Celtic Odyssey

A Prayer for the New Year

2012-01-04T09:23:00.001-06:00

God and Father-Mother of our Savior Jesus Christ,

whose years never fail

and whose mercies are new each returning day:

let the radiance of your Spirit renew our lives,

warming our hearts and giving light to our minds;

that we may pass the coming year

in joyful obedience and firm faith;

through the one who is the beginning and the end,

your Child, Christ our Savior,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

The Blessing of the New Year

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

GOD, bless to me the new day,
Never vouchsafed to me before;
It is to bless Thine own presence
Thou hast given me this time, O God.

Bless Thou to me mine eye,
May mine eye bless all it sees;
I will bless my neighbour,
May my neighbour bless me.

God, give me a clean heart,
Let me not from sight of Thine eye;
Bless to me my children and my wife,
And bless to me my means and my cattle.

~~~
This poem was repeated the first thing on the first day of the year. It was common throughout the Highlands and Islands.

Christmas Carol

2011-12-24T10:15:00.001-06:00

HAIL King! hail King! blessed is He! blessed is He!
Hail King! hail King! blessed is He! blessed is He!
Hail King! hail King! blessed is He, the King of whom we sing,
All hail! let there be joy!

This night is the eve of the great Nativity,
Born is the Son of Mary the Virgin,
The soles of His feet have reached the earth,
The Son of glory down from on high,
Heaven and earth glowed to Him,
All hail! let there be joy!

The peace of earth to Him, the joy of heaven to Him,
Behold His feet have reached the world;
The homage of a King be His, the welcome of a Lamb be His,
King all victorious, Lamb all glorious,
Earth and ocean illumed to Him,
All hail! let there be joy!

The mountains glowed to Him, the plains glowed to Him,
The voice of the waves with the song of the strand,
Announcing to us that Christ is born,
Son of the King of kings from the land of salvation;
Shone the sun on the mountains high to Him,
All hail! let there be joy!

Shone to Him the earth and sphere together,
God the Lord has opened a Door;
Son of Mary Virgin, hasten Thou to help me,
Thou Christ of hope, Thou Door of joy,
Golden Sun of hill and mountain,
All hail! let there be joy!

Bed Blessing

2011-12-23T06:37:00.000-06:00

I AM lying down to-night as beseems
In the fellowship of Christ, son of the Virgin of ringlets.
In the fellowship of the gracious Father of glory,
In the fellowship of the Spirit of powerful aid.

I am lying down to-night with God,
And God to-night will lie down with me,
I will not lie down to-night with sin, nor shall
Sin nor sin's shadow lie down with me.

I am lying down to-night with the Holy Spirit,
And the Holy Spirit this night will lie down with me,
I will lie down this night with the Three of my love,
And the Three of my love will lie down with me.

Sleep Concecration

2011-12-22T05:54:00.002-06:00

I LIE down to-night
With fair Mary and with her Son,
With pure-white Michael,
And with Bride beneath her mantle.

I lie down with God,
And God will lie down with me,
I will not lie down with Satan,
Nor shall Satan lie down with me.

O God of the poor,
Help me this night,
Omit me not entirely
From Thy treasure-house.

For the many wounds
That I inflicted on Thee,
I cannot this night
Enumerate them.

Thou King of the blood of truth,
Do not forget me in Thy dwelling-place,
Do not exact from me for my transgressions,
Do not omit me in Thine ingathering.
In Thine ingathering.

Resting Blessing

2011-12-21T08:35:00.000-06:00

IN name of the Lord Jesus,
And of the Spirit of healing balm,
In name of the Father of Israel,
    I lay me down to rest.

If there be evil threat or quirk,
Or covert act intent on me,
God free me and encompass me,
    And drive from me mine enemy.

In name of the Father precious,
And of the Spirit of healing balm,
In name of the Lord Jesus,
    I lay me down to rest.

*         *         *         *
God, help me and encompass me,
    From this hour till the hour of my death.

Sleep Prayer

2011-12-19T05:38:00.000-06:00

O JESU without sin,
King of the poor,
Who wert sorely subdued
Under ban of the wicked,
Shield Thou me this night
     From Judas.

My soul on Thine own arm, O Christ,
Thou the King of the City of Heaven,
Thou it was who bought’st my soul, O Jesu,
     Thou it was who didst sacrifice Thy life for me.

Protect Thou me because of my sorrow,
For the sake of Thy passion, Thy wounds, and Thine own blood,
And take me in safety to-night
     Near to the City of God.

The Gifts of the Three

2011-12-15T05:35:00.004-06:00

SPIRIT, give me of Thine abundance,
Father, give me of Thy wisdom,
Son, give me in my need,
Jesus beneath the shelter of Thy shield.

I lie down to-night,
With the Triune of my strength,
With the Father, with Jesus,
With the Spirit of might.

Sleeping Prayer

2011-12-14T08:28:00.001-06:00

I AM placing my soul and my body
On Thy sanctuary this night, O God,
On Thy sanctuary, O Jesus Christ,
On Thy sanctuary, O Spirit of perfect truth,
     The Three who would defend my cause,
     Nor turn Their backs upon me.

Thou, Father, who art kind and just,
Thou, Son, who didst overcome death,
Thou, Holy Spirit of power,
Be keeping me this night from harm;
     The Three who would justify me
     Keeping me this night and always.

The Soul Plaint

2011-12-13T05:49:00.002-06:00

O JESU! to-night,
Thou Shepherd of the poor,
Thou sinless person
Who didst suffer full sore,
By ban of the wicked,
And wast crucified.

Save me from evil,
Save me from harm,
Save Thou my body,
Sanctify me to-night,
O Jesu! to-night,
Nor leave me.

Endow me with strength,
Thou Herdsman of might.
Guide me aright,
Guide me in Thy strength,
O Jesu! in Thy strength
Preserve me.

Weekly Lectionary Reflection - 11 December 2011

2011-12-12T14:09:00.000-06:00

Isaiah 61.1-4, 8-11 (CEB)

Psalm 126 (CEB)

1 Thessalonians 5.16-24 (CEB)

John 1.6-8, 19-28 (CEB)

Sometimes I don’t understand the lectionary. Sunday would have been a perfect time to tie in the lesson from the Jewish Scriptures with Jesus reading the same passage in the Gospels. I mean, I get it. It’s Advent. We are about preparing for God’s coming. Isaiah talks about what to expect when God finally comes; when God’s promised Reign begins (Mark 1.14-15; NLT). But Jesus stating that it began with his ministry is so powerful. Especially when we see what’s entailed in that promise as spoken through Isaiah:

The LORD God’s spirit is upon me,

because the LORD has anointed me.

He has sent me

to bring good news to the poor,

to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim release for captives,

and liberation for prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor

This is what God’s promised reign looks like. After reading this, Jesus said, ‘Today, this scripture has been fulfilled just as you heard it’ (Luke 4.21; CEB). Today. Not someday in the far distant future. Today. Right now. And here’s the kicker; Jesus’ ministry is the ministry of those who follow Jesus. It’s our ministry, too. We are to do whatever we can to bring those things into the world. This isn’t something that only the clergy are called to do (though, if we remember our scriptures and Church history, we are all priests; see Romans 12.1 CEB; 1Peter 2.5, 9 CEB; Revelation 1.4-6, 5.9-10 CEB). This is the mission, the calling, the ministry of all people who follow Christ.

Furthermore, God’s promised reign isn’t limited to only ‘us’. The readings indicate a universal aspect to God’s reign. Isaiah states that, ‘the LORD God will grow righteousness and praise before all the nations.’ And, John wrote that the Light the Baptizer was a witness to ‘shines on all people . . . and the world came into being through the light’ (John 1.9-10 CEB).

I honestly believe that are missions, our goals in this life will be hindered until we firmly grasp this. It is only when we see that the whole creation is the offspring of God that we can give it the care, respect, and concern it deserves. This is not limited to just the planet, but all humanity - our families, friends, neighbors, and (supposed) enemies. We are all made in God’s image (John 1.3 CEB). And that Light that created us ‘shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light’ (John 1.5 CEB).

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Come I This Day

2011-12-12T10:36:00.001-06:00

COME I this day to the Father,
Come I this day to the Son,
Come I to the Holy Spirit powerful;
Come I this day with God,
Come I this day with Christ,
Come I with the Spirit of kindly balm,

God, and Spirit, and Jesus,
From the crown of my head
To the soles of my feet;
Come I with my reputation,
Come I with my testimony,
Come I to Thee, Jesu--
Jesu, shelter me.

Sleep Blessing

2011-12-09T05:54:00.001-06:00

BE Thy right hand, O God, under my head,
Be Thy light, O Spirit, over me shining.
And be the cross of the nine angels over me down,
From the crown of my head to the soles of my feet,
     From the crown of my head to the soles of my feet.

O Jesu without offence, crucified cruelly,
Under ban of the wicked Thou wert scourged,
The many evils done of me in the body!
That I cannot this night enumerate,
     That I cannot this night enumerate.

O Thou King of the blood of truth,
Cast me not from Thy covenant,
Exact not from me for my transgressions,
Nor omit me in Thy numbering,
     Nor omit me in Thy numbering.

Be the cross of Mary and of Michael over me in peace,
Be my soul dwelling in truth, be my heart free of guile,
Be my soul in peace with thee, Brightness of the mountains.
Valiant Michael, meet thou my soul,
     Morn and eve, day and night. May it be so.

God Guide Me

2011-12-08T06:09:00.001-06:00

GOD guide me with Thy wisdom,
God chastise me with Thy justice,
God help me with Thy mercy,
God protect me with Thy strength.

God fill me with Thy fullness,
God shield me with Thy shade,
God fill me with Thy grace,
For the sake of Thine Anointed Son.

Jesu Christ of the seed of David,
Visiting One of the Temple,
Sacrificial Lamb of the Garden,
Who died for me.

Bathing Prayer

2011-12-07T05:39:00.001-06:00

A PALMFUL for thine age,
     A palmful for thy growth,
A palmful for thy throat,
     A flood for thine appetite.

For thy share of the dainty,
     Crowdie and kail;
For thy share of the taking,
     Honey and warm milk.

For thy share of the supping,
     Whisked whey and milk-product;
For thy share of the spoil,
     With bow and with spear.

For thy share of the preparation,
     The yellow eggs of Easter;
For thy share of the treat,
     My treasure and my joy,

For thy share of the feast
     With gifts and with tribute;
For thy share of the treasure,
     Pulset of my love.

For thy share of the chase
     Up the face of the Beinn-a-cheo;
For thy share of the hunting
     And the ruling over hosts.

For thy share of palaces,
     In the courts of kings;
For thy share of Paradise
     With its goodness and its peace.

The part of thee that does not grow at dawn,
     May it grow at eventide;
The part of thee that does not grow at night,
     May it grow at ridge of middle-day.

       The three palmfuls
       Of the Secret Three,
       To preserve thee
       From every envy,
       Evil eye and death;
       The palmful of the God of Life,
       The palmful of the Christ of Love,
       The palmful of the Spirit of Peace,
           Triune
           Of Grace.

The Lustration

2011-12-06T10:21:00.001-06:00

I AM bathing my face
In the mild rays of the sun,
As Mary bathed Christ
In the rich milk of Egypt.

Sweetness be in my mouth,
Wisdom be in my speech,
The love the fair Mary gave her Son
Be in the heart of all flesh for me.

The love of Christ in my breast,
The form of Christ protecting me,
There is not in sea nor on land
That can overcome the King of the Lord's Day.

The hand of Bride about my neck,
The hand of Mary about my breast,
The hand of Michael laving me,
The hand of Christ saving me.

