2nd August Trinity 2009, Bedrock of the Heart

Matthew 7, 1-29

2^nd August Trinity

“Do not judge your fellow man, so that your judgment will not someday be

Rembrandt

visited upon yourself. For with the judgment that you pronounce you also speak your own judgment, and the measure by which you measure will be the measuring rod for your own self. Why do you look to the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not become aware of the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother: “Wait, I will pull the splinter out of your eye”--but mark it well, there is a log in your own eye. You hypocrite, first remove the log from your own eye, and then you may be able to see how to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.

Do not give what is holy to dogs, nor throw pearls to the swine, for these will tread them underfoot, and then turn upon you and tear you also to pieces.

Ask from the heart and it will be given to your heart; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you; for he who asks in uprightness will receive; he who earnestly seeks will find; he who knocks, to him will be opened. Or are there among you those who when his son asks for bread would give him a stone; or when he asks for a fish would offer him a snake? If then you who in spite of wickedness know how to give good things to your children, how much more goodness will your Father in the heavens give to those who earnestly ask him for it.

All that you want that men should do for you, do first for them. This is the true content of the Law and the Prophets.

Walk through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the path is easy which leads to ruin [the abyss] and many are they who walk it. But narrow is the gate and difficult the path that leads to Life, and it is only the individual who finds it. 

Be on your guard against false prophets of healing. They come to you in the garments of peaceful lambs, but inwardly are rapacious wolves. You shall recognize them by the fruits of their deeds. Never will you harvest grapes from a thorn bush, nor figs from thistles. Every noble tree brings forth good fruit, but a wild tree only forms unusable fruit. A noble tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a wild tree cannot form good fruit. A tree that does not bring forth good fruit will be cut down and put in the fire. Therefore, recognize them by the fruits of their deeds.

Not everyone who addresses me with “Lord! Lord! “ can be taken up into the kingdom; only he who accomplishes the will of my Father in the heavens. In the future, when the light of God breaks over the earthly darkness, many will call to me. They will say, “Lord! Lord! have we not worked in advance for your revelation? Have we not driven out spirits of destruction in honor of you? Have we not gathered multiple powers for your word?”

Then I will freely say to them, ‘I do not know you. My paths are not your paths. Depart from me, for you serve the forces of chaos [the downfall of the world].’

Everyone who hears such words from me and acts accordingly will be like a man who wisely built his house on bedrock. The clouds burst, the waves rose, the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not totter, for it was founded upon the rock.

He, however, who hears such words from me and does not act accordingly is like a man who foolishly builds his house upon sand. The rain comes down, the floods rise, the winds blow and beat upon the house, and it collapses with a great crash.”

When Jesus had completed saying this, the people were greatly moved, for he spoke to them out of spiritual authority, as if the powers of creation themselves spoke out of him, and not like their teachers of the law [canon-lawyers]. 

2^nd August Trinity

August 2, 2009

Matthew 7:15 – 27

In living things there are always three phases: first the founding or rooting, then the leafing, blossoming and fruiting, and finally the falling away. Or, one could say, the up-building, the peak, and the disintegration.

There are some places where Christ speaks in what are called “hard sayings”.  Today He says, “Not everyone who addresses me with ‘Lord! Lord!‘ can be taken up into the kingdom; only he who accomplishes the will of my Father in the heavens.” Matthew 7:21

The Father’s will lives especially in the up-building and peaking phases of things, especially in the up-building of the next phase or situation, the forward-moving building of the future. The disintegration of the old happens on its own—it happens where life and spirit are no more.

Therefore Christ warns those who say “Lord! Lord! have we not worked in advance for your revelation? Have we not driven out spirits of destruction in honor of you? Have we not gathered multiple powers for your word? Then I will freely say to them, ‘I do not know you. My paths are not your paths. Depart from me, for you serve the forces of chaos [the downfall of the world].”Matthew 7:21-23

Though well-meaning, they are serving in the place where life and spirit are no more, in the old places of power and hierarchy whose time has passed, which are disintegrating. They are serving destruction.

A new living thing is being formed. It is founded on the bedrock of warmth of heart, love and service, rooted in Christ’s heart. This is a kingdom whose fruits are visible as healing and peace, as an ennobling of souls. It is a kingdom that wants to grow out of the very inmost center of our being.

