For the Sick and Healing

Heavenly Father, giver of life and health: Comfort and relieve your sick servants, and give your power of healing to those who minister to their needs, that those (or N., or N.N.) for whom our prayers are offered may be strengthened in their weakness and have confidence in your loving care; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Good Friday

Thank you Rev. Elder for these wonderful words:

Why Good Friday is called ‘good’


One of the most common questions I am asked at this time of year is why Friday this week is called Good Friday by Christians.

Good Friday is the day on which Christians recall the exe­cution of Christ on the cross by Pontius Pilate and the Roman regime in Judea, which falls, of course, before Easter Sunday.

The other question I get at this time of year is why Chris­tians believe that Jesus was supposed to die and stay in the tomb for three days when it seems that he was there for only two, given that he died on a Friday and Christians believe he was raised on a Sunday.

To answer the first question, I admit it does seem odd that the day on which the founder of Christianity was brutally murdered should be called “good.” Presumably, if one is a devout Christian who loves Jesus of Nazareth, the day he was tortured and killed hardly seems good, and so “dreadful Friday” seems a better term.

The term Good Friday comes from one of two possible sources. In Renaissance English, the term “good” and “pious” were often used inter­changeably. And so it has been argued that “good Friday” actu­ally may have originally meant “holy Friday.”

A better solution to this ques­tion also comes from archaic English usage. In late medieval times, the so-called “satisfac­tion” theory of the atonement was popular in religious preaching. In this understand­ing of the death of Christ, man­kind’s sins had incurred a dreadful debt to God, which could never be paid for by human efforts.

But Christ’s willingness to shed his sinless blood on man­kind’s behalf paid this debt of sin. In medieval English a “good debt” was one that could be paid off, as opposed to a “bad debt” which could not, terms which we still use in the financial arena.

Hence, in this world view, on Good Friday, the debt of man­kind to God was paid off, and so it was a “good” Friday which ended the spiritual debt. This interpretation seems to me to be the more accurate historical origin for the term, but I could be wrong on this point.

As for the second question, the answer is simple. If Jesus was to be buried for three days before rising how do we explain that he seems to have been dead for only two days, given that he was buried on Friday raised on a Sunday.

Setting aside the fact that the prophetic claims of a three-day death probably do not depend on a stopwatch observation of time, here is the probable answer. Ancient civili­zations, such as Greece and Rome, did not have the con­cept of a zero, an empty cipher of a place before counting could start.

“Zero” is an Indian Hindu religious concept brought to the west by the medieval Arab Muslims after their conquest of India. In modern mathematics, we might count 0, 1, 2, 3. In antiquity, they had no zero, and so counting began I, II, III. And with this concept of mathematics, Friday was day I, Saturday was day II, and Sun­day as day III, the day of the resurrection.

The actual Good Friday, the day on which Jesus was killed, remains a matter of consider­able academic debate. Most scholars believe that Jesus was born sometime between 8 and 4 B.C. Since we are told that Jesus was born in the reign of Herod the Great, who died in 4 B.C., this sets a final limit on the year of Jesus’ birth and therefore helps us calculate his death year.

The gospels suggest that Jesus lived for 30 or 33 years. We know that the Roman proc­urator who executed Jesus, Pontius Pilate, ruled Judea from A.D. 26 to 36, at the plea­sure of Tiberius Caesar. This would suggest that Jesus was killed as early as A.D. 26 or as late as A.D. 33 or 34.

In the Acts of the Apostles, we are told that there was a “moon of blood” when Jesus died (Acts 2:20). One astronom­ical calculation tells us that there was a partial eclipse of the moon over Judea on April 3 in A.D. 33. This seems as good a date as any.

Christians observe this Fri­day in a variety of ways. In some churches there are ser­mons on the seven last words of Christ, given between the hours of noon, when Jesus was traditionally crucified, and 3 in the afternoon, when he tradi­tionally died. In the Catholic Church there is traditionally a service of ven­erating the cross, often by the faithful kissing the base of a crucifix. No Mass is ever said on Good Friday, even by the pope himself. In many churches this is a day of fast­ing, prayer and repentance.

