The righteous will stand

Wisdom of Solomon 5:1 Then the righteous will stand with great confidence in the presence of those who have oppressed them and those who make light of their labors.

People want to be seen. People want their pain to be acknowledged, especially by those who may have caused it. The hardest thing for victims of childhood abuse is when that abuse is never acknowledged, or when it is minimized, or rationalized away with "it wasn't so bad". I think it is often that lack of recognition that encourages people to hold on to their victimization, simply in an effort to make it visible. Here, in this description of the last days, the final judgment, those who have been oppressed are finally being seen clearly by those who have denied what has happened. That is part of the great liberation described here.

I got such a wonderful image out of this. I saw crowds of people, those who had been abused as children, especially those who had been molested and told it was their fault, standing in the sunshine, robes bright with light, while those who had molested them and not taken responsibility for it lay below, enveloped in shadow. I thought of the farm laborers who wanted decent pay standing with them, and the CEO's who refused them that extra penny per pound of tomatoes, while living in luxury, huddling beneath. There are so many more possibilities, and you can probably come up with some of your own: women abused by their husbands; minority youth who are treated like criminals at every turn, so they become criminals; victims of crime, oppression, war, genocide -- all standing strong and proud in the face of those who have inflicted such pain and humiliation on them. There are probably many who belong in both groups -- the victims who grow up to be victimizers, or who, in their desire for revenge, become worse than those who initially victimized them, living out the endless cycle of violence and retribution.


But as I look into the faces of those who hover in the shadows, witnessing their reversal of fortune, the triumph of their victims, I have a secret hope, that in that moment they see the truth of their own wrongdoing. I imagine their hearts opening, and repentance blossoming as they see their victims with new eyes, as beloved, entitled children of God, not there to fulfill the victimizer's selfish purposes but to stand as witnesses to the grace that endures suffering and is not taken over by it. That is the radical message of Jesus. Love your enemy means to stand apart from that desire for revenge, that desire to get back at someone for what they have done to you, to break that cycle of violence and retribution that is passed back and forth between peoples and down through the generations. It is a commitment to continue to live life in the fullest way possible, guided by compassion, and not to allow bitterness and anger to restrict the soul in its passage. For that is what is seen in the eyes of those in the light: compassion, openness and joy, the commitment to reject the constricted role of victim and partake of the blessings God offers through forgiveness and surrender to His Will.

A pipe dream? Maybe so, but one I feel called to live in my own little way, and a vision of reconciliation that we have already seen lived out in South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Will we ever get rid of violence and oppression? No, probably not. But we can still build on this radical message of Jesus to make things better even in our flawed and chaotic world.

Prayer: Dear God, I have been so fortunate in my life not to fall prey to violence and oppression, but my very privilege can invite me into the oppression of others without knowing it. Wherever I feel a victim, let me open my heart in compassion and forgiveness towards those who harm me. And keep me ever mindful of those that I am in a position to victimize, that I may be aware of any suffering I cause and be called to recognize and redress it. Amen.

A Changed Man

Genesis 44:34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? Oh, don’t make me go back and watch my father die in grief!

Judah is a changed man. Gone is the jealous older brother who conspired to sell Joseph to the passing caravan, without a thought for his father’s grief. What has happened to him? First of all, he has had sons of his own. The first died, and when he gave his second son to the widow, he died also. It was the right of a widow to marry the brother of her dead husband, so she could have a son in the dead man’s name to carry on his line. Without such an heir, she would be destitute. But Judah hesitated giving his third, and last, son to Tamar, his son’s widow. She tricked him, however, and got him to admit that he was wrong.

So how do I think these events change Judah? First of all, he has experienced the sorrow of loss, losing not one but two sons. That grief pierced his heart deeply, so much so that he didn’t want to follow the traditions of his people and risk another loss. Secondly, he has been humbled, and by a woman no less. Grief and humility are good antidotes for pride and jealousy. So, life has softened his heart.

