Thursday, November 6, 2008

Daily Office Reflection: Through That Narrow Door

Psalms (70), 71 * 74; Ecclesiasticus 44:1-15; Revelation 16:12-21; Luke 13:18-30

Jesus tells us today that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, and yeast mixed into flour, and that the door into that Kingdom of God is narrow, and that some who are mistreated and are last will be first, and some who are exalted and are first will be last. A very rich reading today.

Usually these readings boost my spirits, lift my hopes. That is not the case today. The joy I felt at the election of our new president has soured a great deal over the last 24 hours. A lot of the same people who voted for Barack Obama in CA and FL also voted to discriminate against a whole class of people: a group to which I belong. There is a sickening irony in this fact and it is tremendously wounding: to me and to many people I know. 

Perhaps we, the ones who are discriminated against and reviled by so many, who have been and continue to be the punching bags and repository of people's transplanted emotions, are the ones who need to find a way to lead people away from hate, away from bigotry and to the Incarnate One. We celebrate the life and work of William Temple today whose faith was based on his belief in the Incarnation: God among us in the person of Jesus. Perhaps those mustard seeds and portions of yeast he sowed for social justice in his time will grow anew in this fight we must somehow find the strength to lead.

Discouragement is a natural byproduct of losing. It takes effort to find hope in the bitterness. It takes effort to lift one's spirits. As impossible as that may feel right now, we have no choice but to try and move on toward and through that narrow door where we find and are embraced by the Incarnate One whose invitation is open to all.... All.
jfd+

Copyright 2008, John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

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