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In Francis Fukuyama’s “The End of History?”, the author seeks to inform us of what he thinks of as the end of history itself. This theory, presented so boldly in the title, is brazen in both its content and approach. The question however is: Is Fukuyama’s theory correct?

One of the main objections to Fukuyama’s opinion can be easily thwarted if a reader examines certain passages closely. When asserting that history has in fact ended along with the Cold War, Fukuyama clarifies his position thusly: “This is not to say that there will no longer be events to fill the pages of Foreign Affair's yearly summaries of international relations, for the victory of liberalism has occurred primarily in the realm of ideas or consciousness and is as yet incomplete in the real or material world. But there are powerful reasons for believing that it is the ideal that will govern the material world in the long run.” As one can see, he is demonstrating that though his theory may not have been fully realized in the “real or material world”, it is gaining control in the general world consciousness. Liberal democracy will be the final form of human government. With that said, a new question arises: How, and how soon?

Fukuyama, through discussion of the events themselves and their overall importance in the world stage of politics, brings about the notion that this “end of history” will occur as the Cold War and the Soviet Union itself fall away. This article was of course published nearly a decade ago, before these events had actually been realized completely. Fukuyama’s ability to accurately predict not only those events, but other, somewhat non-related occurrences is frighteningly good. Simply put, if such predictions can be made of world events from observation of present and historic ones, perhaps history has ended. Another question then: Just what does that mean?

The author says that the end of history “as such” does not necessarily mean that there will be no more notable events or conflicts. He stresses that there will be no higher or better form of government found than liberal democracy; it’s basically his entire platform for the argument. Often when we think of history, we think of the many occurrences that fill the text books we read. The author sees history differently; as conflicts of human interest toward the ultimate goal of the “right” form of government. He believes, as many may without realizing it themselves, that liberal democracy is that governing style. We have found reached the end of true idealistic conflict.

This is not to say that conflict of any sort will not arise. The author highlights the fact that the victory of liberal democracy has been and will be achieved through ideas more than actual governing bodies, at least for the time being. He uses examples of Western culture seeping into the day-to-day lives of the people of Asian countries. This is important to note; the fact that popular entertainment and pleasurable activities coming from the West are making a strong bond with the East make it more likely that the Western ideals of government will be accepted there sooner or later.

Finally, the author does admit to fundamental contradictions that may not be solved by liberal democray. Healso notes that there is likely no other form of government that could solve these problems in a satisfactory manner, therefore coming back to the idea that the western ideal is the last step in the evolutionary chain of governemnt.

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What does Fukuyama mean by the end of history?

- When Francis Fukuyama refers to the end of history, he is not in fact saying that history as we know it will cease to exist. When I think of history, I think of the events we learn about in school, notable happenings in time. The author does not mean to imply that there will be no further notable happenings in time present or future. He wishes to explain that all future conflicts (and there could be many) will have little change on the overall movement of the world toward a form of government that is inevitable. Liberal democracy. Fukuyama believes this is the highest form, the last possible step in the way of governmental development. He also stresses that many cultures may be resistant to this idea, but accepting of some of the ideas that usher it in, and that is indeed how it will gain its victory; through ideas and not the material world. Since there can be no further development (at least in the subject of government) then history will effectively come to an end.

How does Fukuyama’s viewpoint differ from Huntington’s?

- Fukuyama, as mentioned above, believes thoroughly that we have reached the end of our evolutionary chain of government. He believes that all cultures are indeed heading the way of liberal democracies, and that they will not maintain their cultural identities any more than they maintain their current political ones. The latter of these two aspects of Fukuyama’s view could not differ more from Huntington’s.

- Huntington believes that civilizations are becoming more powerful and more pronounced in today’s world. When he speaks of civilizations, he is referring to people of the same cultures and opinions. This is not necessarily geographic. He insists that the world was once, and will soon again be ruled by the identity of civilizations; everyone will belong to one. He assumes that this will mean a strong retention of culture for the members of these civilizations. This means that civilizations will revert back to their roots culturally in some respect, and that further urbanization (and especially Westernization) in many areas will slow or cease entirely.

- The two may both stress an imminent change in the forms of government, and the ultimate style thereof, but they have completely different views in the way this will be achieved, and indeed which form of government will come to power.

Do you agree with Fukuyama?

- The issue of whether I agree with Fukuyama is a complicated one. I was and still very much am a fence-rider; I see both sides of this argument very clearly, and can accept either view as valid. Fukuyama does have many admissible points. He also has an uncanny ability to predict world events (such as the fall of the Soviet Union and even the break-up of Yugoslavia) through the observation of those past and current. This leads me to believe that his theory of a future devoid of “history” is a valid one – he was right about many of the aspects he says will lead to this ultimate change, so he may just be right about the change itself. He also asserts that the victory of liberal democracy will not come in the form of materialistic wins; it will be gained through ideas. This is a theory I am personally very in line with, though I neither encourage nor discourage its result. I agree that the way any new and overriding way of thinking would gain a foothold in other cultures would be a more subtle approach through things that are seen as pleasurable, be it pop culture or entertainment. Convincing other people of this new world order, that they too can reach the final frontier of human governmental development, will be a battle won in the mind.

- Unfortunately, this is where Mr. Fukuyama and I part ways. I agree with many of his points, and even ultimately agree that our world will come to this inevitable finality. I do not, however, believe it will happen as soon as he asserts it will; or that it is happening now. I believe the developments of recent times show that we are far from reaching this “goal” of overall liberal democracy. We have a long way to go, and though our culture is spreading more quickly than it has in history, I believe it has yet to achieve the speed or strength of growth required to effectively set the Western view as the end-all be-all of governmental styles. I also think that as accurate as Fukuyama may have been, new developments are impossible to completely predict, and something drastic could always happen to set this trend in reverse or continue to delay it. Also, to assume that the “post-history” world will be devoid of art and literature is simply absurd. Government, though certainly an influence as anything in life is, has never been a primary focus of art or recreational literature. I say this as a member of the artistic community: Fukuyama is wrong about us. He does have a somewhat valid point in the way he ties this into the “museum-keeping” of history by the human race of this time, but he has missed a huge point when he asserts the end of art along with his “end of history”.

- All things said, I can not clearly make a judgment as to what side I stand on in this issue. If asked, I would certainly say I do not agree, because to me, if you do not agree fully, you simply do not agree. To say that I do not see his logic and follow its path, however, would be ludicrous. I fully understand the point the author is attempting to make, and believe he makes a strong case in doing it. I personally, however, simply can not fully agree.

Overall, the article was interesting and convincing, and a real eye-opening read. I discovered some of my own points of view, as well as expanding some I already knew existed. Fukuyama may not have been completely correct in my opinion, but he was certainly on to something.

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The Bible's witness to God's pursuit of human beings is a story of relationship, and therefore it is messy. It is not ordered by straight lines of logic, but meanders with the erratic circumstances of particular human beings who respond in differing ways to the call of God upon their lives.

We want neat, orderly systems; God gives us a koan: "I am." We want absolute truth nailed down in neat propositional form; the Bible gives us a vast sprawl of Divine-human history. We want bottom-line rules for life; the bible gives us the law of love. We want programs to follow; the Bible tells us to follow hard after God. We want something tangible to show for our efforts; the Bible asks that we relinquish results and place our faith in what is unseen.

The Bible reveals to us its Story -- tragic as well as glorious, bloody and violent as well as nurturing and inspiring -- by pouncing upon is from another realm, taking us by surprise.

