Readings for Proper 25B
The Feast of St. Jude
Is. 59:1-19; Mk. 10:46-52
October 26, 2003
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
In today's opening collect, we asked God to increase in us the gifts of faith, hope and charity. Since today we are celebrating the Feast of St. Jude the Apostle, I would like to focus my attention on the gift of hope and then discuss how we as a church community, can support the spread of this gospel of hope in a world in need of healing. St. Jude is known as an icon of hope; the patron saint of desperate causes. When you talk about Saint Jude, you talk about the world in despair because Jude is the last stop. Although little is known about our patron saint, Jude was believed to have been an apostle to Persia, now known as Iran. In the first century, King Abgar of Persia, was dying from a terrible physical disorder which no doctor could heal. After examining the king's faith in the healing power of Jesus, Jude laid his hands on the king and healed him of his infirmities. Because of this act of healing, King Abgar instructed his citizens to assemble and to hear the preaching of the Good News by Jude Thaddeus. It was in this manner that the gospel of hope was spread to that area of Northern Iran.
Hope is based on the conviction that with God, all things are possible. In spite of the darkness, the suffering, and the violence, hope encourages people not to give up, but instead to take the higher road and to work tirelessly for a better world. It is easy to be overwhelmed by feelings of hopelessness as we look around at the condition of the world. No one knows better about the bleak condition of the world than does Jane Goodall. Jane Goodall is a well-known scientist who has done extensive work m Africa in studying the animal behavior of apes. Over the past four decades, she has witnessed large populations of apes being killed, their habitats destroyed, and great human suffering caused by an overpopulated Africa. Yet, she still preaches a gospel of hope and refuses to be silenced by the darkness. She bases her hope on three things:
- First, she believes that we have at last begun to understand and face up to the problems that threaten us and the survival of life on earth.
- Second, her hope lies in the tremendous energy enthusiasm, and commitment of a growing number of young people around the world who want to fight to "right" the wrongs.
- And finally, she places her hope in the indomitable nature of the human spirit. There are so many people who have dreamed seemingly unattainable dreams and because they never gave up, achieved their goals against all the odds, or blazed a path along which others could follow.
If I could summarize Jane Goodall's reason for hope, it would be that the human race will one-day be able to see the world as God's sees it and to respond to the world through the lens of love rather than through the clouds of fear. It is this path of love and truth that Jesus calls us to follow. Moving from a place of blindness to a place of truth is the theme of today's readings from the Ho1y Scriptures. Let's take a closer look.
In our first reading from the book of Isaiah the passage speaks about the lapses of faith and practice among the Jews Eying in restored Judah (perhaps sometime around the year 500 BCE). Justice and righteousness are lacking in the community. Dishonesty, mischief, and wickedness are the operating principles. The people have lost sight of their covenant with God and have chosen to resort to their base nature. They "grope like the blind along a wall, groping like those who have no eyes." [Is 59]
In the reading from the gospel, blind Bartimaeus yearns for a better life. Having resorted to begging in order to survive, he places his hope on the healing power of Jesus to cure him of his blindness. In spite of his lowly position in society, Bartimaeus refuses to be silenced by his blindness or by the crowd who tells him to be quiet. He continues to call out over the noise of the crowd: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Against all odds, Jesus calls him out of the crowd at which point he throws off his cloak, jumps up at the opportunity, and runs to him with a heart filled with hope. When asked what he wants, the blind man answers: "My teacher, let me see again." And because of his faith in the healing power of Jesus, he regains his sight. [Mk 10]
"Let me see again." Today. most of us go to ophthalmologists, optometrists, and opticians, when we have difficulty with our eyesight. This option did not exist in lst century Palestine when people had to depend on those who had gifts of healing. Modern medicine has made tremendous progress in treating physical blindness. But just because we can see with our eyes, does not mean we can see with our hearts. When it comes to rising above our pride ignorance, deception and narcissism in order to see the truth, it takes more than a well-functioning cornea, lens, and optic nerve. To see the truth, to see the world as God sees it requires the spirit of God working in us, transforming us into agents of love, icons of hope, and messengers of good news.
"Let me see again." The Church is the guardian of the gospel of love, which was shown to us in the life, message, and spirit of Jesus. The Church has passed this gospel down from one generation to the next. It is our responsibility to keep this legacy going so that a new world order is possible. We are the ones who are commissioned to go out into the world, to share the message of love, to strive for justice and peace, and to respect the dignity of every human being.
Today, you are being asked to support your parish church, St. Jude the Apostle, as a vehicle of transmitting this gospel of love and hope. I am asking each one of you to give generously of your time, talent, and treasure so that we can continue to carry on the mission of the Church. In particular as we begin our annual pledge drive this November, I am asking you to give generously of your money. The standard of the Episcopal Church is 10%, which is the biblical tithe. I am asking all of you to give 10% of your income to the Church. If you are unable to give 10% this year, then I ask you to give a generous proportion of your income this year and to actively work toward the tithe in the years to come.
Now this may seem like an outrageous request, especially if you are not used to tithing. Tithing 10% of one's income is based on the belief that everything we have comes from God. How we handle and share our money is usually a spiritual issue, not a financial one. For instance, if we see our situation as being one of scarcity rather than of abundance, then 10% seems extravagant. If we see our participation in the church community as being a member of a club rather than a member of a family, then 10% seems sacrificial. If we give out of a sense of duty or guilt rather than from a place of generosity and gratitude, 10% becomes a burden. But if we are tilled with gratitude and are aware of the abundance of blessings that God has bestowed upon us, then 10% does not seem out of line. Each year, I give 10% of my income to the church because I believe in supporting the spread of the gospel of love and hope. I believe in the transforming power of God worku in us to make all creation new. And it is this gospel that I long to share with others by my generosity of time, talent, and treasure. Like St. Paul, I am convinced that "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." [Rom 8]
So be generous with your blessings. Spend some time in prayer to carefully consider your pledge to St. Jude's for 2004. When you support the spread of the gospel you are refusing to be silenced by the darkness. You are giving yourself and others the opportunity "to see again." And remember that without hope, the human heart would break.
| Updated 10/29/03 |
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