Annunciation

Psalm 85:
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth
and justice look down from heaven.

The Lord will make us prosper
and our earth shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall march before him
and peace shall follow his steps.

Isaiah:
I am the Lord, I make well-being and create woe; let justice descend like gentle rain, let the earth open and salvation bud forth; let justice also spring up!

Today the church celebrates the start of the story of God becoming man. An angel named Gabriel shows up and tells Mary she is going to be pregnant by God and will deliver His son. A pretty amazing occurence, beyond human understanding. What would you have said? Perhaps something like "I am special. My uterus is especially special. No extraterrestrial beings allowed! How could I explain it to my fiance? It will ruin my life!".

Instead, Mary's answer is "I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." This answer is called her "fiat" by those who study such things. It is a profound statement, and marks the true birth of the holy catholic church. The very first human to accept Christ. A real human who submits herself to God and opens the door to salvation for all mankind. What a gal! What an attitude! More than a heroine. Do catholics pray to her? Technically, no. We believe that Jesus did conquer death when he rose from the grave. We believe this remarkable woman joined him in heaven. We ask her to pray for us to God because we realize that we still have sin within us and are unworthy to expect God to hear us alone. I often ask for people I think are holy to pray for me. Even though spiritual existence after death is beyond human understanding we know that it did happen because of the long string of people that have witnessed it and passed it down through the generations. I believe my father's spirit lives beyond the death of his body, and I ask him to pray for me, too.

After the Blessing

Glorious mud, new life, and contentment

Ezekiel: "I will take your stony hearts from your bodies and give you natural hearts"

If we recognize the hand of God at work in our lives it is unnatural to have a stony heart. If we are aware of the life and love that flow from the Author of Life and the one who is love, how can we be "stony hearted?" But people do, nevertheless, become stony hearted. I wonder why that is so common? Is your heart "stony"? There is no higher calling for us than to glorify God, and there no way more pure to do that than to truly love with our hearts.

Today's gospel has the story of the woman caught in adultery that the crowd drags before Jesus and asks if she should be stoned under Moses' law. The stony-hearted crowd was standing around, ready to kill, but they had made Jesus her judge. Instead, he frustrates their effort by asking them to first judge themselves, saying "let the one without sin cast the first stone". Imagine the tension in the crowd as they waited for somebody else to make the first pitch, and the pressures as more and more turned away in admission of their guilt. Jesus does not condone adultery, which is clearly sin. But he does give this guilty woman a chance for salvation, telling her "go and sin no more". He separates the sin from the sinner, who he is about to suffer and die for.

This passage reminds me of the excerpt from Matthew where Jesus is talking about divorce. There he says Moses allowed divorce because the people were "stiff-necked", adding that it was not so from the beginning. With the New Testament comes the higher standards Jesus sets for all the commandments, without allowing for natural human frailty, but adding the power of the Messiah's saving grace.

Remember this story the next time you are ready to chunk a rock at someone who has behaved badly.

Another Rain!

.7 inches today. Total for week: 6.43 The drought is taking a beating!

Psalm 33: (unofficial translation) Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp,
with a six string guitar play him songs.
Play him a song that is new,
play loudly, with all your skill.

The podcast should be up within a month...

Are we any better than those who came before us?

This is Joseph Oliver Russell. He is my great-great grandfather, and was a man with LOTS of stories. He was a prospector par excellence, and successfully mined gold in Georgia, California and Colorado before the War of Northern Aggression. He co-founded the City of Denver. He was also a very talented solo violinist and entertained at dances and pioneer campfires in the days before radio or recordings. After the War he moved to Texas where he fathered 12 children and brought civilization to the wilderness. He was described by his grandchildren as a quiet, humble, hen-pecked man in his old age, and they had never dreamed of all his brave accomplishments.

At Mass today we hear the story of God's anger at the Israelites for making a golden calf to worship after he rescued them from slavery. Moses intercedes in their behalf. Then in the Gospel Jesus says that he does not testify in his own behalf, but says that John the Baptist did truly testify in his behalf. He says his acts testify in his behalf and in fact are the testimony of his Father. The Jews do not recognise the Lord, so they will be accused by Moses for their failure to do so, since Moses is the one in which they trust.

Aren't we like the Jews? We turn away from God and his ways at every opportunity, even though his glory shines throughout his creation. It is really a good thing that we have the living Christ to intercede in our behalf before the Father. He knows well of human frailty, since he was one of us. Ask for God's grace when you go to examine your conscience. Find the truth about your own sinfullness, and offer yourself to divine mercy. Be silent and listen for the Lord. "It is in silence that he instructs the mind and instills compunction and remorse, softening the heart with tears, shedding his light, inflaming us with his love: and in silence he refreshes us and inebriates the listener with the wine of his love." Father John Justus Lanberg, a 16th century monk.

