Comparing the agendas we discover among the four Gospels is always interesting. This week I took to investigate what is the very first thing Jesus is recorded as doing in his ministry. In Mark, which is the earliest gospel, Jesus first casts out a demon, which is a symbolic way of telling us that the Lord came to take on and defeat the forces of evil, indeed all that keeps us from our potential. In John, usually considered the last gospel written, Jesus' first act is the story of turning wine into water, which conveys the message that Jesus has come to bring abundant life. In Luke where Jesus is a social activist, his first deed is to preach a sermon in his home synagogue against the wealthy establishment and in praise of Gentiles, resulting in an attempt to kill Jesus by pushing him off a nearby hill.
In the other canonical gospel, Matthew, read from today, (5: 1-12), Jesus' first act is to preach the Beatitudes -- a fifty-cent word for blessings -- to his apostles who will pass the word to the first bishops and on through history to us today. Those blessings tie nicely with the psalm, for they describe what moral integrity looks like: the poor in spirit are hungering for justice; mourners are sad because evil has the upper hand; those whose hunger is for justice are aching for the Kingdom; the merciful forgive and love their neighbour; the pure in heart show spiritual transparency and sincerity; and peacemakers see to restore harmony.
Today's psalm (15) echoes the theme by asking who is fit to worship in the Temple. The answer is the one who is in proper relationship with God and others in thought, word, and deed. Or, as elsewhere summarized: Love God and love your neighbour as yourself.
But we might ask whether there any short-lists we can remember and consult day to day. Let me suggest a couple. First, there are the three vows taken by most Religious: poverty, chastity, and obedience. These three have specific meanings in a monastic order, but can have a broader meaning for us. What if poverty means using things and loving people instead of loving things and using people? Poverty can mean the lack of attachment that is associated with spiritual freedom and the exercise of Christian stewardship. Chastity can mean sexual behaviour appropriate to one's state in life. And obedience can mean simply listening for God's will and following the right course.
Another short list is found in the last verse of today's reading from the Hebrew Scripture, (Micah 6: 1-8). We read: "He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Another triad -- this one calling us to take action for human justice, to be people of kindness, and to avoid any sense of self- sufficiency and arrogance, instead practising humility and reliance on God. Then we shall be truly blessed in our Christian walk.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Epiphany III: Reformation
On Hallowe'en this year protestants will celebrate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's nailing of the 95 theses to the church door in Germany. Although that date is important in the history of the Reformation, the action really began with Father Jan Hus, a Czech priest who wanted to translate the New Testament into Czech and to allow the chalice to the laity in Communion. He was rewarded in his effort by being burnt at the stake by the Roman Church in 1415.
What is noteworthy, however, is that Hus's reformation (resulting in the Moravian Church, with whom we Anglicans are in communion) could be termed a conservative reformation. He retained the apostolic succession of bishops going back to the Apostles, the three-fold Orders of ministry, the Sacraments, indeed the essentials of Catholic Faith. When our Anglican Reformation took place more than a century later, it too was conservative, retaining those Catholic essentials but reforming what needed to be changed, like clerical celibacy, denial of the chalice to laity, bans on translation of the Bible, sale of indulgences and other deleterious practices.
By contrast, the Continental Reformation sparked by Luther and quickly spreading to what is now more than 30,000 denominations, represented truly radical change, including losing the apostolic succession, eliminating the three ancient Orders of ministry, rejecting the teachings of the valid Ecumenical Councils, altering the content of the Bible, and abolishing some or all of the Sacraments. Logic tells us that one cannot reform something by completely replacing it; and so it must be with the Continental rejection of the faith, order, discipline and worship of the ancient Catholic Church which we retained.
Nevertheless, we must never give up on striving to move towards greater unity with all who claim faith in Jesus. So this year I will participate in the Tulsa community's ecumenical service for reconciliation, to take place on 25 January at First Lutheran in Tulsa. I will join Roman Catholic, Ecumenical Catholic, and Protestant, even Evangelical, clergy in leading this service to lift up our Lord's vision for oneness in his followers.
What can we take away from a review of the Reformation era? Let me suggest four things. First, the insight that religion is not the business of professionals. Lay people, indeed all of us, are under commission by virtue of baptism and confirmation, and must discern and live out our vocation, We honour and lift up the work of laity alongside our bishops, priests, deacons, monks and nuns; even as the protestant element must raise up lay and new ordained leadership to replace the ancient ministries they abolished.
