ASH WEDNESDAY 2019

• Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12  • 
• Psalm 51:1-17  • 
• 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10  •
• Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Ash Wednesday - Carl Spitzweg

Ash Wednesday, which begins the season of Lent, can be dated as far back as the fourth century. Originally it had  two purposes --  a period of preparation for catechumens -- people who wish to be baptized as  Christians  and so participate fully in the life of the Church -- and the reconciliation of  Christians who had committed very serious sins -- murder, adultery and so on. For the first group, the weeks of Lent were set aside for a rigorous program of study, prayer and fasting that would conclude with Baptism at the Great Vigil of Easter. For the second, it was an opportunity, in the words of St Augustine, "to come forth from a hidden and dark place",  be re-admitted to communion and restored to "the light of Christ". The category of catechumens has long been abandoned, and nowadays public confession and penitence is almost unknown. Almost nothing is required anyone who wants to attend church in Holy Week and Easter. Yet, while an open and inclusive spirit has its strengths, and judgmentalism is something we want to avoid, we have also lost something that previous ages found to be important -- the spiritual and therapeutic value of real discipline in Lent.

The readings for Ash Wednesday point us clearly in the right direction, while at the same time indicating the spiritual obstacles that lie in the way. Through the prophet Joel, God pleads, "Return to me with all your heart,with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning", but immediately adds a warning that we should not confuse outward show with inward spirit --"Rend your hearts and not your clothing". Isaiah issues the same warning even more firmly "Such fasting as you do today" he tells the Israelites, "will not make your voice heard on high". Why not?  Because it is self-serving and unaccompanied by the real repentance that reveals willingness to change the way they run their lives.

In the Gospel passage, Jesus expresses this same concern. He denounces the showy penitence of the righteous who seek to impress the passers by who witness their zeal. In the light of this passage, which is always used on  Ash Wednesday, the ancient, and now very widespread practice of the Imposition of Ashes seems a little odd. Does it not conflict with Jesus' explicit  instruction to "wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others"? Imposition, though, is not meant as a sign of fasting. Rather, it is a tangible and visible acknowledgment of the truth that lies at the heart of all religion -- our mortality. "Remember that you are dust, and unto to dust you shall return" is the  solemn sentence that is uttered as ashes are imposed in the shape of a cross.

Dali - Blow the Trumpet in Zion

 
We cannot put off dying, but we can put it out of mind. Yet it is a simple fact that there will come a day when we no longer exist. At that point, the story of our lives -- whether good, bad or trivial - is finalized for ever. The problem with our mortality is that we do not know exactly when that day will be. This is why the readings for Ash Wednesday include the memorable urgency of Paul's second letter to the Corinthians "See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!". And so it is for us too. The sole hope of immortality is eternal life in God through Christ, and we can leave it to God to determine what form, post mortem, that life takes.

TRANSFIGURATION SUNDAY 2019

Bellini -- The Transfiguration

• Exodus 34:29-35  • 
• Psalm 99  • 
• 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2  • 
• Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)

That strange New Testament episode known as ‘The Transfiguration’ is unique in the Church Calendar. It is the only event in the life of Christ that is observed twice – on the traditional ‘Feast of the Transfiguration’ (Aug 6^th) and on the Sunday before Lent, now widely referred to as ‘Transfiguration Sunday’. The lessons for this year are unusually integrated. The Old Testament tells the story of Moses on Sinai that Paul then refers to in the Epistle. It is the very same story that occurs immediately to the disciples, when they see what happens to Jesus on the mountain top.

 

It was on Mount Sinai that Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. When he descends his face is shining with a brightness so unnatural that it unnerves the Israelites. And so, after subsequent visits to the Holy of Holies, he covers his face with a veil. The message, Paul tells us, is that the Israelites were unprepared or unwilling to encounter God’s glory. Now, thanks to Christ, we are enabled to do so. But our ability to do so does not arise from the Transfiguration that Peter, James and John witness. Rather, that experience prepares them to witness the Resurrection. It removes the veil that would otherwise prevent them from seeing God in a crucified criminal. 

 

   

Transfiguration - Fra Angelica (1440)

The season of Lent just approaching is an opportunity to put aside the various ‘veils’ of selfishness and sin that can hide Easter. Despite the familiarity of the phrase, very few people can expect to have ‘mountain top’ experiences. Yet something much less dramatic can serve the same end. In his hymn ‘Spirit of God, descend upon my heart’ the 19th century Irish Anglican priest George Croly (1780-1860) beautifully encapsulated this thought.

 

        I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies,

        No sudden rending of the veil of clay

        No angel visitant, no opening skies.

