GOD WITH US: Meeting God in the Wilderness - December 7, 2008

Have you ever been out to a desert? I don’t mean Las Vegas. Now, that does not count. Why would anyone go out to the wilderness to see a prophet? John the Baptist is hardly a hippie “taking a walk on the wild side”. Would such a prophet attract people to the wilderness? Yes, apparently so. John followed the example of previous Hebrew prophets, living austerely, challenging sinful rulers, calling for repentance, and promising God's justice. He had a large following before Jesus came on the scene. The Gospel writers all pointed John the Baptist to be the forerunner who prepared the way for the Messiah. He is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. He continues the prophetic tradition to be on the outside, calling people to step out of the ordinary to examine themselves.

According to Isaiah 40, there’s a prophetic voice in the wilderness crying, calling for the preparation of the way of the Lord… as in the arrival of a king. Historically, highways connect people and cultures, as wealth and power flowed through the ancient highways and trade routes. But Isaiah imagines a highway that will connect people to God. How does one meet God there?

John the Baptist was also a desert hermit. Later in the 3^rd Century, there was a different form of asceticism in the desert fathers. They took on a monastic tradition similar to other religions elsewhere in the world – to escape from the chaos and persecution of a troubled world, seeking refuge in solitude. These are monks who want to seek self-discipline and holiness away from the world. They found God in the wilderness. Jesus often goes into the wilderness for a retreat. The place apart can also be a meeting place for us to encounter God.

Why the wilderness? It is a barren place, seemingly lifeless. But it is filled with life, with its signs very much hidden. Yet, it is a lonely place. Long while ago, I read an article about a couple who went to Africa to study lions and prevented elephant poaching. They ended up in a place the size of Ireland, all desert land, all by their lonesome. They were the only two human beings with all kinds of wild life surrounding them. Now, that is a very different experience! However, they found it incredibly lonely.

As people go through a transition in life, they often end up in a state similar to that of a wilderness. They too feel very lonely. However, what seems to be a total waste of time on the surface may be more productive than we know. It is a special time for us to do some important inner business.

William Bridges in his book, Transitions: Making sense of life’s changes talks about this process. In every kind of change, transition, or to use a bigger word, transformation, it always involves at least 3 stages: an ending, a neutral zone, and a new beginning. The story of the Exodus follows the same three stages: the exit from Egypt led by Moses; the wandering in the wilderness for 40 years; and the eventual entrance into the Promised Land. The natural world also provides for us similar examples: the butterfly that goes through the caterpillar stage, the cocoon stage, before a beautiful butterfly emerges anew.

Therefore, being in the wilderness stage or the transitional stage, we do the work of letting go of what we had before, in order to make room for something or someone new. It is a time for us to disengage from the old, before incorporating the new. In general, it is making room for new life, or as in the image we have in today’s Isaiah passage, clearing a pathway through the wilderness. That’s why wilderness is also the place wherein transformation takes place.

In life, we often need some form of retreat or stepping outside of daily life to be alone, to take stock of life and on what has gone on before. Jesus often goes away from the crowd to pray, to be with God, and to re-charge his battery. Sometimes, we need to look back at where we have been, before we can find out where we are heading toward. We are such a busy people, we often go from day to day, from week to week, without really knowing where we have been and where we are going. It is especially true for us now, when we are stressed out in the month of December.

When we go through transition and losses, we become disoriented. The wilderness experience allows us to be re-oriented, to re-examine and re-shape our identity. It is just like the caterpillar hiding in a cocoon, before the new life of a butterfly can be born anew in metamorphosis.

I can remember one such stage in my life when I was in an absolute wilderness state. At the time, my favourite song was “Dust in the Wind” by the group Kansas. “I closed my eyes, only for a moment and the moment’s gone… All we are is dust in the wind.” It was one of the most pessimistic and depressing song ever written. I was in a stage where I was lost, not knowing where to go next. I missed my friends and family in Hong Kong. I found the academic study no longer challenging and exciting. I found my Christian friends talking about things that really did not concern me. It was a dry spell in my spiritual development. I was not satisfied with all the pat answers given. At the time, I did not realize that I was grieving over my father’s death. Even though I was never close to him, his death was still a significant loss. It was only years later that I came to realize how major an impact his death had on me through those desert years.

On one hand, it seems like such a wasteful time for me, drifting along aimlessly. Yet, it was not a total loss. It became fertile ground only after I kept treading it over and over again; until the time was right for me to move on, and ended the wandering.

The wilderness is never a comfortable place to be in. There is a real temptation to rush through it and get out of there. However, it is important to note that we cannot rush through it as quickly as we wish. To everything there is a right time, and the right amount of time for change and for healing. We cannot rush through grief and try to bypass the pain and the sorrow involved. Any such attempt will backfire, and the pain and grief will come back to haunt us in more harmful ways later. The main function or activity of the neutral zone of transition is to surrender!

The person must give in to the emptiness and stop struggling to escape it. We should try to find meanings in the wilderness experience. Don’t fight it! Instead, try to befriend this loneliness. It is there for a purpose. It allows us to discover new life and new meaning. It is there in the mysterious place of the wilderness that we find powerful agents of change and transformation. It is there we meet God, as Moses found out to his amazement! It is there in Sinai where he received God’s commandments. It is in the wilderness where the people of Israel found their distinct identity among other nations and peoples. It is there in the journey through the desert they became the people of God.

The wilderness provides access to an angle of vision on life that one cannot get anywhere else. It is a very unique angle. That is why the prophet called people out into the wilderness to look at life from a completely different perspective. Very often, we get stuck on looking at life from one particular angle; especially one particular way of looking at the present, when things are not going well. Letting go of that specific interpretation of the present may make it easier to conceive of a new future. Paradoxically, how we get out of the wilderness will depend on how well we find our way in, and how well we make use of the resources the wilderness has provided for us.

