According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
The author of the Gospel of Mark was mistaken; not all Jews practiced ritual handwashing prior to eating. In fact, this handwashing, absent from the Law of Moses, was a habit of Pharisees, a minority sect of Judaism at the time of Christ. So, when Pharisees observed disciples of Jesus not engaging in ritual handwashing prior to eating, they saw disciples behaving as most Jews did.
Mark 7:1-23 (including verses the ILCW Lectionary omits) contrasts being persnickety over such a practice–not in the Law of Moses–with violation of weightier matters, such as honoring one’s parents, a provision of the Law of Moses. In this context, the charge of hypocrisy against critics of Christ’s disciples still rings down the corridors of time.
Holiness is about being separate and set apart. Defilement is about being common. This is a point which J. B. Phillips‘s New Testament in Modern English (1972) makes clear:
Why do your disciples refuse to follow the ancient tradition, and eat their bread with ‘common’ hands?
–Mark 7:5
Other than the point that the “ancient tradition” was not ancient, we have a profound lesson, one with which the ancient traditions of Judaism agreed: the crucial role of the moral code in the Law of Moses. Violations of this moral code arise from within people. The spiritual creepy-crawlies defile people–make them common.
Torah, in the broad definition–as in Psalm 119–is the teaching of God. This divine instruction includes the Law, still binding in Judaism. And, in Christianity, the fulfillment of the Law by Jesus has not nullified any moral obligations to God and people.
I write this post not to lambaste dead people and feel morally superior. I could add many Christians to the Pharisees in Mark 7 as I critique people who have fixated on minor matters and neglected greater issues. I know of a small, conservative denomination founded officially on theological orthodoxy against the heresy that for men to wear neckties to church was acceptable, according to the Bible. The “authority of scripture” as the definition of matters including neckties was the standard of theological orthodoxy for those who committed schism in this case. I also think of a small, conservative Reformed denomination that finally decided in 1982 that not all dancing–ballet, in this case–was sinful. And I know of a small, conservative Lutheran denomination that continues to condemn all dancing as being sinful.
I write this post not only to lambaste legalistic fun-damn-mentalists and Evangelicals and to feel morally superior. They deserve a degree of lambasting. Yes, fishing with dynamite may be fun and momentarily satisfying, but I take the next step. I ask where I fixate on minor matters at the expense of weightier issues. I deserve a degree of lambasting, too, for fixating on minor matters at the expense of weightier issues. No person, congregation, denomination, society, culture, or religious tradition is immune from such an error in choosing where to fixate.
May we, by grace, see the error of our ways, repent, and follow in the correct path.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 14, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE SIXTH DAY OF EASTER
THE FEAST OF EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY AND HENRY BEARD DELANY, EPISCOPAL SUFFRAGAN BISHIPS FOR COLORED WORK
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANTHONY, JOHN, AND EUSTATHIUS OF VILNIUS, MARTYRS IN LITHUANIA, 1347
THE FEAST OF GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL, COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF SAINT LUCIEN BOTOVASOA, MALAGASY ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR, 1947
THE FEAST OF SAINT WANDREGISILUS OF NORMANDY, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT LAMBERT OF LYONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZENAIDA OF TARSUS AND HER SISTER, SAINT PHILONELLA OF TARSUS; AND SAINT HERMIONE OF EPHESUS; UNMERCENARY PHYSICIANS
According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
One may use the word “mystery” in at least two ways. One may think of a situation in which gathering more information will eliminate confusion and enable arriving at a firm answer. The Holy Trinity is a mystery, but not in that way. Even if we mere mortals had all the information about the nature of God, we could not understand it. We can barely grasp what we do know, and what we know raises more questions than it resolves. So be it. The second meaning of “mystery” is an ancient definition: One can know something only by living into it. One can know God by faith, for example.