Another insight is that we need to avoid cults of personalities. St. Paul alludes to this in the epistle reading today (I Cor 1: 10-18) and we are reminded of how much of contemporary Church life is centred on the cult of the pastor in huge congregations. That has led to a lot of corruption, insane wealth being accumulated by evangelical clergy, diverting enormous sums from gospel ends, and all abetted by U.S. tax policy.
There is also the matter of grace. In late mediaeval times there was too much emphasis on doing works, as if somehow God would not love you unconditionally unless you performed as required by the Church. So a rediscovery of faith and trust in God through Christ was important. On the other hand, that often led too far in the other direction and religion for a lot of protestants became only a matter of believing certain things about Jesus, or subscribing to denominational dogma, not getting to work to build the Kingdom of God on earth. It also led to a lot of accomodation of the false values of global capitalism, consumerism, jingoism, and imperialism. We must continue to strike a balance between faith and works, so that they feed each other.
Finally, there is the matter of restoring respect for Scripture. In one sense the world gained a great blessing in opening the beauty of holy writ to average people, not just scholars and clergy who could read Latin. On the other hand, the free flow of the Bible has meant that people approach it without needed research using those scholarly tools that are available. Instead symbolic materials have been interpreted literally, mythology construed as history, with groups of power-grabbers claiming a non-existing authority to interpret the Bible for others and impose their notions on them, and in many quarters the Bible (so interpreted) has been turned into an idol by the false attribution of infallibility. Only God is infallible. We need to be keenly aware of the dangers of book religion. God's ongoing revelation comes to us through the triad of Scripture, Tradition and Reason, discerned in the historic Church to guide and enrich our lives during our earthly journey..
Let us ponder these Reformation concepts and challenges as we go forward.
What is noteworthy, however, is that Hus's reformation (resulting in the Moravian Church, with whom we Anglicans are in communion) could be termed a conservative reformation. He retained the apostolic succession of bishops going back to the Apostles, the three-fold Orders of ministry, the Sacraments, indeed the essentials of Catholic Faith. When our Anglican Reformation took place more than a century later, it too was conservative, retaining those Catholic essentials but reforming what needed to be changed, like clerical celibacy, denial of the chalice to laity, bans on translation of the Bible, sale of indulgences and other deleterious practices.
By contrast, the Continental Reformation sparked by Luther and quickly spreading to what is now more than 30,000 denominations, represented truly radical change, including losing the apostolic succession, eliminating the three ancient Orders of ministry, rejecting the teachings of the valid Ecumenical Councils, altering the content of the Bible, and abolishing some or all of the Sacraments. Logic tells us that one cannot reform something by completely replacing it; and so it must be with the Continental rejection of the faith, order, discipline and worship of the ancient Catholic Church which we retained.
Nevertheless, we must never give up on striving to move towards greater unity with all who claim faith in Jesus. So this year I will participate in the Tulsa community's ecumenical service for reconciliation, to take place on 25 January at First Lutheran in Tulsa. I will join Roman Catholic, Ecumenical Catholic, and Protestant, even Evangelical, clergy in leading this service to lift up our Lord's vision for oneness in his followers.
What can we take away from a review of the Reformation era? Let me suggest four things. First, the insight that religion is not the business of professionals. Lay people, indeed all of us, are under commission by virtue of baptism and confirmation, and must discern and live out our vocation, We honour and lift up the work of laity alongside our bishops, priests, deacons, monks and nuns; even as the protestant element must raise up lay and new ordained leadership to replace the ancient ministries they abolished.
Another insight is that we need to avoid cults of personalities. St. Paul alludes to this in the epistle reading today (I Cor 1: 10-18) and we are reminded of how much of contemporary Church life is centred on the cult of the pastor in huge congregations. That has led to a lot of corruption, insane wealth being accumulated by evangelical clergy, diverting enormous sums from gospel ends, and all abetted by U.S. tax policy.
There is also the matter of grace. In late mediaeval times there was too much emphasis on doing works, as if somehow God would not love you unconditionally unless you performed as required by the Church. So a rediscovery of faith and trust in God through Christ was important. On the other hand, that often led too far in the other direction and religion for a lot of protestants became only a matter of believing certain things about Jesus, or subscribing to denominational dogma, not getting to work to build the Kingdom of God on earth. It also led to a lot of accomodation of the false values of global capitalism, consumerism, jingoism, and imperialism. We must continue to strike a balance between faith and works, so that they feed each other.
