TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Readings:
Key Verses (using the World English Bible):
2 Cor: 3:3-5: “You are a letter of Christ…, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in tablets that are hearts of flesh. Such confidence we have through Christ toward God; not that we are sufficient of ourselves… but our sufficiency is from God.”
Mark 7:34: “Looking up to heaven, [Jesus] sighed, and said to [the deaf-mute man] ‘Ephphatha!’ that is, ‘Be opened!’ Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was released, and he spoke clearly.”
Reflection
I’ve given some more thought to the purpose of the seven passions we’re examining this season. Traditional Christianity might say that these came from the Fall from Paradise, our original rebellion against God. The West focused more on the sinfulness to which these passions can lead us, whereas the East viewed them simply as part of the human condition—less as sin, and more as a sickness of the soul, resulting from our separation from God. But what if the seven passions—literally, the seven sufferings—exist to keep us connected to one another. Doesn’t shared suffering bring people together? When you suffer, you get a firsthand experience of what another person may feel, and so you learn the meaning of empathy.
Nowhere do I see this more clearly than when our lectionary calls us to examine the passion of dejection, and specifically this week, the illumination of dejection. As we said seven weeks ago, dejection may actually be the ancient way of referring to what we now know as depression. We saw it when Peter begged Jesus to go away from him because “I am a sinful man!” Now in this week’s Gospel, Jesus heals a deaf-mute man, literally opening his ears and tongue towards hearing and speech. Depression often leaves us without these, doesn’t it? We can’t put words to what we feel, we may not even want to talk about it, and we close our ears to messages of hope and comfort. We shut down two of our main ways to communicate, succumbing to isolation and loneliness.
I’m struck by the theme of communication running through our two readings for this Sunday. In the Epistle, Paul reminds the Church of Corinth: “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all… You are a letter of Christ… written… with the Spirit of the living God… in tablets that are hearts of flesh.” What is a letter—a blog, even—if not a means to get a message across? Just as Jesus turned the deaf-mute man into a walking-and-talking example of God’s power, here the Spirit of God transforms the faithful into animate, living letters, where the very essence of what God wants us to be is written on their face; walking witnesses of God’s continued presence among us.
So then why does Paul go on to say that “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life”? Well, here we have to understand one of Paul’s complex arguments about the Law, that is, the commandments of Hebrew Scripture. In short, Paul—as well as Jesus—realized that people could technically keep all the Law and miss the spirit behind it. Thus a priest can walk by a dying man in order to maintain ritual cleanliness. Thus a man can dedicate his earnings to the Temple to avoid supporting his parents. More important than doing the right thing is knowing why you are doing it in the first place. Only the Spirit can teach us about the spirit of the Law; without the Spirit, the Law is “death” and “condemnation”. And maybe this is where a different understanding of the passions comes in.
Yes, we’re called to overcome and transcend the seven passions, but without them, we would never know what suffering is. How then would we help others find their voice, and open their ears to wholeness, if we’ve never been deafened or silenced by pain? How then would we be letters of comfort to the dejected if we’ve never written in affliction, anguish, and tears? We can go through the motions and be there for someone who needs us, but if we’ve never felt that person’s need, then we won’t truly know why we should be there for them. The path of healing, the road to the cure, lies not in keeping us as symptom-free as possible, but in living with our spiritual illnesses. Only then can we come together in true community, in the service of the Spirit, a service more glorious than we alone could ever offer.
Prayer of the Day
Almighty and everlasting God,
you are always more ready to hear than we are to pray,
and are disposed to give more than we desire or deserve.
Pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy,
forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid,
and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask,
except through the merits and mediation
of Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord.
Amen.
—Collect #1 from the 5th-century Gelasian Sacramentary, also found in the Book of Common Prayer, 1662 and 1979 versions.
Almighty and everlasting God,
from you proceed all holy desires, rightful judgments, and just works.
Give to your servants that peace, which the world cannot give,
so that our hearts may be given to your commandments,
and our times may be tranquil under your protection;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
—Collect #2 from the 5th-century Gelasian Sacramentary; Collect #2 for Evening Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer (1662); “Collect for Peace” in the Book of Common Prayer (1979).
Hymn: “O, for a thousand tongues to sing”
(Words: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788; adapted by Joseph A. Soltero, 2015
Tune: ‘Azmon’, Carl Gotthilf Gläser, 1784-1829; adapted and arranged by Lowell Mason, 1792-1872)
O, for a thousand songs to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of his grace.
My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of your Name.
“Jesus!” the Name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
It’s music in the sinner’s ears,
It’s life, and health, and peace.
He speaks; and, listening to his voice,
New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.
Hear him, you deaf; you voiceless ones,
Your loosened tongues employ.
You blind, behold, your Savior comes;
And leap, you lame, for joy!
Glory to God, and praise and love
Be now and ever giv’n
By saints below and saints above,
The Church in earth and heav’n.
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