        But take the dimness of my soul away

EPIPHANY VII 2019

Jesus -- James Tissot

• Genesis 45:3-11, 15  • 
• Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40  • 
• 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50  • 
• Luke 6:27-38

This week's Gospel continues Luke's record of Jesus' 'Sermon on the Plain'. In this extract, Jesus endorses the 'Golden Rule'  -- "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", a moral principle that Christianity holds in  common with most ethical systems. The distinctively Christian element, however, goes far beyond this: "Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who treat you spitefully". The underlying rationale for these instructions is twofold. First, real moral aspiration demands more than simply loving other people; even sinners love those who love them. Secondly, it is when we act over and above the normal that we truly become "children of the Most High". That is because God himself "is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked". The clear implication is: "Be compassionate, as your Father is compassionate".

St Paul -- Jan van Lieven

All this is very edifying, yet it does not take much familiarity with the history and practice of the Church to see how far short of this ideal Christians have always fallen, sometimes spectacularly so. The ethics of Jesus, it is tempting to conclude, is a council of perfection, too idealistic ever to be lived out by imperfect people.

This is true, but not as deflationary as we might think. Christians believe that human beings have, so to speak, a triple nature. While we are deeply flawed, we are also redeemed, and consequently have the capacity to set out on a trajectory of moral growth and development. The Christian path is one that takes us from an earthly to a heavenly orientation. This is the central theme of the Epistle for this Sunday. "It is not the spiritual that is first", Paul tells the Christians at Corinth, "but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven". 

It follows that Christian lives have to be lived out in a spirit of transition, acknowledging both our 'feet of clay' and our fittedness for life in heavenly places. The Psalm for this Sunday beautifully captures the appropriate attitude of faithful acceptance that should accompany this acknowledgement. "Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices. Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret--it leads only to evil".

EPIPHANY VI 2019

Lazarus at the Rich Man's Gate

• Jeremiah 17:5-10  • 
• Psalm 1  • 
• 1 Corinthians 15:12-20  • 
• Luke 6:17-26   '

'Blessed are the poor' is the opening line in a list of 'Beatitudes' (or 'Blessings') that are commonly identified with Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew's Gospel. In this week's readings, however, the passage is taken is from Luke's 'Sermon on the Plain'. The difference between the two Gospels is not simply geographical location. Luke's Sermon is much shorter than Matthew's, just 26 verses compared to 3 chapters. Matthew lists nine Blessings, Luke repeats only four of these, worded a little differently, and then he adds a list of 'Woes'. While the Blessings offer consolation to the poor, the Woes issue stern warnings to the rich. Luke thus presents Jesus as preaching a complete reversal of values. The things that usually lead us to pity other people --  poverty, hunger, grief and ignominy -- have positive value, and the things that lead is to congratulate others -- wealth, health and social status -- are dangers.

St Francis Renounces Worldly Goods

How are we to understand this reversal? Can we really believe it? The contemporary world is one built on economic growth, and our lives are structured around prosperity and accomplishment. These are the goals we encourage in our children. Is this wrong?
The answer is 'Yes and No'. The Gospel echoes the Old Testament passage set for this Sunday. in which Jeremiah also contrasts those who are 'blessed' and those who are 'cursed'. But a key addition is 'trust'. The cursed are not those who are rich and powerful, but those who place their trust in their wealth and power. The difference is emphasized later in Luke's Gospel, when Jesus expressly says that 'where your treasure is, there will your heart be also'. The distinction is crucial, but in practice not so easily drawn. One of the great temptations we face in a rich society such as ours is to believe that we can control wealth and power, when the reality is that they control us. Better to stay poor, St Francis and many others have thought, in affirmation of truth at the heart of the Beatitudes.

EPIPHANY V 2019

The Prophet Isaiah -- Marc Chagall

• Isaiah 6:1-8, (9-13)  • 
• Psalm 138  • 
• 1 Corinthians 15:1-11  • 
• Luke 5:1-11

The readings for this week have greater thematic unity than is true most weeks. They are all about being called to the service of God. Yet within this unity there is also an important diversity.
In the Old Testament passage,  the prophet Isaiah recounts an extraordinary vision in which the majesty of the Divine is powerfully revealed to him. The seraphim cry "holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts" with such intensity, that "the pivots on the thresholds shook . . . and the house filled with smoke". This famous vision strikingly captures the double-sided  nature of the sacred -- its ability to alarm and attract, at one and the same time. Isaiah's "woe is me" is quickly followed by "here am I, send me.

