#like a god or a prophet who will listen to your plights and help you + who you should believe in. and i say this because one major theme-

[lususnatura]

🎤 🎤 🎤

a song that i associate with my muse meme!

AHH, hey, ramone!! thank you for sending in this prompt :D since you sent in three of the mic's, i shall now be treating you to three songs that make me think of blamore when i hear them / that i associate with it. an explanation of why i chose them will be in the tags <3

hozier - who we are.

icehouse - crazy.

depeche mode - personal jesus.

[lawrenceop]

HOMILY for The Baptism of the Lord (B)

Isa 55:1-11; Isa 12:2-6; 1 Jn 5:1-9; Mark 1:7-11

Many things have been missing since the pandemic began. Right now, for example, because our community is in self-isolation due to sickness, I am, once again, missing having people here in church worshipping God alongside us Dominicans. But I hope that at least some of those who are missing can be helped in however small a way by this livestream. But like so many other new measures being undertaken at this time, it’s all too virtual, too distant, and ultimately too inhuman and sometimes, even inhumane. 

For we are bodily, relational, physical persons, which is why we long to touch, taste, smell, feel, and hear. Sight and mental ideas, though important, we realise are just not enough, which is why a live-streamed Mass or Zooming in to ‘visit’ our grandparents is never sufficient but all too limited and limiting. If there’s anything we can realise more deeply in the midst of this pandemic, it’s that we are human beings, a unique combination of the bodily-physical and the spiritual-psychological, and so we need to be sustained, and nourished, and kept healthy in both body and soul altogether. Many of the debates and disagreements we’ve had at this time as Catholics have revolved around the unique difficulties of being human and staying humane, of serving both body and soul, of having a care for the whole human person. 

It seems to me that, although we can be grateful for the applications that our modern technology enables, nevertheless all our solutions, being solutions devised by other frail human beings and being dependent on soulless machines, are fatally limited. 

The reason we celebrate Christmas, and the focus of this Christmastide season which ends today with this Feast of the Lord’s Baptism, is all about God’s solution for humanity’s fundamental sickness, a pandemic that has plagued us since Adam and Eve sinned against the wisdom and goodness of God, choosing, somewhat irrationally, to follow their own limited knowhow to find happiness over and above God’s way, which is the way of self-giving love. God’s solution for the sickness of sin, therefore, takes into account our human condition, our human nature, which is a rational, intelligent, thinking nature, capable of knowing truth and of choosing to do good. God’s solution for the plight of humanity, therefore, is altogether perfectly humane and is perfectly suited to our being human. For our sakes, God became Man, and Christ, by his teaching and his actions, becomes God’s way to be human, teaching us how to be more genuinely human, more humane, if you will. Thus St Thomas Aquinas says: “to open the way to God for everyone, God willed to become man, so that even children could know and love God as someone like themselves; and so by what they can grasp they can progress little by little to perfection.”

So, God became Man in order to remove our sins, indeed, more than that, he comes to enlighten our minds with truth and to rectify our wills; to reform and remake us from within so that we are motivated not by our sinful desires, but by loving what God loves, and doing as Christ does. In other words, in the person of Jesus Christ, God comes to befriend you and me so as to make us friends of God. As St Thomas says: Man’s sickness consisted in falling into wanting and doing the wrong things, so “righteousness of the human will consists in the proper ordering of love, [and] rightly ordered love is to love God above all things as our supreme good”. So, “to excite our love towards God, there was no more powerful way than that the Word of God, through whom all things were made, should assume our human nature in order to restore it… because the strongest way God could show how much he loves man was his willing to become man for his salvation; and nothing can provoke love more than to know that one is loved.”

In fact, today’s Gospel makes it even more amazing. For God loves us so much that he’s not content to just become Man and so become the cure for our sins. More than this, God wants to become the cure for the natural end of our human condition, namely, God wants to save us from eternal death. And so we’re made, by Christ and through Christ and in Christ, into beloved sons and daughters of God! This is the beauty of the Incarnation, of the Christmas mystery that we have been celebrating, and it is at the heart of the Christian Gospel: that we should become sharers in the divine nature of God’s own immortal Son. 

And the way that God communicates this grace, this spiritual transformation, this renewal of mind and heart that elevates our human nature, is in a bodily, physical way because that is how human beings relate to things and with one another. So, through the Sacraments, beginning with Baptism, Jesus Christ touches us, moves us, embraces us, changes us, and indeed, unites himself to us so that we can be united to God. For at your own Baptism, the Father also declared: “You are my Son, the Beloved; my grace rests on you.” (Cf Mk 1:11)

One of the things that has been missing from our churches – one of the first things to be taken away, in fact – is the holy water at the entrance. In St Dominic’s, our stone holy water stoups are so large that they look like a baptismal font, which is fitting because the holy water that should be there points to the Sacrament of Baptism. Sadly, instead of the holy waters of Baptism, we now have sanitisers, and perhaps you’ve also absent-mindedly crossed yourself with this as you entered a church! 

But, once again, this man-made solution can serve to show us how very different and limited this is compared to God’s solution. At first glance there can seem to be some similarities: the sanitiser kills germs, and Baptism washes away sin. But this is only a very superficial similarity. For whereas the sanitiser only kills the bacteria and viruses on your hands, in the crevices of your skin, and so on, it merely acts on that which isn’t human and reacts with those things that are outside of me, on the surface of my hand. 

The Sacrament of Baptism, on the other hand, doesn’t merely wash over me externally. Rather, it acts on that which is human, acting interiorly on my rational soul, forming my human dispositions and making me more responsive to the Holy Spirit, more obedient to the Word of God, more humbly and trustingly Child-like towards God my Father. In a word, the Sacrament humanises me, by restoring my relationship with God and with other people, placing me within the communion of God’s friends that we call the Church. The Sacraments, because they are devised by God for us human beings, make us more truly human by making us more open to love. So the grace of Baptism, which is at work within us over our lifetime, makes me become more like God the Son, more Christ-like, more loving of God and his commandments, as St John says in today’s Second Reading.

However, something can still be missing, and that something is you and me. I don’t just mean that people are missing because they’re staying away during this pandemic, or because of Covid restrictions. I mean that people can be missing, even well before 2020, if they’ve not really wanted the Sacraments but treat it like a cultural rite of passage; if they’ve not really been engaged with the Christian life and its demands; or if they’ve not really been present to all the graces that God has been pouring out upon us. Tragically for many, the Christian life, which is a call to a living relationship of love with God, can lapse into something distant from my full human experience. So, to use a rough analogy, it can become a bit like being at a Zoom meeting but with my camera and mic turned off; or trying to have a party with friends via Zoom: it’s virtual, not quite real, because it doesn’t really touch me or change me as a human person. Consequently, what’s missing has been the whole human person, body and soul. And yet, it is for this full human encounter that God became Man, and that Christ continues to give himself to us in the Sacraments. 

So, this is vital: for the Sacraments to take hold and deeply work in us; for God’s grace to actually have a powerful effect in my life, then my disposition, my receptivity, my willingness to be changed by God, and to let him encounter the whole Me is needed. As St Augustine says, “God who created you without you, will not save you without you”. Because God acts humanely, and so he respects our human freedom, and he wants to save the whole human person in a humane way by inviting you and me into a relationship of mutual love with him. God does this through the Incarnation of his Son; through the attractive teaching and example of Christ; through the grace of Christ communicated by the material instrumentality of the Sacraments and the beauty of the Liturgy; and through the communion of Saints. So, if today you should hear his voice, harden not your hearts, but respond to his invitation, and give yourselves, body and soul, to this relationship of love. As the prophet Isaiah says, the Lord calls out to you and me in a way that engages us, body and soul: “Come… eat… listen. Pay attention, come to me; listen, and your soul will live.” 

If you’re not baptised yet, but thinking about it, come. If you’re already baptised, like me, then let's listen and follow Jesus more closely. For, as St Augustine says, thus we shall realise that “to fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.”

[dailyaudiobible]

01/27/2021 DAB Transcript

Exodus 4:1-5:21, Matthew 18:1-20, Psalms 22:19-31, Proverbs 5:15-21

Today is the 27th day of January welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I'm Brian it is a joy, a privilege, an honor, all things good to be here with you around the Global Campfire taking the next step forward on our voyage through the Scriptures this year. All things are a go here in the rolling hills of Tennessee and I trust that all things are well with you wherever you might be on our big, beautiful planet that God has given us to steward and live upon and enjoy life together. So, let's dive in. we’re reading from the English Standard Version this week and we are getting to know this new figure that has appeared in the story. His name is Moses. And we’ll be traveling a long time with Moses. And I mean he…he will affect the rest of the Bible. So, Exodus chapter 4 verse 1 through 5 verse 21 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the book of Proverbs we basically have some self-evident wisdom. It's pretty clear what's being said here. But underneath it all, what is the…what is the ultimate warning? The ultimate warning is do not stray from the path, right? Don't leave the path of wisdom. So, isn't this very, very similar to what we are taught in the Gospels in terms of following the path of Christ so that we might be Christ-like? And what we are watching in Jesus ministry is that He is at teacher of wisdom. And, so, what we begin to understand is that there is a path that leads to life and the Bible continually reminds us that it exists, but it also reminds us not to stray from it. And it gives us all kinds of advice along the way about what it looks like when we do if we need that advice. But so often we don't need that advice because we've experienced what happens when we step away from wisdom or we walk away from the path and into rebellion. And, so, let’s remember, there is a path, there is a way. And if we would maybe…maybe slow down on all the excuses about why we can't be obedient or why we can't walk this path, maybe we should just try actually just walking the path and not…and not straying to the left or the right. I mean, here we are in the middle of the week about finish the first month of the year. How about we be very very intentional about walking the path and not deviating to the left of the right for the rest of this week. That would be a good way to bring the week to a landing. A lot of the things that have become tumultuous might begin to simmer down. So, let's consider the voice of wisdom as we so often do as we so often should.