Do you have your own wilderness experience? How do you meet God there? Is your experience true of the description given?

Advent is also about a wilderness. It is an in-between time, a time of waiting, where the fulfillment of God’s promises is still on the horizon. Nonetheless, God is there, and God is here with us in the wilderness.

The call of Advent is to prepare the way! Therefor, go to your wilderness, find your bearing there, and build a highway for God. By doing so, we may end up finding a way to take us closer to the heart of God.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Fr Victor+
www.stjd.ca

GOD WITH US: Meeting God at the End - November 30, 2008

We say, “Happy New Year” today, a whole month ahead other people. Instead of celebrating Christmas for 6 to 8 weeks, right after Halloween, we have another season called Advent, which no one else in the world cares about. We still insist that December 25 is Christmas, not the whole month before it. For those who feel the need to be counter-cultural, feel free to be a Christian! Let’s start not from the beginning, but from the very end!

One of the favourite saying of storytellers is, “but I am getting ahead of myself!” “Are we getting ahead of ourselves?” In many areas of life, yes, we are! Our consumer culture does not allow us to delay gratification – it has to be instant, right away: "buy now, pay later!" "Travel and vacation first, no payment for 6 months…" We spend what we have not yet earned! There is a nice word called credit that allows us to do that. We are always getting ahead of ourselves! The Commercial Christmas season is all about shopping, spending and saving. We will diet first before getting fat again, then another round of new diets we will adopt as New Year Resolution. How can we wait? No, we cannot!

With the new church year, we begin with Year B of our 3 year-lectionary, which uses primarily the Gospel of Mark as the designated Gospel. As you know, Mark does not have a birth narrative at the beginning of his story. It poses a bit of a problem for the Advent readings… Instead, the chosen reading for today is a discourse about the end of time from Mark 13. At first sight, it may not seem appropriate to begin at the end. However, Advent has to do with the coming of the Lord, the birth being but one form of the appearance of Christ. After all, we are living in between the first and the second advent of Christ. At the core of Christian faith, we understand that the end time has to do with the coming of the Lord. God is "the One who comes" to strengthen and to heal, to reveal, and to redeem. Therefore, the posture of the people of God is always one of expectation and hope in waiting.

Part of the preparation of Advent has to do with waiting for God to appear in our lives in various places and situations. We arrive at the season of Christmas with the wonderful mystery of the incarnation of “God with us”! We start off examining the promise of God with us at the end of time.

A lot of doomsday prophets proclaim the end is very near, and some actually claim they know exactly when! There have been too many doomsday cults throughout history; they have devoted their energy solely in unfruitful predictions and speculations. They choose to prepare for the end time by stopping to live in the mean time. Some end with very tragic outcomes. Remember 30 years ago in Jonestown, Guyana, where more than 900 members of Peoples’ Temple took poison at the order of their leader Jim Jones? But it is clear in today’s text that even Jesus does not know when the end will come. We should not waste time either!

We have seen a sign board that said, “Prepare to meet Thy God!” We usually think of meeting God only at the end of our lives. Most people don’t think of encountering God in their daily life. Yet, Christians claim that we can have a relationship with God by faith through the person of Jesus Christ. By faith, we can relate to God and encounter God even in our everyday life. God is not a stranger to us, when we can pray to this God, ask for forgiveness, praise and worship God, and give thanks for God’s many blessings.

Given such relationship, should we be afraid of the end? Should we fear the Final Judgment?

It is like have regular performance reviews in your job, with on-going evaluations with your managers or supervisors. There should be no unpleasant surprise at the end of each evaluation period. The best evaluation process should produce no surprises. Whereas, if performance evaluation or judgment only takes place once in a life time; then it will be a very different matter. These days, management cannot fire anyone without giving prior warnings along the way, unless the employee had done something seriously wrong.

Moreover, if a faith relationship already exists; at the end of our life time, when we have to meet God as the Final Judge, will we find a friend or a stranger? Given in last week’s Gospel of the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, there is surprised reaction to those people being judged, there may still be surprises for us, too. Would our confidence turn us into self-righteous fools with spiritual arrogance? Would we follow blindly our religious rules and fail to see the needs of those around us? Or, would our preoccupation with good works turn us into unthinking machines dispensing mercy and charity?

Again, our perception of God certainly influences and colours our relationship with God. It may determine whether that relationship is one of fear, or one of loving trust. Would we find God an angry and vengeful God ready to punish us, as in the Isaiah (ch 64) passage? Or, do we relate to God as Abba Father, more of an intimate daddy? Or, do we submit to a God where the relationship is more one-sided, as in “we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

On the other hand, apocalyptic endings are really good news for the believers! It is about Hope! Even if the details sound horrifying and horrific! It provides comfort and hope for deliverance, especially to those who were facing persecution and suffering in the early church.

St Paul assures the church in Corinth that the grace of God that strengthen them in the first place will continue to do so as they wait for the revealing of Jesus Christ. He said, “He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”(1 Corinthians 1-3-9)

Since we do not know the timing of the end, unlike those who claim that they know, we are reminded that Jesus’ words to the disciples are “Beware! Keep Alert! Keep awake!” These words of action are all in the present tense. A commentator, James Edwards (The Gospel According to Mark p. 406) argues: “All the signs that have been given add up to one conclusion: the End cannot be prepared for. That is because the End is ultimately not a ‘then’ but a mysteriously present – ‘now’. The sole preparation for the End is watchfulness and faithfulness in the present.” What we do now matters. Rather than anticipating what is to come in the future, we should concentrate on living with watchfulness and being alert in the here and now.

