Meeee-Ooow!

Lord, it's HOT tonight!

It got up to 97 degrees this afternoon. It's now 89 degrees at 8 PM.

The air is not moving. Thanks be to God for the Central Air Conditioning at the Rectory. The unit at Llangollen still has not been installed (they got the wrong sized unit) so our time at the beach has been delayed by yet another day. Sigh.

Thank God, the humidity is fairly low or we'd be up all night with thunderstorms which scare the Bejesus out of our pups, Lenny and CoCo.

Lenny cowers and shakes and whines and is absolutely inconsolable. Ms. Coco, fierce warrior that she is, barks at every rumble of thunder.

And. I. Do. Not. Sleep.

I end up feeling as restless as, well, as a Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Tonight's offering is this lovely little piece, perfect entertainment as an encore to this perfect day in August.

It's called Duetto buffo di due gatti (Cat Duet), for 2 voices & piano (spurious), QR iv/1

This piece is performed by two members of Les Petits Chanteur a la Croix de Bois (The Little Singers of Paris).

Thanks to my friend James for sending it my way.

Composition Description
by James Manheim

Many are the vocal recitals and opera galas that have ended with the Cat Duet as an encore. Though scored for two sopranos and piano, the work exists in orchestral versions and has been sung by male-female pairs and even as a tomcat duet. The text consists in its entirety of the single word "meow," and singers treat the melodies basically however they want to. The origins of this work are cloudy, but historians agree that it is not an authentic work by Rossini. It does, however, contain a good deal of Rossini's music, so the attribution is not completely off the mark. The Cat Duet contains elements of 1) the aria "Ah, come mai non senti," from the second act of Rossini's opera Otello (1816), 2) a nearby duet between the characters Otello and Iago, and 3) an earlier work in the same vein, the "Cat Cavatina" of Danish opera and song composer C.E.F. Weyse. The compiler was probably Robert Lucas Pearsall, a British composer better known for his output of hymns. In 1973, the Schott publishing house issued a facsimile of an 1825 edition of the Cat Duet, published by Ewer & Johanning and credited to Pearsall, but bearing the pseudonym G. Berthold. From Rossini's day down to ours, the piece has never lost its appeal for singers, concertgoers, and cat lovers; it often appears, of course, on compilations of classical music pertaining to felines

If it's August, it's Red Sox Nation!

It almost - almost - doesn't matter that, over the weekend, the Boston Red Socks slipped from tied for first place with the NY Yankess into six and a half games behind in the division and tied for the Wild Card Lead.

Okay, okay. So, The Red Sox are now 8 for 76 in the last two games, covering 24 innings. They have not advanced a runner to third base in the last 23 innings.

There is no panic in Red Sox Nation this morning.

Division titles are not won in early August. There are too many games left to play for that.

In two days, my 'Sox' will be playing Detroit and they'll start to make their way back up again. The Yankess just got lucky last night, is all.

Like the month of August itself, my 'Sox' are just warming up - just starting to get really hot.

I was born and brought up in Massachusetts. I know the Holy Ritual of Summer Baseball, especially as played by the Boston Red Sox.

Therefore, I know a little something about 'hope'.

I grew up learning the mantra: "Yeah, well, just wait until next year."

I am no Big Sports Jock. I really don't understand all the hype about football and while I like to watch an occasional basketball game - especially the WNBA games (two-time Olympic medalist Yolanda Griffith is retiring - are you kidding me?) - I really only follow the Boston Red Sox.

Oh, and the NY Yankees - but only when they are playing the Boston Red Sox.

Truth be told, I really don't even watch the games much until August. In my mind, it's part of what it means to be August. Indeed, I wouldn't know what month it was unless I could walk down the street and hear car radio stations tuned to the Game or walk by houses and see the flicker of TV screens as the melodious sounds of the announcer's voice over the constant roar of the crowd found its way to my ears.

Nothing will get my heart rate to increase faster than hearing, "Bottom of the seventh, bases loaded, two balls, two strikes. Tied score: 3-3. A-Rod is up at bat. Rameriz is looking tired. Clay Buchholz is warming up in the pen. . . . "

Oh, man! Where at the hot dogs? Yes, two. Nah, no beer. I'll take a Diet Pepsi or Coke, though. Mustard and onion, please. Don't forget the chopped onion. Last time you forgot the onion and the Sox lost. My boys get jinxed if there's no chopped onion on the dogs. I got my lucky Red Sox red socks on, so don't mess this up. And potato chips - if the Sox lose, I'll have heartburn all night from those fries.

It's been called "The National Pastime". In some places, it's the "Local Obsession."

Me? It just wouldn't be August without Red Sox baseball.

'Living Bread' and Vegetables

One of the wonderful things about being on vacation is that I get to go to other churches and see other kinds of liturgy and hear other preachers.

One of the awful things about being on vacation and visiting other churches is that you sometimes see some liturgy and hear some preaching that is perfectly awful.

The really awful thing is not just because it is spiritually empty, but because it simply does not touch people where they are and nourish and inspire them to do the work of God.

I shall not reveal the location of this morning's experience. Suffice it to say that it was not the worst liturgy I've experienced or the most awful sermon I've ever heard, but both were certainly in the "Bottom 10".

The liturgy was traditional high Anglo-Catholic, and I confess that in the deepest part of my heart, I am an Anglo-Catholic. I love the litugry and the spirituality. I love the theology that directly connects what happens in the pulpit and at the Table and compels one into the world to do the work of God.

There was lots and lots of incense and sanctus bells. Everything was done with with impeccable precision. There was an East-facing altar (I watched in fascination as two of the acolytes moved the 'movable' altar off to the side chapel before the service.). The liturgy was complete with split T-formations, uniform bowing, and grand, swooping altar sensing - all done to absolute perfection.

I have come to know that, more often than not (although not in every case, certainly), just a little bit of gentle pastoral probing will reveal that - whether high Anglo-Catholic, Broad Middle or low Protestant - there is a direct link between such rigid ritual and some secret that the congregation and/or clergy are keeping.

It's just a sense - a hunch - an intuition one gets while sitting there. Sort of the same way one can discern that this - THIS - is a place where people pray.

One also gets a sense when something is not quite right. It's all a bit too precious. It's like the clergy are worshiping the worship instead of leading the people to worship God.

Know what I mean?

I won't speculate here, but my experience teaches me that there's a deep secret - some kind of unspeakable shame - that gets covered up when the liturgy is that precious and that precise and the ritual is that rigid.

What makes me angry is that it's mostly about the liturgy and the clergy, and not the needs of the people. I mean, as I looked around the congregation, no one was really paying attention.

First off, everything was waaaayyyy up there. The 'high altar' was quite high. You could have gotten a nose-bleed, it was so high.

When I looked around (because I found the rigidity of the ritual very off-putting), people were reading the bulletin or looking at the stained glass.

The woman in front of me was reading the Nicene Creed during the sermon, even though she obviously knew it by heart.

She was smart.

The sermon was awful. I mean, okay. It's hard to preach a creative sermon about bread three Sunday's in a row. Year after year. As I look ahead in the lectionary, another sermon about bread is in the offing next Sunday.

When the sermon started with the preacher saying, "You are what you eat," delivered in detached monotone, I knew we were in for trouble.

It went down from there.

Way down.

The good thing was, it only lasted eight minutes. Eight long minutes, but, mercifully, only eight minutes.

The worst part was, despite the fact that there were 'moments' in the sermon of some spiritual insight (although, for the life of me, they escape me now), I didn't believe one word he said. The preacher was absolutely disconnected from what he was saying. He read the words off the page mechanically, without any investment of himself.