Okay. If we go back to the book of Exodus where we started our journey today, we’re getting to know Moses. Moses has met with God. God has given him a command to go back and set His people free and be His mouthpiece. Really one of the saddest scenes of the Bible happens today because Moses is talking to the Almighty most-high God, who has said, “I have seen the plight of your family, your people. These are my people to. And I have…now they have flourished but now they are in slavery and I have heard what is happening to them. I'm going to set them free and you are going to be my instrument.” And Moses…Moses is talking to God and giving God every excuse about why he can't obey Him and they're having a direct conversation. And Moses is like, “I'm not a good speaker and, you know”, and God's like, “I’ll send Aaron.” And there's all this stuff going on until Moses heart is completely revealed. And this is the sad part. And we should think about our own lives because this is why it sad. Moses is invited by God to be a part of the story. And Moses in the end, says, “could you send somebody else besides me?” Oh. that has been my story. I…I can't run from that. That has been my story throughout many seasons of my life. That has been all of our stories at one point or another. And, so, this is how the Bible becomes this mirror where all the sudden, yeah, we’re in the story too. Certainly, we’re watching a narrative. Moses is going to Pharaoh. We’re watching all this stuff happen, but we begin to realize that the story here is mimicking our own story and that's not an accident. In the end Aaron comes, Aaron's the mouthpiece, Moses is the prophet, they convince all of the leaders that God has seen them. And then they go and confront Pharaoh and things only get worse, right? They only get worse. And, so, Moses is like, “what in the world have I done?” And the people are like, “what in the world have you done? You've made us stink to Pharaoh. He's like, there's no way we can do what he's asking us to do. He's gonna kill us all.” And that's where we leave the reading today. If we remember the story that we read just before this one, that was the story of Joseph. And didn't things get way worse before they ever got better? So, isn't there some kind of theme emerging here about following God. when God invites us to be a part of His story He’s going to confront evil. He's…He's not just going like, “Oh, now you believe. Let me…now you've won the lottery. Here's a new couch and here's a new voice activated TV, so you never have to leave that couch except to go into the kitchen and get food. Enjoy your life. God isn’t inviting us into laziness or idleness. He’s not just Santa Claus trying to bring presence. There’s evil in this world, and He would like to use this as His agents to be a part of removing it from the world. Because ultimately, we’re gonna watch throughout the stories of the Bible and we’re gonna hear all kinds of prophecies in the Bible that this is ultimately the objective. Gods not mad at people. He’s not trying to destroy people. He is fed up with the evil that is destroying people and His ultimate goal is to eradicate it, to remove the things that would separate us from God. And once that begins…I mean just like we were talking about, like, let's not deviate from the left to the right and stay on the path of wisdom for the rest of the week. If we do that, then the darkness that may exist on the margins of our lives, it won’t take long before kicking and squirming. It won't be long before we’re confronted with our own selves. And then we have to start asking ourselves the kinds of questions that we see in the ministry of Jesus. Do I actually want to live true even if that marginalizes me, even if all the games that I've been playing to kinda make the culture work for me, even all the falsehoods that I present to the world, even if those have to go do I want to be true? Even if it's gonna get more difficult before it gets easier, do I want to live true? Some pretty poignant things for us to think about as we continue our journey through the rest of this day.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit come. These are definitely penetrating things to consider - the path before us and not deviating from it, paying attention to wisdom to illuminate that path, understanding that living in wisdom and walking the narrow path that leads to life is not always going to be easy. In fact, often it won't be. Yes Jesus, we…we haven't reached this point yet but You will tell us that it is important to count…to count the cost and we’re beginning to see why that matters. So, come Holy Spirit and help us to walk true and walk the path of wisdom, even if only for the rest of this week. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, its where you find out what’s going on around here. So, be…be aware. Stay tuned and stay connected.

Check out the Community section. And of course, I’m talking about the website, but if you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can access all these things as well. But the Community section is where to…well that's where the Prayer Wall lives. So, there…there's always opportunity to ask and to receive prayer there. But it's also where to get connected. All the different links to the different social media channels that we participate in, those are there and it’s good idea, at least to be aware of but its good idea to at least follow the Daily Audio Bible on…on…on your platform of choice just so you can be aware of announcements and reminders and encouragements and that kind of stuff. So, check that all out. You can get connected in the Community section at dailyaudiobible.com or in the Community section within the app, which is by…you can access that by pushing the little Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner. And that'll open the drawer and you’ll find community in there.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if…if what's happening here is meaningful, if bringing the spoken word of God read fresh every day and just given to anyone who will listen to it anywhere on this planet any time any day or night no matter what's going on and to build community around that rhythm, if that is meaningful thing in your life then thank you for your partnership. There’s a link on the homepage. If you’re using the app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button at the top in the app. You won't miss it. No matter where you are in the world you can hit the Hotline button and reach out or there are a number of numbers, phone numbers that you can use. In the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to dial. If you are in the UK or Europe 44-20-3608-8078 is the number to call. If you are in Australia or that part of the world 61-3-8820- 5459 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today, I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello DABbers this is daughter of the King from Tennessee. Father we thank You according to Your word You have established us as Kings and priests unto the most-high King Jesus Christ. You said in Your word when the King said he decrees a thing it shall be established. Therefore, we DABbers decree and declare according to Your word that we are blessed in the city, we blessed in the field, where above only and not beneath, we are the head and not the tail, we blessed coming in, we blessed going out, we’re the lenders and not the borrow. We thank You Father we blessed upon our jobs. We blessed in our homes. We confess Your word that are families are blessed, our children are blessed, and prospers all the days of our lives. We thank You. Welcome everyone to this brand-new year. Welcome newcomers. And we thank You. Brian we just so…oh my God January the 22nd recording is so good, and we all need to save this and go back continuously on faith. The…the substance of faith allows us to have access to something we cannot prove, right Brian? We cannot prove. And we must have faith. Peter was walking on it, but he looked around. And that's what we do. We get discouraged when we look around and we fall. But we trust in God that we…that this 2021 would be the best year ever and we would not continue to look with our eyes that we would trust God in every…every area of our lives. I wanna continue to lift up Gary who called for prayer he would be going to Hospice. God we just praying and believing You with our faith that You would give him life, that he would…life would be restored and we thank You guys for everybody…

Hey this is Micah in awe in Kansas City. So, yesterday I didn't make it all the way through the DAB. Something with work came up or something where it stopped me during Brian’s…before the final message and I didn't get to hear the prayer. So, it kept bugging me, like I need to listen to the rest that just so I do my due diligence. And I was like, but the prayer is not that important, like it's just it's just the same old prayer da da da da. But man was I wrong. This morning I started out by listening to that. It would have been…it's the January the 22nd and heard these totally encouraging messages like Alyssa from Montana talking about how the Daily Audio Bible lets you be in the Bible daily. Amazing! Like, if…if the Daily Audio Bible only ever helps just you have a relationship with God in the mornings then it was so worth it, and it's done it to so many people and all…just insane. I'm…I'm so happy that I listened to the prayers. And I want to welcome you. I've been here like a year and a half or something like that and totally excited to have you in our family. Please call in and tell us how you're doing. Tell us…give us prayer request praise reports. The brother from Indiana. Man…like when you went through the faith of the people that called in, I really felt that. That’s incredible. And then there's another brother or you didn't leave your name, but you were talking about how you were struggling with a hard heart towards people. Dude, that is me too. Like, I've been struggling so hard to be loving and this virus times just makes it so easy to just put people off to the side and like get away from me. You know what I'm saying? And I want to join in on that prayer with you. I'm praying for you. This is Micah. Pray for me. God soften our heart. I love you all.

Hello, this my name Golden McQueen. I'm from __ McGill Nevada I'm nine years old and when…somebody really close to me and my grandma and me and my grandma died in…in a car crash and her name was Betsy Lopez. Today we're going to her funeral, but I could wish you…I wish you please send it out because I don't I…I want everybody to hear how sad that people because we live in a…how sad we are because we love __ and it's hard to get messages out. And we live in a the…rural area of Nevada. So, it's…it's hard…very hard to get messages…messages out. And I'm only nine years old but…but…but I wanted to do this for my grandma and for her as a lasting memory. Thank you very much and…

Hi this is Pamela from Pennsylvania. I am not feeling well today. So, it gives me a wonderful opportunity to catch up on the community prayers. I'm sitting here with my notebook and pen recording names and prayers. I'm getting to know all of you and lifting each request up in agreement with you. I wanted to share…the woman who's praying with hope for healing, I didn't catch her name today, talked about all of her life living in fear and that resonated with me. And just recently I the Holy Spirit may be aware that all of my life I've been making decisions out of fear. It started because of the environment that I grew up with…grew up in with my father being schizophrenic and beating my mother and I had to play the protection role standing in between. God has now healed me from all of that. He's healed me from the continuing saga of being married to two abusive husbands and I am now living in God's grace, freedom, healing and victory. I praise our Lord and savior and I encourage all of you that He really does love us and He really will heal us completely.

