Reflection for August 21, Day 227
Isaiah 31-33, Psalm 36, I Timothy 5
When I was an undergraduate studying Political Science I took a
course on US Foreign Policy that required us to read a series of books. The title of one book –“Real Security”—has always stayed with me. The author raised the fundamental question: in a dangerous world, where we are surrounded by threats, what truly constitutes our national security?
This book and its title came back to me as I read today’s chapters from Isaiah. The people of God are surrounded by mortal threats (not much has changed in 3,000
years). Egypt, a potential ally or enemy, to the west and Assyria, the rising power in the east, are in
today’s political language existential threats to Judah and Israel. Through his prophetic
writings, Isaiah answers the fundamental question of what constitutes national
security with a resoundingly clear answer: trust in God’s power and
protection. Isaiah reminds God’s people that establishing a reign of justice, peace and security is the
work of God’s Spirit (Isaiah 32:15ff). The challenge, as always, for God‘s people is to be God- directed, not self-directed, to be shaped and led by God’s Spirit and not by the ways of the
world or the anxieties of our own lives. This requires, in my experience, huge amounts of grace and daily faithfulness. Time to get back on our knees!
In chapter 5 of I Timothy, Paul addresses the issue of how we treat and honor one another in the Body of Christ, and he hones in particularly on the status of widows. We understand that widows were particularly vulnerable. Their capacity to support themselves was extremely limited and they were bereft of the basic protection and safety provided by a husband.
Paul reminds relatives of their responsibilities to love and care for
family members in need, he encourages younger widows to remarry and form new
families, and even establishes some basic guidelines – the age of 60—as an
important threshold for providing special care. The larger issue that he is
touching on is how to be faithful to Jesus’ commandment to love one another in
ways that are effective, and compassionate, but do not enable unhealthy or
unholy behavior. As a priest, I find this to be a daily struggle as I seek to respond with love to the
“widows,” which is to say the marginalized and vulnerable ones in my community,
who show up at my doorstep. There is, as Paul instructs Timothy, a place for holy discernment and
guidelines as the Church seeks to be faithful to the mind of heart of Christ. This is hard pastoral work, then and now. But it is the work we called to as Body of Christ.
Time to get back on our knees!
Andrew Sherman
Isaiah 31-33, Psalm 36, I Timothy 5
When I was an undergraduate studying Political Science I took a
course on US Foreign Policy that required us to read a series of books. The title of one book –“Real Security”—has always stayed with me. The author raised the fundamental question: in a dangerous world, where we are surrounded by threats, what truly constitutes our national security?
This book and its title came back to me as I read today’s chapters from Isaiah. The people of God are surrounded by mortal threats (not much has changed in 3,000
years). Egypt, a potential ally or enemy, to the west and Assyria, the rising power in the east, are in
today’s political language existential threats to Judah and Israel. Through his prophetic
writings, Isaiah answers the fundamental question of what constitutes national
security with a resoundingly clear answer: trust in God’s power and
protection. Isaiah reminds God’s people that establishing a reign of justice, peace and security is the
work of God’s Spirit (Isaiah 32:15ff). The challenge, as always, for God‘s people is to be God- directed, not self-directed, to be shaped and led by God’s Spirit and not by the ways of the
world or the anxieties of our own lives. This requires, in my experience, huge amounts of grace and daily faithfulness. Time to get back on our knees!
In chapter 5 of I Timothy, Paul addresses the issue of how we treat and honor one another in the Body of Christ, and he hones in particularly on the status of widows. We understand that widows were particularly vulnerable. Their capacity to support themselves was extremely limited and they were bereft of the basic protection and safety provided by a husband.
Paul reminds relatives of their responsibilities to love and care for
family members in need, he encourages younger widows to remarry and form new
families, and even establishes some basic guidelines – the age of 60—as an
important threshold for providing special care. The larger issue that he is
touching on is how to be faithful to Jesus’ commandment to love one another in
ways that are effective, and compassionate, but do not enable unhealthy or
unholy behavior. As a priest, I find this to be a daily struggle as I seek to respond with love to the
“widows,” which is to say the marginalized and vulnerable ones in my community,
who show up at my doorstep. There is, as Paul instructs Timothy, a place for holy discernment and
guidelines as the Church seeks to be faithful to the mind of heart of Christ. This is hard pastoral work, then and now. But it is the work we called to as Body of Christ.
Time to get back on our knees!
Andrew Sherman
RSS Feed