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Writing about what I have been reading and encountering in the media. |
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WELCOME TO MY BLOG! I comment on things I am reading, thinking about, encountering in media, and spiritual issues. I hope you will find something interesting. PS. I love feedback... |
| Boruch, Marianne, Grace, Fallen from, Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, CT, 2008. I lived and worked in Middletown at one time for about 5 years. The Connecticut River flows through the town, and the tide from Long Island Sound pushes the river backward to a place south of town twice a day. Perhaps the publication of this book in Middletown is what moved me to buy it. I no longer remember. However, the tone of Ms. Boruch’s writing feels like New England felt to me with its hills and rivers, glorious fall colors, endless traffic, people everywhere and remarkable space all around for imagination to flow into language. This really has nothing to do with this book as it was written in Indiana. I remember rivers in Indiana too…. “The bowl, just a larger spoon for the little spoons to visit…” (p.42) See how she finds life in a thing? Looking at the title, I expected this to be a book of confession, perhaps, but, perhaps I was mistaken. “…beauty, she thought, or felt in her chest. /Did Eve have language? Did she say that/ out loud? Aren’t words the curse/ that comes later, our daily gruel, mouthful/ by mouthful, a little milk, some sugar/ to please ourselves, to think ourselves so astonishing?” She wanted, says Boruch. She wanted a thought of her own. (p.69) I like thinking of Eve this way, as neither pawn nor sinner, but simply life looking to be itself. No, this is no confession. This book redefines “falling from grace.” …a tide pushing the river backward. |
| MESSAGE FOR CABOOL CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN AUGUST 16, 2023 Save the Life of My Child Scripture: Matthew 15: 10 - 28 10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” 13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” The Faith of a Canaanite Woman 21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” 25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. 26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” 27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” 28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment. As I looked for information about this scripture passage, I happened upon a brief biography of Fanny J. Crosby, a prolific hymn writer who lived 1820 – 1915 and wrote more than 8000 hymns . I was intrigued and found an autobiography she wrote when she was about 80 years old. She lived to be 95. She was 6 weeks old when she developed an infection that irritated her eyes. A visiting physician treated her. As a result of the infection or of the treatment or of both, she was blinded and remained blind for the rest of her life. Our gospel lesson begins with Jesus offering a new look at what matters. He seems to challenge the value placed on dietary laws saying that it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles rather than what is put into it. His apostles tell him the Pharisees are unhappy with what he said. The Pharisees, as you may remember, were a Jewish sect that existed for about 300 years from the second century BCE to the first century CE known for their strict observance of rites, ceremonies, oral traditions, and laws. Jesus responded saying to let them be “They are blind leaders of the blind.” He then tells us that what comes out of our mouth comes from the heart. If lies, slander, murder, false witness, fornication, adultery, and stealing, come from the heart, this is defilement. Apparently, as they are finishing this conversation, a Canaanite mother begs for Jesus to heal her daughter who was possessed of a demon. Jesus expresses reluctance as she is not a Jew and compares her to a dog. She does not become insulted. Instead, she points out that even the dog gets the crumbs from the master’s table. Jesus acknowledges her faith, and her daughter is healed. Healing is not clearly defined in the way that defilement is defined. Have you ever wondered why this is so? I compare the plight of the Canaanite mother to the mother of Fanny Crosby who begged for help and got it, but her child was left blind. As Fanny Crosby reports it, her father died before she was a year old. Her young mother was left a widow with a blind child to raise at a time when supports for families facing so much difficulty must come from the family and neighbors because there were no formal social supports, no universally available safety net. Fanny’s grandmother stepped in and looked after Fanny while her mother worked. The grandmother was a woman of deep faith. She focused on helping Fanny express good things from her heart. She taught her what things look like and gave her a sighted vocabulary. When Fanny broke a rule, her grandmother talked with her gently and prayed about it with Fanny. In this way, Fanny became a cheerful, playful, and sociable child. When she was about 15, a school for the blind had opened and she left home to get the education she very much wanted but was unavailable at the public school. She became a teacher and a poet and a writer of hymns that express her faith. All three of today’s hymns were written by Fanny Crosby: Blessed Assurance, A Wonderful Savior, and Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross. If you pay attention to the words, you get some insight into the nature of her faith. She was a faithful person. What do you think: was she healed? My mind then went to the Paul Simon song, “save the life of my child.” (See Below) I looked up the lyrics and decided to include the song this morning. The song is also about a mother begging for healing for her child. It is also about a community that is blind to the child’s real needs, a community that responds to the mother’s desperate cries by judging the child and calling him an addict. There is nothing in the song that supports their judgment, but that doesn’t matter. So what if he is an addict? He is her child, and she wants what is best for him. We don’t even know for certain what actually happens to him. He says there is no place to hide and flies away. Some people think he jumped. One person who commented on the song’s meaning suggested the last stanza is the people changing their minds and becoming positive toward him and then he can fly. This last view of the situation matches the Gospel story, and the story Fanny tells about her own life. A parent begs for help and is initially turned away, or the help is inadequate. The mother doesn’t give up and the child is freed from the bonds of judgment and despair. It seems to me that the definition of healing that is suggested in these three tales is one of a community recognizing the value of a child’s life, even when the child is possessed of a demon. People choose to bring good things from their hearts into the world through language, and healing takes place. Save the Life of My Child Simon & Garfunkel Good God, don't jump The boy sat on the ledge An old man who had fainted was revived (He's all right) And everyone agreed t'would be a miracle indeed if the boy survived "Save the life of my child" Cried the desperate mother A woman from the supermarket ran to call the cops "He must be high on something", someone said Though it never made the New York Times In the Daily News the caption read "Save the life of my child" Cried the desperate mother (Hello, darkness, my old friend I've come to talk with you again) A patrol car passing by halted to a stop Said Officer McDougall in dismay "The force can't do a decent job 'Cause the kid's got no respect for the law today" (And blah, blah, blah) "Save the life of my child" Cried the desperate mother "Oh, what's become of the children?" People asking each other When darkness fell, excitement kissed the crowd and it made them wild In the atmosphere of freaky holiday When the spotlight hit the boy and the crowd began to cheer He flew away Oh, my grace, I've got no hidin' place Oh, my grace, I've got no hidin' place Oh, my grace, I've got no hidin' place Oh, my grace, I've got no hidin' place Oh, my grace, I've got no hidin' place Songwriters: Paul Simon. For non-commercial use only. |
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