Showing posts with label BVM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BVM. Show all posts
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Sermon: Blessed Virgin Mary 2013
There is something about Mary–the mother of Jesus has attracted both adoration and controversy for nearly 2000 years. Her story has attracted intense speculation and theological debate at the intersection of gender, the nature of God, human agency, and the humanity of Jesus. In this homily we explored the image of Mary as a vehicle for encountering her life and responding to it. Texts for the day included Isaiah 61.7-11, Psalm 45.7-18, Galatians 4.4-7, and Luke 1.46-55.
Usually when I post sermons I don't include the forum time when I solicit feedback. But because it is so crucial to this particular sermon, I did. Basically, the whole point of this sermon was get people to construct and then engage an icon of Mary in their minds. Another way I could have done this was simply have them look at an icon such as the one I had an the leaflet for this sunday (below). But something about having them do it through guided meditation seemed like a better idea to me at the time.
Here is the leaflet created for the liturgy.
-t
Sunday, December 27, 2009
"Poor Joseph, God was a hard act to follow."
A controversial billboard put up by an Anglican Church in New Zealand has prompted some debate (as was intended):
According to an article about it, the sign was defaced within hours of being put up. "Church vicar Archdeacon Glynn Cardy said the sign was intended to challenge stereotypes about the way Jesus was conceived and get people talking about the Christmas story, but not everyone has taken it that way. Catholics, in particular, were upset."
At issue is the question of whether Mary was perpetually a virgin or whether she had relations with Joseph after the birth of Christ. Another, even more controversial issue is whether Joseph was the biological father of Jesus.
Now, the question of whether Mary was perpetually a virgin (even after the birth of Jesus) fascinates me. I think the arguments in favour of perpetual virginity are kind of weak and derivative. Scripture would seem to suggest that Mary and Joseph did have "relations," after the birth of Christ: "When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus" (Matthew 1:24-25, emphasis mine).
Then there are references to the brothers of Jesus. Multiple times in scripture there are references to the brothers of Jesus. Consider Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3, Galatians 1:19, and 1 Corinthians 9:5. Even the ancient historian Josephus in Jewish Antiquities (20.9.1) referred to "[James] the brother of Jesus who is called Christ." Josephus does not use the term for "half-brother" or "step-brother" as he does when describing other such relationships, so that strongly implies that at least Josephus thought James was the Lord's full-brother.
Although the Magisterium (the Roman Catholic teaching authority) may argue that these could be step-brothers by a previous marriage of Joseph, it's hard to square that with the fact Jesus' name always appears first in the lists (suggesting he was the oldest). Also, why is there no mention of the previous children of Joseph in any of the nativity narratives? Did these kids go with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem or what? Also, consider the fact that in Judaism a man can only have one first born son. So how do we make sense of Luke 2:22-23 referring to Jesus as Joseph's first born son if James was actually older?
A very old (circa 150CE) document called the Protevangelium of James makes the argument that Mary was betrothed to an older relative in order to preserve her virginity, and that sex with Joseph would have been incest. But this document was never considered canonical as scripture, anyway. Certainly it was not written by James (the author was unfamiliar with certain aspects of Jewish culture and nor does the writing style of the Greek make earlier authorship unlikely). However, this non-canonical Gospel does demonstrate that devotion to Mary and the tradition of her Perpetual Virginity are quite old.
Indeed, the real arguments for the perpetual virginity of Mary are not based on scripture but upon theology (or, more accurately, "Mariology"). In other words, it's based on a theologically nuanced view of the role of Mary in salvation history and the implications that has for our understanding of her, that we begin to make an argument for her perpetual virginity. I'm not going to rehearse that argument here, but suffice it to say that many fine Christians find it persuasive. So much so, that the doctrine of perpetual virginity is considered "essential" to the Catholic Faith. That is, it is considered beyond question.
For me, I think that Joseph and Mary had normal marital relations after Jesus was born. But I don't feel it's very important to convince people of this. If Mary's continued virginity is important to your faith, go for it. God knows there are going to be many things like this that people of good faith will disagree about when they come together to worship and adore the Son of God and his Blessed Mother. As for me, the notion that Mary and Joseph had kids after Jesus enhances, rather than diminishes, my devotion to the BVM and her Son.