Which should not really have come as a surprise. He preached in much the same way he presided over Eucharist. Mechanically. With precision. It was all performance, in the worst sense of that word. Disconnected from himself and the people he was supposed to be serving - feeding - nourishing - strengthening - sustaining.

The task of the priest is to break open the Word in the same way as s/he is to break open the Bread of Heaven and pour out the Cup of Salvation, so that God's people might be fed on both Word and Sacrament.

In the words of the priestly ordination vows, "In all (note: ALL) that you do, you are to nourish Christ's people from the riches of his grace, and strengthen them to glorify God in this life and the life to come."

I take those words as serious as a heart attack.

I'm sure he does, too. It's just that, well, in my experience, you simply can't do that while you are hiding behind ritual or form.

Preaching and presiding are two of the most transparent, naked, vulnerable things I do. At times, it can be absolutely terrifying. And, it's always a deep, profound privilege and honor.

And, and, and . . . here's the most important part: You do it all for Christ's people, that they, too, might come to Jesus "just as I am without one plea," and be changed and transformed and be made whole that they might live righteous, holy and godly lives of faith.

Listen, I know that I am not the best preacher in Western Christendom nor am I the best liturgist, but I give it my best shot. Every Sunday. Every time I preach or preside. And, as St. Paul tells us, the work is perfected in the doing.

Well, I found myself praying for my brother, that whatever secret fear he's been hiding, whatever collusion this congregation has in whatever secret they're keeping, might find exposure and healing. I pray that he might find nourishment for his soul so that he might nourish the people God has called him to serve.

As one of my spiritual directors once said to me: "There's a rule in the cosmos: You can't give away what you don't have."

And, I prayed that if that really was his best shot, if that's really the best he can do, that God might find a way to use it as a vehicle of God's grace. God knows, if God can use this broken pot of a vessel to some good, God can do anything.

And, God knows, God can. And does. All the time. Without any help from me. In fact, despite my anger and frustration and brokenness. God knows!

Needless to say, I came home spiritually hungry. I went to the gym where I found myself praying mightily on the elliptical machine, praying for forgiveness for my hardness of heart and asking God to help me to let go of my anger, find something positive to consider in the morning's experience, and become a better person and a better priest to the people I serve.

When I came home, I decided to check out a video clip a dear friend had sent me. I was deeply moved by it. Indeed, I felt as if I were hearing the sermon I missed.

I hope you will check out this video, too. It will be well worth the eight minutes you will spend watching it. Yup. Eight minutes. Just like this morning's sermon.

Coincidence? I don't think so.

I am quite certain this young man is not an Episcopalian. He's not clergy. But he is living out the Gospel with integrity and authenticity and passion and conviction.

The Word of God has clearly been broken open in his heart and he has been broken open by the Word which has moved him to mission and ministry.

I believe every word he says. Indeed, I feel compelled to join him. According to his website, Matthew 25 Farm, the goal at the farm this year is to grow ten acres of vegetables which will potentially feed 20,000 people. They intend to do this "completely by the support of the community which means that everything that we need to succeed will come from donations, loans, and volunteer labor."

There is a link where you can donate money or equipment. You can also "adopt a farm for a day."

That link will also take you to Current and Upcoming Events. This past week they needed help picking beans, along with some lettuce, carrots and even, perhaps, some onions. He figured that it would take about an hour to fill one 5 gallon pale full of beans. I'll check in later tonight or tomorrow to see what this week's assignment entails.

I've already sent this link to my Vestry and the chair of my Outreach Committee and have written up a "blurb" for the Parish Announcements.

I'm thinking there is a reason that my time at the beach has been delayed.

I'm thinking I should pack some jeans, an old tee-shirt, my boots and work gloves and take the four hour ride up to the farm this week. Check it out. Get my hands dirty.

I'm thinking this would be a wonderful inter-generational mission trip in early September for our congregation. I'm going to email my Youth Missioner right now and see what he thinks.

Jesus said, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." John 6:51.

You know, it's true: God does work in strange and mysterious ways.

Sometimes, even a bad sermon can inspire you to do good things.

Sometimes, 'living bread' can look like vegetables grown by a community of strangers for the poor, who are our neighbors in Christ.

The Clothing of a Novice

Note: This afternoon at 2 PM, I journeyed to the Southern part of NJ (which folk there say is really part of Pennsylvania and not Jersey and people from the North do little to dissuade them from that notion) to attend the novice clothing of Bill Shatzabel, a member of The Episcopal Church of St. Paul's, in the Anamchara Fellowship.

My beloved, Ms. Conroy, delivered the homily for this wonderful occasion and, I must say, she did a very fine job. Well, see for yourself. Her homily is posted below. Ms. Conroy has been a professed member of that fellowship since 2006 when she transferred her membership from the Order of Jonathan Daniels. She tells me that there are now 21 members in the AF.

I know you are dying to know just what the Anamchara Fellowship is all about, so here's what it says on their website:

The Anamchara Fellowship one of the new expressions of modern monasticism. Founded in the tradition of the Episcopal Church, with a Celtic spirit. Anamchara fellowship has received canonical recognition by the House of Bishops' Committee on the Religious Life. We strive to be an inclusive community, welcoming men and women, clergy and lay, married, single, or partners in a committed relationship. Members of the fellowship may live in their own homes or in groups as the ability for that arises. Each member must be self-supporting, and we are bound to each other by common ideals and a commitment to prayer and service. Our primary ministries focus on catechesis, pastoral care and spiritual direction.

For more information, please visit http://www.anamcharafellowship.org/)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Novice Clothing of Brother William Morgan, nAF
The Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist
Chew’s Landing, NJ
August 8, 2009
Sr. Barbara Clare, AF

Back up in the “North Country” known as the Diocese of Newark, The Episcopal Church of St. Paul has a tradition started by our rector and pastor of writing a love letter to every person who is baptized there.

It is a well-loved tradition and the letter is given to the family to save and then share with the child at a later date – perhaps at Confirmation – so that the story marking the beginning of their Christian journey can be better understood as they prepare to reaffirm the promises made for them as infants or children.

So, today I have borrowed that tradition and have written a love letter for Bill to mark a very important step that he is making in his Christian journey. You are all invited to listen in.

Brother Bill,

Did you ever think today would arrive? Did you ever dream that you would be asking to be received as a member of a Christian community? Specifically, Anamchara Fellowship?

Ah, it is truly God’s sense of humor and your persistence that has made today a reality.

Your journey so far has had many twists and turns, many highs and several lows – from your childhood in the Bronx, your Catholic school early education, your service in the Army, failed relationships, your successful career at AT&T, your coming out as a gay man, your side-step into despair and your strength and determination to become the person who you are created to be, loved and whole.

Today marks an important sidebar in your journey. You are choosing to further discern your vocation as a member in Anamchara Fellowship. Today you will make promises to God and witnessed by us all in which you will strive to live a life of simplicity, to honor fidelity and to cherish obedience.

Simplicity – is already in your portfolio (except maybe that motorcycle!). You only have what you need, and of course, that includes hundreds of books. You do live simply and you have gifts that we all can learn from.

You freely share what you have and are quick to help anyone who is in need. This is marked by your work at the Red Cross, your powerful ministry with people with Alzheimer’s and your humility at being the only male on the Altar Guild!

Fidelity – You are one of the most loyal folk I know. I have never found you deceitful or ever questioned your truthfulness. I know you to be faithful to seek the truth and you search for the answers to the deep questions – researching, reading, questioning, challenging – all in an effort to better understand what you believe.

