The Fall

The fall is here! The world around us appears to be crazy with what was once verdant and productive going brown and dying. The sweet products given to us by growth, the stretching out and expansion have all appeared to stop. The yard and still places in our homes become snares with webs stretched to capture smaller beings than ourselves. Some snares reach proportions that I am sure, if I were in a weaker state would snare me. The protections from the elements that were provided are slowly disappearing, many in deceptively beautiful fashion. Soon we will crave the warmth and brightness of the sun. There are many who crave the coolness of the season, there are many who find the chill of winter and the struggle to survive exhilarating. Those who have stored up the fruits of the harvest will have a less hard time in the harsh months ahead. There is still time to build shelters that are large enough to hold not only ourselves, but those who haven’t observed the signs of change, those who will come asking for shelter from the barren world they thought they craved. Our Lord has commanded us to welcome the stranger, and so we must prepare ourselves to do so.
We pray that the cold season doesn’t last forever, we have faith that warmth and growth will return. In the cold season we are called to still work the vineyards and groves that will bear fruit in the season of grace. But for now, we watch as our world pulls ever further from the light giving source. Helplessly we prepare as the darkness consumes more of the light. We watch as our neighbors are lulled by the cessation of labor and the false promise that all we have may be forever kept.
For now though, it is time to find the strength in our roots, the soil that nourishes us. We know, because Our Lord has promised, that the darkness shall not prevail. We must prepare for the growth that will come when the light and warm weather return. When the early churches were raided by the barbarians who appeared to come from all directions, they kept on, and so we must do also. Now, while the climate is still warm and the soil is still workable, we must feed our roots, we cannot hold on to the leaves that are dropping away we and must loose attachments to limbs that will break in the harsh winds to come.

The fall is here.

Bruno

A new leaf

Grant that I, Lord, may not be anxious about earthly things, but love things heavenly; and even now, while I am placed among things that are passing away, hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen

Today is both the last day of the summer season and the first day of autumn here in the parish of St. Ambrose, diocese of Los Angeles. A fitting day it seems to begin a new practice, a practice of quiet, not silence, but quiet. I have found myself being caught up in the “struggle” that swirls around us, feeling battered by the winds that fan flames and try to distract us from Gods love and grace.
The depression I have sunk into as of late is the deepest that I have experienced in quite some time. I see scorn and exhaustion in the faces that surround me. I feel that the burden of my presence is becoming unbearable to those I love. The pull in so many directions tears at the tendons that hold me together. The unsure ness of living in a country that places monetary values above the value of people and defines patriotism as “my country right or wrong” darkens my vision. To many autumn and the growing darkness would add to these woes, but I am taking the season as a season of soothing quietness. I usually do the morning office and compline daily to anchor my day and to “touch base” as it were with God. I am hoping to now do noon and vespers (along with making compline a more regular visit than I have) as part of my regular spiritual practice. I find that when I take part in seeing God in the world around me, God grants me a cooling drink of peace and joy to refresh me from this parched culture. Yet, I find that this very world that I seek refreshment from is able to distract me from seeking this refreshment! So, today, I begin to ask for what I need, God be with me, I ask for your prayers, Gods grace be with us all.

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day; Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do, direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

Peace
Bruno

Better that a millstone be placed around your neck

You get the idea,
We, most of us, know the story. Don’t be a stumbling block to someone coming to the Lord. That’s it, end of story.
So how do I keep my sisters and brothers from coming to the Lord? What is it that I do that prevents God’s children from turning to God?
This is a struggle that encompasses many issues, is it okay to bring Starbucks and Danish into the church while observing services? What do we do when a homeless person sets up camp in a pew? What rites of purification are required before we welcome the stranger into the place we worship and welcome them to the table?