-t
According to an article about it, the sign was defaced within hours of being put up. "Church vicar Archdeacon Glynn Cardy said the sign was intended to challenge stereotypes about the way Jesus was conceived and get people talking about the Christmas story, but not everyone has taken it that way. Catholics, in particular, were upset."
At issue is the question of whether Mary was perpetually a virgin or whether she had relations with Joseph after the birth of Christ. Another, even more controversial issue is whether Joseph was the biological father of Jesus.
Now, the question of whether Mary was perpetually a virgin (even after the birth of Jesus) fascinates me. I think the arguments in favour of perpetual virginity are kind of weak and derivative. Scripture would seem to suggest that Mary and Joseph did have "relations," after the birth of Christ: "When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus" (Matthew 1:24-25, emphasis mine).
Then there are references to the brothers of Jesus. Multiple times in scripture there are references to the brothers of Jesus. Consider Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3, Galatians 1:19, and 1 Corinthians 9:5. Even the ancient historian Josephus in Jewish Antiquities (20.9.1) referred to "[James] the brother of Jesus who is called Christ." Josephus does not use the term for "half-brother" or "step-brother" as he does when describing other such relationships, so that strongly implies that at least Josephus thought James was the Lord's full-brother.
Although the Magisterium (the Roman Catholic teaching authority) may argue that these could be step-brothers by a previous marriage of Joseph, it's hard to square that with the fact Jesus' name always appears first in the lists (suggesting he was the oldest). Also, why is there no mention of the previous children of Joseph in any of the nativity narratives? Did these kids go with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem or what? Also, consider the fact that in Judaism a man can only have one first born son. So how do we make sense of Luke 2:22-23 referring to Jesus as Joseph's first born son if James was actually older?
A very old (circa 150CE) document called the Protevangelium of James makes the argument that Mary was betrothed to an older relative in order to preserve her virginity, and that sex with Joseph would have been incest. But this document was never considered canonical as scripture, anyway. Certainly it was not written by James (the author was unfamiliar with certain aspects of Jewish culture and nor does the writing style of the Greek make earlier authorship unlikely). However, this non-canonical Gospel does demonstrate that devotion to Mary and the tradition of her Perpetual Virginity are quite old.
Indeed, the real arguments for the perpetual virginity of Mary are not based on scripture but upon theology (or, more accurately, "Mariology"). In other words, it's based on a theologically nuanced view of the role of Mary in salvation history and the implications that has for our understanding of her, that we begin to make an argument for her perpetual virginity. I'm not going to rehearse that argument here, but suffice it to say that many fine Christians find it persuasive. So much so, that the doctrine of perpetual virginity is considered "essential" to the Catholic Faith. That is, it is considered beyond question.
For me, I think that Joseph and Mary had normal marital relations after Jesus was born. But I don't feel it's very important to convince people of this. If Mary's continued virginity is important to your faith, go for it. God knows there are going to be many things like this that people of good faith will disagree about when they come together to worship and adore the Son of God and his Blessed Mother. As for me, the notion that Mary and Joseph had kids after Jesus enhances, rather than diminishes, my devotion to the BVM and her Son.
-t
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Adam, OHC, Reflects on the O Antiphons
Some of you may have heard of the "O Antiphons" which date to the 7th or 8th Century are became part of the Offices in late Advent. If not, at least you probably know the hymn "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"--which is a hymn version of those antiphons. (The version of this hymn in the Canadian Hymnal (Common Praise) was arranged by Healey Willan, BTW.) It's a very traditional feature of the Daily Office and is very popular among high-church Anglicans.
Adam McCoy, OHC, has a series of reflections on his blog based on the Antiphons. Here is part of his introduction to them for you liturgy lovers...
Here is a list of the Antiphons (based on Anglican usage) with links to Adam's reflections...
-t
Adam McCoy, OHC, has a series of reflections on his blog based on the Antiphons. Here is part of his introduction to them for you liturgy lovers...
