The Hero's Journey

Friday, July 20, 2006 -- Week of Proper 10
(Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Amelia Bloomer, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Ross Tubman; Liberators and Prophets)

"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

Audio Podcasts of today's "Morning Reflection" and those from the past week are available from http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html (go to St. Paul's Home Page stpaulsfay.org and click "Morning Reflection podcast")

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (p. 974)
Psalms 31 (morning) 35 (evening)
1 Samuel 21:1-15
Acts 13:13-25
Mark 3:7-19a

I enjoyed Grady Jim Robinson's column in the Northwest Arkansas Times Thursday when he talked a bit about the mythology of the hero's journey. Frequently the stories of the heroes include their going out on a journey where they must defeat a great opponent, overcome obstacles and return with new knowledge and power. Many hero stories have a tale of the hero's taking a disguise, and most stories also narrate a flaw or failure in the hero's life.

In today's reading from 1 Samuel, David has fled from the royal court of Saul. At the shrine of Nob he recovers the sword of Goliath, the great opponent he had defeated as a young boy. In Gath he feigns madness. "He scratched marks on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle run down his beard." In the ancient world, to be mad was seen as being touched by the gods. The Philistines would leave such a madman alone so as to avoid divine wrath. David is on the hero's journey.

In our reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we also see Paul on the move to Asia Minor to witness to Jesus as the promised Messianic descendent of David. Within this account is the mention of the departure of John (John Mark). We'll learn later that the dispute over his leaving will cause a separation between Paul and his colleague Barnabas. Our Gospel reading from Mark finds Jesus widening the geography of his mission, curing diseases and defeating the unclean spirits. He calls to himself the twelve apostles; among them is Judas Iscariot, who will betray him.

Today is also the feast day of four women who were prophets and liberators of the 19th century. Each of them left on the hero's journey and battled great opponents. Elizabeth Cady Stanton left her strict Calvinist family and called both the church and the society to account for oppressing women. Amelia Jenks Bloomer joined the temperance, anti-slavery and women's rights movements, engaging clergy in debate about scriptures which were used to subordinate women and justify slavery. Sojourner Truth escaped slavery and became a traveling preacher who would ask to speak to white tent revivals and would leave them mesmerized as she advocated abolition of slavery and full rights for women. Harriet Ross Tubman also escaped slavery to Canada, but returned during the Civil War, serving as a cook, a spy and a scout. She led 300 black troops on a raid which freed over 750 slaves, making her the first American woman to lead troops into military action.

It strikes me as I write this that every one of these heroes were motivated by faith and supported by their love of the scripture and its stories. But every one of these had to overcome religious tradition, usually grounded in some interpretation of Biblical writings. In today's reading David broke the Torah provisions for the reservation of the holy bread of the presence. Paul will argue that Jews and all men are free from circumcision and from obedience to the law. Jesus was accused of violating the sabbath and convicted of blasphemy. All four of the women remembered today had to debate male clergy about conventional interpretation of scripture that allowed the subordination of women and slaves.

Grady Jim would say we are all on the hero's journey. Sometimes the geography is an interior journey. What have you left and where have you gone? What great opponent have you fought? Where have you been supported and challenged by the scripture and its interpretation? The hero's journey is everyone's journey.

Lowell
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The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, AR

The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate
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