Yes, our existence takes place in between the first and the second advent of Christ. As Christians, we live with the end in sight, but we are not distracted by it. Some would advise us to live every day as if it were the last day of our life. That way, we can treasure each moment and live it to the fullest. As we wait actively, keeping awake for God, we do so with a joyful expectation. We don’t wait idly, full of anxiety and worries. St Paul said in Romans 13:11, “For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first became believers.” The end is something we can look forward to, rather than something we dread. Our outlook is based on God’s promises to us, and that God has always been faithful to us as we have experienced.

Therefore, when we talk about the end, are we getting ahead of ourselves? No, not when we have the end in sight and live according to the hope that God has set before us! Thanks be to God. Amen.

Fr Victor+
www.stjd.ca

Preview of Coming Attractions - The Reign of Christ, 2008

As a child, when I went to the movies, watching the previews was as much fun as watching the main attraction itself. It gave us highlights of new movies coming soon to a theatre near us. These days, at the beginning of some of the videos or DVDs, we still have the same. Or, as in television serials, we get to have a glimpse of what will happen in the next episode (which keeps us addicted). Some people would like to know ahead of time what will happen next as the long story unfolds. For me, I would rather wait and I do not want to spoil the suspense. I do not want to FF/jump ahead to find out about the ending. It is more intriguing to find out as it gradually and dramatically unfolds.

The apocalyptic vision of the judgment scene in Matthew 25 (31-46) is like a preview of coming attractions. What Jesus told us is more than a little teaser or a trailer; it is closer to a glimpse of the climax. It is a vision of what is to come. However, whether it will happen in the exact details as described here is debatable. Perhaps it will be more like an inter-active ending, where we have input as to how the story will end.

In the story, people are divided into two groups, like sheep and goats separated by a shepherd. There are three points I would like to make about the story:

First, the last judgment is determined by our response to human need. The Judge divides up the people into two groups: one on the right, on the left side. According to Jewish customs, the one on the right side are the blessed ones, and the left represents the opposite. In other words, the sheep are the good guys, and the goats are the bad guys. Notice that it is not good sheep versus bad sheep. They are two different kinds of animals, sheep and goat, one cannot become the other.

How are they divided? It is how they acted in the face of human need. Did they do something about it or did they choose to ignore it and walk away?

The second thing to remember is how everybody is surprised by the judgment. The sheep and the goats are both surprised by the outcome. The evil ones thought they were properly religious, following all the rules of the game and did not do anything wrong. The problem was not that they did not do anything wrong, but that they did not go out of their ways to do the right thing and to do what is good. Like the upright characters in the Good Samaritan story, they walked the other way. They acted out of what they thought to be sound and religious reasons; they did not realize that they had done anything wrong. On the other hand, the good guys did the right thing without thinking that they were being good for goodness’ sake. They were genuine in their action of love and compassion. It came from the goodness of their heart, like a good tree producing good fruit naturally.

Some commentators call this story “the great surprise” rather than the final judgment. Speaking of surprise, there is a story of a man who entered heaven after just finishing his life on earth. As he was being escorted by St Peter into heaven, he was surprised to see some familiar faces along the way. It was a surprise for him to see many persons whom he thought would never have made it to heaven. Those whom he knew have led questionable lives and done wrong things in life. As he questioned St Peter as to why these characters were here, he was told by St Peter, “Son, have you not noticed how quiet they are? I think they are surprised to see you here, too!”

Because of the surprised reactions, which break the normal pattern of a morality story, Jesus was actually combating a moralistic view of life and the judgment of God. It is more than just righteousness by good works, or the simple argument of “the way we live is more important than what we say we believe.”

We may have encountered in life a similar type of surprise. Someone may come up to us and say, “What you did for me certainly help me a lot. I was so encouraged and empowered by you!” or “What you said to me had such a profound impact on my life.” While they are saying this, we are trying to recall what exactly we said or did that was so wonderful. Often we may not realize what good we are doing, and only later to discover that we have served Christ in the least of these needy people. On the other hand, if we assume that we are doing a great job, we might be surprised to hear of what we have failed to do.

Thirdly, we are told that service to another person in need is actually service to Christ. It is in feeding the hungry and the thirsty, welcoming the strangers, clothing the naked; visiting the sick and the imprisoned that we actually minister to Christ himself. In our Baptismal Covenant, we are asked the question: “Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbour as yourself?”

Indeed, one of the questions raised by this story is who actually represents Christ? Is it the one in need or is the one who comes to help the needy? Traditionally, we tend to think of the ones who minister to the needy as the ambassadors and servants of Christ. Yet, the story turns this upside down and tells us it is the other way around. The ones in need are the ones who truly represent Christ. By serving them, we end up serving Christ.

In serving the least of these God’s children, or not serving them, God will hold us accountable. It is not how we serve the most important people in our life that counts. It is the other way around; it is how we serve the least of them. For the ones who are important, the powerful and the wealthy, they don’t need us. Usually, we think we need them for influence and other gains. But the ones without power and influence, those who seem to be of no significance except that they are needy, are the ones who really need us, and our love and care.

You may find it problematic that the story emphasizes a work righteousness that talks only about human actions. There is no mention of faith, the cross or divine forgiveness that leads to salvation. Are we simply being judged by acts of mercy and kindness rather than right beliefs? I would say no. This story is only one aspect of our understanding of God’s judgment, yet one we cannot ignore. After all, Jesus has told us many parables about the Kingdom of God. There are many, many other facets to his teachings about the kingdom and how should we live our life.