These antiphons are called "Great O's" because each begins with the exclamation "O", which when chanted in plainsong is a rather long musical phrase. They seem to date back to the seventh or eighth centuries and were written to adorn the sung monastic office in Advent. There are seven Great O's in the continental liturgical tradition, eight in the English rite. The eighth is a meditation on the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The seven first antiphons each begins with a title from the Old Testament tradition which describes a saving aspect of God: Wisdom, Adonai, Root of Jesse, Key of David, Dayspring, King of the Nations, Emmanuel. The saving action of each of these is briefly characterized, followed by a brief prayer which begins: Veni, Come, and accomplish that great work in our time. The eighth does not follow this threefold format, but is a brief dialogue between Mary and the daughters of Jerusalem on the mystery of the Incarnation. (source)
Here is a list of the Antiphons (based on Anglican usage) with links to Adam's reflections...
- December 16: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)
- December 17: O Adonai (O Adonai)
- December 18: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)
- December 19: O Clavis David (O Key of David)
- December 20: O Oriens (O Morning Star)
- December 21: O Rex Gentium (O King of the nations)
- December 22: O Emmanuel (O Emmanuel)
-t
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Ephesus
It's 1 A.M. local time. We just got into the flat in Istanbul that will serve as home base for the next week or so. It's compact, but has everything we need. The owner was even nice enough to leave milk, bread, a few eggs, and some tomatoes for us.
It was a full day. We slept soundly in the hotel by the sea in a town near Ephesus. In the morning we had a short turkish breakfast (olives, bread, watermelon, and a hard-boiled egg) before being picked up for our touring.
We spent the whole morning at Ephesus. The site has been well-preserved and much has been uncovered by a long-running Austrian project. Since the 1960's they have been digging out a set of dwellings built into the hillside near the great library of Celsus. The dig revealed some fantastic mosaics and frescos that give a very clear sense of what life was like for the upper-crust in a provincial capital city. The presentation of these ruins were very impressive--metal and glass walkways showed things off with nary a foot-tred.
The library fascade is even more beautiful in person than in the photographs. The details of the carving are extraordinary. There is also some evidence of the city's Christian history. Walking into the theater, I had the wonderful thought that both St. John the Evangelist and St. Paul once preached there. I stood near where the stage would have been and imagined myself in their position, preaching to a crowd of hundreds, perhaps more, in a bustling trade town--at the time the largest seaport on the Aegean.
As it typical on these group tours, historic site tend to alternate with "Turkish Culture" demonstrations--which is a way of saying they show you how they make things you can buy. It's one step up from an infomercial. So after Ephesus we stopped at a carpet co-op to learn all about how they make turkish carpets. Actually, this tour was quite informative and we saw some true masterpieces made by local women in their homes. One of the most impressive of these was silk, about 10 feet by 20 feet. It took the woman who made it 3 1/2 years of work. The list price was about $18,000 USD/CAD, which really means about $9,000 when the haggling is done. The carpet salesman told me that if we bought the same carpet in Toronto we would probably pay at least $30,000, and I tend to believe him. Even then, I think it would be a bargain considering that this is huge pure silk carpet that took a master several years to complete the intricate design.
I was sorely tempted to buy a prayer-sized cotton rug for my own meditation and devotions, but we just don't have $400 for something like that right now. Still, they did a good job of trying to sell it to us. Funny how sales jobs go through the same routine everywhere, I wouldn't have been surprised if they pitch guy had learned his craft in the U.S. or Canada. But he was a nice guy and true to his word about not pressuring us too much.
Lunch outside the carpet place was one of the best lunches I've had in Turkey so far. As is typical, there were hot and cold appetizers including olives, a tomato salad, and a seaweed dish topped with a delicious yogurt sauce. The main course was several kinds of simple grilled spiced meats and potato. I washed in down with the local beer (which is a surprisingly good pilsner).
After the carpet place we headed to the old Temple of Artemis. Little remains of this structure--once one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Much of the marble was carted off in the Byzantine era to build other monuments and places of worship for the new religion.
Next was the house that supposedly belongs to the Virgin Mary. While it seems quite possible that the Blessed Virgin Mary (and St. John the Evangelist) spent their last days in Ephesus, the claim that this particular house was hers is more dubious. The site was crowded and commercialized and it was hard to maintain a pious attitude. Still, I said some "Hail Marys" and thought pleasant things about the God Bearer. Yet this marion shrine, IMHO, is not nearly as spiritually or otherwise impressive as Our Lady of Guatalupe in Mexico City. Anyway, we saw the house (mostly a reconstruction) and had fresh squeezed O.J. and ice cream in the cafe.
