Deacon Larry\nBrockman<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, did all of you enjoy your Halloween last Friday! Was this place full of carved pumpkins,\npumpkin spice latte, spooky skeletons, and costume parties? Did you know that Halloween is now the second\nlargest holiday in the US? But do you also\nknow what Halloween is really all about? \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well more than a thousand years ago, in the 600\u2019s, Pope\nBoniface IV decided that Christians needed a day to honor the dead saints. He called it \u201cAll Hallows Day\u201d and it began\nthe night before on \u201cAll Hallows Eve.\u201d That\nmorphed into Halloween. In the 900\u2019s,\nthe date was moved from May 13 to November 1st<\/sup> by Pope Gregory III. That\u2019s because the Europeans were used to\nhonoring the dead at the beginning of the Winter period. Originally, the people were encouraged to\ndress up to look like the different saints in the church. These were the original Halloween costumes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But there were still a lot of pagans around and it seems\nthey also honored their dead around the same time. On or about that time of the year, they\nbelieved that the ghosts of the dead arose and they could walk about amongst\nus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So society has unfortunately merged what was a wonderful\ntribute to the saints with some of these old pagan customs including dressing\nup like witches and ghosts and heaven knows what all! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, I want to talk to you about the saints, not all the\nhype about Halloween. Because that\u2019s\nwhat all All Saints Day is really about and that\u2019s what all of us are\ninterested in, right. Like the famous\nsong, \u201cWhen the Saints Go Marching In\u201d, says: \u201cI want to be in that number, when\nthe saints go marching in\u201d \\ and I\u2019m sure all of you do too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It happens that when our different churches celebrate All\nSaints Day on November 1,they all pretty much use the same bible readings. Our Gospel reading today is one of them, the\nBeatitudes. But one of the other\nreadings is from Revelation 7,which describes the gathering of all of the\nsaints in heaven in these words: \u201cAfter\nthis I had a vision of a great multitude which no-one could count, from every\nnation, race, people, and tongue. They\nstood before the throne and the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm\nbranches in their hands. They cried out\nin a loud voice: \u2018Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,\nand from the Lamb\u2019\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, all the saints are gathered around God and his throne in\nheaven. And I am sure all of us want to\nbe in that number when we die. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But let me ask this. Just\nwhat is a saint? We have Saints like Joseph\nand Peter and Paul and all the Apostles. \nThey were all called to a very special life directly. And we have Saints\nlike Francis, Ignatius of Loyola, Dominic, and Anthony of the desert; and Saints\nlike Theresa of Calcutta and Theresa of Lisieux and Catherine of Sienna. They heard God\u2019s call; gave up everything,\nand I mean everything, and dedicated the rest of their lives to God. And we have Saints like Augustine and Thomas\nAquinas and Jerome who did wonderful things in preaching and teaching and\nputting the bible together. The Church\nrecognizes all these people for their special holiness and they were all\nhonored by being named saints. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But is that what it means to be a saint? Is that what we have to do to be in that\nnumber, something truly exceptional? Do\nwe all have to give up everything and dedicate our lives to prayer and the\nLord. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now I know that all of us here are making an honest effort\nto seek and live by God\u2019s will, but that\u2019s not what I mean. I mean do we have to be people who separate\nfrom society like the people mentioned above did, giving up family and\neverything else, in order to be saints. \nAnd then consider this. Do any of\nus feel a little uneasy or guilty when you read about some of these saints because\nyou have not done something exceptional? \nEspecially all of us here who are a little older and most of our life\nhas happened? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, you should know that a saint is any person who lives a\nholy and righteous life. All those in\nheaven are saints, not just those our churches honor with the special title. Saints hear the will of God for themselves\nand live their lives accordingly. Most\nsaints are regular folks just like you and me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, I think it is important to recognize that man\u2019s\nprimary calling on earth comes from Genesis. \nIt was given right after man was created and right after the first man\nwas blessed. In Genesis 1:28, God said\n\u201cBe fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.