Obedience – Ah, a little work needs to be done! Taking time to quiet the mind, so that God’s spirit can speak to you and you will listen and hear what She has to say. I know you are working on it, and it is a struggle, but the peace that will be yours when you strive for that quiet space will be well worth it.

We as a community have embraced you as a Brother. We support and pray for you and will continue to offer help and guidance in the next part of your journey. I know you will be a blessing to us, as I hope we will be to you.

So, get ready – seatbelt on (or helmet if you are on the bike) – prepare for the ride.

It’s going to be a blast!

P.S. The back of the Service Bulletin for Bill's clothing contained this information about Pelagius - from whence cometh Bill's religious name "Morgan".

Pelagius (ca. 360 - 420 c.e.) was a Welshman or at least a Celt from the British Isles. His name Pelagius is a Graeco-Roman form of his surname, Morgan, meaning "Son of the Sea." His friends called him "Brito".

After leaving a confession of things to be left behind on the altar, and forgiving all who come between him and Christ's call, Bill made the following vow:

"I give myself without reservation to God, the Three of limitless love. I seek to know Christ better and make him better known, to live simply that others may simply live, to overcome evil with good and to follow the examples of Columba, Brigid, Cuthbert, Hilda and all of the Celtic Saints.

I commit myself to simplicity, fidelity and obedience, honoring those to whom I am responsible.

I undertake, as God permits, to follow a daily rhythm of prayer, work and re-creation, to meet with my spiritual director regularly and to attend the Annual Gathering of Anamchara Fellowship.

I will pray for and meet with my Anamchara during this time of formation, and will use the Fellowship's patterns of prayer each day.

The Abbess then said,

May the Father's heart be yours;
May the Christ-like qualities of Columba, Brigid, Cuthbert, and Hilda be yours.
May the signs and wonders of the Spirit be yours.

In stillness or in storm, be always vigilant, waiting, sharing, praising, and blessing. Sail forth across the ocean of God's world, knowing both the frailty of your craft and the infinite riches of your God.

Ah, 'twas a lovely thing, indeed.

Congratulations, Bill. We're all very proud of ya, laddy!

What is a 'True Woman'?

Have you heard about the "True Woman" Movement?

This will sound strange: I wish I hadn't, but I'm glad I have.

As a friend of mine in South Carolina would say, this stuff makes me about as jumpy as a long tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

The "True Woman Conference" teaches "biblical womanhood" and "hierarchical complementarianism." It also teaches "Evangelical Anti-Feminism" and is also known as "The Christian Patriarchy Movement."

I am not making this up.

In October 2008, the "True Woman Conference" held in Chicago attracted 6,000 women. Out of it came the "True Woman Manifesto" which intends to set off a "counterrevolution to the feminist movement of the 1960's."

You can read the entire Manifesto here, but these are the basics:

1. The calling of women is to affirm 'godly masculinity'.
2. Women must honor the God-ordained authority of their husbands and pastors.
3. By submitting to male leadership, women reflect Jesus' submission to God.
4. Selfish focus on person rights is contrary to Christ's spirit of submission.
5. Bearing 'quiverfulls' of children is God's blessed gift to women.
6. Christian women must teach the next generation how to submit to male leadership in church and home.

Yes, we are at the end of the first decade of the third millennium. No, you have not just suddenly slipped into a time warp.

And no, you just can't make this stuff up.

Oh, but wait! There's more!

The essence of their theology is summed up in this phrase:

"Equal in being, unequal in role."

This comes from their definition of the 'eternal essence of manhood' - the created underlying nature of men - is a sense of leadership or authority.

The 'eternal essence of womanhood' - the created underlying nature of femininity - is a disposition to submit to male leadership.

You know, it's easy enough to dismiss all this as the stuff from the 'right-wing radical fringe'. To each his or her own, right? Live and let live, I always say. As long as it's not hurting anyone, right?

Let's hear a little bit more from the voices of the "Christian Patriarchy":

John Piper (who is featured in one of the videos on the True Woman homepage, delivering a talk - unbelievably - in which he, a man, defines for women what it means to be a 'True Woman'): "A wife who 'comes on strong' with her advice will probably drive a husband into passive silence or into active anger."

Did you hear a low growl under those words? Well, Bruce Ware makes that growl even more of an explicit bark: "Women victims of domestic violence are often to blame for their own abuse because they were failing to submit to their husbands' authority."

Indeed, Rick Warren's Saddleback Church maintains that only if women are 'beaten regularly' by their husbands can they qualify for a temporary separation, but never for a divorce, because the Bible permits divorce only for adultery or abandonment.

Is it any wonder, then, that people like Jimmy Carter have left repressive, oppressive religious institutions like the Southern Baptist Church? You can read about it here in his essay, "Losing my religion for equality".

Theologian Virginia Ramey Mollenkott has written a compelling article about this movement in this month's 'Progressive Christian Magazine'. She asks a very important question:

"When absolute power triumphs, can cruelty be far behind?"

Which leads me to ask another question: What is the difference between "Christian Patriarchy" and The Taliban?

That's a very serious question. I think the similarities are striking.

The brilliance of Mollenkott's essay, however, lies in the way she dismantles the biblical argument of this movement, which can be found in the 2006 edition of Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.


She writes:

" . . . at no time do the patriarchalist authors wrestle with the significance of the statements in Genesis 1:26-28 that God gave dominion to them (to both Adam and Eve) and told both of them to "have dominion" over the rest of creation."

"I also notice that male authority is frequently supported by reference to the statement in 1 Timothy 2:14 that Adam was not deceived by the serpent, but Eve was deceived. I have not found any hierarchalist who admits that according to Genesis 3:6, Adam was right there with Eve when she ate the forbidden fruit."

"And to my knowledge no one has dealt with the lack of logic involved in granting authority over the deceived person to the one who watched her transgress and then knowingly, deliberately defiled the will of God. Why would the male's fully conscious defiance be preferable to the female's mistaken belief that what she was doing would be helpful?"

Mollenkott continues to brilliantly pick apart the biblical fundamentalist mindset of the Christian Patriarchy Movement. It always strikes me how easy that is to do, once your brain is fully engaged.

We seem to be living in a time when the uncertainty that results from the 'swift and varied changes and chances of life' has led to a cultural anesthesia of sorts. No one want to think too deep, even about matters of faith. Some of us like answers given to us even before we ask the question.

I suppose we should expect that, as the oppressive systems of Patriarchy begin to be dismantled, there would be this last-gasp, desperate attempt to restore the assumed 'natural order' of social male hierarchy.

We see this in the personal as well as in religious organizations. The Vatican's full frontal attack on the Leadership Conference of Women Religious is an example of the later.

NY Times and NCR reporter Ken Briggs writes:

The Vatican has thrown down the gauntlet. The choice is stark: acquiesce to a “doctrinal assessment” of leadership conference views -- on women’s ordination, the primacy of Roman Catholicism and homosexuality – or reject the probe as an unwarranted fishing expedition bent on putting the organization out of business.

Patriarchy is not just for Roman Catholics. There is a new version of Promise Keepers - that movement of the early 1990's that was determined to change men's hearts and transform them into 'warriors for Christ'.

"PK 2.0" as its called - but this time, women and Jews are invited.

We have our own 'home schooled' version of the Christian Patriarchy Movement in the Anglican Communion, Anne Kennedy being "Exhibit A" of the genre.

Bless her heart, she has had four children in the past 8 and a half years or so, with #5 on the way. She stands ready, willing and able to allow her 'quiver' to overflow with children, whom I have no doubt that she adores and cares for to the best of her ability. It is sadly ironic, however, that she and other 'Christian patriarchialists' often accuse LGBT people of not having any 'restraint'.

