Readings:
Ecclesiasticus
27:30-28:7; Rom. 14:5-12; Mt. 18:21-35
September 11, 2005
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
In response to the events of September 11, 2001, the Eagles (a famous rock band) wrote a song. The refrain goes as follows: "There's a hole in the world tonight; there's a cloud of fear and sorrow. There's a hole in the world tonight; don't let there be a hole in the world tomorrow." We are painfully aware that there is a large, gaping, hole in the world. Most people agree that humanity is experiencing a tremendous amount of suffering, horror, and injustice. Where people differ, has to do with their ideas about which solutions can most effectively patch that gaping hole in the world.
In the face of this large hole, I think that there is a special call for Christians to lift up their hopeful voices, to open wide their compassionate hearts, and to sacrificially reach out with resources to those in need. Why am I specifically focusing on Christians? Well first of all, that is the audience to whom I am preaching. But more importantly, Christianity holds fast to the belief that there is a path of salvation; a path that leads to healing and wholeness. It is a hopeful path based on the belief that we are created in the image of God and sustained by the Spirit of God. This hope-filled path was shown to us by Jesus, whom we believe is the way, the truth, and the life. Christianity is a way of life, not a doctrine. So on this 4th anniversary of the 9/11terrorist attacks and the second week after the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, I want talk about this path of healing and wholeness. In particular, I want to talk about "weapons of mass salvation." I will use the readings from the Lectionary and the words from the Eagle's song as my texts.
As our world becomes smaller, as international conflicts come closer to home, and as disasters become potentially more lethal, we need to call into use, different tools to address the disharmony in the world. Political partisanship, macho posturing, parochialism, weapons of mass destruction, and self-serving economic gestures, are not effective in the healing of this world. How can we best respond to conflict, disaster, and multicultural differences while remaining faithful to the call of Christ to strive for justice and the dignity of every human being? Today's readings offer us insights into some of the most basic and helpful tools in the Christian tradition: striving for peace, practicing the posture of forgiveness, and reaching out to build a beloved community. Peace, forgiveness, and community are the weapons of mass salvation that I will specifically focus on today.
Our first biblical reading is from one of the apocryphal books: Ecclesiasticus or The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach. This is the work of a sage who taught and studied in Jerusalem about 200 years before the birth of Christ. He gives considerable attention to ethical matters and focuses on appropriate and inappropriate conduct. Today's reading begins: "Anger and wrath, these also are abominations…The vengeful will face the Lord's vengeance…Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done…Does anyone harbor anger against another and expect healing from the Lord?"
Anger is an emotional response to extreme displeasure. “They say that anger is just love disappointed.”* Some people react to the feeling of anger with hostile actions. While this may be normative, hostile actions and reactions are not helpful for peace on earth. Responses laced with anger only serve to promote and feed the cycle of violence. If you meet anger with anger, violence is the result. Violence exacerbates the gaping "hole" in this world. Violence and destruction diminishes us all. Anger is contagious and it can become a disease. Expressing anger is a learned response, one that can be unlearned. Anger that is not mitigated or forgiven can lead to darkness and depression. The consequence of anger is inner blindness. Anger diminishes insights that spring from an honest gaze. Thinking an angry thought can cause confusion. In an angry state, we perceive information poorly and then project it back in distorted ways. This does little to heal the world of its gaping hole.
From a theological point of view, God does not want us to be angry. The problem with being angry is, that we can not pray when we are angry. We alienate ourselves and others when we are in this state. While anger may be justified, we simply cannot think and make good judgments when angry. If strong disciplinary measures need to be taken, they should be done only when they arise from a pure heart and a clear head. Most of the time, it is better to wait, assess the situation, and discern a long-term response rather than react with quick rage. Many of our greatest crimes against humanity are committed when we justify our anger and act from a place of wrath: "an eye for eye, and a tooth for a tooth."
So what are we to do about our feelings of betrayal, fear, disappointment, and anger? All of today's biblical readings speak about forgiveness as a way to patch up that gaping hole. Forgiveness is not about being a doormat or suppressing our deepest hurts or desires. Forgiveness is simply letting go of past disappointments, unmet expectations, hurt, and frustrations in life so that we can fully live in the present moment. It is here, in the present moment, that we will meet God face to face.
In today's gospel, Jesus lays out for us, a very difficult teaching. When asked, how often a person should be forgiven, Jesus did not say: "At least once." "A couple of times." "Seven times." Jesus said: "Seventy-seven times." The number 77 means that forgiveness is not a one time event nor is it only offered to those who are deserving of forgiveness. Forgiveness is the antidote to spiritually fatal scorekeeping and is one of the most important practices in our Christian tradition. We forgive others, because we have been forgiven. We forgive ourselves, because if we had to carry around the guilt of all of our past sins, we would crumble under the weight. We can decide to forgive our enemies or we can decide to allow them to continue to run our lives by hating them and recalling their offenses. But remember, resentment and anger are like eating poison, hoping that the other person will die.
Forgiveness is the conscious decision to work for peace. "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me." Without inner peace, there will be no peace on earth. Sustained peace does not begin with high level political officials. Sustained peace begins when individuals, one by one, make a commitment to do the hard inner work. This inner work is about the transformation of the false self into the true self- the self originally created in the image of God, free from frustrated emotions. We can assist and enhance this process of transformation by rejecting thoughts of anger and immersing ourselves in a life of prayer. This allows for God's grace to help us through the process of peace making. Peace requires personal repentance- a change of mind, a turning toward the light. Eleanor Roosevelt once said: "It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it."
Finally, I want to say a word about the beloved community. In today's reading from Paul's letter to the Romans, Paul makes a strong appeal for tolerance, mutual respect, and solidarity with those with whom we differ. He says: "We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's." This means that our life does not belong to us to do with it as we choose. Instead, God has a purpose for each of our lives. In the final analysis, each Christian is called upon to reach out beyond his or herself and family, offering time, talent, and treasure, to help fix the gaping hole in our world.
I think that in times of actual crisis, most people are deeply touched and want to help out. We saw this during 9/11 and we are seeing it in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. For this, I give thanks. But oftentimes, after the crisis has died down, most folks go back to buying their SUVs and condos in Florida, forgetting about their responsibilities to help fix the gaping hole in the world. If we are the Lord's, it means that we can not go back to a self-absorbed lifestyle. It means that we need to carve out a place in our lives and in the lives of our children to care for others over the long term. “Until we learn to love one another, we will never reach the promised land.”* Margaret Mead once said: "Never underestimate the ability of a small group of committed individuals to change the world." Indeed, they are the only ones who ever have.
Just think how different the world might be if we really acted as if we belonged to the Lord. My sense is, we would spend much more of our personal resources and time in patching up the hole. In this creation, God has given humans everything we need to flourish. But God is not the one who divides up the loot. That charge is ours. Remember, none of us would have made it without the selfless help of others. The best way to thank those who have carried our loads is to pass along the favor so that this world becomes a beloved community of people who live together in justice, dignity, and peace.
"O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever." [Collect of the Day, BCP 233]
* From the Eagles’ Song: There’s a Hole in the World Tonight
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