There was a woman that was very beautiful and her beauty was from the Lord she had never ever been with a man she was a irgin and very much adored even her brother who knew right from wrong wanted her so bad that it burned but his sister the Virgin wanted to please the Lord so all his advances she spurned he continued to burn and got physically sick and he forced her to do things his way and because he was bigger and stronger than she was there wasn't too much she could say but after the act his love turned to hate and he wanted her out of her sight She begged and she pleaded the best that she could but there was no way to make this thing right now the brother who raped her was soon killed himself by another brother who heard what he had done the father of all of them David was now very much ****** and the killer was now on the run then the killer got killed and the father was sad when the families in conflict it's all just plain bad families are very important to God but even more so they're important to us sometimes we don't understand all God's ways so it's very important just to trust don't desire the things that are wrong don't allow them to fester and burn Satan is always waiting my friends to trap you wherever you turn he destroyed their whole family and he'll destroy your house too he started in Eden and he's definitely not through so keep your desires above board and chase let all of your dealings be done face to face all of God's ways are wholly and pure and he won’t give you more than you're able to endure pray in his spirit do things his way and your strength will increase as you grow day by day

blindtony1016@gmail.com. I'd like to shout out to Mark Creed from down under. Know that you're being thought...

Good morning dear DAB this is Jeanette from Denmark I want to share something that I thought changed my life step by step. There's been many things, but since I moved here when I was twenty, I learned the example of two house church leaders who shared what their life had been like by simple example. We were at the little building that we had gotten permission to use and the pastor…well our school teacher he…he asked us to be quiet after a good period of singing together welcoming the Holy Spirit in. And I was at the projector and he said, well let's stop singing. Just let your heart rest and think of the Lord. Be still before the Lord. Know that He is here, and He is with, that He always has been and always will be and that you are in His arms at this moment. He is so good. He will never leave. He will never forsake you and He loves you. And that moment of breathing opened my heart to a whole different realm of possibility. The pattern started to become a walk, but also I knew I could be in the stillness with my Jesus, my savior, my father in heaven and the Holy Spirit. And in this time stillness and, yeah, the song of worship, it brings hope. I love you all. Bye.

[agameforgoodchristians]

The writing on the wall (Daniel 5:27)

Note: This is our first Card Talk from our The End of the World as We Know It: An Expansion Deck for the Apocalypse.

The Biblical Story

In chapter 5 of the Book of Daniel, the Babylonian king Belshazzar is throwing a feast in his palace. The party is had on the backs of stolen labor and stolen goods. But, in Belshazzar’s “defense,” he didn’t steal the Jewish people (the ones who weren’t murdered outright, or died while being force-marched across the landscape), or steal their material goods: his father did that. Sure, he was still directly benefiting from those horrible actions, and was in no way attempting to address those wrongs, but can you really blame a guy for his inaction, and the perpetuation of a system that oppresses others, when he wasn’t the one to put the whole system into motion?

Belshazzar’s party is disrupted when a ghostly, giant hand writes mystical words on the wall. The festivities are further complicated because they don’t know what the words on the wall mean, they can’t read them. Belshazzar doesn’t know what to do. His friends and advisors and wisest men are no help.

The decision is made to call their token Jewish “friend,” one of those stolen Jews (but remember, that’s their fathers’ fault, not theirs). They hope he will have an answer, as he is wise, and the script looks like something his (lesser) people dabble in. They call Daniel.

And Daniel is able to read the writing on the wall. But Belshazzar is suddenly confronted with his privilege, his family crime. He is being judged for the systemic injustices at the heart of his empire, even if daddy dearest set them in motion.

Condemnation hangs over them.

Chickens are coming home to roost.

The whirlwind is being reaped.

{An Excursus (of sorts)}

A business man in his prime is out celebrating with friends, spending the money he inherited from his father. Money his father earned stepping on the backs of others. Shady land deals. Predatory lending practices. Resources “borrowed” from pensions. The results of unpaid invoices for an honest day’s labor. Lawsuits and insider trading that left people penniless. The business man knows, vaguely, about what his father was into, but doesn’t consider that any of his concern.

A waiter bumps into the table. Spills a glass of water, not on the man, but close enough. From one of the business man’s friends, the waiter receives a racial slur amid the rest of the verbal reward for his clumsiness. This is not an unusual occurrence, but it will be the straw that will break the waiter’s back. He will lose his job, but the things he said have left a mark on the business man.

Sure, maybe (maybe) he should have chided his friend for his use of such language—on this occasion and in the past—but he is certainly not a “racist.” He volunteers in the “ghetto.” He voted for Obama. Twice. He felt Trump should have tweeted less. He’s progressive, educated, and cultured. He loves Beyoncé.

He calls his roommate from freshman year in college, the only Black person in his smart phone that doesn’t work for him. He explains what happened.

Silence.

He then begins to ask him the question, to soothe his aching self-identity.

There’s more silence over the line.

And then a deep sigh.

And then his lone Black “friend,” exhausted, tells him the truth...

The Writing on Belshazzar’s Wall

וּדְנָה כְתָבָא דִּי רְשִׁים מְנֵא מְנֵא תְּקֵל וּפַרְסִֽין׃

MENE TEKEL PARSIN

The writing was in Aramaic which, without the vowel pointing present, could not be read by the Babylonians. But this is common, even today: the oppressor seldom learns the language of the oppressed.

The same three consonants can be used as a noun or a verb, depending on the vowels and the conjugation. In this case, the noun forms of the writing on the wall were types of currency of the day, while the verbs are upon what Daniel is giving his prophetic word.

“This is the interpretation of the matter:

mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end;

tekel, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting;

peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”…

That very night Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old. (Daniel 5:26-31)

“tekel, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting” (Daniel 5:27)

A Thought Experiment

Imagine that words have weight. Not metaphorically. Not emotionally (for they already have both). We mean real weight. Actual mass. In pounds or grams or whatever system makes you feel the most at home. Imagine your words as perfect cubes, blocks of granite. Each word weights exactly the same. It doesn’t matter if the word is kind or cruel, a word of healing or hurting.

Now imagine there is a scale called “outrage.”

Place on one side all the words you’ve said related to treatment of the poor, the widows, the orphans, the stranger, the abused by unjust authority, the exploited, the discriminated against.

Place on the other side all the words you’ve said that ignores the plight of the hurting, so you can justify some personal or political point of view. They might include references to “both sides,” “reverse racism,” or “all lives/blue lives matter.” They might include questions like “what was she wearing?” and “why didn’t he just follow their commands?” They might include xenophobic nationalism masquerading as patriotism, forgetting that Jesus said the Kingdom of God/Heaven is not of this world, is not the United States, or anywhere else pretending it’s a “Christian nation.”

Now ask yourself

Which side weighs more?

Now image you put actions on those scales…

Perhaps now is a good time for you to put the glass down and listen to the silent stylus scratching, the writing on the wall.

Perhaps you should take stock of your complicity in the oppression of others, despite your many reasons for saying, it has nothing to do with you. That you’re not a racist - sexist -homophobe - transphobe - ageist - ableist - elitist - [insert other assholery] because of [insert the ‘close personal friend/relative’ (who really isn’t)].

Perhaps you should figure out what they have been trying to tell you, but you’re too sure of yourself, sure of your ideas, to hear.

Before it’s too late.

But what do we know, we made this game and you probably think we’re going to Hell.

[oneshul]

Chayay Sarah: The Life of Keturah, Ibrahim’s Concubine

Ibrahim took a concubine [after Sarah’s death], whose name was Keturah. She bore him [six sons]. Ibrahim willed all that he owned to Isaac; but to [his] sons by concubines, Ibrahim gave gifts while he was still living, and he sent them away from his son Isaac eastward, to the Land of the East.

 --Gen. 25:1-6 (adapted)

When the Great Sheikh Ibrahim ibn Terach rode into our humble Bedouin camp, I was helping my sisters and mother make wheatcakes—flat and tasteless rounds of lumpy flour, which were the main sustenance for us desert-dwellers. I remember staring at the majesty of the Great Sheikh—well-oiled beard down to his belly, a keffiyeh with a sparkling diamond gleaming from its center, and a gigantic bronze scimitar which could cut a melon, or a man, in half. A small shield dangled from his back: this man was ready for any danger.

He rode by, eyes to front, and pretended not to see me. He must have, though, for, not two moments later, my youngest sister, Roi, came running up to our workplace, there in the hot sun, and, tugging at my flour-spotted sleeve, cried out, “Elder Sister Ketty, Papa wants you.”

“Can’t it wait, Roi?” I asked, smiling at her—she was always my favorite, “I’m just finishing this batch of wheat cakes. Tell him I’ll be there in three minutes.”

My beautiful baby sister pursed her lips—really, she looked just our poor, dead mother, May Ishtar keep her soul!—and replied, “No, Ketty. Papa said, NOW!”

