In Liturgy-speak, this is\u00a0Proper 19 (24),\u00a0Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost,\u00a0Year A. \u00a0In normal-speak, it’s 9\/11, which makes this (very) occasional series of thoughts about a given Sunday’s readings at our (Episcopal) church a bit more of a challenge.<\/p>\n
The theme for the week’s readings (to my mind) is Forgiveness. Always an interesting topic, especially today.<\/p>\n
First Reading:\u00a0Exodus 14:19-31<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The Israelites flee across the Red Sea, while the Pharaoh’s troops get drowned. \u00a0It’s a thrilling epic (esp. with Yul Brynner as Pharaoh), but pretty Old Testament in its treatment of God.<\/p>\n I’ve always like the gloss on this in the Talmud:<\/p>\n When the Egyptians were drowning in the Red Sea, the angels in heaven began to break forth in songs of jubilation, but the Holy One, blessed be He, silenced them: \u201cMy creatures are perishing \u2014 and ye are ready to sing!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n That Lord, at least, shows some remorse over what’s happening, whether or not it was necessary. In Exodus, all we get is a \u00a0demonstration designed to impress the Israelites (and to instill fear in them). \u00a0Meh.<\/p>\n Epistle:\u00a0Romans 14:1-12<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Paul can be damned persnickety at times, but I like a lot of this passage.<\/p>\n Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. \u00a0Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables.\u00a0Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them.\u00a0Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.<\/p>\n Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds.\u00a0Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.<\/p>\n We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves.\u00a0If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.\u00a0For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.<\/p>\n Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.\u00a0For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.”\u00a0So then, each of us will be accountable to God.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Shorter Paul: “Don’t be critical of others religious opinions or practices. That’s between them and God, just like yours are between you and God. \u00a0Get over it.”<\/p>\n Given how much blood has been spilled — by Christians, often of Christians — over differences of theology or religious practice, it’s a shame that particular reading or parts of it aren’t in bold print and tattooed on certain people when they get in a tizz over this stuff.<\/p>\n The dividing line, I guess, is while tolerance of others (and the lack of hubris and arrogance to think you’re the One Whose Right in All Things) is a positive trait, you also can’t just shrug and say, “Well, yeah, I’m not all that jiggy with human sacrifice, but, hey, that’s between you and God.” \u00a0There are things that people do on their lives, sacred and profane, that are rightful to prevent.<\/p>\n But it’s not something to do casually, without consideration. \u00a0Is what they are doing actually harmful to others (the Lord can take care of Himself), or are you just “quarreling over opinions”?<\/p>\n And that brings us to …<\/p>\n Gospel:\u00a0Matthew 18:21-35<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n One of my favorite Gospel passages, and one of the toughest to live up to.<\/p>\n Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?”<\/p>\n Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.\u00a0For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him;\u00a0and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made.<\/p>\n “So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’\u00a0And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt.<\/p>\n “But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’\u00a0Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’\u00a0But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt.<\/p>\n “When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place.\u00a0Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.\u00a0Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’\u00a0And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt.<\/p>\n “So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The parable can be summed up in the words of the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.” (Or “tresspasses” or “debts,” choose your term). \u00a0If you hold with the Christian belief that God forgives even the worst sins that we commit, if sincerely repented, then to the extent that we are called upon to be like God, we must strive to forgive.<\/p>\n Forgiveness isn’t a one-off act. It’s not easy. It’s not straightforward. It’s not always possible, in the face of an offense against us. \u00a0But it’s something we should be striving toward, processing toward, aspiring toward in every case we can.<\/p>\n (N.B. There are those that take the subject of what Peter asks — which more commonly is translated as “brother” — and try to make it out to mean we’re only called upon to forgive fellow Christians, not folks of other religious. \u00a0To which I can only imagine Jesus shaking his head sadly.)<\/p>\n Christians are called to forgive. \u00a0To figure out how to extend our mercy the same way God extends mercy to us. \u00a0To be transformed from an Eye for an Eye, or to folks who cheer when Pharaoh’s troops are drowned.<\/p>\n Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetfulness. And turning the other cheek doesn’t necessarily mean allowing hatred and pain and abuse and bloodshed to continue. It doesn’t mean letting the guilty walk, to hurt someone else. \u00a0It means seeing beyond the offender’s hatred, or ignorance. \u00a0It means not letting the offenders actions control ours. \u00a0It means recognizing our own shortcomings (and more), and …<\/p>\n * \u00a0 \u00a0 * \u00a0 \u00a0 *<\/p>\n I took a long pause in the writing of this post at that point. \u00a0Went off, did some other things. \u00a0Came back. Still couldn’t go on.<\/p>\n See, there are things that I can’t tell people they should forgive. \u00a0I can see that they are being corroded from within by those things, but it’s not my place to tell them how the must, or should, or perhaps even might address them.<\/p>\n A woman raped forgive her rapist? \u00a0A person abused as a child forgive their abuser? \u00a0Someone being hit, lynched, tortured, oppressed, cheated, unjustly accused or imprisoned or fired or blamed forgive all the people involved in that offense?<\/p>\n I cannot tell them what to do.<\/p>\n And, yeah, Jesus, condemned unjustly, beaten, humiliated, nailed to a cross, said “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” But maybe that’s not true, and even if it’s not true, that’s Jesus and that was his job.<\/p>\n Forgiveness is hard. \u00a0And not something you can demand of others to give.<\/p>\n So all I can do is try to forgive, myself. \u00a0(Both with and without the comma.) \u00a0Just like I can’t, and won’t, impose my moral code on others, or try to persuade them to it, what I can do is try to live my life in the way I think a life should be lived. \u00a0With forgiveness.<\/p>\n Which isn’t any easier.<\/p>\n People sometimes ask me why I go to church. Even if my attendance has been a bit more lax over the past several months, I still consider it important. \u00a0And part of that is just this — going to church confronts me with what I actually believe, on at least a \u00a0weekly basis. \u00a0And not just “do you really think that Jonah was swallowed by a whale” kind of “quarrelling” stuff, but the important “do you really believe in forgiveness, and for whom, and when, and why” kind of stuff.<\/p>\n Because I’m a lazy SOB, and if I don’t set up my life to think about these things now and again, I’ll take the far easier path. \u00a0And that’s not what I want. \u00a0It’s what I’m more comfortable with, but not what I want.<\/p>\n * \u00a0 \u00a0 * \u00a0 \u00a0 *<\/p>\n One of my favorite TV shows of the 80s was The Equalizer<\/em>. \u00a0Edward Woodward played a former spy\/agent\/operative now trying to something new with his life, using his talents and connections to “equalize” things for those who were oppressed, in fear, at their wit’s end. \u00a0(In some very odd ways, it’s bears a mutant resemblance to one of my current favorite shows, Leverage<\/em>. \u00a0But I digress.)<\/p>\n