Eden

In every place, and at all times, a Garden flowers forth.
It blooms and blossoms, heaving hearts and earth,
cracking concrete, splitting stones, and penetrating asphalt,
it pushes life through every fractured surface.

It is here in the city of rough rooftops
and hardscaped valley ways and
there, by the shadowy factory
coughing out steel-belted air,
soot-covering dreams and
weighing down old widow’s conversations.

It is in a field, on a farm,
where young lovers sow secrets and
where the fresh freshness of
sun-blessed growing things lingers
like the smell of baked brown bread.

It is in salt-sprayed cottages by the sea
where misty maidens mend nets and men
cast glances, reeling
at the thought of just one kiss.

Wherever young Adam greets Eve with gratitude,
delighted by the suitableness of this woman,
Wherever, Eve, with laughter, receives her Man,
there is the Garden—their Garden— and
no curse, no thistle, no felonious foe
can choke this saxifrage seed.

Somewhere, someone is falling in love
tonight for the very first time
and there—like a buried promise—Paradise stirs.

RDD
2/07

Gospel Reflection 2-13-07

Mark 8:14-21
The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. Jesus enjoined them, "Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." They concluded among themselves that it was because they had no bread. When he became aware of this he said to them, "Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?" They answered him, "Twelve." "When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?" They answered him, "Seven." He said to them, "Do you still not understand?"

My thoughts:

• Forgot to bring bread?? Bull. They were getting lazy. Why should we bring bread? Our best friend can turn crickets into chicken and dumplings, why should we pack a lunch? How easy it is for us to forget to do our part. How strong is the pull of the Easy Way...
• The Easy Way manifests itself as the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod, too. It's funny, but it's true that it's easier to be super religious and put on airs and talk a lot about God than it is to really trust Him. It's easier to rely on daddy's money and power than to lean on Our Father in Heaven.
• When I think about the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod, I'm reminded of my former job. I got paid really well to teach at a "religious" school, but my soul was flat (the leaven there was no good). It took a long time for my eyes to see and my ears to hear that God had a better plan for me.
• "Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread?" I'm sorry, but this question just seems like the kind of thing a wife would say to a husband. And it strikes me as pretty unfair. Of course, Jesus is right and Arowbee is wrong, so I have to read a little closer. Is Jesus saying that not having "bread" (money? food?) is not a curse? That poverty doesn't automatically lead to infidelity? It's interesting that there seems to be a line being walked between faith and presumption (if my first point has any merit). Interesting that Jesus wants to remember his miracles of abundance and still resist the false abundance of the Pharisees and Herod.

The Checkout Line

Yesterday at Costco I overheard a woman complaining that she was going to get in a particular line, but then "that guy jumped in front of me". I wasn't the guy, but I offered her my space in a different line (knight's code). She couldn't believe me and was a little embarrassed that I had overheard her. I told her it was no big deal to me, and that since she only had a few items, she could go ahead of me. She fussed a little, then quipped, "you must have a terrible home life." I told her I had an excellent homelife, but I was a little taken back by her cynical response.

So I killed her. (What's a Natalist Paterfamilias to do?)

Gospel Reflection 2-12-07

Mark 8:11-13
The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation." Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went off to the other shore.

When I read this this morning I was reminded of one of the pseudo-smart high school students I used to teach. He argued that he wouldn't believe anything without proof and I countered that no proof was proof enough for him. He denied this, but when I asked him what it would take he said, "a sign". "Ok," I answered, "what if you looked at the night sky and found written in the stars: 'Dax, Believe in Me--God' Would you believe then?" "No. You can find anything you want in the stars."

Or anything you don't want.