The Feast of the Holy Trinity is the only Christian feast of a doctrine. It is more than that, though. Lutheran minister and liturgist Philip H. Pfatteicher recommends thinking of Trinity Sunday as:
…the celebration of the richness of the being of God and the occasion of a thankful review of the now completed mystery of salvation, which is the work of the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit.
—Commentary on theLutheran Book of Worship: Lutheran Liturgy in Its Ecumenical Context (1990), 301
A doctrine–especially the Holy Trinity–can seem abstract. Some people (including moi) like abstractions. However, abstractions leave others cold and spiritually unmoved. Salvation is not abstract, however; it is tangible. And how it works is a mystery in at least the second meaning of the word.
Happy Trinity Sunday!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 27, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF GEORGE WASHINGTON DOANE, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF NEW JERSEY; AND HIS SON, WILLIAM CROSWELL DOANE, EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF ALBANY; HYMN WRITERS
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANTONY AND THEODOSIUS OF KIEV, FOUNDERS OF RUSSIAN ORTHODOX MONASTICISM; SAINT BARLAAM OF KIEV, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ABBOT; AND SAINT STEPHEN OF KIEV, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ABBOT AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF CHRISTINA ROSSETTI, POET AND RELIGIOUS WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS REMACLUS OF MAASTRICHT, THEODORE OF MAASTRICHT, LAMBERT OF MAASTRICHT, HUBERT OF MAASTRICHT AND LIEGE, AND FLORIBERT OF LIEGE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; SAINT LANDRADA OF MUNSTERBILSEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBESS; AND SAINTS OTGER OF UTRECHT, PLECHELM OF GUELDERLAND, AND WIRO, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARIES
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZITA OF TUSCANY, WORKER OF CHARITY
Ezekiel 1 offers a glorious example of prose poetry when it describes the indescribable–the throne of God, surrounded by cherubim. The account of the vision includes allusions to the Temple in Jerusalem, the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies there (Exodus 25:10-22; Exodus 37:1-9; 1 Kings 9:19-28; 1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2; 1 Chronicles 13:6), and mythological inhuman guardians of royal thrones, temples, and city gates–the cherubim–a common cultural motif in the region. Whereas Exodus 24:10-11 and Daniel 7:9 describe the divine presence as being corporeal, and Deuteronomy 4:15 argues that God is noncorporeal, Ezekiel 1:7 stakes out the middle ground. God, exceeding all human concepts thereof, was the God of the whole world, not a tribal deity.
Ezekiel, properly full of awe and wonder, flung himself down upon his face.
Ezekiel’s mission as a prophet of God was to speak to a rebellious people, already in exile. Ezekiel’s mission was to speak the truth and to function as a watchman, not to bring the people to repentance. Israel–in this case, the first wave of the Babylonian Exile–was a “rebellious breed.” People were going to do what they were going to do. Ezekiel’s mission was to speak for God, regardless of how anyone responded.
Being a Hebrew prophet must have been a frustrating and discouraging experience, based on readings of Hebrew prophetic books.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 21, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, JESUIT
THE FEAST OF BERNARD ADAM GRUBE, GERMAN-AMERICAN MINISTER, MISSIONARY, COMPOSER, AND MUSICIAN
THE FEAST OF CARL BERNHARD GARVE, GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF CHARITIE LEES SMITH BANCROFT DE CHENEZ, HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN JONES AND JOHN RIGBY, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS, 1598 AND 1600
The Book of Tobit, present in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles, falls into the canon of scripture for about three-quarters of the Christian Church. Tobit, like Esther, Jonah, and Judith, is a work of fiction that teaches theological and spiritual truths. The Catholic Study Bible (1990) and The Catholic Bible–Personal Study Edition (1995) describes the Book of Tobit as a novel. The Saint Joseph Edition of the New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011) accurately describes the Book of Tobit as a novella. The Book of Tobit is too long to be a short story and too short to be a novel.
