Lent - 4 Blessed are we when.....?

Living with that guy, how could you have not gone nuts;

I bet he even lied, the

Coward

I know why God comes to this earth as man

In hopes of redeeming that gender

God knows he owes us women –

Big time

For the way those brutes

Usually

Act

                                                Mira

_________________________________________________________

Ah Lent

a time to reflect

on who we are

really

and how we live and love and act

really

it occurs to me

this day

that such journeys into the soul

may be more difficult for the comfortable

I think of my body

Which I tend to ignore

When it is well, and there is no pain

but for two weeks I have been in pain

in an odd place (shoulder area)

for no apparent reason

a pain the weighs me down at day

and keeps me awake at night

suddenly I am incurably aware of my body

where it hurts, where it doesn’t

what I am eating

I notice everything

Everything

when work goes well

when the State has not messed with our funding

when staff seem productive and happy

when clients are growing and healing

I cruise through life

Suddenly it becomes important again, who wins a football game

Or makes it to the NCAA basketball playoff

when difficult things happen

it is work, work, work

all the time

day and night

it dominates my time, my mind

so it is with so much of life

when we are comfortable,  we are distracted

perhaps even inattentive

but in the moments of pain, frustration, loss

ah, then we pay attention

then we see

that the craziness of God

just might make sense

Matthew made the beatitudes theological and logical

Luke kept them pure an illogical (perhaps)

“Blessed are you who are poor,

    for yours is the kingdom of God.

 Blessed are you who hunger now,

    for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now,

    for you will laugh.

Blessed are you when people hate you,

    when they exclude you and insult you

    and reject your name as evil,

        because of the Son of Man.

“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

Don’t get me wrong

I don’t think God causes my pain

I can do a pretty good job of that on my own

I don’t think poverty and illness  and affliction are given out by God any more than

I think wealth and health are the result of God’s favor

I simply think that God knows that when we are

Vulnerable

Uncomfortable

Struggling

We are often (not always) also open

reflective

ready for change

and God takes advantage of that, to grab us into a holy hug

and bring healing into our lives

Sometimes we are not so open

Not so aware

Do those who are wealthy want to give up their wealth?

Do those who oppress want to give up their power?

Do they even understand how powerfully they are hanging on to power and wealth

and what the cost is of their wealth and oppression to others?

Maybe, perhaps

But mostly

I think

NO

The man who dominates a woman, is fine with the arrangement

The CEO who makes 450 times what his workers make, is fine with the arrangement

The legislator who is comfortable in his or her wealth and power, is happy with the way things are

and will do anything, even legislate others into poverty, to keep the status quo in place

and so they entrench

and so they wound others

and so they slowly but surely wander off “the way”

until they come to the eye of the needle…….ooops

Jesus came

Jesus lived the way he did

Jesus died the way he did

To say the way of power,

Specifically, the way of “power over” is BS

If you want to become great in the kingdom

You must become the servant of all

Really?

Really!

Are we listening?

_________________________________________

This is not simple stuff

There are many loose ends to my logic today

Some of you will find statements that are too simplistic, and rightfully need more explanation

But this is not a systematic theology text book

This is me, responding to what jumped out at me to day from my ready

This is me, sometimes among the entrenched

Sometimes among those struggling

This is me, sometimes closed

And sometimes open

I am simply thankful

That God is more than ready

To take advantage of the moments of openness

When they come J

May all of you, on this fourth day of lent, have a wonderful moment, or two,

of openness

enjoy your time with the Sacred!