Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. 

I do not give to you as the world gives. 

Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  

                                                                                                                                                               John 14:27


I'm not a happy flier.  Given a choice, I'll choose to travel by auto or train rather than fly to my destination.  When I do fly, it's hard to put aside my fears so I spend a good portion of any flight in prayer.

One flight was different from the others I've made.  I'd been reading a spiritual book, and as I prayed and reflected, I reached a new understanding.  

All things work for good, for those who trust the Lord, yes?  (Romans 8:28)  I've taken comfort from this truth all my life.  During the flight, it suddenly hit me that my fear represented a lack of belief that, truly, all things do work for good.   

As I reflected on that idea, I realiazed that I do believe it to be true.  That being the case, what had I to fear?  I felt tremendous comfort and finally relaxed.

I hope this verse brings you comfort, too, and allows you to release the fears and what-ifs that make life so tense.

The Ones We Forget

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

Mark 11:25
 

Forgiveness work is an important part of a healthy spiritual life.  The consequences of unforgiveness have major spiritual, psychological, and even physical consequences.  It may not come naturally to us, but forgiveness is a practice that is too powerful to ignore.

If you are new to forgiveness work, check the series of posts I wrote that treat the topic more exhaustively.  For now, though, here are two things to remember.

The first is the issue of deserving.  Often, the thought comes to mind that this or that person doesn't deserve to be forgiven for such a horrendous act.  I won't debate that: many actions are so horrendous that the common attitude would be that the doer does not deserve to be forgiven.  

Don't let that stop you, though.  While those who do horrible things may not deserve your forgiveness, you deserve your freedom, and forgiveness is the way you get out from under the weight of those hurts and offenses.  

The second reminder concerns the offender.  Often when we do forgiveness work, we run though the hurts we've experienced personally.  We look for people who have not treated us as they should have.

In doing so, we omit an entire aspect of offenders: the people who are not part of our personal lives. Think of the customer or clerk who treated you rudely, the reckless driver who cut you off in traffic, the paper carrier who insists on tossing your newspaper into the ditch.  

Think of the criminals you see arrested on tv, the ministers who failed to live the gospel they preached,  the politicians whose greed and thirst for power offend you.  All the persons (or situations or institutions) that offend you when you hear or read about them are opportunities to forgive.  

I remember some of the old ladies of my youth.  "Bless your heart," they'd say when someone mentioned a trial in their lives.  "Bless their hearts," they say when told of people who were sick or in need.  They meant it, too: that was their heartfelt prayer for the unfortunate ones.

Like them, we can breathe a prayer of forgiveness when we are offended by what we read or see or hear.  Someone has committed a horrible murder?  "Bless his heart" or, if you prefer, "Bless his heart and bring him to justice."  Forgive in the way that seems best to you, but forgive.

 

Forgiveness hurts us, the unforgiving.  The offender wins again when we refuse to forgive, thus drawing all the unhappy consequences of unforgiveness our way.  Those consequences begin to accumulate as soon as we tighten our lips in condemnation.  

Do you have good reason for that anger?  I'll say yes, you do.  Is that reason good enough for you to suffer the consequences of refusing to move from anger to forgiveness?  Only you can answer that question.

Sticky Questions

There are a lot of those, aren't there!  When I was teaching in a publc school, a student came to my class shortly before the first bell.  She had been crying. 

"My cat died," she wailed. I commiserated with her and got a bit teary myself in sympathy.  Finally she asked the question that brought her to my room.  "When I said it was in heaven, my dad laughed at me and said animals just become dirt when they die.  Don't they go to heaven, like us?"

At the time, I was involved in a very fundamentalist prayer group within my larger church community.  I knew that the church maintained the position that animals did not possess an immortal soul and did, in fact, simply return to earth at death.  I knew the young girl wanted to hear anything but that, but I hesitated, not wishing to lie.

