Today we celebrate the life and work of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Junior. The collect for the feast of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. is as follows:
Almighty God, by the hand of Moses your servant you led your people out of slavery, and made them free at last: Grant that your Church, following the example of your prophet Martin Luther King, may resist oppression in the name of your love, and may secure for all your children the blessed liberty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
Certainly this is a worthy prayer for all of God's people to meditate upon. How do we resist oppression in our own day? God will lead us, but are we willing to follow? In a reading from Justice Without Violence, by Martin Luther King, Jr., we are encouraged to think of those that oppose freedom as friends. Mr. King writes, "The ultimate end of violence is to defeat the opponent. The ultimate end of non-violence is to win the friendship of the opponent." Those are heavy words. I've often found myself trying to argue my case, trying to convince my opponent, and hoping to win the argument. Could this very action be a form of oppression that an opponent naturally recoils from? We are called, according to Mr. King, to reconciliation. When I was confirmed in the Episcopal Church, Bishop Borsch encouraged those present to be ambassadors for Christ and work for reconciliation. Mr. King suggests that the aftermath of violence is always bitterness, but the aftermath of non-violence is redemption and reconciliation.
How is this transformation possible? How can I love my enemy? How can my enemy become my friend? It was suggested in a student sermon today that it is the working of the Holy Spirit that makes this possible. The cool breath of the Holy Spirit can melt my anger at injustice. Blind rage cannot answer injustice. It is not possible to rid the world of the opponent, but it is possible to win friendship through love and understanding. This work, this hard work, seems unnatural and contains much that I find distasteful. How can I forgive those who deny my rights? How can I sit back and let others walk all over me and those I care for? However, we are not called to be doormats, but to open doors of dialogue. We are called to a ministry of radical inclusion. Those who differ from us are important to us. Every "body" is needed to complete the puzzle and help us make meaning. Therefore, we must not only pray for the conversion of the world, but for the conversion of our own hearts. We must neither house the perpetrator and oppressor within, but we must not shut the door of mutuality and hope. All things are possible with God. All hearts can be warmed by the flames of charity. Use my hands Lord. Use my tongue. Ignite my heart with imposible love.
Ignite in us, O Lord, the fire of your love, and the flames of eternal charity. Amen.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Do I need Lent?
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. I know some of my friends chide me and laugh to themselves, make jokes, roll their eyes, and think of it in terms anachronistic, but deep inside each of us, along with shadows of mortality, there is a desire to live full lives. The question I pose then is what is fulness of life. Does it exist mainly in actions, hurried schedules, hours spent busily digesting social media, following trends on twitter, taking pictures with our camera phones, and uploading them for all to see? I know that there is nothing inherently wrong with any of these activities. It is a matter of perspective, perhaps intention, and balance. Lent is an opportunity for rebalancing. It is a calling to attention. It is a calling home to oneself and clarity. No matter if it is called Lent or simply opportunity, it is a call to examination of priorities and valuation.
I know I need Lent, might you?
I know I need Lent, might you?
Sunday, January 23, 2011
We're all blessed
Just minutes after I thought of Googling the word "blessed" because I half expected to see my name pop up (since I was having such a good day) the phone rang and took me down the rabbit hole. It is still true, I have more than I need, enough of enough, and love having spiritual growth spurts, but that does not take away the fact that life is difficult. Nonetheless, life is dear. We are all blessed beyond measure. That's just how God rolls.
My dear friend, Fr. Mark Stuart, has come out with a book titled Grief Transformed: A Miraculous Story Of The Healing Power Of Love Between This Life And The Next. I read it during the course of one evening and couldn't put it down. Mark is grieving the loss of his life partner. He has a fresh appreciation for thinking about eternal life and how thin the line is between heaven and earth. During his grieving process Mark found solace in the fact that love is bigger than death and true love has an eternal quality. If you have experienced the loss of someone close to you, or know someone who has, this story is uplifting and surprising. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
My grades were just released: an A and some B's, but the exciting part was the grade in Hebrew. I got a B and worked hard to get it. I've never been so proud of a B before, but to tell you the truth, this one feels pretty good. And to top it all, the Packers just won the game this afternoon and are going to the Super Bowl. The Bear's third string QB was amazing and actually had me worried. He'll be someone to watch! Good game Bears!
