Trinity 12

 August 22, 2021

Trinity 12

(Joshua 24:1-2, 14-18; John 6:60-69)

Bread has always been an important basic food for people. Bread was made at home by wives and daughters. It was usually made fresh each day but, because it could last for several days without going bad, it could also be given to those setting out on a long journey. Bread was often offered to strangers who passed through the land and when God's people were disobedient, God warned them that their supply of daily bread would be taken away as punishment. 

Most bread was made in flat cakes on flat stones or in pans. Some was baked into larger, thicker loaves that were placed on a special table in the temple and offered to God as “sacred loaves of bread.” Only priests could eat this bread, but David and his supporters were once given some by the priests when David and his men were starving. God provided bread for the Israelite people as they were wandering through the desert of Sinai on the way from Egypt to the promised land. They called this bread manna, which in Hebrew, means “What is this?” This bread is also referred to as the bread from heaven. 

Ancient documents discovered in the 20th century known as the Dead Sea Scrolls revealed that Jews in the community at Qumran shared meals of bread and wine. These meals were both a celebration of good times in the present and a celebration of the day when God would defeat their enemies and send the Messiah. Jesus' followers believe that he was God's chosen Messiah and the true bread from heaven that gives life. Jesus told his followers to ask God to give them the basic food bread they needed to live from day to day. After Jesus was taken to heaven, they continued to celebrate their new life together as God’s people by “breaking bread” in ordinary meals and by sharing in the bread of Communion (Eucharist), which Jesus said was his Body. 

Let us listen to the previous verses to that which we have just heard in our Gospel reading this morning. We need to remember these words in order for our Gospel reading today to make sense. 

(John 6:41-51) The Jews murmured about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” and they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop murmuring[r] among yourselves.  No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day.  It is written in the prophets:

‘They shall all be taught by God.’

Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.  Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

Jesus begins what scholars call the “Bread of Life Discourse,” or what some like to call the “Jesus mic drop!” Jesus drops a bomb of sorts. He says I am the bread of life. Full stop. Record scratch. Everybody in room turns to look…What did he just say??!!

“I am the bread of life….I am the bread that came down from heaven… I am the living bread…. The bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh… Eat the flesh of the son of man….my flesh is food….my blood is drink…he who eats me will live…he who eats this bread will live forever.” As if he wanted to be sure that he was clear, he restates multiple times that he is the bread of heaven and he must be eaten! Oooooookay then! Seems pretty clear to me.

This indeed seems pretty clear. Each time he says something that seems inflammatory, he just doubles down and says it again in a different way. He doesn't want the crowd to go away thinking he's speaking in metaphorical terms (which is a mercy for the disciples, who as we know, gets thrown off by that kind of thing).

“I am the bread that gives life.” Jesus compares himself to the miraculous gift of manna that God sent from heaven. Just as God sent them manna, God sends Jesus to bring life.  

“This language is very hard,” they say. How could Jesus’ listeners believe that he, the “son of Joseph,” had come from God? And today how can we believe that we need the Eucharist? Jesus tells us why he came: The Son of God came down to us, so that later he would ascend to where he was before. He came from God to communicate to us the very life of God and to bring us to the bosom of God. 

The truth is that by Christ’s resurrection, our world has started its renewal. For when the Son of Man entered the Glory of his Father, he carried on his shoulders the whole of creation which he wanted to renew and consecrate. Clothed in our humanity, the Son of God has ascended to where he was before; the first of our race has achieved full union with God. 

Although, to all appearances, life goes on as before, we should believe that the renewed world has made been made present. The Spirit is at work with gigantic disturbances which continually agitate and shake the whole of humanity. Invincibly Christ is consecrating this world. He enables humanity to arrive at maturity by means of innumerable crisis and deaths that prepare for resurrection. 