The Act of Consecration of Man helps us to dedicate ourselves to this new future kingdom of the heart. Through Christ we are offering to the Father our noblest thoughts. We are offering Him the love that lives in our hearts. We are offering Him our devoted willing toward the up-building of His kingdom. Through Him, whose very being is love, we receive them back purified, strengthened and renewed, as the Father’s will for the future, to be carried out into the world as peaceful love and healing service.  

www.thechristiancommunity.org

2nd August Trinity 2010, Creating Fire

Matthew 7, 1-29

2^nd August Trinity

“Do not judge your fellow man, so that your judgment will not someday be visited upon yourself. For with the judgment that you pronounce you also speak your own judgment, and the measure by which you measure will be the measuring rod for your own self. Why do you look to the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not become aware of the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother: “Wait, I will pull the splinter out of your eye”--but mark it well, there is a log in your own eye. You hypocrite, first remove the log from your own eye, and then you may be able to see how to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.

Do not give what is holy to dogs, nor throw pearls to the swine, for these will tread them underfoot, and then turn upon you and tear you also to pieces.

Ask from the heart and it will be given to your heart; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you; for he who asks in uprightness will receive; he who earnestly seeks will find; he who knocks, to him will be opened. Or are there among you those who when his son asks for bread would give him a stone; or when he asks for a fish would offer him a snake? If then you who in spite of wickedness know how to give good things to your children, how much more goodness will your Father in the heavens give to those who earnestly ask him for it.

All that you want that men should do for you, do first for them. This is the true content of the Law and the Prophets.

Walk through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the path is easy which leads to ruin [the abyss] and many are they who walk it. But narrow is the gate and difficult the path that leads to Life, and it is only the individual who finds it. 

Be on your guard against false prophets of healing. They come to you in the garments of peaceful lambs, but inwardly are rapacious wolves. You shall recognize them by the fruits of their deeds. Never will you harvest grapes from a thorn bush, nor figs from thistles. Every noble tree brings forth good fruit, but a wild tree only forms unusable fruit. A noble tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a wild tree cannot form good fruit. A tree that does not bring forth good fruit will be cut down and put in the fire. Therefore, recognize them by the fruits of their deeds.

Not everyone who addresses me with “Lord! Lord! “ can be taken up into the kingdom; only he who accomplishes the will of my Father in the heavens. In the future, when the light of God breaks over the earthly darkness, many will call to me. They will say, “Lord! Lord! have we not worked in advance for your revelation? Have we not driven out spirits of destruction in honor of you? Have we not gathered multiple powers for your word?”

Then I will freely say to them, ‘I do not know you. My paths are not your paths. Depart from me, for you serve the forces of chaos [the downfall of the world].’

Everyone who hears such words from me and acts accordingly will be like a man who wisely built his house on bedrock. The clouds burst, the waves rose, the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not totter, for it was founded upon the rock.

He, however, who hears such words from me and does not act accordingly is like a man who foolishly builds his house upon sand. The rain comes down, the floods rise, the winds blow and beat upon the house, and it collapses with a great crash.”

When Jesus had completed saying this, the people were greatly moved, for he spoke to them out of spiritual authority, as if the powers of creation themselves spoke out of him, and not like their teachers of the law [canon-lawyers]. 

2^nd August Trinity

August 1, 2010

Matthew 7: 1-14

The fiery summer sun is in the house of Leo the Lion. This is the house in which hearts are forged. This is the house in which our relationship with Christ, the Lion of Judah, is further developed.

Last week we heard how Peter’s heart opened to recognize the Christ in Jesus. This heart recognition is the necessary first step on the path of our developing relationship with our God.

The second step, is a further heart development, which we find in today’s reading. Christ says to us to be careful about how we regard others; critical, judging thoughts of them will boomerang. What lives in our hearts will end up injuring our own hearts. At the same time, we are to guard what is precious content in our own hearts and not expose it to others’ destructive cynicism.

To walk between the abyss of these two cynicisms, our own and others’, is to walk a narrow path. Our task is to remain heart-centered, heart-healthy, heart-balanced. To walk this middle path forges a heart vessel in Leo’s fire, a vessel that is open to receive the gifts that the spiritual world wants to pour into us. For ‘he who asks in uprightness will receive; he who earnestly seeks will find; he who knocks, to him will be opened’. Matthew 7: 7

This earnest uprightness is the hallmark of the lion-hearted. This is how we rightly enkindle the fire of the heart, the fire of a love that is creative. This is the fire that is behind all existence. For as the poet says:

Listen, I've light

in my eyes

and on my skin

the warmth of a star, ….

