This Thursday, September 11th is the 13th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States. We will recall the tragic events of 9-11-01 with a prayer service that evening at 7pm. These terrorist acts, and events more recently experienced, were and are inspired by a warped sense of religion. Because faith can be manipulated in evil and destructive ways, it is so important that we pray to God for the virtue of Brotherly Love. All are welcome.
Do I have to be
responsible?
Jesus said to his disciples: “Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.â€
There is a very close parallel between today’s Old Testament reading, Epistle, and Gospel. They all speak of a set of inter-related obligations we have as members of the Church. It is our call and obligation to be responsible for our brothers and sisters, to hold them accountable, and to do all of this in the spirit of love.
This call and obligation originate in our baptism. In baptism we are regenerated and made members of the Holy Church, the Body of Christ here on earth. As members and parts of the Body, we are responsible for taking care of the rest of the Body. As St. Paul tells us: But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
This responsibility extends to taking care of the parts of the Body that are sick – not just those who are physically or emotionally ill, but also those who are spiritually ill. This is one of the very hardest things to do, to encounter a Christian suffering in sin and to discuss it with them, to call them back to truth and faithfulness.
How hard is it to visit a sick person? That can make us feel uncomfortable. It reminds us of our human frailty. So much more is there fear in confronting a sinner. Not only is it uncomfortable, it reminds us that we sin and fall; that one day we too may be visited by someone who will call us back to faithfulness.
We must work diligently and pray for the courage to reach out to those who persist in sin, who have fallen away, or who bring division to the Body. This is an obligation of love. When we take up our responsibility we must be very careful so that it does not turn to judgmentalism or arrogance. As St. Paul notes: Love does no evil to the neighbor.
As we pray, we are given the grace and courage to lovingly call to the sick members of the Body to do what is right and to return. We are reassured that just as we act on our responsibility in a faithful manner, others will act responsibly toward us and bring us back when we fall ill with sin.
As we strive to live out our responsibilities, Jesus assures us that He remains with us. This gives us the confidence needed to take the track of loving responsibility.
A call to be
changed.
I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.
Today we celebrate a call to be changed, to offer ourselves to God in all we do, and in doing so to make His kingdom a reality.
How will we make this change real? How will we respond and get to work? What will we do to be transformed into people completely focused on carrying out God’s will for humanity?
Our Holy Church has designated this Sunday as Youth Sunday. Our youth will be returning to school. They will study and grow in knowledge so that they may take their place in society, contributing their work and effort – but to what end?
If their studies are self-focused, if they are taken up without due consideration of God’s call to be changed and to change the world, they will only make their lives small and self-serving. They may achieve earthly success, but in the process lose their souls. If however, their study and growth remain focused on God’s call to change and affect change in accord with His call, their lives will be glorious and complete. They will use what they have gained to come into union with God and to carry out His will. We must help them by our example, prayer, and support. Our duty is to continually assist them in realizing that everything they learn and do is a gift from God and requires a response to His call to change.
This weekend we also celebrate Labor Day. Our work and labor must also been seen in light of the call to be changed and change the world. Paraphrasing our organizer, Bishop Hodur: ‘The time will come when our heroes emerging from the homes of farmers and laborers will sweat and sacrifice not for kings or the rights of the privileged or a single class, but will battle and work for freedom and the rights of man. Let us gather and strive to be first in good and last in wrong. Then shall we bring ourselves, our nation, and the whole world closer to happiness and salvation.’
We are thus called to change ourselves and the world, to transform life away from the money-driven values of this world to the bringing of the kingdom of God.
We are called to make change real in the lives of our youth and in our lives. This is true worship: “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice†Do not live the status quo. It is not enough! Jesus put His body on the line for us. So we must put our lives on the line, changing them for Him and working for the coming of His kingdom.
All people?
Really?
The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, ministering to him, loving the name of the LORD, and becoming his servants—all who keep the Sabbath free from profanation and hold to my covenant, them I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.
This beautiful text recounts very powerful words to people who believed themselves to be exclusive. This sense of separateness built up in Israel over time – but this was not God’s way or instruction to Israel.
When Israel was constituted as a nation, a concern for resident aliens and foreigners was built into its legal system. The alien peoples received special protection under the law and were to be loved as native Israelites.
They came to or dwelt in Israel for various reasons including for the specific purpose of knowing God. All foreigners sojourning in Israel were counted as its people under the care and protection of God. Those who were joined to Israel through circumcision could join in the Passover. All were expected to honor and follow the laws of the Lord including the Sabbath rest. No foreigner was to be vexed or oppressed. They were to be loved, helped in distress, and have justice in all disputes.
Of all nations only Israel’s law, given by God, contained legislation for the resident alien. When Israel received the Promised Land she was required to purge it of its foreign population. But, foreigners in this context represented those hostile to her – it did not mean complete exclusion. Israel’s entire existence was bound up with being a blessing to all nations.