Jesus’ listeners could not understand the mystery of the Son of God and his humiliations. Jesus wanted to dispossess himself of his divine glory by becoming human and dying like a slave and, so that later the Father would enable him to ascend to where he had come from. It is likewise a test of our faith to believe that God continually works among us in our world. In spite of the unresponsiveness of people, God still loves us; the Church is so unworthy, yet God uses it to fulfill his plan; history is so destructive, yet it is preparing us for the fullness of the Kingdom. 

Jesus spoke of giving us his flesh, but this should not be understood as a continuation of Jewish religion, in which the meat of sacrificed animals was eaten. In Hebrew culture, flesh and blood denote “the world below” where humankind move and where one has no access to communication with God. The Eucharist is different. This is the body, or flesh, of the risen Christ transformed by the Holy Spirit, which acts in us spiritually and brings us into communion with God. 

We must remember that Jesus also meant that to “eat his flesh” also had a spiritual meaning of trusting and believing in him, especially in his death for the sins of mankind. Similarly, to “drink his blood” means to trust in his atoning death, which is represented by the shedding of his blood. 

The flesh, in example, human nature including emotions, will and intellect, is completely incapable of producing genuine spiritual life, for this can only be done by the Spirit. But the Holy Spirit works powerfully in and through the words that Jesus speaks, and those words are spirit and life in a sense that they work in the unseen spiritual realm - an awakened genuine spiritual life. 

Jesus’ divine omniscience is shown by the fact that he knew the status of everyone's heart and therefore he knew who those were who did not believe. He also knew the future because he knew who it was who would betray him. Only God could know these things.

Many of these early disciples were not genuine disciples of Christ, for they turned back. Their initial “faith” was not genuine and they were maybe following Jesus only because of the physical benefits he gave, such as healing and multiplying of food. 

The Holy Spirit gives spiritual life; without the work of the Holy Spirit we cannot even see our need for new life. All spiritual renewal begins and ends with God. He reveals truth to us, lives within us, and then enables us to respond to that truth. 

Why did Jesus' words cause many of his followers to desert him? 1) They may have realized he wasn't going to be the conquering Messiah-king they expected. 2) He refused to give in to their self-centered requests. 3) He emphasized faith, not deeds. 4) His teachings were difficult to understand, and some of his words were offensive. As we grow in our faith, we may be tempted to turn away because Jesus’ lessons are difficult. Will we respond by giving up or rejecting Christ? Instead, we should be asking God to show us what these teachings mean and how they apply in our lives and then have the courage to act on God's truth. 

There's no middle ground with Jesus. When he asked the disciples if they would also leave, he was showing that they could either accept or reject him. Jesus was not trying to repel people with his teachings. He was simply telling the truth. The more people heard Jesus’ real message, the more they divided into two camps - the honest seekers who wanted to understand more, and those who rejected Jesus because they didn't like what they had heard. 

We also should notice here that this is the first reference of the Twelve in the gospel. (On a side note, when the “Twelve” or the original “Apostles” are in written form, they are always capitalized due to their importance in our Christian faith.) Their existence and appointment are assumed in the other three gospels. 

After many of Jesus his followers had deserted him, he asked the 12 Apostles if they were also going to leave. In his straightforward way, Peter answered for all of us - there is no other way. Though there are our many philosophies and self-styled authorities, Jesus alone has the words of eternal life. People look everywhere for eternal life and miss Christ, who is the only source. We should stay with him especially when we are confused or feel alone. 

And so, in answer to Christ’s question, if they will leave also, Peter responds, “to whom shall we go?” which rightly implies that there is no other teacher who can lead people to eternal life and true fellowship with God himself. Many of Jesus' followers left but, in the name of those who remain, Peter pledged his fidelity. 

The words of Peter, “We have come to believe,” implies that Jesus’ disciples at this point had genuine, saving faith. Peter's confession of Jesus as “the Holy One of God” anticipates later references to Jesus being consecrated or set apart for service of God. 