We have the laws and the commandments for God;s people, the histories of battles and rulers and families, the stories of heroes and heroines, the accounts of treachery and betrayal. But names and numbers and times and places and even grand stories are not enough to portray God's pursuit of human beings, for we must learn about God up close, not from a distance. Only poetry and prayer and the prophets' cries and whispers can express such wondrous intimacy in disclosing the loving heart of God. Only the words that pass directly between human soul and Divine Spirit can help us understand how to take off our shoes as we enter holy ground, how to cultivate friendship the God...

The Bible's central story is about relationship, and so for guidance in following Jesus it gives us not a book of morals or seven steps to self-help, but a slew of letters. They flow between people charged with spreading the Gospel -- specific people with specific struggles. This is what it looks like to solve such dilemmas in a Christlike way, we learn.

These are the choices in following Jesus through alien and hostile societies, or within comfortable and complacent cultures. These are the big things on which you must stand firm, the letters say, and those are the little things you can let go. This is what it means to live for God's glory, whether you are on top or at the bottom of the social food chain, whether there is rain or sun, whether you feel strong or weak, whether you are married or single.

And finally the bible concludes its Story not with an ending but with a new beginning. So vast and epic is this pursuit of God to form a people who perfectly give and receive love that it spills over into eternity. The Bible says that God had planted eternity in human hearts (Eccles. 3:11) but how can eternity be conveyed to finite human minds? The biblical writers choose the most soaring imagery imaginable - a lamb enthroned who outshines the stars ... a holy city made of precious gems, with a river of crystal flowing in its midst (Rev. 21-22). How gracious God is to pull the veil aside and give us glimpses of the glories to come - a future beyond our wildest dreams, a Story beyond all telling.

Life With God, Richard J. Foster, pgs. 83-86

Seeing the Bible Afresh:

In point of fact, we can often use the Bible in ways that stifle spiritual life or even destroy the soul. This happened to any number of people who walked with Jesus, heard him teach, and saw him exercise the power of the kingdom of God. For many, their very study of Scriptures prevented them from recognizing who he was and from putting their confidence in him (John 5:39-47). And later Peter speaks in very grim terms of how people can "twist" scripture to their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:16).

Is it possible that this still happens today? Sadly, we must admit that it does. Think of the multiplied millions of people who say, sincerely, that the Bible is the guide to life but who still starve to death in the presence of its spiritual feast. This tragic situation is obvious from the usual effects (or lack of effects) that the study of the Bible has in the daily lives of people, even among those who speak most highly of it.

The Source of the Problem:

The source of the problem is rooted in the two most common objectives people have for studying the Bible. The first is the practice of studying the Bible for information or knowledge alone. This may include information about particular facts or historical events, or knowledge of general truths or doctrines, or even knoweldge of how others are mistaken in their religious views, beliefs and practices.

We know from experience how knowledge can make people arrogant -- even from knowledge of the bible and of God. It is not surprising, then, that study focuses on knowledge alone does not lead to life transformation, which is the real human need. No wonder we who love the Bible keep buying more editions of it, hoping to obtain what we know in our hearts is there for us.

The second common objective people often have for studying the Bible is to find some formula that will solve the pressing need of the moment. Thus we seek out lists of specific passages that speak to particular needs rather than seeking whole-life discipleship to Jesus. To be sure, these needs are important, desperately so when we are trapped in the harsh realities of life. They can involve anything from the needs for comfort or forgiveness, to physical healing, to conformity to a particular denominational or political persuasion, to special endowments of gifts of the Spirit, to works of social liberation. But in the end they always have to do with being "a good citizen," "a good spouse," or "a good Christian" by certain interpretations.

The Supernatural Power of Love:

Jesus founded on earth a new type of community, and in it and through him, love -- God-given agape love -- came down to live with power of earth. Now, it is this God-given agape love that transforms our lives and gives us true spiritual substance as persons. Suppose, then, we simply agreed that the proper outcome of studying the Bible is growth in the supernatural power of love; love of God and of all people.

"We could call this The First Corinthians 13 Test; "If I ... understand all mysteries and knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing" (verse 2) And so the test of whether or not we have really gotten to the point of the Bible would then be the quality of love that we show.

Nurturing the Intention:

God not only originated the Bible through human authorship; God remains with it always. It is God's book. No one owns it but God. It is the loving heart of God made visible and plain and receiving this message of exquisite love is the greatest privilege of all who love for life with God. Reading and studying and memorizing and meditating upon Scripture have always been the foundation of the Christian Disciplines.

"Behold," cries the psalmist, "you desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart ... Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me" (Ps. 51:6,10) It is the "inner person" that "is being renewed [renovare] day by day" (2Cor. 4:16)

In biblical interpretation, systematic passages interpret incidental passages; universal passages interpret local ones; didactic passages interpret symbolic ones. In this way the Bible guides us into better understanding of its particular parts.

Life with God, Richard J. Foster, ppgs. 4-11.

"Foster breathes new life into the topic by drawing on ancient resources ... He warns that the Bible is not an owner's manual for successful living, or even moral living; we shouldn't read it merely to serve our own needs ... Foster's work is not for those readers who are seeking quick answers or a behavioral checklist of what the Bible says they should do. Rather, it is a deep reflective guide to spiritual rumination and growth."

Publishers weekly

So this is our next read. I got this book this afternoon. We shall see what it says over the next few days. Today was our Saturday on the town excursion. We did our pharmacy shopping, pills are expensive!!! Then we headed into the core for lunch at the Eaton Centre which is always a nice outing. Then it was off to Indigo Book sellers where I got this new text to read. Hubby wanted a physics book by Michio Kaku, he is a theoretical physicist that we often hear on Coast to Coast AM radio late nights here in Montreal.

That was our day in brief...

A reading from the Gospel of Mark: 10:17-27

The Rich Young Man

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother."

"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."

Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

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What is it that man can judge another man? There is a lot to be said about Pride. For Pride cometh before the fall. I am very careful in writing here because I know that every word that is written here is scrutinized by a chosen few men and women who seem to think that it is their job to judge me.

I've never been one to sit on pride. I've never been one to be prideful to the extent that I have committed a sin or sinned against anyone that I know. A person in recovery knows that pride is one of those sins that can take someone down faster than most. So let us review the seven deadly sins and let us explore together how we avoid them and why we talk about them today.

Proverbs 6:16-21

There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:

haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,

a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,

a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

The Seven Deadly Sins are: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride.

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It was brought to my attention today by a commenter that I was Prideful and that I should read my own posts to see that truth. I beg to differ. I take pride in the fact that I hold a B.A. in Religious Studies and a second Certificate in Pastoral Ministry. And if I am not reminded daily that I am a sinner and that I have fallen short of the Glory of God, that would be a sin.

I have no need to be

(1) Lustful because I own the love I have for another and he for me. So I think I have cleared lust off my list of sins. I am not a

(2) Glutton, in fact I believe that I am just the opposite. I've never been a big fan of

(3) Greed because what does greed get you but pain? It does not get you further in the game nor does it bode well to be a greedy human being.

(4) Sloth, I have not been in the pit of misery for many years. This sin has been called the sin of sadness and despair. It had been in the early years of Christianity characterized by what modern writers would now describe as melancholy: apathy, depression, and joylessness — the last being viewed as being a refusal to enjoy the goodness of God and the world he created.

I do enjoy every day that God gives me because lets face it living with AIDS you never know when your card is going to pop up on the dashboard of God's choosing.

(5) Wrath, Wrath (or anger) may be described as inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger. These feelings can manifest as vehement denial of the truth, both to others and in the form of self -denial, impatience with the procedure of law, and the desire to seek revenge outside of the workings of the justice system (such as engaging in vigilantism and generally wishing to do evil or harm to others.