My dear friend, Fr. Mark Stuart, has come out with a book titled Grief Transformed: A Miraculous Story Of The Healing Power Of Love Between This Life And The Next. I read it during the course of one evening and couldn't put it down. Mark is grieving the loss of his life partner. He has a fresh appreciation for thinking about eternal life and how thin the line is between heaven and earth. During his grieving process Mark found solace in the fact that love is bigger than death and true love has an eternal quality. If you have experienced the loss of someone close to you, or know someone who has, this story is uplifting and surprising. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
My grades were just released: an A and some B's, but the exciting part was the grade in Hebrew. I got a B and worked hard to get it. I've never been so proud of a B before, but to tell you the truth, this one feels pretty good. And to top it all, the Packers just won the game this afternoon and are going to the Super Bowl. The Bear's third string QB was amazing and actually had me worried. He'll be someone to watch! Good game Bears!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Homeboy Industries
Today I had the pleasure of listening to a lecture by Fr. Boyle entitled, Tattoos On The Heart. It was given all the way up in Walnut Creek.
The audience was asked to imagine the world as it should be, for that is our job, our work. Fr. G., as his homies call him, asked us to imagine a place where there is no us and them, but just US. He said, "God too busy loving us to be disappointed."
What circles do you see yourselves within or without? How do we imagine a circle of compassion? How do we gather those who are outide this circle? He suggested that we try "stand at the fringes". It is here that we can embrace and welcome in all of God's children into the dignity and acceptance and honor that is rightfully theirs. Father Boyle suggested that we need to return people to themselves and said that all of us are exactly what God had in mind when he made us. "You are God's dream" and our ministry, everyone's ministry is to recognize one another as the shape of God's heart.
Consider helping Homeboy Industries by making a tax deductable donation, eating at the Homegirl Cafe, or purchasing merchandice online at http://www.homeboy-industries.org/. You'll be glad you did!
The audience was asked to imagine the world as it should be, for that is our job, our work. Fr. G., as his homies call him, asked us to imagine a place where there is no us and them, but just US. He said, "God too busy loving us to be disappointed."
What circles do you see yourselves within or without? How do we imagine a circle of compassion? How do we gather those who are outide this circle? He suggested that we try "stand at the fringes". It is here that we can embrace and welcome in all of God's children into the dignity and acceptance and honor that is rightfully theirs. Father Boyle suggested that we need to return people to themselves and said that all of us are exactly what God had in mind when he made us. "You are God's dream" and our ministry, everyone's ministry is to recognize one another as the shape of God's heart.
Consider helping Homeboy Industries by making a tax deductable donation, eating at the Homegirl Cafe, or purchasing merchandice online at http://www.homeboy-industries.org/. You'll be glad you did!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
One week to go
There is one week to go and the semester, my first semester in seminary, will be over. It is hard to believe that just a few months ago I packed my car and drove up to Berkeley with so many hopes, dreams, fears, and a lovely icon of the BVM in my front seat.
I'm thinking of Mary as the days begin to point to the Nativity of our Lord and wonder what Mary must have been thinking. She said, yes! Yes to the unknown. Yes to potential ridicule and danger. Yes to hope.
All of us, not only seminarians, have an opportunity to say yes to God. We can say YES to the unknown, undefined, uncharted future that is before us. We can say yes to the hope that is within us. Yes to paradox. We can say yes to kindness, yes to that space that allows those who are different from us and ourselves to be... to just be. Being. Pausing. Allowing someone that is in a hurry to pass, savoring the space that allows the expelled breath, that sigh of satisfaction, that nod to the Christ reflected and born again in the mind and heart.
I say yes to late night readings, yes to the moments of laughter, yes to preping for finals, yes to new ways of thinking, yes to new friends, yes to doing it differently, yes to preserving what is best, yes to making new traditions, and, YES to Advent's great pause. Everything seems the same, but everthing has changed.
I'm thinking of Mary as the days begin to point to the Nativity of our Lord and wonder what Mary must have been thinking. She said, yes! Yes to the unknown. Yes to potential ridicule and danger. Yes to hope.
All of us, not only seminarians, have an opportunity to say yes to God. We can say YES to the unknown, undefined, uncharted future that is before us. We can say yes to the hope that is within us. Yes to paradox. We can say yes to kindness, yes to that space that allows those who are different from us and ourselves to be... to just be. Being. Pausing. Allowing someone that is in a hurry to pass, savoring the space that allows the expelled breath, that sigh of satisfaction, that nod to the Christ reflected and born again in the mind and heart.
I say yes to late night readings, yes to the moments of laughter, yes to preping for finals, yes to new ways of thinking, yes to new friends, yes to doing it differently, yes to preserving what is best, yes to making new traditions, and, YES to Advent's great pause. Everything seems the same, but everthing has changed.
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