Teacup Browsing

• Xe, Xem and Xyr in Canada.

• The ever-intriguing Pat Robertson:  "Tattoos are satanic."

• A 

• Cricket ecumenism.

• Speaking of sports, there's a theology for them.

• The new readers of scripture phenom is really not quite so new as much as it is a retrieval.

• The enduring influence of George Herbert.

• No time like the present.

• Really.  This guy's business card says, "Most Influential Person of China” and “Most Well-known and Beloved Chinese Role Model.”  But he's humble.

• The Economist says that Pope Francis is a Leninist. Nah! As I wrote in a previous browsing he's more a distributist than a communist.  There's a huge difference.

• Is an apology really an apology if it is forced?

• Frankly, I don't see the resemblance.

Things We Do, See and Say at Church: Meditations for a Eucharist Based: Spirituality: The Sign of the Cross

The Sign of the Cross

"Let us not then be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Be the Cross our seal made with boldness by our fingers on our brow and in everything; over the bread we eat, and the cups we drink; in our comings in, and goings out; before our sleep, when we lie down and when we awake; when we are in the way and when we are still. Great is that preservative; it is without price, for the poor's sake; without toil, for the sick, since also its grace is from God. It is the Sign of the faithful, and the dread of evils; for He has triumphed over them in it, having made a shew of them openly; for when they see the Cross, they are reminded of the Crucified; they are afraid of Him, Who hath bruised the heads of the dragon. Despise not the Seal, because of the freeness of the Gift; but for this rather honor thy Benefactor."    -- St. Cyril of Jerusalem, A.D. 315 - 386

The sign of the cross in Christian worship and devotion is multivalent in meaning.  As St. Cyril notes, the ritual gesture serves as a kind of seal in which we rededicate ourselves to the lordship of Christ in our lives.  It is a seal in the same way that our signatures seal our attestation or affirmation of something.  As one dictionary puts it, a seal is "a device or substance that is used to join two things together so as to prevent them from coming apart or to prevent anything from passing between them."  The sign of the cross reminds us, and others, of our convenantal relationship with God in Christ.

Performing the sign of the cross also reminds us of something that many Christians rarely think about: the trinitarian nature of God through which we participate and share in the divine life.  Moreover, the sign of the cross reminds of the atoning work of Christ on the cross of Calvary where we died to self with him and have arisen with him to live the resurrected life through baptism.  With such profound meanings, St. Cyril recommends that we perform the ritual frequently; at meals, at bedtime, when we arise, in general, in all our comings and goings and, of course, in the Eucharistic liturgy.

The problem with ritual action is that through repetition, they frequently lose their meaning and significance unless we are intentional in preserving the signification.  When we see an athlete making the sign of the cross after scoring a goal or winning a match, they probably are not entertaining these profound mysteries.  But we should, especially in the Eucharistic assembly.

Daily Meditation: In Service

Daily Reflection for Thursday June 26, 2014

Matthew 20:20-28

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." He said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."

__________________________

In the wildly popular television show Downton Abbey, the domestic staff always refer to their profession as being "in service."  There are different ranks in the profession of being in service.  There is the upper staff ranking from butler to ladies' maid, and the lower staff, from first footman to gatekeeper.  While there is some occasional in-fighting and conniving among the household staff, one comes away with the sense that their service to the masters and mistresses of the family is their number one concern.  They are, after all, members of a noble profession.

What greater profession could there be than profession of Jesus as Lord?  And, the number one profession of those who profess him is being in service for and to Him and others.  No matter what the rank of the professing Christian is, whether in terms of influence, power or socio-economic location, Jesus, in response to mother of the sons of Zebedee makes one thing perfectly clear:  "whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave."  As Mahatma Gandhi grasped, the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

How important is service in Jesus' eyes?  When Jesus talks about the final judgement, the metaphorical separation of the sheep and the goats, he has very strict criteria:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Our motivation to serve should never be out of fear of punishment though.  We serve out of love, the overflowing love of God that dwells in us. 

___________

“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”   -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Daily Meditation: The Fairness of God?

