Redemption of Suffering

 Reflections on the Daily Office for May 11: (Deuteronomy 8:1-10, Psalm 80, James 1:1-15, Luke 9:18-27)

In the readings today, including the Psalms, I am reminded that suffering is not only a condition of our human experience it is a part of our story as the People of God. This fact is chiefly manifested in the Messianic event; in Luke we read Jesus saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected...and be killed.” As Christians we learn from the Messiah that God's plan for salvation does NOT evade suffering, but embraces it, and redeems it. The fact that Jesus is clear that he MUST undergo great suffering to complete his task on earth is quite profound. Christian Theology of Incarnation holds that in Jesus of Nazareth God experiences suffering along with us. God saves us first by participating with us in the suffering of this life (as well as the joys-that cannot be forgotten either). Our God holds our in hand in the midst of it.

The author of James recognizes that suffering has been redeemed and not something to be shunned: “whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy (?!?!), because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” We know the author is not talking about riches as he later says how the rich will wither away in their busyness; so what is it that we will have? I will not answer that here; I believe we will have something that is not to be described, but to be experienced.

In Deuteronomy we are reminded of how God has used suffering to be redemptive to God's People: “He humbled you by letting you hunger, THEN by feeding you manna...in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone; but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” And later, “Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the Lord your God disciplines you.” Suffering here is seen as means to discipline and humble us to realize where we stand in faith with God. James follows this with “Blessed be the one who resists temptation,” one who is not “double-minded and unstable in every way.” Despair in the midst of suffering is a condition that, though understandable, is not the path of faith. In our own despair we are called to remember God and our story.  In suffering we must find our place in this Great Narrative. Like God we are called to go to places of despair and bring hope to those lost in the darkness by participating in their suffering.

The story of our faith has a delicate and intimate marriage to suffering because we have a God who transcends and conquers suffering through Love. And in His/Her participation in our suffering, God brings us to that place where we too are victorious over it. One of the primary themes in our faith story is that of Liberation. In our faith we are liberated from the power of misery and suffering, from the power of death and oppression. The experience of suffering is the means in which we get to that place. Anyone who seeks to be a follower of the Messiah must understand that suffering is a part of our fidelity to God and God's vision for the Ultimate Reconciliation, the Ultimate Triumph. Jesus says : “If anyone wants to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?” And so we see that suffering is the purchase price for our ticket to save ourselves, to find ourselves, to be a new creation.

So to those who suffer: Blessed are you, for you are on the path of the Redeemed, the path of the Redeemer. To those in pain: Blessed are you, for you are walking with our Savior, and He is walking with you. Take courage, for you will be brought to a “good land, a land of flowing waters.” And in faith you too will be conquerors of this life.

The Poet as Prophet, reflections on the Daily Office 5/10/15

(Ecclesiasticus also known as Wisdom of Sirach 43:1-12, 27-32)

Today's first reading from Ecclesiasticus is of a different genre. It would be naive to think that to the writer this is a literal scientific recounting of creation; this is a poem. I think that such works are extremely important to be included into the canon. Poetry, like myth, has the ability to point to truth beyond itself. Here we read of a poet's spiritual ecstasy in his description of various entities in creation that culminates in:  "We could say more but could never say enough; let the final word be: 'He is the all.'"

The poet is a prophet in this reading. He/She is pointing to creation and telling us to behold its beauty for there you will encounter God. This is something that I think is overlooked in our culture. Beyond the buzz and noise of our advertisements and media we often pass over nature, seeing nature as mere mechanics. Because of science we know what the sun is and why it is so hot; we know why the moon has its cycles; we know what causes a rainbow, and so they become mundane to us. Like an imam's call to prayer; the poet calls us to have a sense of wonder, to look beyond the mere mechanics of natural phenomenon and to see greatness. We are called into an ecstasy; to look around and see, if for a moment, a grand immensity and design that is far beyond our comprehension. From the array of lines on a leaf to the transitioning shapes of clouds, the prophetic poet reminds us how inexplicably wonderful it all is, and from this a spiritual well-spring of thanksgiving and grace that reminds us in the grand scheme of it all we are nothing compared to the Universe, compared to the One who is "all," and the All is so very good.