Also, there is another key word we should note in the story. In verse 34, the righteous do not earn the kingdom, but they inherit it. An inheritance is determined by the giver, not by the ones who receive it. It also implies that the relationship between the giver and the receiver is important.

Today, we celebrate the Reign of Christ, or the more traditional title of Christ the King, as the last Sunday of the church year; before starting another new church year next week with a new season of Advent. It is more important for us Christians to learn how to live our life under the reign of Christ than a preoccupation of our eternal destiny.

Central to our Christian belief is that we have a relationship with God through the person of Jesus Christ. It is that faith relationship which makes a difference in our eternal destiny. Who we are influences our actions. To whom we belong has a direct bearing on our identity and our mission.

The reign of Christ, or his kingship and authority to rule, is more than a kingdom or a particular place like heaven. Therefore, an expression such as “to enter the kingdom of God” does not refer to “going to heaven” but should be understood as “accepting God’s rule in our life” or “welcoming God to rule over us”! It is possible then for us to enter into the ruler-ship of Christ in the here and now. We don’t have to die before going into God’s Kingdom. In fact, that’s what Christian discipleship really means. To follow Christ Jesus is to come under his authority, and let our life be governed by him. We are his stewards, and we are not our own master.

We can inherit this kingdom that has been prepared for us from the foundation of the creation, not by merits but by God’s grace. Such acceptance of God’s rule in our lives will naturally lead us to care for the needy. When we act in accordance with God’s rule, we are in the Kingdom.

In giving away a glimpse of the ending to a very long story: our stories, or the stories of our own life; Jesus actually gives us the power to choose the ending! The movie is still being made, and the script has not been completely written. He gives us the power and the right to choose which sides do we belong. We have a choice, when we choose how to act, and how to react to other people in need. We get to determine how we deal with the least important people we come across in our life. However, there is a more fundamental choice we need to make, that is, whether or not we choose to live our lives under the authority and the reign of Christ. That would determine, more than anything else, how we make other choices in life. That would help us answer the question, “Are we being faithful?”

Don’t get me wrong, we do not get to be the Judge; God will still be the Judge in the end. But we get a very big hint from the director of the movie, or we have insider’s information, as to how God will judge us.

Thanks be to God for the Preview of the Coming Attractions. Amen.

Fr. Victor+
www.stjd.ca

Kingdom Investments - November 16, 2008

For the last two months, most people do not want to talk about their investments or their retirement funds. We know it is bad and there is no need to see the detail of the damage. Financial market meltdown, economic tsunami, credit crunch, or whatever words of disasters can we come up with, cannot describe the reality of those severe losses. If we put so much faith in our financial market and those who control it, then are we surprised that every now and then a huge “correction” would take place? It begs the question of our ultimate security and confidence. Who can we really trust with our life savings and livelihood?

The familiar parable of the talents talks about investment of another kind… (Matthew 25: 14-30) Each of the three servants was entrusted with talents according to his ability. It is a story of financial activity. A talent was not the ability to sing or to write, but a large sum of money, approximately the amount a laborer would receive for 15 to 20 years of hard work. The master was a capitalist who wanted his money working for him while he was away, expecting a return on his investment. The first two servants gained a hundred percent return. They were commended as “good and trustworthy” servants, and they were rewarded with greater responsibility.

However, as you know, the third servant failed to invest his talent and gained nothing for his master. He was condemned as "wicked and lazy" for not investing his share. Here, the reward and punishment go beyond business talk in the financial world. “Enter into the joy of your master” and the reference to “outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” are Matthew’s language of the final judgment. The parable is a kingdom parable. Like last week’s parable of the ten maidens, Matthew uses them to address the question of how should one live while waiting for Christ’s return. What we do in the mean time matters eternally.

The story underscores the high-risk activity involved. The first two servants doubled the money entrusted to them, hardly a possibility without running the risk of losing the original principal. As Christians, what kind of risks are we willing to undertake? Can we do all the Christian faith activities of loving, caring, healing, giving, witnessing, reaching out, trusting and hoping without taking any risk?

The third servant was motivated by the opposite of faith; he was afraid. While fear can sometimes motivate people to certain degree and on different occasions, he was simply immobilized at the core of his responsibility and purpose. Fear of failure, fear of punishment and fear of loss have not only paralyzed this servant, but many other Christians and churches through the centuries. They stop living with a sense of purpose and mission; they bury their talent and hide it under ground. Churches in maintenance mode are like hiding their talents in the ground, hoping no one will come and steal them. They are afraid of the risk involved in growing. They are afraid that changes will upset too many people. They are afraid of a new reality beyond their comfort zone. Fear simply holds them back.

Obviously, Jesus is talking about stewardship here in this parable. By definition, stewardship is the responsibility for taking care of someone else's property or financial affairs. What the stewards have been entrusted does not belong to them. They are asked to look after them for a while. They do not own what is entrusted to them. They have to answer to the master for what they have done with it.

How often do we think of our life, our property, our family, our money and possessions as something entrusted to us? How often do we think that we are entitled to them? The issue is one of ownership and entitlement. What God has given us; we think we are entitled to have them. We have worked hard all our life for them; they become our savings and security. We believe that we alone can decide how we use our wealth, and who should benefit from them. Those who have faced bankruptcy realize how true the saying is “easy come, easy go”! Indeed, life itself is a most precious gift. Ask those who have ill health, those whose children were born with defects. They will tell you never take life and health for granted. We are advised to manage this gift of life very well! As stewards, we are managers of all that has been entrusted to us.