Well I think I have my own truth. And I know God's truth. And I do work every day to live in that truth. My truth may not be your truth and what a bore it would be if I owned your truth. I don't believe that my brand of Christianity is any better than the next and I do preach my truth with precision and here I am covering all the bases just to make sure that no one can say I have spoken wrongly.Envy, for sure, I don't envy anyone in my social circle. Like greed,

(6) Envy is characterized by an insatiable desire; they differ, however, for two main reasons. First, greed is largely associated with material goods, whereas envy may apply more generally. Second, those who commit the sin of envy desire something that someone else has which they perceive themselves as lacking.

I really don't desire anything that anyone I know owns or has. And i don't think I am lacking in any of the creature comforts of house and home, my spiritual life is in tact and is very well thank you. So let us talk about the last deadly sin, PRIDE.

(7) Pride In almost every list Pride ( or hubris or vanity) is considered the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins, and indeed the ultimate source from which the others arise. It is identified as a desire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to give compliments to others though they may be deserving of them, and excessive love of self (especially holding self out of proper position toward God).

Dante's definition was "love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one's neighbor." Pride is the deadliest of all the sins and leads directly to the damnation of the titulary famed Parisian doctor. In perhaps the best-known example, the story of Lucifer, pride was what caused his fall from Heaven, and his resultant transformation into Satan. Vanity and narcissism are prime examples of this sin. In Dante's Divine Comedy, the penitent were forced to walk with stone slabs bearing down on their backs in order to induce feelings of humility.

Hubris, that was the word that my commenter used this morning... If you think that I am as vain as some seem to think, I believe you are sadly mistaken. I do not and never have desired to be better than anyone else, I don't believe that I set myself above anyone, lest I really sin against God.

I wish that some people who come to read this blog were stricken with a terrible disease that is fatal and that they try to live within that space for a period of time to see just what it feels like. As a person living with AIDS I can tell you that vanity and hubris went out the window years ago.

A fatal disease removes all these sins from you in ways that you the normal well reader could never imagine. I don't know what you believe if you think that disease has not taken its toll on my physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, and I find it incredible that someone would have the desire to point out that I have sinned in the way I live my life, what I do with this life and what I chose to print on this blog. Because I am damn well sure that You do not know me and I have no earthly desire to know you or believe like you.

I will say this again... I don't have to prove myself or justify myself to anyone and you don't have to agree with me or my spiritual practice. You may not agree with my brand of Christian belief, and that is your problem, not mine.

They say in recovery that IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ANYONE THEN YOU NEED TO LOOK INTO YOUR OWN SELF AND FIND THAT WHICH IS THE PROBLEM WITHIN YOURSELF. Then you must change that which is within yourself.

Matthew 7:1-5

Judging Others

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

This was the question our fearless professor asked us in class today.

Dictionary.com defines wisdom as: the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.

He also asked what is intelligence and does that differ from wisdom?

What is wisdom to me? Wisdom is something that comes with time, investment in life and knowledge collected over a lifetime. Wisdom is the practical application or pragmatic application of truth and goodness. For something to be wise, it has to follow that it is true. And that it comes from a place of goodness, and that wisdom can be applied to everyday life.

Intelligence, is over rated. The collection of information from study, life and experience, but all that knowledge is useless, if it goes no where. You can be smart and you can be intelligent, but you don't necessarily become wise because of a degree or age. Intelligence is not the same as wisdom.

Who is wise? and Why? Who do you think is wise? and why?

I was asked if I felt that I was wise, on paper I indicated that I might be because I have 40 years of life experience and a few years of HIV under my belt. What I offer my readers is a lot of wisdom. Years of tried and true practice of action, faith and experience. Ask any sick person, young or old, and you will find that they are wise beyond their years. For those of us who faced the barrel of a gun and certain death and lived to tell the story, are wise.

I believe that men and women who survived atrocities are wise people. People like Elie Wiesel and every other man - woman and child who survived the Holocaust. I don't know very many really wise men, as in Wise Men, but I believe that every one of us who shares their experience, strength and hope with one another is wise. Alcoholics come a dime a dozen, I know very few wise and sober men and women, I can count them on one hand.

Someone who has survived a life and is willing to give freely of that life is wise. Someone who is content to being who they are, living outside the ego, those who really know who they are and can help us move forward in our own lives is wise. This discussion will continue over the next few weeks as class moves forward.

In other Blog News:

I was very angry to learn that a fellow Blogger has taken down his Blog because of assholes who had to go and muddy the water on a young vibrant and loving father of two young boys. Copper was one of the most important young wise men I knew because of who he is and what he brought to my readers and the Blog Sphere as a whole. I am saddened that he has gone from us and I condemn all those who had to go and fuck it up for the rest of us.

This from Joe My God:

In Tuesday's post about gay parenting, many of you weighed in on this growing phenomenon and what it means in the larger picture of our rapidly changing gay culture. Overwhelmingly, you expressed support for gay parents, with small minority expressing strong distaste for gay people who desire to have children. A few commenters directed readers to a blog called Cooper's Corridor (a site unknown to me) for insight into the life of good gay dad.

Late in the day, Cooper's Corridor disappeared.

With his permission, here is Cooper's explanation:

I have deleted my blog. I'm very sad that I have felt the necessity to do this, because I loved the Corridor and feel it had a unique voice of its own. I started getting many hundreds of hits on my blog and multiple e-mails, some very nice, but others full of vitriol and judgement. Yet others poked fun at me. I feel threatened. I won't expose my sons to that kind of scrutiny, so I ended it right then and there. I'll continue writing privately, but never again will I expose my heart and soul and those of my children to public consumption. It may seem like an over-reaction, and although it hurts terribly, I feel I had no choice. It's a sad world we live in when gay men denigrate and deliberately choose to hurt others.

I feel awful. I have pleaded time and time again for a civil tone in the comments of JMG. With a weekly comment volume in the thousands, I don't have the time to moderate or even read many of the comments and I depend on our (mostly) thoughtful and smart community of JMG participants to keep the peace. And it works, mostly. Reviewing the comment thread of the post in question, with a handful of exceptions, there's really not too much there that is very offensive.

But the idea that an apparently great blogger and fantastic gay father could be silenced by nasty JMG readers, even if they were directed to his blog by commenters and not me....well, that really fucking bothers me.

I offer my embarrassed apologies to Cooper.

As long as there has been a record of human history, there have been social, moral and ideological expectations set forth as to what is normal. These concepts may be derived from religious or ethnic backgrounds, or political standings. Whatever the source, every human has them ingrained upon them by a certain point. Yet as long as there has been this ideal of the “normal” human, there have been those people, events or concepts that challenge this perception. These taboos, as they are often called, are sometimes as harmless as a teenager with brightly colored hair or a facial piercing, but even this can be viewed by many people as a real and present threat to society. Challenging others to think outside the box is often an uncomfortable subject, and has been throughout history. Sexuality is an example of a subject, which in reality is very broad and diverse, yet is viewed through a tiny microscope of normality, and thus reduced to a narrow definition of what is acceptable. This is not only true of the world we inhabit today, but of the societies of centuries previous. Representation of this set of rules and the breaking thereof is well documented in literature throughout time, and nowhere is it more prevalent than the Victorian work of Bram Stoker, with his novel, Dracula (Pick 74).

Stoker, like all Victorian men, was challenged and intimidated by the “New Woman”(Roth 113). This was a term used for women who had truly always existed, but were at the time just coming to the attention of the general public. A “New Woman” was one who was seeking social and sexual independence and liberation (Roth 115). These women also sought equality, and in that respect were far ahead of their time politically. This was incredibly unsettling to the men of the time.

