Monthly Archives: June 2016

A silent universe waits

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hurricane-seasonIt is June in Florida and we have begun our annual vigil to see if our luck holds and again we will dodge a hurricane. Hurricanes are an expected natural disaster endemic to our State. Sadly, perhaps we also have reached a point where we wait for the next unnatural disaster; the next Nickel Mine School, Columbine, Aurora, San Bernardino, Sandy Hook/Newtown, Virginia Tech, Umpqua Community, Boston, Ft. Hood, Navy Yard Washington DC, or Orlando.  Continue reading →

Seeking in the time of loss

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About this time each year, the pace of life in the parish slows down: schools are out on summer break, vacations have started, families take a weekend at the beach, or after a week of rain, a sunny Sunday provides a window to get the lawn mowed. I had a few things to do in the office on Sunday to prepare for a week away – my own respite of relaxation. The last thing to do was the weekly pastor’s column. Continue reading →

Who do you say: fate

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who-do-you-say crThe Fate of the Messiah and Disciples. Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.” 21 He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone. 22 He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”  Immediately, Peter’s confession of Jesus is qualified in three respects: (1) Jesus orders the disciples not to tell anyone; (2) Jesus tells the disciples that he must be killed; and (3) Jesus teaches the disciples what following him will require. Continue reading →

Who do you say: prophet or king?

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who-do-you-say crMatthew and Mark locate this incident in the vicinity of Caesarea Philippi, near the foot of Mount Hermon. This was gentile territory, away from Herod’s dominion and from the crowds that had been thronging him. Here he could talk quietly with the disciples and have opportunity for undistracted prayer. Luke does not mention the location specifically, perhaps wanting to link it to the feeding of the 5,000.  Or perhaps, rather than locate Peter’s confession of Jesus as Messiah in the place named for a Roman emperor, Luke locates the confession in the place where Jesus meets his heavenly Father – in prayer. Continue reading →

Who do you say: context

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who-do-you-say cr18 Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’” 20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.” 21 He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.  22 He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”  23 Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”  (Luke 9:18-24)

The entire section of Luke’s gospel (9:18-27) consists of a conversation in three parts. The first two parts (vv. 18-20) contain questions about Jesus’ identity:  who do the crowds say that I am and then who do you disciples say that I am.  The final part of the conversation (vv.23-27) concerns Jesus’ teaching on the meaning of discipleship.  All of this has followed Luke’s indirect revelation about Jesus as the one who fulfills the prophetic tradition of Isaiah, Elijah, Elisha, and Moses in the exodus. Continue reading →

Which came first?

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Simon-Sinful-WomanJesus turns to his host, Simon and says, “So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven because she has shown great love.” – and later Jesus tells her that her “sins are forgiven.”  When I ponder that short verse in the gospel, I have often pondered it as though it were a chicken and egg question. You know, which comes first love or forgiveness?  I think the answer is, it depends.

Scripture is clear that in the relationship between God and us, love comes first. Listen to the words of 1st Letter of John: “In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins… We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:10,19) That seems pretty clear. As regards forgiveness, it is there for our asking, because God already and always loves us. Continue reading →

Love and forgiveness: lessons

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Simon-Sinful-WomanThe Parable Revealed. 47 So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”

Verse 47 is ambiguous in the Greek. Scholars mount many arguments about how to translate the verse. The ambiguity comes in the word hoti which can be translated “because” or “hence.” If “because” is selected by the translator, then in English we have an implied causality: love was required to precede forgiveness. But if “hence” is the choice, then the latter actions are the consequence of a forgiveness already received. Most scholars opt for “hence.” Continue reading →

Love and forgiveness: actions

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Simon-Sinful-WomanAction, Reaction. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.”

Because of our familiarity with the woman who anoints Jesus’ feet during Holy Week, we perhaps move to quickly to she…anointed them with the ointment. If we are careful readers, we see that the first action was she stood behind him at his feet weeping. Why was she weeping? Continue reading →

Love and forgiveness: notes

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Simon-Sinful-WomanHow would you title our Gospel narrative? I suspect most would lean towards a title that emphasized the actions of the woman. In part, because we possess parallels to the Lucan account in the other Gospels (Mt 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, and John 12:1-8); although not exactly parallels. All of the other accounts take place in Jerusalem during Holy Week. But in Luke’s account Jesus is still in the midst of his Galilean mission. Thus, in Luke’s account there is no relation between the anointing and the burial of Jesus. Yet, there are common points of similarity e.g., the alabaster jar. But what is unique about the Lucan account is the development of a relationship between forgiveness and love. Continue reading →