A 'True Woman' apparently believes that what she is doing is being obedient to the call God has given her to fashion her life in this particular way.

Trouble is, they believe everyone - every woman - has the same vocation. If they don't, then women like me are being disobedient and in full rebellion to God's will for us.

Bless their hearts, each and every one.

I would defend Mrs. Kennedy's right to live her life in exactly the way she feels called by God to live out her vocation. What she - or any of those who consider themselves "Christian Patriarchialists" do not have the right is to insist that I follow their understanding of their vocation and apply it to my life and vocation.

See also my question: What is the difference between "Christian Patriarchy" and The Taliban? Last time I checked, we still lived in a democracy, not a theocracy.

Which is why I agree with Mollenkott who writes:

"My major concern is to sound an alert to those Christians who believe in human equality and the good diversity God has created - an alert about the very powerful last gasps of a movemnt that in its dying throes is more dangerous than ever because it has fine-tuned its arguments by opposing feminist insights. For many thousands of people, "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" are at stake, so progressive Christians need to take the 'new patriarchy" seriously."

Apparently, what got Mrs. Kennedy's patriarchialist panties in a twist was this essay by Katie Sherrod, in which she offers a 'modest proposal' that we make the Anglican Consultative Council’s International Anglican Women’s Network (IAWN) a fifth instrument of unity.

Better yet, she suggests,

"Before giving up totally on the Anglican Communion, let's have all the men -- Rowan Williams, all the male Primates, all the male bishops, all the male priests, all the male laymen -- take a vow of silence on this issue for a year and let the women of the Anglican Communion work on reconciling us to one another.

Let's let the people -- women -- who really DO make up the largest numbers of Anglicans in the world work on finding a way we can all live together in love despite our differences."

Not a half-bad suggestion, even if Katie's tongue is firmly planted in the side of her cheek.

Women - especially mothers - have been settling family squabbles ever since the dawn of time. We know how to do this.

If we can come home from a long day at work and negotiate a tense situation when the two year old takes the five year old's favorite toy, while making sure the soup is stirred on the stove and the cake in the oven doesn't burn, surely we can work our way through peace in the Anglican Communion without having everyone sign onto an Anglican Covenant and walk lock-step on two 'separate but equal' (wink, wink) tracks.

That's what every 'True Woman' I know can do.

For what it's worth, here's my working definitions of a 'True Woman' and a 'True Man'.

A woman who is true to her understanding of her particular vocation in the community of God, and makes the sacrifices necessary to live up to that truth is a 'True Woman'.

Similarly, a man who is true to his understanding of his particular vocation in the community of God and makes the sacrifices necessary to live up to that truth is a 'True Man'.

Equal in being, equal in role. You know, the way God intended in Paradise.

Stange Bedfellows and the Politics of Human Sexuality

This is Ted Olson and David Boies.

Olson is a Conservative attorney.

Boies is a liberal attorney.

They were last seen arguing against each other before the Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore.

Guess what they are up to now?

They have joined forces to file a lawsuit opposing California’s ban on gay marriage.

Yes, way.

In a recent op-ed piece, "Gay Marriage and the Constitution: Why Ted Olson and I are working to overturn California's Proposition 8," in the Wall Street Journal, Boies asserts:

We acted together because of our mutual commitment to the importance of this cause, and to emphasize that this is not a Republican or Democratic issue, not a liberal or conservative issue, but an issue of enforcing our Constitution's guarantee of equal protection and due process to all citizens.

Well, it's about time, don't you think? I know. I said that yesterday when Sonia Sotomayer's appointment to the Supreme Court was finally confirmed.

I suppose I should be happy with the fact that truth, eventually, wins. That the arc of history is long, as Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, but it always bends toward justice.

I'm sorry, but I'm finding myself mildly annoyed. I mean, if it's obvious to opposing lawyers in the conservative and liberal camps, then why did Prop 8 pass in the first place? What is taking so damn long?

Boies wrote:

The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the right to marry the person you love is so fundamental that states cannot abridge it. In 1978 the Court (8 to 1, Zablocki v. Redhail) overturned as unconstitutional a Wisconsin law preventing child-support scofflaws from getting married. The Court emphasized, "decisions of this Court confirm that the right to marry is of fundamental importance for all individuals." In 1987 the Supreme Court unanimously struck down as unconstitutional a Missouri law preventing imprisoned felons from marrying.

And -

There are those who sincerely believe that homosexuality is inconsistent with their religion -- and the First Amendment guarantees their freedom of belief. However, the same First Amendment, as well as the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses, preclude the enshrinement of their religious-based disapproval in state law.

I suppose we're seeing the effects of the 'dummying down' of this country. Everything in the news is broken down into 'soundbites'. It's the Nightly News as Sesame Street. Even the NBC "In Depth" section is not about an analysis of a significant piece of news, but a feel-good story that would never make the headlines.

Do we keep ourselves so busy that we don't have time to think critically and reflect thoughtfully? I mean, when was the last time you read an entire article - all the way through - in the New York Times or the Washington Post?

Right. Me neither. Not often on the day that it gets printed, but I do make the attempt to pick up the article online before I go to bed or later in the week. For example, this article in the WSJ was published July 20th.

And, here's the thing: Op ed pieces or lengthy articles in newspapers and magazines are not exactly filled with analysis intended to enlighten the mind. They are designed, primarily, to sell papers.

Ultimately, we're left with arguments that can be reduced to a 10 second sound bite or words that can fit on a bumper sticker.

You know, like "Abortion kills."

"If guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns."

"Marriage is between a man and a woman."

This is pretty much how important issues are argued: On bumper stickers. How ridiculous - how insulting - is that?

The problem is that a slogan is no substitute for careful analysis of the law. As Boies asserts in his article, "Law is about justice, not bumper stickers."

Which leaves me mildly annoyed but hopeful. All in all, not a bad place to be.

If the argument reaches the Supreme Court, now with Sotomayer sitting on the bench, I have no doubt that the freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution will be enacted for all - ALL - the people of this land.

Reaching out to such conservatives is essential for the progressive movement to build broad coalitions and win the policy changes that will make this world a more humane, egalitarian, and free place. If Ted Olson wants to join liberals on the gay marriage issue, that’s certainly better than if he doesn’t.

Politics, it has been said, is about the pursuit of the possible. This is not an impossible goal.

Politics is also said to be about choice. Will it be a politics of tolerance, of compassion, of truth, of empowerment? Or will it be a politics of bigotry, of imposition, of imperialism in all of its protean guises?

These are the questions of politics today. I thank God that we finally have a cultural climate in which these questions can be asked.

Beyond my mild annoyance and impatience, I am deeply grateful that we are finally asking questions and having these discussions publicly.

Perhaps it is precisely "strange bedfellows" who will help us, finally, navigate through the politics of human sexuality.

It's about time!

Judge Sonia Sotomayor has FINALLY been confirmed as Supreme Court Justice, making her the 111th justice, the first Latina and the third woman to be appointed to the high court.

This great poster is making the rounds on the internet. If you click on the poster, the picture will enlarge so you can see it in full.

The vote was 68 to 31. She did pick up some Republican votes like retiring Sen. Kit Bond of Missiouri who said, "There's been no significant finding against her, there's been no public uprising against her. I will support her, I'll be proud for her, the community she represents and the American dream she shows is possible."

However, thirty-one Republicans would not confirm her appointment based on the "fact" - at least in their view - that she was . . . are you ready for this? . . .racist.

