While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He saw them, He said to them, “ Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine–where are they? Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”

- Luke 17:11-19 NASB.

In light of the fact that the phrase “made well” in Greek is sozo, which literally means to save, i.e. to deliver or protect, I find this passage to be yet another soteriologically significant one.

If the lepers are taken to be types of sinful man since leprosy affects the nerves causing one to lose physical feeling in parts of the body (as one through sin can become numb to the love of Christ), then the “one found who returned” is the blessed one. He is the one who fulfilled his obligation to the Lord.  He is exemplary of faith with works (James 2:14-26).

The fact that he was a Samaritan is significant in that he was “not in communion” with the established Church of that time. Though all of the men received Jesus as a Master, obeyed, and were “cleansed”, only one was willing to “be made whole” (as the older versions render it).

The way I take it, wholeness, having a common Anglo-Saxon root with holiness, is being sanctified. This goes beyond justification.

St. James the Brother of Our Lord wrote in his epistle:

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.

- James 3:13 NKJV.

Simply put, we are responsible for our actions, and chief among them is worship. Jesus came to call all of fallen humanity, but few recieve Him in faith and thanksgiving “glorifying God” and “giving thanks to Him”.

The Lectio Divina, divine reading, is something I’ve been doing (or trying to do) daily since midsummer of 2008. On days where I have more time I begin my morning by opening the Scriptures and the Book of Common Prayer. Ideally, I light a candle and incense and begin to pray. I start, as usual with the Sign of the Cross. I pray a portion of Psalm 51, one of the Penitential Psalms, followed by the Psalm or Psalms of the day according to the Daily Office Lectionary. I pray the Gloria Patri after each.

Then I read the Old Testament and Epistle for the day each followed by an appropriate canticle for the day.

Next, I begin to read the Gospel portion of the day slowly and prayerfully, absorbing the Word. I try to focus purely on the situation or lesson being portrayed. I place myself in it. I see myself in that place and time. I seek to experience it. This is the step called lectio, the reading.

The second part is meditatio, meditation. This is where I personalize the Gospel. I focus on the details of the entire passage or just a few words as the Spirit leads me. I concentrate on the meaning or meanings. I think of what God may desire for me in this.

The third is oratio, prayer. Here I verbalize my thoughts to God. I ask what needs to be asked. I always keep in mind the majesty and glory of the Almighty and what a miracle it is to by grace be given the opportunity for intimate communion with the Heavenly Father through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The final step is contemplatio, contemplation. This is where “I” dissolves into “Him”. In other words, this is the daily Sabbatism: a miniaturized version of the Rest in God’s presence as described in the Epistle to the Hebrews chapter 4. Keeping silence and contemplating the infinite love of God.

After this, I pray the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary, affirm the Apostles’ Creed, and pray the Collect or Collects of the Day.

Ending with the Sign of the Cross, I enter my day in this world with a refreshed and renewed attitude to face whatever challenges the world has to offer with the inner peace of God.

Of course, this is a long process that could take an hour or more. On days where time is short, it’s only necessary to begin with the Sign of the Cross. Then pray to the Holy Spirit, read the Gospel passage, and follow the process. It might be a good idea to set an alarm so as to not run late.

Not everyone is an early bird, just as I am not a night owl. So I can understand how it’s difficult for some to practice this in the morning. There are so many ways to find opportunity for this intimate connection with God and His Word. Ideally, it should be “alone time”.

I believe that individual commitment and worship is just as important as community responsibility and communal worship. The ancient practice of Lectio Divina has vastly improved my personal relationship with God and has served as a catalyst to reinforce the faith and Christ-like qualities within me.

In my Evangelical Fundie past I had questioned All Saints’ Eve (Halloween) with all of its demonic imagery, horror movies on TV, and of course another great opportunity for Willy Wonka and his ilk to cash in. I had many reservations about participating in the rather strange holiday. This view is quite common among many in Protestant circles.

Of course, this wasn’t always my attitude. I grew up in a family where only my grandmother took me to church every Sunday, and my parents’ only appearances were for weddings, funerals, and some special occasions (baptisms, etc.). My mother was big on holidays (all of them). She made sure we made the most of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s, Easter, the Fourth, and so on. My Halloween memories are among the fondest. The cool air and autumnal scenery enhanced the chilling effect of this Americanized Feast of the Dead, and O how we loved dressing up in the scariest of the scary costumes and going around amassing sugary sweets and insuring future visits to the dentist office.

Well, fast forward and now I’m the father taking my son out for the same. Why?