The Orthodox Study Bible (2008) acknowledges that the Book of Tobit is a work of fiction. The introduction to the Book of Tobit describes the work as a love story in which a father sends his son out into the world. The son finds and saves a bride, whom he brings home. The introduction to the Book of Tobit links this story to Christ in John 3:16 and describes the Book of Tobit as an icon of the story of salvation.
The Book of Tobit is another Hellenistic work about Jews in exile. (The Book of Daniel is also such a work.) Superficially set in the eighth century B.C.E., the Book of Tobit teaches faith in God and trust in providence from the temporal perspective of the second century C.E.
The titular character is Tobit. His son is Tobias. “Tobit” is a shorter variation on “Tobias.” Both names mean, “the LORD is good.”
Tobit 1:2 signals the book’s status as fiction by naming the wrong Neo-Assyrian king. The verse names the monarch as Shalmaneser V (reigned 727-722 B.C.E.) Historical records tell us Sargon II (reigned 722-705 B.C.E.) was the king who completed Shalmaneser V’s work and conquered the northern Kingdom of Israel. (See 2 Kings 17:1-6, O reader.) However, historical records and 2 Kings 15:19 tell us that Tiglath-Pilesar III, also known as Pul (reigned 745-727 B.C.E.), took the tribe of Naphtali into exile.
Tobit was a devout Jew. The impossible internal chronology had Tobit live in excess of 150 years (1:4f), despite his age at death (14:1) being 112. Anyhow, he eschewed idolatry and made his offerings at the Temple in Jerusalem (Numbers 18:12-13; Deuteronomy 18:3-4). Tobit also distributed money to widows, orphans, and converts. He kept the food laws (Exodus 34:15; Leviticus 7:26-27; Leviticus 11:1-47; Leviticus 17:10-14; Deuteronomy 12:23-25; Deuteronomy 14:3-21; and Deuteronomy 15:23) in exile, too. Tobit obeyed the Law of Moses regardless of how difficult doing so proved to be. At home and in exile, Tobit was a model Jew.
Tobit also deposited ten talents of silver with a relative, Gabael, in Media. That amount equaled 3000 shekels.
The germane note in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible (2003) reads:
A substantial amount, but efforts to express in modern monetary units are futile.
Other sources do express that amount in modern monetary units, though. The Catholic Study Bible (1990) estimates the value as being about $10,000. The Saint Joseph Edition of the New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011) estimates the value as being at least $10,000.
We also read of Tobit’s wife, Anna, which means “Grace.” Remember that, O reader; the name is sometimes ironic.
The Book of Tobit contains similarities to the Books of Job and Daniel. We read of Tobit working for the king in Chapter 1. One may recall that Daniel worked for several monarchs. And one may remember accounts of Daniel’s piety. The parallels to Job, already becoming apparent, will become stronger as we continue.
Tobit 1 contains the Theory of Retribution, that God rewards faithfulness and punishes faithlessness. The Theory of Retribution, a hallmark of Deuteronomic theology, is prominent throughout the Book of Tobit and in much of the Hebrew Bible. Deuteronomy 28 teaches the Theory of Retribution, which informs the Books of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings. In particular, consult Joshua 7:1-8:29; Judges 3:7-11; and 2 Samuel 11:1-12:15, for example, O reader.
The counterbalance also exists un the Hebrew Bible. Blessings also come undeserved. A relationship with God should not be a quid-pro-quo arrangement. See Deuteronomy 4:32-40; 6-11; 8:17-18; 9:4-6; 10:15; and 23:6, O reader. Likewise, that seems undeserved is a form of testing (Deuteronomy 8: 2, 3, 5, 16-17), and repentance following suffering precedes divine mercy (Deuteronomy 30:1-10).
What we do matters. How we respond to God is crucial. One does know a tree by its fruits. And actions have consequences. However, Prosperity Theology remains a heresy. Many of the devout suffer. Many of the devout become martyrs. And many of the devout endure poverty.