Our faith as Christians, whether we're Catholic or Protestant, we need to understand that this is a powerhouse core teaching kind of thing. As Catholics we see this discourse as literal truth…. just like the disciples who stayed behind. This discourse is like the part in a movie where a character lays out the ideas that you see in action at the climatic scene toward the end (in this case, the Last Supper). When we Catholics get to the Last Supper, we understand we've moved way past metaphor. Our non-Catholic brothers and sisters haven’t cottoned to the idea yet. And it's okay, no nobody is perfect…. except this one guy…. Jesus! To whom shall we go? Jesus, the Bread of life! Amen. Drop the mic.

Let us pray.

In today’s Gospel we read that many disciples deserted Jesus because they found his teachings hard to accept. We pray that we, like Peter, be blessed with the faith to recognize that Jesus is the Holy One who will bring us with Him into eternal life. We pray to the Lord.             

We pray for those who have difficulty in believing in Jesus and in accepting his teachings that the Lord look down kindly on them and bestow on them the great gift of faith. We pray to the Lord.               

We pray for the followers of Christ throughout the world, that they be strengthened in their faith and invigorated with the love of Christ for family, friends, neighbors and, in particular, the poor, the lonely and the deserted in this world. We pray to the Lord.               

On today, the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence based on Religious Belief, we pray for all those who are being oppressed, persecuted and abused for their faith, just as Jesus was. We pray, Lord, that you welcome into your kingdom all Christian martyrs who have given their lives sharing your gospel and living out their faith. We pray to the Lord.              

We pray for religious tolerance in our world, where different races and cultures can live in mutual respect and where peace and justice reigns, built and guided by love. At this time we pray in particular for the people of Afghanistan. We pray to the Lord.                    

We pray for the people of Haiti, for those who died and for those who have lost loved ones in last week’s tragic earthquake. We pray to the Lord.

For those on our parish prayer list, that they may receive swift answers to their needs and that they may find consolation through Christ’s healing presence. We pray to the Lord.                    

We bow our heads and remember in silence our own personal intentions and the intentions of those who have asked for our prayers (pause). We pray to the Lord.  

Father God, we too often want to turn away because of your “hard sayings.” We lack the courage to learn the truth. We lack the desire to find You in Jesus. We merely want to be fed and experience miracles. Yet, we can experience these very things in your presence each time we approach you in the Holy Eucharist. Open our minds and heart to your hard teachings that we may learn to love the way you love.

O Lord, how easy it is to turn away from portrayals of a world in which so many of your children exist in abject destitution alongside our colossal opulence. Break our hearts with that which breaks your own, O Lord. Till the unplowed ground of our souls with Christ's very hand, that we might become a living sacrifice of first fruits for all those who hunger and thirst. Empower us to be and bring manna amid the deserts of despair, through Jesus Christ, the bread of life.

Pardoned by God's abounding grace, empowered by God's constant love and protected by God's peace, let us go forth to serve God and others, always humbly aware of our own shortcomings, but always encouraged by the faithful and loving presence of God in Christ Jesus, to whom be glory and power, now and forever. Amen. 

God Love You +++

The Most Rev. Robert Winzens

Pastor – St. Francis Chapel

San Diego, CA

As a small parish, we come to you as beggars. As we go about our ministry to those who are not afraid of being progressives and the radical love of Jesus, we need your help to continue to keep the lights on and keep this vital ministry in an ever-hurting world. Please consider a gift, whether it be $1 or $1,000, you will be blessed equally in the Lord. Thank you and God Bless You! 

www.stfrancisucc.org then click the donate button in the upper right corner.