Up until this point, our tour guide had not mentioned the next stop--a leather fashion show. I kid you not, we went from the house of the Blessed Virgin to a fashion show complete with strobe lights and gawdy club music. After the show we were shown into the shop to peruse the leather goods. Our tour guide waited outside looking disgusted by the whole thing as she sipped her apple tea. Lots of hovering salesmen and people from the cruise ships with sunburns and stickers on their shirts that identify to which tour of which ship they belong. Stupid. I mean, the leather was nice, but they didn't even try to pretend this was anything other than a sales job--no wonder it's last on the tour.
When we got back to Selcuk (a town near Ephesus) Betsy and I had time to walk to the old Basilica of St. John. This is where the Evangelist was buried. A large shrine church on the site was once one of the most impressive churches of the world. Earthquakes and then the Turkish conquest of the area in the 14th century left it in ruins, but the restoration underway since the 1920's has done a wonderful job. Enough remains to get a clear sense of the plan and the grandeur of the place. I was particularly impressed with the large baptistry. I've seen the cross-shaped font with steps going in before in some modern churches, and I suppose this was one of their models. Naturally, I stepped down and imagined what it would feel like.
From there it was back to the tour office in Selcuk where I am composing most of this message. While we waited for our ride to the airport I bought a sandwich for Betsy from a local vendor and a peach from a local farmer's market. People are friendly and helpful even though I no almost no Turkish. I do feel right at home, though, and think I've pretty much figured out the essentials of life in Turkey for a rolling Moss (gathering no stone).
Tomorrow we are meeting up with an old friend and collegue of Betsy's--Vasileios. He is a Greek Byzantianist that we always seem to be meeting in odd places. The first time that Betsy and I came to Toronto together we stayed with him. Then when he was studying at the Met in NYC we went and visited him there! Now we are in Turkey and he's here, too. Tomorrow he's going to show us a church that he has researched extensively (he even wrote a book on it). In the evening we are meeting with a friend of a friend who does good work in Istanbul.
I'll post some pics tomorrow. We're wiped tonight.
-t
It was a full day. We slept soundly in the hotel by the sea in a town near Ephesus. In the morning we had a short turkish breakfast (olives, bread, watermelon, and a hard-boiled egg) before being picked up for our touring.
We spent the whole morning at Ephesus. The site has been well-preserved and much has been uncovered by a long-running Austrian project. Since the 1960's they have been digging out a set of dwellings built into the hillside near the great library of Celsus. The dig revealed some fantastic mosaics and frescos that give a very clear sense of what life was like for the upper-crust in a provincial capital city. The presentation of these ruins were very impressive--metal and glass walkways showed things off with nary a foot-tred.
The library fascade is even more beautiful in person than in the photographs. The details of the carving are extraordinary. There is also some evidence of the city's Christian history. Walking into the theater, I had the wonderful thought that both St. John the Evangelist and St. Paul once preached there. I stood near where the stage would have been and imagined myself in their position, preaching to a crowd of hundreds, perhaps more, in a bustling trade town--at the time the largest seaport on the Aegean.
As it typical on these group tours, historic site tend to alternate with "Turkish Culture" demonstrations--which is a way of saying they show you how they make things you can buy. It's one step up from an infomercial. So after Ephesus we stopped at a carpet co-op to learn all about how they make turkish carpets. Actually, this tour was quite informative and we saw some true masterpieces made by local women in their homes. One of the most impressive of these was silk, about 10 feet by 20 feet. It took the woman who made it 3 1/2 years of work. The list price was about $18,000 USD/CAD, which really means about $9,000 when the haggling is done. The carpet salesman told me that if we bought the same carpet in Toronto we would probably pay at least $30,000, and I tend to believe him. Even then, I think it would be a bargain considering that this is huge pure silk carpet that took a master several years to complete the intricate design.