The desire for independence on the part of the woman was not new in Stoker’s time, nor was it new when decades later; women finally achieved equal rights in most civilized states. It was merely something the public was finding harder and harder to ignore, as women with the desire for social independence became more visible (Roth 120). The idea that a woman could make the same rational decisions, effecting and relating to the same issues as men was a startling proposition at the time (Pick 84). Women were still very much expected to be some-spoken, submissive nurturers, and not to have a public, spoken opinion on anything (Pick 85). When women of the time challenged this, men were confused, fearful, and therefore, outraged. Never mind the fact that these women, who were pushing for equality and independence, also thought they knew what was best for them sexually (Roth 113). That was one aspect of Victorian life that males believed they had a firm and rightful grasp on. For a woman to assert her sexual needs or desires was beyond taboo; it was almost criminal (Roth 116). Sexuality for the Victorian woman was limited to whatever she was provided with by her dominant male partner, and she was expected to “suffer and be still” (Roth 117). The “New Woman” felt she was above being still and silent, and had no intentions of suffering for any man.

Also new, different and frightening to the society of the times was the sexual invert. This was an early term given to homosexuals, as the understanding of this difference was not yet comprehensive (Craft, 107). The theory that a “sufferer” of this “affliction” had a sexuality that had literally been turned inside out led to the terminology, inversion (Craft 108). This reversal of the normal perception of sexuality was condemnable and intimidating to the church and to the majority of society. The perception of homosexuality was primitive and juvenile at the time, and it is well known that people fear most what they do not understand. Inverts had little to no accepted place in Victorian society, and men were especially offended by the very thought of them (Craft 110). This is because their preferences and actions threatened the usual role of the man as the dominant presence in any and all relations. When

two people of the same gender were involved, the “leader” in the relationship was not always evident, and this led to confusion and therefore fears from those around them (Craft 115). Fear was a symptom

predominantly found in the male portion of Victorian society when faced with this issue. An inverted woman needed no man in her life. Without women who need them, men felt pointless and unnecessary. It was a strange and confusing feeling for the Victorian male, one that caused deep and unnecessary loathing of inverts male and female alike (Craft 117). What was really taking place was misunderstanding. Scientists and researchers of the time spent months, even years, seeking physical evidence in inverted patients of a dominant and submissive partner (Craft 119). In female subjects, doctors tried in vain to find an organ that functioned similarly to a penis, but of course found nothing of the sort (Craft 119). The very idea that two persons of the same gender could be attracted to one another, let alone take part in any sort of physical relationship was puzzling, even startling to the medical and scientific community (Craft 120). It was also publicly condemned by clergy officials of the time. It was, as it still is today, viewed as a sinful and condemning act, as well as an unnatural one. For this reason, inversion was a secretive “practice”, rarely spoken of (Craft 121).

The concepts of the “New Woman” and the sexual invert are well represented in the context of Dracula. Lucy Westenra is a textbook example of the “New Woman”, with her strong desires and lack of gender-typical reservations (Roth 118). Lucy is not as open with any political or social ideals as were the typical forward-thinking women of the era, but she does show a tendency toward independence, something almost frighteningly radical in Victorian times (Roth 119). Dracula himself, as well as his sanguinary “brides” are examples of sexual inverts, those whose sexuality is a reversal of the normal concept perceived of their gender (Schaffer 384). Dracula is a clear representation of male sexual inversion, in his bloodlust desire to prey upon other men and force them into submissive states (Schaffer 384). The women of his harem are the interpretation of female inversion, showing the desire

to reverse gender roles by penetrating their male or female victims (Schaffer 385). (This is not to assert that all inverts, or indeed homosexuals are in the mindset of domination over their partners. It was an unfortunate and inaccurate stereotype of the time (Stevenson 142).)These challenges are not the only ideas represented in the novel however. Jonathen Harker, Van Helsing and the others in the Crew of Light are representative of the ‘normal’ male of the time period. They view themselves as dominant to and protective of the women they live alongside, a typical perception of the Victorian man (Pick 78). They are described as strong, healthy, and generally good men, believed to be so because of their crusade to hinder Dracula and other unsavory entities from affecting their defenseless female counterparts (Pick 79). Jonathan’s fiancé, and later wife, Mina Murray-Harker is a great example of the ‘normal’ woman of the time (Spencer 200). She is submissive to her male counterpart, a soft, gentle and mothering presence in the lives of those around her (Spencer 201). She is obedient and unwavering in her loyalty, even adhering to it when she spends months without a word from Jonathen as he travels abroad. If nothing else, her devotion is typical of the concept of an ideal Victorian woman (Roth 120).

Mina and Lucy are ideal examples of these concepts, not only in the way their character behaves on their own, but how they interact with others. Lucy is free spirited, with a great desire to explore her many options in life. She has no desire to be an obedient, satisfying server of those around her, preferring a more independent lifestyle for a young woman of her age and time (Spencer 203). Lucy revels in the many suitors that pursue her, and wishes openly for the ability to be with all of them, instead of being forced to choose from their ranks (Roth 117). She is also especially susceptible to Dracula’s power, and becomes a terrifying creature in her own right after being affected by him (Spencer 212). We learn through study however, that this terrifying nature is derived from the fact that she is both sexually attractive and seemingly active in wantonness, and no longer the innocent-looking maiden she was in life (Roth 119). Mina Harker however, is the foil opposite to Lucy (Spencer 200). She is obedient, gender-typical and submissive to her husband and to the opinions of all other males that

surround her (Spencer 201). Mina is reserved in her actions, her dress and her mannerisms, as if always afraid to displease these people. She is not a sexual being in any sense of the word, and is resistant and disdainful of Dracula and his advances (Roth 119). Once afflicted, she even goes so far as to insist upon being killed should she become polluted and ruined by the unsavory conditions of vampirism. So strong is her resistance to being a dominant or sexual being that she is willing to risk death to stop it, while Lucy nearly thrives on it (Roth 120). The two women may be friends, but they are in many respects polar opposites in the spectrum of what is perceived as acceptable in Victorian society (Spencer 199).

Sexual inverts are also well represented in Dracula’s chapters. The count himself is, though not forwardly described as such, an excellent example (Stevenson 140). He has an ‘unnatural’ desire to prey upon men, and will move through the women standing in his way to do so (Schaffer 390). The penetration of a vampire’s teeth is seen as a metaphor for sexual penetration, and makes this concept even clearer (Schaffer 391). The teeth are viewed as phallic symbols, while blood, and the transfer of blood seen to represent other bodily fluids, such as saliva and semen (Schaffer 391). The Count has a strong desire to victimize Jonathen Harker, the character representative of the typical, strapping, masculine Victorian male. Nothing could be more clearly symbolic of inversion than an apparently male entity desiring to penetrate and dominate another male (Schaffer 391). Dracula’s brides are representative of inversion as well, in that they desire to be the penetrators, rather than the ones being penetrated by a male (Schaffer 392). This reverses the typical perception not only of what is sexually correct, but what is possible. This is a stirring, yet unsettling concept, and one that was at the time, and in many ways remains, taboo.

The inclusion of concepts such as inversion and the “New Woman” in Dracula are paramount in understanding literature and life of the time, and of all times (Pick 88). Works of fiction are often period pieces, without ever having set out to be. They include snapshots of what was relevant at the time of

publication, as well as the general social climate of the time. In Stoker’s case it was a snapshot of fear and misunderstanding. These ‘creatures’, the invert and scandalous “New Woman” were deplorable, the type of people many others detested, whether openly or not (Spencer 207). It is not hard to understand their place as the villains in Stoker’s story; the terrible, heathen beings preying on the respectable, normal people. Literature, just like any form of entertainment, seeks to please a certain audience. To give the people what they want, so to speak. And Dracula did just that by presenting common enemies in an easily detestable format (Stevenson 148). Stoker helped drive forward a movement of hatred and confusion, one that, if you believe what many historians do, was just a bit hypocritical (Stevenson 148).