The Bible is a nuanced sacred theology. Any impression to the contrary is erroneous.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 25, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM HILEY BATHURST, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF ISAAC WATTS, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER OF THE ORDER OF THE HOLY CROSS
THE FEAST OF PETRUS NIGIDIUS, GERMAN LUTHERAN EDUCATOR AND COMPOSER; AND GEORG NIGIDIUS, GERMAN LUTHERAN COMPOSER AND HYMN WRITER
Many who have walked the path of righteousness have suffered for doing so, as many still so. Most of the twelve Apostles became martyrs. St. John the Evangelist avoided martyrdom yet still suffered. St. James of Jerusalem became a martyr. St. Mark went to martyrdom, also. Yet the theme of the goodness and presence of God has been a theme that has accompanied persecution and martyrdom since the times of the Bible.
How good is God, as the Book of Job, in its final, composite form, depicts the deity? The author of the prose wrap-around explained the cause of Job’s suffering (a wager between God and the Satan, still an employee of God, in the theology of the time). Job was a pawn. The author of the prose wrap-around also thought that Job was correct to complain (42:7-9).
I agree with the author of Job 42:7-17; Job had every right to complain. At least he was being honest with God.
Sometimes we feel like pawns as we move through life. On some occasions we are. When we are, we have every right to complain.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 12, 2019 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF EDWIN PAXTON HOOD, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, PHILANTHROPIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN DAVID JAESCHKE, GERMAN MORAVIAN ORGANIST AND COMPOSER; AND HIS GRANDSON, HENRI MARC HERMANN VOLDEMAR VOULLAIRE, MORAVIAN COMPOSER AND MINISTER
THE FEAST OF ENMAGAHBOWH, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND MISSIONARY TO THE OJIBWA NATION
THE FEAST OF JOSEPH DACRE CARLYLE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
Matthew 24:15-22 or Mark 13:14-20 or Luke 21:20-24
1 Corinthians 10:(14-17) 18-11:1
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The ominous tone of judgment hangs over the readings for this Sunday. How dare those who have witnessed the power and the mercy of God disregard Him? Yet we find mercy combined with judgment. Besides apocalyptic destruction of the corrupt human order, based on violence and exploitation, precedes the establishment of God’s new order on Earth.
I think it important to point out that offenses in the readings are not just personal peccadilloes. Social injustice is a recurring theme in apocalyptic literature, which therefore emphasizes institutionalized sins. The pericope from 1 Corinthians reminds us of the truth that whatever we do affects other people. We should therefore act according to the moral obligation to consider the scruples of others. I propose that this is a fine principle one can take too far, for, if we become too sensitive regarding the scruples of others, we will do little or nothing, certainly little or nothing good. The guiding principle (from 10:31) is to behave for the glory of God.
There is no sin in glorifying God and effecting the common good. There is no sin in not exploiting anyone. There is no sin in loving one’s neighbors and recognizing one’s obligations to them in the societal web of interdependence. There is no sin in making love the rule of life (2 John 5b-6).
Doing so does not prompt the judgment of God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 17, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTY-FIRST DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON, ABOLITIONIST AND FEMINIST; AND MARIA STEWART, ABOLITIONIST, FEMINIST, AND EDUCATOR
THE FEAST OF EGLANTYNE JEBB AND DOROTHY BUXTON, FOUNDERS OF SAVE THE CHILDREN
THE FEAST OF FRANK MASON NORTH, U.S. METHODIST MINISTER
THE FEAST OF MARY CORNELIA BISHOP GATES, U.S. DUTCH REFORMED HYMN WRITER
One should read Deuteronomy 4 in the knowledge that someone wrote it long after the time of Moses then placed it in the great man’s mouth. Thus one will read that text while knowing what the real audience is a later generation of Hebrews. “Learn from the past and refrain from repeating those mistakes,” the text really says. Unfortunately, as we know, that message fell mostly on deaf ears, and the negative consequences of actions ensued.
