An ancient Jewish story tells of a king who decided to visit the prison in his kingdom to find out what sort of people were being incarcerated. He took a seat at the centre of the building, with the prisoner cells all round, and interviewed them one at a time. The king asked the first to tell his story and he assured the monarch that he had been framed, was completely innocent, and deserved to be released. The second prisoner essentially said the same, as the chain of prisoners whose interviews followed. Finally, the last prisoner was brought before the king. The king said I am sure that you too will tell me you were unjustly charged and deserve commutation of the rest of your sentence. No, said the last prisoner, I am an abject sinner, was a thief and a scoundrel, I did the crime with which I was charged, and, though I've learned my lesson, I am justly serving out my sentence.
After the final interview was over and prisoner returned to his cell, the monarch summoned the jailer and told him to release the last prisoner. There was a great hue and cry from the rest of the prisoners demanding to know why this person, who had admitted to his crime and was willing to serve out his sentence, was being released. The king told the rest of the prisoners that he was getting the man out of there so he wouldn't contaminate the holy people who had been unjustly incarcerated with him!
The forgiveness extended by the king reminds us of the importance of a realistic and honest sense of self, the call not to pass judgement or hold grudges, and the crucial role of forgiveness in Christian life. We have been given, Saint Paul says, the ministry of reconciliation. That depends on the art of forgiveness.
Let me suggest what I believe are four common misconceptions about forgiveness:
(1) True repentance is required before forgiveness can be offered. No, forgiveness is unilateral and unconditional. (Did Saul apologize to St. Stephen? Did Pilate apologize to Jesus?)
(2) Real Christians forgive, forget and move on. No, hurt and pain don't just disappear. They must be named and owned. Forgiveness is not denial.
(3) Forgiving 77 or 490 times (depending on which manuscript you translate) must mean being a doormat. No, true forgiveness does not anticipate the tolerance of abuse. Bad conduct must have real consequences, and the child of God must stand up for self and others.
(4) We forgive as a way to get back at other people. Didn't Oscar Wilde say forgive your enemies, nothing annoys them so much? Didn't Saint Paul say that forgiving an offender is like heaping fiery coals on his head? Yes, but we do not understand that as a ringing endorsement of vengeance but rather a pre-emptive strike against it. In fact, the Gospel reason for forgiveness is to reflect the generosity of God and God's lavish, unconditional pardon granted to each of us. (Do you remember the crazy Father in the prodigal story? That's God!) Forgiveness is a gift of grace that transforms relationships. It is never payback.
Our Gospel today [Mt. 18:21-35] speaks powerfully of the need for us to forgive others out of our gratitude to God for acceptance of us, and in recognition of God's love of all humanity. So may it be.
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Sunday, September 10, 2017
Pentecost XIV: Congregational Health
The main thing that is wrong with church congregations is that they are made up of people, and people come to every enterprise with personality issues, baggage of all sorts, their own chemistry which will not meld with some other persons. Thus conflict from time to time is inevitable. Church conflict resolution expert Speed Leas classifies disagreements from a "level one," meaning we have a problem to resolve, up to "level five," intractable situations in which there are typically three key players: the persecutor, the victim, and the rescuers. Anyone can have any of those roles.
When intractable situations arise, congregational protestant churches usually divide, what I call the "amoeba syndrome." These days that process is harder to follow, as split-offs tend to adopt the entertainment church practice of hiding their denominational identity, calling the church by some buzzword, like Solace or Hillspring. In the Catholic traditions, we do not and cannot divide because we have something called a bishop who handles (or occasionally mishandles) the situation, meeting with people, studying the problem and, when needed, moving some laity and clergy to other parishes. This is one of the ways in which the bishop functions as centre of church unity. Emphasis is always on maintaining the health and Christian mission of the faith family. In rare cases, the bishop will excommunicate someone and, indeed, priests have that authority, but it is used very,very rarely. We try to give people the benefit of the doubt, work to promote reconciliation, and avoid judgmentalism.