Daily Meditation for Wednesday June 25, 2014

Matthew 20:1-16

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o'clock, he did the same. And about five o'clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, 'Why are you standing here idle all day?' They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard.' When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.' When those hired about five o'clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?' So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

__________________________

One of the first times I heard this scripture preached the presider made the case for a libertarian approach to economics (he would not approve of mandatory minimum wage hikes) arguing that the reading was an injunction against government intervention in free markets and private corporate affairs.  Clearly, he did not get the message of the text which has nothing to do with economics or private enterprise but is rather a metaphor for how God metes out grace to newcomers--with abundant  generosity.

The point is that whether one has been a Christian for a lifetime or for mere minutes at the end of one's life, the extravagant love of God is not based on seniority, nor merit, but rather, on the free-will response to the call of God to a covenantal relationship with him.  Some may say--along with the workers who came early--"That's not fair!" but when it comes to the unfathomable love of God it's never about "fairness" but rather about mercy and compassion.

That's instructive for us.  When we treat others exclusively on their merits or contributions we become spiritual utilitarians; very much unlike God.  It's not about what they can do-it's about what we can do for them.  When we snub others for their lack of spiritual maturity we engage the sin of pride and eschew the virtue of humility.  When we juxtapose ourselves against those who are new to the faith in a statutory or legal way, we impose our human limitations on God and limit God in our own estimation of his greatness.

If we re-read the text in this context, we will praise God for his "unfairness" and be thankful for his unlimited grace.





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Daily Meditation: Preparing the Way for The Lord

Nativity of John the Baptist 

The principal ministry of charism of John the Baptist was "preparing the way" for the person and ministry of Jesus as messiah; savior of the humanity.  What exactly does that mean and why is that important for us?  

John's mission of preparing the way meant that his ministry was to create the favorable conditions for Jesus preaching and ministry.  He  announced the coming of the messiah, preached conversion (metanoia), provided mentorship and as an example, surrendered himself to the Lordship of Christ.  John the baptist was creating a favorable environment and making it easy for Jesus to enter into and operate in the lives of the people.

John's mission becomes our mission.  How do we create favorable conditions for Christ to enter into and operate in our lives?  For example:  Do we spend time in private prayer, meditation and devotions?  Are we learning more about Jesus and the Kingdom by studying the scriptures?  Are there things that we need to eliminate that impede our conscious contact with God or which devalue my relationship with Jesus.

John the Baptist shows us that when we prepare the way of The Lord in our own lives, we are better equipped to create favorable conditions for for God to operate in the lives of friends, family, coworkers and neighbors.

Teacup Browsing

• While overall, charitable giving is up, giving for churches is on the decline.

• And job opportunities for professing members of those churches are way down, especially if you're. "Wallonian." 

• NYT's short on ISIS.

• The woman (yes, the woman) who invented Iraq.

• Soccer or football?

• CofE's soccer prayers.  It didn't help, them.

• Canterbury and Rome on the (very long way).  According to ENS, "The burdens of division continue but the opportunities for new collaboration and much deeper understanding between the two world communions are compelling and timely."  Just not in cricket.

• Catholics Hilaire Billoc and G.K. Chesterton (following traditional Catholic social teaching) as well asmany Anglican theologians including Phillip Blond and John Milbank have offered an alternative to Piketty-mania: namely, Distributism.  Which is not what it sounds like. FAQ.  Plan to hear about more about it in response to Piketty's blockbuster NYT best seller, Capital in the Twenty-First Century.

• Il Papa excommunicates the Sopranos...

• And Maureen Dowd and Francis are seeing things closer than they seem.

• Rolheiser on Living without fear of God.

• Greg Boyd on legalism and more legalisms.

• Inspiration:  this woman works 2 jobs so that she can do this for lunch.

• The dedicated life of Ann B.

• Monasticism moves to Disney.

• Five most visited holy sites.

• You've heard of the running of the bulls?  Here's the Thai version.

• Another art critic.

• Two church signs this week:

Daily Meditation: The Matthew 18 Approach to Resolving Conflict

Daily Meditation for Thursday June 19, 2014

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector."  Matthew 18:15-17

_______________________________

Jesus' Matthean teaching on reconciliation is beautiful in its simplicity and it works, not only in the church but also at home and in the workplace.