I shrugged, rose, and walked toward our family tent, dusting the flour off my clothes the best I could. No time to wash up or do my hair, I thought. I heard murmurings inside, and the clink of coins—men’s business, of course. We women were useful only to bear men’s children, cook meals for men, and suffer an occasional beating at their hands—usually, for no reason at all.

Holy Ishtar, I prayed silently, keep me safe from the groping paws of men, pushed back the flap, and entered the tent. There they were: Papa, Sheikh Ibrahim the Stranger, and a few layabouts from the tavern-tent.

“Ah, Keturah, my darling, my precious one!” Papa’s deep voice boomed out through the tent, and the layabouts grinned, prepared to watch the fun. “Sheikh Ibrahim ibn Terach is here to meet and marry you.”

The Great Sheikh sat off to one side, one hand on his sword-hilt, the other picking out dried figs from a clay plate—a glazed one; he must be an important personage, to rate a glazed plate. He was stout and strong, true, but even in the halflight of the black goatskin tent, I could see the wrinkles in his face and that his hands trembled with the palsy of age, and note the length of his grayish-white beard.

Marry Sheikh Ibrahim? A voice went through my head. Look how old he is—why, he could be my father, or grandfather, perhaps! I began to tremble. Papa did not, or pretended to not, notice. He rose quickly, crossed to me in two long steps, and yanked my right arm to draw me closer to the visitor, the better to show my charms off to the Sheikh. I stumbled behind him—he was that eager for the Old Man’s gold. Meanwhile, my dazed mind was going, This is wrong, so wrong! I cannot marry this tribal elder—why, Uribaal, my boyfriend since childhood, plighted his troth to me, just—just—

“See my daughter’s beauty, combined with her strength!Look at that arm!” Papa intoned, “She will bear you many sons, since the passing of your beloved—what was her name?”

“Sarah. Her name was Sarah, God rest her soul,” frowned the Great Sheikh, speaking for the first time—and not to me; more to himself.

It all happened so quickly after that—Aunty Yirah dragged the tribe’s veil, hijab, and wedding-dress out of her storage-bags, and my sisters draped me in it after sponging off most of the desert dust. I was in shock: dazed, frightened, and curious all at once.

My sheikh-husband-to-be rose, combed out his beard with his fingers, and squeezed my hands in his—his hands felt like roughened wood, after a lifetime chasing sheep and goats.

“Mistress Keturah, will you be my bride?” he asked gruffly, and I nodded, recognizing that this was a mere formality. Father beamed at the layabouts, and passed out huge mugs of barley beer.

The rest spun by in a whirl: someone fetched the Tribal Shaman, that drunkard, and he shakily stood before us, moaning out the appropriate prayers to Ishtar and Baal. And so it was that I became Ibrahim’s wife. He swung me up behind me on his horse and, for the first time, gave me the shadow of a smile. Galloping off, we left my home-camp and family behind,forever. Upon returning to his encampment, he hurried me past the greetings of his son Isaac and daughter-in-law Rebecca (She was to prove a good friend to me; Isaac was a milquetoast), sat me down, clapped his hands, and watched the maidservants bring me butter, cheese, and matzot.

And then, the Great Sheikh took me to his tent.

I will not describe the long wilderness nights in Ibrahim’s moldy-smelling tent, lying beside him and listening to his old man’s snorings. Nor the pain I endured, in both the conception and birthing of my six boys. Old Ibrahim was hardly tender in his love; he was clumsy. Still, I understood my place—not to be a beloved wife, but rather a concubine, expected to bear him sons, and designed for that purpose alone. Love did not enter into it.

As the years went by, the servants whispered to me about his late wife Sarah and her infertility. Surely, I believed, my six tall, strong sons would testify to both the prolific nature of their mother, and to their deserving at least a portion of their father’s will; but alas, this was not to be. As a concubine merely, I was secondary to my lord and master’s dead wife—though she was still alive, to Ibrahim: many a long night I would lie next to him, and hear him calling to her in his sleep: “Are you there, Sarah my love? Do you remember when I sold you to Abimelech? Ha! We fooled him, didn’t we….”

Selling a wife to a king, and to a pharaoh? How sordid—how unseemly! Still, I did not dare question Ibrahim—he was a quick one with a bullwhip, and I saw him belabor a stubborn donkey once, and a lazy servant, many times.

Yet the question nagged at my heart and brain: why were my six sons not worthy of being called Children of Ibrahim? I saw his favorite, that skinny little drip Isaac, and wondered why their God had chosen him, rather than my big, strapping boys….

Until the day HE entered our little camp: Ishmael, riding a white charger, and armed with sword, buckler, and bow: a true warrior. He smiled at me—perfect white teeth in a face tanned by the desert sun, just before he swung off his horse in one skillful movement. I approached him, and bowed down to the ground:

“Rise, Wife of Ibrahim,” Ishmael laughed, “or, should I say, Mama?”

We both laughed, then, and entered one of the auxiliary tents, there to talk—and he answered many of my questions.

“Do not press Ibrahim for your boys’ inheritance,” Ishmael cautioned me, his finger on my lips, “for the Great Sheikh—I cannot bring myself to call him ‘Father’ after how he treated my poor mother and me. He will gift your sons before he dies, like a king gives bounty to his serfs.”

“Not serfs, but sons!” I replied, my eyes blazing.

 “I understand and sympathize,” said Ishmael, laying a hand on my arm—and I shivered at his touch, “but there is no help for a concubine, my dearest Keturah. Blame God’s prophet Ibrahim, and the Deity Who commands him.”

It was then that my yearning heart fell in love with this bold, dark-eyed desert warrior, my Ishmael.

And now, Ibrahimat last is dead. I was lucky to escape: Ishmael and I rode off together, long before that happened. And, true to his word, Ibrahim gave gifts—small ones—to my six sons. What could I do? My courageous, strong boys will survive, and make their way through life. For myself, I have found love after my miserable concubinage: I have my Ishmael, my dear one….

Rabbi David Hartley Mark is from New York City’s Lower East Side. He attended Yeshiva University, the City University of NY Graduate Center for English Literature, and received semicha at the Academy for Jewish Religion. He currently teaches English at Everglades University in Boca Raton, FL, and has a Shabbat pulpit at Temple Sholom of Pompano Beach. His literary tastes run to Isaac Bashevis Singer, Stephen King, King David, Kohelet, Christopher Marlowe, and the Harlem Renaissance.

[dfroza]

to kill the Author of Life

is what people chose to do with Love when He arrived in the flesh here on earth. and knowing so, He chose to lay it down as an offering for our sins, to fully cleanse us, to baptize our hearts in the Spirit when we welcome the entrance of Light.

and we clearly see this in Today’s reading of the New Testament from chapter 3 of the book of Acts that has been conserved to illuminate its eternal truth.

chapter 3 in 26 verses:

One day at three o’clock in the afternoon, Peter and John were on their way into the Temple for prayer meeting. At the same time there was a man crippled from birth being carried up. Every day he was set down at the Temple gate, the one named Beautiful, to beg from those going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple, he asked for a handout. Peter, with John at his side, looked him straight in the eye and said, “Look here.” He looked up, expecting to get something from them.

Peter said, “I don’t have a nickel to my name, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” He grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up. In an instant his feet and ankles became firm. He jumped to his feet and walked.

The man went into the Temple with them, walking back and forth, dancing and praising God. Everybody there saw him walking around and praising God. They recognized him as the one who sat begging at the Temple’s Gate Beautiful and rubbed their eyes, astonished, scarcely believing what they were seeing.

The man threw his arms around Peter and John, ecstatic. All the people ran up to where they were at Solomon’s Porch to see it for themselves.

[Turn to Face God]

When Peter saw he had a congregation, he addressed the people:

“Oh, Israelites, why does this take you by such complete surprise, and why stare at us as if our power or piety made him walk? The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his Son Jesus. The very One that Pilate called innocent, you repudiated. You repudiated the Holy One, the Just One, and asked for a murderer in his place. You no sooner killed the Author of Life than God raised him from the dead—and we’re the witnesses. Faith in Jesus’ name put this man, whose condition you know so well, on his feet—yes, faith and nothing but faith put this man healed and whole right before your eyes.

“And now, friends, I know you had no idea what you were doing when you killed Jesus, and neither did your leaders. But God, who through the preaching of all the prophets had said all along that his Messiah would be killed, knew exactly what you were doing and used it to fulfill his plans.

“Now it’s time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you, and send you the Messiah he prepared for you, namely, Jesus. For the time being he must remain out of sight in heaven until everything is restored to order again just the way God, through the preaching of his holy prophets of old, said it would be. Moses, for instance, said, ‘Your God will raise up for you a prophet just like me from your family. Listen to every word he speaks to you. Every last living soul who refuses to listen to that prophet will be wiped out from the people.’

“All the prophets from Samuel on down said the same thing, said most emphatically that these days would come. These prophets, along with the covenant God made with your ancestors, are your family tree. God’s covenant-word to Abraham provides the text: ‘By your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’ But you are first in line: God, having raised up his Son, sent him to bless you as you turn, one by one, from your evil ways.”