~~~
Variant--
  Force in my mouth,
  Sense be in my speech,
  The taste of nectar on my lips,
  Till I return hither.

Prayer for Victory

2011-12-05T05:37:00.001-06:00

I BATHE my face
In the nine rays of the sun,
As Mary bathed her Son
     In the rich fermented milk.
Honey be in my mouth,
Affection be in my face;
The love that Mary gave her Son
     Be in the heart of all flesh for me.
All-seeing, all-hearing, all-inspiring may God be,
To satisfy and to strengthen me;
Blind, deaf, and dumb, ever, ever be
     My contemners and my mockers,
The tongue of Columba in my head,
The eloquence of Columba in my speech;
The composure of the Victorious Son of grace
     Be mine in presence of the multitude.

Invocation for Justice (2)

2011-12-02T09:17:00.001-06:00

GOD, I am bathing my face
In the nine rays of the sun,
As Mary bathed her Son
     In generous milk fermented.
Sweetness be in my face,
Riches be in my countenance,
Comb-honey be in my tongue,
     My breath as the incense.
Black is yonder house,
Blacker men therein;
I am the white swan,
     Queen over them.
I will go in the name of God,
In likeness of deer, in likeness of horse,
In likeness of serpent, in likeness of king,
     More victorious am I than all persons.

Invocation for Justice

2011-12-01T12:30:00.001-06:00

I WILL wash my face
In the nine rays of the sun,
As Mary washed her Son
     In the rich fermented milk.
Love be in my countenance,
Benevolence in my mind,
Dew of honey in my tongue,
     My breath as the incense.
Black is yonder town,
Black are those therein,
I am the white swan,
     Queen above them.
I will travel in the name of God,
In likeness of deer, in likeness of horse,
In likeness of serpent, in likeness of king:
     Stronger will it be with me than with all persons.

Quote

2011-11-30T13:14:00.001-06:00

When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it - always.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Desires

2011-11-29T14:24:00.001-06:00

MAY I speak each day according to Thy justice,
Each day may I show Thy chastening, O God;
May I speak each day according to Thy wisdom,
Each day and night may I be at peace with Thee.
Each day may I count the causes of Thy mercy,
May I each day give heed to Thy laws;
Each day may I compose to Thee a song,
May I harp each day Thy praise, O God.
May I each day give love to Thee, Jesu,
Each night may I do the same;
Each day and night, dark and light,
May I laud Thy goodness to me, O God.

The Guardian Angel

2011-11-28T15:05:00.001-06:00

THOU angel of God who hast charge of me
From the dear Father of mercifulness,
The shepherding kind of the fold of the saints
To make round about me this night;
Drive from me every temptation and danger,
Surround me on the sea of unrighteousness,
And in the narrows, crooks, and straits,
Keep thou my coracle, keep it always.
Be thou a bright flame before me,
Be thou a guiding star above me,
Be thou a smooth path below me,
And be a kindly shepherd behind me,
To-day, to-night, and for ever.
I am tired and I a stranger,
Lead thou me to the land of angels;
For me it is time to go home
To the court of Christ, to the peace of heaven.

Weekly Gospel Reflection - 27 November 2011

2011-11-27T00:00:00.000-06:00

Mark 13:24-37 (CEB): “In those days, after the suffering of that time, the sun will become dark, and the moon won’t give its light. The stars will fall from the sky, and the planets and other heavenly bodies will be shaken. Then they will see the Human One coming in the clouds with great power and splendor. Then he will send the angels and gather together his chosen people from the four corners of the earth, from the end of the earth to the end of heaven.

“Learn this parable from the fig tree. After its branch becomes tender and it sprouts new leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, you know that he’s near, at the door. I assure you that this generation won’t pass away until all these things happen. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will certainly not pass away.

“But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the angels in heaven and not the Son. Only the Father knows. Watch out! Stay alert! You don’t know when the time is coming. It is as if someone took a trip, left the household behind, and put the servants in charge, giving each one a job to do, and told the doorkeeper to stay alert. Therefore, stay alert! You don’t know when the head of the household will come, whether in the evening or at midnight, or when the rooster crows in the early morning or at daybreak. Don’t let him show up when you weren’t expecting and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: Stay alert!”

Here we go again! This passage comes before the previous three passages from Matthew that we have looked at in the last three weeks and is a parallel passage to Matthew 24.29-44. And, the way we have been taught to reading this passage, we assume that it’s talking about the end of the world, especially since there are such cataclysmic cosmic happenings.

‘There’s no way,’ some have said, ‘that this has already happened since something of that magnitude would completely destroy the universe.’

And that’s absolutely true . . . if these were to be read and understood in a wooden literal sense.

But they aren’t.

Jesus was using the language of apocalyptic literature. In that type of literature, cosmic destruction language is used to refer to the complete destruction of a nation or nations. We can see this clearly in various passages from the Jewish Scriptures. For example:

Isaiah 34:1-5 (CEB): Draw near, you nations, to hear; and listen, you peoples. Hear, earth and all who fill it, world and all its offspring. The LORD rages against all the nations, and is angry with all their armies. God is about to wipe them out and has prepared them for slaughter. Their dead will be cast out, the stench of their corpses will rise, and the mountains will melt from their blood. All the stars of heaven will dissolve, the skies will roll up like a scroll, and all the stars will fall, like a leaf withering from a vine, like fruit from a fig tree. When my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, it will descend upon Edom for judgment, upon a people I have doomed for destruction.

This prophecy was against Edom (verse 5). This was fulfilled in 721 BCE by Assyria. Please note that the ‘mountains melt[ed]’, the ‘stars of heaven dissolv[ed]’, the ‘skies roll[ed] up like a scroll’, etc. In other words, ‘heaven and earth’ were destroyed. But, did those things literally happen when the Assyrians destroyed Edom? If they did, where is the passage that states that God created a ‘new world’ because that ‘old world’ was destroyed? There isn’t one. That’s because these are poetic terms referring to the judgment of Edom.

In another passage, we read:

Zephaniah 1:1-4, 14-18 (CEB): The LORD’s word that came to Zephaniah, Cushi’s son, Gedaliah’s grandson, Amariah’s great-grandson, and Hezekiah’s great-great-grandson in the days of Judah’s King Josiah, Amon’s son.

I will wipe out everything from the earth, says the LORD. I will destroy humanity and the beasts; I will destroy the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea. I will make the wicked into a heap of ruins; I will eliminate humanity from the earth, says the LORD.

I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will eliminate what’s left of Baal from this place and the names of the priests of foreign gods . . .

The great day of the LORD is near; it is near and coming very quickly. The sound of the day of the LORD is bitter. A warrior screams there.

That day is a day of fury, a day of distress and anxiety, a day of desolation and devastation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and deep darkness, a day for blowing the trumpet and alarm against their invincible cities and against their high towers.

I will make humanity suffer; they will walk like the blind because they sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their intestines like manure.

Moreover, their silver and their gold won’t be able to deliver them on the day of the LORD’s fury. His jealousy will devour the entire land with fire; he will make an end, a truly horrible one, for all the inhabitants of the land.

This is a prophecy against Judah and Jerusalem (verse 4). It was fulfilled in 587 BCE by the Babylonians. Note the destruction of all humanity and animals, including birds and fish; the ‘great day of the Lord’ is ‘coming very quickly’. There’s suffering and spilled blood and the land being devoured by fire and the complete slaughter of all humanity. Again, we must ask, did these things literally happen when Jerusalem fell? No. Just like our previous example, these terms are to be seen as poetic references to the judgment upon the nation.

What we need to see from these references are the parallels of Jesus words in the Synoptic Gospels (as well as John’s visions in Revelation). We can’t interpret them by our modern definitions. They should not be stripped from their contexts and forced into a preconceived idea about what they mean. They must be kept in their contexts, both scripturally and historically. When this is done we can see that those things were not actually destroyed. They represent the destruction of the ‘world’ to whom the prophecy was given.

In the Gospel reading for this week, it’s the same thing. Jesus was telling the disciples (he used the personal pronoun ‘you’ roughly ten times) about the coming destruction of the Temple and city - just like they asked of him (see Mark 13.1-4 CEB). He is telling them the way a Jewish prophet would, using the same type of language that was used for thousands of years throughout their history to describe similar events.

With that in mind, we can properly interpret the mystical statements about not knowing the day or hour. When I tell people that Jesus was talking about the soon coming war with Rome that ended with the destruction of the Temple and city in 70 CE (and the last Jewish stronghold of Masada 3 ½ years later in 73 CE), they immediately quote this verse (and the others from the Matthew and Luke). The argument is something like, ‘That can’t be right because Jesus said we won’t know the day or hour!’ Well, of course! If we were standing with them then, we wouldn’t know when it was coming! We can know now, almost two thousand years later. But, at the time, we would be in the dark, just like they were. However, the context is quite clear. These would be things that the first century Christians would witness and experience - not us.

So, be of good cheer this holiday season. These things are history!

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

The Cross of the Saints and of the Angels

2011-11-26T10:05:00.001-06:00

THE cross of the saints and of the angels with me
From the top of my face to the edge of my soles.
+ + +
O Michael mild, O Mary of glory,
O gentle Bride of the locks of gold,
Preserve ye me in the weakly body,
The three preserve me on the just path.
Oh! three preserve me on the just path.
Preserve ye me in the soul-shrine poor,
Preserve ye me, and I so weak and naked,
Preserve ye me without offence on the way,
The preservation of the three upon me to-night.
Oh! the three to shield me to-night.