I think there is a value to pausing on Good Friday, partic­ularly between noon and 3 in the afternoon, for a moment of reflection. A great many people suffer in our modern world, needlessly and for the wrong political, religious and cultural reasons. Perhaps it is worth remembering those who are still crucified along with Christ in our enlightened age, on this solemn day.

Today, people will still suffer for the their religious beliefs, their sexual orientation, their political opinions and their skin color and gender. I have no theological doubt that humanity is indeed reconciled to God by the death of Christ on the cross.

But, as long as God’s chil­dren still suffer, I am not sure that Christ’s crucifixion has really ever come to an end.

Gregory Elder, a Redlands resident, is a professor of history and humanities at Moreno Valley College and a Roman Catholic priest. Write to him at Professing Faith, P.O. Box 8102, Redlands, CA 92375-1302, email him at askfathergregory@verizon.net or follow him on Twitter at Fatherelder.

C.S. Lewis Bible provokes debate

By Nomi Morris
LA Times 2011

April 16, 2011
At a time when the words of the late British novelist, scholar and lay theologian C.S. Lewis are reaching more people than ever, a newly published Bible bearing his name has excited fans and provoked debate over whether Lewis would have approved.

"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," the third film created from Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" series, has earned more than $400 million since its December release. Next month, Lewis' translation of Virgil's Aeneid will be published. A stage adaptation of "The Screwtape Letters" is on national tour. And C.S. Lewis College, a Christian school, is expected to open in 2012 in Massachusetts.

For HarperCollins, which has published nine of Lewis's nonfiction books on Christianity and is the main licensing manager for the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, it made sense to issue a Bible with 600 Lewis excerpts interspersed through the text.

"What a great fit," said Michael Maudlin, executive editor of HarperOne, the publisher's imprint for religion and spirituality. "This is a devotional Bible. It uses Lewis' writings to illuminate what is being addressed in the Scripture."

Overseen by Lewis' stepson Douglas Gresham and Lewis scholar Jerry Root, who teaches at Wheaton College in Illinois, editors sifted through the suggestions of nearly two dozen academics to decide which insights to include.

After Genesis 3:1-13, for example, about Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the editors use this Lewis excerpt: "He would rather have a world of free beings, with all its risks, than a world of people who did right like machines because they couldn't do anything else."

After Hosea 14:1-7 comes Lewis' view that "God gives what He has, not what He has not: He gives the happiness that there is, not the happiness that is not."

Born Clive Staples Lewis in 1898, Lewis became a professor of literature and classics at Oxford and Cambridge universities. An atheist in early adulthood, he converted to Christianity at age 32. He often discussed religion with his friend J.R.R. Tolkien, the "Lord of the Rings" author, who was also a believer.

In its first few months, the C.S. Lewis Bible has sold 19,000 clothbound copies and 5,300 leather-bound copies.

But no sooner had the new Bible appeared than some evangelical conservatives circulated a petition saying Lewis' name and writings should not be paired with a gender-neutral translation of the Bible that came out decades after his 1963 death.

Louis Markos, an English professor at Houston Baptist University, sent the petition to 1,000 academics urging that HarperOne withdraw the book. About 35 representatives of colleges and religious journals have signed. "The majority consensus among C.S. Lewis scholars is that Lewis was firmly against gender-neutral usage and the egalitarianism on which it is based," the petition says.

Markos, who has written two books on C.S. Lewis, says the late writer believed instead in "complementarianism," that God created men and women with different roles and responsibilities.

"C.S. Lewis' position throughout his works is the traditional Christian position that men and women are different but of full and equal value," said Markos, who is urging HarperOne to reissue the Bible in the King James Version — used during Lewis' time — or the Revised Standard Version.

Some scholars say Lewis was leaning more toward egalitarianism in his later years.

Maudlin responds that the New Revised Standard Bible is used by a wide swath of Christian denominations. He says the petition may have discouraged some conservative evangelical bookstores from carrying the Lewis Bible but hasn't slowed overall sales. "It caused a few ripples but in the end helped us with publicity," he said.

