The Choice of Violence

Ben Sira, in the book sometimes known as Ecclesiasticus, says this about the freedom of choice:

Do not say, 'The Lord was responsible for my sinning,'
for he does not do what he hates.
Do not say, 'It was he who led me astray,'
for he has no use for a sinner.
The Lord hates all that is foul,
and no one who fears him will love it either.
He himself made human beings in the beginning,
and then left them free to make their own decisions.
If you choose, you will keep the commandments
and so be faithful to his will.
He has set fire and water before you;
put out your hand to whichever you prefer.
A human being has life and death before him;
whichever he prefers will be given him.
He never commanded anyone to be godless,
he has given no one permission to sin.
~Sirach 15: 11-17, 20

Violence has no excuse when human imagination and creativity can find alternatives. God's healing power is upon the wounded of Boston.

Amen.

Multiple and Diverse Talents

It had always mystified Harry that protocol seemed to dictate that a person was allowed only one area of success--if that. The idea that a man might pursue a variety of disparate interests seemed to intimidate those who held the purse strings. Afterall, no one had ever been able to explain why God would give a person multiple and diverse talents and then not be troubled when the person chose one of those God-given talents and disregarded the rest.
An Unexpected Suitor by Anna Schmidt, Chapter 8, p.111

This passage from a recent romance gave me pause, because I am one of those people with "multiple and diverse talents"--and interests for that matter. I've been watching the Olympics and when I observe others with one outstanding gift, I wish I were more focused. Measuring success when many activities fill your time and pull you in different directions is a challenge.

How do we define success? Synonyms might be mastery, pinnacle, wealth, reaching hundreds, single focus, superiority, driven, accolades, awards, balance, inner peace.

How does God define success? Service, love, acceptance, respect, balance and inner peace? Shorter list, different approach to life.

We all have multiple and diverse talents, in varying amounts, and we do have a choice as to which one(s) we choose and which we disregard.

What about your talents? Have you chosen to disregard some in favor of others? How was your choice influenced? Do you think that you might want to realign some of those choices, bring some of those hidden talents to light?

What's God got to do with it?

The Truth Will Make You Free

This past Saturday was July 4th, Independence Day here in the United States, and a day during which we celebrate our freedom. I wondered what Jesus had to say about freedom, and I found one passage that scholars feel are his words:

Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." (John 8:31-32)

He says that commiting sin will make you a slave, so you don't want to go in that direction. "Continue in my word", and you will be a son who has a permanent place in the household. "So if the Son [the Truth?] makes you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)

In some ways, John is a difficult Gospel for me. I love the abstractions and symbolism that appear here, yet I often don't understand the underlying message. That puts me in the company of the disciples, so I don't fret overly much about it, but it does make for some dilemmas. Truth leads to freedom, but freedom in what way? Not freedom from oppression. The Jews of the time didn't have much hope of that. Jesus is talking more, I think, of freedom from sin and freedom of the spirit. I believe that the way to freedom hinges on the first of Jesus' instructions "If you continue in my word..."

At Sunday service, when the children were asked what they thought freedom meant, one of them said that you could do what you wanted. My gut reaction was, "But if we all did what we wanted, what would that world look like?" The American Heritage Dictionary groups the synonyms of freedom, liberty, and license and expands on the child's definition. "These nouns refer to the power to act, speak, or think without externally imposed restraints. Freedom is the most general term."

I understand from John's Gospel that Jesus asks us to use an internally imposed restraint--"continue in my word". And I like this instruction from the First Letter of Peter:

As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.(1 Peter 2:16-17)

In our freedom, God's gift of Free Will, we may, indeed, do what we want. Murderers do, drunk drivers do. But Peter reminds us, "...do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil," and then goes on to say what we should do. I can wrap my arms around this type of freedom. I take some exception to Peter's "Honor the emperor." Gives me a jolt every time I read it. I don't have an emperor, but I do have a government. I have a set of laws, a system of regulations that help us live together in society. In my world, this is the "emperor" and Peter's advice is still good. I am asked to honor that government, to support it when it's honoring everyone, to help fix it when it's broken.

I'll admit this is not a very coherent post, but freedom is like that. We know what it is when we see it, experience it, but it's hard to express.

What's freedom like for you? Have you found freedom in continuing in Jesus' word? What is the truth that has set you free? I'd like to know.