Sudenly I remember my second grade teacher, a dear nun, faced with the same question in a room filled with pet-loving seven-year-olds.  She reminded us of our catechism:  What is heaven but a place where we are with God in a state of perfect happiness.  She told us how deeply God loved us, and that He would never deprive us of anything to make our joy complete in heaven, and if when we got there we wanted our pets, of course God would see to it that our pets were there.  We were satisfied, as of course we would want our dear pets with us again.  In later years, we were taught the church's bitter truth, but for the moment, we second graders were comforted and happy.

I told my student the same thing, and like me so many years before, she was comforted and happy.  

She'd no sooner left the room than I was filled with doubt about my response.  Visions of millstones hung around my neck filled me with regret. Had I led one of God's own astray?  I quickly prayed for guidance, resolving to myself that I would retract my answer if that was the guidance I received.  But I received no guidance as the students came, talking and laughing, into my classroom. 

It was library day, so after homeroom I hurried to meet my classes there.  I was glad I didn't have to teach, as my heart was so troubled by the morning's events. 

After the librarian's lesson, the students wandered the stacks, choosing the books they wanted to check out for their monthly book report.  One of their favorite tricks was to select ad book and, rather than remove it from the shelf, pull the top edge down so that the book protruded into the aisle to catch the unwary browser as he passed. 

I wandered the aisles, too, pushing the books back into place as I monitored my class.  Walking the library that morning, troubled as I was, I unthinkingly removed one book from the shelf, a large slender volume. I idly looked at it; it was an old volume, with no title visible on spine or front cover.  I moved to return it to the shelf as usual but pulled it back out instead.  I had a sudden curiosity as to the book's title.  I opened the cover, intent on discovering the title of this particular book even as I recognized the triviality and foolishness of my desire.  I persisted, though, and turned the beginning pages - and had one of those gasping moments when suddenly everything around you fades away.

The book whose title I'd felt such urgency to discover was The Cat who Went to Heaven, by Elizabeth Coatsworth. 

I stared at the title page, and was surrounded by the deepest peace I've ever known.  I had received the guidance I sought, and my heart was untroubled and light once more.

The Roman Catholic church hierarchy would disagree with me, I am sure, but I believe that sometimes our best guidance comes not from a dogmatic authority figure but from Loving Creator Godself, directly to us. And when that guidance comes, I believe that we can trust it. 

January 22

Today is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the ruling that legalized abortion in the US.

I remember the discussions in religion class about abortion.  Discussing whether abortion was moral was NOT the focus; discussing WHEN it was moral was the focus.

I'm reminded of that today.  In the years since Roe v. Wade, the anti-abortion people have increasingly framed their argument on the black-and-white foundation: abortion is wrong, that's all there is to it, and therefore it should not be available.  Period.

Relatively few things in life are that clear-cut.  We can agree that killing is wrong, but how many situations are there in which it is not only proper but even heroic? 

Much of the opposition to abortion comes from the right-wing Christian Evangelical base.  Because their interpretation of the Bible says abortion is wrong, it is wrong and therefore should not be available.  Period.

These are the same people who would be up in arms if our Jewish friends, who believe that eating pork is wrong, demanded pork be removed from store shelves. 

I believe that these abortion foes are utterly sincere in their belief; I was one of them for many years and still believe that abortion would likely be the wrong choice if I were in that predicament. 

But I'm not.  And for me to tell another woman that she MUST bring a pregnancy to term would be as wrong as forcing everybody to become Christian. 

There's a hypocrisy in the Evangelical opposition to abortion that the right-wing conveniently overlooks.  Many evangelical Christians belive that drinking alcohol or getting a divorce is sinful.  Where is the outcry to pass laws making alcohol and divorce unavailable?

There is none.  Instead of insisting no one have access to alcohol or divorce, they simply teach their beliefs and urge their followers to uphold them. 