Bibles remain the backbone of the book publishing industry. According to a survey last year by the Pew Research Center, 37% of Americans say they read it more than once a week, not including during services.

Weighing in at 1,568 pages, the Lewis Bible is the latest of about 60 Bibles published by HarperCollins, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. The media conglomerate also owns Walden Media and 20th Century Fox, which are putting the Narnia books onscreen.

In recent years, Lewis has become so popular among traditional Christians that Eastern University professor Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen was quoted in the evangelical magazine Christianity Today warning that some evangelical Christians wish to turn him into "the 13th Apostle."

"He is treated like a saint, which is ironic since it is a community that doesn't believe in saints," said Craig Detweiler, director of the Center for Entertainment, Media and Culture at Pepperdine University.

Even Sarah Palin, who is also published by HarperCollins, cited C.S. Lewis as a source of "divine inspiration" when broadcaster Barbara Walters asked her about her reading habits in a December interview.

Both Joy Behar of ABC's "The View" and MSNBC commentator Richard Wolffe poked fun at Palin for citing a children's book author. But Lewis, an Anglican, wrote many adult books on Christian philosophy that are well respected by many theologians.

"He articulated Orthodoxy so cogently," Detweiler said. "No one has assumed such a sharp, insightful and authoritative voice from within the evangelical community. So Lewis is bandied about to settle old arguments and even new ones."

The new Bible with Lewis' writings, says Detweiler, is typical of the issues that divide progressives from conservatives among evangelical Christians.

"Lewis was a pipe-smoking, alcohol-drinking Anglican who has been embraced by an evangelical community that may not have room for him in many of their churches," he said.

Benedictine meeting 3/22/2011

We enjoyed a great turnout for our monthly meeting and it started out with evening prayer at chuch and moving to a pot-luck dinner. We had good eats and great conversation leading to a wonderful Lectio Divina. For Lectio we used the bible passages Psalm 68:6-10.

In reading this passage I was seeing that God wants me to trust in Him and allow him to guide me in the path that will bring me true happyness. God will always provide for his people if we offer up everything to Him.

Lectio Divina

THE PROCESS of LECTIO DIVINA

A
VERY ancient art, practiced at one time by all Christians, is the technique known as lectio divina - a slow, contemplative praying of the Scriptures which enables the Bible, the Word of God, to become a means of union with God. This ancient practice has been kept alive in the Christian monastic tradition, and is one of the precious treasures of Benedictine monastics and oblates. Together with the Liturgy and daily manual labor, time set aside in a special way for lectio divina enables us to discover in our daily life an underlying spiritual rhythm. Within this rhythm, we discover an increasing ability to offer more of ourselves and our relationships to the Father, and to accept the embrace that God is continuously extending to us in the person of his Son Jesus Christ.

Lectio - READING/LISTENING

The art of lectio divina begins with cultivating the ability to listen
deeply, to hear "with the ear of our hearts" as St. Benedict encourages us in the Prologue to the Rule. When we read the Scriptures we should try to imitate the prophet Elijah. We should allow ourselves to become women and men who are able to listen for the still, small voice of God (I Kings 19:12); the "faint murmuring sound" which is God's word for us, God's voice touching our hearts. This gentle listening is an "atunement" to the presence of God in that special part of God's creation which is the Scriptures.

The cry of the prophets to ancient Israel was the joy-filled command to "Listen!" "Sh'ma Israel: Hear, O Israel!" In lectio divina we, too, heed that command and turn to the Scriptures, knowing that we must "hear" - listen - to the voice of God, which often speaks very softly. In order to hear someone speaking softly we must learn to be silent. We must learn to love silence. If we are constantly speaking or if we are surrounded with noise, we cannot hear gentle sounds. The practice of lectio divina, therefore, requires that we first quiet down in order to hear God's word to us. This is the first step of lectio divina, appropriately called lectio - reading.