There is the story of a pastor who got up on Stewardship Sunday and announced to his congregation: “I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we have enough money to cover the deficits in our budget. The bad news is that it’s still out there in your bank accounts.”

Since this is a kingdom parable, we should ask ourselves what kinds of investments we are talking about in the Kingdom of God. If there is a “Kingdom Fund”, what would you be investing in? If we are the fund managers, what are we keeping an eye for in our portfolio? What do we value most? Would it be people, time, money, building and property, or the natural environment? Yes, these days, business people are even talking about ethical and responsible investments – as in fair trade, concerns for the environment and ecology. The value in the business of investment is changing; it is more than just numbers, dollar amount, percentage of return and bottom lines. There are other things and consideration that are deemed to be important and of value. Do we keep kingdom values ahead of other values when we manage all our God-given gifts? Or, do we base our decisions on self-serving principles? As a parish, what are we willing to invest in? - Our young people and people outside of the church?

At the end of the parable, the master gave the third servant’s talent to the one with ten talents, and said, “For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” On the surface, it almost sounds like “the rich will get richer, and the poor gets poorer.” However, Jesus probably puts the emphasis on the fact that gifts exercised will increase, while gifts left unused will waste away. Those who are willing to risk and use their gifts will be given more.

It has been mentioned that when one person shares the light of a candle with another person, the first person’s light isn’t diminished in any way. A candle loses nothing when it shares its light, and there is now twice as much light in the room. Could it be true of sharing love and sharing the gospel? Our ability to love does not diminish by sharing it; and there will be more love in the world. The power of the gospel is not diminished by someone sharing it; in fact, there will be more believers in the world.

On the other hand, there are also examples of things that disappear if they are not used. Unused muscles deteriorate and become useless. Unused money in dormant accounts will disappear as the bank charge monthly fees. Could it also be true of the gospel? If we hoard it for ourselves, if we refuse to share it with others, will it waste away?

To be fair, the master is not a harsh and unforgiving man as the third slave made him out to be. He is actually very generous in giving them talents that they would never have earned in a life time. But perhaps our expectation of God may determine for us how God turns out to be? For those who believe God to be gracious, giving, and forgiving; to them God is like that. For those who believe God to be harsh, demanding, and judgmental; to them God is just that. While certainly God is not created by our own images of God, it is possible that our inadequate beliefs about God may create perception blinders. We may not be able to see the whole picture of God as Jesus has revealed to us. Like the religious leaders of his day, the scribes and the Pharisees, we could fail to have a more accurate perception of God, if we stubbornly hold on to our spiritual blinders.

Similarly, the good quality of the first two slaves consists partly in seeing their master as the giver of good gifts. The evil of the third slave could only see his master as a cruel dictator. The first two slaves seem grateful for what they have been given. The third slave rationalizes his inactivity by blaming the master, out of fear. Such paralyzing fear is totally unproductive, leading to nothing but gifts wasted. Many people have sound beliefs about God, but fail to act on those beliefs. Such beliefs never influence their actions. Their lives are controlled not by God, but by fear, by playing it safe and self interests. They are lazy and poor performers, thinking that they could get away with it. Hiding their talents is a refusal to accept the responsibility given by God.

Therefore, the story invites us to make choices in life that really matters. We are asked to invest wisely. The gift given here is not the gift of salvation. We do not have to work for it. The gifts entrusted to us are for our use, for the good of the kingdom of God, and for the sake of the Gospel. Are we putting them to the best possible use, or are we letting our gifts waste away, hidden and under-utilized? Next week, in the parable of the sheep and the goat, our actions or inaction are further defined by Christ the King.

Yes, the gift of salvation is assured, just as we come with confidence to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. How we respond as we go out into the world is our gifts to God in return… Amen.

Fr Victor+
www.stjd.ca

Remembrance 2008

Today, we observe Remembrance Day in the setting of a Christian worship. (Canadian Anglican Church) It is different from observing it at the cenotaph or at the veteran section in a cemetery. Why do we have the remembrance in the context of Christian worship? What is the Christian connection? What Christian lessons can we learn from remembering their past sacrifice?

To remember is a powerful thing. We do it every time we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, in remembering the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. As you heard me said it before, the kind of Eucharistic remembrance is more than thinking back to a past event. It is more like re-living that event in the here and now. It becomes a participation of the sacred story. It is a re-enactment. But what are we re-membering and re-enacting today? To re-member means to reconnect, making those whom we remember present to us. They are still members, and part of our living reality.

When we look at the symbol of a red poppy, we know what it represents. Just as familiar is our symbol of the cross, we know what it stands for, too! Both are symbols of sacrifice and death, the death of a relatively young Jesus and the death of young men and women whose lives were cut short by the violence of wars. They could never grow old as we can grow old and live out a full lifespan. We believe that their short lives made it possible for us to live, with freedom and liberty. Now, our lives become a form of vicarious living, so that we may live out and fulfill their hopes and dreams. As we hold up the symbols of the poppy and the cross to do the act of remembering, we also find new life and hope!

Not too many of us know personally of the war dead in the two world wars. We may not have any personal memories of friends and relatives who died fighting in battlefields. However, we do the remembering to thank them for what they have done for us and for our country. Most agree that they made the ultimate (Christ like) sacrifice in laying down their lives for us, so that we may have life. Much in the same way, Christ the Good Shepherd lay down his life for his sheep, so that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

I was told by my older brother of old family history before I was born. My father had 9 siblings in his family. He was #8. Near the end of WW2, it was not easy to secure a ticket on a boat to travel between Canton and Hong Kong. Our grandmother was living in Canton at that point. In January 1945, our 9th uncle, dad's youngest brother, was not able to get a ticket to go to see his mother. But 7th aunt had a ticket, so she gave him her ticket as a favor. Unfortunately, the boat hit a water mine and 9th uncle lost his life. The irony remains that 7th aunt lived and 9th uncle died. In war, there are many similar stories of chance and the arbitrariness of life and death… one soldier got hit by a bullet and lived, another was not so lucky. Those who have survived the war and watched other comrades died in front of them often felt very guilty to be alive.