1.  Go to the person you have the problem with.  That seems intuitive.  The problem is that when we have a problem with someone, we often go to anyone and everyone who will listen, except the person we're in conflict with, dragging in unnecessary parities and often engaging them in gossip.  The triangulation that takes place between spouses and their in-laws during a marital argument is a good example; when the spouses make up, the in-laws may remain incensed. Go to him or her first; and go alone!  

2.  Bring an impartial person with you if the first meeting was unfruitful.  We don't want to bring someone whom we've already influenced but rather a person of reconciliatory abilities who will help shed unbiased light.  The person is not a tag-team partner but rather a person who can see strengths and weaknesses in both parties and navigate a course toward reconciliation.

3. Treat him as a pagan or a tax-collector.  Sometimes, especially when there is serious injury, immediate reconciliation may not be possible (although reconciliation remains the goal).  Jesus is not saying here, "Okay, the write them off!"  On the contrary, Jesus' own personal attitude toward tax-collectors and other "offenders" is instructive:  he loved them, desired their good, and remained in their midst as an instrument of reconciliation.  In Matthew 11, for example, Jesus is accused of being “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” and Jesus quotes them in affirmation.  You can almost hear Matthew say under his breath “You bet, he sure is!”

The restorative justice of the Kingdom of God doesn't seek revenge or punitive measures, it, above all      seeks the good of the other, even when the other is someone who we profoundly disagree with.

Rule of St. Benedict: Prologue Pt. V

Once again thanks to Br. Jerome Leo of St. Mary's Monastery

Also, for those interested in lay Benedictine spirituality for the 21st century, there is a great retreat coming up in Dallas:

17^thAnnual Dallas Benedictine Experience  

 June 25-28, 2014

The Catholic Conference Center, Dallas, Texas 

 

The 17th annual multi-denominational Dallas Benedictine Experiencewill take place at The Catholic Conference and Formation Center in Dallas, Texas from Wednesday, June 25 through Saturday, June 28, 2014. 

 

This monastic experience is presented by The Friends of St. Benedict, Washington, D.C. and is open to men and women, laity and clergy of all denominations.  Participants will live on the campus of the center for four days, forming a temporary monastic community to experience the balanced way of life of The Rule of St. Benedict as it divides each day into private and group prayer, study, work, and monastic silence.  Four Benedictine Offices (Lauds, Sext, Vespers, and Compline) will be chanted each day in English in Gregorian chant. 

 

For further information, please e-mail dallasbenedictine@yahoo.com or call 214-339-8483.   

_____________________________

January 4, May 5, September 4
Prologue (continued)

Having our loins girded, therefore,
with faith and the performance of good works (Eph. 6:14),
let us walk in His paths
by the guidance of the Gospel,
that we may deserve to see Him
who has called us to His kingdom (1 Thess. 2:12).

For if we wish to dwell in the tent of that kingdom,
we must run to it by good deeds
or we shall never reach it.

But let us ask the Lord, with the Prophet,
"Lord, who shall dwell in Your tent,
or who shall rest upon Your holy mountain" (Ps. 14:1)?

After this question,
let us listen to the Lord
as He answers and shows us the way to that tent, saying,
"The one Who walks without stain and practices justice;
who speaks truth from his heart;
who has not used his tongue for deceit;
who has done no evil to his neighbor;
who has given no place to slander against his neighbor."

This is the one who,
under any temptation from the malicious devil,
has brought him to naught (Ps. 14:4)
by casting him and his temptation from the sight of his heart;
and who has laid hold of his thoughts
while they were still young
and dashed them against Christ (Ps. 136:9).

It is they who,
fearing the Lord (Ps. 14:4),
do not pride themselves on their good observance;
but,
convinced that the good which is in them
cannot come from themselves and must be from the Lord,
glorify the Lord's work in them (Ps. 14:4),
using the words of the Prophet,
"Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to Your name give the glory" (Ps. 113, 2nd part:1).
Thus also the Apostle Paul
attributed nothing of the success of his preaching to himself,
but said,
"By the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10).
And again he says,
"He who glories, let him glory in the Lord" (2 Cor. 10:17).