…  And

everything alive

…is turning

into something else

as at the heart

of some annihilating

or is it creating

fire

that's burning, unseeably, always

burning….[1]

www.thechristiancommunity.org

---

[1] Franz Wright, “The Fire” in God's Silence

4th August Trinity 2008, Holy Spirit Manifest

4th Trinity August

Luke 9: 1-17

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 is 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 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.

Boy with Loaves and 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. 

4^th August Trinity

August 17, 2008

Luke 9: 1-17

  

For one’s birthday one might invite friends to celebrate. They of course will bring gifts; but traditionally the birthday person also offers gifts: food and drink, and also the small gifts in return we call party favors. One both receives, and one gives. In some cultures, there is a celebration in which the birthday person, instead of receiving gifts, bestows lavish gifts on all the participants. In yet other cultures, one may have a celebration in which one gives away all of one’s possessions.

We are at the time of the year when we have received the call to a

Egbert Codex

celebration of new life. We have recognized that Jesus is the Christ, the Risen One. In Him we receive new life. And this new life is not just something we receive. The overflowing joy of a new life (and is not every new day the gift of a new life?) is something we want to share. In the gospel reading, this sharing manifests as the capacity for enthusiasm and healing. One receives and one gives. And when one receives more, one is also empowered to give more.

In today’s gospel reading, Christ says to His disciples, “From now on, it falls to you. You give the people to eat…And raising His soul to the spirit, He gave thanks, broke them [the loaves] and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people.” Luke 9:13, 16

Our love for God, our enthusiasm, our capacity to help heal the world’s ills, is meant to flow through us and out into the world. The bread of God’s love feeds the world; the blood of God’s love is meant to circulate.

Mechthild of Magdeburg said,

To the extent that we flow outward with the full

abundance of our hearts, and give our complete substance

to the poor, and spend our lives in service to the sick, we

are the Holy Spirit who is made manifest

as the abundant outpouring of the Father and the Son.[1]

www.thechristiancommunity.org

---

[1] Mechthild of Magdeburg (1260 – 1294?) “How We Become Like God”, in Love’s Immensity, by Scott Cairns, p. 95.

4th August Trinity 2009, Gathered Wisely

4th Trinity August

Luke 9: 1-17

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 is 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 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.

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. 

4^th August Trinity

August 16, 2009

Luke 9:1-17

Events on earth can be described with certain facts and a particular narrative. But behind what can be seen and heard stand beings who give vitality and direction to these events.

Today’s reading describes two events: sending the twelve disciples to work together in the world, proclaiming the good news and healing. They are acting as Christ’s messengers. The second event involves a mysterious feeding of a great number of people.

But behind the earthly narrative stand mighty beings working in concert. One is John the Baptist, Elijah, whose name is interposed between the two events like a rumor. The other is of course Christ, who backgrounds Himself so that the disciples can step forward and work as mediators of His spirit. John works like a guardian angel for the circle of the disciples, helping gather and direct the flow of the Christ-stream into their working.

And so it is even today: John with his great prophetic spirit works in tandem with Christ, behind the scenes, supporting those who are students of Christ. They both work invisibly, like angels, behind the narrative of world events. They support those who work, like the disciples, to proclaim the ever-resounding good news, those who work to heal the world’s ills, those who seek to nourish bodies, souls and spirits. To become aware of their working is to increase our collaboration with them. So in the words of John O’Donohue:

A journey can become a sacred thing:

Make sure, before you go,

To take the time

To bless your going forth,

To free your heart of ballast

So that the compass of your soul

Might direct you toward

The territories of spirit

Where you will discover

More of your hidden life,

And the urgencies

That deserve to claim you.

May you travel in an awakened way,

Gathered wisely into your inner ground;

That you may not waste the invitations

Which wait along the way to transform you.[1]

www.thechristiancommunity.org

---

[1] John O’Donohue, “For the Traveler”, in To Bless the Space Between Us, p. 53

4th August Trinity 2010, Angel of Healing

4th Trinity August

Luke 9: 1-17

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 is 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 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.

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. 

4^th August Trinity

August 15, 2010

Luke 9: 1 -17

We have all experienced how a simple meal becomes a feast in the company of friends. In such a setting, our souls are nourished, as well as our bodies. If it was also the occasion of the announcement of a joyous coming event, our spirits would rise as well.

