"Sacred Reading", excerpt from Chapter 6

And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsada, while he sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. (vs. 45-47)

It seems to me that the most important thing about these three verses is the movement away from the crowd into solitude. Jesus sends His disciples away to give them space to think upon what just occured in this miracle and also to give Himself some time for private prayer and rest.

If what we learn in the Bible and profess in the Creeds is true (and I firmly believe that it is), then Jesus is here not just setting a good example, but is genuinely in need of some rest. And that is a comforting thing, for as we read in the Epistle to the Hebrews:

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4: 15-16)

What a marvelous statement of continuity and faith this is. When I am depressed and discouraged, when I feel like there is no hope, that no one really understands me or my concerns, that everything I have done or believed is all in vain, then I have only to turn to this passage to be reminded of why it is that I choose to follow Jesus.

I particularly love that part about coming "boldly unto the throne of grace". Not just weakly or incidentally, we are called to proclaim and confess our insurmountable needs, to cry out for mercy and assistance from the only truly effectual source of such things, the throne of grace. Not unlike the sick man in Chapter 2 whose friends were kind enough to respond to his needs and lower him through the roof of the house where Jesus was in order to draw near to Him, that is the kind of boldness that we too ought to embrace.

Christmas Sequence



Faithful people,*
 Sweeten all your song with gladness.
 Alleluia.

Matchless maiden
 Bringeth forth the Prince of princes:
 O! the marvel.

 

Virgin compasseth a man,
 Yea, the angel of the plan:
 Star the Dayspring.

 

Day that sunset shall not close,
 Star that light on all bestows,
 Ever cloudless.

 

As the star, light crystalline,
 Mary hath a Son divine
 In her likeness.

 

Star that shining grows not dim,
 Nor his Mother, bearing him,
 Less a maiden.

 

The great tree of Lebanon
 Hyssop's lowliness puts on
 In our valley;

 

And the Word of God Most High
 Self-imprisoned doth lie
 In our body.

 

So Isaias sang of old,
 So the Synagogue doth hold,
 But the sunrise finds her cold
 Hard and blinded.

 

Of her own she will not mark,
 Let her to the gentiles hark;
 For the Sybil's verses dark
 Tell of these things.

 

Make haste, O luckless one,
 Give ear to the saints bygone:
 Why perish utterly,
 O race undone?

 

He whom thy seers foretell
 Born is in Israel:
 Mary's little Son, O mark him well.
 Alleluia.

*(This version is found on Liturgialatina.org)

For a brief overview of the Liturgical Sequence, click here.

Three words of sin and redemption

Attending this morning's Ember Day Mass, I was struck by three words in the General Confession: "We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness, Which we, from time to time, most grievously have committed, By thought, word, and deed".

Thought, word and deed. Herein is the source, the very agency of conception and act, of our sins. Which of them have not first been conceived of in the mind, either willingly or by force of habit? Which of them have not either been spoken*, spoken of, or committed with the body?

If then these three are the agency of our sins, God, acting in perfect harmony with His plan of redemption (and in the same way as He takes death and makes it the key to eternal life via the Cross), does indeed call forth our healing through a total conversion of these very things and employs the self-same faculties to effect our repentance and conversion. Again, in our thoughts we conceive of (and are granted) sorrow and repentance within the metaphorical vehicle of our emotions - the heart. By our words and deeds, we express our contrition and our resolve to do better. These things that were formerly a conveyance of sin and death, now become a vehicle of faith and life. Beautiful!


*Speaking of words, I think that so-called "curse" words really are, in and of themselves (and not just in specific contexts or incidences) bad things. Consider the power of the word, spoken and conceived. We see both in Genesis and in the Gospel of John that the Word, spoken by God, bears in its very nature both creative and redemptive power. It is perfectly efficacious.We also, who bear the image and likeness of our Creator, in our ability to conceive of and communicate ideas that are understood by those who share our language and frame of reference, have been given a participation in this power; it is one that allows us to create and destroy.

What happens when you tell your spouse, your child or your friend "I love you"? Do not these three words have the power to build, nurture and sustain that relationship? On the other hand, what happens when you tell someone "I hate you"? Not only do those words destroy a relationship and something of another person (whether or not they admit to it) they also destroy something within the life of the one who utters them. This is confirmed in Matthew 15:18: "[T]hose things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man."

Pantokrator

Kontakion: O Master, Guide to wisdom, Giver of prudent counsel, Instructor of the foolish and Champion of the poor, make firm my heart and grant it understanding. O Word of the Father, give me words, for see, I shall not stop my lips from crying out to Thee: I am fallen, in Thy compassion have mercy on me.

A season of forgiveness

In the Eastern Churches, the Sunday before Great Lent is celebrated with, among other things, Forgiveness Vespers. Though the foregoing is somewhat out of season, the Roman rite with its liturgical use of violet and suspension of the use of the "Gloria in excelsis" during seasonal Masses does give the time of Advent a penitential character too. As well, we are in the midst of the winter Ember Days that occur on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday this week when we are minded to fast and pray for the ministry of the Church.

With all that in mind, I wish now to ask forgiveness of all those to whom I have ever caused offense: by things which I said or did and things which I left undone or unsaid out of laziness or cowardice. If I have judged you or expected too much or too little from you, if I have been too focused on myself and not seen to your needs, if I have made of you an object for my own emotional consumption or satisfaction, I am truly sorry. It may not mean much to you (if you ever read this), but I will try to do better.

"Sacred Reading" ch. 4, vs. 24-25

 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. (vs. 24-25)

Some years ago I had a co-worker who had a rather difficult upbringing that involved a certain degree of emotional abuse. One of the problems of constantly being told that you are not good enough and a worthless person is that you begin to believe it and then act accordingly.

This young lady, who was a self-described Christian, was quite taken with the popular notion of getting one's comeuppance that is the modern, western notion of karma. Instead of a punative re-incarnation, those deserving of punishment and retribution are now left to the disposition of God's judgment Who will surely "give them what they deserve."

A couple of issues with this: 1. it is a rather one-sided conception that can be motivated by nothing more than the desire for revenge on the part of those who feel powerless and 2. a replacement image is not necessarily the same as a complete "baptism" of outside conceptions into a genuinely Christian framework.

But I understand why people are attracted to this way of thinking. It is a psychological refuge for the damaged and powerless, it is a way to absolve ourselves of some of the hard work of forgiveness, and it allows us to feel justified for dragging around the burden of our emotional baggage and letting others live rent-free inside our heads. Haven't the squatters in your brain made enough of a mess? They've been there long enough. It's well past time to kick them out, realise just how much you are indeed worth to the Father Who created you and loves you enough to call you to faith in Him each and every moment of your life and get on with living a life of true freedom.

Easier said than done, I realise. But at the same time, instead of depending on a falsely "christianised karma", this is the life we work at and struggle to attain as children of the living God.