The Lightener of the Stars

2011-11-25T11:04:00.001-06:00

BEHOLD the Lightener of the stars
On the crests of the clouds,
And the choralists of the sky
     Lauding Him.
Coming down with acclaim
From the Father above,
Harp and lyre of song
     Sounding to Him.
Christ, Thou refuge of my love,
Why should not I raise Thy fame!
Angels and saints melodious
     Singing to Thee.
Thou Son of the Mary of graces,
Of exceeding white purity of beauty,
Joy were it to me to be in the fields
     Of Thy riches.
O Christ my beloved,
O Christ of the Holy Blood,
By day and by night
     I praise Thee.

The Rock of Rocks

2011-11-25T11:02:00.001-06:00

ON the Rock of rocks,
The peace of Peter and Paul,
Of James and John the beloved,
And of the pure perfect Virgin,
The pure perfect Virgin.
The peace of the Father of joy,
The peace of the Christ of pasch,
The peace of the Spirit of grace,
To ourselves and to our children,
Ourselves and our children.

Jesu Who Ought to be Praised

2011-11-23T08:25:00.001-06:00

IT were as easy for Jesu
To renew the withered tree
As to wither the new
Were it His will so to do.
     Jesu! Jesu! Jesu!
     Jesu! meet it were to praise Him.
There is no plant in the ground
But is full of His virtue,
There is no form in the strand
But is full of His blessing.
     Jesu! Jesu! Jesu!
     Jesu! meet it were to praise Him.
There is no life in the sea,
There is no creature in the river,
There is naught in the firmament,
But proclaims His goodness.
     Jesu! Jesu! Jesu!
     Jesu! meet it were to praise Him.
There is no bird on the wing,
There is no star in the sky,
There is nothing beneath the sun,
But proclaims His goodness.
     Jesu! Jesu! Jesu!
     Jesu! meet it were to praise Him.

Prayer for Protection

2011-11-22T07:53:00.001-06:00

As Thou art the Shepherd over the flock
Tend Thou us to the cot and the fold,
Sain us beneath Thine own glorious mantle;
Thou Shield of protection, guard us for ever,
Be Thou a hard triumphant slave
To shield us securely from wicked hell,
From the fiends and from the stieve snell gullies,
And from the lurid smoke of the abyss.
Be my soul in the trustance of the High King,
Be Michael the powerful meeting my soul.

A Prayer for Grace

2011-11-21T10:34:00.001-06:00

I AM bending my knee
In the eye of the Father who created me,
In the eye of the Son who died for me,
In the eye of the Spirit who cleansed me,
     In love and desire.
Pour down upon us from heaven
The rich blessing of Thy forgiveness;
Thou who art uppermost in the City,
     Be Thou patient with us.
Grant to us, Thou Saviour of Glory,
The fear of God, the love of God, and His affection,
And the will of God to do on earth at all times
As angels and saints do in heaven;
Each day and night give us Thy peace.
     Each day and night give us Thy peace.

Weekly Gospel Reflection - 20 November 2011

2011-11-20T00:00:00.000-06:00

Matthew 25:31-46 (CEB): “Now when the Human One comes in his majesty and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his majestic throne. All the nations will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them from each other, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right side. But the goats he will put on his left.

“Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began. I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’

“Then those who are righteous will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and give you clothes to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me, you who will receive terrible things. Go into the unending fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels. I was hungry and you didn’t give me food to eat. I was thirsty and you didn’t give me anything to drink. I was a stranger and you didn’t welcome me. I was naked and you didn’t give me clothes to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and didn’t do anything to help you?’ Then he will answer, ‘I assure you that when you haven’t done it for one of the least of these, you haven’t done it for me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment. But the righteous ones will go into eternal life.”

“Okay,” someone will say, “surely in this passage Jesus was referring to the end of the world. Jesus talks about the judgment of ‘all the nations’. This has to be the judgment for the end. Right?”

Well, some people think so. They follow the same type of logic. They will agree that the previous passages were about the judgment coming upon Jerusalem and the Temple but this passage, with ‘all the nations’ has to be the judgment at the end of the world. But I don’t think so.

Again, the context of this story is the same as the previous ones. Jesus was still answering the disciples question(s) about when the Temple would be destroyed. There is nothing within the context that shows this to be about the ‘end of the world’. That is just us reading that into the text. We have to get our minds around ‘end of the world’ language in a local judgment setting. All throughout the Jewish prophets this type of language was used to depict local judgments (see: Isaiah 34.1-5; Zephania 1.1-4, 14-18). If nothing else, Jesus was a Jewish prophet (as most people will attest). His declarations were clear and came to pass within that generation, just as he said they would (Matthew 23.36 CEB; Matthew 24.34 CEB; cf. Matthew 11.16 CEB; Matthew 12.41-42 CEB; Matthew 17.17 CEB).

Another point that is often brought up is last sentence, ‘And they will go away into eternal punishment. But the righteous ones will go into eternal life.’

“This,” it is said, “obviously points to the last judgment as seen in Revelation 20.11-15.”

Not necessarily. The passage doesn’t state when those judged will go - just that they will. I think the immediate context leads us to seeing these words as immediate consequence for their actions. Look again at the second paragraph. Jesus said, ‘Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began.’ When do we ‘inherit the kingdom’? Do we only ‘inherit the kingdom’ at the ‘last judgment’? No. We inherit the kingdom now, in this life.

Jesus once more points the accusing finger at the religious opposition of his day. They assumed that there wouldn’t be an issue because they were the physical decedents of Abraham. Over and over again Jesus countered that type of thinking (for example see Matthew 15.1-14 CEB) as did John the Baptist (see Matthew 3.8-10 CEB) as did St Paul (see Romans 2.25ff CEB; cf. Galatians 6.11ff CEB). It was because of that type of thinking that the entire nation would be held accountable (Matthew 23.37ff CEB; Luke 19.41-44 CEB).

I know a lot of people don’t like to think about things like this. However, Jesus is keeping in line with the way the prophets used to think and preach. One of the reasons we don’t like to think about this is because we are putting our understanding of things into that world. This is called eisegesis. One of the things that we have to try to do is figure out how the original audience would have understood what was being communicated to them. It’s a difficult process but well worth the effort!

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Worldly Corruption

2011-11-19T17:05:00.001-06:00

James 1:27 (CEB): True devotion, the kind that is pure and faultless before God the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their difficulties and to keep the world from contaminating us.

‘Keep the world from contaminating us.’ Many times, I’ve heard that to mean ‘sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll’ (or there abouts). But I don’t think that’s what St. James was getting at here. It’s seem pretty clear that ‘worldly corruption’ would be just the opposite of what St James admonished his audience - namely, not taking care of orphans and widows in their difficulties would be ‘worldly corruption’.

This is the same that Jesus talked about in his story in Matthew 25. A story that has it’s place of fulfillment with the lives of his contemporaries, but the message is clearly applicable for all generations. There, Jesus said:

“Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’

From this story, we can clearly see that not helping ‘one of the least of these’ is true ‘worldly corruption.’ And you know what? We have been corrupted. All of us. The Psalmist wrote, ‘Everyone is corrupt’ (Psalm 14.3 CEB). None of us are exempt from this. Part of the human addiction is greed and selfishness. But Christ calls us to a different Way, his Way, the Way of the Human One, the Way of True Humanity.

The Gospel of Luke tells a story about this Way of Living:

A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?”

Jesus replied, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?”

He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”

But the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, so he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus replied, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He encountered thieves, who stripped him naked, beat him up, and left him near death. Now it just so happened that a priest was also going down the same road. When he saw the injured man, he crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. Likewise, a Levite came by that spot, saw the injured man, and crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds, tending them with oil and wine. Then he placed the wounded man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take care of him, and when I return, I will pay you back for any additional costs.’ What do you think? Which one of these three was a neighbor to the man who encountered thieves?”

Then the legal expert said, “The one who demonstrated mercy toward him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

‘Go and do likewise.’ Notice that this story is the response of practically living out the way of ‘eternal life’. Doing these things, living that type of life is the Way that leads to the Life of God (‘eternal life’).

St James admonition is to make sure that we are not corrupted into looking to ourselves only. The way to do that is to love God, love neighbors, and love enemies. And the practical outworking of ‘love’ is taking care of others, especially the poor, widowed, orphaned, the marginalized. We must ‘stop takin’ and start givin . . . lovin’ one another is the only thing real’ (Trevor Hall - Good Rain). It is in doing that - in living that Way - that we ‘gain eternal life’.

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

The Guiding Light of Eternity

2011-11-18T14:46:00.001-06:00

O GOD, who broughtst me from the rest of last night
Unto the joyous light of this day,
Be Thou bringing me from the new light of this day
Unto the guiding light of eternity.
Oh! from the new light of this day
Unto the guiding light of eternity.

Brave

2011-11-18T05:45:00.001-06:00

I can't hardly wait!

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/disney/brave/

Bless, O Chief of Generous Chiefs

2011-11-17T08:59:00.001-06:00

BLESS, O Chief of generous chiefs,
Myself and everything anear me,
Bless me in all my actions,
Make Thou me safe for ever,
       Make Thou me safe for ever.
From every brownie and ban-shee,
From every evil wish and sorrow,
From every nymph and water-wraith,
From every fairy-mouse and grass-mouse,
       From every fairy-mouse and grass-mouse.
From every troll among the hills,
From every siren hard pressing me,
From every ghoul within the glens,
Oh! save me till the end of my day.
       Oh! save me till the end of my day.

Rune of the 'Muthairn'

2011-11-16T08:29:00.001-06:00

THOU King of the moon,
Thou King of the sun,
Thou King of the planets,
Thou King of the stars,
Thou King of the globe,
Thou King of the sky,
Oh! lovely Thy countenance,
Thou beauteous Beam.
Two loops of silk
Down by thy limbs,
Smooth-skinned;
Yellow jewels
And a handful
Out of every stock of them.

A Prayer

2011-11-15T08:47:00.001-06:00

O God,
In my deeds,
In my words,
In my wishes,
In my reason,
And in the fulfilling of my desires,
In my sleep,
In my dreams,
In my repose,
In my thoughts,
In my heart and soul always,
May the blessed Virgin Mary,
And the promised Branch of Glory dwell,
    Oh! in my heart and soul always,
    May the blessed Virgin Mary,
    And the fragrant Branch of Glory dwell.