I believe the same approach to abortion - teach that it is wrong within your church or home, but allow women to make their own choices - is the better way.  In my opinion, it is the more Christian way.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.Phil. 4:13

 Ever have one of 'those' days?  A day when you are tired or ill, aching or in pain?  Maybe it's a day when you simply cannot face going to a job you dislike, or perhaps a job where your co-workers are unfriendly.  Maybe it's a day when the endless parade of creditors' calls are simply more than you can stand. 

 

Whatever the provocation, we've all experienced a time in which the dawn of a new day seemed not like a fresh round of opportunity, blessing, an fulfillment but like another endurance trial.  Challenges come to us all, but sometimes they pile up like jets over the runway - and we want to run, to hide, to do anything to get relief.

 

The world offers a lot of quick fixes - whether it's a shopping spree, alcohol, drugs, food, a day at the casino, whatever.  All these 'fixes' have a catch, though, like so many of the world's pleasures.  After the high has worn off, the same problems are waiting for you.  Often the fix creates new problems, which make your temporary 'relief' a new problem in itself. 

 

Those of us who profess a vibrant faith - or even a weak one - have an advantage on such days.  We can turn to Christ, we can give over all the troubles that keep us awake at night.  He upholds us through our trials and brings us to safety and wholeness.  Even in the midst of them, we can find peace simply by acknowledging his loving presence with us.  Something as simple as repeating the verse above or invoking the name of Jesus like a mantra can bring us back to center, and from there, strengthened, we can go on.  

 

This is a verse that has helped millions through trials of all kinds and continues to encourage Christians daily.  May this short verse be a blessing to you in your own difficulties.  

 

 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
     so great is his love for those who fear him;
  as far as the east is from the west,
     so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 

                                                                               Psalm 103:11-12

Some people say that Christians who focus on Love are missing the boat theologically.   They point to verses which depict God's anger at our transgressions.  It's very true that such verses are right there in scripture.  Why do I and others skip over them as human error that has crept into the Bible?  
                                                                                                                                 Personally, verses that are not in keeping with the teachings of Jesus, I regard as humanly inspired.  If God sent his Son to save us, to teach us...why wouldn't we give the teachings of Jesus first place?  

This verse is, I believe, a beautiful depiction of the boundless love Creator offers each of us, a love that no fault or sin of ours can destroy, a truly unconditional love.  

Glossing over the love of God to focus on our transgressions is where we make our mistake.  I suspect it is only when we come to a deeper realization of that endless love that we are able to begin, finally, to appreciate the teachings of Christ.  

As long as we focus on wrongdoing and wrath and condemnation, we are out of step with Jesus, who condemned only those who focused on...wrongdoing and wrath and condemnaton.   

"A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."  John 13:34-35   

Seems clear enough.

Trust in the LORD and do good;
     dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
     Delight yourself in the LORD
     and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

                                                                                             Psalm 37:3-4

It's easy to glance at this verse and dismiss it as a feel-good sop for fearful Christians.  It offers us a deeper truth, however, one which can transform our lives.

If we do trust God, if we actually delight in the Lord, our lives will reflect it.  We will do good because we will delight in good works.  We will be transformed and, yes, we will receive the desires of our hearts.

In discussing this, I remember a woman who protested, "But we won't want the same things!" She's right.  When we are transformed, our desires are transformed, too.  How could it be otherwise?  

For her, this was a major problem.  She wanted what she wanted at that moment.  She was willing to be transformed, but she wanted the assurance that God would give her the Malibu beachfront home which was her dream.  The thought that she might not want that home if she gave herself up to God was a deal-breaker. 

What's your deal-breaker?  What hearts-desires are you unwilling to trust in God's hands? 

 

Tuesday, January 15

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
                                                                                                                                    John 13:34, 35 

To me, this is the bottom line of Christianity: love one another.  If we won't do that, we're just Pharisees taking the easy way out.  

Easy?  With all those laws and dogmatic rules?  

Jesus tells us to love others as we love ourselves, to go the extra mile, to share what we have with the poor, to forgive those who hurt us.  Jesus tells us to care for those we might prefer to ignore, to welcome those we want to turn away, to embrace those we wish to reject. 