Finally, there is the matter of restoring respect for Scripture. In one sense the world gained a great blessing in opening the beauty of holy writ to average people, not just scholars and clergy who could read Latin. On the other hand, the free flow of the Bible has meant that people approach it without needed research using those scholarly tools that are available. Instead symbolic materials have been interpreted literally, mythology construed as history, with groups of power-grabbers claiming a non-existing authority to interpret the Bible for others and impose their notions on them, and in many quarters the Bible (so interpreted) has been turned into an idol by the false attribution of infallibility. Only God is infallible. We need to be keenly aware of the dangers of book religion. God's ongoing revelation comes to us through the triad of Scripture, Tradition and Reason, discerned in the historic Church to guide and enrich our lives during our earthly journey..
Let us ponder these Reformation concepts and challenges as we go forward.
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Epiphany II: Light to Nations
When we seek to historicize the texts about John the Baptiser and Jesus, we come up short. In the gospel of John, the Baptiser says he never laid eyes on Jesus until he came out to be baptised; Luke, on the other hand, says their mothers were cousins and were close. Matthew, Mark and John say that John the Baptiser baptised Jesus; Luke says John was already in jail when Jesus went for baptism. We can easily say we are not looking at history, but at theology, in the biblical texts. And theology offers a wide variety of insights in these stories.
Today let's look at what the coming of Jesus means as he is commissioned by the Baptiser. This is the launch of a prophet in Israel. We see a perfect model in Isaiah. There we see the Suffering Servant, initially symbolizing the Jewish People -- chosen from the womb and fashioned to be God's own. Being commissioned, the servant leader is called, first to a role in the restoration of the nation, and in turn for the nation to be a light to the world. What the prophet is to the nation, the nation is to the whole world.
We need to hear that this week. On Friday, we will inaugurate a President of the United States. He will be another minority president, chosen not by the American People but by the Electoral College. He will be the first president with no experience in governance and no military service for our nation. He is also noted for having degraded women, disabled people, and having demonized a religion, also making fun of the rite of communion in the Christian Religion. He has done a lot to alienate already.
Yet, as Christians, we are called to discern, not to judge. Friday, Inauguration Day, is a kind of new beginning. Many have already tried, found Mr. Trump guilty, and ordered his execution -- before a chance to even be sworn in. Like it or not, he will be the president of all us Americans. Let us give him a chance. On the other hand, as Christians we have a strong responsibility to the gospel of Christ and, as we go forward, we must maintain our prophetic role, inherited from Jesus, the Supreme Prophet of God. We must not allow ourselves to be coopted, as many conservative Christians have, into a value system inconsistent with our Faith. Let's be fair and open, keep our edge, but stay true to who we are as America embarks into unknown territory.
Today let's look at what the coming of Jesus means as he is commissioned by the Baptiser. This is the launch of a prophet in Israel. We see a perfect model in Isaiah. There we see the Suffering Servant, initially symbolizing the Jewish People -- chosen from the womb and fashioned to be God's own. Being commissioned, the servant leader is called, first to a role in the restoration of the nation, and in turn for the nation to be a light to the world. What the prophet is to the nation, the nation is to the whole world.
We need to hear that this week. On Friday, we will inaugurate a President of the United States. He will be another minority president, chosen not by the American People but by the Electoral College. He will be the first president with no experience in governance and no military service for our nation. He is also noted for having degraded women, disabled people, and having demonized a religion, also making fun of the rite of communion in the Christian Religion. He has done a lot to alienate already.
Yet, as Christians, we are called to discern, not to judge. Friday, Inauguration Day, is a kind of new beginning. Many have already tried, found Mr. Trump guilty, and ordered his execution -- before a chance to even be sworn in. Like it or not, he will be the president of all us Americans. Let us give him a chance. On the other hand, as Christians we have a strong responsibility to the gospel of Christ and, as we go forward, we must maintain our prophetic role, inherited from Jesus, the Supreme Prophet of God. We must not allow ourselves to be coopted, as many conservative Christians have, into a value system inconsistent with our Faith. Let's be fair and open, keep our edge, but stay true to who we are as America embarks into unknown territory.
Friday, January 13, 2017
Epiphany I: Tale of Two Epiphanies
An Epiphany is simply a manifestation or revealing of some reality. In the western Church, the twelve days of Christmas close with the Epiphany, observing the story of the visit of the Magi. Within the eastern Church, Epiphany is the story of the baptism of Jesus, which we observe on Sunday.
