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endure, God is love, happiness, hope, hospitality, love one another, New American Bible, persevere, Romans, The Sophia Center for Spirituality
I was always envious of people who could quote Scripture with chapter and verse. I had my favorite passages – most of them short, like “God is Love” – but was usually only vaguely aware of where to find them in the Bible. The exception was Romans 12:12 (most likely because of the double 12) that reminded me to “base your happiness on your hope in Christ.”
I read the first lectionary text for today (ROM 12:9-16) at least three times looking for my favorite line, disappointed at not seeing it there. I concluded finally that perhaps the translation had been updated from my 1970 edition of the New American Bible. It finally occurred to me during my third attentive walk through each line that the whole text is an amazing pattern for life! Here’s a smattering of it. See if you don’t agree.
Brothers and sisters: let love be sincere…hold onto what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor…Rejoice in hope (new vs. 12!), endure in affliction, persevere in prayer…exercise hospitality…
Which line calls to you today?
Today we have an appearance of those two outspoken disciples, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. We first meet them in the gospel of Matthew as they are with their father preparing their nets for fishing. As with all the others who left what they were doing to follow Jesus, one wonders about the reaction in their family. We never meet the father again but their mother shows up in the gospel of Matthew asking for privilege for her sons (MT 20) and today we have Mark’s rendition of that event (MK 10:32-45) where the brothers speak for themselves. It’s a rather shocking passage but maybe understandable if you consider the haughty behavior of their mother recorded elsewhere. Asking Jesus that they be “seated one at your right and one at your left in your glory” is not at all in keeping with the humility expected of the closest followers of Jesus. Even worse is the fact that Mark pairs that conversation with Jesus telling the Twelve what was going to happen to him in Jerusalem – his suffering, death and resurrection.
The first lectionary text this morning (1PT 1:10-16) ended with a call to be holy with the simple statement “Be holy for I, the Lord, am holy.” Succinctly put, right? Then, in a commentary on today’s psalm I read a paragraph that seemed to follow and enhance the message of Peter, drawing us into a possible way of entering more deeply into relationship with this “Holy One.” See what you think.
Last night I watched the Memorial Day Celebration from the grounds of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. I thought it was just going to be a patriotic concert in honor of the Veterans of War. It was that, but much more. I found it difficult – as I hope everyone does – to watch the scenes of battle flashed on the big screens behind speakers that were paying tribute, but this year I was taken in by the stories of relationships forged in the shared experiences of real people who fought in those wars. Actors took on the characters of those who had written of their experiences, inviting hearers into the harsh realities that remained so vivid to this day. At the conclusion of each narrative, the actor(s) left the stage to embrace the real-life heroes of World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars who were present in the audience. There was a new emphasis as well on the women who have served our country from the early days to the present, stories of women who were not allowed to serve in combat so they found other ways by volunteering in various roles. Their stories spoke of valiant perseverance and love of country and were precursor to the experience of the first woman Silver Star recipient – in the audience with her parents- who had served and saved her comrades in the war in Afghanistan.
Today Christians mark the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. Having searched for something erudite but understandable to say about this feast that speaks of an incomprehensible truth, I will say only what I have found to be helpful in the description (not to say definition) of the Trinitarian God, *the Three-in-One, *the Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier, *the First Cause who manifested this and every other universe, who became incarnate as a human being to teach us how to live and die, and who finally left but remains in Spirit to guide our walk through this world.
I smiled as I read the psalm response in today’s lectionary readings. I thought it a good thing to remember on this weekend when many families and other groups gather from near and far to celebrate the unofficial start of summer – although the actual date is still nearly a month away. Here’s the line that stood out as good advice if the conversation gets at all contentious.
Today is a day that calls for living in the moment…but is also prompting me to remember the consistent goodness of God: past, present and future. The grass couldn’t be greener, the sun is full up and drying the dew, the promise of the meteorologists is for a perfect late spring day. The psalmist sings: Each day I bless you, God of all; never will I forget the good that you have meant to me. (PS 103:2) I think of the graced conversations of yesterday – each one giving me something to think about or thank God for, so that the feelings and sensations of such a blessed day remain. While holding it all lightly, willing for the encounters to be like deposits in my spiritual bank account, I look toward today with a willingness to accept whatever befalls me. It is my hope to remember all day long that wonderful reality – also called to mind by Psalm 103 – that we swim in mercy as in an endless sea.
I learned a long time ago the necessity of pruning: that even though it may seem cruel to cut off any part of a plant, cutting it back may cause the possibility of a stronger and healthier plant in the long run. It was the tomato section of our garden that taught me that hard lesson many years ago. I learned what “suckers” were that summer and the fact that the longer you left them, the more they drained the energy of the whole – without bearing fruit themselves.
Psalm 49 speaks loudly of the reality that “you can’t take it with you.” No matter our success or wealth, wise people die, the psalm says, “and likewise the senseless and the stupid pass away leaving to others their wealth.”
The psalmist is calling this morning for rest (PS 55) – not just because of fatigue but from all the evil in the world. What is most difficult for me to abide are the senseless killings in high schools that have increased exponentially this year. It’s so difficult to hear on the news about the lives of many good young people senselessly snuffed out for no reason except the revenge of a deranged shooter. Add to that all the disastrous weather conditions – the destructive storms and the monumental effects of the Hawaiian volcanic eruptions – and it’s no wonder that we might react to the cry of the psalmist.
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