Yes, I think it's a lot easier to follow rules than to follow Jesus's law of love.  Being Christian is not for sissies!

Abundant Life

 
 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
  “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

                                                                                                                                      Luke 18:9-14

Now that I'm able to get into the blog, my task is to get back into the habit of writing.  Patience appreciated!

This morning during my reading, the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector leapt out at me.  Anyone reading the news is aware that there are a lot of Pharisees out there, religious leaders ready to proclaim that only they have the correct teachings, that everyone else is somehow not Christian at all. 

What struck me about this familiar parable was the description of the Pharisee as someone confident of  his own righteousness and who looked down on everyone else.  Although the Pharisee fasted and tithed and obeyed the laws - it was not enough.  And although it is not mentioned in the text, I am struck by the degree of judgment displayed by the Pharisee.

We talk about humility in the church, and many of those Pharisees out there are quick to say they are sinners. I wonder, though, if in so doing they are simply complying with the letter of the law, so to speak.  What strikes me is that pride and judgment go hand in hand. 

It's hard not to judge, as we are called to judge constantly in life.  We must judge whether a teacher's words are in keeping with what we understand to be the teachings of Christ; we are called to do that by Jesus himself. 

It seems to me that the key is Love.  The Pharisee's problem was that he regarded others through eyes of condemnation, not eyes of love.  We MUST reject teachings that are incompatible with Love, teachings that do not place love above the law, as Christ did.  In so doing, though, we must be on guard against our human tendency to reject those who follow such teachings. 

That's that hard part, isn't it! 

Whew!

 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ Luke 15:9

Readers may remember this verse from the parable of the Lost Coin. It's appropriate!  After I wrote last, I had another bout of ill health, and when I was feeling better, tried to log on - and couldn't!  Weeks of searching the same files, the same notebooks followed - to no avail. Finally, today - I have it, and so we begin again.  

The weeks of inability to post have been interesting.  I've missed writing, even though I have no idea that anyone is actually reading this.  I trust that whoever can be blessed by it will find it at the proper time.  That part of it is out of my hands, and that's ok by me.

The repeated searches have prompted me to  begin what I've long been meaning to do: organize.  Organization comes naturally to many people; clearly, I am not one of them.  Finding ways to organize my materials and information more effectively has been challenging, not that I've completed the task.  If I made New Year's resolutions, this would be a good one.  

The verse I chose for today was a bit tongue-in-cheek, given my long predicament, but not entirely so.  The idea of lost and found is both familiar and profound.  We often claim to have lost things, though usually we've only mislaid them.  I sometimes wonder if anything is really 'lost.'

We take a wrong turn when traveling and get lost; yet we eventually get to our destination.  Our loved ones pass on, losing their lives so to speak - only they live on in spirit in a life far more joyful and glorious than earthly life could hope to be.  We lose our faith - or so we think.

I am not so sure that anyone loses their faith.  I know people who discount faith, preferring the theories of science to those of theology.  I know people who have faltered in their faith, rendered doubtful by the enormity of their pain.  I know people who reject faith, angered by the injustices they observe around them - injustices a loving God would not allow, they reason.  

But lose faith?  Does anyone wake up one day simply to realize that - the faith of yesterday has left?  I doubt that.  In my experience, faith never deserts us.  We may look the other way, we may mislay it in unrelated events and circumstances, we may furiously cast it aside - but those are very different situations.  Faith doesn't evaporate. Like God, it is with us always.  We have only to recognize it, then, like the widow, we too may rejoice. 

The Dirtiest Word, Part Five

“Come now, let us settle the matter,”
    says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
    they shall be like wool.  Isaiah 1:18

In the Community Catholic Church, reconciliation is joyful, whether it takes place in the context of the Eucharist or Mass, or whether it is received as a sacrament in its own right.