"You Give Them Something to Eat." Thoughts on the Daily Office 5/9/15

(Luke 9:1-17; Romans 15:1-13)

 

In the Gospel reading for today we witness the feeding of the 5000 men. For me the feeding of the crowds is always a story of wonder and anger. It seems that IF God was real, and Jesus was the Messiah, then why can't we just have this miracle replicate itself and so end world hunger? If Jesus is real, why do we still have hunger? I venture to say if we look at this story as a myth and not as a factual account of what has taken place we will find our answer (though it is not necessarily comforting).

The disciples tell Jesus to “send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place.” Jesus responds “You give them something to eat.” Here we see the problem of modern-day hunger in a few lines of the Gospel. People around us are hungry, our response, which seems quite reasonable “Send them away.” Yet Jesus has a different approach.

Have you ever been to a potluck? When I was in college I was poor and our Church would have potlucks, which were beacons of light for a college student. I remember that on some occasions I would bring nothing, on other occasions I would bring a Bunt Cake on clearance from the bakery (which somehow got eaten). What I discovered is that though I brought little or nothing, there was always food, and not just “enough” food, an abundant amount of food (12 Tupperware at least). On a micro-level, we seem to miraculously have enough food when we eat together in a community. When we choose to share our table, not only do we have enough, but an abundance. On a macro-scale we have a choice: to face the facts that working together we can stomp out hunger in our communities; or we can evade this problem and send “them” and the “issue” away. However, we must recognize that for those of us who call ourselves “Christian” or say we “follow Jesus,” we have a clear mandate here to feed those who are hungry.

The reading from Paul's letter to the Romans today backs this up: “Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor.” And later, “May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus...Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you Christ became a servant.” There really is no need to explain, argue or debate these Scriptures, we just need to DO them. What the Church doesn't need to argue, it rarely does.  We welcome Jesus when we welcome the stranger; we invite Jesus to our table when we invite others to our table.  God feeds the hungry of the world through us.

So today's readings have a clear message: Do not send the hungry away, do not ignore those that are hungry, do not ignore the problem of hunger which exists today because of our greed and isolation. Instead hear the desire of God for us all to live in abundance through sharing and community. And next time we wonder why God doesn't feed the hungry, remember the words of Jesus, “You give them something to eat.”

Love and Liberation from Paul's Letter to the Romans (Daily Office 5/8/15)

Daily Office for 5/8/15 includes (Romans 14:13-23):

This passage struck me today as being very rich in spiritual wisdom. First, we hear a command we rarely follow: “Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another.” I would like to take a moment to reflect on how different this ethic is from what we see in our culture today (and not just ours, it is a human habit). “Let us not pass judgment on one another,” is morality of liberation. We liberate ourselves and others from our expectations; when we don't judge, we usually observe and listen to others. When we don't judge we can value the “other.” In psychology we often hear our judgment of others comes from our judgment of ourselves, or likewise “when I am hard on myself, I am hard on others; when I become disgusted with myself, I become disgusted with others.” I know I project a lot of my internalized emotions (both good and bad) onto others. What Paul is commanding us to do here is be rid of the condemnation of both. With that load off of me, peace is possible.

Paul continues: “Resolve instead to never put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another,” and later, “I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself.” Paul often gets a bad rap from liberal Christians and his upheld by more conservative Christians as maintaining a firm support for “holiness,” but here we see a statement that goes beyond both ideologies. In the first quote I hear “don't crush another person's spirit, encourage the cultivation of their person-hood and faith.” The word Satan has its original meaning in the Hebrew Scriptures as an obstacle or a stumbling block (it also was both a good and bad thing in the Hebrew Scriptures); Paul tells us not to be one of those, don't be a Satan. We see here a reiteration of his consistent commandment to the Roman Church: “Love one another.” To not be a stumbling block we have to recognize the other, cherish the other, and hope for the best for the other apart from our own expectations of them. The second quote, “I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself,” is extremely provocative coming from a former Pharisee and it is a game-changer from religious ethics.

We have here a clear sign of how Jesus of Nazareth changed the Jewish Tradition. What you eat, what you do, is now of less importance to the How and Why you do something. In the Christian context ethics becomes more than mere action, but focuses on transformation. Later we read, “Blessed are those who have no reason to condemn themselves because of what they approve.” In this context we see a reiteration of “all things are permissible, not all things are beneficial.” In essence Paul declares liberation of humans from following arbitrary laws. The law now is Love, and the expression of that is left to the creativity of the individual. But before we delight in a “free-for-all” we again are reminded, “resolve instead to never put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another,” so that we may “pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” You are free, but don't be an a**.

