Raised from Ignorance to Life
Thursday, April 12, 2007 -- Thursday of Easter Week
"Morning Reflections" is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.
Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117
An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (p. 958)
Psalms 146, 147 (morning) 148, 149 (evening)
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Acts 3:11-26
John 15:12-27
Peter has caused quite a stir in the Temple region with the healing of a man who was born lame. Now this man is restored not only to health, but also to the praying community, for the law of Leviticus prohibited anyone who was lame or otherwise handicapped from joining the prayers. Peter declares that it is by the power of Jesus that this man has been healed, the same Jesus who was crucified. Peter tells them that this Jesus whom they crucified was God's Messiah, and that God has raised him from the dead.
"And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers." Peter's words echo Jesus from the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." They also pick up on a familiar refrain repeated today in John's Gospel where Jesus speaks over and over of those who "do not know him who sent me."
So much of the Biblical account speaks of our ignorance and the devastating consequences of our acting out of ignorance. The leaders and people did not recognize that Jesus was the Messiah sent from God, and thinking they were doing God's will, they crucified him. Or, in John's language, the world does not know the Father, and therefore does not know the Son.
What God does in the face of our ignorance is resurrection. "You killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dad," says Peter. "To this we are witnesses." Our first lesson offers one of the most compelling images of God's resurrection activity. The hand of the Lord takes the prophet Ezekiel to a valley which is filled with bones. "Mortal, can the bones live?" God tells Ezekiel to "Prophesy to these bones." Tell the bones that God will cause breath/wind/spirit to enter into them and they will live. The dramatic vision ensues, with noisy bones rattling, reforming with sinew and flesh and skin. But there is no breath in them. Then God sends the breath/wind/spirit into them and they rise from the dead. "Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel." God promises to bring Israel back, "And you shall know that I am the Lord."
There is a connection between knowing God and resurrection. The enlightenment which overcomes ignorance brings life.
I have shared the story of Suzanne Simon with our congregation when teaching about forgiveness. Her story of healing and enlightenment is a story about her recovery from being sexually abused by her father from age six to eleven. She looked at all the ways that her dysfunctional coping with her pain had messed up her life for years. Part of her breakthrough came when she realized that throughout that time, she was doing the best she could, for the most part. She looked at the painful ignorance that had haunted her life and she realized that "for the most part, each and every one of us is doing the best we can with the insight, resources, and emotional nourishment available to us. If we had more conscious awareness of what makes us tick, more information and alternatives available to us, different life experiences more love, support, and encouragement, we could have done better. And we would have."
Her breakthrough came when she realized what was true for her was also true for her father. He also was a broken and ignorant person. He had been injured at work and was permanently disabled, unemployed, depressed. What he did to her was wrong and incredibly damaging. He shouldn't have done it. But, if he had more insight, resources, and emotional nourishment, more love, support and encouragement, he would have done better. Her acceptance of his wounded ignorance became the gate opening her to the possibility of granting forgiveness to him, which became her liberation. It was resurrection for her.
God's answer to the curse of our ignorance and the awful things we do is the forgiveness that brings resurrection. Dry bones can live again.
Lowell
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posted by Lowell @ 7:31 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
What a sad story. But does she really think "everyone of us is doing the best we can"?
That is even sadder than the story. The reality is that there are so many incredibly evil people in the world that are doing the best they can to please themselves. Her father wasn't doing the best he could. There is NO excuse for it. Surely God can forgive him and so can she, but lets get serious and call a spade a spade. That is evil. There have been people who have had much worse experiences than her father who did no such thing.
Paul said it best.
Rom 7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
People don't always do their best, we are still commanded to forgive but only through the understanding that people are people and will sin, disappoint, hurt and let us down. God forgave us for killing his Son, we can forgive as well.
Just a quick clarification. Suzanne Simon does say that her father's actions were evil. There is no excuse for it. She does not excuse him. She forgives him, and that was freedom for her.
Lowell
I can't do justice to the book in a few paragraphs, unfortuately. "Forgiveness: How to make peace with you Past and get on with your Life" by Suzanne Simon and her husband whose name I can't remember.
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