The Book of Acts, Chapter 3 (The Message)

and paired with this is the first chapter of the writing of Nahum that should inspire the fear of God (reverence) in our lives toward our Creator who is gentle and patient and kind, but who also will bring about Judgment for all the wrong done on the face of beautiful earth to make things right again. all is promised to be fully cleansed at some point, which includes every lie.

and only grace paves the way of our escape as children of Light.

the first chapter of Nahum:

[God Is Serious Business]

A report on the problem of Nineveh, the way God gave Nahum of Elkosh to see it:

God is serious business.

He won’t be trifled with.

He avenges his foes.

He stands up against his enemies, fierce and raging.

But God doesn’t lose his temper.

He’s powerful, but it’s a patient power.

Still, no one gets by with anything.

Sooner or later, everyone pays.

Tornadoes and hurricanes

are the wake of his passage,

Storm clouds are the dust

he shakes off his feet.

He yells at the sea: It dries up.

All the rivers run dry.

The Bashan and Carmel mountains shrivel,

the Lebanon orchards shrivel.

Mountains quake in their roots,

hills dissolve into mud flats.

Earth shakes in fear of God.

The whole world’s in a panic.

Who can face such towering anger?

Who can stand up to this fierce rage?

His anger spills out like a river of lava,

his fury shatters boulders.

God is good,

a hiding place in tough times.

He recognizes and welcomes

anyone looking for help,

No matter how desperate the trouble.

But cozy islands of escape

He wipes right off the map.

No one gets away from God.

Why waste time conniving against God?

He’s putting an end to all such scheming.

For troublemakers, no second chances.

Like a pile of dry brush,

Soaked in oil,

they’ll go up in flames.

[A Think Tank for Lies]

Nineveh’s an anthill

of evil plots against God,

A think tank for lies

that seduce and betray.

And God has something to say about all this:

“Even though you’re on top of the world,

With all the applause and all the votes,

you’ll be mowed down flat.

“I’ve afflicted you, Judah, true,

but I won’t afflict you again.

From now on I’m taking the yoke from your neck

and splitting it up for kindling.

I’m cutting you free

from the ropes of your bondage.”

God’s orders on Nineveh:

“You’re the end of the line.

It’s all over with Nineveh.

I’m gutting your temple.

Your gods and goddesses go in the trash.

I’m digging your grave. It’s an unmarked grave.

You’re nothing—no, you’re less than nothing!”

Look! Striding across the mountains—

a messenger bringing the latest good news: peace!

A holiday, Judah! Celebrate!

Worship and recommit to God!

No more worries about this enemy.

This one is history. Close the books.

The Book of Nahum, Chapter 1 (The Message)

to be concluded by Today’s reading of the Psalms and Proverbs for december 30 (Psalm 30 and Proverbs 30), the 10th day of Winter (Psalm 10) and day 364 of the year (Psalm 64)

[Psalm 30]

A David Psalm

I give you all the credit, God—

you got me out of that mess,

you didn’t let my foes gloat.

God, my God, I yelled for help

and you put me together.

God, you pulled me out of the grave,

gave me another chance at life

when I was down-and-out.

All you saints! Sing your hearts out to God!

Thank him to his face!

He gets angry once in a while, but across

a lifetime there is only love.

The nights of crying your eyes out

give way to days of laughter.

When things were going great

I crowed, “I’ve got it made.

I’m God’s favorite.

He made me king of the mountain.”

Then you looked the other way

and I fell to pieces.

I called out to you, God;

I laid my case before you:

“Can you sell me for a profit when I’m dead?

auction me off at a cemetery yard sale?

When I’m ‘dust to dust’ my songs

and stories of you won’t sell.

So listen! and be kind!

Help me out of this!”

You did it: you changed wild lament

into whirling dance;

You ripped off my black mourning band

and decked me with wildflowers.

I’m about to burst with song;

I can’t keep quiet about you.

God, my God,

I can’t thank you enough.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 30 (The Message)

[Psalm 10]

God, are you avoiding me?

Where are you when I need you?

Full of hot air, the wicked

are hot on the trail of the poor.

Trip them up, tangle them up

in their fine-tuned plots.

The wicked are windbags,

the swindlers have foul breath.

The wicked snub God,

their noses stuck high in the air.

Their graffiti are scrawled on the walls:

“Catch us if you can!” “God is dead.”

They care nothing for what you think;

if you get in their way, they blow you off.

They live (they think) a charmed life:

“We can’t go wrong. This is our lucky year!”

They carry a mouthful of hexes,

their tongues spit venom like adders.

They hide behind ordinary people,

then pounce on their victims.

They mark the luckless,

then wait like a hunter in a blind;

When the poor wretch wanders too close,

they stab him in the back.

The hapless fool is kicked to the ground,

the unlucky victim is brutally axed.

He thinks God has dumped him,

he’s sure that God is indifferent to his plight.

Time to get up, God—get moving.

The luckless think they’re Godforsaken.

They wonder why the wicked scorn God

and get away with it,

Why the wicked are so cocksure

they’ll never come up for audit.

But you know all about it—

the contempt, the abuse.

I dare to believe that the luckless

will get lucky someday in you.

You won’t let them down:

orphans won’t be orphans forever.

Break the wicked right arms,

break all the evil left arms.

Search and destroy

every sign of crime.

God’s grace and order wins;

godlessness loses.

The victim’s faint pulse picks up;

the hearts of the hopeless pump red blood

as you put your ear to their lips.

Orphans get parents,

the homeless get homes.

The reign of terror is over,

the rule of the gang lords is ended.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 10 (The Message)

[Psalm 64]

A David Psalm

Listen and help, O God.

I’m reduced to a whine

And a whimper, obsessed

with feelings of doomsday.

Don’t let them find me—

the conspirators out to get me,

Using their tongues as weapons,

flinging poison words,

poison-tipped arrow-words.

They shoot from ambush,

shoot without warning,

not caring who they hit.

They keep fit doing calisthenics

of evil purpose,

They keep lists of the traps

they’ve secretly set.

They say to each other,

“No one can catch us,

no one can detect our perfect crime.”

The Detective detects the mystery

in the dark of the cellar heart.

The God of the Arrow shoots!

They double up in pain,

Fall flat on their faces

in full view of the grinning crowd.

Everyone sees it. God’s

work is the talk of the town.

Be glad, good people! Fly to God!

Good-hearted people, make praise your habit.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 64 (The Message)

[Proverbs 30]

The Words of Agur Ben Yakeh

God? Who Needs Him?

The skeptic swore, “There is no God! No God!—I can do anything I want! I’m more animal than human; so-called human intelligence escapes me.

“I flunked ‘wisdom.’ I see no evidence of a holy God. Has anyone ever seen Anyone climb into Heaven and take charge? grab the winds and control them? gather the rains in his bucket? stake out the ends of the earth? Just tell me his name, tell me the names of his sons. Come on now—tell me!”

The believer replied, “Every promise of God proves true; he protects everyone who runs to him for help. So don’t second-guess him; he might take you to task and show up your lies.”

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 30:1-6 (The Message)

to be joined by these lines in The Passion Translation:

These are the collected sayings of the prophet Agur, Jakeh’s son—the amazing revelation he imparted to Ithiel and Ukal.

God, I’m so weary and worn out, I feel more like a beast than a man. I was made in your image, but I lack understanding. I’ve yet to learn the wisdom that comes from the full and intimate knowledge of you, the Holy One.

[Six Questions]

Who is it that travels back and forth from the heavenly realm to the earth? Who controls the wind as it blows and holds it in his fists? Who tucks the rain into the cloak of his clouds? Who stretches out the skyline from one vista to the other? What is his name? And what is the name of his Son? Who can tell me?

[A Pure Heart Is Filled with God’s Word]

Every promise from the faithful God is pure and proves to be true. He is a wrap-around shield of protection for all his lovers who run to hide in him. Never add to his words, or he will have to rebuke you and prove that you’re a liar.

God, there are two things I’m asking you for before I die, only two:

Empty out of my heart everything that is false—every lie, and every crooked thing. And give me neither undue poverty nor undue wealth—but rather, feed my soul with the measure of prosperity that pleases you. May my satisfaction be found in you. Don’t let me be so rich that I don’t need you or so poor that I have to resort to dishonesty just to make ends meet. Then my life will never detract from bringing glory to your name.

Never defame a servant before his master, for you will be the guilty one and a curse will come upon you.

There is a generation rising that curses their fathers and speaks evil of their mothers. There is a generation rising that considers themselves to be pure in their own eyes, yet they are morally filthy, unwashed, and unclean. There is a generation rising that is so filled with pride they think they are superior and look down on others. There is a generation rising that uses their words like swords to cut and slash those who are different. They would devour the poor, the needy, and the afflicted from off the face of the earth!

There are three words to describe the greedy: “Give me more!”

There are some things that are never satisfied. Forever craving more, they’re unable to say, “That’s enough!”

Here are four:

The grave, yawning for another victim, the barren womb, ever wanting a child, thirsty soil, ever longing for rain, and a raging fire, devouring its fuel. They’re all insatiable.

The eye that mocks his father and dishonors his elderly mother deserves to be plucked out by the ravens of the valley and fed to the young vultures!

[Four Mysteries]

There are four marvelous mysteries that are too amazing to unravel—who could fully explain them?

