Paul's Admonitions
Friday, July 18, 2008 -- Week of Proper 10
Today's Reading for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 975)
Psalms 31 (morning) 35 (evening)
Joshua 4:19 - 5:1, 10-15
Romans 12:9-21
Matthew 26:17-25
Our reading from Romans 12 is a beautiful piece of ethical teaching. It deserves careful reading and heartfelt devotion. I can remember being enchanted by this section as a child and yearning to follow Paul's admonitions as a life's blueprint.
A couple of these phrases show up in a blessing that Bishop Duncan Gray, Jr. used frequently. It holds a dear place in my heart, as does he:
Go forth into the world in peace;
be of good courage;
hold fast that which is good;
render to no one evil for evil;
strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak;
help the afflicted; honor all persons;
love and serve the Lord,
rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit;
and the blessing of God Almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you and remain with you always.
How different might our nation's history been had we been guided by this ethic following the attacks of September 11:
"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' No, 'if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Re-reading Paul's words is a good way to begin the day:
"Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers..."
Lowell
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Audio podcast: Listen to an audio podcast of the most recent Morning Reflections from today and the past week. Click the following link: Morning Reflection Podcasts
About Morning Reflections
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
The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.
Visit our web site at www.stpaulsfay.org
Our Rule of Life
Lowell Grisham, Rector
Audio podcast: Listen to an audio podcast of the most recent Morning Reflections from today and the past week. Click the following link: Morning Reflection Podcasts
About Morning Reflections
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
The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.
Visit our web site at www.stpaulsfay.org
Our Rule of Life
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.
Lowell Grisham, Rector
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas
posted by Lowell @ 7:21 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Never avenge yourselves, but if a dog bites you, at the very least cage it up!
Yes, absolutely.
Don't use the excuse that the dog bit you to go across the street to another dog's house and demolish it.
And definitely don't help the poor Kurds, the soccer team, the raped girls, and the children in prison, don't help them.
But let's go defend the indefensible.
did saddam have WMD? NOT A QUESTION.
Will Saddam ever attach us, Israel, Kuwait again? NOT A CHANCE
Who is next?
Reg,
I don't know what shadow you are boxing. If it is me, let me be clear about what I think about how to use our military for good.
I never believed we should have elevated the attacks of September 11 to the dignity of war. They were criminal acts by a small, underground groups of organized criminals. We know how to defeat such things -- through smart police action, such as what we have used against the KKK and Mafia. Infiltrate, cut off their resources, find them and stop them. Al Quada was in Afghanistan. Go to Afghanistan. I supported the multi-lateral action to pursue Al Quada in Afghanistan. Most of the rest of the world was with us in that measured, judicious response.
I also wrote on behalf of multi-lateral military action to stop the genocide in the former republics of Yugoslavia long before the Clinton administration acted (successfully) to stop that tragedy. I have said that strong U.N. presence should have been deployed in Sudan and Darfur long ago. Prompt action might have prevented that genocide. I supported willingness to intervene in the tragic tribal massacres in Rwanda. But there is no oil or money in Rwanda or Sudan, so our leaders looked the other way.
I want international participation in a just two-state solution for Palestine-Israel.
I am a member of Amnesty International.
I am in favor of our wise use of power to deter and contain violence and injustice, and to stop genocide.
I also believe that diplomacy is usually more effective than violence at creating long-term solutions.
Saddam was completely contained and deterred. He was actually an effective counter-balance to Iraq and its militancy. Al Quada was not in Iraq.
We lived for more than a generation with a successful policy of deterrence and containment toward the Soviet Union. Saddam was a shadow of their threat.
By attacking Iraq, we played stupidly into the hands of Al Quada and Iran, we unleashed horrible suffering on innocent civilians, and we turned into monsters who use torture, unlawful imprisonment that violates our own habeas corpus and Geneva conventions, and we escalated the violence, anger, and extremism of the entire world while compromising our own leadership capability.
Instead of acting justly with a measured judicial response, we acted vengefully. That's God's prerogative, not ours.
Lowell
Touche, Lowell. That is a succinct and eloquent summary of the quagmire we find ourselves in and how we, though simple reliance on principles and reason, could have avoided it.
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