[Propertalk] Fw: Part 1b - Sermon for the Seventh Sunday of Easter

[Joe Parrish]

Forwarded:


Part 1b




            A good friend sent me a copy of prayer from Marseilles in the thirteenth century. It reads:
                        “God, give me wisdom and judgement that permit to me to learn
                        your holy commandments and to hear and understand them,
                        and grant me, for my health, your misericordia....
                        The night goes and the day comes;
                        the sky is clear and serene,
                        dawn does not hesitate, but comes
                        beautiful and complete.”  1
 
            “Misericordia” means “mercy”, “pity”.
 
            The disciples could have said that. The first part, anyway. They weren’t so sure about the day coming and the sky clearing. They needed to hear, somehow, the words, “You’re not alone.”
 
            The situation had changed by the time of the reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. They were getting organised. They were starting to put things together, recognising human frailty, and the havoc that can be caused not only to themselves but to ever-enlarging circles spreading out from them, touching everyone with whom those people came in contact.
 
            By that time, they were aware of the need to seek God’s will in everything, trying to find a way to repair the damage created by the betrayal of Jesus. In a manner only slightly more elaborate than filling a vacancy on the BAC, the eleven settled on Matthias.
 
            Notice the conditions under which he was selected, however. It had to be someone who’d been with Jesus and the others right from the first appearance of the Holy Spirit in what we now call Christian Tradition. This was to be someone who’d been filled with excitement to have seen miraculous healings, heard some terrific stories, been a witness to criticism, AND seen the abrupt scattering of all Jesus’ friends when He was crucified – scattering of which he too had been a part.
 
            This was to be someone who’d seen both the good side and the bad side of the disciples; someone who’d seen Jesus empowered and elated and also seen Him in deepest distress. Matthias wasn’t elected after a quick search on Craig’s List. I’m sure every one of the eleven were asked to search through their memories and come up with a name for the ballot.
 
            The curious thing is that Matthias’ name had never come up until now. Nor does it occur in any other Scriptural reference. All that’s important is to note how the disciples were working together, how they were assured the God was present and guiding them, and would bring them through – bring them ALL through, Matthias included, no matter what earthquake, what train wreck might occur.


NOTES:
 
[1]            Folquet de Marseille, a monk from Provence of the XIIIth century, via Lee Allison Crawford, VT.
 
2            Harvard philosopher Josiah Royce, discussed in “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande”. Metropolitan Books, Henry Holy and Company, New York. ©2014, page 127 ff.
 
3            Humans of New York 12th May, 2015 https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork/photos/a.102107073196735.4429.102099916530784/970693593004741/?type=1&fref=nf  emphasis added.


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