Spiritual life v. Flesh

Reading St Paul’s letter to the Galatians this morning really made me stop to consider what it is to be human. Paul speaks about “gratify the desires of the flesh”, which we often consider to be based on physical desires; but as we read Paul goes much further. He actually lists a whole plethora of human emotions, and desires which seem to make up everything we are as humans.
Is Paul right? Or does he go too far?

Well he gives to us a solution; accepting the Holy Spirit, and living by the guidance that the Spirit gives to us on a daily basis. For it is by the Sprits love that we gain strength, and that strength will then allow us to deal with the temptations of this life. We do not have to live boring lives, we just need to think of everyone else, and try our best to live life loving everyone else. Lets face it that’s a challenge in itself.

Of course there is love in the flesh, the love we share with a spouse, which is the love that takes us to a whole different place. It is not a forbidden love but one of great intimacy to be shared and cared for. But we can so often miss-understand that intimacy and want to find it with others in the form of sexual relations. But it isn’t there, what we find is nothing, we may think it great at the time but it is a barren field yields nothing of life’s true wonders. The wonders we can only discover in love.

Read for yourself St Paul’s words to the Galatians:

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another. Galatians (5:16 – end)

Life Journey

We are all so very aware that Jesus was crucified upon the cross on Golgotha; and that He was extraordinary by human standards, for Jesus was fully human, and at the same time fully God. Well now there’s a huge concept to start this mailing, and actually I am going to let you work that one out for yourself, because it is far too great for my tiny brain to calculate, especially after a migraine.

One thing we have to deal with however is that God became incarnate in Jesus, and then allowed us to execute Him. Why? To a larger degree we know the answer, Love. Love, a short word and yet perhaps a word that encapsulates the greatest concept known to humankind.

But along with that great gift of Love from our parent God, our creator, came a challenge. The challenge is to follow Christ’s path, by walking in the footprints Jesus left for us. Easy you say; it is easy to follow a path someone has already cleared for us, well I do hope you find it easy. Perhaps if it were a path someone had cut for us through a jungle then it may be clear or a path across a field that someone uses a heavy roller to compress the grass so that we can follow it without deviation. Perhaps that sort of path may be easy to follow, and for you my sister or brother perhaps Jesus’ footprints are easy to follow through this life; alas the path I am on is worse that the UK roads are at present, there are so many holes and trip hazards.

So I could ask of God; ‘why did you make such a path for me to struggle along’, but when I reflect, I realise God’s original path was straight, even and flat. What I am faced with are potholes, and bumps of my own making. These deviations from the original path are those created by my own confusion. Perhaps I am a little like St Thomas I let doubt get in my way. I am blessed in my faith, I have always had a belief in God and it has never wavered, I have questioned it, but it had remained strong. But doubt in myself as being worthy has always been with me, and so when I read about St Thomas’ wanting to see Jesus himself I wonder whether it is more to do with jealousy that everyone else saw Jesus and he, Thomas, had not? It’s a human thing.

The following prayer is great for all journeying people, please join me on this journey; together we can support one another ...
Lord, we give praise and thanks to You

for You redeemed us with the

precious blood of Christ,

A lamb without blemish or defect.

Help us to live this day in

Your footsteps.

Amen

(Walk with Me: Holy See)

(John 20:24-29)

Rehabilitation: Taking time out with God

            Like most clergy I have a number of roles, one is chaplaincy. I also write as someone who in common language is ‘disabled’, though I prefer differently-abled as I have never found the perfect specimen of the ‘able bodied person yet.

            Rehabilitation comes after trauma; the trauma can be an accident such as a fall which leads to massive tissue damage, or sometimes bone fractures that need either operations to repair or time in plaster casts allowing ‘nature’ to take its course. I say nature always knowing that God created us and made us so that at times we can repair ourselves. But of course there are times when we cannot, so it is worth remembering that in the book of Genesis it says that God created us ‘Good’ not perfect. Other trauma can be due to massive infection that causes people to stop their normal activities for a period of time, which means they need help to get going again. There are other illnesses that also attack our nervous system our muscles and even our own defence system which stops us being active in our normal way.

