St. Francis, Pope Francis, the United States and, oh yes, Jesus

As we approach the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the 13^th century son of a wealthy Italian cloth merchant, who abandoned his father and his wealth and founded the Franciscan Order of Friars, the Poor Clares order for women and the Third order of Franciscans for men and women, married and single, it is fitting that we reflect on the visit to the United States by Pope Francis. Francis takes his name from this Saint who lived a life of simplicity, poverty and humility as he followed Jesus’ call to “rebuild His Church.”

I believe first off that the Pope’s visit to the United States opened the eyes and hearts of many Americans to God’s presence in the world, to the presence of the Holy Spirit. I believe this is true whether one is Catholic or Protestant, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu as well as many other persons who believe in a creator or creative power. I even sense that some unbelievers are impressed with the Pope’s presence, ministry and message in the world.

I am excited that Pope Francis spent five days in the United States, that he visited the centers of political, financial and spiritual power in our country. I agree with the Pope on parts of his message such as climate change and the dangers of unbridled capitalism, and disagree with other parts such as the blessing of same sex relationships, and while I am not a fan of abortion, I do believe it is a woman’s decision and not the church’s or the government’s decision. I doubt that any person agrees with all that the Pope believes about politics, religion and the world.

What excites me about Francis’ visit is that, like Jesus, he does not let the opinions or the actions of others prevent him from proclaiming, by word and action, God’s truth as he understands it. As he proclaims his truth, his message, many Americans get both excited and angry, often at the same time. When the Pope talks about Global Warming or the Economy, and capital punishment liberal Americans feel that he is on their side. When he preaches against abortion and same-sex marriage, conservatives believe that he is with them. What excites me in all of this is the Pope’s message that mercy overcomes sin. The Pope still believes that homosexual relationships should not be sanctioned by the church but welcomes gay people into the fellowship. He believes that abortion is a sin, but has instructed his bishops that women who have abortions can be forgiven.

Like Jesus, the Pope speaks truth to power and is willing to face the consequences that go with speaking this truth. “With the power of his humility, he communicated the message of the gospel that speaks not only to our inward spiritual needs, but also to the sociopolitical realities of our daily lives. His message challenged both conservatives and progressives.”(Carlos Malave, Sorjourners)

In his historic visit to Congress, Pope Francis declared, among other things:

“The fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and on many fronts, especially its causes.

“Our efforts must aim at restoring hope, righting wrongs, maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the well-being of individuals and of peoples.”

“In recent centuries, millions of people came to this land to pursue their dream of building a future in freedom. We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners. I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants.”

Not all members of congress agreed with all the Pope had to say, though he did get an ovation for his proclamation of the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”(Matthew 7:12) If his visit accomplished no more than the sometimes living of the Golden Rule by the congress and people of the United States, then we have all been blessed.

The Pope affirmed at Mass at Madison Square Garden, that, “knowing that Jesus still walks our streets, that he is part of the lives of his people, that he is involved with us in one vast history of salvation, fills us with hope.”

All I can add to this is, “Amen! So be it!

St. Francis of Assisi, Some Reflections

Saint Francis of Assisi lived from 1181 until 1226. He was born in Italy and founded the Order of Friars Minor (the Franciscan Order) for men, Poor Clares for women, and the Third Order of St. Francis for men and women not able to live the lives of itinerant preachers. These orders exist to this day and Lay Persons, married or single may be members of the Third Order. Francis was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant and grew up as a lover of music and pleasure and fine things.  His father was not thrilled by Francis’ spiritual conversation which happened while Francis was off at war in 1201 through 1203, during which time he spent a year as a prisoner of war. After his conversation he became disillusioned toward the world that surrounded him.

His disillusionment is demonstrated by the story told of a beggar who came and asked for alms while Francis was concluding a business deal on behalf of his father. When he concluded the deal he ran after the beggar and gave him everything he had in his pocket. His father was less than happy with this event. His father attempted to change his mind with threats and beatings. Francis finally renounced his father, publicly laying aside even the garments he was wearing.

Francis claims to have had a mystical vision of Jesus Christ in the country chapel of San Damiano, just outside of Assisi, in which the Icon of Christ Crucified said to him, “Francis, Francis, go and repair My house, which, as you can see is falling into ruins. “ He took this to mean the ruined church in which he was praying, and so he sold some cloth from his father’s store to assist the priest there for this purpose. Later, Francis decided that Christ also meant for him to repair “the church, the body of Christ in the World.”