The reading or listening which is the first step in lectio divina is very different from the speed reading which modern Christians apply to newspapers, books and even to the Bible. Lectio is reverential listening; listening both in a spirit of silence and of awe. We are listening for the still, small voice of God that will speak to us personally - not loudly, but intimately. In lectio we read slowly, attentively, gently listening to hear a word or phrase that is God's word for us this day

Meditatio - MEDITATION

Once we have found a word or a passage in the Scriptures which speaks to us in a personal way, we must take it in and "ruminate" on it. The image of the ruminant animal quietly chewing its cud was used in antiquity as a symbol of the Christian pondering the Word of God. Christians have always seen a scriptural invitation to lectio divina in the example of the Virgin Mary "pondering in her heart" what she saw and heard of Christ (Luke 2:19). For us today these images are a reminder that we must take in the word - that is, memorize it - and while gently repeating it to ourselves, allow it to interact with our thoughts, our hopes, our memories, our desires. This is the second step or stage in lectio divina - meditatio. Through meditatio we allow God's word to become His word for us, a word that touches us and affects us at our deepest levels.

Oratio - PRAYER

The third step in lectio divina is oratio - prayer: prayer understood both as dialogue with God, that is, as loving conversation with the One who has invited us into His embrace; and as consecration, prayer as the priestly offering to God of parts of ourselves that we have not previously believed God wants. In this consecration-prayer we allow the word that we have taken in and on which we are pondering to touch and change our deepest selves. Just as a priest consecrates the elements of bread and wine at the Eucharist, God invites us in lectio divina to hold up our most difficult and pain-filled experiences to Him, and to gently recite over them the healing word or phrase He has given us in our lectio and meditatio. In this oratio, this consecration-prayer, we allow our real selves to be touched and changed by the word of God.

Contemplatio - CONTEMPLATION

Finally, we simply rest in the presence of the One who has used His word as a means of inviting us to accept His transforming embrace. No one who has ever been in love needs to be reminded that there are moments in loving relationships when words are unnecessary. It is the same in our relationship with God. Wordless, quiet rest in the presence of the One Who loves us has a name in the Christian tradition - contemplatio, contemplation. Once again we practice silence, letting go of our own words; this time simply enjoying the experience of being in the presence of God.

THE UNDERLYING RHYTHM of LECTIO DIVINA

If we are to practice lectio divina effectively, we must travel back in time to an understanding that today is in danger of being almost completely lost. In the Christian past the words action (or practice, from the Greek praktikos) and contemplation did not describe different kinds of Christians engaging (or not engaging) in different forms of prayer and apostolates. Practice and contemplation were understood as the two poles of our underlying, ongoing spiritual rhythm: a gentle oscillation back and forth between spiritual "activity" with regard to God and "receptivity."

Practice - spiritual activity - referred in ancient times to our active cooperation with God's grace in rooting out vices and allowing the virtues to flourish. The direction of spiritual activity was not outward in the sense of an apostolate, but inward - down into the depths of the soul where the Spirit of God is constantly transforming us, refashioning us in God's image. The active life is thus coming to see who we truly are and allowing ourselves to be remade into what God intends us to become.

In contemplation we cease from interior spiritual doing and learn simply to be, that is to rest in the presence of our loving Father. Just as we constantly move back and forth in our exterior lives between speaking and listening, between questioning and reflecting, so in our spiritual lives we must learn to enjoy the refreshment of simply being in God's presence, an experience that naturally alternates (if we let it!) with our spiritual practice.

In ancient times contemplation was not regarded as a goal to be achieved through some method of prayer, but was simply accepted with gratitude as God's recurring gift. At intervals the Lord invites us to cease from speaking so that we can simply rest in his embrace. This is the pole of our inner spiritual rhythm called contemplation.

How different this ancient understanding is from our modern approach! Instead of recognizing that we all gently oscillate back and forth between spiritual activity and receptivity, between practice and contemplation, we today tend to set contemplation before ourselves as a goal - something we imagine we can achieve through some spiritual technique. We must be willing to sacrifice our "goal-oriented" approach if we are to practice lectio divina, because lectio divina has no other goal than spending time with God through the medium of His word. The amount of time we spend in any aspect of lectio divina, whether it be rumination, consecration or contemplation depends on God's Spirit, not on us. Lectio divina teaches us to savor and delight in all the different flavors of God's presence, whether they be active or receptive modes of experiencing Him.