The way an eagle flies in the sky, the way a snake glides on a boulder, the path of a ship as it passes through the sea, and the way a bridegroom falls in love with his bride.

Here is the deceptive way of the adulterous woman: she takes what she wants and then says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

[Four Intolerable Things]

There are four intolerable events that are simply unbearable to observe: when an unfaithful servant becomes a ruler, when a scoundrel comes into great wealth, when an unfaithful woman marries a good man, and when a mistress replaces a faithful wife.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 30:1-23 (The Passion Translation)

[fatherfunston]

Ash Wednesday; Sermon, February 14, 2018

Topic:  To Love Something That Death Can Touch

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 601 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, KS 10:45am Service Ash Wednesday Main Focus Text: Isaiah 58.1-12

Sermon Text:

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I’m so happy that you’ve come to St. Paul’s today to celebrate this holiday with some Eucharist, some community and, in a few moments, you’re going to come up holding hands and I’m going to put some ashes on your forehead and I’m going to say, “You’re going to die!”  “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return,” I’ll say.  It’s truly a romantic evening and I’m so happy you’ve chosen to do it here at St. Paul’s.

I’m being silly, but I’m also being a little serious.  I think there’s actually good cause to celebrate both Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day today.  This is a truly loving thing to do, to be ehre today to respond to God’s call to a holy Lent and to think of the ways that we are finite.

“Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”  It’s the lynchpin phrase of our Ash Wednesday liturgy.  Remember where that comes from?

It’s the second creation story, the one in Genesis 2.  It’s part of a section where Adam and Eve, having disobeyed God, are being addressed by God who sings a poem to them.  God lays it all out: “Listen, I created this whole paradise for you! You had everything you could ever need. You were going live forever, you had food enough to eat, but you broke the ONE RULE I made.  You had enough to eat here, but now, ‘By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.’” (Genesis 3.19)

Now it’s easy for us to hear that, to know its context and to think of those words as the vengeful words of a vengeful God.  A God angry and wrathful at the actions of his creation.  But I don’t think that’s what they are.  I think that that line, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return,” are words of love spoken by a God who truly loves his creation and is just disappointed at what has happened.  Because what’s the next thing that God does?

The next thing God does is that he takes animal skins, and sews them together into clothing for Adam and Eve.  God clothes them… it is God who has the action of the verb here: God clothes them.  This is not the action of a vengeful God, this is the action of one who loves what he has created and wants to care for them even in the midst of their sin.

“God is love,” we hear, in the first letter of John. We say it, we know it, it’s a phrase we can rattle off very easily. And we have felt God’s love know it to be true.  God IS Love.  But might it also be correct to say, Yes, God is Love, but God also LOVES.  Putting that love into a verbal, action form changes the meaning just enough that it’s able to break into my heart a bit more.  And it plays out in some interesting ways.

Consider the other creation story, the six days of creation: God creates something each day and at the end of each day calls it “good.” And finally on the sixth day, God creates humanity and calls it, “very good.”  That we are “very good.”  Consider this:

In the beginning the earth was a formless void and the spirit of God moved over the face the deep and

On the first day, God created the light and God LOVED it.

On the second day, God created the sky and God LOVED it.

On the third day, God created the land and God LOVED it.

On the fourth day, God created the sun and the moon and the stars and God LOVED them.

On the fifth day, God created the animals of the sea and sky and God LOVED them.

On the sixth day, God created the animals of the land and God LOVED them.

And finally, on the sixth day, God created humankind in his own image and God really, truly, deeply LOVED them.

It is this true, deep love that breaks open God’s heart when Adam and Eve sin.

The love that created

  Is the love that shakes its head at our sin

    Is the love that clothes the sinner in midst of that disappointment

      Is the love that over and over again tries to explain to its people that there is a better way

        Is the love that ultimately shows itself in the sending of a Son to show what love LIVED looks like.

          Is the love that carries us here today on this Ash Valentine’s Wednesday.

Rabbi Margaret Wenig is a Homiletics Professor at Hebrew-Union College and the Jewish Institute of Religion.  She’s been quoted as saying, “It is a holy thing to love something that death can touch.” (sic. This is actually from a poem by Yehuda HaLevi (1075-1141), quoted by Wenig.)

And it is.  It is one aspect of what makes our God worthy of our worship; that, though we are touched by death through our own actions of Sin, we are still truly and deeply loved.  And that’s why I say that perhaps it’s more loving or romantic or whole to be here this evening than to be somewhere else.  Because we are here because we are all created in God’s image and that image of God, gives us the ability to have that same heart-breaking love that God has.  We also love things that death can touch and it is holy for us in the way that it is holy for God.

Perhaps I didn’t truly realize this until the first time I imposed ashes on my own daughter.  That Ash Wednesday of 2014, Eirnín was five months old.  And I took on those loving, frustrated words of God and I said to her as I looked her in the face, an infant, and told her she was going to die.  “You are dust and to dust you shall return,” I said to my daughter. 

“You are dust and to dust you shall return,” is what I will say to each of you in a few moments.  “You will die, and I love you.”

It was further clarified just last night when we gathered for our Mardi Gras party and it was also my son’s first birthday.  And we were sitting around the table and people were singing Happy Birthday and at our table, we were laughing and thinking about when the next time his birthday would fall on Mardi Gras.  So we calculated it out and figured out that it would be 2029 when he’s 12 years old, but then in 2040, he’ll be 23.  I’ll be 56.  So we laughed and last night as I was lying in bed, I posted on Facebook that we were already planning our trip to Rio for Carnival.  But then, as I was laying there in bed, and I was thinking about the kind of winter we’ve had here at St. Paul’s where we’ve lost so many friends, so many mothers and fathers and sons.  And as I was going through the day today, visiting people in different nursing home facilities and care facilities imposing ashes on them and seeing on every single television, that 17 babies were killed today by a shooter in Parkland, Florida.  And I realize over and over and over again that 2040 is a great year for a trip to Rio with a 23-year-old, but I might not make it that far.  Because I am finite, I am dust and to dust I shall return.  And even more heartbreaking, York might not make it to 23 because he is dust, and to dust he shall return.

So is this morbid?

I think it’s only morbid if we stay there, if we stay in the anxiety and wallowing of the reality of our finitude. We are dust and to dust we shall return is simply a true statement.  God’s infinite love, our holy love for one another, for those things and people that die.  It doesn’t immobilize us, it empowers us.

God’s love for us was so deep that it sent his only Son to take on finitude to take on mortality and our loving God suggests over and over that our love of things that can die should empower us.

It is a holy thing to love that which death can touch.

In today’s old testament reading, Isaiah suggests a way to think about this.  Isaiah, like so many of the prophets is so frustrated, “Why do you people continue to sin and then assume that worship in the ‘right’ way makes you okay?  While you ignore the plight of those around you?  While you ignore the hungry and the naked; those in prison, the sick and dying, those dying every day from mass violence?”

“You think you can ignore those things and then call a fast and that’s going to be okay?” God says.

“Is not this the fast that I choose:

   to loose the bonds of injustice,

   to undo the thongs of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,

   and to break every yoke? 

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

   and bring the homeless poor into your house;

when you see the naked, to cover them,

   and not to hide yourself from your own kin?” (Isaiah 58.6-7)

Our love of the things that die and our recognition of our own finitude that we are dust and to dust we shall return should empower us to do that work.  This is what the Lord requires.

“Only then,” Isaiah says, “will your light break forth, and your healing spring up quickly.  And your God will be there with you and you shall cry for help and God will say, ‘Here I am.’”

It is a holy thing to love that which death can touch.

  God loves you though you die.

    You should love those in this world though they die.

      Christ loved you enough to die.

        And we should love enough to be willing to die.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

And a Holy Lent.

[romancatholicreflections]