This week, we witnessed a historic moment in American history, where the first non-white person was elected President. Over 40 years ago, not that long ago, American Blacks were not even allowed to vote. We remember Martin Luther King who proclaimed that “I have a dream”, where the color of the skin and the race of the person would not hinder that person from being treated equally and judged fairly. He was assassinated and his life was cut short by hatred and fear, by those who felt threatened by his dream to end systematic racism. He did not live to see that dream come true. But he had the faith to be sure of what he had hoped for, and he was certain of what he had not yet seen. Like Moses, he did not get to lead his people into the Promised Land. Yet, his sacrifice of non-violence has paved the way and made it possible for others to pursue the dream of equality and liberty. Barack Obama is the Joshua figure who has the privilege to fulfill that dream. In his acceptance speech, his refrain of “Yes, we can” captures the fulfillment of that dream. His refrain of “Yes, we can” did not sound like triumphant shouts from the mountain top. It has the poignancy of a somber tone, almost like recognizing the pain and the struggle that had gone on before. It sounds more like quiet confidence than reckless celebration of victory. Perhaps Mr. Obama also felt the weight of the burden that is now placed on his shoulders, as one commentator pointed out. It is one thing to inspire hope, quite another to deliver it. To live up to the world’s huge expectation indeed is a tough act to follow. From his carefully chosen words, he re-membered Martin Luther King by connecting with words of his dream. He made Dr. King member of his team, 40 years after his death. His dream is not only alive, but is being fulfilled by this act of remembering!

In the context of Christian worship, we often say that we believe in the communion of the saints. Last week, we talked about saints in the context of All Saints’ Day. We affirm the belief that those who have died are still part of our lives, our reality and existence. While death separates us physically from those who have died, we are still connected in a spiritual way. In today’s Epistle (1Thessalonians 4:13-18), Paul talks about grief as necessary, but he admonishes us not to grieve without hope. Our grief over death and losses should also be understood in the context of the resurrection of Christ. We share in the hope of rising with Christ. That is a message of encouragement which inspires hope in us!

On the other hand, the world focuses on the scary aspect of Halloween for a week. We were asked, “Do you believe in ghosts?” Is there a supernatural reality or dimension? Are you frightened by ghosts? Or, are there friendly ghosts? Certainly Hollywood movies always have ghosts in a lot of their stories. Some find it comforting to have their loved ones remain connected to them as ghosts. After all, if we can believe in a spiritual world, then is it too much to believe in the possibility of a supernatural world of ghosts? If so, what would we do with the ghosts of the past wars? How would we respond to keeping their memories alive and their sacrifice meaningful?

Perhaps the first response may be fear. Just as we have been conditioned to be frightened by ghosts and haunted houses, we cannot quite observe remembrance without a sense of fear. We may be afraid of being asked to making the same sacrifice ourselves. We may be afraid of the constant threat to the peace of the world. We may be afraid of another terrorist attack, and another world war.

However, the second response I can think of is respect! We should look up to the men and women who made sacrifices for us and on our behalf. As the number of veterans from the two world wars dwindles, it is all the more important to remember them and honour them with respect. We should also respect our soldiers serving in Afghanistan, whether we agree with the politicians who sent them there or not. When we respect someone, we look up to them. We look up to a higher standard of behavior. Respect for them sets a higher goal for us, it demands us to do better, and allows us to hope!

The third response is one of being grateful. Respect may keep us at a distance, even with admiration. However, to say thank you is more personal. As children, we are always reminded to say “thank you”, whenever someone else has done something for us. How thankful should we be, when someone sacrifices their lives for us? How can we thank them? How grateful do we feel on this Remembrance Day?

The fourth response is one of commitment. Just as we remember, we participate in the story of the other; such participation becomes a call to action as well. Joshua in today’s Old Testament lesson (Joshua 24) led his people in a renewal of the covenant, after the distribution of land among the victorious tribes of Israel in the Promised Land. While Joshua recalled God’s promise to Abraham, he did not have to invoke the name and the memory of Moses. The people remembered. They knew. They did not have to be reminded. God’s mighty acts of deliverance were re-enacted every year in their festival of Passover.

To remember, we are called to act, to continue the unfinished work of those who have gone before us. One of the best ways to pay tribute to someone, as I always conclude my homilies in a funeral, is to follow the good example of that person. She or he may have excelled in many things, in being generous, loving and caring in their lives. Now that they have finished their life journey, someone else will have to take up what they have begun. They can no longer do what they used to do; someone else will have to continue their work for them. A response of grateful respect and commitment will call us to do just that.

In being called to remember our war dead, we are to remain vigilant for peace and for justice. We are entrusted with the responsibility to defend others’ freedom, rights and liberty, making sure that they are free from oppression. We are called to make sacrifices, when it is necessary, so that others’ lives may become better. Like the Good Shepherd, we are given the responsibility to look after his sheep for him. Today, we remember and we give thanks, first and foremost to Jesus the Good Shepherd in this Eucharist, and make a pledge to be his faithful servants in the here and now! Amen.