Various scriptures including Solomon’s prayer at the inauguration of the temple implied that God’s house was a house of prayer for all peoples. Israelite and foreigner could both pray to the Lord. Today’s words from Isaiah re-speak those words as instructed by God.
By the time of Jesus’ coming Israel had become extremely exclusive, and forgot God’s words – to be a blessing and mission to the nations. Jesus’s life is replete with His reaching out to foreigners – they were present at His birth, during His ministry where He interacted, preached to, and healed them. Paul clearly states that in Christ all are called and there is no negative racial, linguistic, or ethnic difference. We are gifts to each other.
Jesus’ call is never to separateness, to dissolution, or hopelessness – but to hope for all people in all circumstances. May God be praised for choosing and loving all!
They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be a time for you to bear testimony. Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death; you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives. — Luke 21:11-19
Let us pray for the Christians of and in Iraq. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ, members of the body of Christ, our family.
Lord God, Father Almighty, grant by Your strong arm that Your Church in Iraq may be saved and preserved from every evil. Grant also that it may remain steadfast and persevere in faith before the evils of the enemy. If called to martyrdom, may Your Church show forth strong witness; for You preserve our lives even if we lose them in the eyes of the world. May we too be strengthened to serve you in imitation of the courage of the Holy Martyrs of Iraq. We ask this through Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
O God, Who rules the world from everlasting to everlasting; speak to our hearts when courage fails, and we faint for fear. Keep us resolute and steadfast in the things that cannot be shaken, abounding in hope and knowing that our labor is not in vain in Thee. Restore our faith in Thine eternal purpose: renew in us that love which never fails; and make us lift up our eyes to behold, beyond the things which are seen and temporal, the things which are unseen and eternal. We ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. — 1 John 3:1-2
A Solemnity Fighting Fear
Today we observe the Solemnity of the Transfiguration of our Lord. We read in the 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew: Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.
Jesus chose this moment, before the great struggles, persecution, suffering, and death He was about to encounter, to reveal the blessing of His heavenly Father and His glory in Him. While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.â€
In our time the Holy Church is facing greater and greater struggles. In the Middle East, North Korea, Africa, and elsewhere Christians are actively being persecuted and martyred. Some Christians in our country are losing jobs for their beliefs and face other forms of prejudice. When faced with all this – and we may be in ways subtle or not so subtle – recall this holy day and let us say in confidence that our God is bigger and His promises are more important than anything anyone can do to us. Trust in Him and have NO fear for His promise is that “we shall be like Him!“
Follow the blueprint
for being in Christ
“O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant, king to succeed my father David; but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act. I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?â€
We could make much the same prayer as Solomon did. Lord, give me a wise and understanding heart so that I may serve you in the midst of all those around me. Help me to distinguish between right and wrong so as to follow the path Your Son Jesus has set for me.
Solomon was young and wasn’t quite aware of what God had in store for him. He wasn’t aware of God’s blueprint for his life. Solomon made the right choice. He prayed for wisdom – a wisdom that would allow him to build his life on God’s way, according to God’s plan. This gave him confidence in leading and building as ruler of Israel. He prayed to follow God’s blueprint for his life.
If you’ve ever watched a house being built, you know that blueprints are essential. Blueprints contain plans that tells the builders how to assemble everything so that the home is strong, safe, and of high quality. A good blueprint gives a homeowner assurance that the job will be done properly and provides confidence.
Our call is to follow God’s path for us, and to pledge ourselves to following His blueprint for our lives. His blueprint gives us a guarantee – confidence in all we do in Him. By following His blueprint we will succeed. We will be strong, safe, and have high quality lives that last forever. We have assurance that our lives will be lived properly and with goodness. We will judge rightly, with wisdom, and lead many to come to know, love and serve Him. He created a blueprint for each of us with all we need to live a faithful life, a life that draws us closer to Him and leads others to Him.
Following the Lord’s blueprint for us shows us what to do and how we can do it with joy, peace, and trust in both good and bad times – it allows us to overcome all.
God created a blueprint for our lives. When God designed our lives, when He drew our blueprint, He accounted for everything we need to live in Him and with Him. If we build our lives on Jesus as our foundation, if we follow His blueprint, if we are truly wise, we will, like Solomon, ask correctly. Lord, show us the way! It takes time to learn how to follow His blueprint for us. Like Solomon, we must continue to pray for the wisdom to follow His blueprint for our lives and work daily to live it out, to follow Him and live in Him.
We have put on
Christ
But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency, and with much lenience you govern us; for power, whenever you will, attends you. And you taught your people, by these deeds, that those who are just must be kind; and you gave your children good ground for hope that you would permit repentance for their sins.
In the moment of baptism we put on Christ. The white garment we received represents the purity and beauty of our souls at that moment and also represents our future, where as Revelation tells us: a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes.
We should reflect on this awesome picture and see ourselves standing there, clothed in white, before God’s throne, ready to praise, worship, adore, and live with Him forever.
