Storms, faith and Margaret

As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves;  but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying,

“Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?”

Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm.  (Mt. 8:23-26)

Looking around today, there are many storms brewing.  Whether it is at home or abroad, secular or religious, environment or economics, there is no end to dark clouds, lightning and strong winds.  Their number is legion and their size is as a leviathan and hope seems lost.

"Why are you terrified?"

But....but...look at the storm!

"Why are you terrified?"

We are to be consumed!  Save us!

"Why are you terrified?"

We are terrified because we lack faith.  It is not that we do not believe, but rather that we, at our core, do not trust.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5)

This reminds me of the legend of saint Margaret of Antioch.  During her imprisonment and torture, a great dragon appeared to her as she prayed. The beast swallowed her whole, but  the cross she wore about her neck (some versions say by the sign of the cross) split the belly of the dragon asunder and she appeared unharmed.  The allegory here is plain, for the dragon is the Adversary which is willing to devour us.  It is by her faith that Margaret defeats the Adversary and survives unscathed.

When the storms are raging hard, Trust in the Lord and know that She will provide.  Have faith, dear friends, and God will provide.  I can't say how, nor when...but it shall happen.  It always does.

The church and the Blood of Christ

"but you said I was the disciple you loved."

A bit of a footnote and follow-on to the earlier post about the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.

There are two quotes which, talking about the present situation as well as the celebration of Eucharist, seem prescient.

The first is from 1 Timothy 4. As the greek is important, I shall quote first and then translate.

Τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ῥητῶς λέγει ὅτι ἐν ὑστέροις καιροῖς ἀποστήσονται τινες τῆς πίστεως προσέχοντες πνεύμασιν πλάνοις καὶ διδασκαλίαις δαιμονίων,  ἐν ὑποκρίσει ψευδολόγων, κεκαυστηριασμένων τὴν ἰδίαν συνείδησιν,  κωλυόντων γαμεῖν, ἀπέχεσθαι βρωμάτων, ἃ ὁ θεὸς ἔκτισεν εἰς μετάλημψιν μετὰ εὐχαριστίας τοῖς πιστοῖς καὶ ἐπεγνωκόσιν τὴν ἀλήθειαν.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who restrict marriage and require abstinence from those foods that God created to be shared in Eucharist by those who believe and know the truth.  (1 Tim. 4:1-3)

Note that the words are μετάλημψιν μετὰ εὐχαριστίας, to be shared in Eucharist. Speaking of the Eucharist...there is that lovely quote by Augustine talking about the Body of Christ.

If you, therefore, are Christ's body and members, it is your own mystery that is placed on the Lord's table! It is your own mystery that you are receiving! You are saying "Amen" to what you are­ your response is a personal signature, affirming your faith. When you hear "The body of Christ"­you reply "Amen." Be a member of Christ's body, then, so that your "Amen" may ring true!

When we partake of the Eucharist, we are in communion with all of Christ's followers, both visible and invisible and we are all in touch with the Divine.  Anyone who would restrict or forbid one who wishes to feed on the Bread of Live and drink from that Saving Cup, a believer who wishes to be in communion with Christ and all of those who follow him....to me that is a true sin.  That an institution, any institution, would make it a policy to judge believers and hold them as unworthy of salvation and grace is a place which does not, in my opinion, hold true to the spirit or the words of the Master.  They may call themselves Christian, but they are not Christ-like.  They may call themselves Catholic, but they are anything but universal.

I don't like using those sorts of words, but nothing else will do...and that saddens me greatly.

Feast of the Body and intolerance of Christ.

...shed for you and for all.except for that poncy queer, John...

Last night (nearly at midnight), the New York State Senate passed legislation which will allow residents of any gender orientation to freely choose their marriage partners as their hearts and consciences dictate.  Today I got a chance to read the vitriolic response from the bishop of Brooklyn, one Nicholas DiMarzio.  There is a lot of duplicity and sour grapes in bishop Nicholas' letter which I don't see the utility in hashing through. Suffice to say that the good bishop goes on at length about the evils of the secular politics and 'asks' the churches and schools in his demesne to turn their backs on the state and it's representatives.  "Republicans and Democrats equally share responsibility for this ruinous legislation and we as Catholics should hold all accountable for their actions."

Today is also the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, a celebration of the Eucharist which are physical and real icons (as well as potent reminders) that Christ, our Lord and Saviour, willingly gave up his life so that ALL who believe would be saved.  His message was of unity, not division...of forgiveness, not retribution...of inclusion, not exclusion.  To partake in the Eucharist is to celebrate that sacrifice, to enjoy communion with all those, past and present, who have believed and to recognize that, through Him, ALL are welcome in the Kingdom of Heaven.

How things have changed.