Archangel Raphael, Healer.
Margarete Woloschina

In the Gospel reading, both Christ and those He sends out are announcing a joyous coming event: it is the establishment of a new realm, one populated by human beings filled with divine spirit. Human hearts will be reconnected to the realm of the angels, from whence they have come. And, like the angel who stirred the waters at Bethesda, human hearts, out of their angelic connection, will be healed of what ails them. And they will heal other hearts.

This good news from the realm of the angels nourishes the spirits of those who hear it. It raises their hearts in hope and anticipation. They gather together around Christ and his disciples for further food for their souls. And then, as day declines, Christ asks His disciples to provide a meal.

At first the disciples are helpless; but Christ adds such vital, living force to their meager supply that people are satisfied with very little. For He first satisfies their spiritual hunger.

In the Act of Consecration of Man, the communion service, we re-enact something of this event. We hear the good news from the realm of the angels. We elevate our souls and spirits to receive the vital living force of Christ. And our hearts overflow with solemn joy.

So in the words of John O’Donohue,

May the Angel of Awakening stir your heart

To come alive to the eternal within you,

To all the invitations that quietly surround you.

May the Angel of Healing turn your wounds

Into sources of refreshment.[1]

www.thechristiancommunity.org

---

[1] John O'Donohue, “A Blessing of Angels” in To Bless the Space Between Us

4th August Trinity 2011, Fed in Abundance

4th Trinity August

Jan Luyken

Luke 9: 1-17

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 is 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 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.

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. 

Margarete Woloschina

4^th August Trinity

August 14, 2011

Luke 9:1-17

When we go to sleep at night, our souls and spirits travel to the stars. We rise in sleep to the world of the stars. We commune with the angels. They feed us ‘star bread’ and ‘star wine’, nourishment for our spirits, so that we return to earth strengthened and refreshed.

Even on earth during the day, when we are very hungry, we can feel how, with a good meal, body and soul come together again, realigning themselves. This happens, not because of the food’s material content, but because of the life force it offers.

In today’s reading, the crowds stay with Christ, to hear the good news, the message from the realm of the angels. And as the day approaches night, the first stars appear, and Christ feeds them from the realm of the stars. For Christ’s thanks and blessing brings down the life force that streams in from the stars. With the food, the people take in ‘star bread’, offered to them by the angels, distributed by the disciples on earth.

In the Act of Consecration of Man, with Christ’s help, we too raise ordinary bread to receive the life of the universe. Though but little in material terms, we are fed in abundance. Our hearts, our souls, our spirits drink deep at the wellspring of life, and our spirits are satisfied.

www.thechristiancommunity.org

4th August Trinity 2012, Accept the Miracle

4th Trinity August

Luke 9: 1-17

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 is 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.

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. 

4^th August Trinity

August 12, 2012

Luke 9:1-17

Here in the north, we are experiencing the long lit days of summer.  Long daylight hours and our urban night-lit skies, veil our experience of the stars. This is unfortunate, since there is nothing quite so majestic, more awe-inspiring, than the fullness of the night sky. The stars, with their calm radiance, send us the message that we are surrounded by hope. They are pouring their manifold influences into our lives.

It is meaningful that today’s gospel reading begins with the twelve apostles and ends with the twelve full baskets. For Christ works with His Father’s light, His abundance of radiant life and love. They pour out of the heavens to us through the twelve doorways of the stars. During the day, Christ directs these powers into the apostles, as He sends them out with a message of joy. And at night, as the day declines, He pours them into the five loaves and two fish. He blesses them, strengthens them with words of gratitude and of love. The people receive His loving, healing strength. There is more than enough to go around. Their abundance fills twelve baskets full.

Book of Hours, Duke Berry

Mary Oliver comments on this passage.

Why wonder about the loaves and the fishes? If you say the right words, the wine expands.
If you say them with love
and the felt ferocity of that love
and the felt necessity of that love,
the fish explode into the many.
Imagine him, speaking,
and don't worry about what is reality,
or what is plain, or what is mysterious.
If you were [are] there, it was [is] all those things.
…. Eat, drink,….
Accept the miracle.
Accept, too, each spoken word
spoken with love.[1]

www.thechristiancommunity.org

---

[1] - Mary Oliver, “Logos” in Why I Wake Early