Sunday, May 27, 2012

Pentecost Sunday

The Church has a love/hate relationship with divine revelation. Revelation gave birth to the Church, but it must be controlled for the Church to maintain its power and influence. One problem. Does the Holy Spirit seem like someone who can be controlled? Perhaps they'd be more successful herding cats, but you have to respect the effort. Who else would be arrogant enough to think that they can control whom God speaks to? More importantly, if the Holy Spirit came to the Church at Pentecost, why would she ever leave? Would she really say "that's good enough" after inspiring the apostles and their students? Does it really make sense that public revelation ended with the books of the New Testament? I say that revelation is ongoing and never ending. Jesus did not culminate the time of revelation, he blew the doors wide open. And we desperately need to walk on through, because we still don't get it. Jesus offered us the chance to forgive the sins of our siblings, but we choose to retain them instead. It would be absurdly funny, if it wasn't so damn pathetic.

The Spirit and the flesh "are opposed to each other." Is that what the Incarnation teaches us? This example is why we still need public revelation. Prior revelation is never perfect or complete, because we never truly get it. Our love is limited, God's is not. He always has more to teach us. Jesus and his apostles built upon the revelation of the Hebrew Scriptures. I have been given a revelation that builds upon the Christian Scriptures. And someone will come after me to build upon all of it. This is the way God works. She always has something to say. It may be inconvenient for our corporate masters, but God does not shut up just because it is inconvenient to the power men. We all need to remember who's really in charge around here, and it's not the babbling monkeys.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

It is all about power today. On the face of it, proof of Jesus' power. Only a true king could be seated "at the right hand of God." But more importantly, these words serve to justify the power claims of churches, clerics, and believers alike. They are simply using the authority given them by the Lord of All, so that the wrong people cannot crash the party. And as the right people exercise their divine authority and utilize their holy power, they oh so conveniently forget that other little command our Brother gave us: "Love one another." Who needs love when you can have power instead?

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Sixth Sunday of Easter

"God is love." What more is there to understand than this? And yet we do not understand, because we approach this truth logically and rationally. We categorize, define, and judge worthiness of love. We embrace countless institutions that exist to proclaim whom God loves, and more importantly whom God does not love. Our love has limits. "God shows no partiality." We are all his Chosen People, as we are each her true child. All they ask of us is to love our siblings.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Fifth Sunday of Easter

What does it mean to "remain in" Jesus? Is it about him, or the Parent he reveals? If it is about him, then we can justify limiting our love to fellow believers. If it is about our Parent, then we must love all of their children. To "remain in" Jesus is about bearing fruit, not belief or obedience. Who does the fruit belong to: the vine or the grower?