Gospel Reflection 1-29-07

 

Mark 5: 1-20

 

1: They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Ger'asenes.
2: And when he had come out of the boat, there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3: who lived among the tombs; and no one could bind him any more, even with a chain;
4: for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the fetters he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him.
5: Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out, and bruising himself with stones.
6: And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped him;
7: and crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me."
8: For he had said to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!"
9: And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion; for we are many."
10: And he begged him eagerly not to send them out of the country.
11: Now a great herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside;
12: and they begged him, "Send us to the swine, let us enter them."
13: So he gave them leave. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea.
14: The herdsmen fled, and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened.
15: And they came to Jesus, and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the man who had had the legion; and they were afraid.
16: And those who had seen it told what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine.
17: And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their neighborhood.
18: And as he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him.
19: But he refused, and said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."
20: And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decap'olis how much Jesus had done for him; and all men marveled.

 

My thoughts:

 

• I too just came back from the mountain with "Legion" (the Legionnaires of Christ) and I too would have loved to stay with Jesus, but I had to come home to my friends to tell them how much the Lord has done for me, and how he has mercy on me.
• How odd is the townspeople's reaction!  It seems to me that they recognized God's power and his ability to know and cast out their demons but they didn't want him to do that.   We have pet sins and we can choose to ignore them when there's a rabid wacko running around.  It's a much different story when no longer have that extreme to measure ourselves against.
• How desolate must Hell be that these demons prefer swine to Hell.

 

Gospel Reflection 1-30-07

Mark 5: 21-43

21.  And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him; and he was beside the sea.

22.  Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Ja'irus by name; and seeing him, he fell at his feet,

23.  and besought him, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live."

24.  And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.

25.  And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years,

26.  and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.

27.  She had heard the reports about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment.

28.  For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well."

29.  And immediately the hemorrhage ceased; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.

30.  And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him, immediately turned about in the crowd, and said, "Who touched my garments?"

31.  And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, `Who touched me?'"

32.  And he looked around to see who had done it.

33.  But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth.

34.  And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."

35.  While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?"

36.  But ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe."

37.  And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.

38.  When they came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, he saw a tumult, and people weeping and wailing loudly.

39.  And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a tumult and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping."

40.  And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was.

41.  Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Tal'itha cu'mi"; which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."

42.  And immediately the girl got up and walked (she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.

43.  And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

 

My thoughts:

 

• What strikes me here is verse 35, when some from the ruler's house come and say "Your daughter is dead.   Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  To me it's almost as if they want this to be a hopeless case, like they don't want healing.   But Jesus ignores them and tells the ruler not to fear.  He IGNORES them.  How interesting.  If   we are to be like Christ, perhaps this means we should ignore when people tell us to give up on things that appear to be dead.  For example, "Rob, your diet/house reform/attempts at spirituality/career is dead.   Why bother Jesus?"  Well, I'll bother Him because He wants me to have faith and not fear.
• Also, the love of the father is so much more than the love of the father's employees.   Christ knew this father's love for his girl because he loved her more than even her earthly father.
• In both cases what seemed hopeless was not, because of faith in Jesus.   Surely, I can reform my life which is not hopeless.

 

 

Gospel Reflection 2-1-07

One of the ways we prayed on retreat was to read the day's Gospel and then briefly meditate on it, listening for God's voice as we do. It's pretty easy and has been very fruitful for me. Here's today's reading:

Mark 6:7-13
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two-by-two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick -- no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them." So they went off and preached repentance. They drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

My thoughts:

How electrifying to be sent out with power over unclean spirits! And unarmed! This must have taken a great deal of faith, even for people who were sent by Christ himself. I find it interesting that they go off, preach repentance, and then drive out the demons. It makes me think of the demons that I have in my own life (both literal and metaphorical) that I entertain because I am too lazy or unwilling to repent. From this reading it seems clear that the Gospel and demons can't inhabit the same dwelling. One of them has to go.

In my own life I've noticed that one of them also leaves a lot more quietly than the other. After my weekend of repentance and recommitment to Christ, I find that the unlcean spirits I struggle against (anger, sloth, disorder) are leaving but they mock me as they exit. And they dilly dally asking if I said something, looking for any excuse to come back in.