As part of her five day visit to the UK, the Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori presided and preached at Southwark Cathedral this morning. She spoke to the lectionary of the day, about the forgiven woman who showed up at Simon’s house and caused scandal by expressing her unbounded love for Jesus.
But let’s refrain from such moralistic hand-wringing. The old truth remains: We never know what goes on in anyone else’s marriage, and it’s none of our business. Here’s a toast to happiness for the Gores and Limbaughs alike, wherever life takes them.
Thanks in some measure to the good work of the Church’s Office for Communications, in some measure to relationships with progressive think tanks and in some measure to the talent of some of its members, the Episcopal Church has enjoyed a certain prominence in the recently-launched religion section of the popular Huffington Post Web site.
The pope finds himself in some bad company.
Through skillful use of language we can overcome the poison which is language. Thus a common exercise is to read the psalms over and over. They are a vaccine against our crass use of language. They refine and purify our own language until all we say and all we hear is psalm.
Then turning toward the woman, Jesus said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” (Luke 7:44-47)
In our Provincial Synod, we heard from the mouth of our Archbishop Mauricio that in the heart of God hasn`t place for boundaries. Our delegates approved unanimously a motion of solidarity with brothers and sisters from TEC and Canada and a letter to the Communion will be issued about punitive actions gone to Provinces who have been looking to welcome all the persons without barriers and prejudices.
The consecration of [St. Columba’s] church [on the White Earth reservation] by Bishop Whipple in August of 1872 was a gala occasion, with a huge crowd of both church and Indian dignitaries present. On that occasion, one of the chiefs spoke to Bishop Whipple: “I heard the new message which you had brought into the country. I went to your spirit man, Enmegahbowh. I sat at his feet, and I have all that story in my heart.”
On the eve of Pentecost in gorgeous Northern Californian spring weather, we were in the midst of dinner when my wife noticed a small slug munching silently on a potted succulent outside on our apartment deck. Before we had thought things through, we were encouraging our six-year-old son in the age-old biology experiment involving slugs and salt.
“When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.” And Paul does not say, What? Have I not a right to be believed after so many signs? but he complied for their sakes. . . .