Both are highly relevant epiphanies. The story of the Magi first appears in Luke's gospel from the early Nineties of the common era after synagogue and church had separated and the fate of the new Christian religion was cast in a gentile mould. Not surprising then that the characters in this story happen to be non-Jews attracted to Jesus. In addition they bring gifts of gold (appropriate to a king), frankincense (gift for a priest), and myrrh (appropriate to a martyr). So they "predict" the story of Jesus' life and ministry in the form of those gifts, which beyond symbolism would be rather odd in childbirth context. However, I rather like the cartoon I saw last week, depicting three Wise Women who arrive later with gifts of diapers, casseroles, and formula!
The Baptism we observe in the West varies in detail among the three synoptic gospels. Curiously, within John's gospel, the Baptiser says he didn't recognize Jesus until the latter showed up for baptism, whereas Luke has told us that their mothers were close cousins. Even more curious, Luke tells us that the Baptiser was already in prison before Jesus came out for baptism, so someone else baptised Jesus. All of this reminds us that in reading Scripture we are reading theology, not history.
The notion that Jesus came out for a ritual pitched as baptism for forgiveness of personal sins was embarrasing to the early Church and so it was necessary to articulate what was going on in a better way. I think it is done beautifully in Pasolini's film "The Gospel of Saint Matthew." The Baptiser zips all around the water, washing off people's sins and then goes to Jesus, in the centre, whom we observe absorbing the sins as he is baptised. For he is the one who will take on our Dark Side -- confront and defeat the powers of sin and death.
For those of us in the Catholic Tradition, our journey begins with baptism, the primal sacrament, through which we enter a new family, a faith family spanning almost two thousand years. As there cannot be an age at which one "understands" and qualifies for the sacrament, we bring to the font children and adults of all ages. "Let the little children come to me! Do not hinder them, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven," says Jesus (Jno. 10:14)
Any epiphany, or manifestation is hollow, unless Christ is manifest in us in our place and time, unless we see and serve him in the poor and oppressed, unless we take us his passion for peace and justice, unless we strive to build the Kingdom of God. Jesus manifested little interest in doctrine, dogma and theology, but everything in carrying out the will of his Father. That is our business now.
Both are highly relevant epiphanies. The story of the Magi first appears in Luke's gospel from the early Nineties of the common era after synagogue and church had separated and the fate of the new Christian religion was cast in a gentile mould. Not surprising then that the characters in this story happen to be non-Jews attracted to Jesus. In addition they bring gifts of gold (appropriate to a king), frankincense (gift for a priest), and myrrh (appropriate to a martyr). So they "predict" the story of Jesus' life and ministry in the form of those gifts, which beyond symbolism would be rather odd in childbirth context. However, I rather like the cartoon I saw last week, depicting three Wise Women who arrive later with gifts of diapers, casseroles, and formula!
The Baptism we observe in the West varies in detail among the three synoptic gospels. Curiously, within John's gospel, the Baptiser says he didn't recognize Jesus until the latter showed up for baptism, whereas Luke has told us that their mothers were close cousins. Even more curious, Luke tells us that the Baptiser was already in prison before Jesus came out for baptism, so someone else baptised Jesus. All of this reminds us that in reading Scripture we are reading theology, not history.
The notion that Jesus came out for a ritual pitched as baptism for forgiveness of personal sins was embarrasing to the early Church and so it was necessary to articulate what was going on in a better way. I think it is done beautifully in Pasolini's film "The Gospel of Saint Matthew." The Baptiser zips all around the water, washing off people's sins and then goes to Jesus, in the centre, whom we observe absorbing the sins as he is baptised. For he is the one who will take on our Dark Side -- confront and defeat the powers of sin and death.
For those of us in the Catholic Tradition, our journey begins with baptism, the primal sacrament, through which we enter a new family, a faith family spanning almost two thousand years. As there cannot be an age at which one "understands" and qualifies for the sacrament, we bring to the font children and adults of all ages. "Let the little children come to me! Do not hinder them, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven," says Jesus (Jno. 10:14)
Any epiphany, or manifestation is hollow, unless Christ is manifest in us in our place and time, unless we see and serve him in the poor and oppressed, unless we take us his passion for peace and justice, unless we strive to build the Kingdom of God. Jesus manifested little interest in doctrine, dogma and theology, but everything in carrying out the will of his Father. That is our business now.
