Luke 6: 20-31
Roger Lynn
We are connected to God and to each other. It is who we are. It is how we are created. It is at the very heart of what it means to be human. When we remember this most basic of truths we tend to experience the fullness of life – abundance, community, support, hope. When we forget this most basic of truths we tend to experience the darker side of life – isolation, fear, frustration, despair. In Luke’s Gospel Jesus speaks of “blessings” and “woes” – the consequences of how we choose to orient our living. Our blessedness is not determined by the outward circumstances of life, but rather by an awareness of our connection with God and with each other. Whatever comes our way, we can face it when we remember that we do not have to pretend to be brave and strong and self-reliant. We do not have to draw exclusively on our own resources. We are most fully and truly blessed when we catch a glimpse of the bigger picture of which we are a part – when we are open to the amazing fullness of who we are. And the flip-side of the blessings also flows from our choice of life orientation. When we lose sight of our connection and fall into the trap of thinking we are self-sufficient, we effectively cut ourselves off from all the benefits of being connected to God and each other. The blessings are still there, but we can’t see them or access them. It’s as if we are standing in a field filled with sunlight, and we choose to close our eyes and stumble around in the dark. If we believe that meaning and purpose and comfort and strength for our living extend no further than our own skin, then woe unto us – we are in for hard times indeed.
Because we human beings seem to have a tendency to forget what’s really important, it is helpful to engage in practices which enable us and encourage us to remember. We need to be reminded that we really are connected. We need such reminders on a regular basis because we tend to forget on a regular basis. One of the ways in which we do this is when we celebrate the ancient Christian tradition of the Feast of All-Saints. In doing so we intentionally draw our attention to what the writer of Hebrews called “so great a cloud of witnesses” – all those who have gone before us but who are connected to us still. We remember that we are not alone. We savor the divine heritage of every human being who ever has or ever will live – that each of us and all of us are one with God and thus in God we are one with each other. And so we begin by remembering those who are near and dear to our hearts – our parents, our spouses, our children, our friends. We name them by name. We allow ourselves to get in touch with just how deeply interwoven our lives are with theirs. If they are still with us we reach out and hold their hand. If they have died we let the memories wash over us. In either case we offer of prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of these people in our lives. We begin to experience the truth of our connection – not just in our heads, but in our hearts, and our bodies, and our spirits.
And then we take the next important step – we let the ripples of that truth spread out and encompass more and more of the connections which are a part of our living. The truth that we are all a part of each other – the whole messy mass of humanity. We begin to catch at least a glimmer of a glimpse of the truth which Jesus pointed to following the “blessings” and the “woes.” “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:27-31) These seem like such hopelessly naïve and outlandish words. And they are, unless and until we begin to hear them through the filter of our connection. When we get in touch with the far-reaching message of “All” Saints we begin to see these words as the promise of possibility rather than a burden of obligation. Perhaps, with God’s help, it really is possible to live into the full reality of our connection.
On this day when we pause to remember those who have gone before us, may we allow our awareness to expand. May we open our eyes and open our hearts and our lives ever more fully to the vast, expansive sea of Saints, living and dead, with whom we are, by the immeasurable grace of God, connected. And then we truly will be blessed.
No comments:
Post a Comment