I was sorely tempted to buy a prayer-sized cotton rug for my own meditation and devotions, but we just don't have $400 for something like that right now. Still, they did a good job of trying to sell it to us. Funny how sales jobs go through the same routine everywhere, I wouldn't have been surprised if they pitch guy had learned his craft in the U.S. or Canada. But he was a nice guy and true to his word about not pressuring us too much.
Lunch outside the carpet place was one of the best lunches I've had in Turkey so far. As is typical, there were hot and cold appetizers including olives, a tomato salad, and a seaweed dish topped with a delicious yogurt sauce. The main course was several kinds of simple grilled spiced meats and potato. I washed in down with the local beer (which is a surprisingly good pilsner).
After the carpet place we headed to the old Temple of Artemis. Little remains of this structure--once one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Much of the marble was carted off in the Byzantine era to build other monuments and places of worship for the new religion.
Next was the house that supposedly belongs to the Virgin Mary. While it seems quite possible that the Blessed Virgin Mary (and St. John the Evangelist) spent their last days in Ephesus, the claim that this particular house was hers is more dubious. The site was crowded and commercialized and it was hard to maintain a pious attitude. Still, I said some "Hail Marys" and thought pleasant things about the God Bearer. Yet this marion shrine, IMHO, is not nearly as spiritually or otherwise impressive as Our Lady of Guatalupe in Mexico City. Anyway, we saw the house (mostly a reconstruction) and had fresh squeezed O.J. and ice cream in the cafe.
Up until this point, our tour guide had not mentioned the next stop--a leather fashion show. I kid you not, we went from the house of the Blessed Virgin to a fashion show complete with strobe lights and gawdy club music. After the show we were shown into the shop to peruse the leather goods. Our tour guide waited outside looking disgusted by the whole thing as she sipped her apple tea. Lots of hovering salesmen and people from the cruise ships with sunburns and stickers on their shirts that identify to which tour of which ship they belong. Stupid. I mean, the leather was nice, but they didn't even try to pretend this was anything other than a sales job--no wonder it's last on the tour.
When we got back to Selcuk (a town near Ephesus) Betsy and I had time to walk to the old Basilica of St. John. This is where the Evangelist was buried. A large shrine church on the site was once one of the most impressive churches of the world. Earthquakes and then the Turkish conquest of the area in the 14th century left it in ruins, but the restoration underway since the 1920's has done a wonderful job. Enough remains to get a clear sense of the plan and the grandeur of the place. I was particularly impressed with the large baptistry. I've seen the cross-shaped font with steps going in before in some modern churches, and I suppose this was one of their models. Naturally, I stepped down and imagined what it would feel like.
From there it was back to the tour office in Selcuk where I am composing most of this message. While we waited for our ride to the airport I bought a sandwich for Betsy from a local vendor and a peach from a local farmer's market. People are friendly and helpful even though I no almost no Turkish. I do feel right at home, though, and think I've pretty much figured out the essentials of life in Turkey for a rolling Moss (gathering no stone).
Tomorrow we are meeting up with an old friend and collegue of Betsy's--Vasileios. He is a Greek Byzantianist that we always seem to be meeting in odd places. The first time that Betsy and I came to Toronto together we stayed with him. Then when he was studying at the Met in NYC we went and visited him there! Now we are in Turkey and he's here, too. Tomorrow he's going to show us a church that he has researched extensively (he even wrote a book on it). In the evening we are meeting with a friend of a friend who does good work in Istanbul.
I'll post some pics tomorrow. We're wiped tonight.
-t
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Sermon Prep
It will probably surprise no one that I do a lot of my sermon prep by surfing the net looking for relevant and interesting things. Today I came across this picture on the website for the Episcopal Church and Visual Arts project. It was part of the Image and Likeness exhibit.
Susan Tilt
Transfiguration: Dwellings
The Feast of the Transfiguration takes place on Monday, and we are doing little to mark it here at SMM besides the usual daily Mass. We usually only do one big weekday Solemn Mass a month; August's being The Assumption of the Virgin Mary on the 15th. Too bad for the Transfiguration, which is a very "preachable" feast: a feast, possibly, for our times. It speaks to the tension between the command to go out and serve those in need (cf. Luke 10:25-37)and the impulse to sit and adore Christ (cf. Luke 10:38-42). It's great that those two parables come back-to-back, and the key to understanding their relationship may be in what our Lord says at the beginning of the first pericope: the law is to Love God with your entire being and your neighbor as yourself. That's a HUGE "and."
