Wednesday, November 10, 2004
novemeber 9 gospel: Jn. 2:13-22. left for albuquque, great to be away. how often we think of the temple of God as a building, rather than our bodies in which God dwells. people often asked me where my chuch is, and when i reply "polk street" they seem puzzled. we always idenitify with buildings, monuments, that we think will last, but which actually will perish, while the temple of God are our bodies that will go on into eternal life. we make buildings idols, spend our money on them,l keep them shut up, while outside people suffer, die, never seeing the christ in our midst. the true church are those who do the will of God and temple are our bodies in which God dwells.
today: Lk. 17:11-19--great night in albuqerque. people often asked me to give them a success story. well how about this. 20 year old j is full of anger, especially when he is on drugs. one day he got very angry at me and then the next day apologized, and the next day and ever since has thanked me for my support. to me that is success, to build a relationship with another human in which two people come together as brothers in love, and relate to each other. j is a samariatan, he is a leper of our society, and he knows what it is to appreciate love, and is thankful for whatever comes his way. its strange our God's presence comes to us always in the samaritans, in the j's of our lives. what does that say about the rest of us? maybe we should look for those areas of our lives in which we are the samaritans? Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!
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Monday, November 08, 2004
November 9
Gospel
Lk 17:1-6
Jesus said to his disciples,
"Things that cause sin will inevitably occur,
but woe to the one through whom they occur.
It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck
and he be thrown into the sea
than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
Be on your guard!
If your brother sins, rebuke him;
and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he wrongs you seven times in one day
and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,'
you should forgive him."
And the Apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."
The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."
This scripture is a message to the disciples, to us, and especially to those of us in ministry—those of us in whom the care of souls is given. At times I wonder why I put up with the bullshit of the Church, its hypocrisy, deceit, and what I see as inhumanity to others. In wondering that: I have had two temper tanthums because of the fact I did not have the clothes that was wanted; of one 19 year old who can not understand why I have to have my own space at times rather than be available twenty four seven to hang out as he puts it; I have been repeatedly criticized and called an enabler by local church groups over condoms, and needles, and the ministry of presence.
But always I am reminded of my call—that call in which the : hound of heaven has never stopped chasing me; and that I have been given the souls of individuals like the 22 year old from texas who has been using smack since he was thirteen and said to me with tears in his eyes: “You are the first person I have told I use smack that has not judged me and turned away from me,” to care for. I am respeonsible for those little ones.
I have learned over the years as well that when one keeps faith, that God will provide. My spiritual director often talks about my trust in God, and I know that I do trust, with all of my heart, I have thrown all of my hopes and dreams into those hands, and trust that God in Jesus will carry me through the good and the rough times. For that I am grateful. Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!
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Sunday, November 07, 2004
November 7
Brothers and sisters:
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,
who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement
and good hope through his grace,
encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word.
Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us,
so that the word of the Lord may speed forward and be glorified,
as it did among you,
and that we may be delivered from perverse and wicked people,
for not all have faith.
But the Lord is faithful;
he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
We are confident of you in the Lord that what we instruct you,
you are doing and will continue to do.
May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God
and to the endurance of Christ.
Gospel
Lk 20:27-38 or 20:27, 34-38
Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,
came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying,
"Teacher, Moses wrote for us,
If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child,
his brother must take the wife
and raise up descendants for his brother.
Now there were seven brothers;
the first married a woman but died childless.
Then the second and the third married her,
and likewise all the seven died childless.
Finally the woman also died.
Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be?
For all seven had been married to her."
Jesus said to them,
"The children of this age marry and remarry;
but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age
and to the resurrection of the dead
neither marry nor are given in marriage.
They can no longer die,
for they are like angels;
and they are the children of God
because they are the ones who will rise.
That the dead will rise
even Moses made known in the passage about the bush,
when he called out 'Lord,'
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;
and he is not God of the dead, but of the living,
for to him all are alive."
The Apocapha is a magnificent piece of literature, it is too bad that Martin Luther and companions threw it out of protestant scripture. In this story from Macabees we have seven brothers who gave their lives rather than disobey God, they placed their loyalty to God above their own lives, putting their trust in his mercy. The mother is one who in like manner did the same. She committed her sons to God.
I have kids talk all the time about what they have to do to ‘get to heaven”. I have a friend who had her kids baptized, blessed by witches, etc. in order as she said to “cover all the bases.”
When people asked me about my feelings about eternal life, I usually reply that I am too busy here even think about it, and that while I have no idea of what comes after death what I do know is that “in death nor life, nor life after death. .is there anything that can separate me from the love of God in Jesus Christ.”
For me the journey here is about committing my whole life, my whole being to Jesus, to trust place my trust in him, and to live out my life. once Phil
Berrigan at 75 was high on a ladder,painting and someone asked him; “Phil aren’t you afraid of falling and breaking bones or worse?” Phil replied: “When u live with trust in Jesus, u don’t worry about the small things.”
And so the brothers illustrate for me that what we need to worry about is our commitment and let place our trust in God. Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!
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