I hope only that my acts and accomplishments can vaguely measure up in theory to those of the good men and women who came before me. Pay close attention in your moments of silence. Since it is Jesus in whom we trust, he will be the very one who condemns us if we proudly refuse to acknowledge and repent of our own faults.

Rain!

About 5 inches in one day. What a blessing indeed. The first rain over 4 tenths since last July. The ponds are full, the ground is soaked, and just in time for spring! Hooray for God!

Wearing the Green

Replacement heifers wearing the green.

We all know that anybody of Irish decent is supposed to wear green on St. Patrick's Day. These heifers are black hided but are "wearing the green" in the form of body fat from eating the lush new growth on the Pearson bottom. We planted rye and clover into the brome grass last fall, but the drought had kept it from emerging until this week.

Today is St. Joseph's feast day. A just man. He did a really good job of doing his best in difficult situations.

Saint Patrick's Day

From today's Magnificat:
It is always tempting to take credit for the gifts of grace and to lay the blame elsewhere for our faults. If we do not claim responsibility for the choices that are truly ours, neither can we ask for or accept forgiveness. Too heavy for us, our offenses; too heavy not to allow the Lord to wipe them away.

Todays gospel is about the Pharisee and the tax collector in the temple. The humble heart came away justified.

From Hosea: Come, let us return to the Lord, it is he who has rent us, but he will heal us; he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds. He will revive us after 2 days. On the third day he will raise us up. He will come to us like the rain, like sping rain that waters the earth.

The forecast in Oklahoma is for rain all next week. Praise the Lord for blessing the earth! Easter time is coming!

A New Dawn

Hosea: I will heal their defection. I will love them freely.

The quote above is from the end of the story of Hosea, and is the promise that God's love is not lost to his people in spite of their having turned from him. The rest of the story is about Hosea's marriage (at God's direction) to an unfaithful woman, and the frustration she encounters from her unfaithfulness. After a difficult time for the woman and an embarrassing time for Hosea God directs Hosea to go and take her back. He does so, and they spend another period of time in abstinence. The story doesn't really deliver the happy ending of a fruitful and faithful domestic life for the couple, but does hint that that is the promise for the future. The woman decides she was happier with her husband and the husband loves the wife in spite of her infidelity. The story compares Hosea's marriage to God's relationship with his chosen people. He gets angry with their bad behavior, and they suffer consequences, but he still loves them freely after they repent and humble themselves.

March on the Prarie

In Mid-March every year many ranchers burn their old grass. They do this to stimulate new growth and "clean up" last year's grass so that every bite an animal takes is all green. The result is "stronger" grass for the summer. It only works when it rains, though. This year again I will not burn anything due to the drought. I'd rather have more grass than stronger grass.

This is the most dreadful time of year for the animals. They have been through the ice and snow and the forage quality has dropped. Then along comes the rancher and burns up what was left. They are tired of fasting all lent, but now abstinence! Easter and Spring are almost here, if they can just hang on!

God Talks to Ranchers

Moses: Take these words of mine into your heart and soul. Teach them to your children, speaking of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest. Write them on your doorpost and gate, so that as long as the heavens are above the earth, you and your children may live on in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers he would give them.

I hope that today Moses would include "on your blog" with your doorpost and gate as places to write the Word. There is something reassuring about consistency of place. The ranching families strive to pass on the very same land that they have managed to their children, and hope to instill the love of the land in their children so that the legacy of being in their place is handed down for many generations. So it is that the descendants of feudal Lords in Scotland scattered out to America and Australia, and each hoped to build an "estate" like the one back home to pass on to their descendants. It is a dream that runs in their blood, and they only give it up with a great struggle. The land itself seems to call to me, reminding me of the vision, hopes, industry and dreams of the pioneers who came before me. And no, you don't have to have a deed to hear the call. Every time I approach the Rockies from the east I think of how my pioneer ancestors gazed upon the wonder and beauty and promise of that land as they toiled to get there without the benefit of a road, riding horses and wagons drawn by oxen. Of all the places in the world, Jerusalem is the on that seems to inspire the greatest importance of association. The promised land. The Temple. The crucifixion, the resurrection, the second coming. Something that keeps Islamics martyring themselves over the right to be there. I do think there is a feeling associated with places, especially natural places, but also buildings. Some may call it ghosts. I don't know. I have at times felt my ancestral spirits rejoicing with me as I enjoy the beauty that God creates in this place.

