Love one another as I have loved you.
So many of my friends have left this church. My friends in the diocese of SJ; my LGBTQ friends here and other places. Both feeling unloved. And my heart breaking with love lost.
I guess that's the difference between church and political parties, --in the church we are not called to be all of like mind or of like opinion; we are called to be one body. By, with, through and in love.
But, still, my heart is breaking by their absence--love ruptured by barriers we ourselves have built --like a diverted riverbed suddenly dry--my tears hardly enough to replace the life sustaining waters.
There's the rub --the break I have been seeking in this meditation --I must remember that I cannot be the source of that life-water--no way. I can cry and cry and cry, and never will my tears be enough. The source must be love, not grief. It is my Lord who will bring forth living water from the dry rocks. I must trust that, and love the new rocky landscape. With my whole heart.
"Little children" -- what an interesting turn of a phrase. My middle school students, specifically 8th grade, remind me so much of us. A social lot, needing to belong to a group, going along with almost everything that each does, just to be "in the group". We did a brief reflection last Friday using "Don't Laugh at Me" as a basis for writing. No talking, no discussing, I read the book and we listened to the song several times as they then wrote reflections on the meaning to them. In order to put those reflections into a small booklet for them to keep I read and selected passages from each of their writings. I understand a smidgen of what Jesus understands. When they write from the heart they really do understand what Jesus meant by love. For a fleeting moment we are them and they are us and we are all children.
`Where I am going, you cannot come.'
To me, this has always been one Christ's most mysterious teachings. I have to confess that I never really understood it. I can only view it has a simple statement of fact. We all enter into death alone and in our own way.
"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
The simplest statement of His teachings that we have from Him.
The summary of His mission to us.
The hardest rule to obey in the entire Bible.
"Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
The standard set...which standard? The standard of feeding the hungry? The one about help/healing the sick? Embracing the marginalized? The Outcasts? Scorning, and acting on that scorn, against religious manipulating, moneygrabbing and greed? Hospitality? Kindness? Generosity of spirit/other? Removing dangerous weapons from the hands/mouths of mean children?
A non-religious friend said to me recently, "none of us are perfect" after a nasty financial/personal deceit had been openly acted against her...I was with her when it was revealed. I thought that was about as close to "loving one another" as I have seen lately...or was it simply denial or excuse making because she was/is "fond" of the deceiver and willing to "go on" with the relationship? Wishful thinking? Pretending that the "perp" was different than they were/are...was the "price" too high emotionally to say NO!
I don't think I'm even within hope of "loving them anyway" as +V.Gene Robinson suggests/preaches...I'm a person that didn't know how to "say no" because of earlier shame. I listened too long and became too hardened against abusive words and actions (some of which I went along with by looking the other way)...I can "love them anyway" but only if they stay away from those I love and stop instigating crimes of hate...I feel I must not look away anymore, it's dangerous to let LIES and defamation go unanswered in places like Nigeria, Uganda and beyond.
I wonder, if like bad/sick children, I can love them with their own terrordriven/grasping destructive behavior toward other human beings...for their good?
Sounds like a very lofty and pridefilled/righteous quest for me...as if "I was perfect."
Pefectly angry and frustrated when injustice appears around me.
As you and I can see, I am only interested in stopping the murderous abuse and injustice and not "looking the other way" being tollerant of "abominating" others at Church and/or pandering to intollerance and aggressive behavior acted out against others.
But, maybe I'm "called" to give a courageous example in all of my affairs...in that way I may be able to exhibit "affection" or "tough/mild love" for all human beings and be known as a diciple of Christ?
I must be known for my "actions" as it turns out (and not necessarily for my doubts, my experience or my anger).
Give freely of what I have "to give" at The Body of Christ?
Don't the words, "as I said to the Jews" sound strange coming from Jesus, who was born, raised, and lived as an observant Jew, when he was speaking to his disciples and followers, who were also born, raised, and observant Jews?