Today's gospel [Mt. 18: 15-20] portrays Jesus as offering guidelines for dealing with church conflict and many assume this is fresh material, but in fact Our Lord is simply quoting Deuteronomy. Do remember that Matthew's congregation, releasing this gospel around 80 C.E., fifty years after the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, is a truly Jewish-Christian congregation which does not dispense the Law but promotes Jesus' torqued-up version we read in the Sermon on the Mount. The historical Jesus, of course, did not ostracize Gentiles and tax collectors, as the text implies. Pharisees did. Nevertheless, this simple pattern of engagement can be a very helpful model in reconciliation: engagement one-on-one, then in group, and finally to the institutional level.
I glean some interesting thoughts and inferences. First, those who lead the church, like the rest of the membership, are called to be loving towards others -- in and out of church -- and to be focussed on the needs of the other person, helping the fellow-Christian to fullness of life. Really listening can be essential in that process. Likewise the fundamental equality of all Christians (regardless of role) is important to recognize; you may recall Saint Peter having a God moment in which he realizes that God has no favourites. Hence, God loves us equally -- male and female, gay and straight, old and young, and those all across the colour and ethnic spectrum. All are beloved and to be respected and served. We strive for unity in diversity. God seeks community, hence where any "two or three' gather God is with us and provides the tools, inspiration, and commitment to resolve our conflicts.
.
When intractable situations arise, congregational protestant churches usually divide, what I call the "amoeba syndrome." These days that process is harder to follow, as split-offs tend to adopt the entertainment church practice of hiding their denominational identity, calling the church by some buzzword, like Solace or Hillspring. In the Catholic traditions, we do not and cannot divide because we have something called a bishop who handles (or occasionally mishandles) the situation, meeting with people, studying the problem and, when needed, moving some laity and clergy to other parishes. This is one of the ways in which the bishop functions as centre of church unity. Emphasis is always on maintaining the health and Christian mission of the faith family. In rare cases, the bishop will excommunicate someone and, indeed, priests have that authority, but it is used very,very rarely. We try to give people the benefit of the doubt, work to promote reconciliation, and avoid judgmentalism.
Today's gospel [Mt. 18: 15-20] portrays Jesus as offering guidelines for dealing with church conflict and many assume this is fresh material, but in fact Our Lord is simply quoting Deuteronomy. Do remember that Matthew's congregation, releasing this gospel around 80 C.E., fifty years after the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, is a truly Jewish-Christian congregation which does not dispense the Law but promotes Jesus' torqued-up version we read in the Sermon on the Mount. The historical Jesus, of course, did not ostracize Gentiles and tax collectors, as the text implies. Pharisees did. Nevertheless, this simple pattern of engagement can be a very helpful model in reconciliation: engagement one-on-one, then in group, and finally to the institutional level.
I glean some interesting thoughts and inferences. First, those who lead the church, like the rest of the membership, are called to be loving towards others -- in and out of church -- and to be focussed on the needs of the other person, helping the fellow-Christian to fullness of life. Really listening can be essential in that process. Likewise the fundamental equality of all Christians (regardless of role) is important to recognize; you may recall Saint Peter having a God moment in which he realizes that God has no favourites. Hence, God loves us equally -- male and female, gay and straight, old and young, and those all across the colour and ethnic spectrum. All are beloved and to be respected and served. We strive for unity in diversity. God seeks community, hence where any "two or three' gather God is with us and provides the tools, inspiration, and commitment to resolve our conflicts.
.
Friday, September 8, 2017
Boris and Gleb
Sons of Vladimir, Boris and Gleb were two of four brothers, princes of Kiev, and practising Christians. They were opposed by their evil brother Svyatopolk who wanted to seize all royal power.
Boris learned about Svyatopolk's plants to exterminate his siblings, but would not allow his soldiers to fight against his brother. After reflection and prayer he sent his trooped await and waited quietly in prayer, speaking to God of the emptiness of worldly power and wealth and asking for a spirit of holy suffering. He was killed at the river Alta by spear and sword in 1015 c.e.
The same year, younger brother Gleb was called at the Dnieper River. Svyatopolk had rquested a meeting but he and his men ambushed Gleb on the way there. He asked the troops to spare his life, but to no avail. He died by a stab in the throat by his own traitorous cook!
The record says that both brothers prayed for (1) forgiveness of Svyatopol, (2) acceptance of an unjust death in emulation of Jesus' acceptance of his unjust death, and (3) acknowledgement of Jesus' prediction that one's own kinsmen and friends would commit betrayal.
