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Posted by on May 26, 2014

Memorial Day 2014 — A Reflection

Memorial Day 2014 — A Reflection

Remembering and Honoring Those Who Died in War

Becoming Peacemakers Today

 

Many of you have directly faced the horrors of war.

Many of you have made great personal sacrifices that haunt your dreams.

Many of us have lost sons, daughters, and friends in war.

 

Today is the day we gather to remember them

And to ask ourselves if there is any way to end wars,

To end the waste of wonderful men, women, and children,

the destruction of cities and entire countries,

the destruction of Faith, Hope and Love.

 

Is there any way to keep mad men from coming to power?

Will there be a day when defense won’t be necessary?

The Lord Jesus offers us a way out of war – The Kingdom of Heaven.

 

We are sent to proclaim it,

To announce the New Law of Christ.

 

It is a path for the poor in spirit,

for the merciful, for peacemakers.

It is a path of persecution for all of us

Who are called to be its prophets.

 

Called to non-violence,

Called to speak truth to power,

Called to end hunger and want.

 

The words sound great,

but we are discouraged.

They crucified the Master

and we had such hopes that he was the Messiah,

Said the disciples on the way to Emmaus,

 

Many looked at the Mountain of Despair of racial injustice and despaired.

Dr. King picked up the stone of hope from that Mountain

and moved the world.

We prayed to St. Michael,

Worked for peace, and the Soviet Union fell.

 

A Day to Remember.

A Day of Peace.

Do this to remember me.

Bless the Peacemakers.

Now, let us draw near

To the altar of Sacrifice,

To the blessing of the bread and wine

In which Christ becomes truly present.

 

With Him,

Let us be consumed in the Love of the Father

and the Fire of the Spirit

To become the Peace of God’s Anointed

in our homes,

at work,

among the nations,

Let us be peacemakers.

As we are the Peace of Christ.

 

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Posted by on Dec 23, 2013

O Emmanuel – Come and Save Us

December 23 — O Emmanuel

“Our king and our lawgiver, the hope of the nations and their Saviour: Come and save us, O Lord our God.”

Where are you?
Can’t you come any faster?
Do you not see the innocent slaughtered?
Do you not see the hungry starved?

When will you come O God With Us?
Where will your forces land?
Where will you hold the war crimes trials?
When will you take the greedy who took our food and hope?

O God of Justice
When will we get our justice?
Surely you will come as our Warrior
And make them pay.

How can a child give us
Our revenge?
How can a maiden
Shake off our oppressors?

What good is it
To share our lives and our suffering?
Our drive-by crimes of casual slaughter
Our hopes dashed by greed and addiction

O Come God With Us
And soften our hearts
To know you have chosen to be one of us
To know our victory is in compassion

O Child of Grace and Comfort
O Child of Pain and Division
Show us the Star that leads beyond Calvary
and Lead us into peace.

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Posted by on Dec 22, 2013

O Rex Gentium – King of All the Nations

December 22 — O Rex Gentium

“O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.”

Dust thou art — to the Stars you are called
Leave the dark of agony
The cold of loneliness
Go out to welcome your King

King of All Hearts
King of the World
Line the runways
Announce His coming on the loud speakers

You have only your chains to shed
Your shackles to break
By your word of forgiveness
By exchanging your heart for His

Death has no more claim
Open the gates to the Stars of Grace
Welcome in the joy and peace
Of mercy given, mercy received.

 

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Posted by on Dec 21, 2013

O Oriens — Splendor of Eternal Light — Dayspring

O Oriens — Splendor of Eternal Light — Dayspring

December 21 — O Oriens

“O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death.”


 

The shortest day gives way
to the Unconquered Son
The darkness of wrong
Gives way to the Sun of Justice

The sun returns
A pale reflection of Eternal Light
On those in the darkness of
Addiction, greed, and fear

Darkness underneath the bright lights and
Colors of the Christmas tree
Shines in blurriness of the winter heart
Seated by the fire in 500 watts of dim.

In the bright Santa Cruz sun
Bouncing on the bright slate blue
Open our hearts to singing sails
Of salt breeze setting all of us captives free.

