May 1, 2011
St. Benedict’s, Los Osos CA
The Rev. Brian H. O. A. McHugh
Acts 2: 14a, 22-32; Ps 16; I Peter 1: 3-9; John 20: 19-31
The French theologian, scholastic philosopher, and logician Peter Abelard (1079-1142) is quoted to have said: “By doubting we come to inquiry, by inquiry we come to truth”. His words are, I think, important to consider on what has come to be “Doubting Thomas” Sunday. Those who designed our present three year Lectionary seem to think that the story is important for our spiritual understanding and maturity; it is the Gospel for all three years!
Abelard’s words from a thousand years ago can, I think, assure us that Doubt is part and parcel of the Journey of Faith. Perhaps we need to be assured of this now and then ~ but I think not every year! I think that Jesus was saying to Thomas, “Thomas, you have been with me, and you have experienced the life of God in me; trust in your experience, and in my promise that God is always with you.”
I would say this: focusing on Doubt in this story is a red herring. When Jesus taught in parables, He included a lot of red herrings ….. things that could distract people from the essence of His teaching. Why? I think of His words, “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” (Matt 7: 6, NIV). Now, some of you may go away and say that Brian said that Jesus thought we human beings were dogs and pigs, beneath His attention. No, Brian didn’t say that. Jesus was saying that we must learn not to be distracted by red herrings, but to have “ears that can hear” and to listen for the inner truth. This is what I think is the import of the Gospel today: Jesus is saying to all of us, through Thomas, “You have seen in me that God’s Unconditional Love is real and at the heart of Life. Trust that. Do not be distracted by squabbling over irrelevant “side” issues” ~ if you will pardon the pun. This is the same message of the story of Martha and Mary: “Live Life from the heart of Love; don’t be distracted by unimportant issues; Choose the better part”.
So: what is “the better part” in this story of Thomas? What is the “sacred”, the “pearl”? It has to do with the Beloved Community, with the Community that gathers around the Mystery of God’s extravagant Love, and around us as those who are committed through our baptism to live out Jesus’ plea, which we heard at the Maundy Thursday Liturgy, to “love one another as I have loved you”.
I think it is important that Thomas was not with the community of the disciples when Jesus came to them in the Upper Room. It points to the critical importance of being a functioning part of the Beloved Community and, by extension, of the Human Race, namely of God’s People. It IS all about Love, and we can’t love in the abstract. We have to love someone: God, self, neighbour, enemy, stranger, mother, father, brother, sister, terrorist, friend.
I believe that “church” is, above all things, meant to be a place where we practice becoming loving members of the Beloved Community. Becoming a member of a congregation may begin in the search for simple companionship, but I think it must soon appear to be a place in which we can trust people to love us, and in which we are all learning day by day to live out of trust in God’s unconditional love, learning the character and nature of Love, and learning how to make that real for each other. And I think we need to be intentional about it to the fullest of our ability. It is not enough to be nice, pleasant, or friendly ….. though that’s a good place to start. But as Jesus once said, “even the tax-collectors do that!”. Every Episcopal church profile that I have ever looked at said some version of “We are a nice, pleasant, and friendly church”. But that is only the beginning of “being church”.
Which brings me to my final point. Today’s Collect goes to the heart of the Thomas story: “Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith”. God has proclaimed a covenant of faithful love to Her people from time immemorial. This Covenant in Jesus reminds us that covenant life is not magical. God does not wave a magic wand and – poof – we are all radically loving people. God offers, and we must then say Yes. Jesus has told us that all brokenness can be healed, if we are honest about our sin against Love, desire to change, and look to the Living Spirit as Guide.
I think that we who are members of the Beloved Community here at St. Benedict’s are, to be modest and humble, on a scale of 1 to 10, about 6. And that’s pretty good! I know personally how hard it is to be the Beloved Community of Reconciliation; I have some pretty strong political and theological views and a prickly personality to boot! But trusting in Jesus and the Gospel, I say let’s shoot for a 7.
The Rev. Brian H. O. A. McHugh
Acts 2: 14a, 22-32; Ps 16; I Peter 1: 3-9; John 20: 19-31
The French theologian, scholastic philosopher, and logician Peter Abelard (1079-1142) is quoted to have said: “By doubting we come to inquiry, by inquiry we come to truth”. His words are, I think, important to consider on what has come to be “Doubting Thomas” Sunday. Those who designed our present three year Lectionary seem to think that the story is important for our spiritual understanding and maturity; it is the Gospel for all three years!