During the Mass, we invite those present to consider their sins and to express their contrition in prayer.  The entrance rites include a confession and absolution of sin.  For some people, this confession serves their need for forgiveness.

Sometimes, people need or want a more personal experience of forgiveness.  In that case, they can request the sacrament of reconciliation, often before a regular Mass or by appointment.  In the sacrament, after a brief prayer or scripture, the penitent will confess their sin and receive absolution through the words of the priest.  Normally, this is followed by a brief reassurance of God's love and the penitent's own goodness and worthiness.  It is a very affirming experience, as it should be.  After all, we are God's own children, cherished and loved more than we could ever imagine.

It is the job of the church to share this good news with everyone, that God loves us always and forever, that we are all one family united by this love.  Anytime the words or sacraments of the church leave us feeling anything less, there's a problem in the church. 

The Dirtiest Word, Part Four

(Continuing the series begun Nov. 1)

Why would anyone in their right mind want to seek out a Catholic priest to receive the sacrament of reconciliation when we already know that God always forgives us when we ask?

One reason is that the sacrament is scriptural, given to us by Christ Himself.  In John 20, we read the story of Jesus's resurrection from the dead.  He appears to Mary and later that day joins the apostles where they had gathered together.

Now when it was late that same day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them: Peace be to you.

And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord.

He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you.

When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost.

Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.  John 20: 19-23

With these words, Jesus commissioned the apostles, a commission passed through the Apostolic Succession to the ordained priests of the Catholic churches.                                                                 

Another reason is that we're human and forgiveness is a major issue in our lives.  Forgiving other humans who hurt us is hard.  We have trouble accepting the forgiveness of those we hurt, too, sometimes asking more than once for forgiveness for a single offense.  Most of all, we have trouble forgiving ourselves, experiencing guilty feelings to a sometimes-crippling degree.  We punish others, and we punish ourselves.  We hang onto old hurts, wondering if remembering them means we haven't forgiven them.

When we deal with God, a lot of these human struggles with forgiveness come into play.  We may wonder whether we're truly sorry or just going through the motions.  We may question whether the degree of contrition we feel is sufficient to gain God's forgiveness.  We may even examine the circumstances of our lives, searching for a sign of God's forgiveness.  It can be difficult to trust that our prayer 'worked.'

The sacrament of reconciliation relieves those doubts.  We have Jesus's word for it.

Finally, the sacrament is a joyful experience of God's never-failing love.  Yes, joyful!  How can reunion with God be anything but sweet?  The sacrament of reconciliation brings not only forgiveness but freedom.  It is truly a joyful and happy experience to receive God's forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation.

So what's the problem?  The problem is that so many of us have been hurt in the sacrament of reconciliation.  Instead of finding release from the burden of sin and joyful reunion with our loving Father, many Catholics have entered the confessional and experienced the priest's version of that rigid, angry God-Judge-and-Jury.  Instead of receiving a joyful assurance of forgiveness, they hear the words of absolution being spoken much like an angry father saying, "Well, ok this time - but I've got my eye on you!"

A priest who gives absolution in a disapproving manner does not mirror God's love effectively.  The penitent may be forgiven, but the joy has been drained from the experience.  The penitent may leave feeling unworthy, retaining feelings of guilt instead of the sublime freedom the sacrament is meant to offer.  They are indeed forgiven, but they may not be able to accept it if the confessor's own attitude taints the sacrament.

Such confessions have driven many Catholics from not only the sacrament but the Church.  It is a tragedy that a sacrament meant to bring us into union with God would prove to be a stumbling block for so many.
Tune in tomorrow as we conclude this series.

The Dirtiest Word, Part Three

(continuing the series begun Nov. 1)

What shall we do about the fact of sin?

Well, first, we admit that we have fallen short.  We recognize those behaviors, words, and thoughts that have been unloving.  We recognize that our indulgence in them has put us out of alignment with God - not because God has turned from us when we sin but because we have turned from Love.  After we recognize our sin, we have a choice.  We can make excuses and attempt to rationalize it; this rarely has the effect of re-aligning us with God's love.