What Moses (if I may be so bold as to assume that he authored Deuteronomy, which we don't really scientifically know) was talking about was that the Word of God endures forever, and remains unchanged in all circumstances. People, being mere mortals, attach great significance to real estate and property. The spiritual reality of God's Word is more enduring, and a greater treasure.

Forgiveness

Sirach: If he who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins?

Psalm 25: To you , O Lord, I lift up my soul.
I trust you, do not let me be disappointed;
do not let my enemies triumph.
Those who hope in you shall not be disappointed,
but only those who wantonly break faith.
Teach me. Do not remember the sins of my youth.

Sirach: Forgive your neighbors injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Should a man nourish anger against his fellows and expect healing from the Lord? Should a man refuse mercy to his fellows, yet seek pardon for his own sins?

Matt: Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?

Give up hatred. It hurts you more to carry it than it hurts your enemy when you express it. Try to understand. This is hard to do. It goes against the grain. Pray with the songwriter above (probably David) "teach me your paths, make me walk in your truth, and teach me: for you are God, my savior."

If it was easy, we wouldn't need to be saved. But as it is, that is the only thing worth pursuing into eternity. Now the sheep from February's posts are astonished. Here is the lead sheep (David?) crying out to the Shepard (that creature carrying that Rod) to teach him. Well, even us dumb wild sheep have to admit that the Rod seems to lead us to some mighty tasty forage and water. And it did a heck of a job whacking that critter that was trying to kill the sheep that stayed behind. But if I go as directed without being wild, I surrender my precious autonomy. Does that make me less than a sheep? Isn't my instinct to run from danger good? Maybe this David sheep is on to something after all? I am still just a dumb sheep, and will run from anything that scares me, but I think maybe I will hang around that rod, since it does seem to make for a better life.

Today's Gospel

Mat: Jesus said "The scribes and Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Observe what they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on you, but they do not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

I have seen similar behavior to the scribes in today's Church. The pompous clergy who revel in the show of fine vestments, who take the seat of honor at banquets, who enjoy (too much) the respectful greeting of "Father" in the marketplace. Their position of authority appropriately deserves respect. However, in practice they judge and condemn much of their own flock, tying up heavy burdens for them and callously watching (and enjoying) the struggle that ensues. Some go even further, and dispense heretical spiritual advice in order to promote their public "holier than thou" image.

Then there are the true vocations. The men and women of the Church who have the love of God in their hearts for their flock. The ones who work to really analyze the spiritual struggles of those who turn to them and do everything in their power to help. The servants. The ones who spread God's love through their very being. These are the good confessors, that listen with compassion and wisdom and truly minister to the souls that turn to them in need.

Paul, James, and Luke

Paul: It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do not even pass judgement on myself; I am not conscious of anything against me, but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord. Therefor, do not make any judgement before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God.

James: Who then are you to judge your neighbor?

Luke: Be merciful, just as your father is merciful

Judge Acts, Not Souls

"God himself is the judge"
"judge not, lest ye be judged"

How do we apply these principles when in fact every decision we make requires some level of judgement? We decide our level of friendship with another person based in part on how we judge that person to be. We develop prejudices as we grow. We trusted people in the past who let us down, so we do not trust them again. For example, I have been robbed twice in my life. Both times it was a black man who did it. I trusted them, and was robbed. So my "prejudice" is not to trust strange black guys with valuables. Still, some of the finest people I have known were black. I would have missed out if I hadn't trusted them, but they showed themselves to be trustworthy.

Every man (or woman) is a child of God, and as such deserves some level of respect due to that dignity. There is within all men the capacity to good and to do evil. When you are deciding on your relationships you have to judge whether it is prudent to trust the other. My advice is to look at past acts of the person (to the extent you can). Words can be deceiving. Look objectively at what they have done. A history of lying, stealing, or cheating implies that they are likely to select that behavior again. Those acts (or any break from the Commandments) are the real red flags. We must judge behavior, but not the people. Christians are told to "turn the other cheek", to forgive "70 times seven times". That does not mean we should ignore or accept sinful behavior. Don't wear jewelry or carry a lot of money into a place where poor people who have few role models live or hang out. I don't know how I may have grown up in an impoverished neighborhood where law breaking is common and no one knows their father. It is not up to me to judge those robbers' souls. But it is up to me whether or not I go into a ghetto wearing or carrying something valuable. Those children of God are not beyond salvation.

Examine your conscience. There is sin within all of us. Christ died to save sinners. Admitting our own sins is very hard to do, but it helps us. Keep striving to choose to do good, but don't trust thieves or liars. Help each other down the path, but don't be a "mark".