St. Matthias

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Acts of the Apostles, disciples, faithfulness, hope, Jesus, St. Matthias, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, warm heart, witness

Today my Church honors St. Matthias, a man who was mentioned only once in the Scriptures. The event was a momentous one for him and a lesson for people who live in consistent attention to their spiritual lives. The first lectionary reading today tells the story of how Matthias became the replacement for Judas in the band of apostles. (ACTS 1:15-26) He was one of the two nominees for the position because he had accompanied the apostles the whole time Jesus was with them “from the baptism of John to the day on which he was taken up,” having also been a witness to the Resurrection. He was clearly one of those folks who knew the value of staying close to the example and teachings of Jesus – without needing to be known as “one of the Twelve.”

I spent this past weekend with a cohort of people who gave witness to the kind of faithfulness Matthias showed toward life with Jesus. It was a privilege to be in the company of such welcoming individuals who have grown together as a community – some for many years and some who have only recently experienced the spirit that holds their parish together, manifested in willingness to accompany one another in loving service. I would venture to say as well that none of them are looking for recognition as “leader of the pack.” Everyone just pitches in to do what they are able for the good of the whole, something Matthias would have understood when he was chosen by lot (a process that reinforces the value of all “contenders”).

I came home with a warm heart and renewed hope for the future because of that energetic and joyful band of disciples living and loving in the state of Maryland, USA. Thanks be to God!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not Quite Yet…

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Advent, breathe, Christmas, faithfulness, Peace, stillness, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today we have a strange confluence of Church events. This morning we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent when we normally prepare to wait a little longer for the celebration of the Incarnation. We have, however, by liturgical rules and the calendar, run out of days before December 24th – Christmas Eve – which ushers in what is never a moveable feast: Christmas Day! So perhaps we are brought up short in our spiritual preparation and need to step back to assess our readiness.

For me, this is a moment of “Stop the world; I want to get off!” as I can already hear the preparations in full swing downstairs. As I look at lectionary readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, I hear again and again the promise of God’s faithfulness and know that these reminders will remain and even be strengthened during the Christmas season when the appearance of the Christ as a tiny child is the evidence. I need now to find moments of inner stillness in this day of heightened expectation, to stop and breathe into the great mystery of love that is unfolding in the silence.

Can we stay in the waiting while on the verge of the bursting forth? Only as we breathe the peace that we long for. Breathe now…just breathe…

 

 

 

 

 

Delightful Fruits

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Confirmation, courage, faithfulness, generosity, gentleness, Holy Spirit, joy, kindness, knowledge, love, patience, Peace, reverence, right judgment, self-control, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, understanding, wisdom, wonder & awe in God's presence

Part of my preparation for receiving the sacrament of Confirmation was to memorize all the gifts that I would receive from the Holy Spirit. Since I was only twelve years old at the time, I’m not sure how I understood the promise of those gifts. Much later, when teaching Confirmation classes to teenagers, it was still difficult to imagine – even in new translation – how suddenly the confirmands would become spiritually adult, having received gifts of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, right judgment, courage, reverence and wonder & awe in God’s presence as the bishop laid hands on their heads and anointed them. I was lucky to team-teach those classes for a couple of years with a colleague of my age who explained very well to candidates that these gifts, if nurtured by the recipient, would grow in them as they matured. I remember the first time he said, “I was in my thirties when I first realized what that meant.” For him – and for me still – it was good to pull that list out from the brain filed under the title Gifts to grow into to see how we were doing. It still is.

This morning I read another list of Spirit-gifts – not so commonly referred to these days – that I also learned as a young person. These are called by St. Paul in the 5th chapter of his letter to the Galatians fruits of the Spirit. It was a good practice to take inventory of how these qualities that seem somehow more concrete and practical have or have not come to find a home in me as I try to live a good life. Take a look and see what seems to be flourishing in you these days.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Palm Sunday

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bad news, betrayal, crucifixion, death, faithfulness, Good News, Holy Week, Isaiah, Jerusalem, Luke, Palm Sunday, Philippians, praise, psalm 22, surrender, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, torture, trust

We have often heard the adage: “Good news, bad news – who knows!” The caution in this statement is about holding out until the end, when the final conclusion allows an informed assessment of whether the situation under consideration is, in fact, good or bad news.

Palm Sunday is the epitome of a good news/bad news story. We begin with Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem to jubilant chants of “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” (LK 19: 28-40) and end with the crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus as Luke tells the story (LK 22:14-23:56). Admittedly there is some telescoping of the time frame as we know the incidents happened over several days rather than all at once, but it is nevertheless a stunning example of the vicissitudes of crowd mentality.

Reflecting on this Sunday’s readings one realizes that the need for the faithful to wait for “the rest of the story” is implicit at each step. Isaiah’s words (IS 50: 4-7) paint a fearful picture of what the servant suffers in trying to speak God’s word to the weary: beatings, plucking of his beard, buffets and spitting. The message to us, however, is in the last verse where the prophet witnesses to God’s faithfulness in all the violence he has endured. The Lord God is my help, he says, therefore I am not disgraced. I have set my face like flint, knowing I shall not be put to shame.