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Saint Samuel Azariah
Epiphany is just around the corner -- the feast which marks the end of the Christmas Season and, in the western Church, features Saint Luke's story of the visit of the three Magi to Jesus. It is helpful to remember that Luke wrote his gospel in the early Nineties after the Church had become gentile. So it is not surprising that this highly symbolic tale, showing non-Jews being drawn to Jesus, is found in Luke's late writing. For some reason they have been reading Hebrew Scripture and discerned from it details implying the birth of a future Jewish king. So they hit the road and find the Holy Family. The Magi worship Jesus and bring him gifts of gold (gift for a king), frankincense (gift for a priest), and myrrh (gift for a martyr); even as the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem want to do him in. The gifts of the Magi give to the reader an epiphany (disclosure) of who this Child is and what his fate will be.
Our Saint-du-jour is a gentile and was the first Indian bishop in the Anglican Communion. Son of a village vicar and a devout mother, he became a priest in 1909 and was ordained as bishop for a new diocese in 1912. Azariah proved to be a committed and humble servant of God. He always travelled by bullock cart or bicycle. He strongly emphasized evangelism, but fostered respect and cooperation with other faith traditions. He did not, however, allow the ecumenical spirit to stand in the way of speaking out about injustice, even in a religious context. Thus when Mahatma Gandhi objected to his conversion of Hindus, Azariah responded that the religion as practised was oppressive because of the destructive caste system.
By 1935 the new diocese boasted 250 ordained Indian clergy and 22,000 teachers -- quite a grand accomplishment. Medical clinics, co-ops, and other humanitarian institutions dotted the landscape.
When Bishop Azariah was finally able to erect a Cathedral (bishop's church), he insisted that Muslim and Hindu, as well as Christian, elements be incorporated into the design, as a visual statement of the artistic beauty found in these several great traditions, while still insisting that the complete revelation of God was to be found in Jesus Christ.
Our Saint-du-jour is a gentile and was the first Indian bishop in the Anglican Communion. Son of a village vicar and a devout mother, he became a priest in 1909 and was ordained as bishop for a new diocese in 1912. Azariah proved to be a committed and humble servant of God. He always travelled by bullock cart or bicycle. He strongly emphasized evangelism, but fostered respect and cooperation with other faith traditions. He did not, however, allow the ecumenical spirit to stand in the way of speaking out about injustice, even in a religious context. Thus when Mahatma Gandhi objected to his conversion of Hindus, Azariah responded that the religion as practised was oppressive because of the destructive caste system.
By 1935 the new diocese boasted 250 ordained Indian clergy and 22,000 teachers -- quite a grand accomplishment. Medical clinics, co-ops, and other humanitarian institutions dotted the landscape.
When Bishop Azariah was finally able to erect a Cathedral (bishop's church), he insisted that Muslim and Hindu, as well as Christian, elements be incorporated into the design, as a visual statement of the artistic beauty found in these several great traditions, while still insisting that the complete revelation of God was to be found in Jesus Christ.
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Christmas I: Double Header
Today, when Sunday falls on the secular New Year's day, the Church observed the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus and also the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. So we have a double header this morning.that can offer spiritual insight as we begin a new year.
The early, historical Christian witness has little to share about Christmas. For all that Saint Paul wrote in letters to congregations, he likely never imagined his work would become Scripture, and he was focussed on guidance of his faith communities. The totality of what he had to say about Christmas was in our reading this morning, "Jesus was born to a woman." Not very informative. More than ten years later, the first gospel -- Mark -- has this to say, that Jesus was "the son of Mary." That's it. We owe our "Charlie Brown Christmas" with its Virgin Birth, Bethlehem stable, shepherds, angels and magi, to Saint Luke, whose gospel offers a full-blown panorama of the conception and birth of the Saviour.
Today's gospel reading [Lk 2: 15-21] is a piece of that elaborated Christmas story. We read of the eighth-day naming and circumcision of Jesus (which became naming and baptism in Christian life) and Mary's pondering of "all these things" in her sacred heart.