Throughout history, many ideals and social concepts have changed and developed. The perception of what is normal has evolved, yet seems to remain fairly constant in its most basic principles. And as long as there is an idea of what is acceptable, there will be those that challenge and defy it. Sexuality has always been a shadowy, taboo subject on its own. Add to that the concept of men and women who exist in defiance of the general understanding of their gender, and you have an unsettling taboo that will never truly go away. Literature is a great example of this. In the work of contemporary authors, we see the struggle of frustrated individuals, fighting against the preconceived notions of their gender or role in society. These concepts were present even, and indeed somewhat more strongly in Victorian daily life, and therefore in literature. Books such as Dracula may seem irrelevant to modern readers, but the subjects contained therein are timeless, however much we may protest or detest them.

I have finalized my Summer Schedule tonight and here it is:

RELI 218 - Wisdom Tradition and Enlightenment
Tues - Thurs SGW H-520 3:30 to 6:00 p.m.
30 Apr - 17 Jun

Theo 233 - Religious Pluralism
Tues - Thurs SGW H-460 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
25 Jun - 12 Aug

Fall 2008

Theology 402 Pastoral Ministry
Wednesdays Loyola - Lec 51 - 6:00 - 8:15 p.m.

Theology 315 Gospel and Acts
Mondays SGW Lec AA - 6:00 - 8:15 p.m.

Theology 204 Introduction to XT Ethics
Thursdays SGW Lec AA - 6:00 - 8:15 p.m.

Winter 2008-2009

AHSC 230 Applied Human Sciences
Mondays Loyola Lec 53 - 6:00 - 8:15 p.m.

Theology 203 Introduction to the New Testament
Tuesdays-Thursdays SGW Lec A - 1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Theology 317 Epistles and Revelation
Tuesday - Thursday SGW Lec A 4:15 - 5:30 p.m.

The boys at Word Press are rolling out new features for us, so for the next few days I will be trying to learn how to use the new functionality of the system. Like I said earlier, it is snowing here in Montreal. Something we were not expecting, because they told us that we would get rain! Well, they were wrong!

I have finished my final take home exam for my Introduction to Theology class last night. How much can one write on Deitrich Bonhoeffer's Letters from Prison? Eberhard Bethge wrote a prologue to After Ten Years, and we were to read this short reading from Bonhoeffer and comment on what we thought was important. I wrote four pages. I am hoping that suffices, because I am not wasting any more time on this class.

We got the class evaluations the other day and I was not kind...

There's not much else going on here this week, I got all my financial aide situated and paid and I am registered for classes for another calendar year. I have been going to school continually for now 5 years without a break [read: VACATION]!!! We haven't been anywhere since our honeymoon in 2004.

What else is going on? Nothing much, so I guess I will close for now. Maybe more later...

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Luke 1:26-38

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

**May it be to me as you have said...**

The liturgical calendar moves very quickly from Easter now and the resurrection of Jesus, to the Annunciation of Jesus. Mary, is visited by the angel Gabriel, and he tells her that she is to bear a son and give him the name Jesus, that he will be great and called the Son of the Most High.

The overlap of [historical time], is not in [conjunction] with real time, as these reading coming so close together in the Gospel cycles. So we are heading towards Pentecost [in real time] and the giving of the Holy Spirit that falls fifty days after the celebration of Easter in the Christian liturgical calendar.

Imagine the thoughts going through Mary's head, the fear that could have taken her over and the denial had she not seen the angel from the Lord and believed in his words of faith. In our study of faith, we know that not only Mary had been visited, but also Joseph, her betrothed. Joseph was a harder sell, as we know than Mary. She responds to Gabriel's message with, "Let it be done to me according to the will of God!"

Joseph on the other hand, tried to flee from this - as his fear was greater than his faith. If we read further in the story, Joseph was visited upon twice and the angel in Matthews Gospel, the visits Joseph because he was a righteous man, he was going to dismiss Mary quietly.

(Mt.1:19-25) The angel tells Joseph "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit..."

At first, Joseph was besides himself. Why should he take this woman as his wife, as they had not had "relations" to produce such a child, and the fact that God himself would come upon her in the form of the Holy Spirit to bless her. Joseph didn't want any of this - and so it is written that the angel appeared to him twice to convince him to have faith and that it was his calling to take Mary as his wife and to raise Jesus in the customs of the Hebrew faith.

Joseph is a man of faith, a man of respect and a man with silent dignity. That he stepped up and did these things speaks of a greater man than we may take notice of at first, from the simple mentions of the Gospel narratives. In reading other Christian writings, and even those fiction writings about the life of Jesus as a child, Joseph was a quiet man who did not draw attention to himself openly, but when needed he spoke with care and authority. He took Jesus as his son and raised him according to how he was taught.

We can imagine Joseph and Mary to a degree, having to question what they have just been told, to acquiesce to the will of God and they live through the process of Purgation, Illumination and finally, one in union with God Almighty. This process of facing the darkness to be healed wholly, the the reception of God's light which then calls them to a deeper union with God.

There are many people and personalities in Biblical Scripture that we can source to observe just how tried and true they are in their faiths. Joseph and Mary faced such trials in that time, Mary receiving life within her, Joseph taking her as his wife, traveling to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem for the census, taking care of the family, and after the birth of Jesus, Herod went on his killing spree because of his fear of this new "king of David" his decree of each first born son was to be killed, Joseph had to flee with his wife, son and family into Egypt where they lived and where purported Jesus grew up.

(Mt. 2:13-23) "Now after they had left [Bethlehem] an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph [a third time] in a dream and said Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him..."

From this point of the Annunciation through the Incarnation of God, through Jesus Christ, and his life, death and resurrection, we take part in the three Christian Doctrines (a) the Trinity God in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit (b) the Incarnation, and (c) the Paschal Mystery, that Christians all over the world have since celebrated this past Holy Week.

Life was not easy on our little band of family. They faced so many things, the incarnation of God in Jesus, set in motion a series of events that shape, mold and impress upon us, the faith that we all share. That we should have the resolve to face our own lives and issues with the same faith and strength that the Holy Family did.

On it's axis...

Hubby's application to get into McGill University was REFUSED. He is, at this moment, sobbing in the bedroom.

God help us...

It was a very sad day for us on our house today. It broke my heart into a million pieces to watch my husband sob for hours asking "Why?" and saying "They don't want me..." It was one of the most difficult days I've seen my husband through. I stayed home today just so that he would not be by himself, because most of the day he was quiet, then tonight he went into the bedroom and cried. It is just very sad.

I had a sinking feeling that this was what was going to happen. But to see a man degraded like this was inhuman. The letter must be on its way, thank god for electronic posting, so now instead of waiting for the rejection letter - they put it up on the site: REJECTED!!!

What is this world coming to???

Time for plan B... He didn't want to consider a plan B, because he was sure based on his entrance papers and his letters of recommendation that it was a positive guarantee, we were WRONG!!!

My inlaws are going to fall to pieces when they find out. My father in law had a bad fall and is nursing a concussion right now, so this would not be the time to tell them that their brilliant son was just rejected by McGill University. WTF???

God grant me serenity...

Matthew 28:1-10

The Resurrection

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

Reflection:

Mary Magdalene came back to Jesus' tomb in the dark of early morning of the first day of the week. She is grief-stricken without the light of her life. Her heart searches for his presence. In Matthew the day arrives dramatically for her and the other women. As the earth quakes an angel rolls away the stone, sits on it, and from his radiance announces: "Do not be afraid!" [Jesus] is not here, for he has been raised just as he said" (Matt 25:5-6). Mary and the women believe and are sent to announce the good news to the others, meeting Jesus on the way.