The refrain of the responsorial psalm (PS 22): My God, my God, why have you abandoned me could be interpreted as despair of the crucified Jesus. Not so! Jesus, who likely knew all 150 psalms by heart, knew the ending. Like Isaiah, he trusted that whatever happened, God was faithful and worthy of praise: I will proclaim your name to my brethren, the psalmist sings; in the midst of the assembly I will praise him. (vs.23)

Even as we focus on reciprocal fidelity as the linchpin of relationship between God and Jesus, we know that the suffering endured in the Paschal Mystery was monumental. From betrayal of friends to physical torture and death, Luke’s gospel reminds us that Jesus trusted God and poured himself out in love for our sake. It would behoove us to spend time with this text seeing anew each compassionate encounter on his path from the Last Supper to the cross.

Only the Letter to the Philippians speaks from a post-resurrection perspective today (PHIL 2:6-11). It is the willingness of Jesus to surrender everything that leads to his exaltation as Lord. But let us not be too hasty to reach the finish line. Let us rather take every step of this Holy Week with Jesus, trusting as he did that the Lord God is our help.

The Balance of Power

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authority, discern, faithfulness, Israel, Jesus, justice, love, Mark, psalm 89, Samuel, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, truth

Today’s readings reflect on the question and content of authority. In the Hebrew Scripture (1 SM 8:4-7, 10-22) the elders of Israel come to Samuel in his old age and insist that they need a king to rule – as is the case in other nations. Samuel points out what that might mean in terms of the authority a king would have over the people that would change life as they know it, but they continue to insist. God tells Samuel to give them what they want and learn by experience what it means.  In the gospel (MK 2:1-12), when Jesus heals a paralytic by saying, “Your sins are forgiven,” the scribes grumble about where he gets the authority to talk that way. Jesus, knowing his own authority and that it comes from God, asks whether it is easier to tell the man his sins are forgiven (indicating, I think, a deeper healing) or to get up and walk. As with Samuel, Jesus then says to the man, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat and go home.” When he did, the people “were all astounded and glorified God.”

The question of how people view authority and where true power really lies led me from those readings to the psalm refrain (PS 89:16-19). In both traditional and modern language, the seat of power seems to rest in the balance between the light of love and justice. Here are three translations.

Blessed are the people who know the joyful shout; in the light of your countenance, O Lord, they walk. At your name they rejoice all the day, and through your justice they are exalted. For you are the splendor of their strength, and by your favor our horn is exalted. For to the Lord belongs our shield, and to the Holy One of Israel, our King.

Your guiding hands, your strengthening arms embrace us and draw us in and place us everywhere in right relationship to all: to truth and love and justice done, their one true source your face, your throne. And all who seek that face shall shout in festive praise. They walk and your abiding faithfulness lights up their way; their feet keep balance on the path of right towards you.

Blessed are those who know your Love, who walk in the Light of your countenance! Blessed are those who call upon your Name and extol truth and justice! For You are the glory of their strength; You give wise counsel. Our very lives belong to You, O Loving Companion Presence. 

To all of this I would add for our world today that those are blessed who are able to look deeply – past any “politically correct” rhetoric – to discern the heart of where true authority lies in others but also in ourselves. And blessed are we when we act from that deeper place regardless of the favor or criticism that may arise as a result.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be Your Note!

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Ephesians, faithfulness, gratefulness, harmony, love, Paul, praise God, psalm 33, rejoice, song praise, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

It seems that Paul and the Psalmist are working together this morning to communicate the wonder of God’s gifts and the necessity of praising God for them. Paul (EPH 3:14-21) speaks his own prayer for the community at Ephesus where he asks God that you may be strengthened…in your inner self, so that rooted and grounded in love you may comprehend…the breadth and length and height and depth…and be filled with all the fullness of God. He urges their own prayer with the confidence that God is able to accomplish far more than we can ask or imagine.

This message is echoed by PS 33: 1-5 as we are challenged to Rejoice, O all who live in love and harmony, in right relationship! How good the music made by those whose hearts are turned to God! Take up your instruments of song; take harp, guitar, the violin, horn and drum; give praise a voice, a song to sing! And new, fresh melodies will rise and ring in praise of One who gives us skill in song. Add your just and truth-filled words and say, God’s faithfulness shall be the subject of our praise. For on this earth, and above all else, you cherish justice, you honor peace. You  love it when true kindness reaches out to all.

With Paul’s reminder of God’s willingness to hear our prayer and the virtual orchestra of praise suggested by the psalmist I resolve to carry joy as companion through this day, determined to be the note that God chooses to play through me in harmony with all I meet.

Ripening Fruit

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faithfulness, fruits of the Holy Spirit, Galatians, generosity, gentleness, gifts of the Holy Spirit, joy, kindness, love, patience, Paul, Peace, self-control, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

When I was young I learned that in addition to the “Gifts of the Holy Spirit”, there were also other virtues to be developed by those on a spiritual path. These were called the “Fruits of the Holy Spirit”. As I have aged, I have come to regard these “fruits” as akin to my growth, not achieved by focused hard work but rather as the result of maturation – like fruit on a tree that needs the attention of the sun and rain and good soil in order to flourish. I can see that attention to and practice of the behaviors inherent in these virtues cause the “fruit” to manifest.

Paul gives us the list this morning (GAL 5), calling me to check in on the ripening of each in my heart and to give attention to those that still need time to mature. They are the following: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.