These special days from the 31st of October to the 2nd of November have become the traditional days to consider the afterlife. As early as the 300′s the Church commemorated all fallen martyrs on one special day. This was originally in May (as it still is in the East) but was transferred to November 1st in 844 when Pope Gregory III consecrated a chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica to All Saints. Some argue that this coincides with the old Celtic feast of Samhain, a feast of the dead which heralds the end of harvest and the time before the days get longer at Winter Solstice. Though many of the traditions may have pagan origins, the date of November 1st seems to have been ecclesiastical.

The Eve of All Saints (All Hallows’ Even) came chiefly from Ireland as the night to remember the souls who are damned, and All Souls’ Day, November 2, was decreed by the Bishop of Cluny to be a day for Clunian Benedictines to pray for souls in Purgatory and became universal by the 14th century.

So now we have a threefold feast that calls us to consider our souls’ destinations. In light of this, it seems to me that Halloween ought to be a frightening occasion. Jesus said:

Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

- Matthew 10:28

The “melting pot” of American culture adopted the Irish Jack-o-lanterns, the French dressing up in scary costumes, and the English going door-to-door for treats to create a fun yet creepy American holiday.

Halloween can be utilized as a lesson on the reality of hell and teaching the avoidance of it. As the night of the dead has ceased we celebrate, honor, and pray to those blessed souls in Heaven because of their great dignity and union with God.

Collect:

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

It’s of great significance that the Chuch has chosen for this Holy Day a reading from the Gospel according to St. Matthew where Jesus taught:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

- Matthew 5:3-12

While we remember and venerate those in Heaven, should we not apply those sanctifying principles in our lives “on earth as it is in Heaven”?

“What are the three things you know [for sure]?”

Three things that I know for certain:

1. I AM is.

2. Because He is, I am.

3. Because I am, I am created in His image and must strive to emulate His likeness.

Okay, I could expand on that, but I thought it best to keep it brief.

Brain Science and the Soul

By R.R. Reno

We often hear that modern science requires us to reject traditional Christian views of the human person. The argument goes something like this: If we can see the physical process by which ideas are associated or feelings felt or decisions made, then surely we must admit that human beings are nothing more than physical entities. The concept of a soul, so we are told, is irrelevant.

Well, it turns out that science now points us in a different direction. . . .

]]> http://tdspiritual.wordpress.com/2008/10/20/brain-science-the-soul/feed/ 0 td http://tdspiritual.wordpress.com/2008/10/17/agreeable-bread-to-the-lord/ http://tdspiritual.wordpress.com/2008/10/17/agreeable-bread-to-the-lord/#comments Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:43:30 +0000 td http://tdspiritual.wordpress.com/?p=5 ]]>

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

- Matthew 18:1-6.

According to some traditions the little child set in the midst of Jesus’ disciples grew up to become the second Bishop of Antioch, St. Ignatius, successor to Bishop Euodius. Along with St. Polycarp, Ignatius was a disciple of St. John the Apostle. This Apostolic Church Father was called Theophorus (“God-bearer”) because he prayed unceasingly and recognized God’s presence in his heart. As St. Paul wrote:

For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

- 2 Corinthians 6:16.

He longed for martyrdom, and voluntarily presented himself before Trajan (Emperor 98-117). He openly professed his Christian faith and was sentenced to be fed to wild beasts in Rome.
He wrote seven epistles: to the Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, Philadelphians, Smyrnaeans, Romans, and to Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna. He spoke often of Christian unity, sound doctrine, and of the glorious privilege of martyrdom.

His voluntary submission to his death sentence saying, “May I become agreeable bread to the Lord,” is said to have influenced Trajan to lift his persecution of Christians.

. . . the lions were released and tore him to pieces, leaving only his heart and a few bones. Tradition says that on his way to execution, St Ignatius unceasingly repeated the name of Jesus Christ. When they asked him why he was doing this, St Ignatius answered that this Name was written in his heart, and that he confessed with his lips Him Whom he always carried within. When the saint was devoured by the lions, his heart was not touched. When they cut open the heart, the pagans saw an inscription in gold letters: “Jesus Christ.” After his execution St Ignatius appeared to many of the faithful in their sleep to comfort them, and some saw him at prayer for the city of Rome. [OCA.org]

St. Ignatius’ relics were transferred to Antioch and in 637 were returned to Rome and placed in the church of San Clemente.

Collect for St. Ignatius of Antioch

Almighty God, we praise thy name for thy bishop and martyr Ignatius of Antioch, who offered himself as grain to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts that he might present unto thee the pure bread of sacrifice. Accept, we pray thee, the willing tribute of our lives, and give us a share in the pure and spotless offering of thy Son Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.