As Christians (a follower of Jesus the Christ) the Gospel is the place where we get our lead. How were the unclean treated by Jesus? What rituals of purification did he impose on those whom he called? I would say that we are right to demand those rituals in the same way he did, what? You don’t know what they are? really? Look them up, read the Gospels. The Christian Church today should impose the same interview process that is outlined in the Gospels; she should reject those who don’t meet the criteria laid out by our Lord. She should only accept into her pews and offices those who are able to attain these strict standards of behavior and being.
The Christian Church today should also keep the same company that Jesus kept, we should make sure we treat the downtrodden the same harsh ways that our Lord Jesus Christ did. When someone who does not meet our standards of dress or hygiene crosses our path, we have every right, no; we have the responsibility to preserve the sanctity of our Lords Church in the same strict manner of our Lord. We should also follow our Lords example when dealing with crowds gathered to hear His teaching. We have the responsibility to police these crowds and demand, in the same manor as he that the masses strive to the same standards of the people who gathered around him.
And, as our Lord Jesus Christ did, we should commune in the same manner, when dealing with those whose theology differs from ours.
This is the Christian way, read the Gospel, and then read the Gospel again, then perhaps again. Don’t move on to the Epistles, focus on the Gospel message. Then try to live it, apply it to your life as best you can.

Peace

Bruno

Katrina – and the blame game

Well the wrath of God is descended on Babylon, or some would say. Those who say this are quick to point fingers on why God would be angry at his people in this country. These same people are also very quick to focus on the splinter in the eye of someone else while ignoring the 4x4x8 oak plank in their own eye. We all play this game, because it is somehow easier than dealing with our own discomfort.
So,,, how have we strayed?
Greed? Perhaps tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of infrastructure for all? How many loop holes does one need? Responsibility in community means we all pay according to our ability for the betterment of all. Better schools, roads, healthcare, job security, better working conditions for all workers, world wide, these are our call. It is time we look at who really wants something for nothing, I suspect it isn’t who the neo cons would have you believe. Is profit the only factor worth considering? It is time to look in the mirror.
Avarice? How much do we have that we don’t use? Do we need to have a new coat for the new season? As a priest once said “How many coats do you have in your closet?” The desire for more, I somehow doubt that “he who dies with the most toys wins” is really a Godly virtue. Look in the morning paper today, look at the adverts on your television, the billboards on your commute, they all tell us the same thing, having more will make you happy. How does this desire affect the way you look at the world and function in it? We are called to live simply, 1 governor er person having 8 Hummers does not fit this requirement.
Lust? Passionate desire, many think of this as only in the physical plane. What drives us, what consumes us, what do we Lust after? Lust blinds us to the costs of desire or the object of our desire. I will keep it simple here though, if we want to keep it in the physical realm, look around, sex sells. Look again at the ads in the morning paper again, really see what is on the television, and look at the children around you. We are sexualizing almost everything around us. Are we buying the object because it makes us more appealing sexually? Are we selling our children a bill of goods?
Sloth? “It won’t make any difference” How often do we use this phrase? It won’t make any difference if I call my representative, write the editor, and write a letter to my senator, vote or any myriad of things. It won’t make any difference it I give that homeless person a dollar, or buy them a meal. It won’t make any difference if I say “hi” to my neighbor or take a casserole to a grieving family. It won’t make any difference if I conserve, electricity, and gas, recycle, and sort papers.
Envy? Who are our heroes? Does someone’s wealth make them worthy of praise and admiration? What is it that makes us put a person on a pedestal? Is it their possessions as opposed to their deeds? Do we as a society take better care of the wealthy and celebrity, and why?
Wrath? Vengeance belongs to me, says God. War anyone? Calls to assassinate? Death penalty? Imprisonment without justice? Poor prison conditions? Treating labor poorly?
Pride? Arrogant or disdainful conduct or treatment; haughtiness. - A cause or source of pleasure or satisfaction; the best of a group or class: How do we treat those around us? Do we bother to look around to see what we don’t do well and admit it? Do we look to what others do better and adopt it? Are we willing to admit we made a mistake? Do we pursue something out of boast? Pride comes before a fall. Look at our leaders, look at the way we act in this world, look at your bumpersitikers.

May God have mercy on us all.