Holy Father of Glory

2011-11-14T10:48:00.001-06:00

THANKS be to Thee, Holy Father of Glory,
Father kind, ever-loving, ever-powerful,
Because of all the abundance, favour, and deliverance
That Thou bestowest upon us in our need.
Whatever providence befalls us as thy children,
In our portion, in our lot, in our path,
Give to us with it the rich gifts of Thine hand
And the joyous blessing of Thy mouth.

We are guilty and polluted, O God,
In spirit, in heart, and in flesh,
In thought, in word, in act,
We are hard in Thy sight in sin.
Put Thou forth to us the power of Thy love,
Be thou leaping over the mountains of our transgressions,
And wash us in the true blood of conciliation,
Like the down of the mountain, like the lily of the lake.

In the steep common path of our calling,
Be it easy or uneasy to our flesh,
Be it bright or dark for us to follow,
Thine own perfect guidance be upon us.
Be Thou a shield to us from the wiles of the deceiver,
From the arch-destroyer with his arrows pursuing us,
And in each secret thought our minds get to weave,
Be Thou Thyself on our helm and at our sheet.

Though dogs and thieves would reive us from the fold,
Be Thou the valiant Shepherd of glory near us.
Whatever matter or cause or propensity,
That would bring to us grief, or pains, or wounds,
Or that would bear witness against us at the last,
On the other side of the great river of dark shadows,
Oh! do Thou obscure it from our eyes,
And from our hearts drive it for ever.

Now to the Father who created each creature,
Now to the Son who paid ransom for His people,
Now to the Holy Spirit, Comforter of might:--
Shield and sain us from every wound;
Be about the beginning and end of our race,
Be giving us to sing in glory,
In peace, in rest, in reconciliation,
Where no tear shall be shed, where death comes no more.
Where no tear shall be shed, where death comes no more.

Weekly Gospel Reflection - 13 November 2011

2011-11-14T10:40:00.001-06:00

Matthew 25:14-30 (CEB): “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who was leaving on a trip. He called his servants and handed his possessions over to them. To one he gave five valuable coins, and to another he gave two, and to another he gave one. He gave to each servant according to that servant’s ability. Then he left on his journey.

“After the man left, the servant who had five valuable coins took them and went to work doing business with them. He gained five more. In the same way, the one who had two valuable coins gained two more. But the servant who had received the one valuable coin dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.

“Now after a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five valuable coins came forward with five additional coins. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five valuable coins. Look, I’ve gained five more.’

“His master replied, ‘Excellent! You are a good and faithful servant! You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me.’

“The second servant also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two valuable coins. Look, I’ve gained two more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done! You are a good and faithful servant. You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me.’

“Now the one who had received one valuable coin came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man. You harvest grain where you haven’t sown. You gather crops where you haven’t spread seed. o I was afraid. And I hid my valuable coin in the ground. Here, you have what’s yours.’

“His master replied, ‘You evil and lazy servant! You knew that I harvest grain where I haven’t sown and that I gather crops where I haven’t spread seed? In that case, you should have turned my money over to the bankers so that when I returned, you could give me what belonged to me with interest. Therefore take from him the valuable coin and give it to the one who has ten coins. Those who have much will receive more, and they will have more than they need. But as for those who don’t have much, even the little bit they have will be taken away from them. Now take the worthless servant and throw him outside into the darkness.’

“People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.

The story that Jesus tells here really bothers a lot of people. They don’t like to think that God is the ‘Master’ in the story. But I think God is the Master of the story. Neither the story nor some of the elements are to be taken literally. The point of the story is the same as the last one. Jesus is not talking to us about us ‘wasting our talents’ as some preachers have stated. The point of the story is to show what will happen to the first century religious opposition. The Jewish people that rejected what God was doing through the life of Jesus would be held responsible for their actions and intentions. In Luke’s account of Jesus riding into Jerusalem, we have:

As Jesus came to the city and observed it, he wept over it. He said, “If only you knew on this of all days the things that lead to peace. But now they are hidden from your eyes. The time will come when your enemies will build fortifications around you, encircle you, and attack you from all sides. They will crush you completely, you and the people within you. They won’t leave one stone on top of another within you, because you didn’t recognize the time of your gracious visit from God” (Luke 19.41-44 CEB).

That is what these stories are about. He told them to his disciples when they asked him to elaborate on his proclamation about the destruction of the Temple (Matthew 24). And, in true form as a Prophet in the Jewish Tradition, Jesus attributes this coming destruction as God’s judgment upon them. Whether we think God works this way or not is not important. Again, these stories aren’t directed to us. They are not about us. In much the same St Paul wrote that the Jewish Scriptures were written for them (1Corinthians 10.11 CEB), these New Testament stories were written for us.

And, historically speaking, justice was meted out during the war of the Jews with the Romans. On more than one occasion, both the Romans and the witness testimony indicated that what happened during that war was the result of God’s justice against that generation of the Jewish nation.

What can we take from this? Considering that this story is about what the Realm of God is like, I’d say that we can say God’s Realm is about justice. It’s about what is done in this Realm and matters (see 1Corinthians 3.12-15 CEB; cf. 1Corinthians 15.58 CEB). It’s about rescuing the marginalized, the outcast, and the persecuted from the powers that continue to rebel against God and the ways of God.

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Daily Gospel Reflection - 11 November 2011

2011-11-11T10:12:00.001-06:00

Matthew 16:13-20 (CEB): Now when Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Human One is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

He said, “And what about you? Who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Then Jesus replied, “Happy are you, Simon son of Jonah, because no human has shown this to you. Rather my Father who is in heaven has shown you. I tell you that you are Peter. And I’ll build my church on this rock. The gates of the underworld won’t be able to stand against it. I’ll give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Anything you fasten on earth will be fastened in heaven. Anything you loosen on earth will be loosened in heaven.” Then he ordered the disciples not to tell anybody that he was the Christ.

There is a lot of talk about Jesus’ meaning in this passage. A lot of people see this as ‘proof’ that Jesus would build his church on Peter, since he was the first one to recognize that Jesus was the Messiah. But, I don’t think that’s quite right.

I think Jesus meaning here is that it was Peter’s revelation concerning Jesus which would be the foundation of the church. This is attested to by St Paul when he wrote, ‘No one can lay any other foundation besides the one that is already laid, which is Jesus Christ’ (1Corinthians 3.11 CEB). Even Jesus alludes that he, not Peter, is the ‘cornerstone’ of the whole foundation (see Matthew 21.33-46 CEB and parallels). And just so that we don’t miss the point in the Gospels, while talking to the religious opposition, Peter plainly stated, ‘This Jesus is the stone you builders rejected; he has become the cornerstone’ (Acts 4.11 CEB; cf. 1Peter 2.7 CEB). That is, the revelation that Jesus is creation’s True King is the cornerstone to the whole foundation.

Furthermore, the key to this interpretation rests in Jesus’ use of the word ‘rock’.* In Luke, Jesus said:

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and don’t do what I say? I’ll show what it’s like when someone comes to me, hears my words, and puts them into practice. It’s like a person building a house by digging deep and laying the foundation on bedrock. When the flood came, the rising water smashed against that house, but the water couldn’t shake the house because it was well built.”

Here, we see that it’s not just the recognition of Jesus as Messiah but it’s living the way of Jesus, too. It starts with recognizing Jesus as creation’s True King. That is the cornerstone to the whole foundation. But it is also in walking in his Way. It is these two things that make up the foundation of the church. St Paul wrote, ‘As God’s household (i.e., the church - j+), you are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone’ (Ephesians 2.20 CEB). The ‘apostles and prophets’ lived the Way of Jesus. They, along with Christ, are our examples.

When we recognize Jesus as the Messiah and live the Way he taught and showed us, we are standing on the shoulders of the saints before us - Mary, Peter, Paul, John, Pheobe, Patrick, Brigit, Aidan, Columba, Kevin, Augustine, Aquinas, Basil, Gregory, Origen, Julian, Theresa, etc., etc. as a testimony to the Way.