Assumption of Our Lady Mary

 August 15, 2021

Assumption of Our Lady Mary

(Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6, 10;  Luke 1:39-56)

When it comes to teachings about the Virgin Mary, non-Catholic Christians are usually quite apprehensive of these seemingly wild claims that are not explicitly mentioned in the Bible. This is largely because they adhere to a authoritative system called “Sola Scriptura,” which is Latin for “Bible Alone.” Given the tumultuous history of the church leading up to the Protestant Reformation and to the modern era, it is completely understandable why those who follow Christ would want to maintain a high standard of biblical authenticity reflected in church ritual and doctrine. But it seems to be a byproduct of Bible alone mentality of the last 500 years is the flippant dismissal of anything that isn't explicitly mentioned in the scriptures. Though it is worth noting that even the Bible itself quotes,

“But there are many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25)

This passage itself seems to imply the Bible in its entirety is only a small glimpse of what may be possible, namely with what Jesus had done during his earthly life. If God is omnipotent, then there is nothing on this earth that could limit him - not the Sacraments, nor to church or even the Bible itself. And yet, all of these things are accepted by Christians as God-given and inspired. This leads one to believe that Christians in general have a habit of compartmentalizing their idea of how God thinks by claiming if something isn’t in in the Bible, then it's not true!

But then again, who are we to decide how God thinks? If God is truly sovereign, then every one of his created beings is subject to his sovereignty, including the role of the Virgin Mary.

The Assumption of Mary is a Catholic dogma that claims the Virgin Mary was carried up into Heaven at the end of her life on earth. The first thing that often comes to mind regarding Mary's Assumption is that it sounds like she ascended into Heaven in the same manner Jesus did. This is often a cause of great criticism from non-Catholics, and where the importance of context comes in. The difference between the Ascension and the Assumption is Jesus went up to Heaven by his own power, (after all he is God). In Mary's case, she did nothing out of her own power, but rather it was God who carried her up into Heaven.

It is important to note that the Bible is not clear on Mary's fate. The consensus among non-Catholic Christians is all who are born of Adam have sinned, fall short of the glory of God, and are subject to die once before facing judgment. Granted this, non-Catholic Christians generally assume Mary had died like every other human born in original sin.

However, the Bible refers to a few persons who have been said to have been taken up into Heaven. Elijah was carried off by a flaming chariot into paradise, which would have been willed by the power of God. Enoch was supposedly taken up and not tasted death. The apostle Phillip was believed to have been snatched away from the earth. Enoch, Elijah and Phillip were faithful servants of God, yet were still born in Original Sin. Given what the Bible reveals about these people and lack of scriptural clarity, it is possible that Mary could have been raptured.

Many evangelicals are generally more inclined to give honor to patriarchs of the Old Testament as opposed to Mary as the mother of Jesus. It is especially evident when people claim that naming something after Mary such as a church building, an institution or event is considered elevating her above Jesus; yet will use the names like Elijah-fest and Calvin University (named after Protestant Reformer John Calvin) or First Baptist Church (easily a homage to John the Baptist). Provided that many non-Catholic Christians seem to have no problem honoring Old Testament patriarchs, I think it's worth pondering whether giving honor to Mary might stem from a misogynist view of women in the Bible. There appears to be an underlying fear of giving any sort of recognition of a woman living faithfully. Giving honor to mother of Jesus is vehemently condemned among non-Christians under the guise of giving glory to God alone. This is unfortunately at odds with the Jewish commandment of honoring our father mother in addition to the biblical verse, “… all generations shall call me blessed.”

As far as extra-biblical accounts of Jesus or the fate of the first Apostles, non-Catholic Christians generally don't seem to have a problem accepting the possibility of them being true. Jesus is said to have taken up clay from the ground and created living birds during his youth in the apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas. It is also generally accepted among Christian scholars that the Apostle Peter was martyred in Rome by being crucified upside down. St. Andrew is believed to have been crucified on an X shaped cross in the city of Patras. These accounts of Peter and Andrew not mentioned in scripture, but are widely accepted by scholars and theologians as truth based on historical account, relics and tradition. Mary, on the other hand, did not have any relics associated with her from her time on earth. Some have theorized that the body of Mary might have been hidden or stolen by relic hunters. But since there appears to be no historical documentation over such a possibility, and no relics have materialized, maybe a supernatural occurrence should not be so readily dismissed.