Fr Victor+
www.stjd.ca

All Saints' Day - 2008

Today, we celebrate All Saints’ Day. When we think of a saint, we think of someone who is holy; whose life is an example of virtuous behavior and the highest moral character. We ordinary folks would not dare to consider ourselves as saints, unless we happen to have a delusion of grandeur. Most often, saints are only recognized to be saints after their death - that's another reason we do not want to be saints...

However, in the Bible, the early Christians were all called saints (Hebrews 13:24; Jude 1:3; Philemon 1:5, 7). Should we consider ourselves saints, too? Or, at least, we are believers, growing and maturing to become saints.

The Garden of the Saints – Henri Nouwen

The Church is a very human organization but also the garden of God’s grace. It is a place where great sanctity keeps blooming. It is a place where great sanctity keeps blooming. Saints are people who make the living Christ visible to us in a special way. Some saints have given their lives in the service of Christ and his Church; others have spoken and written words that keep nurturing us; some have lived heroically in difficult situations; others have remained hidden in quiet lives of prayer and meditation; some were prophetic voices calling for renewal; others were spiritual strategists setting up large organizations or networks of people; some were healthy and strong; others were quite sick, and often anxious and insecure.

But all of them in their own ways lived in the Church as in a garden where they heard the voice calling them the Beloved and where they found the courage to make Jesus the centre of their lives.

It is important to think about the Church not as “over there” but as a community of struggling, weak people of whom we are part and in whom we meet our Lord and Redeemer.

Christians by Maya Angelou

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean living', I'm whispering 'I was lost, now I'm found and forgiven..'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect, my flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain... I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou; I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow!

Therefore, we Christians are not holy men and women with halos. We are not any better or holier than other people. We just know by faith and understand better how the grace of God is operating in our lives and working through us. We realize that it is not us, but the power of God working through us that makes a difference. With that understanding, we can, and we should, call ourselves saints! Last Sunday, I recited a list of flawed characters in the Bible that are called by God to carry out his mission. They are far from being perfect. We are far from being perfect, too. We have our struggles and our troubles. But, like them, we don’t make our imperfection as the perfect excuse for not serving God.

Moreover, by becoming saints ourselves, we are also called to make more saints. Making saints, like making babies, has its share of pain and pleasure, joys and challenges. It is not easy. Think of all the responsibilities of parenthood, we too have the same challenges in bringing others to Christ and making them saints. We have been reminded that children are watching us, and they will do as we do, not as we say. Listen to the following poem.

WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING:

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you make my favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing, and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don’t.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw how you
handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’t feel good, and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw that you cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I learned most of life’s lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, “Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn’t looking.”

LITTLE EYES SEE A LOT!

Each of us, whether we are parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, clergy and friend, we can have so much influence on the life of a child, or another budding saint in Christ. Our examples, good or bad, will have more impact on them than our words and commandments.

Today, as we celebrate All Saints’ Day, we worship God in the presence of the multitude of saints. We are not alone! We are not small in numbers! We are surrounded, not by ghosts and goblins, but by a great cloud of witnesses from ages past. They are cheering us on! Rejoicing in their fellowship, we may run with patience the race that is set before us. We are encouraged and empowered by their good examples. Together with them, we may receive the crown of glory that never fades away!

Thanks be to God. Amen!

Fr Victor+
www.stjd.ca

Sunday, June 8, 2008 - Christ the Healer

This week, I attended our Diocesan (Toronto) Clergy Conference in Guelph, ON. There were no big name keynote speakers for the whole conference, with only our own bishops speaking to us in very personal and vulnerable ways. The theme was "Passionate Leadership: from Beleaguered to Beloved". The only exception was one session with former figure skating champion Barbara Underhill, who spoke to us about her life’s ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies. It was a most touching testimony of her passion in skating, through humiliating failures to winning the championships. Her personal life of a perfect family was also shattered by the drowning of her 8 month-old baby girl a day before her baptism at St Peter’s, Erindale. In the end, it is a powerful story of faith and perseverance, a journey of overwhelming grief toward the rediscovery of life’s passion, joy and healing.

As she began her talk, she expressed her fear and intimidation of speaking to a group of clergy, almost 200 of us. Even our own bishops were feeling vulnerable speaking to a group of potentially critical and cynical bunch of clergy. That makes me wonder what if Jesus were our main keynote speaker, how would we react to him? Judging from different Scripture passages, including today’s Gospel from Matthew 9:9-13, he might not have fared too well with a religious group such as our clergy. In fact, he was always in conflict with the religious authority of his days, especially for associating with tax collectors and sinners. They found him offensive, for Jesus was just too radical for their liking.

The calling of Matthew the tax collector becomes a conflict story with the Pharisees. It also begs the larger question of whether the will of God calls for separation from sinners or association with them.

Here in the Gospel of Matthew, the tax collector is named Matthew, not Levi as told by Mark and Luke. In all the lists of the 12 Apostles, a Matthew is named, but no Levi. When Jesus called him, Matthew was sitting at the booth or table near the city gate or in the marketplace. He was collecting taxes for the Romans and for their puppet tetrarch, King Herod. Taxes on the people were many and burdensome: road taxes, bridge taxes, tax on trade goods, plus personal or household tax. The taxes alone were bad enough, not to mention the abuses and dishonesty involved and the fact that the money went to a foreign government. No wonder the collectors were despised by all. No wonder Jesus was challenged by the Pharisees when they found him in the company of one such character. The hostility level was raised when Jesus and his disciples were having a meal in the house, sharing table fellowship with many other tax collectors and sinners.

Who are the others that are labelled “sinners”? One assumption is that they are Matthew’s friends and business associates, perhaps bankers who charged interests and have dealings with the Romans. Therefore, they may have been considered as traitors and ritually unclean, and forced out of the local synagogues.