There is an interesting article in today's Religion Dispatches entitled Sotomayer, Evangelicals and Racism by Michael J. Altman.

You can read it all for yourself, but here's the quote that caught my attention:

"So, when Republicans cast Sotomayor as an activist judge because she acknowledges the social and institutional role of race in America they are adopting the same racism theory as modern Evangelicals. This is the beam shared by Evangelicalism and the GOP—the centrality of the individual. The individual is the locus for economic growth for fiscal conservatives and must be protected from the weight of society and its need for tax dollars; similarly, the individual is the locus for spiritual change and must find a one on one relationship with Jesus in order to dispense God’s grace into the world. Such an emphasis becomes problematic, however, when it begins to push the realities of our communal and social existence out of vision. When there becomes no racism, just racists."

It's an interesting perspective, one that I'm sure we'll be hearing more of in the days and months ahead. I'll certainly be considering it and writing about it in future blogs.

But now is the time for celebration. Her swearing-in, scheduled for Saturday, will be an historic occasion, sure to have special significance in the Hispanic community from which she came.

It's about time, my friends. It's about time.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Transfiguration of the World

I've never been able to learn whether or not the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 was intended to be on August 6th, the Feast of the Transfiguration.

Ironies abound.

The Atomic bomb, named "Little Boy" was created by Robert Oppenheimer under what was called The Manhattan Project.

The first test was known as "Trinity." It was conducted by the United States on July 16, 1945, at a location 35 miles southeast of Socorro, New Mexico on the White Sands Proving Ground, headquartered near Alamogordo.

The Manhattan Project (1942-1946), led by the US, included scientists from UK and Canada. For years, I thought that might have been the genesis of the term "Trinity".

The plane that carried "Little Boy" was named Enola Gay (named after Colonel Tibbets' mother) was accompanied by two other B29s. The Great Artiste, commanded by Major Charles W. Sweeney, carried instrumentation; and a then-nameless aircraft later called Necessary Evil (the photography aircraft) was commanded by Captain George Marquardt.

A trinity of air craft carried the bomb to Hiroshima, but that would not have explained the test named Trinity which happened several weeks before.

I have since learned that Robert Oppenheimer was a fan of the poetry of John Donne, who had been introduced to his writings by his former girlfriend, Jean Tatlock.

In 1962, General Groves wrote to Oppenheimer about the origin of the name, asking if he had chosen it because it was a name common to rivers and peaks in the West and would not attract attention, and elicited this reply:[

'I did suggest it, but not on that ground... Why I chose the name is not clear, but I know what thoughts were in my mind. There is a poem of John Donne, written just before his death, which I know and love. From it a quotation: "As West and East / In all flatt Maps—and I am one—are one, / So death doth touch the Resurrection."He continued, 'That still does not make a Trinity, but in another, better known devotional poem Donne opens, "Batter my heart, three person'd God;—

I don't know about you, but I get a chill that reaches deep into my soul when I think of Donne's poetry being applied to an Atomic Bomb test that would bring such death and destruction.

Clearly, the energy which fueled the project was propelled by the altruistic mission to stop the Great Evil perpetrated by Nazi Germany.

However, here is result of that intended altruism in Hiroshima and, four days later on August 9 in Nagasaki:

The bombs killed as many as 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki by the end of 1945, roughly half on the days of the bombings. Amongst these, 15–20% died from injuries or the combined effects of flash burns, trauma, and radiation burns, compounded by illness, malnutrition and radiation sickness. Since then, more have died from leukemia (231 observed) and solid cancers (334 observed) attributed to exposure to radiation released by the bombs. In both cities, the majority of the dead were civilians.

We've all seen the pictures, most of which are too graphic to be reproduced here.
I am quite certain, however, that Donne did not have these images in mind when he wrote, "Batter my heart, three-person'd God."

This is what the world looks like when Evil meets Evil - no matter how altruistic the motives are believed to be on either side.

This has nothing to do with the Transfiguration of Jesus.

Neither does it have anything to do with the transformation of the heart and mind and soul that results from a life following the Way of Jesus.

However, the transfiguration of the cities and people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki does have everything to do with the way the world has been transfigured in the ensuing 64 years.

We would do well to remember this image along with the images of the Concentration Camps of Nazi Germany as well as the "Relocation Centers" for Japanese Americans in this country after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which mirror the "Reservations" created for Native Americans, displaced by the Evil of arrogance and greed.

The image of the large smoke cloud that arose after the 9/11 bombing of the Twin Towers of World Trade Center recall another kind of Manhattan Project which we forget at our own peril.

Yes, boys and girls, there is Evil in the world. The human enterprise is flawed and faulted by our penchant to sin. It can be redeemed by the unconditional love of God and the gift of grace, freely given and undeserved.

The gospel story of Transfiguration of Jesus, as reported by Matthew (17:1-9), Mark (9:2-8), and Luke (9:28-36), gives us an image of what the world can look like when Good meets Evil.

We can, with him, become radiant with God's love.

It is a choice. Our choice. Mine and yours. The result of the gift of Free Will.

I am clearly not advocating that we forget or dismiss these images of Evil. They stand ever before us as a reminder of the potential of the Great Evil we can do, even for altruistic reasons, when we use the gift of Free Will to make choices that lead to destruction of the world which God created.

Indeed, I think these images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Nazi Germany, Concentration Camps, Relocation Centers, Reservations and the World Trade Center as very large reminders of all the many and varied ways in which we fall short and miss the mark.

We can use the image of the Transfiguration of Jesus as our guide for our own transformation and that of the world.

The choice is ours.

It seems fitting, then, to reclaim the words of John Donne, metaphysical poet and Anglican priest, from the day intertwined with images of transfiguration and transformation, and let them stand on their own.

BATTER my heart, three person'd God; for, you
As yet but knocke, breathe, shine, and seeke to mend;
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow mee,'and bend
Your force, to breake, blowe, burn and make me new.
I, like an usurpt towne, to'another due,
Labour to'admit you, but Oh, to no end,
Reason your viceroy in mee, mee should defend,
But is captiv'd, and proves weake or untrue.
Yet dearely'I love you,'and would be loved faine,
But am betroth'd unto your enemie: 1
Divorce mee,'untie, or breake that knot againe;
Take mee to you, imprison mee, for I
Except you'enthrall mee, never shall be free,
Nor ever chast, except you ravish mee.

Lucy True Bug

This is the Blog Debut of my new car - Lucy True Bug. She's a Volkswagen Convertible Bug, born in Germany in 2009.

I literally drove her off the show room floor at Dover Volkswagen / Subaru last Thursday. Isn't she a beauty?

Her color is "white gold" with black interior and, as you can see, she has red seats and a red 'rag top' with a red cover for her top.

She also came with a 'windshield' - that black mesh thingy you see in the back seat. It helps to keep things like groceries safe in the back seat while you drive with the top down. It also helps to keep your hair in place - a very important feature for some people.

My other Bug was most assuredly not a "clunker". Indeed, I got $300 less than Blue Book value for her. She only had 64,242 miles and was in great shape for a five year old car.

I just have a really wonderful car salesman - "The Honorable Cecil Lake" - who has become a friend over the past four years. I bought my last bug from him.

Every time I brought my car in for servicing, Cecil was always there. He would come upstairs to the waiting room. He'd buy me a cup of coffee. We'd talk about his family - his wife and two beautiful kids. How life in general was going. How our favorite sports teams were doing. What was going on in the world of politics.

Like that.

He demonstrated, over and over again, that he was interested in me, even when he wasn't trying to make a sale.

