Speaking and Living Good News

Lectio Divina

He preached good news to the people.

Luke 3:18

Library

Continuing with Mumford, The City in History, and browsing through Ellsberg, All Saints. Looking to get some poetry into my bibliophiacal diet, as we get closer to Christmas.

Log

The men at Lompoc prison told me about the slaughter at the elementary school in Connecticut before I knew about it. From there our reflections on the Sunday Gospel took an urgent tone: how do we speak the good news of God in a world of bad news? More than this, how do we live the good news in a world that makes so much bad news? For God has raised the bar for all of us by sending Jesus, the very image of God, into the world. Far from being excused from doing anything differently, from being transformed, we are called into greater responsibility, greater participation in our redemption, our liberation, our salvation.

It is not enough for us to speak the truth, like John the Baptist. The least in the kin(g)dom of God is greater than John the Baptist. Truth is served when truth is done. Truth is loved and honored when truth is lived.

Now and forever, let us lay down the weapons of the world and turn away from the mysticism of violence and its black arts. We are done learning how to make others suffer. Instead, we ourselves, we personally, will learn how to suffer in love, with love, for love. Let us take the cross off of others. Let us take up our own cross, and the only "weapons" allowed to us are the weapons of the spirit: prayer, fasting, and giving alms.

Dostoevsky said through his character Ivan Karamazov that the suffering of children is the strongest argument against the existence of God. Feeling a strong desire to talk to my sister, who is a schoolteacher and whose birthday is next Saturday.

This morning, house chapter, followed in the afternoon by the regular chores. This evening, being quiet and gentle to others and myself in preparation for Sunday worship.

Weather

Chilly but bright, sunny, and stable.