            Rehabilitation is part of the long road to help people by physiotherapy to regain, some, or all of their previous abilities. But along with physiotherapy comes many other therapies such as speech therapy for example for people post stroke, there is occupational health who help people to regain safety instincts around their own home when making a cup of tea, bathing or moving from room to room. There may also be an intervention from psychology where someone wants to talk about the changes in their lives and how it has affected them. Someone may need social services to help with moving to a new home, or assistance with money issues, or even family problems.  Of course there is the chaplaincy for all spiritual matters, and prayer being our most important gift to share together; as well as just a chat if someone just wants a different face to talk to. A good chaplaincy will always cater for all faiths and none. Let us not forget the Nurses and Doctors who are always there to offer advice and assistance for medical issues. There will be many other people who come and go offering great and valuable support and care.

            The sad truth is not everyone gets back to their starting place. This can be that age has crept up on us and it takes an accident or illness to stop a person for a time, then suddenly the body is not capable of getting back to where it was before the accident. There are also those injuries and illnesses that have such a traumatic effect on the body that the person cannot recover no matter how good the medical intervention. It can sometimes seem random when a person has had major life threatening trauma recovers to a near prefect self. Then another person has something that seems minor and ends up with life changing disabilities. As a chaplain my role is not to try and explain or even comfort, for experience has taught me that you cannot comfort someone who has lost all independence. My role is to be there, and when I can represent the face of Christ. This may seem a rather presumptuous claim, but often the chaplain in the dog collar bearing Christ’s cross will be the one who reminds people of the Goodnews. Of course some reject this outright, though I say confidently that this would be less than two or three percent of all people I have met ignore me completely. Of the rest, the majority believe in ‘a’ God. Now I do not whip out my Bible and start to preach and attempt to convert, no, I smile and chat. I only have the God conversation when the patient wants it, and often they will. This is how I read Jesus in the Bible, he got on with life, led by example, and when everyone was ready spoke about the Father.

Chaplain Major Jeffrey (Chad) Leach,OSP

International Chaplains Association of the Celtic Cross Foundation in Ministry

Medical Outreach Division

Associate Minister; Wednesfield St Gregory the Great

The evil of Self

I guess we all struggle at times with being a Christian in a world full of life’s temptations. Our hearts are so often torn between what we know God wants us to do and what we would like to do, because those things we would like to do give to us some form of worldly pleasure, and instant gratification.

But we know that the treasures in this world are not real; money, belongings, wealth, fame, they are all based upon the weakness of our hearts. But worse these treasures are all part of the evil of selfishness. As I read this prayer over and reflect upon my own words I keep thinking about the children of PC Dave Phillips; the photograph of that beautiful family must be etched into the minds of so many of us up and down the country now. We ask why, how? It make so little sense that this young man who pulled on a uniform to protect us should be killed in such a terrible and selfish way, and so we understand the evil of selfishness once more. Those who killed this young man, and did so much harm to this family did so because of self, the evil of self.

Alas Dave Phillips was not the only one killed because of evil, we think of those killed recently at the Umpqua Community College, those lead to die at sea trying to reach Europe all for profit or revenge or just notoriety. In the end it is all self, evil.

As a canon lawyer I read the Gospels often as Jesus’ commands, sometimes they do conflict, but St Matthew does record for us the time Jesus sat upon a hill and spoke to a gathered crowd, the way he spoke was clear and for me he commanded:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.

Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This for me is Jesus’ command for selflessness, for becoming a society dedicated to the other, loving one another, being Samaritans. Is this possible here and now? I guess not, but does that stop you and me; I can only answer for myself and I will try every day to live up to Christ’s call. I will falter for I am only a man, and a poor one at that, but I will try, and surely if we all tried together then together we would make a difference.

Say this prayer with me, and together we can overcome our weaknesses, and attain the true treasure God has in store for us; the Glory which is God.