Rejection of Jesus occupies the readings from John and 1 John. In John 5 Jesus was speaking to a hostile Jewish audience. Nevertheless, as in Deuteronomy 4, the text came from a later time and the actual audience was contemporary to the time of composition. The text still challenges audiences. Do we rest on our spiritual laurels while lacking the love of God in ourselves? If we have the love of God in ourselves, we will act on it with regard to others. We will seek their best and have compassion for them. We will, to cite 1 John 2, keep the commandments of Jesus. If they seem new, we have not been paying (sufficient) attention, for they are old.
Whoever claims to be in light
but hates his brother
is still in darkness.
Anyone who loves his brother remains in light
and there is in him nothing to make him fall away.
But whoever hates his brother is in darkness
and is walking about in darkness
not knowing where he is going,
because darkness has blinded him.
–1 John 2:9-11, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
The Feast of the Epiphany is about the light of Christ shining among Gentiles. May we who bear that light do so as effectively as possible, by grace. May we glorify and enjoy God forever, and thereby inspire others to do the same.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT WILLIAM OF ROSKILDE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
THE FEAST OF DAVID CHARLES, WELSH CALVINISTIC MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
Eternal God, you draw near to us in Christ, and you make yourself our guest.
Amid the cares of our lives, make us attentive to your presence,
that we may treasure your word above all else,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 43
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The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 18:1-12
Psalm 119:97-104
Colossians 1:27-2:7
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From your precepts I learn wisdom,
so I hate all deceptive ways.
–Psalm 119:104, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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The liberation of the Israelites from Egypt had occurred in Exodus 14. (The departure of Abram and Sarai from Egypt in Genesis 12 had foreshadowed that event.) In Exodus 18 Moses reunited with his father-in-law (Jethro), and his wife (Zipporah), his two sons (Gershom and Eliezer), who left Midian to meet him. Jethro acknowledged the superiority of YHWH to other deities. He did not, however, become a monotheist.
This was not unusual. As the notes in The Jewish Study Bible–Second Edition (2014) inform me,
The Torah does not expect Gentiles to become monotheists (see Deut. 4.19), only to recognize the LORD’s superiority when he asserts it, as in the case of Egypt. The idea of universal monotheism first appears in the later classical prophets (Jer. 16.19-20; Zech. 14.9). Neither the prophets nor Jewish tradition call for Gentiles, even monotheistic ones, to convert to Judaism, though later Jewish tradition–characteristically reading the Bible through the prism of the prophets–believed that Jethro did abandon idolatry (Exod. Rab. 1.32) and, going even further, became a Jew (Tg. Ps.-J. Exod. 18.6, 27; Tanh. Buber Yitro, 5).
–Page 135
St. Paul the Apostle, himself a Jew, expected that Gentile converts to Christianity (A) need not become Jews first, and (B) renounce any allegiances to deities other than God (YHWH). He recognized no compatibility of Christianity (then a small and young Jewish sect) and idolatry.
Psalm 119 speaks of the Law of Moses, something which did not exist at the time of Exodus 18. (The Law of Moses began Chapter 20.) Nevertheless, the timeless principles of the Law of Moses existed prior to that code. Among these principles was acknowledging the greatness of YHWH then acting accordingly, that is, humbly before God. That is possible via grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 16, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ADALBALD OF OSTEVANT, RICTRUDIS OF MARCHIENNES, AND THEIR RELATIONS
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ABRAHAM KIDUNAIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT, AND MARY OF EDESSA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ANCHORESS
O God our strength, without you we are weak and wayward creatures.
