August Trinity
Luke
9: 1-17
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| Duccio DiBuoninsegnaca |
He called the twelve together and gave to them potent authority and
formative power, so that they could work against all demonic mischief, and heal
all sickness. And he sent them out to
heal and to proclaim the Kingdom of God, appearing now on earth, the kingdom of
human beings filled with God’s spirit.
And
He said to them, “Take nothing with you on the way: no staff for support, no
bag for collecting, neither bread nor money, no change of clothes. If you enter
a house, remain there until you go further. And where they do not accept you,
leave their city and shake the dust from your feet as a sign that they have
refused community with you.”
They
left and walked through the villages of the country, announcing the joyful message
of the new working of the kingdom of the angels and healing everywhere.
Meanwhile,
Herod the Tetrarch heard of all that was happening, and he was very perplexed,
for some said, “John has risen from the dead,” and others said that Elijah had
appeared, and yet others, “One of the Prophets of old has risen again.” And
Herod said, “John, I have had beheaded; who now is this, about whom I hear all
these things?” And he wished to see him himself.
And
the apostles returned and reported to Jesus everything that they had
accomplished. So he gathered them to himself and retreated with them to a city
called Bethsaida [beth-say’uh-duh] for special instruction. But the people
became aware of it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them of the
Kingdom of God of the future, of the human kingdom on earth, filled with the
divine spirit, and he healed all who had need of it.
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| Boy with Fish, Woloschina |
But
the day began to decline. The twelve came up to him and said, “Send the crowd
away so that they can reach the villages and farms in the vicinity and find
food and lodging, for here we are in a deserted place.” He, however, said to
them, “From now on, it falls to you; you give them to eat.”
They
answered, “We have nothing but five loaves and two fish. Or shall we go and buy
food for all of them?“ There were about five thousand people.
Then
he said to the disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of fifty.” And they did
so, and all reclined.
Then
he took the five loaves and the two fish and, raising his soul to the spirit,
gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the
people. And they ate, and all were satisfied. And they took up the pieces that
remained: twelve baskets full.
3rd August Trinity
August 11, 2019
Luke 9: 1-17
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| Jan Luyken |
Here in the gospel, the spirit,
the life of God begins to live and breathe within the human community. First,
an in-breath - “He called the twelve together and gave them potent authority
and formative power.” He breathes into their community His powers of life, the
power to order and to heal.
And then He breathes the twelve
themselves out into the world, to bring his powers of life to others. He warns
them first not to crowd out His spirit with satisfying a desire for stuff, for
sticks, bags, bread, money. And so, free and unencumbered, they go forth,
breathing out his healing and joyful spirit into the world.
Then they return for another
round of inbreathing, of inspiration. And Christ gathers them together again,
to deepen the working of his spirit into their community. Now they are not only
able to order and to heal. Now they are to join themselves together with his
power to nourish, to feed and sustain. “From now on,” He says, “it falls to you
to give them to eat.”
For a moment, they are confused
- food is surely something tangible, countable. And what they have isn’t
enough.
But He shows them that true
nourishment, true sustenance, comes from both a higher and yet a deeper level,
from a level where living forces multiply themselves before they divide,
from a place of love.
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| Woloschina |
Christ demonstrates the laws of
how this mysterious process works. He breathes out his own spirit up to the
Father of all Life in a great outpouring of gratitude. In so doing, He makes
his own spirit of love into the great Tree of Life itself. His gratitude ripens
fruit on this tree, ever fruitful, ever-bearing. The community, united in
thanks with Christ, is allowed to harvest and eat of the fruits of the Tree of Life
itself.
The fruits of this tree nourish by bestowing living
forces in abundance. Together the community gave thanks. And together they ate.
Together they were satisfied. For with Christ, they had breathed themselves
into the realm of multiplication. The realm where there is more than enough.
Enough for all time, for everywhere.