Lord,
we struggle with our broken and divided hearts.
Bless us with your peace
as we strive to look and act in honesty
about ourselves.
Strengthen in us the glimpse
of the glory you hold in store for us.
Let that be the attractive force
which stirs our hearts
and not the attraction of sin.
Give us true wisdom
in our search for your justice.
Amen
(Walk with Me: Holy See)

For David Phillips, may he Rest in Peace, Amen

God Ever Present. Made in His Image

Sometimes I look around and feel a sense of despair when I consider what we humans have done to God’s creation. We only have to watch the many nature programmes on TV to understand the impact of industrialisation and humanities greed for stripping the earth of its natural riches. The book of Genesis tells us that when God had finished the creation it was good; alas it took humans to spoil it. However there is more than enough of the original creation left to allow one to look around with a sense of awe as one studies God’s creation. So as I look around and realise that God is in everything, which means also that everything is in God. Two weeks ago I was in the English Lake District for a short holiday, we had taken our dog who decided that at 5AM she needed the toilet, so as I was outside holding her lead I looked skywards; there, right there, was the wonder of God in creation. For with little background light the whole of the night sky was laid bare in front of my eyes, what a wondrous and breath-taking sight! Now we have not managed to mess that up yet.

It is true that we can also see God in other people, not just a few, but in all. Now that is a challenge, we often see faces on the news of murderers and others who have done great evil. How can God, and His beloved Son Jesus, be in there also? Well we are all created in God’s image; not a physical image, but the image of the spirit, that part of us that can think, love and make decisions. It is alas sometimes the terrible decisions that bring us down, but God does not control that part of us otherwise we would be just puppets to His will. He has given us the ability to make a choice, and becoming evil is a choice. I do believe that Christ is there for each of us, and loves each of us. But it is we that reject Jesus, and reject Him time and again; yet Jesus never gives up on us, and remains in each of us, until that time when we are prepared to accept God’s grace, and return that love.

The idea of ever present God is a challenge when things are difficult, I know, and how can an ever present God stand by and see so much pain and suffering? God suffers with us I am sure; He knew the pain of rejection and physical torture and death on a cross. He sees every day the pain we go through as we mourn the loss of those who have gone before. Can all of this be fixed by a wave of His wondrous hand? Well I am sure it could. But what would we become, would we think the same, act the same having never experienced ‘freedom’ from an ‘almighty power’? I do not think so, and so we labour on in this life finding our own way to understanding so that we may be prepared for our relationship with the one in whose image we were made.

Thomas Merton sums this up far better than I could ever do:
“There is not a flower that opens, not a seed that falls into the ground, and not an ear of wheat that nods on the end of its stalk in the wind that does not preach and proclaim the greatness and the mercy of God to the whole world.
There is not an act of kindness or generosity, not an act of sacrifice done, or a word of peace and gentleness spoken, not a child’s prayer uttered, that does not sing hymns to God before His throne, and in the eyes of men, and before their faces”. (Thomas Merton: The Seven Story Mountain)

Serving God means serving each other

How can we give ourselves to God’s service, fully, without thought for ourselves and our wants? How do we stand before God and say we were true servants, true in heart, always serving Him by serving each other? How can we be the people of God when injustice stares us in the face day by day?

In the west we have become very used to a certain life style, we have become used to comfort and as time passes we find that we are given more and more comfort for our money; and so as time goes by we expect more and more comfort. As a child I remember the metal window frames in my bedroom, they were wonderful in summer for they allowed in lots of fresh air even when the windows were closed. But in the winter, even with thick heavy curtains, the biting wind would find me under my bed covers. Today the vast majority have double glazing which keeps away draughts, of course now we are told we now need triple grazing which is environmentally friendly and saves us money, all a far cry from my council house bedroom.