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

~~~
* Granted, Peter’s name was changed from Cephus to ‘Peter’, which means ‘rock’. I think this was to emphasize that it was the revelation that was the ‘rock’ or foundation upon which the church would be built.

Jesu, Thou Son of Mary

2011-11-11T08:57:00.001-06:00

JESU, Thou Son of Mary,
Have mercy upon us,
             Amen.
Jesu, Thou Son of Mary,
Make peace with us,
             Amen.
Oh, with us and for us
Where we shall longest be,
             Amen.
Be about the morning of our course,
Be about the closing of our life,    [world
             Amen.
Be at the dawning of our life,
And oh! at the dark’ning of our day,
             Amen.
Be for us and with us,
Merciful God of all,
             Amen.
Consecrate us
Condition and lot,
Thou King of kings,
Thou God of all,
             Amen.
Consecrate us
Rights and means,
Thou King of kings,
Thou God of all,
             Amen.
Consecrate us
Heart and body,
Thou King of kings,
Thou God of all,
             Amen.
Each heart and body,
Each day to Thyself,
Each night accordingly,
Thou King of kings,
Thou God of all,
             Amen.

God be with Us

2011-11-10T08:13:00.001-06:00

GOD be with us
On this Thy day,
                 Amen.
[God be with us
On this Thy night,
                 Amen.]
To us and with us,
On this Thy day,
                 Amen.
[To us and with us,
On this Thy night,
                 Amen.]
It is clear to be seen of us,
Since we came into the world,
That we have deserved Thy wrath,
                 Amen.
O Thine own wrath,
Thou God of all,
                 Amen.
Grant us forgiveness,
                 Amen.
Grant us forgiveness,
                 Amen.
Grant to us Thine own forgiveness,
Thou merciful God of all,
                 Amen.
Anything that is evil to us,
Or that may witness against us
Where we shall longest be,
Illume it to us,
Obscure it to us,
Banish it from us,
Root it out of our hearts,
Ever, evermore, everlastingly.
    Ever, evermore, everlastingly.
                 Amen.

A General Supplication

2011-11-09T08:02:00.002-06:00

GOD, listen to my prayer,
Bend to me Thine ear,
Let my supplications and my prayers
Ascend to Thee upwards,
Come, Thou King of Glory,
To protect me down,
Thou King of life and mercy
With the aid of the Lamb.
Thou Son of Mary Virgin
To protect me with power,
Thou Son of the lovely Mary
Of purest fairest beauty.

The Invocation of the Graces

2011-11-08T16:23:00.001-06:00

I BATHE thy palms
In showers of wine,
In the lustral fire,
In the seven elements,
In the juice of the rasps,
In the milk of honey,
And I place the nine pure choice graces
In thy fair fond face,
The grace of form,
The grace of voice,
The grace of fortune,
The grace of goodness,
  The grace of wisdom,
  The grace of charity,
  The grace of choice maidenliness,
  The grace of whole-souled loveliness,
  The grace of goodly speech.

Dark is yonder town,
Dark are those therein,
Thou art the brown swan,
Going in among them.
Their hearts are under thy control,
Their tongues are beneath thy sole,
Nor will they ever utter a word
  To give thee offence.

A shade art thou in the heat,
A shelter art thou in the cold,
Eyes art thou to the blind,
A staff art thou to the pilgrim,
An island art thou at sea,
A fortress art thou on land,
A well art thou in the desert,
    Health art thou to the ailing.

Thine is the skill of the Fairy Woman,
Thine is the virtue of Bride the calm,
Thine is the faith of Mary the mild,
Thine is the tact of the woman of Greece,
Thine is the beauty of Emir the lovely,
Thine is the tenderness of Darthula delightful,
Thine is the courage of Maebh the strong,
    Thine is the charm of Binne-bheul.

Thou art the joy of all joyous things,
Thou art the light of the beam of the sun,
Thou art the door of the chief of hospitality,
Thou art the surpassing star of guidance,
Thou art the step of the deer of the hill,
Thou art the step of the steed of the plain,
Thou art the grace of the swan of swimming,
    Thou art the loveliness of all lovely desires.

The lovely likeness of the Lord
Is in thy pure face,
The loveliest likeness that
Was upon earth.

The best hour of the day be thine,
The best day of the week be thine,
The best week of the year be thine,
The best year in the Son of God's domain be thine.

Peter has come and Paul has come,
James has come and John has come,
Muriel and Mary Virgin have come,
Uriel the all-beneficent has come,
Ariel the beauteousness of the young has come,
Gabriel the seer of the Virgin has come,
Raphael the prince of the valiant has come,
And Michael the chief of the hosts has come,
  And Jesus Christ the mild has come,
  And the Spirit of true guidance has come,
  And the King of kings has come on the helm,
  To bestow on thee their affection and their love,
     To bestow on thee their affection and their love.

God With Me Lying Down

2011-11-07T09:16:00.002-06:00

GOD with me lying down,
God with me rising up,
God with me in each ray of light,
Nor I a ray of joy without Him,
Nor one ray without Him.
Christ with me sleeping,
Christ with me waking,
Christ with me watching,
Every day and night,
Each day and night.
God with me protecting,
The Lord with me directing,
The Spirit with me strengthening,
For ever and for evermore,
Ever and evermore, Amen.
Chief of chiefs, Amen.

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Weekly Gospel Reflection - 06 November 2011

2011-11-07T08:21:00.000-06:00

Matthew 25:1-13 (CEB): “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten young bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. Now five of them were wise, and the other five were foolish. The foolish ones took their lamps but didn’t bring oil for them. But the wise ones took their lamps and also brought containers of oil.

“When the groom was late in coming, they all became drowsy and went to sleep. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Look, the groom! Come out to meet him.’

“Then all those bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. But the foolish bridesmaids said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps have gone out.’

“But the wise bridesmaids replied, ‘No, because if we share with you, there won’t be enough for our lamps and yours. We have a better idea. You go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were gone to buy oil, the groom came. Those who were ready went with him into the wedding. Then the door was shut.

“Later the other bridesmaids came and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us.’

“But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’

“Therefore keep alert because you don’t know the day or the hour.

In our study guide for this week, the writers went on and on about our needing to be faithful and patient as we await our Lord’s coming. And while I agree with those sentiments of faithfulness and patience, I disagree with their applications.

Let me be perfectly clear here: Contextually, this story has absolutely nothing to do with us. Beginning in Matthew 23, Jesus has been dealing the the religious oppostition of his day and tells them that they’re city and Temple will be judged and left desolate at the end of that chapter (Matthew 23.37-39; NLT). Chapter 24 is all about that coming judgment. And, chapter 25, has stories about the people who follow Jesus from the time of his ascension until the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70CE. Let’s break this story down a little bit.

Notice that the groom leaves a group of ‘young bridesmaids’. Next, the ‘groom was late’ in coming to the bridesmaids. But, and here’s the big key, the ‘groom’ does, in fact, return to the very bridesmaids he left - not some bridesmaids of the future (a couple of millenia now and counting). And, as if to drive the point home, Jesus tells the disciples, ‘Therefore [‘you’ - understood - j+] keep alert because you don’t know the day or the hour’ (verse 13). Notice, Jesus was talking to them about things that they would experience. In fact, Jesus used the personal pronoun ‘you’ over twenty times in the previous chapter! There would be no doubt in the minds of the disciples that Jesus was talking about things they would experience. And why wouldn’t he? They asked him about it in Matthew 24.3 (compare Mark 13.3-4; Luke 21.7). It would be incredible to think that Jesus would not answer their question(s) but actually talk about something that would be (at least) two thousand years in the future and they would never experience.

No. The context is clear. This story is about the delay of Jesus’ return to the disciples and how they should remain faithful and patient while they’re waiting.

Now, like I stated at the beginning, the message of faithfulness and patience is one we need to hear. I’ll even go so far to say that we can teach it from this passage. However, let’s not come up with some crazy idea (and teach it in our seminaries and parishes!) like the disciples were wrong about Jesus returning within their life time and, therefore, had to come up with a whole ‘church structure’ and make excuses for the delay. Rubbish! Poppycock! We’re the ones who got it wrong. The ‘coming’ that Jesus spoke of here (as well as what the apostles and early church taught and understood and lived) was the ‘coming’ of judgment upon Jerusalem and the Temple. If one holds this view when reading the imminent return passages, all of the hoops that interpreters and some scholars have to jump through soon pass away (pun intended).

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Carmina Gadelica

2011-11-04T13:26:00.001-05:00

I'm going to start posting prayers, songs, poems, etc. from the Carmina Gadelica. This is a collection by Alexander Carmichael who went around Scotland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A collection that was almost lost with that culture. Since the Carmina Gadelica is now in the public domain, it can be found on-line at various places. It also can be purchased in book form.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

~~~

Rune before Prayer

I AM bending my knee

In the eye of the Father who created me,

In the eye of the Son who purchased me,

In the eye of the Spirit who cleansed me,

In friendship and affection.

Through Thine own Anointed One, O God,

Bestow upon us fullness in our need,

Love towards God,

The affection of God,

The smile of God,

The wisdom of God,

The grace of God,

The fear of God,

And the will of God

To do on the world of the Three,

As angels and saints

Do in heaven;

Each shade and light,

Each day and night,

Each time in kindness,

Give Thou us Thy Spirit.

~~~

In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Daily Gospel Reflection - 03 November 2011

2011-11-04T10:24:00.002-05:00

Matthew 14:1-12 (CEB): At that time Herod the ruler heard the news about Jesus. He said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He’s been raised from the dead. This is why these miraculous powers are at work through him.” Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of Herod’s brother Philip.

That’s because John told Herod, “It’s against the law for you to marry her.”

Although Herod wanted to kill him, he feared the crowd because they thought John was a prophet. But at Herod’s birthday party Herodias’ daughter danced in front of the guests and thrilled Herod. 7 Then he swore to give her anything she asked.

At her mother’s urging, the girl said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a plate.” Although the king was upset, because of his solemn pledge and his guests he commanded that they give it to her. Then he had John beheaded in prison. They brought his head on a plate and gave it to the young woman, and she brought it to her mother. But John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened.

A couple of things here: First, the ‘Herod’ in question was Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great. This is the same Herod that Jesus stood before during his ‘trial’.

I have always wondered about John telling Herod that marrying ‘the wife of [his] brother Philip’ was ‘against the law’. I mean, this is a Roman appointed official, why should he care about the ravings of a Jewish prophet? Well, actually, the family line of Herod was of Edomite decent and were a Jewish dynasty. They were of Edomites were forced to convert to Judaism when israel conquered Edom. Herod the Great converted to Judaism and therefore, Antipas would have understood something of the Jewish law. Thus, John the Baptist pointing out the law againt Antipas marrying his sister-in-law was perfectly within bounds for a Jewish prophet.

Secondly, there is the whole issue of Herod Antipas’ character. There are a couple of ways of looking at it but the biblical writers make it pretty clear the way they see it. Instead of standing up for justice, Antipas is painted as one who would do whatever needed to be done to further his own position and power. This same thing was pointed out recently in the movie ‘The Help’. There’s a pivotal scene where a mother fires her long time maid - the woman who essentially raised the mother’s daughter - because of the other powerful women that were with her. She had to choose if she would stand for justice or be swayed by position and power. She chose the latter.

Every day we, too, are confronted with this crossroad, albeit, not necessarily in such a grand scale. But when we buy our coffee at the local coffee shop, we are at a crossroads and we may not even know it. When we buy chocolate, another crossroads. When we purchase foods of all kinds, still another crossroads. In all of these ways, we can either choose to stand up for justice and make purchases that will benefit the workers in the fields with fair pay and working conditions or we can turn our backs on our brothers and sisters and let the injustice continue. When we save a little bit of money buy purchasing a product that is not labeled fair trade, we are taking money out of the pockets of those whom need it the most. With spending a little more on fair trade products, we are making a stand for justice. It’s actually that simple, my friends. (I actually wrote a whole reflection on this. You can read it here.)

Another way of looking at the character of Antipas is one of fidelity and honor. Notice that he ‘swore to give [his daughter] anything she asked’. Because his word meant something, he followed through with it, even if he personally didn’t want to. His own desire was set aside because of his commitment to carrying out his oath.

I remember when this was the way business was done. My Grandfather could do this. If he made a business deal (he owned a lumber yard), he would just give his word, shake the other’s hand, and that was all that was needed. He made good on his word and so did the other party.

This too, my friends, is the admonition of Scripture. Jesus said, ‘Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no’ (Matthew 5.37 CEB). And James wrote, ‘Speak with a simple “yes” or “no” (James 5.12 CEB).’

So, the idea I get from this passage is that we should not just sit idly by and allow injustices to continue. We should stand up for justice wherever we see it.

Furthermore, we should be honest people. People who follow through on their commitments. We should speak simply and plainly and mean what we say.

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Daily Gospel Reflection - 02 November 2011

2011-11-02T11:22:00.001-05:00

Matthew 13:53-58 (CEB): When Jesus finished these parables, he departed. When he came to his hometown, he taught the people in their synagogue. They were surprised and said, “Where did he get this wisdom? Where did he get the power to work miracles? Isn’t he the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother named Mary? Aren’t James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers? And his sisters, aren’t they here with us? Where did this man get all this?” They were repulsed by him and fell into sin.

But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are honored everywhere except in their own hometowns and in their own households.” He was unable to do many miracles there because of their disbelief.

“I know who you are,” came the accusation. The convicted killer hung his head in shame. The mother of the young woman he murdered stood there sobbing, barely able to control her anger.

“You took my only child from me, from her father, from her husband, and from her children. You deserve what you get,” she cried, visibly shaking with anger.

“I know and I’m so sorry,” said the man quietly with his head still down.

The priest, who was standing next to the man, put his hand on the woman’s arm. “I believe this man to be sincere. He has confessed to me and God his crimes and has been forgiven. He’s now part of God’s New Creation. He’s now your brother.”

“He is no brother of mine,” the mother exclaimed. Looking at the man she said, “You may have tricked him, but I know who you really are!” She slapped his face, turned on her heel and stormed away.

The man, still with his head hung low, gently wept.