We began our readings today with the Book of Wisdom, and Wisdom knows that all fall and cannot possibly live up to the perfection of God. God is mighty, yet His might is filled with mercy and lenience. He sets that example for us to live up to, for we must be kind. The caveat is that kindness must flow from being just.
To be just means that we live guided by truth, reason, justice, and fairness. Our actions are principled; equitable; and proper. Everything we feel, say, do; all that is seen and unseen is based on right and in keeping with the truth of God. It means that if we have put on Christ, taken up that white robe, our lives must be modeled on and lived out in His way.
The problems we face in our lives, homes, neighborhoods, cities – in fact worldwide – come from confusing God’s mercy and leniency with license to do whatever we feel, to believe whatever we want, to just let it all be. We forget our white robes (I think I left them in that closet I never open), and that we have put on Christ. We think being just is to just go along, to ignore the questions that should be plaguing us. We believe the false prophets who tell us that everything is ok, do what feels good, our feelings are all that matter. We start thinking all faiths are somehow equal and ‘what does it really matter…’ Jesus gets reduced to maybe a once weekly outing.
The allures are strong, we can be weak – but there is hope in God’s forgiveness. With prayer, regular worship, and bible study we build up the strength to be just – to dig out those white robes, to remember that we must measure every moment of our lives against Jesus. Jesus is the only truth, and each decision, word, and action are to be considered, spoken, and done as if Jesus were doing them – for we are wearing Him.
Get on the couch
with Us
Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
If you look at the picture at the top you will see a couch with three seats and the words: “The Living Room.†This is symbolic of our One God and the three Devine Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and the real focus of this Solemnity.
If we were to try to explain the nature of God as One in Three Divine Persons we would be wasting our time. Many saints have offered analogies to explain the Trinity. The Councils of the Church have set forth great Creeds that proclaim our understanding of God. We can simply proclaim our belief and understanding of God’s nature in those Creeds and avoid the frustrations of over-thinking. Today, let us stand in faith, accepting God’s revelation of Himself as One and Three Divine Persons, and profess our Creeds with confidence. What has frustrated the minds of others has been given to us by faith.
This Solemnity is about the ‘living room.’ Ecclesiastes 4:7-8 tells us: Again, I saw vanity under the sun: a person who has no one, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business.
This reflection and Paul’s words to the Corinthians are about living Godlike lives. We could have the most perfect living room (at least to those looking in from the outside) but if we are alone or apart, if people can only look in, we are not living God’s life.
Ecclesiastes goes on: Two are better than one… though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken. This and Paul’s words are practical instruction on what life in God is really about. It is about faith expressed by living as God intends us to live, modeled on His own Divine Life – an eternal, beautiful, peaceful, truthful, rejoicing, and just life lived together. When the Holy Trinity looked at what they had made they declared: “It is not good that the man should be alone.†Jesus did not live alone, but gathered a community of disciples, and of course was always one with the Father and Holy Spirit.
Strength and the best in life come from living together in the living room created by and modeled on God. There are many seats – we must not sit there alone.
Pray, do
accomplish
I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you
In the New Testament, Chapters 14-17 of John’s Gospel is known as the Farewell Discourse given by Jesus to His apostles immediately after the conclusion of the Last Supper.
In the final part of the discourse, which we proclaim today, Jesus prays for His glorification, for His followers and for the coming Church. It is known as the High Priestly Prayer. In this prayer Jesus submits five specific petitions to the Father. The five petitions are: Verses 1-5: Petition for His glorification based on the completion of his work; Verses 6-10: Petitions for his disciples; Verses 11-19: Petition for the preservation and sanctification of “his own” in the world; Verses 20-23: Petition for unity of “his own”; and Verses 24-26: Petition for the union of “his own” with Himself.
The prayer begins with Jesus’ petition for his glorification by the Father: I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you… Note that Jesus is not just asking that His Father glorify Him ‘just because,’ but rather because He has was has fulfilled the work the Father had sent Him to accomplish. Not just that, but He was moving toward the moment when that work would be completely accomplished in His passion and death.
Jesus sets the standard by which Christian life is to be lived. We are to seek only to do the will of God, to follow Jesus’ teaching and the path of life He gave us. We are to do God’s will in all things, whether it is easy or very difficult. Whether we feel great, or are suffering.
The world would tell us to run to sinful false gods and false saviors for comfort, especially when the road gets rough. The world wants to bury us in its false hopes, to bury us in the false saviors of food, sex, possessions, alcohol, bitterness, and self-loathing, hopelessness, and depression. If we live our baptismal commitment, if we fully realize that we have been buried into Christ’s death, death to the world, our living will be marked by continuously approaching God in prayer and doing all that is necessary to show accomplishment – a resume of doing God’s will.
Jesus then prays for the success of the work of His disciples – all of us. Jesus refers to us as the people who accept that He was sent by His Father to reveal the Father’s character and will. Jesus prays for us so that we might live in God with the very same love, affection, and glory that exist between the Father and Son. He prays that the Father accomplish this unity by keeping us steadfast in our baptismal relationship, persevering in faithfulness to accomplish God’s will.