Looking to Sunday's Lectionary Texts, "Paul" is not much of a help. He pushes us toward celestial life: "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:2-3). (Of course, this might not have been written by Paul. Raymond Brown said that there is a slightly greater probability that it was written by one of his disciples rather than by Paul. About 60% of biblical scholars think it wasn't Paul. But I'm not sure how important it is to answer that question, anyway.)
The Gospel text for Sunday (Luke 12:13-21) seems to also skew us towards detachment from earthly things. Disputes about Money, J.C. says, are foolish. Reminds me of Mary (Magdalene?) who anoints our Lord's feet with oil (Luke 7:37ff // Matthew 26:6ff // John 12:3ff). Judas argues that the money could have been spent on the poor, but Jesus validates the prophetic and devotional character of her witness.
So I suppose throwing ourselves into the task of service to the world in Christ's name is not sufficient, somehow. There has to be a piece of us that addresses God.
The mistake the Rich Fool makes is to believe that his wealth had spiritual value. In the parable God addresses him harshly: "You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" (Luke 12:20). I think that God addresses this dude because this dude failed to address God. When Jesus gives the two great commandments he phrases the first in a way that implies real devotion and focus and submission to God. Whereas the neighbor love business is spoken of in much more balanced way (love your neighbor as yourself). Our relationship to our neighbor somehow exists within an ethical bubble created by healthy self-regard, but the love we owe to God is something much more extreme. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind" (Luke 10:27a).
Neighbor-love needs a healthy ego. You have some kind of self-love in order to love others properly. God-love seems to require the surrender of self-regard--the utter and perfect orientation to God (cf. The Cloud of Unknowing). Think of Martha's sister Mary sitting at Jesus' feet and staring up at him with rapt attention. I think of some moments I've had with prayer like that--sitting and reveling the presence of God. I've actually felt my skin tingle and vibrate at the sheer ecstasy of pure orientation to God.
That stuff gives me the chills, it touches so close to the bone of the matter.
Anyway, I've preached all this already. I need to find the new level. I return to the relationship with the congregation. What will be the character and content of my relationship to the people of SMM tomorrow morning? How is it affected by my departure at the end of the month? Should I spend these last few sermons summing up my teaching here? Shall I spend it processing the emotional consequences of my move?
What does this Gospel say? That the world is melting away? That we shouldn't hold onto the labors at hand as though they were permanent? Certainly it feels like the fruits of my labors in the SMM vineyard are about to fade away. What's my legacy going to be?
These thoughts have taken me to an emotional place that feels similar to nostalgia and holy melancholy. It's not grief for things lost, but a piercing awareness of a pastor's love. Nothing mushy or sentimental about it. It's quite sharp. The kind of love that makes the lover frustrated with and proud of the beloved at the same time. I want to aim my bow strung with Mary-like devotional intention not to the clouds above, but towards the Christs in the pews. I want to tell them how much I long for them to touch God. How to do that in a way that won't scare the hell out of them???
I suppose the gift I have to give is the disclosure of a naked and unembarrassed "intent unto God." That's half of the Gospel. It's the in-breath we take before we read it aloud. The out-breath contains the second half of the Gospel: the revelation of God's action.
So what does that look like? Passionate, sure. Eschatological, sure. A love that urges the beloved into being in the fullest sense themselves. I must grasp hold of that vision of the kingdom people they are destined to become. I must preach towards that. (Why look backward to a Christian society that once was? Let the dead bury the dead. I want kingdom come preaching!)
Sigh. I'll stop here, else this post becomes ridiculously long. Right now it's just a snap shot of how my preaching is evolving for tomorrow. Hopefully the Holy Spirit will come between now and tomorrow to fill in the gaps....
