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An ancient homily, from the Office of Readings for Holy Saturday. Courtesy of universalis.com. Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear. He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated. For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden. See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree. I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you. Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity. ***
“Before the bishops pop a knee-jerk condemnation
of pro-choice politicians, they should reflect on the performance of the
politicians who claim to be pro-life. Ronald Reagan claimed to be
pro-life; George H.W. Bush was pro-life, depending on which day you
asked him; and George W. Bush also voiced a pro-life stance. But what
did any of these men ever do about abortion? Nada. The Reagan-Bush
Administration had a total of 12 years, but their only pro-life action
was a friend of the (Supreme) court brief during Reagan's second term. By “keneppes.” Posted in response to Bishops Divided on Pro-Choice Politicians, which appeared at http://www.americamagazine.org/content/signs.cfm?signid=693 *** From the “Fair: Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting” Web site (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org).
Stop Blacking
Out Progressive Protests: Media focus on tiny Tea Party rally, ignore
antiwar march
*** The following article is by Tony Equale. Other writings by Tony are available at tonyequale.wordpress.com/ TRANSLATION No one knows God. No one. At the very beginning of our religious tradition, the Jews went out of their way to make that point. When asked his name by Moses, the Jews say "God" answered, "I am who I am," which can be translated, brusquely, "I'm not giving you my name." Idols and images of the nameless "God" were forbidden. The Jews carried an empty tent along with their own as a symbol of "God's" abiding presence traveling with them. An empty tent! The Jews never claimed to know "God." The only thing they ever said was that they had a contract with "him." Granted, we don't know "God" directly, but can't we ask, "what is 'he' like"? The word "like" is the key to this whole business. Once you ask the question in that way, you are talking about translation. Like interpreting someone else's language, you are trying to put what you do not understand into words that you do understand. In Spanish the words "que tal" (literally, "what such") means "hi," in English. If you don't know Spanish, someone can say "que tal" or even "what such" 'til their blue in the face, and you will never hear "hi." "God" has a right to be whatever "he" is. We have no right to demand anything. "God" is another language. But we also have a right to be whatever we are. We are human beings and our relationships need to be translated into terms that we can understand. If you want to talk to us, you have to use our "language." … We have a right to our translations ... but we have to be honest and admit that they are only translations. Our religions are, like the various tongues we speak all over the world, languages of their own ... ways of translating into human symbolic terms what we do not know. The different peoples speak different tongues, and they hear about "God" in different languages. In each case they are saying what they think "God" is "like" ... what "he" is similar to. All relationships ride on that word "like." When we are dating — a living hell to which I have been consigned in my old age — we ask, "what is she like"? ... meaning how does her particular configuration of cells and hormones translate into human terms. To "know" a person is not to "know" them the way science knows them, but rather what they mean to us ... how they act ... what they are like in our terms. We often express that in poetry. "My wife was like a butterfly ... I might say ... and then, nah, that's not right ... she was more like a soaring eagle." Please notice. These are translations. My wife was neither the one nor the other. They are terms that speak to me of how we related ... of what she meant to me when she was alive. At no moment do I think she was actually a butterfly or an eagle. In fact, not entirely unlike "God" I never really "knew" her. But then again ... I really knew her ... because I knew what she was like ... We have a right to our translations because we are what we are. We are human beings. We have a right to use our symbols and our poetry. It is the glue and substance of our love-life. But we are stone clear about exactly where the line is drawn between what is symbolic and what is literal. Why, suddenly, I ask, does all this clarity evaporate when we talk about "God"? I venture an answer: because of the ancient Roman Empire's need for mind control and internalized fear and obedience. The Romans took poetry and tried to make it a literal litmus test of loyalty to their damn empire. This is what we inherited. What does it take to see this? Jesus, however, never spoke in those terms. He used metaphors to talk about "God" and parables to get us to think on our own. He painted "God" as a loving "father." He said "God" was like the sun that shines on the just and the unjust ... quietly contradicting a superficial interpretation of the ancient Jewish contract ... a "God" who cherished us so intensely that "he" knew every hair on our head ... "he" knew every sparrow that fell from the sky ... he clothed the weeds with the splendor of kings. Are these words literal? Did Jesus worship the sun? Did God really care about how many hairs we have? Obviously, no. They are poetry ... we know exactly what Jesus was saying ... that we are in the embrace of a benevolence so profound and universal that we have no other way of speaking ... we are in fact rendered speechless in the face of a love so immense that we cannot understand it. We have never understood how "God" could "shine on the just and the unjust" ... and we probably never will ... until we let "God" be whatever "he" is. The point is "religion" is not about understanding ... it is about relationship. And as with all love relationships, we use whatever symbols we can to help us relate. But please notice ... they are there to help us relate ... not make believe we have been given the inside scoop about what "God" really is. There is nothing arcane or esoteric about this "theology." If you leave us alone, we do it naturally. Our problem is the imperial money-changers who sell us a bill of goods ... in exchange for our souls. "Who are you," we ask eternally ... and "God" answers as always, liberating himself and us...."I am who I am." *** Please continue to forward articles and submit your comments. |