"Little children"
No where else in the Gospels does Jesus use this term - "teknia". And he uses it finally and exclusively now -- as he prepares himself (and us, his followers) for his death.
it reminds me of my "childness" in relation to Jesus and his dying.
He is my father and my brother and my mother and my savior -- a whole stew of descriptive words -- each trying to grasp some aspect or dimension of my inexpressible mystical relationship with him.
My father, there on the cross, you made me.
My brother, there on the cross, you share my humanity, my own blood-line.
My mother, there on the cross, you nurse me and nurture me.
My savior, there on the cross, you ask nothing but my utter belief.
"Little children...a new commandment...love one another."
Jesus calls them (and us) "little children.
Little children squabbling in a playground, with all the riotous energy of little children.
The film, "Babbette's Feast". The Lutheran pastor really has ever only one "word" for his squabbling little flock: "Love one another."
After the reconciling feast, the villagers go into the street, join hands and sing, rather playfully. Then, with all the heartfelt joy the village fool can muster, he looks to the heavens and says the Easter word, "Al.....!"
It's so simple. Why do we complicate things? I think I'll play more, and squabble less.
The new commandment is the hardest bit of the whole Jesus experience for me. It is so difficult to love those who wish to do others real harm - mental, spiritual, and physcial.
This reading reminds me how far from the kingdom I actually am.
The phrase:
"Little children, I am with you only a little longer."
This touches me deeply.
I rescue dogs and cats. I have only recently, after doing this for 30 years, begun to realize that THEY are teaching me, not the reverse. DOH.
Sure, I can teach them all the needed things to live in a human world, but they are teaching ME the true qualities of love. Not something easy for me. When I am filthy, they love me. When I am upset, they love me, when I am tired, frustrated, pissed off and generally inhospitable, they love me.
I am the little child. They will, indeed, [teach me/be with me] only a little longer. Each one will move on to a home and have done their service for me.
I never thought of this in this way...
I always thought I was leading. I have not been leading, I have been following and learning. I just never realized that until now. I feel so damn stupid.
Thanks for showing me this, Jake, in this way.
This is a REALLY important learning for me.
Just wondering, "...as I said to the Jews..." seemed strange to me, too. Weren't most of Jesus' followers Jews?
"Little children...."
I don't know what to make of this except, why not little children?
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
How I fall short on that one! I can but continue to try to love more, with God's help.
“Children” – to be as precious as mine are to me, what a gift. It is so hard for me to remember that is how He loves us. And how I am to love others.
Thank you for your postings.
Just Wondering: re: "to the Jews" sent me to my study Bible. Apparently the way it is used here it means the "religious leaders" and not all the people.
something that stuck out to me is little children and the phrase "I said to the Jews so now I say to you."
I kept wondering if Jesus talked to people other than the Jews (Greeks, Romans and others). I always thought Jesus preached among the Jews (exclusively). This phrase tells me no. It also got me consider that the Gospels are people struggling with understanding God working in their lives and this is just one chapter in that struggle.
I've always used things such as anglican prayer beads and rosaries (although I don't say the traditional Rosary. I have a hard time with "save us from the fires of hell). By listening to God we're admitting that (at least for me) God is more than is contained in scripture and that God continues to reveal God's plan for us, individually as well as collectively.
This is what I'm getting out of these meditations. God is still active and engaging us, calling us into a relationship. This is the message I hear over and over God saying, "give me a chance."
"Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another."
"AS" "AS I have loved you." (A commandment, sacred and holy.)
With a willingness to be present to each of them. Sometimes quarrelsome, sometime arrogant. Sometimes ignorant. In the end to run, hide, deny and betray. But Jesus loves them through all of this.
Jesus always remaining faithful to God and open to his grace. Seeking him at all times and aware of his presence in all creation.
Leaving fear behind and standing up to injustice and bigotry.