When I look back at my life, I realize that it is the broken parts of my life that have made me who I am, not the successes. I don’t mean to say that I discount the successes, or don’t honor them, but success doesn’t change us the way a reckoning with loss and humility does. Stephen Levine, who talks to a lot of dying people, asked some children with various cancers this question: If you could be completely cured of your cancer, but you had to go back to being the person you were before you got the cancer, would you do it? Mind you, some of these children were facing death, and granted, it is a hypothetical question, but they all said no. They recognized that cancer had made them understand life in a way they hadn’t before. Many spoke of having more empathy with kids who were teased for being outside the mainstream, because cancer had put them in the margins among their peers. Life can really put your through your paces, and while it isn’t usually pleasant, if one is honest, one can see that these experiences, perhaps because of their difficulty, have the capacity to change our character for the better.

Prayer: Dear God, I thank you for all those difficult experiences I have gone through, which you have used to teach me about love and life and what is important. Help me remember that perspective even when things are going well, that I may be filled with compassion for others’ suffering and less protective of my own good fortune. Amen.

The living one in a cemetery?

Luke 24:5b-6a Why are you looking for the living one in a cemetery? He is not here, but raised up. The Message

I went to a funeral Thursday for someone I didn’t know well, though by the end of the service I felt I knew him a lot better. His presence was so alive in the room, in the hearts and minds of everyone present, it was hard even to take in that he was gone. I know that his family and close friends have a heavy road of sorrow ahead of them, but that he lives in them and will continue to live in them, until they, too, pass out of this life. He lives in relationship. Relationship is primary, all the rest is derivative, a friend of mine likes to say, and there is no time that is truer than in death.

Jesus disciples were facing that road, the end of all their hopes and dreams, and the tremendous love they felt for Jesus, but then they got the shock of their lives—Jesus alive, in human form, back with them again after the most grisly form of death. Who of us, when we’ve lost someone we love wouldn’t ask for the same thing? And who wouldn’t be terrified if it actually happened, no matter how much you might wish for it?

This is not, however, just a story about a man coming back to life, startling as that is. Lazarus came back to life and the world didn’t change. Jesus’ resurrection is on a whole different level. Jesus has broken through the barrier of human error that separates humankind from God; the cross forms a bridge, a reconnection to the God from whom we’ve become alienated through our idolatry and pride, thinking we’re in charge of everything and bowing in worship to our own mortal beings. Now there’s a direct route to the Infinite, through the spirit of Jesus Christ. New life for Jesus brings new life for all of us, and a new opportunity for relationship with God, the relational foundation for all other relationships.

Prayer: Dear God, Through the death and resurrection of your son Jesus you have restored us to right relationship with your Divinity. Today I rejoice and give thanks for your grace and power in my life. Amen.

God was sorry

Genesis 6:6-7 God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. God said, “I’ll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds—the works. I’m sorry I made them.”

God was so disgusted with how everything was going that he decided to just wipe the slate clean. I know there have been times when I felt that way about my life. When I returned to church 25 years ago was such a time. I felt I was really messing everything up, perhaps as the people in Noah’s time were doing, and I needed a fresh start. That is the miracle of conversion: God wipes my slate clean as grace for my repentance. Repentance for what? Following other Gods, primarily: the God of Success, the God of Self-Sufficiency, the God of Me. And here in Lent is another time to reflect on the ways I have lost my way and experience the fresh start of Easter. Sunday, too, is such a day. Every week I come to the altar to receive the bread and wine of the Eucharistic feast is an opportunity to cleanse myself and start fresh. The miracle of Jesus’ sacrifice for all of us and our wins is that the work is done. All I have to do to avail myself of that redemption is to be sorry for where I’ve strayed and clarify my intentions before God. Then, by God’s grace, I am given a fresh start.

In fact, every day offers such an opportunity. This morning as I sit in the Presence of the Holy, writing this, I have the opportunity to renew my commitment to live a life governed by God’s Will and God’s Love. Let me take advantage of it.

Prayer: Dear God, Every day, every moment, you offer me the gift of your grace, the opportunity for renewal and the deepening of my commitment to walk in your paths. Open my heart to hear the siren song of your call, that I may experience anew the rich texture of the life you offer, and abide in the deep connection we share. Amen.