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O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in
darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties,
the grace to ask what you would have us do, that the Spirit of wisdom
may save us from all false choices, and that in your light we may see
light, and in our path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
I swear, at times Forward Day By Day is eerily on target.
Mark 14:43-65. Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; and with him there
was a crowd with swords and clubs… He went up to Jesus at once and
said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him.My hunch is that somewhere along the way there have been episodes in
the lives of all of us which can be described as a moral collapse.
Being betrayed by someone we love, however, seems the worst cut of
all, does it not? Few will have experienced betrayal so cruel as
Judas's, though that knowledge does not lesson the pain we feel. Nor
will any of us have forfeited their life through such an action,
though we feel dead inside.Lest we too much here identify ourselves as the victim in such
betrayal, we should consider those times we have betrayed others–with
gossip, innuendo, invective, lies, and other uncharitable acts that
have diminished the very life of another or others. Somewhere in our
spiritual biographies there is likely to be a memory of having failed
a friend in some important way, or of even having failed ourselves. In
other words, enough evidence to help us seek reconciliation for the
pain of a bruised conscience.How important then to remember that confession and repentance marks
the beginning of a new life in him who was betrayed and died for us.
Thanks be to God for new beginnings however and whenever they may
happen, by the grace of God.Ps 25; 2 Chronicles 6:32—7:7; James 2:1-13
Fitting because last night's upsetness has led to a dialogue of
reconciliation with someone I hurt once. Granted, he and I reconciled
a long time ago, and not to the outcome I would have then preferred,
but it's interesting to see with hindsight, and also, how what you
sow, you later reap. At the same time, it may be that by considering a
time when I have hurt someone else, I have sown something else that
brings me right back to that place of pain. Is it guilt for my own
past sins that haunts me, rather than an imagined present threat?
Why is it that I know the truth, and I pray for peace, and yet I still
feel so shaken?
The evening service at church is participatory, and the metaphor we
explored was standing on holy ground, as Moses did when he faced the
burning bush. I shared my story of standing on that outcropping and
feeling myself thrown back to the fires of creation. I was shaking,
and B. said later that she thought it was the recall of the moment
that caused me to be jittery, but honestly, it was my paralyzing fear
of speaking in front of a group. When I watch Father Jim talk, I'm
always amazed, because he stands up there with no fear. The look of
serenity on his face is something I find comforting. When I watch
Mother Jackie, I'm reminded of the mothers in my family. Mom, aunts,
grandmothers, great aunts: I'm so dazzled by the idea of myself
helping others find strength, grace and wisdom, and yet I lack the
cool confidence I see in her.
And then I come home and have an unflinchingly human response to
something stressful. I can still feel it today, anxiety's press even
though I have every reassurance that the world is not about to end,
both from the human party in question and in the divine space that I
know will lift me up should I fall.
How on earth can I make my spiritual quest more fulfilling, how indeed
can I share it with others, if I can't get beyond petty things like jealousy
and stage fright?
Taken August 6, at Frying Pan Park, Chantilly, VA.
Fresh-baked brownies from scratch topped with Denali ice cream (that is, vanilla ice cream with peanut-butter cups and fudge).
…for posting this, the latest marketing poster for recruiting Catholic priests:
My highly ironic question, of course, is where Trinity fits into this picture.
This morning's outburst was directed at my inbox, not at the political parties that run this country [into the ground].
I was really groggy and grumpy, and I am a moderate, and i didn't really express what i needed to express:
If the subject of your progressive organization's email states the obvious, chances are I'm not going to read it. If i do read it and don't find your arguments to be anything other than alarmist fluff spun to reflect your position on a single issue, I'm probably not going to give it much credence, in which case…
You're certainly not going to persuade other moderates like me.
Now. Let me reinforce, that the “you” in the above statement is not the democratic party. But several years ago, before I got wise to the ineffectuality of internet petitions, I got on several special interest group email lists. I am a journalist. I am well versed in the nature of spin. And when I see it from either side, I really bristle.
A special interest group by any other name is still a special interest group. Talk to me about a pro-family platform that includes equal rights for every citizen. Talk to me about a pro-life movement that is less interested in criminalizing tragedies and more interested in bringing about peace and an end to hunger in the world. Talk to me about ways to help people in america lift themselves out of poverty not through minimum wage service jobs created by multibillionaire-run megalopolies who themselves save more in taxes in one year than I will earn in a lifetime. I may not agree with everything you have to say, but if you can talk to me in broader swaths than the current political agenda can, I will listen to every word.
Talk to me about vision. About leadership that will make the world a better place for my children to live in. Better by my standard, by your standard, and by everyone's in between. I don't see that from either party. Do you?
Okay, now off to find something fluffy to post.
1. Reverend Susan at everyvoice.net
2. Over at Addison Road, a reverent yet irreverent emergent blog, trenchancy rules, dude. I'm bookmarking this guy.
In fact, I think your best play here might be to embrace this, to gather up any remaining benefit of the doubt among your followers, and to say that is was a mistake. Say it often, say it loud. Here’s the problem, P-dawg. You can’t say this, and dilute it with any of the other statements. You can’t say “I made a mistake, but is was a good mistake.” You can’t say, “I made a mistake, and I was misinterpreted by the liberal media.”
Be sure to click around in the site a bit to get the hilarious subheads. Definitely a keeper.
3. Pat Robertson's Screwtape Letters, Tony Norman at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Norman, apparently, is an Episcopalian. I want his job. Just not in Pittsburgh.
“We, the hosts of Hell salute you. By our infernal reckoning, you've blithely ignored several major commandments within 72 hours of calling for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Good for you. The Morning Star applauds your transparent blasphemy.
“The first rule you tossed aside was 'Thou shalt not covet,' followed by the equally anachronistic and much misunderstood dictum 'Thou shalt not kill.' Being the wise old Pharisee that thou art, you understand that the prohibition against murder is hardly unequivocal and hasn't been for some time. If there weren't reasonable allowances for killing based on anger, personal profit, religious duty, politics and nationalistic zeal, how would mankind experience any progress?”
4. The Christian Alliance for Progress comes down hard.
We unequivocally condemn Robertson’s statements and call on the US government to investigate such hate speech being uttered under the guise of religious freedom and therefore with the subsidy of the American taxpayer. Furthermore, we call on national television networks and local affiliates who broadcast Robertson’s venom to pull the plug on his program and thus spare our children from exposure to his murderous fantasies and our citizens from any more international embarrassment.
*thud* I can't argue with people anymore, I just want to bring them
together. unite, not divide. we have to live with what we have, but
make the world better tomorrow. deal with the present, fight the
future. (Go Scully.)