Protect us from all dangers that attack us from the outside,
and cleanse us from the outside,
and cleanse us from all evil that arises from within ourselves,
that we may be preserved through your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 46
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The Assigned Readings:
Deuteronomy 4:9-14 (Monday)
Deuteronomy 4:15-20 (Tuesday)
Deuteronomy 4:21-40 (Wednesday)
Psalm 106:1-6, 13-23, 47-48 (All Days)
1 Timothy 4:6-16 (Monday)
1 Peter 2:19-25 (Tuesday)
Mark 7:9-23 (Wednesday)
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We have sinned like our forebears;
we have done wrong and dealt wickedly.
–Psalm 106:6, The Book of Common Prayer (2004)
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The contents of this post flows naturally from the previous one. God, whom the Torah depicts vividly as compassionate yet prone to smite faithless people and blame many people for the sins of others, exceeds human comprehension and preconceptions. Any impression to the contrary is mistaken. Holding to divine commandments–sometimes despite the discouraging attitudes, words, and deeds of others–is a great virtue.
Yet we mere mortals interpret that law in our cultural contexts, so we excuse the unjustifiable in the name of God sometimes. In 1 Peter 2:18-25, for example, we find instructions to slaves to obey their masters. Verse 18, which the lectionary omits, reads:
Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh.
—The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
I refuse to defend such a passage.
Other injustices have been conscious violations of divine law, not ones born out of cultural blindness. The practice of Corban was the act of donating wealth or property to the religious establishment. It was innocent and sincere sometimes, but mean-spirited much of the time. A person, under the cover of holiness, could deprive his family of necessary financial resources. Jesus knew this, and he said so. That which defiles one, our Lord and Saviour said, comes from within, not without. The metaphorical source of defilement is one’s heart, so, as in the previous post, entering the headquarters of Pontius Pilate would have defiled nobody. No, those who handed Jesus over to Pilate had defiled themselves already.
May we not defile ourselves. May we love each other as we love ourselves. May we respect the image of God in others and in ourselves. May we encourage each other in our vocations from God. And may we refuse to shift the blame for that for which we are responsible. Making scapegoats out of people solves no problems, creates more of them, and violates the moral imperative to respect the dignity of every human being.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 2, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MARGARET E. SANGSTER, HYMN WRITER, NOVELIST, AND DEVOTIONAL WRITER
THE FEAST OF THE MARTYRS OF LYONS (A.K.A. BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS)
THE FEAST OF REINHOLD NIEBUHR, UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF SAINT STEPHEN OF SWEDEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY, BISHOP, AND MARTYR
The two main readings for today pertain to the Law of God–a law which is not a burden (unless one treats it as such)–a law written on proverbial human hearts. This is the law which our Lord and Savior summarized in two commandments. Thus loving God and loving our fellow human beings as we love ourselves are part of the same process. We cannot love God, whom we cannot see, if we do not love our fellow human beings, whom we can see.
The late Thomas Merton recalled a profound spiritual experience: one day, in a city, he realized that he loved everybody. This ethic informed his ethical choices. How could it not do so? For as we think, thus we are.
So we have a tangible standard: the example of Jesus, who set a very high bar. The call of Christian discipleship is the invitation to follow him–frequently a risky proposition. Our Lord and Savior’s active compassion caused much difficulty for him with certain people. Indeed, the Bible and the past are replete with stories of others who got into deep trouble due to their active compassion. Many of these people faced persecution and/or death because of it.
Yet active compassion is our call. And, even when we face persecution and/or death for following Christ in it, we may trust in God’s faithfulness, even if some of the promises (such as wealth) of Psalm 112 do not come true. Sometimes the result of faithfulness in this world is ruin and reproach; the good news awaits us on the other side.
So, O reader, what do those around you need? This not necessarily the same as what they want. And whose needs is God calling you to meet, at least partially?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 8, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF WILFRED THOMASON GRENFELL, MEDICAL MISSIONARY TO NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT BRIDGET OF SWEDEN, ROMAN CATHOLIC NUN
THE FEAST OF ERIK ROUTLEY, HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS, EPISCOPAL PRIEST; AND RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST
BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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