~~~

Sometimes, when we knew someone ‘way back when,’ we keep reminding them of it every chance we get. And, for others of us, we won’t believe that someone has changed, that she is no longer the person she once was. That’s the feeling I get when reading today’s Gospel passage. For some of us, God can change the most heinous criminal (like the one in the story) but we have a hard time believing that God has changed our spouse or parent or child. We have too much history and, at times, seem to be just waiting for that person to ‘trip up’ and fall back into their old ways. And, as soon as she does, well, we are too quick to pipe up with an ‘I knew it!’ or ‘I told you so!’ I know it’s part of the human condition, but I just don’t understand it. I mean, we believe that God can move mountains, heal all kinds of diseases, even raise the dead (!), but, for some reason, we have a hard time believing that God can change someone we know and love from a ‘scoundrel’ to a person of God.

Furthermore, some of us have no problem in believing that God changes others but we have a very difficult time in believing that God can change us. I mean, who knows us better than ourselves, right? We have to live within our own history. We have to live with whatever sorrow we brought upon others and feel the shame of it (like the man in the story). We try and ‘do right’ and ‘act accordingly’, but then, in those quiet moments of reflection (and sometimes, right in the middle of our good deeds!), flashes from our past come rushing in. We feel the sting of hippocracy and wonder how in the world can we really be changed? How can God really use us to further implement God’s Realm now?

But, like the Gospel and the little story, it seems that we are the ones who ultimately suffer for not believing that God can change others. And, it seems, that our unbelief can be a hindrance for what God is wanting to do in our lives through those very people because we can’t see past their history (see v. 13). As I told a dear Brother recently, if we have an issue with God saving our enemy and making him our Brother, then that is our problem, not God’s.

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Ubuntu News

2011-10-27T09:25:00.001-05:00

As I've mentioned previously, Dell sells and supports computers with Ubuntu pre-installed. They have done this for a while now but they have only been available through Dell's website. Well that has all changed.

According to a recent article, Ubuntu and Dell are now selling systems in 220 stores throughout China. Now I wonder when all of that Ubuntu goodness will be coming to the States?

If you haven't checked out Ubuntu, go to their site and take the tour. I starts a virtual session of Ubuntu right in your browser!

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Happy birthday, Ubuntu!

2011-10-20T10:23:00.002-05:00

Today Ubuntu, easily the worlds most popular Linux Operating System (OS), turns 7! Within just a few short years, Ubuntu has released 15 different versions of it’s OS. It’s gained a huge following (over 20 million users and growing) by being ‘user friendly.’ That is, unlike the Linux OSes of the past, Ubuntu’s focus is on the end user - the every day people who use computers for accessing the Internet, chatting with their friends, editing pictures, working on presentations or documents, checking email, listening to music, and watching movies.

Recently, Wikipedia, Amazon, and HP (as well as a host of others) chose Ubuntu for all of it's server and cloud based solutions.

As a lot of you know, I’ve been a devout Ubuntu user for years (started testing Ubuntu in 2007). By far, it’s the best OS out there on standard PC hardware. In fact, I’ve found more integration with Ubuntu than I have had with any other OS, and I use Mac and Windows at work daily.

So, if you’re tired of shelling out all of your money for upgrades to OSes and hardware; if you’re tired of all the viruses and spyware; if you’re tied of stuff just not working; if you can’t believe that stuff still doesn’t seem to work together; then you owe it to yourself to give Ubuntu a try. I guarantee that you will be pleasantly surprised. And, after using it for a month or so, you’ll wonder why you ever used anything else!

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Daily Gospel Reflection - 11 October 2011

2011-10-11T20:09:00.002-05:00

Matthew 10:16-23 (CEB): “Look, I’m sending you as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as snakes and innocent as doves. Watch out for people—because they will hand you over to councils and they will beat you in their synagogues. They will haul you in front of governors and even kings because of me so that you may give your testimony to them and to the Gentiles. Whenever they hand you over, don’t worry about how to speak or what you will say, because what you can say will be given to you at that moment. You aren’t doing the talking, but the Spirit of my Father is doing the talking through you. Brothers and sisters will hand each other over to be executed. A father will turn his child in. Children will defy their parents and have them executed. Everyone will hate you on account of my name. But whoever stands firm until the end will be saved. Whenever they harass you in one city, escape to the next, because I assure that you will not go through all the cities of Israel before the Human One comes.

This is one of those passages that some people blow way out of context. Let’s see if we can keep our thoughts in line. First of all, Jesus was not speaking to us today. He was speaking to the disciples, the Twelve (verse 5). From that one point, this passage should fall into place. Jesus uses the personal pronoun ‘you’ fifteen times in this short passage - again, showing that his warnings and instructions were directed to the Twelve and, again, not to us.

What gets us in trouble is that we start seeing the ‘end of the world’ in Jesus’ statement there at the last. You know the one about the ‘Second Coming’? Well, that’s just the problem. He wasn’t referring to any (supposed) Second Coming. Notice again the ‘you’ there twice in that sentence. The ‘coming’ that Jesus referred to was the coming ‘judgement’ against Israel in 70CE. This fits neatly within the immediate context and it fits within the historical context. According to Josephus, the ‘War of the Jews’ took place roughly forty years (some see this as a biblical generation) after the time of Jesus. And this war would have been during the time of the Twelve.*

However, I’m not saying that we can’t get anything from this passage. A couple of thoughts that can be carried over for any generation. First is the issue of being in a hostile world. We see this by the phrase ‘sheep among wolves’. There is no need to fill this with examples of violence and hatred and intolerance and greed and other deadly sins. We are all quite aware of those issues. But Jesus is here speaking of us being part of that world - not separated from it. To me, this is a key issue. Far too many theories about ‘the end’ have followers of Christ escaping from this world and God obliterating it. Therefore, a lot of people aren’t really concerned about fixing issues like ecology or economy or curable diseases in other parts of the world. ‘Why polish the brass bell on the a sinking ship’ is often quoted as the reason we don’t get more involved. But we can see from Jesus’ statements that we are to be involved in the world around us. And the way we live should reflect that we don’t agree with some of the worlds ways. And that disagreement should be such that the ‘everyone will hate [us] on account’ of Christ. But this type of resistance calls for two things - wisdom and non-violence. We aren’t supposed to just be at odds with ‘the world’ willy-nilly. We are to be at odds where Christ was at odds - ‘preach the good news to the poor’, ‘proclaim release to the prisoners’, ‘recovery of sight to the blind’, and ‘liberate the oppressed’ (see Luke 4.18 CEB).

Next, and as we can see it’s related to the first part, is the way of non-violence. I shouldn’t even have to bring this up (and I won’t be too long on this since I’ve written about it before) but it seems that some people just don’t get it. Followers of Jesus are called to live a life of non-violence (after all, Jesus is the ‘Prince of Peace’). Over and over again, he warned the religious opposition that their insistence on the use of violence would only end in devastation (see Luke 19.41-44 CEB). And, again, we see this fulfilled with the war with Rome. Plus, he told his followers that violence was not the answer (Matthew 5.38-48 CEB), even when he was arrested (See Matthew 26.51-52 CEB; Luke 22.49-51 CEB). So it’s no surprise that we read here that followers of Christ are to be ‘innocent as doves’.

* - For those who are interested, you can read about the War of the Jews here.

Daily Gospel Reflection - 10 October 2011

2011-10-10T11:56:00.000-05:00

Matthew 10:5-15 (CEB): Jesus sent these twelve out and commanded them, “Don’t go among the Gentiles or into a Samaritan city. Go instead to the lost sheep, the people of Israel. As you go, make this announcement: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, and throw out demons. You received without having to pay. Therefore, give without demanding payment. Workers deserve to be fed, so don’t gather gold or silver or copper coins for your money belts to take on your trips. Don’t take a backpack for the road or two shirts or sandals or a walking stick. Whatever city or village you go into, find somebody in it who is worthy and stay there until you go on your way. When you go into a house, say, ‘Peace!’ If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if the house isn’t worthy, take back your blessing. If anyone refuses to welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet as you leave that house or city. I assure you that it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on Judgment Day than it will be for that city.

A couple of thoughts. Firstly, I have a real problem with traveling salesmen preachers who beg for financial assistance so they can continue God’s work. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is quite clear that we aren’t supposed to be making money off the Gospel. Sure, ‘workers deserve to be fed’ but that rests in the hand of God. I have been at too many services where the traveling preacher is dressed better, owns a better home, drives a better car, and has more money than most people in the congregation. Yet, they have the indecency to ask for money.

That’s one of the things I like about the Lindisfarne Community. Our clergy don’t get paid for being clergy. We are called to be bi-vocational, ontological priests. This helps relieve the burdens of others. Now, certainly, if the ones for whom we are serving wants to make financial donations, that’s one thing. But to stand up and say things like, ‘I can’t continue in this ministry without your financial support’ is an outrage. I think, we as the congregation, should ‘shake the dust from our feet as [we] leave’ the service and not go back while that person is there!

Secondly, there is the last sentence, ‘I assure you that it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the Judgment Day than it will be for that city’ who refuses to welcome or listen to the message of the Gospel. This has always been seen as ‘proof’ that there are degrees or levels to ‘Hell’ (which is understood to mean ‘eternal conscious torture’). However, the only thing that it supposes is that there are degrees of punishment. That is, all judgement is not the same. Just like in our own society, we do not have a blanket sentencing for all crimes that are committed (stealing a piece of candy does not get the same punishment that a child rapist and murder gets). ‘The punishment must fit the crime’ as the saying goes. It appears that Jesus is stating the same from this passage. And that, taken with the account that the end result of punishment is to correct not destroy, serves to show us that even the judgement of ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’ and those who rejected the words and actions of the disciples is not eternal conscious torture but corrective in nature that leads to faith and good deeds.