\u201d That\u2019s what almost all of us are called to\ndo. We are called to married life, to\nhave children, and to be fruitful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of us don\u2019t have any problem at all with the multiply\npart, do we? But what does it really\nmean to be fruitful? Well, fruitful is\nthe means by which we \u201csubdue the earth\u201d. \nWe are fisherman, farmers, soldiers, policeman, engineers, teachers, nurses,\ncaretakers, musicians, artists, whatever. \nWe are what makes the world go around and provide for food, water, shelter,\nentertainment and the well-being of our brothers and sisters. The world cannot exist without us; neither\ncan God\u2019s will be accomplished. We are\nresponding to the specific talents and gifts and interests and environment we\nwere born into. That\u2019s what most of us\nwere called to do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes we feel inspired to pursue things of interest to\nus, and we do; God fills our lives with\ncircumstances that we must deal with; and we do \nBut most of us have not heard a special call like the ones the named saints\nabove heard. And that is OK. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You see, God doesn\u2019t make junk. God lovingly formed each and every one of us. It was his will to place us in this time and\nplace, and with the people we were placed with. \nAnd God showed no favorites in his creative mode. He gives each of us our unique talents, and\njudges each of us one-on-one based on what we have done with them. We are not compared with anyone else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And that brings us to our Gospel today. You see, just like there will be a great\ncrowd gathered around the throne in heaven as in the description in Revelation;\nthere was a great crowd gathered around Jesus in our Gospel reading. Jesus gave all of those folks in the crowd,\nthe ordinary people, the saints in the making, their marching orders. We know those marching orders as the\nBeatitudes. They instruct us on what we\nshould do rather than should not do, which the Mosaic law emphasized. Let\u2019s look at each one carefully. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let us recognize that the words blessed and happy are both\nused, depending on the translation. So, when\none is blessed, they are truly righteous with God, and at the same time, they\nare happy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n First, we hear, \u201cBlessed are the poor in spirit.\u201d Now it is easy to focus on the word \u201cpoor\u201d\nhere. But it is \u201cpoor in spirit\u201d, not financially\npoor Jesus is talking about. All kinds\nof commentary has been written about this. \nAnd the general sense is that Jesus is referring to people who defer in\nspirit. The poor in spirit are those who\nrecognize their own limitations. Their focus is not on letting their own spirit\ndominate them as if they were a god unto themselves. Rather, we must all come to recognize that\nour life force is a free gift from God. And\nso we need to defer our spirit and our inclinations to the will of God to fully\nexperience that gift. We will be happier\nif we defer to God\u2019s spirit because we will not lust after the things of this\nworld. They cannot bring us ultimate\nhappiness; only God can do that. For\nthose who are poor in spirit, the kingdom of God is theirs. And that is the happiness we all ultimately\nseek. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, \u201cBlessed are they who mourn\u201d. This seems strange at first but think of it\nthis way. Virtually all of us strive for\nthe right thing, but somehow fall short. \nThat is something to mourn about. \nIt is a recognition of our own humanity; our own limitations. Try as we might, we fail in some ways of\nweakness over and over. But it is\nimportant that we recognize that, and so mourn over it. Jesus is telling us that if we are sincere in\nour mourning, we will be comforted. It\u2019s\nthe same as our relationship with children, isn\u2019t it? No matter how many times they mess up, we are\nthere to comfort them and tell them it will be OK. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, \u201cBlessed are the meek\u201d. Those who are meek quietly submit to the will\nof the Lord. When God points them in a\ndirection, they go that way- like the person who must care for a sick child or\nan elderly parent. Such people may be\nbesieged by lots of influences and temptations along the way, but they quietly\nhold fast to their calling. They will\ninherit the land, This is as if to say\nthat even though some of the things of the world seemed to pass them by while they held firm to their purpose, ultimately\nthey will inherit \u201cthe land\u201d, a place with the Lord. And that is what is really important. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now true Christians not only follow their instincts on what\nthe Lord is calling them to do, but they also seek God, they are proactive. So \u201cBlessed are those who hunger and thirst\nfor righteousness, for they will be satisfied\u201d. \nIndeed, those who seek God spiritually in prayer will be rewarded. And this also applies to hungering and\nthirsting for justice. So, we cannot be\ncomplacent in a largely secular world. We\nhave to be meek; but we also have to hold firm and seek justice for ourselves\nand others. Jesus is telling us we will\nbe rewarded for our efforts if we do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I am pleased that after the many years of right-to-life\nactivity here in Orlando the proactive pressure worked, because the Planned Parenthood\nclinic on Tampa Avenue closed. This was\nJustice for the most vulnerable members of society- the unborn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And in the midst of all of the trials of life, each of us\nhas been hurt- hurt by family members, employers, neighbors and friends. Just as we expect God to be merciful to us in\nthe face of our failings, so also we need to be merciful to those who offend\nand hurt us. Hence, \u201cBlessed are the\nmerciful\u201d. In a sense, those who are\nmerciful achieve a special level of happiness. \nBecause they let go, rather than hang on to anger and hurt. Holding on to anger and hurt never makes one\nhappy. Jesus says that merciful people\nwill receive mercy. Indeed, God is\nmerciful to those who show mercy to others. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next we have \u201cBlessed are the clean of heart\u201d. Ah, yes, the heart. Where your heart is, so also is your\ntreasure. The heart is how we really\nfeel about things. It\u2019s where our real\nrelationship with God is. We cannot hide\nor deceive God, who knows what is in our hearts. And things that derail the purity of our\nhearts are lusts for things of this world like power, money, relationships,\nthings. If these are the focus of our\nhearts, rather than our relationship with God, then God knows it. Also, people would be uncomfortable looking\ninto the eyes of an all good God in the face of their own impurity. But those who are pure of heart are ready to\nsee God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBlessed are the\npeacemakers\u201d. That\u2019s a really tough\nrole, isn\u2019t it, being a peacemaker. We\nall tend to want our side; understanding how to defer to another is hard. And for those things that go on around us, well,\nit\u2019s prudent to just stand by and let other people deal with a situation. Why get involved? Well, because we are called to be peacemakers-\nin our families, in our jobs, in our community. When people know you are the real thing; if\nthey know that you are pure of heart and not biased, then they will honor you\nwhen you fill the role of peacemaker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Those who are peacemakers are truly the children of God, they\nare a reflection of God himself, projecting love and a true spirit of\nkindness., just like their Father. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And lastly, \u201cBlessed are those who are persecuted for the\nsake of righteousness\u201d or \u201cfor my sake\u201d. \nIndeed, a real Christian cannot go through life without being attacked\nby the devil and his minions. It\u2019s a\nmulti-pronged attack of ridicule, insult, avoidance, pain, suffering, and all\nkinds of evil. Because when you are\ndoing the right thing, you are an obstruction to the plans of those who run the\nworld. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But the reality of life is that all of us will suffer. Jesus Christ suffered a horrible passion and\ndeath for the sake of his Father and for the sake of righteousness. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called\nand destined to experience the same. But\nthis life is only a stepping-stone to eternity. \nAnd those who hold firm will be rewarded with the Kingdom of God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier this week I visited a man in the hospital who had a\nhorrible disease. He was a man of great\nfaith. He was covered with festering\nsores all over his body and was in constant pain- pain that no medication could\ncontrol. This condition has lasted now\nfor 2 years. He knows he will not\nsurvive; but he is having a problem dealing with the pain and the effect on his\nfamily. I could do nothing but pray for\nhim, this modern-day Job. But then I\nsuggested he offer it up to God and told him he would constantly be in my\nprayers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In one way or another, all of us have to deal with pain and\nsuffering. It is part of life; and its\nduration can be indeterminate. God tests\nthose he loves; and sometimes we cannot know why. But the Kingdom of God is there for all who\nendure this suffering with dignity and grace. \nAnd that Kingdom will be ours for ever and ever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And so, the Beatitudes are a script for those of us who live\nnormal lives. Se are all called by God\nto do his will and to live life to the fullest. \nGod loves each of us. None of us\nhas been favored by God when he created us. \nRather, we were all created in his image and likeness, and each one for\nour own special life with our own talents and limitations. Some people are called by God for special\ntasks. But the overwhelming majority of\nus are called to \u201cBe fruitful and multiply.\u201d \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Jesus Christ looked out over the massive crowd in\nGalilee, some 5000 families, He preached to them how they should live their\nlives. He preached the Beatitudes to\nthem. It is Jesus\u2019 script for how they\ncould be happy and achieve everlasting life with him. And it is just as applicable to us today. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Westminster Towers Ecumenical Service Matthew 5: 1-12 Deacon Larry Brockman Well, did all of you enjoy your Halloween last Friday! Was this place full of carved pumpkins, pumpkin spice latte, spooky skeletons, and costume parties? Did you know that Halloween is now the second largest holiday in the US? But do you also know what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[594,596,595],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1164"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1164"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1164\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1165,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1164\/revisions\/1165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.deaconlarry.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}