The naming is part of Luke's agenda to show his gentile readings the continuity between the Jewish tradition and the new Way. To that end he shows the Holy Family as respectful and observant of its religious heritage. Jesus, throughout his life , manifested fidelity to Judaism. Superficial readings of Scripture may lead to the false conclusion that he embraced radically different practice. But, in the reality, he did two things to Judaism. First, he demanded commonsense, compassionate interpretation of the Law. When his disciples were criticized for working on the Sabbath by plucking heads of wheat, Jesus presented a story of David and his crew being given Consecrated Bread by a priest when they were hungry. He could have aced it by quoting Deuteronomy 23:25 which specifically says it is ok to skim wheat heads on shabbat, but not ok to use a sickle. Perhaps Jesys was unaware of that passage. In any event, he refused to play the interpretive games of the religious establishment.
Secondly, Jesus refused to play legalistic games. Instead he closed the loopholes of the Law by teaching torqued-up Torah: you are not just to avoid adultery, don't lust; you are not just to avoid murder, don't hate. So Jesus offered reform and fresh thinking while maintaining fidelity to the tradition. In the same way, we as Catholic Christians, blessed to be in apostolic succession, blessed by two thousand years of sacred story, are called to remain true to what we have received, to be faithful to who we are, to bloom where we have been planted.
Mary's prayerful, meditative pondering of God' work in the world is important to consider. That attitude of grateful listening makes her the model disciple: a model of prayer, study, obedience, compassion, faith and perseverance, service and devotion -- and even today our primary heavenly prayer partner. Whom better to emulate at the New Year than she whose life reminds us that prayer is as important a part of our faith life and relationship to God as are study and worship? Saint C. S. Lewis used the analogy of partisans in enemy-occupied territory listening to the wireless [radio] for God's instructions on living in a war zone. That's us, folks; we need to stay tuned to God's frequency.
Let us be faithful to who we are and prayerful in our approach to life; then we will move faithfully and effectively into the new year!
The early, historical Christian witness has little to share about Christmas. For all that Saint Paul wrote in letters to congregations, he likely never imagined his work would become Scripture, and he was focussed on guidance of his faith communities. The totality of what he had to say about Christmas was in our reading this morning, "Jesus was born to a woman." Not very informative. More than ten years later, the first gospel -- Mark -- has this to say, that Jesus was "the son of Mary." That's it. We owe our "Charlie Brown Christmas" with its Virgin Birth, Bethlehem stable, shepherds, angels and magi, to Saint Luke, whose gospel offers a full-blown panorama of the conception and birth of the Saviour.
Today's gospel reading [Lk 2: 15-21] is a piece of that elaborated Christmas story. We read of the eighth-day naming and circumcision of Jesus (which became naming and baptism in Christian life) and Mary's pondering of "all these things" in her sacred heart.
The naming is part of Luke's agenda to show his gentile readings the continuity between the Jewish tradition and the new Way. To that end he shows the Holy Family as respectful and observant of its religious heritage. Jesus, throughout his life , manifested fidelity to Judaism. Superficial readings of Scripture may lead to the false conclusion that he embraced radically different practice. But, in the reality, he did two things to Judaism. First, he demanded commonsense, compassionate interpretation of the Law. When his disciples were criticized for working on the Sabbath by plucking heads of wheat, Jesus presented a story of David and his crew being given Consecrated Bread by a priest when they were hungry. He could have aced it by quoting Deuteronomy 23:25 which specifically says it is ok to skim wheat heads on shabbat, but not ok to use a sickle. Perhaps Jesys was unaware of that passage. In any event, he refused to play the interpretive games of the religious establishment.
Secondly, Jesus refused to play legalistic games. Instead he closed the loopholes of the Law by teaching torqued-up Torah: you are not just to avoid adultery, don't lust; you are not just to avoid murder, don't hate. So Jesus offered reform and fresh thinking while maintaining fidelity to the tradition. In the same way, we as Catholic Christians, blessed to be in apostolic succession, blessed by two thousand years of sacred story, are called to remain true to what we have received, to be faithful to who we are, to bloom where we have been planted.
Mary's prayerful, meditative pondering of God' work in the world is important to consider. That attitude of grateful listening makes her the model disciple: a model of prayer, study, obedience, compassion, faith and perseverance, service and devotion -- and even today our primary heavenly prayer partner. Whom better to emulate at the New Year than she whose life reminds us that prayer is as important a part of our faith life and relationship to God as are study and worship? Saint C. S. Lewis used the analogy of partisans in enemy-occupied territory listening to the wireless [radio] for God's instructions on living in a war zone. That's us, folks; we need to stay tuned to God's frequency.
Let us be faithful to who we are and prayerful in our approach to life; then we will move faithfully and effectively into the new year!
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