 

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Posted by on Dec 20, 2013

O Clavis David – Key of David – Key to the Gate of Heaven

December 20 – O Clavis David

“O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of Heaven: Come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom.”

And lead us into Freedom
The promised land
Out of our darkness
Fear, anxiety, and certainty

Break down the prisons
of our making
Those with wall to wall carpets
Harboring unforgiven hurt

With swimming pools
and security cameras
with sweeping vistas
Fending off death with denial

O Sol Invictus, Unconquered Sun
Fade the street lamps
of our night
With your dawn O Risen Son.

 

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Posted by on Dec 19, 2013

O Radix Jesse – Flower of Jesse’s Stem – Not So Fast My Friend

December 19 – O Radix Jesse

“O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.”

Logged clean, the chosen people swept away,
Isaiah announced that even the stumps would be blown away.
Yet from the root God would restore His people,
The chosen ones the Cedars of Lebanon

But that flower of Jesse, David’s line,
Was lifted high on a tree
With the mocking sign, King of the Jews,
Proved true on the third day.

Your Kingdom come, O victorious one.
But maybe you should tarry – be fashionably late.
Things are pretty well handled.
We have no kings anymore.

Have another drink, watch some TV,
It’s all good.
Why should I be saved from my comfort?
Why leave Egypt when I can starve here?

This saving thing and your coming
Mess up my schedule.
Gotta pick up the kids and feed them styrofoam.
A disciple’s cross is too hard a price to pay.
 

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Posted by on Dec 18, 2013

My Soul in Stillness Waits – Truly My Hope is in You

December 18 – O Adonai

“O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.”

Be careful what you pray for.
The Lord Adonai is not tame.
The Fire that burns but does not consume,
That utterly calm voice that strikes our guts,
The One who sends us to the captive and oppressed,
No More Nice God;
Take off your shoes, you are in the shadow of the Holy.
 

Will Stoller-Lee on History Channel’s Upcoming Series, The Bible | Moses and the Burning Bush from Fuller Seminary in Colorado on Vimeo.

 
The following Burning Bush segment from the movie the Prince of Egypt is a beautiful and challenging theme. How will we recognize the coming of God if we have not been at the Burning Bush? We are the people we have been waiting for. We are Moses.

If you get an error message when playing this video, please refresh your browser.
 

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Posted by on Dec 17, 2013

The Week before Christmas – A Time for Stillness

Please join us in the joyful anticipation of Christmas during this time of stillness and waiting that is Advent. We remind ourselves that the celebration of Christmas begins on the Eve of the Nativity, the 24th. There are two weeks to celebrate this great feast of God with us. Leave the hustle and bustle and share the gift of peace with your loved ones.

The O Antiphons which are sung before the Magnificat at Vespers set the tone for each day of this special week.

December 17 – O Sapientia

“O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.”

 


 

What wisdom is this folly?

That God should come to share our death?

What Word of God, the Fullest Godself Expression on High

That governs all, would come for us in such lowliness?

O Wisdom? O Foolishness of Divine Love,

You seek us out, O Wisdom from on high.

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Posted by on Dec 23, 2011

O Oriens — Splendor of Eternal Light — Dayspring

Requiem for Christopher Hitchens the Anti-Theist

Christopher Hitchens went to his reward on December 15, 2011. The question of the eternal fate of such a vitriolic foe of faith and religion has received two responses. Douglas Wilson – Hitchens’ theist debating partner – in Christianity Today said that since we cannot assume that Hitchens called on God, we must assume that he is lost forever.

Eric Reitan, philosopher and author of Is God a Delusion? A Reply to Religion’s Cultured Despisers focuses on Hitchens’ search for truth. Reitan sees Hitchens’ motto “religion poisons everything” as an exaggerated reaction to the truth that there “is much that is poisonous in the religions of the world.” As such, Hitchens’ wasn’t necessarily anti-God as much as he was repulsed by the evil practice of religion. Reitan sees salvation for Hitchens because of his dedication to truth. Reitan cites Simone Weil’s famous statement:

I still think so today, that one can never wrestle enough with God if one does so out of pure regard for the truth. Christ likes us to prefer truth to him because, before being Christ, he is truth. If one turns aside from him to go toward the truth, one will not go far before failing into his arms. – Waiting for God, Simone Weil 1951 page 69

Reitan’s view is much more Christian in the sense of Jesus own concern with truth and sincerity over the sham invocation of doctrine or religious law.