In 1020 the other brother Yaroslav invaded Kiev, drove out Svyatopolk who died fleeing to Poland. Then this brother, though not a Christian, ordered exhumation of Boris and Gleb in order to have a proper funeral consistent with their faith. Their bodies were found to be incorrupt and were translated to Saint Basil's near Kiev. At first the Greek Metropolitan hesitated because the heroes were neither ascetics, teachers, clergy, nor actually martryed for their faith. But he came to realize that Boris and Gleb were "passion bearers" who had renounced violence and been sacrificed in the spirit of Christ. They were soon canonized, first in the East, then in the West.
Boris learned about Svyatopolk's plants to exterminate his siblings, but would not allow his soldiers to fight against his brother. After reflection and prayer he sent his trooped await and waited quietly in prayer, speaking to God of the emptiness of worldly power and wealth and asking for a spirit of holy suffering. He was killed at the river Alta by spear and sword in 1015 c.e.
The same year, younger brother Gleb was called at the Dnieper River. Svyatopolk had rquested a meeting but he and his men ambushed Gleb on the way there. He asked the troops to spare his life, but to no avail. He died by a stab in the throat by his own traitorous cook!
The record says that both brothers prayed for (1) forgiveness of Svyatopol, (2) acceptance of an unjust death in emulation of Jesus' acceptance of his unjust death, and (3) acknowledgement of Jesus' prediction that one's own kinsmen and friends would commit betrayal.
In 1020 the other brother Yaroslav invaded Kiev, drove out Svyatopolk who died fleeing to Poland. Then this brother, though not a Christian, ordered exhumation of Boris and Gleb in order to have a proper funeral consistent with their faith. Their bodies were found to be incorrupt and were translated to Saint Basil's near Kiev. At first the Greek Metropolitan hesitated because the heroes were neither ascetics, teachers, clergy, nor actually martryed for their faith. But he came to realize that Boris and Gleb were "passion bearers" who had renounced violence and been sacrificed in the spirit of Christ. They were soon canonized, first in the East, then in the West.
Monday, September 4, 2017
Pentecost XIII: Gold-plated Nickels
By 1883 the standing liberty five-cent piece was a bit long in the tooth and the Treasury retained engraver Charles Barber to design new coinage. The revised five-cent piece, commonly known as the liberty nickel or "V" Nickel, had a lovely portrait of Lady Liberty on the obverse, and on the reverse a large Roman numeral five, with the name of our country above it and our motto -- E pluribus unum -- below it. The coin design was identical to that of the new five dollar gold piece.
An enterprising young man named Josh Tatum acquired a batch of V nickels and proceeded to gold- plate them. He then took them around to various businesses, buying one five-cent item, and getting back $4.95 in change. Thus he acquired a nice nest egg at a time when a typical worker made $2 a day. Soon Tatum was arrested but the Court acquitted him because he was a deaf-mute and did not represent the coins as gold pieces. The merchants had failed to verify; the loss was on them, Tatum got off scot-free with his hoard. The lesson I want to make here is not that crime pays (apparently sometimes it does, though usually for the wealthy), rather I want to say: don't settle for gold-plated nickels. Insist on the real thing!
That is certainly true in matters of faith. I believe that much of contemporary Christianity falls into what I would characterize as resume Christianity and formula Christianity. The former sees faith communities as good places to be members of, for networking and entertainment. Many are "un- denominational" or "non-denominational," meaning the congregation's beliefs depend on what the pastor had for breakfast that week. We rely on two thousand years of Catholic teaching and life. Formula Christianity is the bargain-basement variety. Just sign a statement acknowledging that your beliefs about Jesus are orthodox and you have a straight ticket to heaven. That does not track well to the Jesus who said he will reward each of us according to what we have done, by how we have lived.
Let me suggest instead that we be faithful to Jesus, rather than serving the interests of religious entrepreneurs and cons, and our own selfish motives. In the Jewish Testament reading today, God is depicted in a burning bush, talking to young Moses about becoming a liberator of the Jewish People. He makes the usual excuses, too young, too inarticulate. God isn't buying that line and tells Moses that he will be with him, so get with the program. Moses does and, with God's help, liberation succeeds. We see by the results that Moses' faith and message were genuine, were of God.