REFLECTION

Very briefly, there is an excellent theology of works and faith here.
We need to recognize that there is no good in our works that is not of God, of
the saving act of Jesus. We also need to hear that
works are important means of showing God how much we love Him and
believe in Him. Works are the logical result of faith. We all
need faith and no one is anything at all in terms of good without
God, without Christ's perfect sacrifice.

Our Baptism allows us to do good, because it incorporates (literally
"in-bodies" us!) into God. In His Mystical Body, we receive the boon of the
ability to do good.

We can get so accustomed to this that we can forget that without Him we
could do absolutely nothing of any worth whatever. That is why it is so very
important to make the Morning Offering, to tie our own poor works, prayers,
joys and sufferings to those of Christ and the Cross. Plunged into Jesus,
they become tools of infinite merit and worth!

So yes, we must do good works, but, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to Your name give the glory!" Works and faith are not the Western
thought dichotomy of "yes and no" of, "either or," but the Zen mind
of "both and." Without God, neither works nor ourselves have any
meaning at all. With God, both are enriched, but only because of Him.

Love and prayers,
Jerome,OSB
http://www.stmarysmonastery.org
Petersham, MA

Prologue Part V

Having our loins girded, therefore,
with faith and the performance of good works (Eph. 6:14),
let us walk in His paths
by the guidance of the Gospel,
that we may deserve to see Him
who has called us to His kingdom (1 Thess. 2:12).

For if we wish to dwell in the tent of that kingdom,
we must run to it by good deeds
or we shall never reach it.

But let us ask the Lord, with the Prophet,
"Lord, who shall dwell in Your tent,
or who shall rest upon Your holy mountain" (Ps. 14:1)?

After this question,
let us listen to the Lord
as He answers and shows us the way to that tent, saying,
"The one Who walks without stain and practices justice;
who speaks truth from his heart;
who has not used his tongue for deceit;
who has done no evil to his neighbor;
who has given no place to slander against his neighbor."

This is the one who,
under any temptation from the malicious devil,
has brought him to naught (Ps. 14:4)
by casting him and his temptation from the sight of his heart;
and who has laid hold of his thoughts
while they were still young
and dashed them against Christ (Ps. 136:9).

It is they who,
fearing the Lord (Ps. 14:4),
do not pride themselves on their good observance;
but,
convinced that the good which is in them
cannot come from themselves and must be from the Lord,
glorify the Lord's work in them (Ps. 14:4),
using the words of the Prophet,
"Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to Your name give the glory" (Ps. 113, 2nd part:1).
Thus also the Apostle Paul
attributed nothing of the success of his preaching to himself,
but said,
"By the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10).
And again he says,
"He who glories, let him glory in the Lord" (2 Cor. 10:17).

REFLECTION

Very briefly, there is an excellent theology of works and faith here.
We need to recognize that there is no good in our works that is not of God, of
the saving act of Jesus. We also need to hear that
works are important means of showing God how much we love Him and
believe in Him. Works are the logical result of faith. We all
need faith and no one is anything at all in terms of good without
God, without Christ's perfect sacrifice.

Our Baptism allows us to do good, because it incorporates (literally
"in-bodies" us!) into God. In His Mystical Body, we receive the boon of the
ability to do good.

We can get so accustomed to this that we can forget that without Him we
could do absolutely nothing of any worth whatever. That is why it is so very
important to make the Morning Offering, to tie our own poor works, prayers,
joys and sufferings to those of Christ and the Cross. Plunged into Jesus,
they become tools of infinite merit and worth!

So yes, we must do good works, but, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to Your name give the glory!" Works and faith are not the Western
thought dichotomy of "yes and no" of, "either or," but the Zen mind
of "both and." Without God, neither works nor ourselves have any
meaning at all. With God, both are enriched, but only because of Him.