The Epistle is taken from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. Its main concern is with preserving the heart of the Gospel, but this leads Paul to mention his own call -- a highly dramatic experience on the road to Damascus.  Jesus Christ, having appeared to all the apostles,  then "appeared also to me". But he did so  "as to one untimely born", which is to say, against Paul's every inclination as he vigorously pursued the persecution of Christ's own church.

Finally Luke's Gospel recounts the call to Simon Peter, James and John. Once again, the double nature of an encounter with the Divine is made evident. Peter cries, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!". Yet, once he and his partners "had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him".

Calling the Disciples -- Domenico Ghirlando

There are three important lessons to be drawn from all this. First, a true call to discipleship runs counter to our wishes and preferences; it must alarm us, while at the same time proving irresistible.  Christian discipleship is not an easy way of life, and when it seems to be, something has gone wrong. Secondly, while a powerful, supernatural vision such as Isaiah experienced is vouchsafed to some, the call may just as readily come, as it did to the first disciples, in the context of ordinary working life. Third, some who are called may, like Isaiah, become enduringly significant as prophets of the Most High. But the vast majority should be content to echo the words of Paul "by the grace of God I am what I am". And in fulfilling their call, they will be content to pray that "his grace toward me has not been in vain".

PRESENTATION of the LORD 2019

Rembrandt - The Presentation

• Malachi 3:1-4  • 
• Psalm 84  • 
• Hebrews 2:14-18  • 
• Luke 2:22-40

Feb 2nd commemorates the presentation of Jesus at the temple in Jerusalem, a traditional observance of faithful Jews on the birth of a first son. The ritual has special resonance in this case, of course. Mary and Joseph return to God that which uniquely came from God. Though they do not yet know it, the child they are presenting is the Christ. Accordingly, this Jewish observance prefigures the Eucharist in which, week by week, there is also the opportunity (and obligation) to re-present to God a gift God has already given.

 
Commonly called Candlemas, the Feast of the Presentation has several meanings. The readings are the same each year, and identify Jesus with ‘the Lord whom you seek’ whose unexpected appearance ‘in the temple’ is predicted by the prophet Malachi. The appointed Psalm, appropriately, extols the beauty and wonder of God’s ‘dwelling place’ and the joy of being there. The association with candles comes from the fact that a central part of the Biblical episode recorded in the Gospel for the day is the aged Simeon's 'Nunc Dimittis' with its description of the baby Jesus as 'a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of God's people Israel'. 

Candlemas falls forty days after the Nativity, and has long been regarded as the very last feast of the Christmas season. This is not just because it records a Jewish birth rite, but because Simeon's words summarize so memorably the truth of the Incarnation. Part of the traditional ceremony for Candlemas includes blessing candles for use throughout the year in both church and home. They are blessed with this prayer.

Icon of the Presentation -- Andrei Rublev

God our Father,

Source of all light,

this day you revealed to Simeon the light of your revelation to the nations.

Bless these candles (+) and make them holy.

May we who carry them praise your glory,

 walk in the path of goodness and come to the light that shines forever. 

Grant this through Christ our Lord.

AMEN

 

EPIPHANY III 2019

• Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 •
• Psalm 19 •
• 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a •



'Ezra Reads the Law to the People' Gustave Dore (1832-83)

• Luke 4:14-2

This week’s Old Testament lesson offers us a glimpse of what must have been a profoundly moving occasion. After decades of exile in Babylon, the Israelites have returned to the Promised Land. Under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, Jerusalem has been rebuilt, the ancient gates are functioning again, and the people gather in celebration at the Water Gate, itself a symbol of new life. Ezra reads aloud the books of the Law of Moses. It takes a whole morning, but these are the Laws that have made the Israelites the people they are, and to which they now re-dedicate themselves.

Jesus unrolls the Scriptures James J Tissot (1886)

 

 

So moved are they, the people weep. But Nehemiah bids them be joyful. The beautiful  words of Psalm 19 (prescribed for this Sunday) echo his sentiments. “The law of the LORD is perfect and revives the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent; the statutes of the LORD are just and rejoice the heart”.

 

Both passages serve to underline the immense cultural and religious significance the Scriptures held for the Jews. We need a sense of this if we are to appreciate just how extraordinary the episode recounted in the Gospel is. Jesus reads the Scriptures in his local synagogue, to people who have known him all his life. Suddenly he announces, referring to himself it seems, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." It is little wonder that the people are stunned into silence, and then -- as next week’s continuation of the same passage shows – moved to anger and violence. The modern reader’s task over these two weeks is to read imaginatively, so that it becomes possible both to sympathize with them for their profound religious loyalty, and yet to understand how they went wrong in their rejection of Jesus.