I was not intending to make this purchase. Cecil called me early last week to say that he had a young woman, a sophomore in college, who really, really wanted a used car to take back to school. And, she wanted a VW convertible bug.

"How can I make this work for you both?" he asked.

We talked. We crunched numbers. He was willing to make less of a commission in order to make the deal work for us both.

He not only made two sales, but now he has two loyal customers who wouldn't think of buying a car from anyone else. And, we'll tell our friends.

Like this.

So, today I officially begin my vacation. A few problems with the air conditioning system at Llangollen, our wee cottage on Rehoboth Bay, is preventing me from heading down there today, but as soon as everything is fixed, Lucy True Bug and I will make our way to our little piece of Paradise.

She comes with a satellite radio with a free subscription for six months, so I'm just figuring my way around those channels. I can also now plug my iPod right into the jack on the console, so no more fooling around with the radio dial as the frequency changes as I drive.

She also comes with a five year warranty, roadside assistance, and the first three service visits (at 10, 20 and 30,000 miles) are free. And, and and 0% interest for a 36 month loan. 5.7% for a longer term loan.

Saaawwwweeeettt!

Were I an 'official' resident of Delaware, I would have saved a whole whack of money on sales tax, registration and insurance. Alas, life in the Northeast Corridor has its serious drawbacks, the traffic on the Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway notwithstanding.

There's a lesson or two to be learned from my man, Cecil - yes, a car salesmsan. About relationships. About trust. About negotiating. About keeping the ultimate goal in mind. And, for Cecil, that ultimate goal is not necessarily 'making the sale' or 'closing the deal'.

The 'bottom line' doesn't even have a dollar sign.

Ultimately, for Cecil, it's all about 'customer satisfaction.'

A car is a car. A VW is a particular brand of a car and a convertible bug is a specific brand of that brand for which there is a particular consumer base.

You can make the connections between a car, or any other commodity and evangelism in the church.

The point is that I think I - we all - have some things to learn from Cecil about keeping the ultimate goal - the mission - in mind.

Go ahead. Wrinkle your noses at the term 'customer satisfaction'. Just consider for a moment what it is that keeps you going to church - or, for some of you, keeps you away from church.

You'll need to do a little secular to religious language translation before you get to my point.

Brand = the uniqueness and particularities of the church's manifestation as a Body of Christ which is part of the whole.

Market share = the particular 'audience' of your congregation.

Communication = liturgy and music

Public relations = pastoral care, Christian formation, Outreach, etc.

Marketing = evangelism (newsletters, web page, church signs, 'face time').

Customer satisfaction = deepening our faith in God and Christ Jesus and the ways in which that faith, that spirituality, is expressed.

No, I'm not advocating for a 'consumer based' church. Yes, I think we can get carried away with the application of the secular to the spiritual. I recoil from the 'hard sell, glitsy expressions of religion every bit as much as you do.

St. Paul reminds us that the church is in the world but not of the world. Too often we forget that if the church is in the world, some of the world is going to be in the church. Not everything in the world is bad.

What I'm saying is that we can do what we can do to keep the bad stuff of the world out of the church.

What I'm saying is that we can work harder to bring some of the good stuff of the world into the church.

What I am saying is that we can learn a thing or two from - yes, even a car salesmen like - Cecil, who has obviously brought the best of what he's learned in church into the work he does in the world.

There, I think I've said it all. Perhaps I've said to much.

This is me in the spotlight, practicing my religion. AND most assuredly getting ready to go on vacation.

Just me and Lucy True Bug. Together forever.

Or, at least, until Cecil offers me another sweet deal I can't refuse.

P.S. I am deeply indebted to two of my parishioners, John Bennett (a retired executive for Master Card/ Visa) and Vern Oakley (President of TRIBE Productions, an independent film production company) for teaching me how to translate from the secular to the religious. Hey, can't blame a girl for giving a little free air time to two of my own.)

Baptismal water: Surf's up!

If you woke me up out of a dead sleep at three o'clock in the morning and asked me who my role models were for ordained leadership in the church, I would rub my eyes, open my mouth and say, "Nuns."

The nuns of my Roman Catholic youth were women in long black skirts, which hid even their black shoes (we thought they walked on air) and a full veil, which hid their buzz-cut heads.

I only knew about the buzz-cut because I had several aunts who were nuns and one let us have a wee bit of a peak on one of our Sunday afternoon visitations. It had to do with taking a vow of 'chastity' and giving up the "outward and visible sign" of female sensuality / sexuality (Recall, please, 'the woman' who anointed Jesus with oil, washed his feet, and then dried them with her hair).

They were strong women - in their faith and in their spirit - women who were very clear about who they were and who Jesus was in their lives.

They were also as serious as a heart attack about their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. While I have heard all the horror stories of abusive behavior, and even have a few stories of my own to tell, I never, ever felt any resentment from any one of them about the sacrifices involved in the choices they had made for their 'lifestyle.'

They were also the most intelligent, well read, well educated women I knew. Indeed, they were passionate about education, whispering to us girls to 'further your education, dear,' and always prodding us with questions like 'Have you filled out your college application?' and 'What are you going to make of your life?'

I suppose, then, that no one should wonder that they were also strong - standing courageously against the barricades and barriers of the sexism of the institutional church of Rome.

"Father" may have ruled the church, but it was "Mother" and her Sisters who had the final say in matters of education and training.

They also thought 'outside the box' about matters of faith, some of whom questioned things like the atonement and the resurrection and the virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary long before those in the Academy began writing about it.

They were also the major proponents of Liberation Theology, assigning middle and high school students books by Peruvian theologian Gustavo Gutierrez and Brazilian theologian Leonardo Boff.

They were quick to point out the parallels of the ideas about praxis and Christian Base Communities in the writing and work of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Indeed, they even hired the buses and organized the schools to attend Civil Rights Marches.

The convent often became a meeting place for our parents who were labor union organizers and it was they who organized the women of the parish to cook soup and bake bread when the men were on strike.

They may have had to wear a habit, but by God, they made it seem as if it were a party dress for God.

At least, the nuns of my youth did.

So, are we surprised, really, to hear that the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has initiated a doctrinal investigation of the largest U.S. women’s religious leadership organization, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious?

If you are, you haven't been paying attention.

The CDF is making an 'doctrinal assessment' of three areas of concern.

Oh, g'won, you can probably guess all three without even breaking a sweat. Ready:

(1) The "Proper matter" for priestly ordination (The 1994 apostolic letter Ordinatio sacerdotalis)

(2) The "spiritual defectiveness" of non-Catholic Christians (the 2000 declaration Dominus Jesus from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith),

And (you knew this was coming).

(3) “The problem of homosexuality" - a favoite rant of the Church.

Ordinatio sacerdotalis, Latin for “On the Ordination to the Priesthood,” was a Vatican document that reasserted that Catholic ordination to the priesthood is reserved for men alone and that the church “has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women.”

Dominus Jesus was a declaration that, in part, insisted that non-Catholic Christians are “in a gravely deficient situation in comparison with those who, in the church, have the fullness of the means of salvation” and that non-Catholic Christian communities suffer “defects.” It was viewed at the time by some Catholic theologians and leaders of other religions as a major setback in interreligious dialogue.

In a 1986 letter written by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict, to the world’s bishops, he wrote: “Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder.”

The decision for this 'doctrinal assessment' was made in April of this year. You can read the NPR (National Catholic Reporter) story here.

Mother Mary Clare Millea, superior general of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the apostolic visitor charged by the Vatican with directing the study, sent a letter dated July 28 to the heads of women religious congregations, along with an Instrumentum Laboris, or “working paper."