Today is the feast day of a newly-minted Saint, Prudence Crandall, who lived in the nineteenth century in Canterbury ,Connecticut. In 1881, she started a school for girls at a time when educating the female population was considered inappropriate. People argued that women were not suited to serious schooling and needed only to prepare to keep house, have babies, and satisfy husbands. In 1883, a young lady named Sarah Harris applied to the school and was admitted. Sarah was black, and became part of the first integrated classroom in our nation. Soon addition black girls were also admitted. The local population went totally berserk. Many white parents withdrew their daughters from the school. Merchants got together and announced they would refuse service to any black student. Townspeople ostracized the African- Americans and passed a town resolution in an attempt to close the school. When that failed, arsonists tried to burn it down and, in 1884, fearing for the safety of the students, Crandall shut the school down. But the spark she lit burnt on, leading to the opening of education to females and people of colour around the country. She was a force for good during the Civil War in opposition to slavery. And in 1890 Connecticut named her their official "state heroine,"
We in our own time are called to hear God's word for us, which comes to us at various times and in various ways, and what we know in our hearts, and live out in our lives, will bear the fruit that is true testimony to God's action. Insist on true religion, don't accept the popular cheap substitutes, don't take any gold-plated nickels!
An enterprising young man named Josh Tatum acquired a batch of V nickels and proceeded to gold- plate them. He then took them around to various businesses, buying one five-cent item, and getting back $4.95 in change. Thus he acquired a nice nest egg at a time when a typical worker made $2 a day. Soon Tatum was arrested but the Court acquitted him because he was a deaf-mute and did not represent the coins as gold pieces. The merchants had failed to verify; the loss was on them, Tatum got off scot-free with his hoard. The lesson I want to make here is not that crime pays (apparently sometimes it does, though usually for the wealthy), rather I want to say: don't settle for gold-plated nickels. Insist on the real thing!
That is certainly true in matters of faith. I believe that much of contemporary Christianity falls into what I would characterize as resume Christianity and formula Christianity. The former sees faith communities as good places to be members of, for networking and entertainment. Many are "un- denominational" or "non-denominational," meaning the congregation's beliefs depend on what the pastor had for breakfast that week. We rely on two thousand years of Catholic teaching and life. Formula Christianity is the bargain-basement variety. Just sign a statement acknowledging that your beliefs about Jesus are orthodox and you have a straight ticket to heaven. That does not track well to the Jesus who said he will reward each of us according to what we have done, by how we have lived.
Let me suggest instead that we be faithful to Jesus, rather than serving the interests of religious entrepreneurs and cons, and our own selfish motives. In the Jewish Testament reading today, God is depicted in a burning bush, talking to young Moses about becoming a liberator of the Jewish People. He makes the usual excuses, too young, too inarticulate. God isn't buying that line and tells Moses that he will be with him, so get with the program. Moses does and, with God's help, liberation succeeds. We see by the results that Moses' faith and message were genuine, were of God.
Today is the feast day of a newly-minted Saint, Prudence Crandall, who lived in the nineteenth century in Canterbury ,Connecticut. In 1881, she started a school for girls at a time when educating the female population was considered inappropriate. People argued that women were not suited to serious schooling and needed only to prepare to keep house, have babies, and satisfy husbands. In 1883, a young lady named Sarah Harris applied to the school and was admitted. Sarah was black, and became part of the first integrated classroom in our nation. Soon addition black girls were also admitted. The local population went totally berserk. Many white parents withdrew their daughters from the school. Merchants got together and announced they would refuse service to any black student. Townspeople ostracized the African- Americans and passed a town resolution in an attempt to close the school. When that failed, arsonists tried to burn it down and, in 1884, fearing for the safety of the students, Crandall shut the school down. But the spark she lit burnt on, leading to the opening of education to females and people of colour around the country. She was a force for good during the Civil War in opposition to slavery. And in 1890 Connecticut named her their official "state heroine,"
We in our own time are called to hear God's word for us, which comes to us at various times and in various ways, and what we know in our hearts, and live out in our lives, will bear the fruit that is true testimony to God's action. Insist on true religion, don't accept the popular cheap substitutes, don't take any gold-plated nickels!
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