In lectio divina we offer ourselves to God; and we are people in motion. In ancient times this inner spiritual motion was described as a helix - an ascending spiral. Viewed in only two dimensions it appears as a circular motion back and forth; seen with the added dimension of time it becomes a helix, an ascending spiral by means of which we are drawn ever closer to God. The whole of our spiritual lives were viewed in this way, as a gentle oscillation between spiritual activity and receptivity by means of which God unites us ever closer to Himself. In just the same way the steps or stages of lectio divina represent an oscillation back and forth between these spiritual poles. In lectio divina we recognize our underlying spiritual rhythm and discover many different ways of experiencing God's presence - many different ways of praying.

THE PRACTICE of LECTIO DIVINA

Private lectio divina

Choose a text of the Scriptures that you wish to pray. Many Christians use in their daily lectio divina one of the readings from the Eucharistic liturgy for the day; others prefer to slowly work through a particular book of the Bible. It makes no difference which text is chosen, as long as one has no set goal of "covering" a certain amount of text: the amount of text "covered" is in God's hands, not yours.

Place yourself in a comfortable position and allow yourself to become silent. Some Christians focus for a few moments on their breathing; other have a beloved "prayer word" or "prayer phrase" they gently recite in order to become interiorly silent. For some the practice known as "centering prayer" makes a good, brief introduction to lectio divina. Use whatever method is best for you and allow yourself to enjoy silence for a few moments.

Then turn to the text and read it slowly, gently. Savor each portion of the reading, constantly listening for the "still, small voice" of a word or phrase that somehow says, "I am for you today." Do not expect lightening or ecstasies. In lectio divina God is teaching us to listen to Him, to seek Him in silence. He does not reach out and grab us; rather, He softly, gently invites us ever more deeply into His presence.

Next take the word or phrase into yourself. Memorize it and slowly repeat it to yourself, allowing it to interact with your inner world of concerns, memories and ideas. Do not be afraid of "distractions." Memories or thoughts are simply parts of yourself which, when they rise up during lectio divina, are asking to be given to God along with the rest of your inner self. Allow this inner pondering, this rumination, to invite you into dialogue with God.

Then, speak to God. Whether you use words or ideas or images or all three is not important. Interact with God as you would with one who you know loves and accepts you. And give to Him what you have discovered in yourself during your experience of meditatio. Experience yourself as the priest that you are. Experience God using the word or phrase that He has given you as a means of blessing, of transforming the ideas and memories, which your pondering on His word has awakened. Give to God what you have found within your heart.

Finally, simply rest in God's embrace. And when He invites you to return to your pondering of His word or to your inner dialogue with Him, do so. Learn to use words when words are helpful, and to let go of words when they no longer are necessary. Rejoice in the knowledge that God is with you in both words and silence, in spiritual activity and inner receptivity.

Sometimes in lectio divina one will return several times to the printed text, either to savor the literary context of the word or phrase that God has given, or to seek a new word or phrase to ponder. At other times only a single word or phrase will fill the whole time set aside for lectio divina. It is not necessary to anxiously assess the quality of one's lectio divina as if one were "performing" or seeking some goal: lectio divina has no goal other than that of being in the presence of God by praying the Scriptures.

CONCLUSION

Lectio divina is an ancient spiritual art that is being rediscovered in our day. It is a way of allowing the Scriptures to become again what God intended that they should be - a means of uniting us to Himself. In lectio divina we discover our own underlying spiritual rhythm. We experience God in a gentle oscillation back and forth between spiritual activity and receptivity, in the movement from practice into contemplation and back again into spiritual practice.

Lectio divina teaches us about the God who truly loves us. In lectio divina we dare to believe that our loving Father continues to extend His embrace to us today. And His embrace is real. In His word we experience ourselves as personally loved by God; as the recipients of a word which He gives uniquely to each of us whenever we turn to Him in the Scriptures.

Finally, lectio divina teaches us about ourselves. In lectio divina we discover that there is no place in our hearts, no interior corner or closet that cannot be opened and offered to God. God teaches us in lectio divina what it means to be members of His royal priesthood - a people called to consecrate all of our memories, our hopes and our dreams to Christ.