The paper outlined the next phases of the investigation, including the thrust of a questionnaire that the religious heads are to fill out and return to Millea. The paper also explained in greater detail the focus of the Apostolic Visitation.

You can read that report here.

This is me. Giggling. I'm sorry. It's an old habit, as it were.

When we were kids in RC school, we used to giggle whenever the nuns referred to something very common using Latin. Calling the 'working paper' an Instrumentum Laboris just set me off again.

I'm squelching the urge to launch into the other activity we kids would engage: make up poems, writing limerics that rhymed in Latin.

Intrumentum Laboris. Bwaaaaahhhhhaaaa.

Okay, okay. I'm back now. Ahem.

When the study was first announced it was explained that it was intended to examine “the quality of life” of U.S. women religious, with an eye to finding out why vocations have dropped over the years. Initially, some women religious expressed confusion and skepticism concerning the purpose of the investigation. They questioned its intent.

Well, and with good reason.

NCR reports that:

The 341 religious institutes of women in the United States contain approximately 59,000 women religious. Communities of cloistered, contemplative nuns are not officially part of the study.

Meanwhile, the Vatican has opened a second investigation into the umbrella leadership organization of the U.S. women religious, the Leadership Council of Women Religious. The leadership council meets next week in New Orleans for its annual gathering.

I suspect that the nuns will do what the nuns of our youth taught them to do: When there's a storm brewing in the baptismal water, jump in and swim.

Yo, Sistah! Surf's up!

Time to par-tay like it's Vatican II.

Institutional Religion: It's not for the faint of heart.

Driving Ms. Conroy

I am happy to report that, one week later, Ms. Conroy is making remarkable progress in her recovery from knee surgery. And, so am I.

Herself is now able to drive the car to small errands around town all by herself, which is no small feat. I'm not sure that's 'allowed' by her doctor, but, she's even thinking of driving herself to Rehoboth Beach this week, if my vacation is delayed.

She'll not get any argument from me.

So, to celebrate the possibility of automotive freedom, here's a wee joke for me Irish lassie. (hat tip to Doug). You will be so kind as to make the appropriate gender translations.

Let the reader understand.

A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband.

Suddenly, her husband burst into the kitchen.

'Careful,' he said, 'CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my gosh! You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW!We need more butter. Oh my gosh! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK! Careful. CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!'

The wife stared at him.

'What in the world is wrong with you? You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?'

The husband calmly replied, 'I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving.'

My 'Chosen Lifestyle': Part Deux

Well, well, well . . . all four corners of the Anglican blogosphere are all a twitter (that didn't used to represent a mixed metaphor) about the Candidates for Bishop in the Dioceses of Minnesota and Los Angeles.

In case you're the last person in the Anglican Communion to hear this, there are two lesbians (Bonnie Perry in MN and Mary Glasspool in LA) and one gay man (John Kirkley in LA) out of nine candidates for three episcopal elections (one diocesan in MN and two suffragans in CA).

Chicken Little reigns supreme in some corners, crying that the Anglican Sky is surely falling now (blah, blah blah ULTIMATIUM, yada, yada, yada, GAFCON, blah blah blah ACNA, yada, yada, yada).

Rough translation: NOT!

Meanwhile, others are just being flat out mean, trying to dig up dirt or drag some stuff through the dirt to make it look like something it isn't (oh, I don't have to link there. You know where to go to find that stuff).

Meanwhile, others of us are preaching, organizing Vacation Bible Schools, visiting the sick and fragile elderly, counseling those who are grieving loss of loved ones as well as those who are planning to begin married life, and being present to those who are undergoing ominous diagnostic surgery.

OH, yes, and having fabulous birthday parties with adorable grandchildren on glorious Saturday afternoons.

Yo, +++Rowan! This - THIS - is my 'chosen lifestyle, part deux. I know, I know. Pretty boring and pedestrian.

Here's a news flash, pal: This is the really good stuff.

The weekend before this past weekend, I took Mackie to NYC for her birthday. First stop, of course: American Girl Doll Place. She really, really, really wanted a 'Bitty Baby' this time.

The deal is that she gets one outfit with the doll, but she LOVED this nightgown, bathrobe and slipper set for her baby (whom she named Catharine); so much so that she really, really, really wanted one for herself.

So, I ran the old I'll-have-to-put-it-on-layaway scam my mother used to pull on me, but back then it was Arlan's Department Store where they actually HAD layaway plans. At American Girl Doll Place, one uses one's credit card.

She went home with her Bitty Baby. She got her bathrobe at her birthday party.

That smile you see on her face says, "I knew it all along."

Then, we walked up to FAO Schwartz to get a birthday present for her young sister, Abbi. She LOVED being there. Every part of the store.

I mean, what kid wouldn't? She helped to pick out a baby doll for her baby sister and a set of stacking blocks. Her choices were perfect. Her sister loved them.

This is Mackie outside the store posing with the door man.

Is that a happy kid or what?

This is us outside the plaza of FAO Schwartz and Bergdorf Goodman getting ready to take our pedi-cab ride all the way down Fifth Avenue back to Penn Station. I wish we had thought to get a picture of that!

It was a perfectly beautiful day. Our pedi-cab driver was a delightful young man from Ukraine who certainly earned every penny he charged us AND the very healthy tip we gave him.

All this was going on, of course, while the plot to end the Anglican World as we now know it was being hatched in Minnesota and Los Angeles.

I know. What were we thinking, right?

Actually, we were just living our lives. You know. Just like everyone else. Doing what we love to do - loving each other and celebrating the gift of life we've been given to the best of our ability.

This is my 'chosen lifestyle'.

It's a variation on the themes of the 'chosen lifestyles' of the three individual LGBT candidates for the episcopacy.

We have a life.

I just wish a few other people in the Anglican Communion would get one, too.

Oh, P.S. and BTW: All the other candidates in both dioceses are absolutely stellar. G'won over to both sites and check it out. Just click on the diocesan links above.

It's a GREAT time to be a Christian and a FABULOUS time to be an Episcopalian.

Don't you think?

The Body of Christ, the Bread of Heaven

“Sir, give us this bread always.”
John 6:24-35
IX Pentecost – August 2, 2009
The Episcopal Church of St. Paul, Chatham, NJ
(the Rev’d Dr.) Elizabeth Kaeton, rector and pastor

What kind of bread are you eating?

Jesus makes a very clear distinction in this morning’s gospel lesson between earthly bread and heavenly bread.

This morning’s gospel story happens after the feeding of the five thousand – the story we heard last Sunday. Those who remained after that miracle went looking for Jesus and his disciples in Capernaum.

When they meet up with them, Jesus chides them for following him not because they seek him as a Rabbi but because they ‘had their fill of the loaves.’ He tells them, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life.”

He also tells them, “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. “ The people said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

You may recall that the Samaritan Woman at the Well, to whom Jesus offers ‘Living Water’, makes a similar statement. “Sir, give me this water always,” she says.

Obviously, Jesus makes a compelling offer, whether it is Living Bread or Living Water.

What kind of bread are you eating?

Some of us are eating too much of the Bread of Anxiety.

It’s not hard to do in these days of war, harsh economic realities, pandemics, epidemics and uncertainty. The Bread of Anxiety is readily available and relatively inexpensive.

You can eat it while you are listening to the news on your radio or television, reading the paper, shopping for food, talking to your neighbor, caring for your children, driving in your car, or while doing your budget for the month.

Eating too much of this bread can lead to false perceptions, premature judgments, poor choices and bad decisions.

Others of us are eating too much of the Bread of Weariness.

