seems to know at the top of their heads and the tip of their tongues. This is somewhat ironic considering as a gay man, I can break out into any variety of songs at the drop of a hat, usually a show tune. There is music in my soul.

        One of my neighbors when I was a young lad noted how happy she was to see me coming down the block. It seemed I was always cheery and more often than not, I was singing or whistling. Like I said, music is in my soul. Decades later, when I had increased my daily commute from 15 to 30 miles each way, I found myself praying on my way to work, singing actually. Ok, chanting.  I could take the melody of a common song or chant and put in my own words. Music in my soul, in my heart on on my mind. Glory to God. 

         So it is with great joy and thankfulness that I read about Catherine Winkworth., Episcopal Holy woman for today. As we all are given special gifts and talents, hers a linguist of sorts I presume, music surely in her heart ( a kindred spirit ), a poet and deeply faithful.  I am thankful for her abilities and her willingness to accept the call to translate. What she did was to foster the natural music in our souls and our devotion for millions of peoples to God and enabled it. Kudos to her, thanks to God.

        I may not have the ability to recall songs, read music , translate or actually sing in tune but I have music in my heart and soul and it shines through. Praise God.

CATHERINE WINKWORTH ( 1827 - 1878 )

Contact with God

       I am struck sometimes by the notion of time especially as it applies ( or does not apply ) to the Creator.  I had the realization or someone pointed out that God is timeless. It is we who have this notion of time as something that makes it easy for us to navigate by and have a focal point for existence. God on the other hand does not have a need for time. God simply is. It is, beyond my comprehension - I think.

          When you insert timeless and limitless God into the equation of our lives though, it seems incredible things are possible. For example I could speak with the grandmother I never met, the one who died when my mother was only seventeen.

       But I did underline a sentence in one of today's passages that speaks to to another realization I had about our timeless limitless Creator. I had walked a labyrinth once in a regression of the time I had lived. The center was not when I was 'born of blood' or the ' will of the flesh' but much more important and much more intimate than mere flesh. The center was the moment that God conceived my existence. There was perhaps a thought in our terms or a decision that what the world needed was me. To actually be in that moment for me as a human was so intense I burst into tears, sobbing and overcome with emotion at the realization and presence of God to my life. 

        We are all creatures of God, one-offs as you might say but no less special, unique in our own ways that only God knows or sees sometimes. It is a journey for us to discover, nurture  and allow ourselves to be a prism of God's love. A real child of God. Everyone. Everywhere. 

         If we could all see that, perhaps we could see our connectedness to each other. I want to see the gifts, talents and specialness of each person I come across in life. I walk in awe and try to appreciate the unique world God has placed around us, that we are an intimate part of. Pretty powerful stuff.  John or John's Gospel noted this sometime in the first century as this was written. The realization must have been staggering, powerful and humbling.

              I pray we all can come to 'place' of timelessness, ever present existence when we see how unique, special and loved each of us are. Perhaps it takes practice, or time or faith. I know it takes a decision to make the effort. Just another reason to set aside some time for yourself with your Creator.  Make contact.

John 1:1-18

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. 

Eve of the Transfiguration

       On this eve of the Transfiguration, I am reminded of my commentary from yesterday ( Wife beaters and believers ). It spoke of how our actions are the true voice of our beliefs. In fact, what we believe will transform us, especially and more so if we are attentive enough, if we listen enough and if we search our own souls enough. The result is the stuff of the Yogi's, of inner peace and dare I say, the likes of the Dali Lama.

       People are transfigured by their beliefs. Will we be a shining beacon or a  mangled presence?  

       All my life I felt called to God. I searched through a full twenty years of Catholic school education including the Seminary and countless classes and workshops. Part of that calling was to make myself worthy, feeling inside that somehow there was something inside me that I had trouble accepting. Once I realized and accepted that I was gay, I was transformed, transfigured into more of the glorious being God had created me to be. No, I am certainly no Dali Lama or Yogi. Far from it. But the acceptance and peace of cooperating with God''s plan for me was a stunning beacon to those who know me. I was a new man, a more peaceful and joyful person. Wow. If such a small level of acceptance of God's plan can yield that kind of results, then what would happen if we fully cooperated and gave ourselves totally to God in love? 