Abelard’s words from a thousand years ago can, I think, assure us that Doubt is part and parcel of the Journey of Faith. Perhaps we need to be assured of this now and then ~ but I think not every year! I think that Jesus was saying to Thomas, “Thomas, you have been with me, and you have experienced the life of God in me; trust in your experience, and in my promise that God is always with you.”
I would say this: focusing on Doubt in this story is a red herring. When Jesus taught in parables, He included a lot of red herrings ….. things that could distract people from the essence of His teaching. Why? I think of His words, “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” (Matt 7: 6, NIV). Now, some of you may go away and say that Brian said that Jesus thought we human beings were dogs and pigs, beneath His attention. No, Brian didn’t say that. Jesus was saying that we must learn not to be distracted by red herrings, but to have “ears that can hear” and to listen for the inner truth. This is what I think is the import of the Gospel today: Jesus is saying to all of us, through Thomas, “You have seen in me that God’s Unconditional Love is real and at the heart of Life. Trust that. Do not be distracted by squabbling over irrelevant “side” issues” ~ if you will pardon the pun. This is the same message of the story of Martha and Mary: “Live Life from the heart of Love; don’t be distracted by unimportant issues; Choose the better part”.
So: what is “the better part” in this story of Thomas? What is the “sacred”, the “pearl”? It has to do with the Beloved Community, with the Community that gathers around the Mystery of God’s extravagant Love, and around us as those who are committed through our baptism to live out Jesus’ plea, which we heard at the Maundy Thursday Liturgy, to “love one another as I have loved you”.
I think it is important that Thomas was not with the community of the disciples when Jesus came to them in the Upper Room. It points to the critical importance of being a functioning part of the Beloved Community and, by extension, of the Human Race, namely of God’s People. It IS all about Love, and we can’t love in the abstract. We have to love someone: God, self, neighbour, enemy, stranger, mother, father, brother, sister, terrorist, friend.
I believe that “church” is, above all things, meant to be a place where we practice becoming loving members of the Beloved Community. Becoming a member of a congregation may begin in the search for simple companionship, but I think it must soon appear to be a place in which we can trust people to love us, and in which we are all learning day by day to live out of trust in God’s unconditional love, learning the character and nature of Love, and learning how to make that real for each other. And I think we need to be intentional about it to the fullest of our ability. It is not enough to be nice, pleasant, or friendly ….. though that’s a good place to start. But as Jesus once said, “even the tax-collectors do that!”. Every Episcopal church profile that I have ever looked at said some version of “We are a nice, pleasant, and friendly church”. But that is only the beginning of “being church”.
Which brings me to my final point. Today’s Collect goes to the heart of the Thomas story: “Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith”. God has proclaimed a covenant of faithful love to Her people from time immemorial. This Covenant in Jesus reminds us that covenant life is not magical. God does not wave a magic wand and – poof – we are all radically loving people. God offers, and we must then say Yes. Jesus has told us that all brokenness can be healed, if we are honest about our sin against Love, desire to change, and look to the Living Spirit as Guide.
I think that we who are members of the Beloved Community here at St. Benedict’s are, to be modest and humble, on a scale of 1 to 10, about 6. And that’s pretty good! I know personally how hard it is to be the Beloved Community of Reconciliation; I have some pretty strong political and theological views and a prickly personality to boot! But trusting in Jesus and the Gospel, I say let’s shoot for a 7.
I need you to help me “increase in love” ….. and I can be a good subject on which to practice!
One should always end on a positive note; so I end with two things:
Douglas Adams, the author of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe”, says in his latest book “The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time”, “The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be." The message: Let’s expand our perspective.
And, an act of praise and Thanksgiving, from the Spanish Jew Solomon Ibn Gabirol (c.1021-c.1058) , which I have translated into modern English:
Who can know the secret of Your accomplishments,
when You made for the body the means for Your work?
You gave us eyes to see Your signs,
Ears, to hear Your wonders,
Mind, to grasp some part of Your mystery,
Mouth, to tell Your praise,
Tongue, to relate Your mighty deeds to every comer,
As I do today, I Your servant, the son of Your handmaid;
I tell, according to the shortness of my tongue,
one tiny part of Your greatness.
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