Belief in Jesus risen and with is may have come to us in some dramatic episode pointing to a presence beyond the ordinary -- an "earthquake or angel" moment in our lives. It may have come through an "empty tomb" realization -- some letting go of a lost dream or love that made way for us to open to the transcendent mystery of the risen Christ's Spirit within us. Or the good news of that presence may have been passed on to us by women and men who believed -- our fathers and mothers, our Christian community.

Today we renew our baptismal commitment to believe in Jesus risen and with us, even though we do not see him. Christ is a hidden presence; our lives are "hidden with [him] in God" (Col 3:3)

Meditation:

Take time to remember how you came to believe. Rejoice in Christ's hidden presence within you and pray for his Spirit to "clear out the old yeast" of sin and doubt, and make you and all into a "fresh batch of dough" (1Cor 5:7).

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God's throne!
Jesus Christ, our King is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!

Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,
radiant in the brightness of your King!

Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!
Darkness vanishes for ever!

Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory!
The risen Savior shines upon you!
Let this place resound with joy,
echoing the mighty song of all God's people!

My dearest friends,
standing with me in this holy light,
join me in asking God for mercy,
that he may give his unworthy minister
grace to sing his Easter praises.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give him thanks and praise.

It is truly right that with full hearts and minds and voices
we should praise the unseen God, the all-powerful Father,
and his only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

For Christ has ransomed us with his blood,
and paid for us the price of Adam's sin to our eternal Father!

This is our passover feast,
When Christ, the true Lamb, is slain,
whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers.

This is the night,
when first you saved our fathers:
you freed the people of Israel from their slav'ry,
and led them dry-shod through the sea.

This is the night,
when the pillar of fire destroyed the darkness of sin.

This is night,
when Christians ev'rywhere,
washed clean of sin and freed from all defilement,
are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.

This is the night,
when Jesus broke the chains of death
and rose triumphant from the grave.

What good would life have been to us,
had Christ not come as our Redeemer?

Father, how wonderful your care for us!
How boundless your merciful love!
To ransom a slave you gave away your Son.

O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam,
which gained for us so great a Redeemer!

Most blessed of all nights,
chosen by God to see Christ rising from the dead!

Of this night scripture says:
"The night will be as clear as day:
it will become my light, my joy."

The power of this holy night dispels all evil,
washes guilt away, restores lost innocence,
brings mourners joy;
it casts out hatred, brings us peace,
and humbles earthly pride.

Night truly blessed,
when heaven is wedded to earth
and we are reconciled to God!

Therefore, heavenly Father, in the joy of this night,
receive our evening sacrifice of praise,
your Church's solemn offering.

Accept this Easter candle,
a flame divided but undimmed,
a pillar of fire that glows to the honor of God.

Let it mingle with the lights of heaven
and continue bravely burning
to dispel the darkness of this night!

May the Morning Star which never sets
find this flame still burning:
Christ, that Morning Star,
who came back from the dead,
and shed his peaceful light on all mankind,
your Son, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

There are many scripture readings for tonights Vigil Celebration:

Gen 1:1-2:2 , 1:1, 26-31, 22:1-18, 22:1-2, 9, 10-13, 15-18 Exod 14: 15-15, Isa 54:5-14, Isa 55:1-11, Bar 3:9-15, 3:2-4:4, Ezek 36:16-17, 18-28, Rom 6:3-11

Genesis 1:1-31

The Beginning

 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was  formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so.  God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so.  The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.  And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years,  and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so.  God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.  God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth,  to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.  And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

 And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky."  So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.  God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so.  God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, ^[b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

John 20:1-18

I quite prefer this reading of the Gospel story over Matthew from today's reading. Because it speaks of the exchange between Mary Magdalene and Jesus on Easter Morning.

The Empty Tomb

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"

"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

This is the night, that we recall the readings from the Old Testament, the stories of creation, the Exodus of the Jews from Israel and all the major readings that carry such great importance to us as Christians. We listen to these readings and we imagine ourselves back in those times, when God created the Heavens and the Earth, and we are with the Jews as the choirs sing "Go Down, Moses, tell ole pharoah, Let my People Go!!!"

Reflection:
Holy Saturday is best spent in quiet or subdued activity. The great mystery of the Triduum is beyond our comprehension or adequate response. We wait in expectant hope. Though we know that Christ has risen, there is a powerful ritual way of entering more fully into his Passover through death to life in the Easter Vigil tonight.

As we listen with the ears of our expanding hearts and respond in song to the stories of our creation and re-creation, our path to freedom, as we hear and feel the refreshing water of new life and open to the baptismal Spirit stirring in our embodied spirits, as we eat and drink the bread and wine of Christ's body and blood with loving heart in union with all our sisters and brothers, we will be passing over in Christ to a richer renewed life in his Spirit.

"This is the night," as we will hear in the Exsultet, the night that "will be clear as day.." The night that "dispels all evil ... brings mourners joy... cast out hatred, bring us peace." The night "when heaven is wedded to earth and man is reconciled to God.." Our hearts leap up in "the joy of this night" believing in Christ, the Morning Star, who came back from the dead, and shed his peaceful light on all mankind."

No matter who we are, what we have done or not done during Lent or during our lifetime, this is the night to rejoice. Winter is over and gone; spring has come in all its fullness. God in Christ is victorious over sin and death. In Christ we are reconciled and will live forever. Alleluia!

Meditation:
As you go about your duties and interests today, let go of any anxiety-producing thoughts and drop plans to get involved in any more than  you need to. As you become aware of thoughts pulling you away from your inner quiet, say calmly in your heart, "In you, O God, my soul is at rest; all my hope is in you."

Jesus Arrested

When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it.Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?"

"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.

"I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.

Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?"
And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."

"I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go." This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me."

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.)

Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"

Jesus Taken to Annas

Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.

Peter's First Denial

Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in. "You are not one of his disciples, are you?" the girl at the door asked Peter.
He replied, "I am not."

It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

The High Priest Questions Jesus

Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.

A world in which God who is infinite Love becomes human not only to be like us, but to be one of us, and then in rejected, betrayed, mocked, derided, tortured, and finally crucified seems a strange world indeed -- one that makes no sense by our usual standards. The thought of it brings us to silence. Jesus is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah whose appearance "startle[d] many nations," caused "kings ...[to] stand speechless." We are told there is noting about his appearance that would attract us to him. He was a "man of suffering" held "in no esteem" (Isa 52:13-15, 53:2-3). But this is the world we live in, the world we make.

In Jesus' historical life on earth God experienced human nature at its best and worst. Christ alive in our family, friends, and local and global neighbors still experience that -- they are often recipients of our kindness, but also often the brunt of our antagonistic attitudes and behavior.

When rejected and tortured in his historical life and now, Christ did not and does not return evil for evil. He accepts us just the way we are. Knowing our basic goodness he patiently endures our belligerence, offering loving forgiveness in return. That deep love of his Holy Spirit frees us, even the meanest and cruelest, through the realization that we are loved just as we are.

Christ's love always embraces us from within, and many times through loved ones or strangers around us. So loved, we become free to share generously the material, emotional, and spiritual goods of life. There is enough for all. We do not have to compete, dominate, hoard, and kill to get what we need.

This is a mystery, the mystery of the Holy Spirit poured out in Jesus' dying and rising transforming our world. We cannot fully understand exactly how it is all working out, but we trust that it is. And we bow our heads in silent awe.

Meditation: Scan your heart and the daily newspaper. Note the suffering, love, and goodness reported there. Take time and find a quiet place for prayer. Welcome Christ into your presence. Read slowly today's scripture passage. Stop and pray with whatever words or sentences tough you.