Or we can reject sin and choose re-alignment with God's love.  We repent and ask God's forgiveness.

In the past, penance was a means of demonstrating repentance.  This may bring to mind a variety of unsavory practices like torn garments, sackcloth and ashes, self-flagellation, and an assortment of uncomfortable practices and perspectives.  In our understanding, while such things have meaning for others, they are unnecessary in our effort to turn from sin and find forgiveness.

In the Roman Catholic church, the first step toward receiving forgiveness was to confess one's sins to a priest, who would then extend God's forgiveness to the penitent (John 20:23).   Unfortunately, many of the old practices and perspectives of repentance have been and still are influencing that sacrament.

As a lifelong Catholic, I have received the sacrament of reconciliation, as it is now known in the church, probably hundreds of times.  Some confessors ministered the discipline of the church, with harsh admonitions to honor my parents, to tell the truth, to keep from anger, or whatever I happened to confess that week.  They scolded me, then gave me my penance, which was normally the recitation of prayers for some intention, perhaps for the Holy Father or the hungry or the sick.  In later years, after Vatican II, the penance was often to commit some good work.

In addition, some confessors were better able to set their human personality aside in the confessional box, the better to minister God's everlasting forgiveness and love.  A priest who had been lied to all his life may get a little venting in before saying the words of forgiveness.  A priest whose parents had divorced might speak quite severely to a penitent who confessed an extramarital affair.  One who struggled with celibacy might be very hard on a young boy who struggled with impure thoughts or masturbation.  I do not say this to condemn such priests; I suspect they felt that it was God directing them to speak so sternly.  We are all human, and priests are no exception.

It is unfortunate, though, since in our understanding of the nature of God's love, the confession of even the most horrendous of sins would find a loving understanding and full forgiveness.  Like the Prodigal Son, we may approach the sacrament with our heads low in sorrow, but God meets us there in a joyful embrace filled with delight at re-established union.

In some churches, the practice is simply to ask in prayer for forgiveness.  When we are genuinely sorry, God forgives us.  Always.

In our church, we offer the sacrament of reconciliation, or confession, for those who desire it.  Why would anyone in their right mind want to go to confession?  Tune in tomorrow. 

The Dirtiest Word, Part Two

(Continued from Nov. 1)
You probably know someone whose anger with God is so great that even the word 'God' offends them.  So great is the hurt inflicted by a church that dismisses our suffering as pleasing to some great rigid God-Judge whose anger must be continually appeased through punishment or even eternal condemnation.

This idea does not resonate with us as a true depiction of Loving Creator. If God loves us, then it stands to reason that God's love is deeper and purer than ours, tainted as it is by our own self-interest.  That being the case, we matter to Loving Creator not as fellow sufferers with Christ but as fellow children of God.  Rather than lowly, unworthy beings, we are beloved children.

Even beloved children can sin, however.  We are, after all, beloved human children subject to the tug of our understandings, emotions, and desires.  The various pains of human life are hard to ignore, as well, and all these aspects of our humanity drive us to words and actions that are unloving at times, actions that are unworthy of us as Children of God.

Occasionally, we find ourselves in situations so painful that we forget our true identity as God's own.  We may respond to such troubling circumstances with actual malice and perhaps even anger to the point of hatred.  Our hurt may be so intense that, having moved from alignment with Love, we find relief only in unloving, hurtful behavior.

We may say harsh things that wound others.  We may take what is not ours.  We may refuse to admit the truth or tell deliberate untruths.  We may brood over our hurt and grow sullen and bitter and become sour on life. Perhaps we direct our unhappiness toward Creator, rejecting God who has not answered a prayer or transformed a situation to our satisfaction. 

In short, these human responses so unlike Love are what we call sin.  They do not make us horrible beings worthy only of death; they are reflections of our humanity in action.  We can call them lessons or mistakes, if the word 'sin' is so abhorrent to us, but that does not change the truth that sin exists.