20th August >> Daily Reflection on Today's Mass Readings (Isaiah 56:1,6-7; Romans 11:13-15,29-32; Matthew 15:21-28) for Roman Catholics on the Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Commentary on Isaiah 56:1,6-7; Romans 11:13-15,29-32; Matthew 15:21-28 WE SEE IN THE GOSPEL TODAY Jesus entering non-Jewish territory, something he very seldom does. We find him in the district of Tyre and Sidon, two coastal cities on the Mediterranean coast (now in present-day Lebanon). Unlike some of the Jewish towns that are linked with Jesus and the Gospel which have disappeared or are in ruins, these two pagan towns still flourish. A ‘pagan’ woman Suddenly a Canaanite woman from that region comes us and begins shouting at Jesus. We need to realise that the Canaanites were the traditional enemies of the Jews. They were regarded as pagans and idolators and ritually unclean. This does not discourage this women in her desperate need. Perhaps even as far as here the reputation of Jesus was known. She cries out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” Whether it was really a demon or some illness which led to uncontrolled or uncontrollable behaviour is not really important. There were many sicknesses which were poorly understood at the time and which filled people with fear. What is important is that her prayer expresses both helplessness and faith. Basically all of us are also helpless and without God there is little that we can do by ourselves. “Without me, you can do nothing,” Jesus told his disciples at the Last Supper. Her faith is expressed in the titles she gives Jesus: ‘Lord’ and ‘Son of David’. They indicate that she sees in Jesus someone above the ordinary, someone very special. And the title ‘Son of David’ has Messianic overtones. In spite of that Jesus simply ignores her, as if she did not exist. Do we feel that way sometimes when we make a specially important petition of Jesus? Do we feel that he is very far away? That he is paying no attention? Do we feel like the disciples in the storm when Jesus was fast asleep in the boat? “Don’t you care that we are in danger?” The disciples are not much better. As the woman keeps shouting after them, they ask Jesus to get rid of her. “For heaven’s sake, give the woman what she wants.” Do they say this out of compassion for her plight? No, but “because she is shouting after us”. To them she is merely a nuisance, and a pagan nuisance as well. How often have we given in “charity” just to get rid of a bothersome beggar? Jesus’ mission Jesus’ reason for not listening to her is that “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” He seems to be saying that, since she is an outsider, her problem is of no concern to him. In fact, Jesus’ mission and work was almost entirely centred on his own people. The task of passing on his message to others would be left to his disciples. And, as we know from the Acts of the Apostles, they did not realise that at first. It took some special experiences before they realised that the Gentiles could also be filled with the Spirit of God and were being called to be followers of Jesus. This had already been foretold by the prophet Isaiah in today’s First Reading: “The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord and to be his servants…these I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their…offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” The woman’s perseverance The woman is not discouraged by any of these responses. She comes and kneels before him, an act of worship, and prays simply, “Lord, help me.” Jesus’ answer seems quite shocking: “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” On another occasion Jesus told his disciples not to cast pearls before swine. The term “dogs” was a common one for the Gentiles. Dogs were regarded by the Jews as unclean, because they would eat anything given to them, including pork, for instance. The Gentiles, in the eyes of the Jews, who were very particular about what was clean and unclean, were no better than dogs. However, as has been pointed out, everything depends on the tone of voice with which Jesus uttered these words. They could have been spoken with arrogance, contempt and racial superiority. But that would be completely contrary to everything else we know about Jesus. On the other hand it could have been said in a testing and joking way. “You know very well, my dear woman, that in my community it is not right to take the children’s food and give it to the ‘dogs’!” And she, totally unfazed and taking her cue from his tone of voice, throws back: “Oh yes, Lord, but even the dogs (that means us!) can eat the crumbs that fall from the master’s table.” (The “master’s table”: a little touch of satire on her part? You people, of course, are superior to us.) Now, Jesus is completely won over by her faith, her confidence and her wit: “Woman, great is your faith!” This is obvious from her tenacity. She will not take No for an answer. Jesus’ response is almost inevitable: “Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly. Trust and prayer There are a number of lessons from today’s reading. The need for total trust and confidence that Jesus really does care for us, in spite of indications to the contrary. There is also the need for us to persist in prayer. We must realise that this does not always result in getting what we have asked for. It helps us to see more clearly what God wants for us and what really is the best for us. What we need most is not the carrying out of our own wishes but having the peace and security that can only come from our being in total harmony with God’s will for us, so that his will and mine are identical. I want what he wants. Thirdly, today’s Gospel is an affirmation that God’s love and mercy are extended to all who call on him in faith and trust, no matter who they are or where they are. That is already affirmed by Isaiah in the First Reading: “Foreigners who have attached themselves to the Lord to him and to love his name and be his servants – all who observe the Sabbath, not profaning it, and cling to my covenant – these I will bring to my holy mountain. I will make them joyful in my house of prayer.” Ironically, these words, written by a Jew about non-Jews, is now to be applied by Christians to Jews and to all people of good will. As baptised members of the Christian community we have been given special privileges of knowledge and access to God’s love. But we have also serious responsibilities arising from this. One of these responsibilities is to make clear to others by the way we live, speak and act that God’s love and God’s mercy and God’s healing are for them also. In God’s eyes there are no ‘dogs’. And the food on the Master’s table, the Lord’s Word and his Love and not just the crumbs, is for all without exception.

[lawrenceop]

HOMILY for 26th Sunday per annum (C)

Amos 6:1. 4-7; Ps 145; 1 Tim 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31

The obvious moral of this story, especially since it is coupled with Amos' warning to the decadent and complacent rich in the First Reading, is that the rich should have a special care for the poor. Indeed, we Christians are to have a “preferential option for the poor” meaning that we are called to favour the poor and to help the poor. This seems obvious, for as St Vincent de Paul, whose feast was last Friday, said: “Since Christ chose to be poor, he chose for himself disciples who were poor. He made himself the servant of the poor and shared their poverty. He went so far as to say that he would consider deeds done for or against the poor as done for or against himself.” So, central to our Christian worldview is that the poor are not to be despised, or scorned, or looked down upon, but they are to be exalted as our “masters”, as St Vincent de Paul put it. 

However, the Christian viewpoint is not so simplistic as to canonise all the poor. We are neither to make an idol of money, as last Sunday’s Gospel told us, nor, as today’s Gospel suggests, are we to make an idol of poverty. So, the poor are not automatic saints simply because they are destitute. For the Gospel of salvation cannot simply be reduced to economics. Rather, to say that Christ chose to be poor means, firstly, that Christ humbled himself – he became a servant, and looked upon us, miserable sinners, with great love and care and compassion. God is, as the Bible says, rich in mercy. 

Therefore, to serve the poor as our masters requires neither pity nor condescension, but humility, mercy, and ultimately, love. The Gospel, therefore, is a challenging call for true Christ-like humility and for genuine God-like love, charity. Hence St Vincent de Paul said: “You will find out that Charity is a heavy burden to carry, heavier than the kettle of soup and the full basket. But you will keep your gentleness and your smile. It is not enough to give soup and bread. This the rich can do. You are the servant of the poor, always smiling and good-humoured. They are your masters, a terribly sensitive and exacting master you will see. And the uglier and the dirtier they will be, the more unjust and insulting, the more love you must give them”! The problem, therefore, isn’t whether we have riches or not, but rather, whether or not we are humble enough to serve others, and care for others, and love others. 

For as St Augustine observes in his commentary on today’s Gospel, it is possible for the poor to despise the rich, or to think them to be undeserving of heaven. But all are called to love, the rich and the poor, hence poverty alone does not equate to sanctity. Moreover, in a worldly society which is obsessed with economic imperatives, it’s easy to read the Gospel purely in Marxist terms, as being simply about the iniquity of wealth and power, and the righteousness and holiness of the disenfranchised and the poor. But this, as I have shown, is not what the Gospel is about. After all, as Mother Teresa reminded us, poverty isn’t just material and physical, not simply about this world and what we can or can’t buy. Rather, she observed, “poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty – it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There's a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.” 

Do we notice this poverty all around us today? What can we do to alleviate the loneliness of a neighbour, or to reach out to the one who is longing for love in our community, our family, in our homes or even in our marriages?

In the Gospel, we’re told that some people, the brothers of the rich man, can be so proud, so concerned about their own riches and wealth, and material cares, and worldly concerns that they will not be convinced, they will not listen, even if “someone should rise from the dead.” For the pride of riches can blind us to our own need of God; our pride, like our worldly lust for wealth and for the pleasures of this life, can keep us from turning to God. Hence many, in their pride, have no time for God, no care for prayer or the Sacraments, will not listen to the Scriptures. As the Gospel says today, “They have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them”! But those who are prideful and rich will not listen. Many, with or without money in our world today, will not listen to the Word of God, nor obey the commandments of God. And it is this pride that blinds the rich man in the Gospel to the plight of poor Lazarus, and also to the plight of his own impoverished soul.

For the Gospel has a fundamental question for each of us: Do we have the humility to recognise our own poverty due to our own sinfulness; our resistance to grace, and therefore our own fundamental need of the One who alone can change us and make us holy and thus enrich us? Only Christ, the “Someone who should rise from the dead” can save us; only Jesus, the truly “poor Man”, can enrich us in our fundamental poverty and need, forgiving us our sins and giving us the graces that make us merciful, compassionate, and truly loving as God is.  

St Augustine, commenting on today’s Gospel, thus says that Our Lord Jesus Christ became poor like us; he humbled himself and shared in our sinful condition, in order to save us from sin and pride. St Augustine says: “Christ is despised, scourged, mocked, scorned, struck, crowned with thorns, hung upon a tree, pierced by a lance. Oh, what poverty! See here the Head of those poor whom I am seeking. Of Him we find the true poor to be members.” We become members of Christ, sharers in his Body, through the Mass.

Hence St Francis, who is renowned for his love of holy poverty once said: “O sublime humility! O humble sublimity!  The Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles himself that for our salvation He hides Himself under an ordinary piece of bread!” So, today, gathered for the Holy Eucharist, we see again the sublime humility of God. We see the One, risen from the dead, who becomes poor for our sake. Let us approach him with reverence and humility, let us receive him with repentant and open hearts, let us be transformed by his grace to recognise always our profound need of God. For without God, we are nothing. 

Thus St Vincent de Paul said: “Be careful to give no credit to yourself for anything; if you do, you are stealing from God, to whom alone every good thing is due.” The fruit of this mindset is humility, and so we acquire true riches. 

[dfroza]

Today’s reading from the ancient books of Proverbs and Psalms

for April 28 of 2021 with Proverbs 28 and Psalm 28, accompanied by Psalm 40 for the 40th day of Spring and Psalm 118 for day 118 of the year

[Proverbs 28]

The wicked run away even when no one is chasing them;

the right-living, however, stand their ground as boldly as lions.