The Triduum starts tonight, the three day march towards Easter beginning with Maundy Thursday. Lent ends Holy Thursday evening. Triduum begins with celebration of the Lord's Supper on Thursday and ends with Easter Evening Prayer. These three days are one ritual celebration of the paschal mystery. Liturgies during this time are not historical re-enactments of Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection, but our celebrations of those events are now lived in our lives.

 John 13:1-15

Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. after that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

Jesus loved his own to the end of his life on earth, and to the utmost, that is, giving everything, which in his case is undying, infinite live. Knowing death was near Jesus gathered his disciples to share a meal. That evening he showed us in a humble, simple way the extent of the love he would pour out fully in death. During supper, according to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus, the host, identifies the bread he breaks and the wine he pours as his body and blood given for his disciples and us.

John's Jesus also takes the part of a servant, humbly rising from the table to wash his disciples' tired, dirty, calloused feet. Peter was embarrassed, but Jesus was unashamed to take basin and towel and attend tenderly to every pedestrian bunion, hammertoe, bruise, and cut. Loving to the end for Jesus means freely pouring out his infinitely loving Spirit through the practical gestures of washing and feeding. These are simple and deep signs of his total gift of bodily life for us.

Now Christ continues to serve and feed us through his risen life in us. Christ lives and lives in Eucharist and in daily life. We receive and give that love as we prepare and serve meals, wash feet, wash clothes, clean and bandage wounds, share our bread, our affection, our compassion -- and our raspberries -- with our companions. Divine love is embodied in our humble actions.

Meditation: Today welcome all the simple gifts of love -- food, drink, a kind look, a gentle touch -- with genuine gratitude. Give all your humble gifts of bread, wine, housework, and kind words in union with Christ and with his intention of loving to the end.

John 13:21-33, 36-38

After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me."

His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which one he means."

Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?"

Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

"What you are about to do, do quickly," Jesus told him, but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial

When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once."My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?"
Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later."

Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."

Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

"He had a face...[H]e had a man's face, a human face." With these poignant words Frederick Buechner begins his reflections on Jesus' life in his beautiful book, The Life of Jesus. Through sensitive words and the masterpieces reproduced in this volume, we see Jesus in the diverse, beautiful, and moving ways artists over the centuries have imagined and portrayed him.

Jesus had a face; he had feelings. "Reclining at table with his disciples" for what he probably knew was his last meal with them, "Jesus was deeply troubled..." (John 13:21). At this Passover meal, a time to celebrate spring and liberation from slavery, Jesus' heart was heavy. He was weighed down by all the verbal attacks and rejection he had been experiencing from authorities and people scorning his message of God's loving intervention in history in him.  He also knew that one if his inner circle of friends was betraying him.

Think of times you were at a celebratory meal with family or friends but filled with some deep dread -- something not appropriate for you to share at this festive time, something you could perhaps never fully express to another. Maybe you, like Jesus, were going to be charged with a crime, or fired, or divorced. Maybe you were overwhelmed by opposition or failure at work. Your spouse had just been diagnosed with cancer but not yet ready to talk about it. The delicious meal was like ashes in your mouth. Only with great effort were you able to enter into the conversation and celebration.

Jesus had a face like ours, feelings like ours. Anxiety, depression, fear, resistance, isolation, and doubt would have been part of his experience at this meal. Today, like Jesus, many are deeply troubled. Perhaps you are among them. Let us empathize with one another. Today Jesus' face is their face, your face -- each of our faces. With grace we can be compassionate and respectful. We never know fully what others may suffer.

Meditation: Call to mind someone you will see today. Remember that s/he may be experiencing challenges, burdens, and feelings of which you are not aware. Your understanding, patience, good word, or silent prayer may be just what they need.

Scripture Study for tonight:

The Scripture passage reads: Matthew 27:46

"And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachtani?' that is, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Emi brought forward another interpretation of this passage inserting a comma after 'Why' and she writes: "I like the interpretation “my god, my god, why, have you forsaken me?” I think the comma makes all the difference. I don’t know. It just changes the meaning so much, you know?"

Let us look again at this passage with the minor addition:

'My God, my God, WHY, have you forsaken me?'

discuss...

John 12:1-11

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5"Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

"Leave her alone," Jesus replied. " It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him.

During the week before he dies, Jesus seeks the company of his close friends. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus invite him for dinner. Typically Martha serves, Lazarus reclines at table with Jesus, and Mary lavishes her total attention on him. They surround him with love. Jesus' close disciples, Judas among them, are also there.

Mary's love is without bounds. Words are not enough to express it. Lavishly pouring "costly perfumed oil" over Jesus' feet, which she dries with her hair (John 12:3), is a sign of her extravagant love, foreshadowing Jesus' own humble and lavish love expressed in the washing and drying of his disciples' feet in John's version of the Last Supper.

An exquisite banquet humbly served by a widowed, unrecognized French chef in Babette's Feast comes to mind. (I have seen this film by the way) She freely expends all her financial resources, days of hard work, and all her artistic culinary skill. Hidden in all of us is a Mary, a Babette, who wants to give everything.

Judas cannot begin to understand such waste. Greed has choked off his capacity for love. He tries to cover over his self-interest by mouthing his concern that money from the sale of this ointment could help the poor. He spoke up "not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions" (John 12:6)

In my mind's eye I see a scene from the film Zorba the Greek: pinched and greedy townspeople hover around waiting for a woman to die so that they can rush in and steal everything she has. When we are still, we may notice a self-interested, avaricious Judas-side of ourselves waiting for someone to pass out of the picture so that we can benefit, perhaps standing by impatiently until she or he fails, retires, or moved on so we can be promoted.

Jesus, the Word of God, in John's Gospel, is "sharper than any two edged sword" (Heb 4:12). There is a Mary and Judas in each of us. We have to choose. Will it be love or greed?

Meditation: In what ways are you being called to let go of greed, and lavish your love profusely on Jesus in prayer or in service?

Scripture Reference: Matt 26:14-27:66

Letting the scenes of Matthew's passion story come alive in our imaginations and echo in our souls reveals our identity with its diverse characters. Like Mary and Jesus' women disciples, we follow in compassion, grieving with the mistreated and brutalized, willing to suffer and die with them. We hear Peter in ourselves when in fear we deny connections with those putting their lives on the life for God's reign of nonviolent love.

Sometimes overwhelmed by depression, like Peter and Zebedee's sons, we take refuge in sleep rather then keeping watch with a suffering friend. Appalled, we find Judas lurking in our own hearts, willing to betray someone behind their back for personal gain, while smiling to her face. Our envious voices are like those of the chief priests and elders undercutting others' goodness and influence to establish superiority.

With Pilate's wife we dream and suffer with with unjustly imprisoned. Like Pilate we give up when our feeble efforts at justice meet resistance, and we declare our innocence.

This gripping drama of goodness and hatred, fidelity and betrayal, courage and cowardly self-protection, brutality and sensitive care, is out story -- personal and social. We can all honestly say in the words of the Latin poet Terence: "I am human; nothing human is foreign to me."

God is also human with us in Jesus. "Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, / did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. / Rather he emptied himself, / taking the form of a slave, / coming in human likeness ... (Phil 2:6-7, second reading).

Jesus suffers in all who suffer. He is merciful and kind in faithful caregivers and loyal friends. He knows the anguish of victims of torture, crime, and abuse, and he understands the deep alienation experienced by perpetrators. Jesus is with us not only in the light, but also life at its darkest.

There he cries out with us: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matt 27:46). God unending, humble, divine love in Jesus embraces each of us in our goodness and our failings. No human experience is beyond the reach of that love.

Meditation: Read slowly some part of the Passion of Matthew's Gospel. Which characters touch you most deeply? In what kinds of inner experience do you identify with that person? Pray out your experience.