        The transfiguration seems to me a blend of accepting who you are and allowing God to work through you. God is the potter, we are the clay.  Perhaps we are the raw sand and faith and love transform us into stunning crystal glass. 

        Cooperation.  Acceptance.  How we act.  

2 Corinthians 3:1-9,18

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ towards God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

 Now if the ministry of death, chiselled in letters on stone tablets, came in glory so that the people of Israel could not gaze at Moses’ face because of the glory of his face, a glory now set aside, how much more will the ministry of the Spirit come in glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, much more does the ministry of justification abound in glory! And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

Wife beaters and believers

       There is an all too common story, an incredibly sad one, where a wife is beaten by her husband only to find him sorrowful, proclaiming his love, remorseful and swearing promises of repentance. Yes, until it happens again. And again.  It is an age old story that is not the sole story of woman but of many spouses and loved ones. They endure and often succumb to the empty promises and the devil they know rather than escape with the dignity and self respect. It is the age old story of judgment based on what people say versus what people do.  If you say you love someone, battering is certainly not at all involved.  We need to to know and remember that for the sake of love and respect of everyone, our brothers and sisters.

        This passage from Matthew and the reading from Acts ( 2:22-36 )  have a similar theme of our claim of faith, our belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and how we act.  It can be transferred to any religion too. The basis of all religions is the essence of God, creation and love of all. The devil is in the details as they say, the rules and rubrics which are always man made and often not of God so much as men trying to control other men 

( and women ). The task at hand is if you are a believer in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, are you up to the corresponding task of belief? You can proclaim belief all you want but it is your actions, the follow through, that will be the real judge.  That perhaps hokey song  "They will know we are Christians by our love, yes, our love. They will know we are Christians by our love" is probably the truest form of a Creed there is.  We can sit in church and say the Apostles Creed all we want but it is how we act and how we love that matters most. 

       The judgment on those religious right zealots proclaiming faith in Jesus while they strip immigrants' children from their parents arms are an abomination of the highest order.  For those interested all you'd need do is Google what they Bible says about immigrants. The book is chock full of references of treating immigrants reverently, lovingly, and like the brothers and sisters of God that they are. It will not be my judgment ( however harsh ) that strikes these faux believers of Christianity in the government but God's own hand. In my estimation they are all arrogant prigs.

       Most of us though are not in a position to promulgate such evil policies. We are in a position to love and love we must if we dare say we are believers. We may be in a position to alter the government by our voting rights. So, we must do at least that as well. If we do not love, if we do not vote, we are nothing more than the equivalent of a wife beating POS. Pretty simple actually. I am not making that judgment mind you, it would be self imposed. You decide.

Matthew 28:11-20

 While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, ‘You must say, “His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.” If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.’ So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.

 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.’

Not as expected

       At the time that Jesus breathed, lived and loved on earth, the Jews were still waiting for the Messiah. I believe it is popularly accepted that they were waiting for a warrior-leader-savior who would redress all the wrongs, make Israel strong and take care of the pesky Romans in short order. That is what they expected, and wanted. Part of the 'Jesus problem' , the one that leads to Jesus being crucified, is that he was not that kind of Messiah at all.  Humans are an interesting lot, especially today. 'Give me what I want' . . . or else!

        Today's Scripture passage is no different and it strikes at the heart of some of the strongly held beliefs even today.  It is notably indicting of the male dominated, euro-centric Roman church. In today's reading, who is it that discovers and witnesses to the rising of Jesus?  Not the men, cowering in some room. The Apostles were not, at this point, the leaders that even Jesus might have expected when he said, 'come, you will be fishers of men'. It is the woman faithful who are out and about, attending and then witnessing. Not what was expected.

