Gospel of Matthew

February 10th, 2022

February 10, 2022

Seems particularly dire today, doesn’t it? -dayle

‘For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul?’

-Matthew 16:26

Love More Dearly

February 9, 2020

O most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother,
May I know Thee more clearly,
Love Thee more dearly,
And follow Thee more nearly.  
—St. Richard, Bishop of Chichester (1197–1253)

“God comes to us disguised as our lives.” -Paula D’Arcy

[The musical is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew.]

‘Pay attention to the wisdom of those “on the bottom.” Throughout history, some people have assumed unearned privilege, most often by denying the inherent God-given dignity of others. Christians and so-called Christian nations have been and continue to be responsible for this violence just as much as other religions and societies. Why do we continue to get it so wrong when Jesus

[The real Jesus. Not the Christian Jesus.]

told us that loving God and our neighbor are the first commandments (see Matthew 22:34-40)? His teachings turned power on its head: the last will be first and the first will be last, Jesus reminded us (see Matthew 20:16).

How we know and what we know are shaped by our experience. Speaking for myself, it is clear that my privilege as a white, formally educated, financially secure man (even though I am a Franciscan) influences what I see and how I understand it. My privilege also limits my perspective in many ways. While I didn’t choose to “have” while others “have not,” if I’m not actively working toward equity, even my passive participation enables systems of inequality and injustice. Jesus continually invites me to see differently by encountering and engaging with those on the bottom.

The system benefitting me was never intended to benefit all. And because the system benefits me, I don’t need to see it clearly. On the other hand, those who do not receive its benefits are required to see it for their very survival. Thus, God calls us to “not conform to the pattern of the world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds” through relationship with those who see life from a different perspective than we do (see Romans 12:2).

Keep in mind:

1. Injustice results from systems, structures, and institutions more than individual choices and actions.
2. Each person has a unique story, so no single individual can represent an entire group.
3. Be aware that oppression, like the ego, shape-shifts and is hard to pin down. It will always find a new manifestation.
4. Each created being is made in God’s image; and this God is love.

Simply notice and observe reactions rather than resist or judge them. Expanding our perspective moves us out of comfort zones, so this may be an important time to practice some form of contemplative prayer or meditation. -Fr Richard Rohr

Let the farthest, oldest, most ancient ancestors speak to us!

And let us be listeners at last, humans

finally able to hear.

Rilke