It is also worth mentioning the Eastern Orthodox Church upholds a similar belief as the Assumption called the Dormition of the Mother of God. The major difference is the Dormition is defined as Mary having ‘fallen asleep’ or died an earthly death before being taken up body and soul into Heaven. While this account is not mentioned in the Bible, it is largely derived from written documentation by the Early Church Fathers. In one instance Saint John of Damascus wrote in the apocryphal work The Account of the Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God,

“Saint Juvena,l Bishop of Jerusalem, at the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD), made known to the Emperor Marcian and Pulcheria, who wished to possess the body of the Mother of God, that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened, upon the request of Saint Thomas, was found empty; wherefrom the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to Heaven.”

The Catholic teaching on the Assumption is silent on whether or not Mary died prior to acceptance into the Heavenly realm. Some have argued that she couldn't have perished if she had lived a sinless life, which relates to the teaching of her Immaculate Conception. But regardless of whether or not Mary's body perished, the outcome of the Assumption and the Dormition remains the same. They both imply that Mary holds a special position in Heaven with her son.

While most non-Catholic Christians would claim believing in the Assumption of Mary is not at litmus test for salvation, we would argue that it has more to do with whether Jesus is true to his word. Believing her acceptance in the glory of Heaven is viewed by some Christians as a symbol of Christ’s promise to all who endure through faith that they too will be received into Heaven. If Jesus meant what he said regarding the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting, how little hope is there for us if it weren't true in the case of his own mother?

I tend to think that believing Mary is enjoying Heavenly peace with her Son is a safe assumption, pardon the pun.

Let us pray.

Today we celebrate the Assumption of  the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven and ask her to protect all in our parish and to beseech her beloved son, Jesus, to bestow on us the grace to love him more dearly, and follow him more nearly in our daily lives. We pray to the Lord.               

As we celebrate the Heavenly reward of Mary who answered God’s call and committed her life to His service, we ask that we, too, be given the grace to also accept the will of God in our lives. We pray to the Lord.               

On this great feast of the Mother of God, we remember all mothers and ask the Lord to bless them in their wonderful vocation. We pray to the Lord.               

As we celebrate this feast of Mary, we pray that our family homes will be places where we experience healing, peace and forgiveness. We pray to the Lord.                

As we reflect on today’s Gospel readings and the pregnant Mary, we pray for all young women who in their pregnancies were rejected by family and society.  We pray that they may share in the blessings bestowed on the Virgin Mary and that their shared experience with her be a consolation to them. We pray to the Lord.                     

We pray for those who in the past weeks have been affected by wildfires, particularly those who have lost homes and loved ones.  We pray also for an understanding and acceptance by all nations that we must urgently commit to protect our endangered ecosystem which is at the center of God’s wonderful creation. We pray to the Lord.

Holy Mary, Mother of our Lord, we honor you on this day because of the singular grace you received from God the Father. You were Immaculately Conceived in advance of the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Because your son was to be God’s Son, you were preserved from the stain of sin so that God could grow in your womb in the person of Jesus. Because of this great honor, and due to your faithfulness, you remained full of grace throughout your life. And hence, Jesus would not allow your body to become corrupt. The ark of the new Covenant would be preserved and assumed into Heaven, so that you could be with your Son always and so you could continue to intercede for us, just as you did for the guests at the wedding of Cana. We ask you to stay with us in this day uncertainties and pray for us to be given the strength we need to persevere. 

Father God, You chose and blessed Mary with the singular act of making her the mother of Your Son. No average or corrupt human body would do for Your Son to come into the world, and thus you allowed Mary to receive the salvation of Christ in advance of his Crucifixion. We ask that we recognize this great miracle and how important it was – and is – to our own salvation. Help us each to come to greater understanding of the doctrine of the Assumption of Our Lady Mary and to venerate her for the great gift you gave her, and in turn she gave to us.

Let us all join in together and recite the Magnificat. I have inserted it in the bulletins for those who may not remember the words.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him 

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children forever.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

May our Lady pray for us always! Glory be to God.

God Love You +++

The Most Rev. Robert Winzens

Pastor – St. Francis Chapel

San Diego, CA