Besides eating with these “undesirables” with Jesus, the disciples are asked to defend Jesus’ behavior and theirs. Here is a perfect example of triangulation in system theory. The Pharisees, who have a complaint against Jesus, don’t approach him. Rather they tell someone else, the disciples, who presumably will tell Jesus. He will be expected to respond to the disciples, who bring the message back to the Pharisees. Such triangulations happen all the time in our families, churches & any human organizations. However, Jesus destroys the triangle by answering the Pharisees directly, and not involving the third party in the middle.

Jesus’ response has two parts. First, he uses a well known maxim about the physician: his place is not with the well, but with the sick and those who need healing. Jesus comes not as a judge, but as a healer. Secondly, Jesus uses a rabbinic formula, “Go and learn” to send his critics back to the Scriptures and to Hosea 6:6 in particular. “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” The Hebrew word for mercy hesed is an extraordinarily rich and significant term meaning steadfast love, righteousness and loyalty. The Old Testament uses this word to describe God, God’s relation to Israel, and the quality of life expected of Israel. By asking his harsh critics to go back and study this verse, Jesus is asking them to rediscover the will of God in reaching out to the sinners, and not just the righteous. In the nature and the heart of God, do we find a call to distance ourselves from sinners or to reach out to them in love, mercy and forgiveness? Jesus’ words and actions make it very clear!

However, the issue is still alive and well in our churches and the worldwide communion today. Some churches prefer to embark on a “Holiness Movement” of their own and pride themselves as the chosen ones of God, disassociating themselves from the undesirable and questionable characters of the world. They denounce the more liberal churches for abandoning tradition and orthodoxy, especially on the issues of homosexuality. Some have refused Eucharistic table fellowship with others over those controversies. The same Pharisees also accused Jesus for breaking with tradition and orthodoxy.

I guess, there is always a Pharisee within all of us, a self-righteous side in all of us, who looks down upon those whom we deem as sinners and morally inferior than us. How outraged would we be, if Jesus were in our midst showing us how to do outreach and evangelism in our part of the world? Would we welcome a homeless person coming in for money or something to eat? Would we kick out an alcoholic person for disrupting our worship? Can we handle a very needy person asking for help? Would we in the name of Christ turn them away? Indeed, who among us is not in desperate need for healing?

This week, I am very aware of the healing stories of Jesus in the second half of today’s Gospel (Matthew 9:18-26), as I went around for my pastoral visits. I went to see a dying man in the palliative care unit wanting to reaffirm his faith; a blind woman still adjusting to a new nursing home after almost a year; another man blind from his diabetic condition awaiting surgery in anxiety, and a woman in total confusion and delirium from her treatment with a persistent infection. I pray for healing in all of those situations, but in what forms will God’s healing come? I honestly do not know, but I believe God will heal them, just as Jesus healed the woman and the young girl in today’s stories. It is not up to me to decide, and it is a good thing, but we leave it up to God, by faith. Jesus asks us to trust in God’s mercy, his faithfulness and steadfast love. Without God’s grace, we all live under judgment and condemnation.

Let me finish with a story from the Internet:

A minister passing through his church
in the middle of the day,
Decided to pause by the altar
and see who had come to pray.

Just then the back door opened,
a man came down the aisle,
The minister frowned as he saw
the man hadn’t shaved in a while.

His shirt was kind of shabby
and his coat was worn and frayed,
the man knelt, he bowed his head,
Then rose and walked away.

In the days that followed,
each noon time came this chap,
each time he knelt just for a moment,
A lunch pail in his lap.

Well, the minister’s suspicions grew,
with robbery a main fear,
He decided to stop the man and ask him,
“What are you doing here?”

The old man said, he worked down the road.
Lunch was half an hour.
Lunchtime was his prayer time,
For finding strength and power.

“I stay only moments, see,
because the factory is so far away;
as I kneel here talking to the Lord,
This is kind of what I say:

“I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER’S FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
DON’T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS JIM
CHECKING IN TODAY.”

The minister feeling foolish,
told Jim that was fine.
He told the man he was welcome
To come and pray just anytime.

Time to go, Jim smiled, said “Thanks.”
He hurried to the door.
The minister knelt at the altar,
he’d never done it before.
His cold heart melted, warmed with love,
and met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed, in his heart,
he repeated old Jim’s prayer:

“I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I’VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER’S FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
I DON’T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT
I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME CHECKING IN TODAY”

Past noon one day, the minister noticed
that old Jim hadn’t come.
As more days passed without Jim,
he began to worry some.

At the factory, he asked about him,
learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried,
But he’d given them a thrill.

The week that Jim was with them,
Brought changes in the ward.
His smiles, a joy contagious,
Changed people, were his reward.

The head nurse couldn’t understand
why Jim was so glad,
when no flowers, calls or cards came,
Not a visitor he had.

The minister stayed by his bed,
He voiced the nurse’s concern:
No friends came to show they cared.
He had nowhere to turn.

Looking surprised, old Jim spoke
up and with a winsome smile;
“the nurse is wrong, she couldn’t know,
that in here all the while

Every day at noon He’s here,
a dear friend of mine, you see,
He sits right down, takes my hand,
Leans over and says to me:

“I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, JIM,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP,
AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN.
ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,
I THINK ABOUT YOU EACH DAY,
AND SO JIM, THIS IS JESUS
CHECKING IN TODAY.”

What would be your prayers today?

How do you want to check in and pray?

Whatever is in your hearts and minds,

Healing and forgiveness God is ready to offer all the time.

To which we will always say:

Thanks be to God, forever and today.

Amen.

Fr. Victor+
www.stjd.ca