This week Birmingham Train station, in the UK, has its grand opening, those that have been involved seemed so proud to speak about the £600 million pounds spent to upgrade the station, to make it a much more comfortable experience for its customers. In sport the Rugby world cup tickets are selling for over £500 to well in excess of £2,000. Also in sport we read that Chelsea football club in London are considering spending £100m on two footballers. Whilst writing this missive I had a quick look using Google at what the rich have been spending their money on well one young lady spent a staggering £1.3,m. ($2,m) collecting Birkin bags (by Hermes). She was had a Gold iPhone 24-Karat which cost £1,286.($2,200). Then I read about another celebrity couple who reportedly paid £493,000 ($767,000) on four gold-plated toilets; of course the couple are supposed to be worth between themselves in the region of $155 million.

Now I do not know if any of these fine people believe in God, or Christ, but if they do I would have to ask them how they manage to live the lives they do and balance this against the Gospel. Because to be gifted with such great wealth and to do so little with it is, well, it is such a great shame. I know that these people do do great things for charity, I am not ignorant of that fact at all, I would also argue that perhaps their money making brand is the fact they are who they are; and by raising money they can give more to charity. But let us never forget Christ said to the young man; to follow me you must sell everything. So such waste is perhaps more than we can bear in a world that suffers so much poverty.

But this brings me very much to this particular essays point, one I cannot, and must not sidestep. How can any of us avoid that which is taking place in the east of Western Europe. We are seeing not migrants; people who have chosen to leave their countries of birth for somewhere they feel may be better. Not better because it will give them greater wealth, they are not walking west to live the dream; they are walking west to escape the nightmare. We are witnessing something much more terrible, we are seeing refugees, people displaced through fear of death. What they want is safety. All they are asking for is safety, a roof, some food, clothing, and medical care. They are the person on the other side of the road, beaten and in distress.

How are we responding? With razor wire and new fences that say you are not welcome, you are not our problem, you do not matter, we do not care. Now if I know just one thing about the Goodnews of Christ is this; He cared, loved, and was always welcoming. We have no choice here, no choice, No choice!

We must act, our little island of Britain will never sink, and it will never become overcrowded like the small minded would have us think. If we care, then we must care!! We have no Choice. Those who are in the East are not them; they are us, we are the same, created by one God, saved by one God.

So now if our sisters and brothers from the east are lying beaten and in distress we have to decide who are we to be. Do we walk on by and say yes to the razor wire? Or, do we do as we were called to do and stop and give love and support; be the Samaritan.

I appeal to you be the Samaritan!

British Red Cross Appeal: http://www.redcross.org.uk/

It's 'Us', not 'Them'!

All too often when we speak about migrants and refugees we begin to use the plural; ‘Them’. Them seems to be a summation of the issue, it rolls up the problem neatly into a well-ordered little bundle that can be labelled them in reference to ethnicity, religion, or origin and so many other ways humankind finds of differentiating between its own species. Often we do this instinctively from learning, and for the majority mean no harm; but the moment we do think of those in need as them then we have a problem for we begin to dehumanise the situation; we begin to dehumanise ‘them’. For at that moment they can just become a problem to solve, a numbers game, and those separate and very precious life stories that each person has are lost.

The truth is, the them is actually us, for we are them. In any other circumstance we could quite easily finds ourselves the ones in need, the faces in the crowd. Just imagine that all of your life story, everything that you are, have been, have achieved should in the matter of a minute suddenly account for nothing. You just become a number, a lost soul in a sea of lost souls – them wondering around wanting someone to listen. But those who seem to have power, those who are organised the together ones, the ‘us’ ones, they are so busy dashing around throwing blankets out taking names, they do not give you the time of day. Then when you say you have skills that could help they say you can’t for different reasons, but you know it’s because you’re not one of ‘us’.

We are no different we are all the same made in God’s own image. If we think we are then we are no better than those who supported apartheid in South Africa. Or the Nazis, or just about anyone who thinks they are better than others, and goodness knows the world is rife with it. But the real problem are those desperately trying to save their lives, is that such a crime?

Light your candles, pray your prayers for those who are reaching out to us their sisters and brothers, and take action. Write and lobby your politicians and remind ‘them’ that the refugees are all ‘Us’!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24583286