Readings
for Proper 8A:
Mt.10:34-42; Rom. 6:3-11
June 26 2005
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
Just because something makes sense, does not mean that it is true. And just because something is difficult to understand, doesn't make it untrue. Today's gospel is difficult to swallow because it calls into question, some of our most deeply held beliefs. Some churches in this area would never consider preaching on today's gospel passage because it challenges one's loyalty to family, to nation, and to self. Fortunately (in the Episcopal Church) we do not have the option of choosing the Sunday biblical readings. Instead, we are forced to deal with the demands of the gospel, including the hard sayings of Jesus. Let's take a close look at today's reading from the gospel and Paul's letter to the Romans to learn more about the good news in Jesus Christ and the possibility for "new life."
Jesus said: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother…Whoever loves father or mother…[or] son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." [Mt. 10]
At first glance, Jesus seems to be contradicting his positions on peace, loving one's neighbor, and honoring one's father and mother. He seems to run counter to the received wisdom of almost every culture that values the family as the most stabilizing unit in society. He certainly calls into question, important and fundamental values of his own time. But for the Christians of the 1st century, these sayings made a lot of sense. It was routine for those who became Christians to pay a high social, personal, and religious price for becoming disciples. People, who did follow Jesus, were often disowned by their families. Even Jesus' family thought he was out of his mind and tried (unsuccessfully) to get him to come home.
Today, we find ourselves in a culture that is much different than 1st century Palestine. Most of us are born into the Christian tradition or are free to choose our religion when we come of age. Although there are some exceptions, most people in this country are not disowned in baptism nor are they socially ostracized. At its founding, America could be said to be a Christian nation. But in the course of over two hundred years, Christianity has lost much of its authority to command society's attention and allegiance. There still remains of course, Christianity-light, a religion based on good manners, patriotic fervor, and going to Church on some Sunday mornings. But the expectations of Christianity-light are few and far between. Then of course, there is the religious right, whose main energies seem to be focused on an anti-abortion and anti-gay agenda as if these were the most pressing issues facing our suffering world. The religious right tends to understate the gospel precepts regarding compassion, justice, peace, and the dignity of every human being. Neither of these presentations of Christianity accurately presents the gospel which demands full allegiance to Christ even at the cost of family, nation, and self.
Where is the Christian prophetic voice that challenges our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, our dishonesty in daily life and work, our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty? Where is the prophetic voice that challenges our uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us, and for our lack of concern for those who come after us? That prophetic voice is found in today's gospel which demands a life of self-sacrifice and service. Jesus said: "Whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me." [Mt. 10]
There is no question that at the heart of the Christian gospel, is the demand to place God (who was revealed in Christ) first and foremost at the center of our lives. This is the only way that transformation can happen. Why is that? By ourselves, we humans do not have within us, the moral and emotional resources to make good on the demands of the Christian life. We try, and try, and try again, but we fail. Our ego strength is not sufficient for this task even though it is very helpful when it comes to issues of survival, competition, and worldly success. But if what we are seeking is abundant life, peace on earth, and hope for a new creation, then we need to let go of the demands of the ego and open ourselves up to the power of God that was working in Christ. We have to let go of our false self! Jesus describes this letting go of the false self (i.e. the demands of the ego) when he says: "Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it." [Mt. 10] St. Paul addresses the same issue by saying that we have to die to our "old self" in order to "walk in newness of life." [Rom. 6]
Thomas Keating, a Cistercian priest and monk, has written several books on moving beyond the demands of the false self. He suggests the practice of Centering Prayer as a tool for opening up oneself to the healing power of God. Keating says that the reason why we fail miserably at leading the Christian life is because our false self is at the helm of our decision making process. He claims that one of the biggest impediments to spiritual growth is that we do not perceive our own hidden motivations. We are blind, and we deceive ourselves, not because we are stupid, but because we are controlled by frustrated emotions that have built up over a lifetime.
Keating says that from early on in our mother's womb until the age of reason, all of our hurts, unmet needs, and disappointments are recorded in our unconscious. These emotions are repressed but actually take on a life of their own. Energy centers begin to develop around these historic emotions. Unfortunately, they control our future emotional responses to life situations, thoughts, and behavior. This is the false self in action; a false self that needs to die, so that we can become alive in Christ Jesus and thus be transformed into the people God wills for us to be.
Today's gospel does not call for us to shun our families. It does not advocate hating one's parents or ignoring one's children. But it does say, that our family can not make an exclusive claim on our love and devotion. It does say that all other loves in our lives need to come after our love for Christ. It does say that our loyalty to Christ supersedes all other loyalties. As we place Christ at the center of our life, our love for our family does not diminish but rather grows in maturity and wisdom. "Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you." [Collect of the Day, BCP 230]
| Updated 6/27/05 |
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