The words of the Fourth Eucharistic Prayer come to mind: “…  remember now all for whom we make this sacrifice: … those who take part in this offering, those gathered here before you, your entire people, and all who seek you with a sincere heart.”

Another passage from Simone Weil comes to mind regarding death:

I always believed that the instant of death is the center and object of life. I used to think that, for those who live as they should, it is the instant when, for an infinitesimal fraction of time, pure truth, naked, certain, and eternal enters the soul. I may say that I never desired any other good for myself. I thought that the life leading to this good is not only defined by a code of morals common to all, but that for each one it consists of a succession of acts and events strictly personal to him, and so essential that he who leaves them on one side never reaches the goal.

Perhaps, those of us who feel comforted in faith and the promise of Heaven should not rely so much on dogma but on a life of truth – a life of authenticity.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. – Matthew 21:31-32

Image: Orion Nebula Galaxy – Courtesy of NASA In the Public Domain

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Posted by on Dec 22, 2011

Fidelius and Diabolus: Tim Tebow, Jesus, and Saturday Night Live

Christians have only themselves and their sub-media-culture to blame when it comes to a cavalier approach to Jesus. Not that we should behave violently to a light portrayal. But when Christians started replacing the Air-Jordan logo with Air-Jesus, they are asking for massive satire. I actually think SNL’s portrayal was fun and generous..where Jesus shows patience with a highly zealous Tebow. No one…especially Jesus, was ridiculed. The point of the sketch is how American culture wastes prayers, attention and ‘God’s intervention’ on matters as trivial as a football game.

– Matt Mewhorter

Saturday Night Live’s parody of the stellar NFL quarterback Tim Tebow and Christ has drawn criticism and condemnation in many quarters. Our friends Fidelius and Diabolus talk it out.

Diabolus: Did you catch Saturday Night Live with Tebow and Jesus?

Fidelius: I didn’t need to see it. It was a travesty. Pat Robertson blasted it.The atheists are just picking on him because he is a missionary and is very open about his faith.

Diabolus: Maybe you aren’t giving the Devil his due. The Jesus portrayed on SNL was very limited, very human.

Fidelius: How can you say that? Jesus is always with us. He hears our prayers.

Diabolus: Okay, but what happens when things don’t work out? What do you say when you fail or bad things happen to you?

Fidelius: Tebow is having a great season. He gives the praise to God and doesn’t keep it for himself. He openly witnesses to his faith in Jesus, his Lord and Savior.

Diabolus: Maybe that was the point of the parody. In our love and our enthusiasm we can simplify and distort a very complex relationship – our relationship with the Risen Christ.

Fidelius: You sound like a secular humanist or relativist playing down the reality of God in our lives.

Diabolus: Do you remember Fr. O’Flaherty’s old joke about praying to win the lottery? The one he used to tell from the pulpit.

Fidelius: You mean the one about the guy who kept begging God to win the lottery until an exasperated Voice from heaven told him that it might help if the guy bought a lottery ticket?

Diabolus: In the SNL parody, Jesus tells Tebow and his team mates to study the play book and to work harder on the first part of the game. He sounded more like a therapist than a puppet master. That’s the problem with God. He allows too much freedom.

Fidelius: So you are trying to say that there is no Providence. We just muddle through as best we can without any Divine help?

Diabolus: No. If one team wins the other must lose. Is the losing team less pleasing to God?

Fidelius: That’s what it says in many places of the Old Testament.

Diabolus: The Bible is not talking about major league sports. It is talking about submitting to God and what happens when we don’t order our lives properly. Things go better if you are right with God but that is not what happened to Jesus or to the millions killed in the holocaust.

Fidelius: So you are calling Tebow and the rest of us religious simpletons?

Diabolus: No, just humans caught up in enthusiasm in your faith. What happens when things don’t work out? Where is God then?

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