Love and prayers,
Jerome,OSB
http://www.stmarysmonastery.org
Petersham, MA

TOP SECRET: Daily Meditation for June 19, 2014

Daily Meditation for Wednesday June 19, 2014

"Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops."  Luke 12:2-3

________________

In the various twelve-step programs there is a saying:  You're only as sick as the secrets you keep.  There are two dimensions of this.  Dr. Alex Lickerman writing in Psychology Today ("The danger of keeping secrets") says that:

They may very well be right. Though not all truths need to be shared with everyone—or even anyone—to maintain a healthy and happy life, concealing some truths is like swallowing slow-acting poison: one's insides gradually rot. 

 A second potentially injurious form of secrecy has to do with the lies that we tell ourselves and in so doing, attempt the impossible task of keeping secrets from God.

How can we avoid toxic secrets or spiritual self-deception?

1.  Everyone should have at least one close, intimate friendship in which one may be completely honest and open about issues.  As C.S. Lewis famously quipped, "Frienship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 'What!  You too?  I thought I was the only one!' "

2.  Having a good spiritual director is another aid in avoiding deception and self-deception.  A spiritual director or confessor will provide non-judgmental, corrective feedback helping us avoid our spiritual blind spots.

3.  Cultivate spiritual mindfulness and prayer.  The key to Christianity is in our ability to hear and recognize when God is speaking to us, personally. Without that ability we will never grasp the principles by which God works in our lives.

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Teacup Browsing

• Apologies.  I really need to attend to my spellcheck/predictor and editing errors.  Sorry.  In the meantime...

• Happy fathers' day and Frs. Day and more for Trinity Sunday.

• Sundays with Jimmy (a horrible president but an honorable man).

• Word of the day used in a sentence:  "I've know a couple of theological zedonks in my day; some would say that I'm one of them."

• Speaking of ex-presidents, here's wheelchair-bound George senior at 90.

• WC Dashboard. (See what I'm sayin'? Automatically, big-brother capitalized against my libertarian --not the political kind--and arminian free-will proclivities).   What's next, NSA?

• GOP branding and rebranding and political polarization.

• El Niño (good for spellcheck it added the enye) La Niña  and the Santa Maria,

• Rolheiser (I'm an obvious fan) on prayer.

•   Pope Francis to soccer fans:  "Sport is not only a form of entertainment, but also a tool to communicate the values ​​that promote the good of the human person and help to build a more peaceful and fraternal coexistence."

• I've lived in several states and I've found that, for different reasons, Texas, Florida and Louisiana (the states I love most) are the most unique.  Take for example the reparative therapy plank of the Texas Republican Party and governor Rick Perry's take on homosexuality.  I don't usually write or comment on pelvic issues but I've been acquainted with people who have been severely damaged by voodoo science.  

• I've never lived in Oklahoma where one tea parties has another solution.

• How to talk about theology.

• A view from above (it's all about perspective). 

• Union seminary students and professors may be walking to work and school in the fall.

• Er...good question.

• Quote of the week: "The danger is to choose existence rather than life. Every field, every discipline, every domain where humans work, play, and live, is a canvas for imagination, creativity, and beauty."  - Erwin McManus, author of The Artisan Soul.

• This reminds me of living in Lubbock ...

• 
  though I'm Austin-bound in a few weeks...
  
  

• Better with a gun and a kind word that just a kind word alone?
  
  
  
  

Trinity Sunday: Celebrity God Swap

Trinity Sunday, June 15, 2014

1. Every now and again as I'm channel-surfing I come across the program, Celebrity Wife Swap.  Although I've never actually watched the show I get the concept.  In the program, two families, usually from different social classes and lifestyles, swap wives/mothers – and sometimes husbands – for two weeks.  They live, quite out of context, within the familial relationship of a strange, that is, unknown family, as though they were always a part of it.  

   
   

   That got me to thinking, imagine if we could insert ourselves in the life of the Holy Trinity to experience the perfect love, fellowship, union and communion between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  That would indeed, be, to quote Thomas Aquinas, a foretaste of the glory to come.  How would we experience, for example, the human love between husband and wife, of parent and child, or the love of Christian community (church) after having sat in on that experience for a while?