It has been argued that no one else in History was as dedicated as Francis to imitate the life, and carry out the work of Christ. Francis had a love of the Eucharist and the Stations of the Cross, even though the latter brought him great sorrow. He and his followers celebrated and even venerated poverty, and he believed that nature itself was the mirror of God. In his “Canticle of the Sun” he mentioned Brother Sun, Sister Moon, the wind, water, and Sister Death. He considered himself no friend of Christ if he did not cherish those for whom Christ died.

Because of his love of Creation, he is known as the Patron Saint of animals and the environment. It is for this reason that many Roman Catholic and Episcopal Churches hold ceremonies blessing animals on the Sunday closest to his feast day of October 4. 

As we approach his feast day on Sunday, I leave you with one of Francis’ most profound writings, Canticle of the Sun

Most high, all powerful, all good Lord!
All praise is Yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing.

To You, alone, Most High, do they belong.
No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your name.

Be praised, my Lord, through all Your creatures,
especially through my lord Brother Sun,
who brings the day; and You give light through him.
And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor!
Of You, Most High, he bears the likeness.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars;
in the heavens You have made them bright, precious and beautiful.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
and clouds and storms, and all the weather,
through which You give Your creatures sustenance.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Water;
she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom You brighten the night.
He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong.

Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth,
who feeds us and rules us,
and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Be praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of You;
through those who endure sickness and trial.

Happy those who endure in peace,
for by You, Most High, they will be crowned.

Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Bodily Death,
from whose embrace no living person can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Happy those she finds doing Your most holy will.
The second death can do no harm to them.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks,
and serve Him with great humility.

Change, an Invitation to Life: The Rich and Poor Have One Thing In Common

Change, an Invitation to Life: The Rich and Poor Have One Thing In Common: “The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD is the maker of them all.” (Proverbs 22:1-2) Yes, we all have one thing in common an...

The Rich and Poor Have One Thing In Common

“The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD is the maker of them all.” (Proverbs 22:1-2) Yes, we all have one thing in common and that changes everything else. The rest of this passage gives us an idea how our common creation and common Creator affect (or should, or could, or can) how we live and how we see others.

"Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of anger will fail.Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor. Do not rob the poor because they are poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate;for the LORD pleads their cause and despoils of life those who despoil them." (Proverbs 22:8-9, 22-23)

If the Lord is the maker of us all, then all are affected by what happens to the other. The world is in the middle of a major refugee crisis, a major migration crisis. People from the Middle East are doing their best to get to Europe to escape violence, death and injury caused by terrorists and by evil governments alike.  In the West, people are coming from Central America and Mexico, running from the dangers of drug cartels, human trafficking and poverty. Some are coming legally and others illegally. 

As we look closer to home we also see those in our own country who live in rural areas or inner cities with poor school systems, few job possibilities, the resultant unemployment and often serious drug problems.  The problems can be huge and the solutions allusive. Often good people, ourselves included, frustrated by the difficult situations give up and settle for finding blame instead: “people are lazy, the just want a handout from the government, I worked for mine, they can work for theirs.” I understand the frustration, I understand the anger, though I also understand that there are those in our nation, including some of our politicians and some of our news media, who foment this anger.  I also live in Alabama, less than eighty miles from Wilcox County which is one of the poorest counties in the United States, with over 16% unemployment, so I have some sense of the challenges some people face in overcoming poverty.

What are we to do? Remember most of us are good people; most of us really do care and do want to do what is right. As Christians we are called to welcome the stranger. To care for the hungry, the homeless, the orphan and the widows. 

I don’t have an answer to that question. Well, actually I do. I have an answer, but not a solution. If the Lord is indeed the maker of all of us, then any injustice or bias we demonstrate toward the poor because they are poor is unacceptable. We must also think get the facts and consider them seriously before blaming the poor for the economic problems of our society, or blaming them for being poor and unemployed and hungry.  This demands that we give the best that we have. Any solution demands serious thought, prayer and study on our part, as well as cooperation with other people of good will.

As I struggle with these questions, I reflect on Roman Catholic Archbishop of El Salvador, Oscar Romero, who said before he was assassinated while celebrating Holy Communion, “when I feed the poor, people called me a saint. When I asked why so many people were poor, they called me a communist.”

As human beings, we truly are tribal creatures. We care first for our families, and then for those who look and act and think as we do.  This is good and important, but at times we are blinded to the biblical reminder that the “Lord is Maker of us all.” It is important to remember that Jesus, himself, was also limited by his human vision to a narrower understanding of the scope of his life and ministry.

