| p1. March 1-8 Passion: MARCH 1. Ah, you who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink�whose feasts consist of lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine, but who do not regard the deeds of the Lord, or see the work of God�s hands! See Isaiah 5:11-12. Many people believe living well is the best revenge, and �Party down!� is a frequent cry. The problem is that those who �rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink� end up dead or in Twelve-Step meetings. Filling one�s life with artificial and temporary highs can make one miss the cosmic and eternal party. MARCH 2. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching. See 2 Timothy 3:16. The experienced missionary advising Timothy tells him that Jewish scriptures have had life breathed into them (�inspired�), much like the first human being. That means they are alive and well and worthy guidelines. Because they are living, they are open to dialogue and interpretation. Jesus freely dialogued with his tradition and interpreted scripture differently from his peers. So did the early church, and the church through the centuries. Instruct and guide me through your words in scripture, Holy Wisdom, but especially through your Word Jesus Christ. MARCH 3. Now there was a great wind,�but God was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but God was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but God was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. See 1 Kings 19:12. God is not always a drama queen. The prophet Elijah learned this on a holy mountain. God was not in the storm, earthquake, or holocaust, but rather, in the �sheer silence� after. My grandmother passed away in St. Joseph�s Hospital with numerous family members gathered around her bed one afternoon. When she passed it was very quiet. Spirituality is not Hollywood. What was spiritual about my grandmother�s death was the love we all shared in the room with one another. Beyond or within the dramas of our lives we may discover God�s presence in sheer silence. Wind, earthquake, fire. In the silence that follows, may I feel your presence and listen for your voice, O God. MARCH 4. We are people, more than gay people. But Moses said to God, �If I come to the Israelites�and they ask me, �What is God�s name?� what shall I say to them?� God said to Moses, �I am who I am.� See Exodus 3:13-14. God�s voice boomed from a bush that was burning but not consumed. Moses stopped to listen and heard the call to lead his people out of Egyptian bondage. But�oh what was that name again? Before some of us came out, someone asking our name in a gay context could feel threatening. Some of us made up names because we were afraid. In biblical times, it was believed that the name revealed the self, a form of intimacy. That�s why God proved evasive. God was not ready, nor was humanity. The content of God�s identity cannot be �fixed� in time or place. �I am who I am,� suggests a God of mystery, asking�like the protagonist in the musical La Cage aux Folles who sings similar words�to be accepted as is. Another translation, �I will be what I will be,� implies a God in process. Similarly, though we want to be accepted �as is�, we do not want others to think that they �know� us by our sexual orientation. We don�t want our whole self viewed by one identity, though vital and good. We retain our mystery. Life is a growth process, and we are in process. You, who will be what you will be, sojourn with me, I, who will be what I will be. MARCH 5. We need daily retreats and vacations or time-away to reflect. Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. See Exodus 34:29. Moses had one of the first mountaintop experiences in the recorded spiritual history that we know as the Bible. Any of us who have been on an enriching retreat know the glow with which we come away. Retreats are in reality advances. We retreat to reflect on who we are and where we are headed. We retreat to restore our resources for what�s next. We retreat to know what life would be like without the burden of everyday agendas, which may cause us to modify those agendas. Lord, help me to make time daily to retreat and rest. MARCH 6. Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white�And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. See Mark 9:2-4. Jesus communed with Moses and Elijah, signifying his relationship with liberation and prophecy. Like the mountaintop experiences of Moses and Elijah, the disciples heard God�s voice: �This is my son, my Beloved; listen to him!� And Moses� face shone talking with God, Jesus glowed from the experience. Transfigure us, Christ Jesus, that we might stand with other liberators and prophets in a collegial communion. MARCH 7. And all of us with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of God as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from God, the Spirit. See 2 Corinthians 3:18. Upon Jesus� death on a cross, scripture holds that the curtain that divided the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn in two from top (Heaven) to bottom (Earth), signifying God�s coming out from sacred shadows to fully dwell with humankind. See Matthew 27:51. Paul wrote of this free Spirit to the church at Corinth. The old covenant of Law was externally binding, but the new covenant of Grace was internally guiding. The glow that Moses experienced with his encounters with God was temporary, but the glow that is possible with God within us is eternal. Lord, open my vision to your glory revealed within persons I meet today. Unveil your glory within me, and may it shine from my unveiled face onto others. MARCH 8. Wisdom makes one�s face shine, and the hardness of one�s countenance is changed. See Ecclesiastes 8:1. Our countenances changed when finally accepting our sexual orientation. Many of us improved our appearance, smiled and sparkled more, and relaxed. Many of our countenances changed again as we �got wise� about relationships. The constant cruise disappeared. We relaxed about our appearance, sought conversation rather than conquest, surrounded ourselves with friends rather than strangers, enjoyed solitude. Transform our countenances with wisdom of your glory embedded in scripture and embedded in us. |
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