 
 

Psalm 35 - Evening Prayer - Sept 3

Psalm 35

Fight those who fight me, O LORD; *
attack those who are attacking me.
Take up a shield and armor *
and rise up to help me.
Draw the sword and bar the way against those who pursue me: *
say to my soul, "I am your salvation."
Let those who seek after my life be shamed and humbled; *
let those who plot my ruin fall back and be dismayed.
Let them be like chaff before the wind, *
and let the angel of the LORD drive them away.
Let their way be dark and slippery, *
and let the angel of the LORD pursue them.
For they have secretly spread a net for me without a cause; *
without a cause they have dug a pit to take me alive.
Let ruin come upon them unawares; *
let them be caught in the net they hid;
let them fall into the pit they dug.
Then I will be joyful in the LORD; *
I will glory in his victory.
My very bones will say, "LORD, who is like you? *
You deliver the poor from those who are too strong for them,
the poor and needy from those who rob them."
Malicious witnesses rise up against me; *
they charge me with matters I know nothing about.
They pay me evil in exchange for good; *
my soul is full of despair.
But when they were sick I dressed in sack-cloth *
and humbled myself by fasting;
I prayed with my whole heart,
as one would for a friend or a brother; *
I behaved like one who mourns for his mother,
bowed down and grieving.
But when I stumbled, they were glad and gathered together;
they gathered against me; *
strangers whom I did not know tore me to pieces and would not stop.
They put me to the test and mocked me; *
they gnashed at me with their teeth.
O Lord, how long will you look on? *
rescue me from the roaring beasts,
and my life from the young lions.
I will give you thanks in the great congregation; *
I will praise you in the mighty throng.
Do not let my treacherous foes rejoice over me, *
or let those who hate me without a cause wink at each other.
For they do not plan for peace, *
but invent deceitful schemes against the quiet in the land.
They opened their mouths at me and said, *
"Aha! we saw it with our own eyes."
You saw it, O LORD; do not be silent; *
O Lord, be not far from me.
Awake, arise, to my cause! *
to my defense, my God and my Lord!
Give me justice, O LORD my God,
according to your righteousness; *
do not let them triumph over me.
Do not let them say in their hearts,
"Aha! just what we want!" *
Do not let them say, "We have swallowed him up."
Let all who rejoice at my ruin be ashamed and disgraced; *
let those who boast against me be clothed with dismay and shame.
Let those who favor my cause sing out with joy and be glad; *
let them say always, "Great is the LORD,
who desires the prosperity of his servant."
And my tongue shall be talking of your righteousness *
and of your praise all the day long.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

How to do Lectio Divina in a Shared Community

I retrived this following information from a great website that I recommend that everyone visit and make use of. This is really great information for doing Lectio Divina alone or in a group. http://www.valyermo.com/ld-art.html Lectio Divina Shared in Community

(A) Listening for the Gentle Touch of Christ the Word (The Literal Sense)

1. One person reads aloud (twice) the passage of scripture, as others are attentive to some segment that is especially meaningful to them.

2. Silence for 1-2 minutes. Each hears and silently repeats a word or phrase that attracts.

3. Sharing aloud: [A word or phrase that has attracted each person]. A simple statement of one or a few words. No elaboration.

(B) How Christ the Word speaks to ME (The Allegorical Sense)

4. Second reading of same passage by another person.

5. Silence for 2-3 minutes. Reflect on "Where does the content of this reading touch my life today?"

6. Sharing aloud: Briefly: "I hear, I see..."

(C) What Christ the Word Invites me to DO (The Moral Sense)

7. Third reading by still another person.

8. Silence for 2-3 minutes. Reflect on "I believe that God wants me to . . . . . . today/this week."

9. Sharing aloud: at somewhat greater length the results of each one's reflection. [Be especially aware of what is shared by the person to your right.]

10. After full sharing, pray for the person to your right.

Note: Anyone may "pass" at any time. If instead of sharing with the group you prefer to pray silently , simply state this aloud and conclude your silent prayer with Amen.