   
   

   

   
   

   
   

   Truth be told, we don't have to wait for some future date or experience.  The reality of the Trinity is not some just "out there" concept.  The idea of the Trinity is merely a cold, antiseptic theorem unless we understand the truth of what the Trinity means, personally, that is to say, for every Christian person:  that we are taken into the very life and relationship of the Three, and that adoption into the Godhead affects and instructs our everyday dealings in the world.

   
   

   In Celebrity Wife Swap, the participant are taken out of there own contexts and put into a strange one.  For Christians, participation in the divine life of the Trinity (and sharing that divine life with others) is our proper and natural context.  In Celebrity Wife Swap the participants are taken out of their ethnic or socioeconomic location.  In the Christian life, participation in the divine life of the Trinity is our most proper location;  anything else is of necessity, alien.

   
   

   “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (that’s the Son) and the love of God (the Father) and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit (the third Person) be with you"  "for by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature."  2 Peter 1:4

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

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Things We Do, See and Say at Church: Meditations for a Eucharist Based: Light

 These meditations are intended for before, during or after the celebration of Holy Eucharist and are meant to enhance and deepen our participation in the liturgy through prayerful and mindful reflection on various aspects of the worship experience. 

Candles

Usually as we enter the church, perhaps in the narthex, or transcept, but most definitely on or about the altar is light, usually in the form of candles.  Some churches offer the opportunity of lighting a votive candle usually near the back of the church most often in symbolic conjunction with one or more prayer intentions.  While the original use of candles and sometimes torches was partially utilitarian (there was no electricity), the primary purpose of candles and other natural light sources was spiritual symbol.  Eusebius of  Caesaria records that during the paschal vigil such a quantity of candles were lit by the faithful that the night itself became as day. 

Candles, often taken for granted, importantly represent, most especially the light of Christ.  "Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.'" (John 8:12). From the earliest days of Christianity the most important candle was the pascal candle derived from the Lucernarium, the evening office with which early Christians began the vigil for every Sunday and especially that of Easter.  In the 2nd Century, Tertullian wrote: "We never hold a service without candles, yet we use them not just to dispel night's gloom we also hold our services in daylight but in order to represent by this Christ, the Uncreated Light, without Worn we would in broad daylight wander as if lost in darkness [Works, 3rd ed., Kiev, 1915, p.76].

Besides representing the light of Christ which illumines our hearts and minds--especially in the practice of worship--the burning candle represents the entire life of the communion of the faithful, from birth to death and then life beyond in the communion of saints.  It both stands for the inner flame of love for and devotion to God and the love-unity of his people in communion with him and one another.  Moreover, the pure wax of the candle may, as Simeon of Thessalonica noted, symbolize purity and chastity, both imputed and desired, of those who offer it.

The smoke which arises from the candle, as with liturgical incense, represents the prayer of the people of God.  As the Psalmist prays:  "Let my prayer rise as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice" we too can use liturgical candles as a symbol of our prayers of praise, thanksgiving and petition.

So as we attend and participate in the Eucharistic liturgy, let us not miss the opportunities to use candles as sacramentals to enhance the beauty of the liturgy and as symbols of both our faith and practice as individuals and communal members of the family of God.

For reflection:

1.  How might lighting a candle at church or at home, or even at the office, enhance my spiritual communion?

2.  As I gaze on the symbolic, lit candle, how is Christ present as light in my life and in the communion  of Eucharistic worshippers?  In my family?  In my profession?  In my ministry?

3.  How is the purity of the burning candle reflective of my own striving for holiness?

4.  How do altar candles help me appreciate the reality of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist?  In my daily living?

5.  Might lighting a candle during my private, prayer practice enhance communion with God?



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..and....

Irrational Faith

Daily Meditation for Friday June 13, 2014

John 1:43-46

"The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”Nathanael asked."

__________________________

"Can anything good come from there."

It seems like racism and all kinds of prejudice are on the rise.  The victory of overtly racist parties in the European Union, racial slurs from basketball team owners and celebrity chefs.  Race-based mass killings by white supremacists and anti-Semites.  The fact that judgmental prejudice and outright racism is alive and well in our culture is evident from a mere scanning of the daily paper.  Jesus was no stranger to that.