Matt 1:16, 18-21, 24

And Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

The Birth of Jesus Christ

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Luke 2:41-51

The Boy Jesus at the Temple

Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends.

When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."

"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.

Joseph doesn't get too much ink in the New Testament. from what we learn in Matthew and Luke, though, we can hardly help loving him. Reading their accounts of Joseph imaginatively reveals a person of faith and courage, someone willing and able to face practical, exterior challenges and difficulties with vigor and perseverance in spite of fear. Capable of dealing with interior doubts, confusion, and emotional upsets with gentle strength, Joseph is a man of integrity, one whose interior and exterior are in harmony.

Like his namesake, Joseph the dreamer in Genesis, Mary's husband has a lively interior that provides the guidance needed through dreams. Openness to his inner life and trust in the transcendent make his gentleness possible. When surprised by Mary's pregnanc, Joseph does not fly into a rage or allow Mary to be stones.

Respect for the law tempered by gentle sensitivity brings him to consider divorcing her quietly. An angel in his dream, however, frees him from any fear about Mary. His openness to light beyond the rational and his trust give him the courage to go on with the marriage. When they traveled to Bethlehem in time for the required census, he ingeniously finds a place for Mary to give birth in spite of the inns being full.

Later alertness to the dream angel who rouses him to flee by night with his wife and child to Egypt makes it possible for them to avoid Herod's murderous rampage against Jesus.

Joseph was tough, gentle and caring, creative, and able to learn from experience. Even in the midst of fear, doubt, and confusion he was steady -- there when you need him. He provided for his family, protected them, got then to religious festivals on time, and probably made all the furniture in their house -- maybe even built the house! He seemed happy in a supporting role , though he never shied away from taking initiative quickly and capably. Who could resist loving someone like that?

Meditation: Think about people you know who are like Joseph. You may be one! Thank God for them, and send a note or make a call to express your gratitude to one of them.

John 10:31-42

Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"

"We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."

Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'? If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken— what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'? Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed and many people came to him. They said, "Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true." And in that place many believed in Jesus.

Stones are plentiful in the gospel readings from John this week. Antagonists would have stoned the woman caught in adultery if Jesus had not challenged them. Today Jesus' enemies have already picked up rocks to hurl at him. Stone throwing is the response of those who cannot stand to see Jesus using his divine power to heal and enlighten.

The stones are weapons meant to kill, to protect power and prestige. Last Sunday we saw a huge stone -- one large enough to block the entry to Lazarus' burial cave. This stone marked a place of death. In stark contrast, in this section just preceding today's gospel reading, Jesus identifies himself as the one who "came so that [we] might have life and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10); and he has the death-sealing stone from the tomb of Lazarus removed. (John 11:39)

Christ remains the lightening rod for a persistent and wrenching struggle between life and death, tearing down and building up. Today, Jesus us still among us doing good works in our parish, university, local and global neighborhood, family, school, professional organization, youth or senior citizen group, city and labor union.

In these people we encounter, and in ourselves too, Christ is present consoling, teaching, challenging, leading, healing, learning, counseling, preaching and organizing. The enemies of Jesus and his good works remain with us too. The first place to notice them is in ourselves.

Most of us do not literally thrown stones at others, or openly harm ourselves. We tend to be more sophisticated, cultivating a mean thought or a harsh word here, a self-serving, divisive more there. Hurling such rocks at ourselves and others in some way wounds or kills is, and it supports and promotes violence in our society.

With God's grace, we individually and as communities, cultural groups, and nations can grow in awareness, and learn to drop our stones -- or change them into building blocks.

Meditation: Today notice any desire to throw stones at yourself or another. Give that feeling a place in your consciousness; with compassion let it rest there. Invite Christ Jesus to be with you as you accept it. Ask for help to be free of destructive thoughts and attitudes.

Lenten Reflections, March 14th, 2008

John 8:51-59

I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."At this the Jews exclaimed, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?"

Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."

 "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

This statement by Jesus is startling. If I were not living on this side of the resurrection, I would probably be responding like the Jews in this reading saying, "What can this strange person possibly be thinking! Who does he think he is! We will all taste death! What can he mean by keeping his word and so never seeing death?" This statement has got to have a deeper meaning than that of simply following orders. And it surely doesn't mean living forever on this earth.

Among the common definitions of "to keep" are these: Hanging on to, holding on to, clinging to, or caring for something we cherish, something of value to us. And any use of "word" in John's Gospel carries the depth of its meaning in that gospel's prologue, which declares that the Word who is God became flesh in Jesus.

Jesus the Word made flesh, is God's gift of God's Self which is Love. God's inner life of Love is united with the created world and us. In him infinite Love suffers all the particular limitations of any human person" a particular ethnic identity, a particular sex and gender, life in a particular place and time. The divine Word speaks through a specific body in the unique words and actions of the historically limited Jesus.

These good words spoken by the Word-made-flesh are violently silenced by opposition, torture, crucifixion, death, and burial. But even such cruel and total resistance cannot kill the dynamic Word of divine Love that bursts through death into risen life. Now that Word of God, the Risen Christ, fills the universe with the Spirit of Love.

Keeping that Word has the deeper meaning of intentionality welcoming and clinging to Christ, the Word of God, in faith, hope, and love. That kind of whole-hearted, personal relationship with the Word makes is possible for us to live according to Christ's teaching, and it will see us through death into eternal life.

Meditation: In imagination, open to the Word of God alive in your presence. In faith welcome that Word and enter through it into the loving heart of Christ. Rest in that love. Imagine that divine love pouring out through you to others in all you do today.

Lenten Reflections, March 13, 2008

 John 8:31-42

The Children of Abraham

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?"

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and you do what you have heard from your father."

"Abraham is our father," they answered.

"If you were Abraham's children," said Jesus, "then you would do the things Abraham did. As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41You are doing the things your own father does."

"We are not illegitimate children," they protested. "The only Father we have is God himself."

The Children of the Devil

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me.

Quite a long time ago there was a sign on our novitiate bulletin board that read "The truth will make you free, but first it will make you miserable." We do not have to live too long before we can empathize with that.

In Genesis God affirms the goodness of creation, including women and men made in God's image. In baptism we celebrate our incorporation into the body of Christ. Our deepest reality is united with the goodness of God. We are each able to think and act in harmony with this goodness.

But in the human heart are also inclinations towards evil. These come out of our largely unconscious and illusory fears that we are alone, separated from God and others. In our distress we are tempted to act to make ourselves secure, powerful, and appreciated even if it requires cutting down, discounting, or stepping on someone else.

These destructive inclinations may arise only in interior thoughts and attitudes. Sometimes they spill over into action: gossip, put-downs, cheating, power struggles, the silent treatment, harsh words and actions. These hurtful tendencies enslave us and infect society. They keep us from the freedom to love as God loves.

The truth that will make us free is twofold: the truth that we are good, united with God in the Spirit of Christ, and the truth that we have evil inclinations we sometimes act out.Realizing the deep reality of the first truth will bring us to freedom. When we open our hearts to God in prayer and try to follow the guidance of the Spirit in throughs and actions, we grow in awareness of God's love dwelling in us.

In the light and warmth of this love we are able to face our own destructiveness. Although our initial awareness of such evil tendencies can shock and sadden us, when it is accompanied by trust in God;s merciful love and our basic goodness, such self-knowledge is key to the process that frees us from destructive ways so we can love as God loves.

Meditation: AS you are able, invite the Holy Spirit to open your inner eye to the truth of your own goodness and that of God's love for you. Ask also for the grace of self-knowledge and acceptance, and the freedom to let go of obstacles you put in the way of that goodness and love.

Lenten Reflections, March 12, 2008