Where there is rebellion in a land,

there are many petty and contending rulers;

But where there is a wise and intelligent leader,

peace and order endure.

A poor person who oppresses others who are poor

is like a driving rain that destroys the crops and leaves no food.

Those who turn their backs on God’s teaching applaud the wicked,

while those who observe His instruction oppose them at every turn.

Evil people are not able to understand justice,

but those who pursue the Eternal understand it completely.

It is better to be a pauper walking in integrity

than a dishonest man, even if he is rich.

Whoever follows God’s teaching is a wise child,

but the one who spends time with gluttons and drunks disgraces his parents.

Anyone who increases his wealth by charging a high rate of interest

is only collecting it for another who will deal more liberally with the poor.

The one who turns his ear from hearing God’s instruction

will find that even his prayers are detestable to God.

Whoever tries to deceive a good person into taking the path of evil

will fall into the pit he himself made,

but the truly honest shall be the heirs of all that is good.

A rich man may be wise in his own sight,

but a perceptive pauper will see right through him.

There is much glory when just men celebrate;

but when the wicked gain power, people take cover.

Whoever tries to hide his sins will not succeed,

but the one who confesses his sins and leaves them behind will find mercy.

Happy is the one who always fears the Lord,

but the person who hardens his heart to God falls into misfortune.

Like a roaring lion or a charging bear,

so is a wicked man ruling over an impoverished people.

A leader who lacks intelligence cruelly oppresses the people,

but one who hates corruption will prosper and live a long life.

A man guilty of murder is a fugitive,

fleeing to the nearest hole in the ground but not escaping death’s cold pit.

Don’t do anything to save him.

Whoever walks in honesty will be safe,

but whoever travels the crooked path will suddenly fall.

Whoever cultivates his land will have plenty of food in the harvest,

but whoever cultivates worthless ventures will have poverty in abundance.

A reliable person will not escape blessings,

but one who wants to get rich quick will not escape trouble.

Showing favoritism is not good;

some will desert the truth for a measly crust of bread.

A greedy person is in a hurry to get rich,

but he is ignorant of the loss that is about to overtake him.

A person who offers constructive criticism will, in the end, be appreciated more

than a person who engages in empty flattery.

One who robs his father or his mother

and says, “There’s nothing wrong with that! I had it coming!”

walks in the company of murderers.

When the greedy want more, they stir up trouble;

but when a person trusts in the Eternal, he’s sure to prosper.

Anyone who puts confidence only in himself is a fool,

but the person who follows wisdom will be kept safe.

Whoever gives to the poor will have what he needs,

but the one who shuts his eyes to their plight will face curse after curse.

When the wicked have the upper hand, people go into hiding;

but when they perish, the good folk will begin to increase.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 28 (The Voice)

[Psalm 28]

Don’t turn a deaf ear

when I call you, God.

If all I get from you is

deafening silence,

I’d be better off

in the Black Hole.

I’m letting you know what I need,

calling out for help

And lifting my arms

toward your inner sanctuary.

Don’t shove me into

the same jail cell with those crooks,

With those who are

full-time employees of evil.

They talk a good line of “peace,”

then moonlight for the Devil.

Pay them back for what they’ve done,

for how bad they’ve been.

Pay them back for their long hours

in the Devil’s workshop;

Then cap it with a huge bonus.

Because they have no idea how God works

or what he is up to,

God will smash them to smithereens

and walk away from the ruins.

Blessed be God—

he heard me praying.

He proved he’s on my side;

I’ve thrown my lot in with him.

Now I’m jumping for joy,

and shouting and singing my thanks to him.

God is all strength for his people,

ample refuge for his chosen leader;

Save your people

and bless your heritage.

Care for them;

carry them like a good shepherd.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 28 (The Message)

[Psalm 40]

A Joyful Salvation

For the Pure and Shining One

A song of poetic praise by King David

I waited and waited and waited some more,

patiently, knowing God would come through for me.

Then, at last, he bent down and listened to my cry.

He stooped down to lift me out of danger

from the desolate pit I was in,

out of the muddy mess I had fallen into.

Now he’s lifted me up into a firm, secure place

and steadied me while I walk along his ascending path.

A new song for a new day rises up in me

every time I think about how he breaks through for me!

Ecstatic praise pours out of my mouth until

everyone hears how God has set me free.

Many will see his miracles;

they’ll stand in awe of God and fall in love with him!

Blessing after blessing comes to those who love and trust the Lord.

They will not fall away,

for they refuse to listen to the lies of the proud.

O Lord, our God, no one can compare with you.

Such wonderful works and miracles are all found with you!

And you think of us all the time

with your countless expressions of love—

far exceeding our expectations!

It’s not sacrifices that really move your heart.

Burnt offerings, sin offerings—those aren’t what bring you joy.

But when you open my ears and speak to me,

I become your willing servant, your prisoner of love for life.

So I said, “Here I am! I’m coming to you as a sacrifice,

for in the prophetic scrolls of your book

you have written about me.

I delight to fulfill your will, my God,

for your living words are written upon the pages of my heart.”

I tell everyone everywhere the truth of your righteousness.

And you know I haven’t held back in telling the message to all.

I don’t keep it a secret or hide the truth.

I preach of your faithfulness and kindness,

proclaiming your extravagant love to the largest crowd I can find!

So Lord, don’t hold back your love or withhold

your tender mercies from me.

Keep me in your truth and let your compassion overflow to me

no matter what I face.

Evil surrounds me; problems greater than I can solve

come one after another.

Without you, I know I can’t make it.

My sins are so many!

I’m so ashamed to lift my face to you.

For my guilt grabs me and stings my soul

until I am weakened and spent.

Please, Lord! Come quickly and rescue me!

Take pleasure in showing me your favor and restore me.

Let all who seek my life be humiliated!

Let them be confused and ashamed, God.

Scatter those who wish me evil; they just want me dead.

Scoff at every scoffer and cause them all to be utter failures.

Let them be ashamed and horrified by their complete defeat.

But let all who passionately seek you

erupt with excitement and joy over what you’ve done!

Let all your devoted lovers rejoice continually in the Savior, saying,

“How great and glorious is our God!”

Lord, in my place of weakness and need, I ask again:

Will you come and help me?

I know I’m always in your thoughts.

You are my true Savior and hero,

so don’t delay to deliver me now, for you are my God.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 40 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 118]

Glorious Thanksgiving

A praise psalm

Keep on giving your thanks to God, for he is so good!

His constant, tender love lasts forever!

Let all his princely people sing,

“His constant, tender love lasts forever!”

Let all his holy priests sing,

“His constant, tender love lasts forever!”

Let all his lovers who bow low before him sing,

“His constant, tender love lasts forever!”

Out of my deep anguish and pain I prayed,

and God, you helped me as a father.

You came to my rescue and broke open the way

into a beautiful and broad place.

Now I know, Lord, that you are for me,

and I will never fear what man can do to me.

For you stand beside me as my hero who rescues me.

I’ve seen with my own eyes the defeat of my enemies.

I’ve triumphed over them all!

Lord, it is so much better to trust in you to save me

than to put my confidence in someone else.

Yes, it is so much better to trust in the Lord to save me

than to put my confidence in celebrities.

Once I was hemmed in and surrounded by those

who don’t love you.

But by Yahweh’s supernatural power I overcame them all!

Yes, they surrounded me,

like a swarm of killer bees swirling around me.

I was trapped like one trapped by a raging fire;

I was surrounded with no way out and at the point of collapse.

But by Yahweh’s supernatural power, I overcame them all!

They pushed me right up to the edge, and I was ready to fall,

but you helped me to triumph, and together we overcame them all.

Lord, you are my true strength and my glory-song,

my champion, my Savior!

The joyful songs I now sing will be sung again

in the hearts and homes of all your devoted lovers.

My loud shouts of victory will echo throughout the land.

For Yahweh’s right hand conquers valiantly!

The right hand of Yahweh exalts!

The right hand of Yahweh will never fail.

You will not let them kill me,

but I will live to tell the world what the Lord has done for me.

Yes, the Lord punished me as I deserved,

but he’ll never give me over to death.

Swing wide, you gates of righteousness, and let me pass through,

and I will enter into God’s presence to worship only him.

I have found the gateway to God,

the pathway to his presence for all his devoted lovers.

I will offer all my loving praise to you,

and I thank you so much for answering my prayer

and bringing me salvation!

The very stone the masons rejected as flawed

has turned out to be the most important capstone of the arch,

holding up the very house of God.

The Lord himself is the one who has done this,

and it’s so amazing, so marvelous to see!

This is the very day of the Lord that brings

gladness and joy, filling our hearts with glee.

O God, please come and save us again;

bring us your breakthrough-victory!

Blessed is this one who comes to us, the sent one of the Lord.

And from within the temple we cry, “We bless you!”

For the Lord our God has brought us his glory-light.

I offer him my life in joyous sacrifice.

Tied tightly to your altar, I will bring you praise.

For you are the God of my life and I lift you high,

exalting you to the highest place.

So let’s keep on giving our thanks to God, for he is so good!

His constant, tender love lasts forever!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 118 (The Passion Translation)