-t
Transfiguration: Dwellings
The Feast of the Transfiguration takes place on Monday, and we are doing little to mark it here at SMM besides the usual daily Mass. We usually only do one big weekday Solemn Mass a month; August's being The Assumption of the Virgin Mary on the 15th. Too bad for the Transfiguration, which is a very "preachable" feast: a feast, possibly, for our times. It speaks to the tension between the command to go out and serve those in need (cf. Luke 10:25-37)and the impulse to sit and adore Christ (cf. Luke 10:38-42). It's great that those two parables come back-to-back, and the key to understanding their relationship may be in what our Lord says at the beginning of the first pericope: the law is to Love God with your entire being and your neighbor as yourself. That's a HUGE "and."
Looking to Sunday's Lectionary Texts, "Paul" is not much of a help. He pushes us toward celestial life: "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:2-3). (Of course, this might not have been written by Paul. Raymond Brown said that there is a slightly greater probability that it was written by one of his disciples rather than by Paul. About 60% of biblical scholars think it wasn't Paul. But I'm not sure how important it is to answer that question, anyway.)
The Gospel text for Sunday (Luke 12:13-21) seems to also skew us towards detachment from earthly things. Disputes about Money, J.C. says, are foolish. Reminds me of Mary (Magdalene?) who anoints our Lord's feet with oil (Luke 7:37ff // Matthew 26:6ff // John 12:3ff). Judas argues that the money could have been spent on the poor, but Jesus validates the prophetic and devotional character of her witness.
So I suppose throwing ourselves into the task of service to the world in Christ's name is not sufficient, somehow. There has to be a piece of us that addresses God.
The mistake the Rich Fool makes is to believe that his wealth had spiritual value. In the parable God addresses him harshly: "You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" (Luke 12:20). I think that God addresses this dude because this dude failed to address God. When Jesus gives the two great commandments he phrases the first in a way that implies real devotion and focus and submission to God. Whereas the neighbor love business is spoken of in much more balanced way (love your neighbor as yourself). Our relationship to our neighbor somehow exists within an ethical bubble created by healthy self-regard, but the love we owe to God is something much more extreme. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind" (Luke 10:27a).
Neighbor-love needs a healthy ego. You have some kind of self-love in order to love others properly. God-love seems to require the surrender of self-regard--the utter and perfect orientation to God (cf. The Cloud of Unknowing). Think of Martha's sister Mary sitting at Jesus' feet and staring up at him with rapt attention. I think of some moments I've had with prayer like that--sitting and reveling the presence of God. I've actually felt my skin tingle and vibrate at the sheer ecstasy of pure orientation to God.
Let not, therefore, but travail therein till thou feel list. For at the first time when thou dost it, thou findest but a darkness; and as it were a cloud of unknowing, thou knowest not what, saving that thou feelest in thy will a naked intent unto God. This darkness and this cloud is, howsoever thou dost, betwixt thee and thy God, and letteth thee that thou mayest neither see Him clearly by light of understanding in thy reason, nor feel Him in sweetness of love in thine affection. And therefore shape thee to bide in this darkness as long as thou mayest, evermore crying after Him that thou lovest. For if ever thou shalt feel Him or see Him, as it may be here, it behoveth always to be in this cloud in this darkness. And if thou wilt busily travail as I bid thee, I trust in His mercy that thou shalt come thereto.
That stuff gives me the chills, it touches so close to the bone of the matter.
Anyway, I've preached all this already. I need to find the new level. I return to the relationship with the congregation. What will be the character and content of my relationship to the people of SMM tomorrow morning? How is it affected by my departure at the end of the month? Should I spend these last few sermons summing up my teaching here? Shall I spend it processing the emotional consequences of my move?
What does this Gospel say? That the world is melting away? That we shouldn't hold onto the labors at hand as though they were permanent? Certainly it feels like the fruits of my labors in the SMM vineyard are about to fade away. What's my legacy going to be?
These thoughts have taken me to an emotional place that feels similar to nostalgia and holy melancholy. It's not grief for things lost, but a piercing awareness of a pastor's love. Nothing mushy or sentimental about it. It's quite sharp. The kind of love that makes the lover frustrated with and proud of the beloved at the same time. I want to aim my bow strung with Mary-like devotional intention not to the clouds above, but towards the Christs in the pews. I want to tell them how much I long for them to touch God. How to do that in a way that won't scare the hell out of them???