This bread is often served in large quantities to those who care for those who eat too much of the Bread of Anxiety. This can lead to what is known as “Compassion Fatigue” – which is, actually, classified as a Secondary Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome – which can manifest itself in hopelessness, a decrease in experiences of pleasure, constant stress and anxiety, and a pervasive negative attitude.

This can have detrimental effects on individuals, both professionally and personally, including a decrease in productivity, the inability to focus, and the development of new feelings of in competency and self-doubt.

According to one source I read, “Journalism analysts argue that the media has caused widespread compassion fatigue in society by saturating newspapers and news shows with decontextualized images and stories of suffering. This has caused the public to become cynical, or become resistant to helping people who are suffering. Journalism analysts cite research which shows that visual images affect brain activity in demonstrable and measurable ways.”

Those decontextualized images are one of the ingredients of the Bread of Weariness.

Still others of us are eating too much of the Bread of Control.

We are driven by ‘the bottom line’. We look to results and productivity as the primary indicator of success. We create illusions wherein we come to believe that if we only worker harder, faster, stronger, longer, we can actually change others or ourselves or the situation of anxiety or fatigue.

Some have come to eat large quantities of this bread, thinking it an antidote to the effects of the Bread of Anxiety and the Bread of Weariness, only to find the ‘cure’ much worse than the poison. It has been classified as a form of ‘spiritual junk food’ because it has little or no real nutritional value for the soul.

There are others, of course, but these are three kinds of bread which are readily available in large quantities in our world today:

The Bread of Anxiety.

The Bread of Weariness.

The Bread of Control.

Indeed, they have always been readily available in the world throughout history.

The church has sometimes even been a source of these breads – an Unholy Bakery of sorts – serving them up at Vestry and Committee meetings, as well as from the pulpit. Churches and sanctuaries are filled with people who are anxious and weary and turn to the church for an illusion of control – or tacit approval – of their spiritual state of mind.

Or, as a place from which they can exercise control they don’t have and can’t find in any other place in the world.

I don’t know too many churches that don’t have more than their share of anxious, weary people – and also several clergy – who try to control their lives or the lives of others, only to find themselves inexplicitly and increasingly anxious or weary themselves.

What kind of bread are you eating?

Jesus offers us what he calls “the true bread of heaven.”

Those who were the first to hear these words from the lips of Jesus ask him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

Jesus responds, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

The bread served here, at this altar and this communion rail, is that Bread. It is sufficient for our souls, our minds and our bodies.

Some of you may remember commercials for something called ‘Wonder Bread’ – a concoction of mostly chemicals that resulted in a white, tasteless, airy substance that promised to ‘build strong bodies 12 ways.’ The real wonder was how anyone could call this . . .’stuff’. . . bread in the first place.

The Bread served at this altar is not that kind of wonder bread; rather, it is the Bread of Heaven which, if taken prayerfully and reverently and thoughtfully, will fill your soul with the wonder and awe of God’s divine providence.

Oh, it’s not that this church is devoid of the Bread of the World. You can find it in ample amounts – primarily in the Undercroft of the church – the place from which the ministry and mission of the institutional church is carried out.

Many are wondering and worried about Tim’s year long LOA, teaching conversational English at the University of Beijing. Indeed, Tim is wondering and worried about his LOA in China.

Many are wondering how Jon, our Interim for Youth and Young Families, will do. Others have already asked me how we can get him to stay.

And while others are thrilled for Brandon’s opportunity to attend grad school in London, still others are wringing their hands and saying, “First Tim and now Brandon. Oh woe, whatever will happen to us? Why all this change? How can it be that we are back in this situation of searching for an organist again after only two years?”

The subtext of these questions is one of control, of course, which sometimes lends itself to the game of ‘shame and blame’.

It’s gotta be somebody’s fault, see?

Somebody’s obviously doing something wrong. If we or he or she were doing things right, there would never be any change. Things would stay the same, and no one would have to make any adjustments or extend any effort.

And there would be a proper order to the universe, peace in the land, cookies and milk and a story at bedtime, and all would be well in the world.

And I? Oh, my dears, my sins are ever before me.

I worry about the roof. And the fact that we are not – still not, after all these years – handicap accessible. And, the signage in front of the church that doesn’t present us well – if at all – in the community. And the leak in the basement. And, of course, those of our congregation whose health is fragile, or who are grieving, or who are unemployed or underemployed.

And. . . well. . . you get the picture.

In times like these it is important to remember that we worship and serve a God of Abundance, not scarcity.

It is from a few crusts of this bread and a sip of this wine that we begin to realize the promise of Jesus that, “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

What is your hunger? What is it for which your thirst cannot be quenched?

As you consider your own hunger and thirst, I leave you with the question with which I began. It's a good question to consider as some of us - myself included (Thanks be to God) - prepare to leave our worries behind, at least temporarily, and go on vacation.

It's a good question for Tim to consider as he takes his leave, and Jon as he prepares for this coming year, and Brandon, as he prepares for Grad School.

It is the question implicit in this story, which follows the miracle story of the feeding of the five thousand.

If you believe in miracles, if you believe in Jesus, if you do the work of God – putting your whole trust and belief in God and Jesus as God’s Holy Child – then, the only question that remains is this:

What kind of bread are you eating?

Oh, and this: After you have read and listened to the words of Holy Scripture – those beautiful words, wonderful words of life – and sung a few verses of the great hymns of the church; and before you prepare yourself for The Great Thanksgiving, the Holy Eucharist; and after I give you a crust of bread and say, “The Body of Christ, the Bread of Heaven,” and you take a sip of “The Blood of Christ, the cup of salvation,” and you say, “Amen,” the question is this: what are you really saying?

What makes you get up on a ‘lazy, hazy, crazy’ Sunday in summer and come to church?

What do you believe?

And, how would anyone know that from looking at the way you live your life?

Amen.

What in the world?

Did someone tilt the universe a little more when I wasn't looking?

First came the news that Albania - ALBANIA, of all places! - has made a move toward marriage equality.

Albania - one of the most conservative countries in Europe and where homosexuality was illegal until 1995.

Prime Minister Berisha Sali Berisha has announced his party will propose a law legalising same-sex marriage. He acknowledged the proposed law might provoke debate but maintained that discrimination in modern Albania had to end.

Here's a quote from the article:

In a predominantly Muslim country with almost no open homosexual community, the announcement by a conservative PM has taken people by surprise.

Goran Miletic, a Belgrade-based human rights lawyer, working partly on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues said it was an important step forward for the country.

"(It is) encouraging for the LGBT community in Albania, bearing in mind that they are not visible comparing to some other Balkan states like Serbia, like Macedonia or Croatia."

But he said he did not think the law would be passed easily in the face of immediate opposition from religious communities

The reaction by Islamic and Catholic leaders has been vehement.

Vehement reaction? From Islamic and Catholic leaders? No! Get out.

But wait! There's more!

This headline just in from this morning's New York Times:

Beirut, the Provincetown of the Middle East

Yes, way!

Beirut, Lebanon. You know. In the middle of the Middle East. Where there's war.

Oh, that sound? The one that sounds like breaking glass?

That would be the sound of Patriarchy continuing to crumble.

Yes, yes, children, we still have a long, long way to go.

We're not out of the woods yet, but we're on the path.

It's a great time to be an LGBT person. Never has there been so much hope for change - for full inclusion of the diversity which God has created.

It's a brave new world out there, kids. Then again, it always has been.

No matter where you are, the sun is shinning. If you look carefully, even through the rain, you can see a rainbow in the sky.

You just gotta tilt your head a little.