Caring always for the sick, the poor, the hungry, the needy.
God is calling me to do better.
I had a conversation with Bishop Chane of the Washington Diocese tonight, and I apologize in advance if this is not the time or place to post this, or if it is old news.
Chane forwarded the Atlantic Monthly article by Eliza Griswold to intermediaries in the Middle East; he named specific people whose names I did not recognize and I have now forgotten. One of them forwarded it to King Abdullah of Jordan, whose reaction to Griswold's tale of Akinola's smile was to state that Akinola will never set foot in Jordan after that insult to Islam.
So, if GAFCON is going to happen, it will be elsewhere.
"Little children, I am with you only a little longer. ... `Where I am going, you cannot come.'
Even after all these years, I find these words of the gospel some of the hardest ones to read out loud in the midst of a congregation because of the utter sense of abandonment, desolation and sadness I feel deep within my soul.
As always, my meditations are up... today's was a struggle.
BobinSWPA | 03.19.08 - 10:20 pm |
If you read chapters 6, 7, 8 and 9 of Mark, you'll discover that Jesus was frequently in Gentile areas doing work.
I'm going to stick my neck out concerning Just Wondering's question about the text's reference to "the Jews." The Fourth Gospel's references to "the Jews" are taken by many Scripture scholars to mean the Jewish religious authorities.
But in Greek the same word means both Jews and Judeans. My suspicion is that Jesus is referring in a backhanded sort of way to the difference between these southern Judeans and his northern Galilean crowd. So far as I know, my view has no scholarly support, but on this sort of thing, all too often when one digs into it, the actual scholarly evidence is surprisingly thin.
My guess about "the Jews" relates it to the way some people have used "Christian" to mean person.
"Este pobre cristiano" said my Dominican comadre, speaking of her son's troubles in school.
Or the way I have heard and read an older generation of Jewish Americans referring to themselves. "You're looking at one anxious Jew" says one of the elderly Hollywood types in a Dudley Moore movie, with the emphasis on anxious, not Jew.
Or the use of the n-word-- "this n----a's not buying that story".
The contrast would be to "the nations"= the goyim.
So, I've told our people, now I'm talking just to you, kids.
The phrase: "For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you."
This says to me several things: It's the DO... not the words. It's taking action, not theorizing.
In my own life, I do "do" (pardon the turn of phrase, God knows I pick up enough of it:)
I have tried to set an example because I feel DOING and not just verbalizing is very important. But this is also just instinctive, almost, for me. It's less intentional than intuitive.
I think I have failed. Maybe I have not failed miserably, but I have failed.
Rather than involve and share with others, I do my work alone. I benefit alone, I suffer alone. It is easier for me to work alone because I don't feel I have the time to teach to others what I know. AND, I don't have the patience anymore.
Christ was a teacher. What good would it have done (despite his obvious and frequent frustration at those around him not understanding) if he worked miracles and preached love to no one? If he died in any less obvious way? If no one saw him live again? If he just picked up a writing tool and wrote about what he did in private?
It tells me to get out in the world more (oh no...) maybe to share being human more with others (little things like, um, laughing, crying...)
In the world I live in, my companions cannot wash my feet (no opposing thumbs, and besides, they'd just want to dig in the water...). But I do feel we are on equal footing. I give, they give. I think they give more than I do by far.
Someone said to me today when we were talking that perhaps given my mom's situation that I should stop rescuing for a while. On a practical level, that is certainly doable. On an emotional level, it is not. THEY are the only thing that keep me going through all this other stuff. THEY are the reason I get up in the morning. Things are so stressful right now that curling up at night with a dog or five is the healthiest thing I could be doing!
In my heart, I really believe we are all here to do something--some aspect--of God's goodness. I never intellectualized my work with animals, rather it has always been just "part of me".
I am afraid I like animals a lot more than people. And, I think that is wholly justifiable.
I really need to pray more about this.
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