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Weekly Gospel Reflection - 09 October 2011

2011-10-10T11:54:00.004-05:00

Matthew 22:1-14 (CEB): Jesus responded by speaking again in parables: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding party for his son. He sent his servants to call those invited to the wedding party. But they didn’t want to come. Again he sent other servants and said to them, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Look, the meal is all prepared. I’ve butchered the oxen and the fattened cattle. Now everything’s ready. Come to the wedding party!” ’ But they paid no attention and went away—some to their fields, others to their businesses. The rest of them grabbed his servants, abused them, and killed them.

“The king was angry. He sent his soldiers to destroy those murderers and set their city on fire. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding party is prepared, but those who were invited weren’t worthy. Therefore, go to the roads on the edge of town and invite everyone you find to the wedding party.’

“Then those servants went to the roads and gathered everyone they found, both evil and good. The wedding party was full of guests. Now when the king came in and saw the guests, he spotted a man who wasn’t wearing wedding clothes. He said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But he was speechless. Then the king said to his servants, ‘Tie his hands and feet and throw him out into the farthest darkness. People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.’

“Many people are invited, but few people are chosen.”

This story that Jesus tells is part of a continuing, escalating, conversation with the religious opposition that started back in 21.23. And in each story, Jesus seems to be getting more and more irritated and specific.

The basic premise of this story is that the ‘King’ represents God and that the wedding banquet is the ministry of Christ. That Jesus is ushering in the Realm of God is evident by his statement earlier in Matthew’s Gospel, ‘[If] I throw out demons by the power of God’s Spirit, then God’s [Realm] has already overtaken you’ (Matthew 12.28 CEB). Of course, Jesus was doing exactly that. So the message is clear - through prophets like John the Baptist, God was inviting the Jewish people to be part of God’s next phase of the rescue operation. But they refused and even killed some of those who were sent to them. Because of this unyielding and violence, God would bring judgment upon Christ’s contemporaries. And in so doing, this did not mean the God’s Realm was thwarted. It means that God now turned to ‘everyone’ else, both ‘good and bad’ - meaning both Jews and Gentiles.

Now, historically, this is exactly what happened. We read in the Acts of the Apostles, that the focus turned from Jews only to both Jews and Gentiles. But the persecution from the Jewish opposition continued. And within a single generation from Jesus, the Roman Legion came in and leveled the city in 70CE.

But, there is something here I want to zoom in on. That is the idea that, since the time of Jesus, the Realm of God is a reality now. In the story, the wedding party represented God’s Realm - ‘The [Realm of God] is like a king who prepared a wedding party for his son’. And, as I noted earlier, Jesus was ushering in God’s Realm. However, the manifestation of it is an ongoing process. But the fact of the matter is God’s Realm is a present reality. ‘Everyone’ ‘good and bad’ are in it now. However, one can’t live or believe any way one wishes. In the story, the king sees someone who is not dressed properly and has him taken from the party. I equate this to those who don’t yet have faith in Christ and / or are not living the Way of Christ. All humanity, since the time of Jesus forward, is living in God’s Realm. However, this is not a guarantee that one will be able to continue to live however one sees fit. No. The scriptures are quite clear that all of humanity will have to give an account for our lives. And, as St Paul wrote in 1Corinthians,

[Each] one’s work will be clearly shown. The day will make it clear, because it will be revealed with fire—the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. If anyone’s work survives, they’ll get a reward. But if anyone’s work goes up in flames, they’ll lose it. However, they themselves will be saved as if they had gone through a fire.

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Prayer for the Week: The Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost

2011-10-10T05:39:00.000-05:00

O God, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Daily Gospel Reflection - 07 October 2011

2011-10-07T09:33:00.001-05:00

Matthew 9:27-34 (CEB): As Jesus departed, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Show us mercy, Son of David.”

When he came into the house, the blind men approached him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe I can do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied.

Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, “It will happen for you just as you have believed.” Their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, “Make sure nobody knows about this.” But they went out and spread the word about him throughout that whole region.

As they were leaving, people brought to him a man who was demon-possessed and unable to speak. When Jesus had thrown out the demon, the man who couldn’t speak began to talk. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

But the Pharisees said, “He throws out demons with the authority of the ruler of demons.”

Healing and betrayal. That’s what I see in today’s reading. I’ve never looked at it this way before today. I’ve always thought that the people who betrayed Jesus were the disciples. You know the scene in the Gethsemane garden? That’s what I think of. But when reflecting on this passage, I see now that Jesus was betrayed all the time. He told those blind men, ‘Make sure nobody knows about this.’ And what did they do? They betrayed him - ‘But they went out and spread the word about him throughout the whole region.’ Now, some have said that Jesus did this intentionally. Like when we’re told not to do something, the first thing we want to do is that very thing we aren’t supposed to do! Therefore, the thinking goes, since Jesus knew this about people, he was intentional in telling people not to spread the word. But I don’t see it that way. I don’t think Jesus was in a hurry to be tortured and executed. I see it as one of the many ways that people betrayed him. At the crucifixion, they probably (the ones with hearts of compassion) felt the sting of the cross and the embarrassment of his words of forgiveness. They probably realized that they were the ones who got Jesus arrested and killed. Their guilt of betrayal would be heavy indeed.

But, there is another type of betrayal here. And that’s the betrayal of people not telling others about what Christ has done for them. This is the type of which, I think, a lot of us are guilty of now. That is, with all the plurality in the world (and, let’s be honest, there has always been plurality of religions), some of us don’t really want to talk about Jesus and what he means to us and what he’s done in our lives. I understand this completely. I’ve been guilty of it myself. But recently, I’ve been a little convicted about it. Why should I keep silent about what Christ has done for me? A lot of it comes from the type-casting, the profiling, the religious intolerance towards Christians that is so prevalent right now. I know, some people don’t see this. And others see that some Christians are the ones who are the most intolerant of other faith traditions. And, let me be clear, that should not be heard of from Christian people! But at the same time, it seems that all Christians are judged by those few who are not following Christ’s example of Love and respect and mercy and non-violence. And it’s because of this, that a lot of us, including myself, have not been so outspoken in my faith. It is in that regard that I feel that some of us have betrayed Christ. We have been silent when we have needed to be speaking out. Our silence has given strength to those who name the name of Christ but seem so full of hatred and intolerance.

We can no longer remain silent. We must stand up for what Christ has done for us. We must stand up to the bullies, the haters, the greedy, the violent, the intolerant, not only for those outside of the Christian family (and according to Paul, we shouldn’t really be judging them anyway), but we should be speaking out against those within the family of Christ.

Every day, all day long, Christ is betrayed. And the betrayal comes from us - members of his own family. Whether we act in ways of violence and intolerance or we are silent to the injustices around us, we betray Christ. These things should not be so, my dear friends. We are to be Christ to those we meet. We are to seek Christ in them. And part of this means that we speak up about what Christ has done in our lives. We must shout from the rooftops of God’s mercy and Love for all people. That God has reconciled the whole creation back to Godself and brought peace through Christ’s blood on the cross (Colossians 1.19-20 CEB).

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Daily Gospel Reflection - 06 October 2011

2011-10-06T11:51:00.003-05:00

Matthew 9:18-26 (CEB): While Jesus was speaking to them, a ruler came and knelt in front of him, saying, “My daughter has just died. But come and place your hand on her, and she’ll live.” So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him. Then a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the hem of his clothes. She thought, If I only touch his robe I’ll be healed.

When Jesus turned and saw her, he said, “Be encouraged, daughter. Your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that time on.

When Jesus went into the ruler’s house, he saw the flute players and the distressed crowd. He said, “Go away, because the little girl isn’t dead but is asleep”; but they laughed at him. After he had sent the crowd away, Jesus went in and touched her hand, and the little girl rose up. News about this spread throughout that whole region.

Yesterday, during the start of the evening news, the program I was watching was interrupted with the story that Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, had died from his battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 56. Today there has been a flood of news stories, blogs, articles, etc. talking about Steve Jobs and what he accomplished and dreams of what he could have accomplished had he won his battle. This is indeed a sad day, and I don’t mean to diminish the things that Steve brought to the technology world and the world at large. But, every day, several thousand children die from curable disease and famine. Hundreds of police and firefighters die every day just doing their jobs. Countless people involved in wars all across the globe die every single day. Abuse and exploited children, spouses, partners, and the elderly die every day. And we don’t see very much written about them. To me, that is the true tragedy. Where is the out pouring of support and love and kindness and respect for those precious ones?

In the passage before us today, Jesus deals with an incurable disease and death of a loved one. In both cases, the person was healed and given life again. I have read that Steve made it a point, even early in his life, to talk about living your life, of doing the things you want to do, of making every effort to not have regrets. We’ve heard it said before, possibly many times, none of us are promised tomorrow and we should leave each day like it’s our last. In the passage above, do we think that those two people lived each day likes it was their last? I’m not sure. But what about us? Do we live each day like it would be our last? No. And I personally don’t know of anyone who does. It’s a good idea. But is it very practical? Probably not. I think what would be better is to follow Steve’s example and live our own dreams. Don’t listen to the nay sayers and the haters. Some people are just going to be jealous and haters. And sometimes, those people are ourselves.

Another point I like about the passage above is that Jesus addressed the outcasts, people who were seen as property and not worthy of ones time. Both were female and one was a child. How often do we feel like we are outcasts or not worthy of someones time? I feel that way at times. More often than I would like to admit, actually. But there is hope. Even if no one else cares, even if we don’t care about ourselves (or we pretend that we don’t), rest assured, my dear friends, Christ cares. He sees past our pain and shortcomings and self doubt and false selves. Christ heals us and gives us life. Sometimes, all we have to do is humble ourselves, reach out, and touch the hem of his clothes. And, sometimes, we can’t do that for ourselves. We need others to go to Christ on our behalf and ask for his help, for his life giving Love.

So, as we remember a true visionary in the world of Technology, let us remember that there are still plenty of others that need our support, our respect, our kindness, and yes, our Love. They need us to kneel on the dusty road and reach out to Christ’s hem for them. They need us to be channels of God’s Grace, Mercy, and Love. May we be that, not only for the family and friends of Steve Jobs, but also for the thousands of people who are abused, exploited, and killed every day. For the forgotten ones. For the crazy ones.