So if sin exists, what do we do about it? 

The Dirtiest Word

I'll bet several candidates come to you as you consider the title, but I suspect the one I have in mind didn't make the top ten: sin.

In in the mind of many progressive or liberal Christians, sin has come to be a dirty word.  Instead, they speak of lessons and mistakes and human failings.  Those are very gentle ways to refer to the Actions Formerly Known as Sin.  Such words do not damage self-esteem, criticize, or condemn.  They do not alienate people.  Jesus, however, never told anyone their 'human failings' were forgiven; he spoke of sin.

The problem is not with the word sin or even the concept of sin.  We recognize actions as right or wrong with ease.  We all know very well when someone has 'sinned' against us. Why, then, the reluctance to admit that sin exists and that we are all guilty of it, when we readily acknowledge that we all fail to live up to the Christian ideal?

Perhaps the reason for our rejection of sin lies less in any unwillingness to admit we err than in the way sin and forgiveness have been presented by the traditional mainline Catholic and Protestant churches.  Often, I was taught that because we were sinful human beings, we were unworthy of God's love.  Instead, we merited only God's disdain, and the fact that God loved us at all was only testament to the goodness of God rather than any lovable aspect of us lowly humans.

Even now, after years of prayer and study, I can feel myself grow tense just typing those old teachings.  Such power has the condemnation of the church - and what the church condemned was, well, our humanity.  Nothing of us was good.  Any good in us was God's spirit dwelling within.  Our job was to root out our humanity as much as we could, chiefly by denial of anything that gave us pleasure.

Such teachings gave rise to barbaric practices.  Pain became viewed as a gift from God to help us burn off the punishment due our sins - this despite Jesus having suffered for our sins on the cross.  And if God didn't gift us with enough pain in life, we were taught to make sacrifice by forgoing innocent joys and pleasures.  Religious were urged to use the discipline - which was a small belt, whip, or flogger - regularly.

These ideas sound medieval, but they persist in the modern day.  Pope John Paul II seems to have used a belt as his personal discipline and is rumored to have slept on the hard floor rather than his comfortable bed.  On Good Friday, some devout Christians take to flogging themselves, even crucifying themselves as penance for their and the world's sins.  Even today, some segments of Christianity see this as pleasing to God.

We don't understand a loving God taking delight in our pain any more than a loving human parent enjoys watching a beloved child suffer, and that's what we are:  God's beloved children.

More tomorrow. 

Middle and Aftermath

Our hearts go out to all affected by the superstorm Sandy.  So many people are hurt or in need, and it's not over yet.  Sandy is expected to bring flooding and power outages to those in its wake as it moves farther west.  If you are able, please consider making a donation to the American Red Cross to assist those who are displaced, homeless, or otherwise in need. 

Here's the link to donate:  https://www.redcross.org/donate/index.jsp?donateStep=2&itemId=prod10002
God bless us all in these difficult days. 

Reason for Joy

Life is hard, I know.  If we listen to our conversations, we'd probably hear a litany of complaints about work, finances, the kids, our health, the house, you name it. I don't mean to minimize the validity of our concerns.  We have genuine problems.  

However, sometimes we give those problems disproportionate 'air-time' in our conversation.  We give them too much head-time as we mull them over and over in our minds.  In so doing, we simply magnify the worry and angst of our problems.  Worrying rarely generates helpful strategies for handling issues, but it can surely make it seem as though our live is filled only with trouble. 

Not true.  There is always something for which to be grateful, for which to praise God's goodness.  

My family has been stressed over the outcome of tests one of my sisters recently took.  We've been praying hard that the results would not indicate cancer.  Today they came back - normal.  You can bet we're all smiling.  Today, nothing is a problem: my sister is ok.  