I suppose the gift I have to give is the disclosure of a naked and unembarrassed "intent unto God." That's half of the Gospel. It's the in-breath we take before we read it aloud. The out-breath contains the second half of the Gospel: the revelation of God's action.
So what does that look like? Passionate, sure. Eschatological, sure. A love that urges the beloved into being in the fullest sense themselves. I must grasp hold of that vision of the kingdom people they are destined to become. I must preach towards that. (Why look backward to a Christian society that once was? Let the dead bury the dead. I want kingdom come preaching!)
Sigh. I'll stop here, else this post becomes ridiculously long. Right now it's just a snap shot of how my preaching is evolving for tomorrow. Hopefully the Holy Spirit will come between now and tomorrow to fill in the gaps....
-t
Saturday, July 7, 2007
BVM Saturday
SMM follows a complicated liturgical calendar to determine which lessons, collects, and other variable materials are used at the daily services. It's the same calendar used throughout the Anglican Church of Canada and overlaps with many other Christian groups, as well. There is something special about knowing that thousands (even millions) of people throughout the world are hearing the same portions of scripture and praying the same prayers.
Sometimes we have a "local practice" that causes to deviate a bit from what other Anglican Churches might be doing. For example, we commorate St. Blaise (aka St. Blasius) on February 3rd (unless that's a Sunday or a more important feast, in which case we celebrate it a few days later). Blasius was a an Armenian physician and bishop known for healing throats by his prayers. In some places bonfires are lit to celebrate his day. So naturally we follow the old way of blessing throats on Feb 3rd by crossing a pair of (unlit) candlesticks over each person's throat and saying a special prayer.
Another "local practice" that we follow is the Catholic Custom of declaring Saturdays in "Ordinary Time" (i.e. not Adent, Lent or Eastertide) to be "Saturdays of our Lady." That means using prayers and propers that commemorate the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in salvation history and ask for her continued prayers in heaven. Since we also preach at the Saturday Mass, that means that I have had many opportunities to reflect and preach on Our Lady.
In doing so, I often come back to the way that Mary functions for us as both an example of God's love (that God loves us like Mary loves Jesus), but also how we are to love and nourish others in our earthly life. Mary is the very type and example of the perfect Christian.
This morning I ended narrowing down on an aspect of motherly love that we ought to emulate. It's that persistent, gentle love that manifests most clearly in the spirit of hospitality. It's that emotion I sometimes feel when I'm cooking dinner for Betsy. If she isn't home yet I can really focus on the task of cooking and be aware of how I feel. In hospitality-love there is an element of making room for the Beloved. Precisely as Mary did when said "Yes" to God's invitation to be the God-bearer.
-t
Sometimes we have a "local practice" that causes to deviate a bit from what other Anglican Churches might be doing. For example, we commorate St. Blaise (aka St. Blasius) on February 3rd (unless that's a Sunday or a more important feast, in which case we celebrate it a few days later). Blasius was a an Armenian physician and bishop known for healing throats by his prayers. In some places bonfires are lit to celebrate his day. So naturally we follow the old way of blessing throats on Feb 3rd by crossing a pair of (unlit) candlesticks over each person's throat and saying a special prayer.
Another "local practice" that we follow is the Catholic Custom of declaring Saturdays in "Ordinary Time" (i.e. not Adent, Lent or Eastertide) to be "Saturdays of our Lady." That means using prayers and propers that commemorate the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in salvation history and ask for her continued prayers in heaven. Since we also preach at the Saturday Mass, that means that I have had many opportunities to reflect and preach on Our Lady.
In doing so, I often come back to the way that Mary functions for us as both an example of God's love (that God loves us like Mary loves Jesus), but also how we are to love and nourish others in our earthly life. Mary is the very type and example of the perfect Christian.
This morning I ended narrowing down on an aspect of motherly love that we ought to emulate. It's that persistent, gentle love that manifests most clearly in the spirit of hospitality. It's that emotion I sometimes feel when I'm cooking dinner for Betsy. If she isn't home yet I can really focus on the task of cooking and be aware of how I feel. In hospitality-love there is an element of making room for the Beloved. Precisely as Mary did when said "Yes" to God's invitation to be the God-bearer.
-t
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