Nathaniel exhibits one of the first ethic prejudices in the New Testament.  Nazareth was not only a poor little place, (for so Bethlehem also was), but a place which the Scripture never mentioned as the place from whence the Messiah should arise; a place that God had not honoured with the production of a prophet. It was a place of no account.  The other side of the tracks.  If Jesus came from such a non-descript, no account place, can he, his family, his message be of any value?  

Rightly did Herbert Spencer proclaim that,  “There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments, and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance - that principle is contempt prior to investigation.”

But we often do engage in "contempt prior to investigation."  Against people of other religious traditions; against people who are divorced and remarried.  Against persons of a different political party.  Against those who have experienced the horror of a terminated pregnancy.  Against those with same sex attraction or who are a different, color, race or creed.  Against those who like Jesus who are from "the other side of the tracks."

What is your prejudice?  Who is different from you that you are judging?  Can you get to empathically know them long enough to walk a mile in their shoes?



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Know someone this post would bless?

Teacup Browsing

• Here's what's not on a (nurse) deacon's job description. Or a doctor's.

• The continuing capitalism debate.  While unfettered, impersonal capitalism does create injustice and economic inequality, do we really want to get rid of the baby with the bathwater? John Dilulio weighs in.

• The guy who toppled the House Majority Leader.

• The beginning of the end for PCs.

•  But $2.5 billion for a game?

• ... and American hunger games.

• Rolheiser on Acedia.

• On my reading list.

• Code-breaking that could save you money.

• What to do with time on your hands.

• Denzel's good advice.

• I'm guilty of one of these but only in the morning.

• Assalamu alaikum in Rome.

• More on married priests.  (And more)  An issue that seems to go beyond custom and church discipline (it is not a matter of dogma) but rather, increasingly a matter of necessity.  In Ireland, the "Eucharistic famine" due the shortage of priests has Irish priests calling for married clergy and the ordaining women.

• An honest Christian hero at SPU:  “I would encourage that hate be met with love. When I came face to face with the attacker, God gave me the eyes to see that he was not a faceless monster, but a very sad and troubled young man. While I cannot at this time find it within me to forgive his crime, I truly desire that he will find the grace of God and the forgiveness of our community.

• Baptists meet; discuss, inter alia, problems and their changing face.

• Episcopal amnesia and ignorance is no defense.  "Anderson went on to ask Carlson whether he knew in 1984, when he was an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, that it was a crime for a priest to engage in sex with a child.  "I’m not sure if I did or didn’t,” Carlson said."  Really?  That explains a lot.
  
  

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Things We Do, See and Say at Church: Meditations for a Eucharist Based Spirituality: Water

In Roman Catholic, Anglican/Episcopal, Orthodox, Lutheran and increasingly other mainline Protestant churches, one of the first things encountered at the entrance of the sanctuary is a holy water or baptismal font.

Water is a basic symbol of life as well as a means of cleansing, or purification, and is of particular importance in the Old Testament. It was created on the first day and and is the major symbol of regeneration and incorporation into the family of God through baptism.  As the author of the fourth century, Exposito Fidei (Exposition of Faith; probably St. Athanasius) says:

Water, then, is the most beautiful element and rich in usefulness, and purifies from all filth, and not only of the body but from that of the soul, if it should have received the grace of the Spirit (23:58-60)

 From the beginning of the Bible to the end water, which is mentioned 722 times, flows through the pages of scripture. Scripture is full of passages that link water to Gods creating, blessing and saving work. This alone shows the importance of water in our spiritual lives.  As the sacrament of baptism is a first step of a lifelong journey of commitment and discipleship, water reminds us of our continuing commitment to conversion.

 The encounter with water as we we enter the Church for worship and reception of then holy Eucharist presents a perfect opportunity for an examination of conscience, a prayer for forgiveness of any conscious sin and for a renewal of our baptismal promises, rejecting and renouncing anything and everything that impedes the flow of God's grace in our lives and embracing the commandments to love God and others above all else.