It took the Syrophoenician woman, whose story we read in Mark 7:24-37, to teach Jesus that all of God’s people are connected.  When she approached Jesus and asked him to heal her daughter of demon possession, he told her that “it is not fair to take the children’s food and give it to the dogs,” pointing out to her that she, as a Gentile, was not worthy of the blessings God had sent him to bring to the Jews.  As she pointed out to Jesus that “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the children’s table,” I can almost see the “scales” fall from Jesus’ eyes. Later, as recorded in the Gospel of John, Jesus, in talking with the Samaritan woman at the well, a person a Jewish male should never interact with, shared with her that the “day is coming, and now is, when true worshipers will worship God in Spirit and in Truth.”

Yes, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, male and female, immigrant and native, Muslim or Christian, all are reminded, that “the Lord is the maker of us all.”

Do We As Christians Really Show Favoritism?

Some Reflections on My Favorite/Least Favorite Book of the Bible: James 2:1-17

Do we as Christians really show favoritism? Do we really prefer wealthy new members in our congregations? 

As the pastor of a wonderful Episcopal Church that has a desire to grow and to bring more people into a living relationship with God through Jesus Christ, I hope that the answer to these questions is a resounding NO. I do, however, believe that James, the brother of Jesus, in his letter to the Churches of his time asks some very, very important questions.

James is concerned about what we do as well as what we say. He seems to believe that our faith has as much, perhaps more, to do with how we act than with what we believe. Today he might even say, “sure, you talk the talk, but do you walk the walk?” He even borders on Heresy when he says, “So faith by itself, if it has no works is dead.”

In our prayers in the Episcopal Church we acknowledge that God’s people come in all shapes and sizes, stages of belief and unbelief, from every race and nation. We pray for “all sorts and conditions of people.” It can, however” be difficult to communicate with people whose backgrounds and life experiences are so very different from ours.

Years ago, in the mid 1990’s in New Orleans, the Episcopal Churches in the metropolitan area formed a feeding ministry for transients, the “semi-homeless,” and the homeless. We filled in the one day a week not covered by other churches or organizations. One of our commitments was to eat with “our guests” as well as to serve them. This was sometimes a challenge because our current life situations were so different: after lunch most of the servers were going back to work or back home. We were going to pick up our children from school and coach their soccer teams; we would eventually go home to a warm house and a good meal and other evening activities.  Most of the people we served would go back out to the parks or the library or a fast food restaurant, any place to stay warm and dry and to pass the time away.

Yes, it is easier to welcome people into our assemblies whose backgrounds are similar to ours. But James is not talking about assemblies only. He is talking about welcoming people into the kingdom of God, of which our assembly is a part, an outpost, perhaps even a “Missionary Outpost.”  From yesterday’s reflections on Proverbs 22:1-2, I am reminded that “The rich and the poor have this (one very important thing) in common: the LORD is the maker of them all.”

With this in common, all differences can be overcome, but respected. In fact, we can learn from one another and our various life experiences, our successes and failures, our words and actions. Our faith will be stronger and as James tells us, “we will really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Change, an Invitation to Life: The rich and the poor have this in common: the LOR...

Change, an Invitation to Life: The rich and the poor have this in common: the LOR...: Some Reflections on Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver o...

The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD is the maker of them all.

Some Reflections on Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.
The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD is the maker of them all.
Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of anger will fail.
Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor.

Do not rob the poor because they are poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate;
for the LORD pleads their cause and despoils of life those who despoil them.

The first of three scripture readings for Sunday, September 6, all of which deal with not only how we treat other people, also who we see other people and distinguish them one from another.  This is one of those Sunday’s that is truly a “preacher’s nightmare.” How do, we preach the Gospel, the God News, of God about our responsibility to the poor and God’s judgment of us when we fail to do so, without, in the United States of seeming to preach one political party over another?

First, the preacher has to determine, as Jim Wallis of Sojourners Magazine states, “that God is not a Republican or a Democrat.  Next, having done our best to understand this, then we all, not just preachers, look at the second sentence of the above proverb:

            The Rich and the poor have this in common: the Lord is the maker of them all.”

If the Lord indeed is the maker of all of us, then any injustice or bias we demonstrate toward the poor, because they are poor, any blaming of the poor for the economic problems of our society (yes, I know, politics again) or blaming them for being poor and hungry and unemployed demands more thought, prayer and study on our part.  I do remember that Roman Catholic Archbishop of El Salvador, Oscar Romero stated just before his assassination, that “when he fed the poor, people called him a Saint, and that when he asked why there were so many poor, people called him a communist.”

Our Lectionary Readings this week, beginning with this one from proverbs and including James 2:1-10, [11-13], 14-17 and Mark 7:24-37 will challenge both our understanding of politics and religion.  I will continue to share my thoughts with you and welcome your comments as I struggle with God’s call to us as creatures both rich and poor “who have all been made by the same Lord.”