In conclusion I believe this reading from Paul, a man who is often given a bad rap for grace, is extremely radical for spiritual liberation. Know for yourself as all things are permitted, nothing is unclean in itself as God made all things (including you and me), the Law of God is Love, that is your motivation and guide. Do not condemn yourself and you shall not condemn others; rather create ways to cultivate and support them and yourself. Peace be with you!

Thoughts on the Daily Office for 5/6/15:

(Wisdom 13:1-9; Romans 13:1-14; Luke8:16-25)

Today's readings do not bring the good feelings that I long for when I am having spiritual time.  In Wisdom of Solomon we read that there is no excuse for someone who admires the beauty of the world to not acknowledge its Creator.  Being that most of my friends are atheists or agnostics my first reaction is going to their defense "well yes there are plenty of excuses not to believe in God."  In Romans we read a command to be obedient to governments and their laws as they have their authority from God. One very brief overview of 20th Century history will quickly put a hole in that theology tire.  And lastly we have a number of things happening in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus denying his blood family and calming a storm, another miracle that seems to the modern rational mind quite far-fetched.  There is also the discomforting quote "For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light."  So what can I a lay person get out of today's readings?

First there is the feeling of discomfort, which is always the first step to growth of any kind.  I have learned that when I am uncomfortable with something, there is something inside me of which I am uncomfortable.  In the Book of Wisdom, I read it and at first feel "safe" from the judgement my friends and "others" might encounter for being so foolish not to see the image of a Creator in nature.  But, when I contemplate the words of this Scripture, both my rational and creative mind remind me how small we really are; and how infinite the Universe is.  Not only can I not comprehend how atoms and quarks interplay in quantum physics in a single speck of dust, but I cannot even conceptualize how the myriad of galaxies interact in our Universe that is still expanding.  For me, this Scripture points to me on how limited I am, how limited my view of "God" is, and how limited my perception is.  My hubris is laughably exposed.  My friends, and people who don't believe, recognize sometimes in the Universe what I fail to see if I focus too much on my conceived notions of God.  What I take away from this Scripture is a sense of humility and awareness that the bountiful beauty (and complexity) of the Universe is constantly pointing to "Something Greater," and I must be careful not to think because I have a theology I understand it.

In the Book of Romans my head is put against the wall.  I think I will do another blog post on what I think Paul is saying in the first part of this section.  I do believe Paul has the intention of Christians not causing an uproar or an insurrection via violence.  He was very aware that the Messiah's method of liberating God's people was not through the sword, and he participated in the conversion of citizens of the Roman Empire.  He saw that the early Church was interested in "conquering one's enemy" by nullifying animosity through love.  So what he says, though inaccurate to any rational standard has an important intention.  As Christians we do not take to violence as a method of changing government regimes.  His failed political discourse though is forgiven when we see his intention, "Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law...'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor, therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law."  This is vital and so needed in our world today.  I know for me when there is political news I can get very angry, prideful, self-righteous, and all the wonderful platitudes of "love your neighbor as yourself," are burned in the furnace of my conviction of how right I am, and how wrong they are.  Paul is talking of a different approach; in this scripture he talks of honor, reverence, respect; qualities that are displaced by one's certainty of being right.  I take away from this Scripture, TRY to LOVE MY NEIGHBOR AS MYSELF, and start by revering, respecting and honoring them; open myself up to my neighbor.

And finally to my Lord, who I firmly believe would be a person who I would annoy and who would annoy me.  We see here him mention his "Christian" family values: "My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."  I recognize my Lord in the breaking of convention, especially in those human conventions that unduly obligate us or separate us from others.  I do not think Jesus is giving the snub to his mother and brothers (though I am sure to them it still stung), I think he is extending the welcome and acceptance and benefits of family to others.  We also see Jesus calming the storm in this section.  The story is well-known, the disciples (like me) wake Jesus up who rebukes the storm and his disciples, "Where is your faith?"  After the amazement of seeing the storm cease, I think I would ask the question to Jesus, "so when exactly were you going to ensure that us and the boat did not go down?"  This story reminds me of the interplay I have between me and the Divine. "Where are you?" / "Where is your faith?"