When we cross ourselves with blessed water we are affirming something as surely as we do when we say Amen at the end of a prayer.  We affirm that we belong, body, mind and spirit to God and we re-consecrate ourselves to God in an intentional way as we prepare to receive him in the Holy Eucharist.

Prayer

We thank you, Almighty God, for the gift of water.
Over it the Holy Spirit moved in the beginning of creation.
Through it you led the children of Israel out of their bondage
in Egypt into the land of promise. In it your Son Jesus
received the baptism of John and was anointed by the Holy
Spirit as the Messiah, the Christ, to lead us, through his death
and resurrection, from the bondage of sin into everlasting life.
We thank you, Father, for the water of Baptism. In it we are
buried with Christ in his death. By it we share in his
resurrection and through it we are reborn by the Holy Spirit.

The Rule of St. Benedict: Prologue Pt. IV

And the Lord, seeking his laborer
in the multitude to whom He thus cries out,
says again,
"Who is the one who will have life,
and desires to see good days" (Ps. 33:13)?
And if, hearing Him, you answer,
"I am the one,"
God says to you,
"If you will have true and everlasting life,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips that they speak no guile.
Turn away from evil and do good;
seek after peace and pursue it" (Ps. 33:14-15).
And when you have done these things,
My eyes shall be upon you
and My ears open to your prayers;
and before you call upon Me,
I will say to you,
'Behold, here I am'" (Ps. 33:16; Is. 65:24; 58:9).

What can be sweeter to us, dear ones,
than this voice of the Lord inviting us?
Behold, in His loving kindness
the Lord shows us the way of life.

REFLECTION

The tenderness of St. Benedict, as well as his tender image of God,
is evident all through this portion, harking back to his fatherly
affection at the beginning of the Prologue. The intensity, the
sweetness of the last lines today is so great that it borders on too
much. This must be St. Benedict at his all but gushingly most
sincere, and that is a good time to listen with extra care to him,
since he doesn't just gush on every other page!

In the midst of all this sweetness, look at the question he puts in
the Lord's mouth: "Who is the one who will have life and desires to
see good days?" Granted, it is a quote from the Psalms, but St.
Benedict could have used something else, or written his own, or
employed a rhetorical question. He didn't, though, he used this one
and that is most fortunate.

He does not have God in the teeming marketplace hollering out: "Who
wants to be a monk? Who wants to be a nun? Who wants to be an
Oblate?" (Chuckle: if God DID call out "Who wants to be an Oblate?",
how many people you know would yell back: "What's an Oblate??") No
doubt, for some on the monastic way, those may have been the first
questions. For many others, it was not nearly that direct.

This question allows us to ponder (if God and you will pardon the
phrase,) the Divine sneakiness. How many of the stories we hear of
how people came to the monastic way and were drawn to the Benedictine
life give witness to God's loving "sneakiness." God cannot lie and
His query here is not a lie, but He can certainly CHOOSE the truth He
uses to draw us. Like any parent of a stubborn child, He knows that
some approaches work better than others.

There is a lot more than sneakiness in this question, however. How
many times, when speaking of monastic life, or married life, or any
vocation, do we stress its harsher aspects? To some extent, monastic
life and married life get the brunt of this: "Oh, it isn't easy,
blah, blah, blah...It's no cinch, there's a lot of hardship." OK,
there is, no problem there, but there is also a lot of sweetness if
any vocation is done right.

How many people would have gotten married if the proposal included a
litany of night-feedings and diaper pails, much less if the proposal
could have announced the birth of a severely handicapped child or the
paralysis of the spouse or the tragedy of an auto accident far in the
future? We do both marriage and monastic life a great harm when we
emphasize only the difficult things.

There IS joy in marriage, great joy, and there is in the monastic
way, too. Just like any good proposal, God asks us to respond to the
good things He is offering and they are not slight!

By the way, a traditional joke used when a monastic is writing his or her
profession chart is to tell the person to leave a lot of space between the
lines: so God can add things later!! He has a way of doing that, with or
without the spaces between the lines!!

Love and prayers,
Jerome, OSB
http://www.stmarysmonastery.org
Petersham, MA