Sometimes it takes a scare to make us realize how fortunate we are, how gracious God is to us, how very good our lives are.  It's better to be thankful without a scare, certainly, but even fearful things serve us, if they drive us to turn God-ward in prayer. The Psalmist gives us God's response:

 When he calls to me, I will answer him;    

I will be with him in trouble - Psalm 91 v. 15

Beauty Everywhere

It's a beautiful day here in Niagara: the sky is clear, the sun is shining, the trees are wearing their autumn colors.  I hear the blue jays at the feeder, and the squirrels have been busy.  Observing the day's beauty, I feel my stress drain away. 

What beauty do you see as you look around?  It may be that you look upon a busy city street with people hurrying to complete their tasks.  You may be surrounded by fields in the midst of their final harvest.  You may even be looking out upon snowy vistas, as a friend shared yesterday.

My father was a photographer.  As a young child, I enjoyed looking through the photos he had taken for his course.  Many were industrial shots that puzzled me.  "Can't you see the beauty?" he asked.  "Look at them!  See the lines of the pipes?  Look how this section is dark, while this area is filled with light."  Patiently, he showed me what appealed to him in the scenes.  He taught me that there is always something beautiful to see if you only look for it.

I was reminded of that when I saw a photograph of an ordinary garage-floor oil slick recently.  The photographer had captured the play of colors in the oil against the pale concrete, seeing beauty where many of us (myself included!) would simply have seen something needing to be cleaned. 

If we take the time, we will discover much beauty to appreciate and, in that appreciation, we will find our hearts uplifted and our worries eased.  Often, though, we do not grant ourselves even that momentary respite from our tasks and concerns.  It may seem like a waste of time or an exercise in selfishness. 


You may recall having set an especially nice table or done something nice to surprise a loved one.  If your loved one failed to notice it or, even worse, glanced at it and dismissed it, you know how hurtful such disappointment is. 

God has set before us not a beautiful table but a beautiful world.  How sad if we fail to notice it or dismiss it as 'just another autumn day.'  I'm not suggesting that our failure to appreciate the world is hurtful to God at all, but why don't we ever considered that taking time to appreciate the world around us may be not only helpful and relaxing but also holy?

Enjoying the beauty God offers is an opportunity to gift God with our loving appreciation for the blessings around us.  What could be holier? 

Reassurance

For years I followed a reading plan that took me though the entire Bible each year.  Over time, though, I focused on the Gospels and my favorite books of the Old Testament, like Psalms.  Today this passage from Psalms caught my eye, and I was struck by the loving reassurance it offers:

The Lord makes firm the steps
    of the one who delights in him; 

 though he may stumble, he will not fall,
    for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

 I was young and now I am old,
    yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
    or their children begging bread.

Psalm 37:23-25

So many of us are facing difficult days.  Here in Niagara, the High Season has ended and the season of slow business and decreased income has begun.  It's scary, when even the High Seasons have been slow these past years. 

There are so many scary things in our world: violence, sickness, loss of loved ones, broken relationships.   Yet the Psalmist offers us great consolation: though we may face hard days, God will uphold us.  I love the last verse, especially.  How often have we said such things to encourage others who are fearful?  In the same way, the Psalmist understands our struggles and worry and encourages us.  

These words have been the strength of generations.  I hope they comfort you as they do me. 

Delight the Lord

Bible verse for today: 

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.  Proverbs 12:22 

 Truth seems cheap these days.  Cheating and plagiarism are rampant, from kids in school to young adults in university to even presidential candidates.  Copyrights are violated, trademarks are stolen, and lying is regarded as a minor offense, if not a complete non-issue.

But that is the way of the world, and we as Christians are called to something better.  Something purer.  Something fairer.  Something more just.  We are called to walk in the light, to be children of Light.  We are called to be truthful.

Honesty, integrity - these are important qualities for Christians.  The Scripture writer tells us that lying is an abomination, so important is honesty in God's eyes.  Be mindful of this when you are tempted to cheat, to take the easy way out, to tell the white lie, or to ignore your child's copied homework.  Honesty counts.