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Daily Gospel Reflection - 05 October 2011

2011-10-05T11:46:00.000-05:00

Matthew 9:9-17 (CEB): As Jesus continued on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at a kiosk for collecting taxes. He said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him. As Jesus sat down to eat in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners joined Jesus and his disciples at the table.

But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

When Jesus heard it, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. Go and learn what this means: I want mercy and not sacrifice. I didn’t come to call righteous people, but sinners.”

At that time John’s disciples came and asked Jesus, “Why do we and the Pharisees frequently fast, but your disciples never fast?”

Jesus responded, “The wedding guests can’t mourn while the groom is still with them, can they? But the days will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they’ll fast.

“No one sews a piece of new, unshrunk cloth on old clothes because the patch tears away the cloth and makes a worse tear. No one pours new wine into old wineskins. If they did, the wineskins would burst, the wine would spill, and the wineskins would be ruined. Instead, people pour new wine into new wineskins so that both are kept safe.”

I’ve always wondered about the last paragraph of this passage. I never really got what Jesus meant by the cloth and wineskin. But keeping it in context of the rest of this passage, we can see what he was meaning. Think of it this way: There’s an ‘old way’ of doing something. And, sometimes that ‘old way’ is broken. Some think that the best thing to do is to try to repair what’s broken. However, sometimes, the only way forward is to chunk the ‘old way’ all together to make room for the ‘new way’. Other times, the ‘new way’ grows out of the ‘old way’. It builds itself on what’s good from the ‘old way’ but moves in new directions that the ‘old way’ never even thought possible. This is what I think Jesus is meaning by his statements about the cloth and wineskins.

The ‘old way’ of first century Judaism was not wrong, per say, but it could only go so far. It couldn’t go the rest of the journey. The religious opposition of Jesus’ day were content and thought that Judaism as they knew it was all that was needed. Anything else was looked at with suspicion. ‘This is the way we have done it for years,’ they might say, ‘and that’s all we need.’

Also, some weren’t so naive to believe that they were pure in their teaching and understanding. Jesus’ confrontation with them on several occasions reveal just this view (e.g., Matthew 15.1-9 CEB).

We can see that application today (and throughout history, actually). Too many people hold to their tradition instead of seeing that God is moving in new directions. The same response of ‘this is the way we’ve always done it’ comes rushing in. Those who are seeking God in new ways of expression and doctrine are looked at with suspicion while others are seen as ‘unorthodox’ or even ‘heretics’.

And yet, both Jesus and the early church were breaking new ground in their understanding of God and God’s purposes in the world. While some sought the destructing of the ‘The Way’ (see Acts 9.1-2 CEB; 19.9 CEB; etc.), others saw that it was God’s doing (Acts 5.27-42 CEB, note vv. 34-39). Similarly today, there are new movements going on in The Way and some have stubbornly held on to their tradition. Now, I’m not saying that we should not ‘test the spirits to see if they are from God’ (1John 4.1 CEB). Far from it. But just because something is different, or, more importantly, just because something questions our traditional views and understandings, doesn’t mean that it’s not from God. It may well be that God is moving in a new direction. And, if the ‘old way’ no longer works, then the ‘new way’ may rise out of it’s ashes. Or, to use Jesus’ images, the new cloth may tear away from the old garment - the old wineskin may burst from the new wine being pored into it.

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Daily Gospel Reflection - 04 October 2011

2011-10-04T19:29:00.003-05:00

Matthew 9:1-8 CEB: Boarding a boat, Jesus crossed to the other side of the lake and went to his own city. People brought to him a man who was paralyzed, lying on a cot. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man who was paralyzed, “Be encouraged, my child, your sins are forgiven.”

Some legal experts said among themselves, “This man is insulting God.”

But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you fill your minds with evil things? Which is easier—to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But so you will know that the Human One has authority on the earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“Get up, take your cot, and go home.” The man got up and went home. When the crowds saw what had happened, they were afraid and praised God, who had given such authority to human beings.

The thing that sticks out of this passage is the last sentence, ‘When the crowds saw what happened, they were afraid and praised God, who had given such authority to human beings.’ What authority was that? It was the authority to forgive sins and to heal people. Let that implications of that sink in for a moment. (I did. I let that last sentence sit for about three hours.)

How often to we go around telling people they’re forgiven? I know a lot of us forgive people (and we should always forgive). But how many of us do it when no one is asking? That’s a big step. But Jesus stated, on more than one occasion I might add, that we were to forgive. What would happen if we did that? I bet we would get the same type of response from the religious opposition that Jesus got. But if we are going to follow him, if we are to be Christ in the world (John 20.21 CEB; compare John 1.1-4, 14 CEB), we need to forgive more. Especially when no one is asking.

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Daily Gospel Reflection - 03 October 2011

2011-10-03T20:47:00.003-05:00

Matthew 8:28-34 (CEB): When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake in the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed came from among the tombs to meet him. They were so violent that nobody could travel on that road. They cried out, “What are you going to do with us, Son of God? Have you come to torture us before the time of judgment?” Far off in the distance a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons pleaded with him, “If you throw us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

Then he said to the demons, “Go away,” and they came out and went into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the cliff into the lake and drowned. Those who tended the pigs ran into the city and told everything that had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole city came out and met Jesus. When they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

I’m drawn to the last two sentences, ‘Then the whole city came out and met Jesus. When they say him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.’ it seems that whenever Jesus shows us, people have this reaction. At first, they stream in to see Jesus. But, once they see him and what he’s done (and what he’s capable of doing and willing to do), they ‘plead with him to leave their region’. I think this reflects a lot on us as humans who are ‘sin addicts’. We are excited about being free, but when we see what’s entailed, that is, when we see that Jesus will not allow us to continue as we were before, we don’t want anything to do with it. This scene reminds me a lot of the show ‘Intervention’. The addict, at some point, wants to be free. But, when confronted with what that means, they don’t want anything to do with it.

So, the question that comes rushing to the fore is, ‘Why are we rejecting Christ and his Grace, Love, and Mercy?’ Is it because we are at a place where we are not ready to give up everything to follow him? Do we want to keep on doing what we want to do (whatever that may be) and just have Christ bless our sin (which won’t happen)? When we have to choose between a life that we (supposedly) control or a life controlled by Christ, too often we choose the former life (if one can really call it a life). It’s like we come rushing to see what Christ has done, indeed, can do, but then, when we see that it will cost us everything, we plead for him to go away.

But here’s the kicker, once we have visited Christ, we will never be the same. Even if we decide to reject him at that moment, we won’t be able to get that encounter with him out of our minds and hearts. The peace and freedom will ever be beckoning for us to come. The Love of Christ will be compelling us to come. ‘The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come’ (Revelation 22.17 CEB)!

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Weekly Gospel Reflection - 02 October 2011

2011-10-02T19:44:00.003-05:00

Matthew 21:33-43, 44-46* (CEB): “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it to tenant farmers and took a trip. When it was time for harvest, he sent his servants to the tenant farmers to collect his fruit. But the tenant farmers grabbed his servants. They beat some of them, and some of them they killed. Some of them they stoned to death.

“Again he sent other servants, more than the first group. They treated them in the same way. “Finally he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

“But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come on, let’s kill him and we’ll have his inheritance.’ They grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

“When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenant farmers?”

They said, “He will totally destroy those wicked farmers and rent the vineyard to other tenant farmers who will give him the fruit when it’s ready.”

Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the scriptures, The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord has done this, and it’s amazing in our eyes? Therefore, I tell you that God’s kingdom will be taken away from you and will be given to a people who produce its fruit. [Whoever falls on this stone will be crushed. And the stone will crush the person it falls on.”

Now when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard the parable, they knew Jesus was talking about them. They were trying to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, who thought he was a prophet.]*

This is one of those stories that some people just don’t get. This story Jesus tells is a continuation of his confrontation with the ‘Jewish opposition’ (see John’s Gospel in the CEB). It’s a challenge between two opposing world views. We saw this most clearly with the ‘cleansing’ of the Temple, Christ healing people there, and the comments he made about it. The symbolism there is, simply, there in only room for one temple in God’s realm and Christ is it.

The next day the ‘Jewish opposition’ confronted Jesus and demanded to know on what authority he did all of that. Jesus then tells some stories to make his point against them. To draw the line in the sand, if you will. This story today is the second one.

Now, I stated all of that to set the proper context. This story Jesus tells is not about the end of the world, as some people erroneously claim. Nor is it about Judaism being a failed religion, either. No, these stories are about the religious opposition of Jesus day. If they continued in their pursuit of wanting to do things their way, the whole nation would suffer, not in the next life, but in this life. This is evident by the rest of the chapter that I added. Notice that the ‘chief priests and the Pharisees...knew Jesus was talking about them’. That is, they were the tenant farmers in today’s story. The servants were the prophets that had come before Jesus and Jesus himself was the son of the owner, which was God. The story is about a power struggle between people who were entrusted with power and how it corrupted them to the point that they felt entitled to the owners property to use it how they saw fit. Jesus’ point was that, since they were no longer Some see the fulfillment of Christ’s warning in the fall of Jerusalem in 70CE.

While this story is about the Jewish opposition, we can certainly see it played out in our own day. Whether it’s Wall Street or ecology, some (most) of us have gotten to the place where we feel entitled to do as we see fit with our places of power. Many people who know that I’m a vegetarian feel that eating meat is an entitlement. ‘That why God put animals here,’ is the usual response. They quickly quote proof texts to support their view and point to the fact that humanity was given ‘dominion’ over creation (and ‘dominion’ is interpreted as domination to the point of exploitation). But it’s just that mentality that seemed to permeate the ‘Jewish opposition’.

Earlier in Matthew’s Gospel, John the Baptist confronts this ‘entitlement’ mentality. Speaking to the ‘Jewish opposition’, he said, ‘And don’t even think about saying to yourselves, Abraham is our father. I tell you that God is able to raise up Abraham’s children from these stones’ (Matthew 3.9 CEB). I see this a lot with Christians. But Jesus warning is here that God could just as easily use another group of people to be God’s voice, hands, feet, even Godself in the world. Just because one thinks they have crossed all the ‘T’s’ and dotted all of the ‘I’s’ doesn’t mean a hill of beans if one is not serving others. The ‘Jewish opposition’ could just as easily repented (‘changed their hearts and minds’ and the CEB would put it) and continued on with the Realm of God. But they let greed and self take the place of loving God, neighbor, and enemy. Let’s make sure that we who claim Christ don’t fall in the same ditch.

~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,

Br Jack+, LC

Prayer for the Week: The Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost

2011-10-02T19:30:00.001-05:00

All loving and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worth to ask, except through merits and meditation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.