Mean ol' Flu

Time flies whether you're having fun or not.  Just where did November go?  I think it is somewhere over the rainbow amidst a diocesan convention, a myriad of meetings, and (oh yes) a major holiday. 
It should come as no surprise that I've spent the last 2 days sick.  Flu overtook me and, although I protested, flung me into bed with chills and aches and exhaustion. 

"But, Flu, my parents are here.  I don't have time for you."

"You are not in control at the moment."

"Flu, this isn't fair.  I have to work on Sunday."

"Life's not fair. Neither am I."

"How about this then - Kevin invited his friend Clayton and his family over for dinner.  I can't be a good hostess if I'm in bed with you."


"Kevin can cook. You taught him. So there. I have you now."

No one can argue with Flu.  Don't even try.

Running without Stumbling

There is a difference between stumbling and falling.  I’m well known for stumbling up stairs or tripping over a crack in the sidewalk. I look stupid and scare people who are with me. Usually I regain my balance and amble on my way no worse for wear. 

However, nine years ago, I fell. And, it was awful.

I was in Pasadena, California, touring with the then sales manager of the convention and visitors bureau.  Ken is a lot like the genie in Disney’s Aladdin.  He’s full of energy (among other things) and always had something new to show me about the city he represented.  It was nearly dusk when he was hustling me toward the cactus garden at the Huntington Gardens estate.  I stepped on the curb instead of the sidewalk, my shoe flew out from under me and I landed face-first on the asphalt.  Yes, I am an official site-visit nightmare.

I was so embarrassed.  I was bleeding, of course.  My glasses were mangled. My pants were torn. My ankle was twisted and I would wake up the next morning to a huge black eye.  The good news was that we hadn’t gotten into the cactus garden yet.  Thank you Jesus. 

I apologized over and over for being such a klutz.  Ken took care of me, bought me bandages, took me to a place that unmangled my glasses so I could see to get home, and he even helped me buy a new pair of pants at the local Macy’s.  Ken was great and we are friends to this day and we send each other cards with cactus themes.  I don’t like falling or stumbling, but given the choice – I’d much rather stumble than fall.

There’s a difference also in whether or not you have stumbled over your own two feet or if someone has put something in your path.  If I’m honest with myself, both my stumble and my fall were due to the fact that I was tired and not watching where I was going.  I was in a hurry, too, in both cases.  There was too much to see and too little time to see it.

It’s the lack of attention and focus that gets us into trouble isn’t it?  We have to be careful about what is lying about and whether we’ve left it there or not. I don’t want to trip over something that someone has set in front of me, nor do I want to put anything into someone’s path that might cause them to stumble.  That’s true pragmatically and theologically because Jesus doesn’t have kind words to say about people who trip others up.

To be fair, Jesus didn’t disagree with the teachings of the Pharisees.  His ministry was all about loving God and loving neighbor. His problem was with the Pharisees’ behavior.  They didn’t walk the talk, to put it in the vernacular.  Actually, it was worse.  They forgot who they were and what their position required of them according to the law.

Wrapped in their stately garments and high positions, they saw themselves as more deserving than the rank and file.  They acted so as to be noticed by others and insisted on being greeted with special titles.  They refused to interpret the law in a way that invited a wider range of options for a larger population.  All of this was to show that they held the more honorable position because of their wealth, their education, or their experience.  In other words, they believed that they deserved special attention and made it obvious to one and all. These conspicuous displays of ego were meant to remind the “little people” that they were “little people” – people who had no honor.

Jesus would have none of that.  For him and his followers, all people were created in the image of God, whether or not they had long phylacteries.

The powerful people of the time were placing stumbling blocks in the paths of those who supported them with their offerings.  Jesus, in his accusations, was telling the Pharisees that they had forgotten that they were equal in the sight of God and had no more honor than the widows and orphans, the sick or those who labored.  At the same time, he was telling those who felt that they had no honor that in God’s dominion they shared honor with the powerful.  Everyone had a place of honor in the eyes of God.  It’s no wonder that the powerful people were ready to kill Jesus.

That we all have a place of honor in the eyes of God takes me back to the collect.  We are all honorable because we have all been gifted by God.

Our collect was translated from the Latin by our beloved Archbishop Cranmer and revised by several people throughout the centuries. The word “gift” here can take several meaning and gives us some new things to think about.  “Gift” was what was translated from the Latin “munus”.  This is not to be confused with something that we tie up with a ribbon and put under a tree or near a birthday cake.  This “gift” is “a service, office, post, employment, function, or duty.”¹  Think “municipality”.

These duties or obligations are those acts that one does on behalf of society as a whole.  In a Christian context, these would be duties or obligations on behalf of the community.  But when you really think about it, the lines between Christian community and society are very thin and quite permeable.

The gift God gives us is in the calling to be responsive to our neighbors’ needs. To take up the cross is to put your own ego to the side in order that you can concentrate on running without stumbling to the aide of someone in need.  The needs of others are diverse.  It may be food and shelter. It may be a complement on a bad day.  It may be a referral or sage advice.  Without a doubt, this gift is to call us over and over again to take seriously our baptismal vows and strive to bring God’s kingdom just a little closer to us at this point in eternity.

Our striving shall not be losing if we keep our focus on eternity and not allow our own or another’s ego to trip us up or cause us to fall into despair.  Oh, we will stumble on occasion. We may even bleed a bit. Don’t forget that Jesus fell three times under the weight of his cross.  But despite his anguish, Jesus had his mission and nothing would deter him from it.  Therefore, if we take time for Sabbath, keep ourselves healthy spiritually, physically, and mentally, we can respond to that call from God to love our neighbors as ourselves knowing that if we dash our foot against a stone (or try to fall into a cactus garden) someone will be there for us as well.

Amen.

¹The Rev. John Zuhldorf. “Fr. Z’s Blog: Slavishly accurate liturgical translations and frank commentary on Catholic issues.” http://wdtprs.com/blog/2010/10/wdtprs-31st-ordinary-sunday-running...stumbling

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