          I guess you would think that the men would be disbelievers even after the 'woman folk'  told them that Jesus had been raised. They ( the men ) do get it though eventually, at least as far as Jesus goes. The roles of woman in the church, not so much.  The Spirit is alive though and we have hope. Right?

          The essence though for me, like all of Jesus' ministry and the lessons learned, is that we quite often don't get what we want or the way we profess to want it. Prayers are answered in funny and imaginative ways all throughout our lives.

          The Jews waiting and praying for the Messiah? And they get Jesus!  He rails against them, 'works' ( as far as they are concerned ) on the Sabbath, embraces all sorts of unclean and the marginalized.  Take care of the Romans? Jesus responds to a Roman Centurion by curing the Centurions male lover.  Jesus the Messiah to everyone? NOT what they ( we? ) were praying and hoping for.

        So what is it that you are praying and hoping for? Are you ready for the unexpected answer? The response that is way more imaginative than you could even conjure in your own limited brain. We are so limited and we pray to be open to the Spirit. Don't we? Do we? Can we? 

Matthew 28:1-10

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.” This is my message for you.’ So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.Suddenly Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’

Talk less, love more.

      It is with almost certainty that when I hear the President of the United States accuse someone of something these days I believe it is more likely that he is truly speaking more about himself.  Whatever guilt or lie he embraces about others, it is more likely a projection of himself. Hard to believe I would ever type something like that but it is true. Sometimes I think our very own faults or shortcomings are precisely what we project onto others. Not very imaginative but quite often true.

       The chief Priests and Pharisees are quite adept at this too. In their own conniving and desire for power and control they can see how the followers of Jesus might try to manipulate the whole scenario of Jesus' death into one to their own advantage. The suggestion gives us a look into the mind of those religious leaders doesn't it?

      It is quite easy for us all to go off half cocked as it were, worrying about everyone else and giving little thought to the words and accusations we spew. What is always more difficult, more challenging for sure, is ( first ) keeping our mouths closed, and ( second ), giving some reflection to why we are thinking, projecting perhaps and saying the things we might otherwise do.  Some things we do not not know and it is far beyond our means to climb inside someone else's head to say why 'they' do what they do and say what they say.  The challenge is on us and it is at once more knowable and more appropriate. Why do I do what I do and say what I say?

       There goes that great option for us, introspection, self reflection and thought. In the play Hamilton, the advice is given to "talk less, smile more".  I am not so much for empty, hypocritical smiles but am sure a proponent of a 'talk less' movement.

      Talk less, love more is perhaps the best advice.

Matthew 27:55-66

 Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

 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.

Faith based in . . . . . .

      So Jesus is dead. To this the Scripture passages today attest. It is in somewhat detail that they speak of Jesus rising, 'giving proofs' , working (more) miracles, teaching and advising the faithful after he has risen.  Perhaps setting a more defined course to The Way which was the truths that his very life conveyed.  What do we base our faith on?

      One could go on about his social activism, his all embracing, healing love. How about how much he railed against the religious elite and their arrogant piety? Then too there is the mentioning of his mother and brothers, as in sibs. Which are tenets of our faith in Jesus? Which proofs do you need and what snippet of scripture do you take and run with? Which casual line of scripture do you base a whole philosophy on or twist until nearly broken to make the foundation of your belief?  It find it interesting that even after Jesus has died and risen, He has returned having to offer more proofs. Isn't dying and rising enough? Isn't His life itself, enough?

       The question is still out there though, what do you base your faith in?  I believe in a man, a brother, also God, who showed us by his living how we should act. How we should love , and that L-O-V-E is the key. Love is the key to living, love is the key to interpretation of scripture and love is more important than any tenet or rule or rubric we can create. Even if it is in His name.

      My faith is based on ( in ) . . . . . . .

      

Acts 1:1-14

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over the course of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. ‘This’, he said, ‘is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’

 So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’

 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of^* James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.