Pax Christi South

Jesus Meets Mary Jerusalem

The Servant hears the call (Is 49:1-6). It is a call to bring Jacob and Israel back to God but it also a call to bring the islands and distant peoples to God. The Servant gets it. God is the God of all peoples. The Servant will be a light to the nations. All will be invited and welcomed at the table of God. Continue Reading

Consider joining this party.

The Servant Song from Isaiah (42:1-7) describes the messiah as one who would bring justice to the nations. Justice and mercy (chesed) are the key biblical values. Justice denotes right order. The messiah will restore right order-the right order that was lost in the Garden. Chesed is the ever-abiding love and presence of God.

The last part of the song was on the scroll Jesus read in the synagogue. It was the core of his inaugural address. Jesus clearly identified, not with a kingly, military Davidic messiah, but rather with a Servant messiah—a messiah who would suffer, who would overcome sin and death through the cross. Continue Reading

Via Doloroso Station Jerusalem

It is Palm Sunday. We begin with triumph and end with utter tragedy. Jesus had spoken truth to power and the religious leaders and the Romans had had enough. The ideological battle between empire and the Kin-dom is entering its final stage.

Many times this week, in church and in other fora, we will hear, “Jesus, died for our sins.” Will we never move past atonement theory? A loving God does not demands the son’s death to appease anger over our sins. Jesus died for what he lived for—justice. He had the courage to speak truth to power. Jesus died because he posed a threat to empire and priestly domination. Jesus lived to show us how to live. Luke’s account of the passion includes a vignette on service leadership. Continue Reading

Ezekiel (37:21-28) preached in the 6^th century in Babylon where the Israelites were in captivity. They believed that they were in dire straits because they had abandoned God’s ways and God was punishing them. If we accept the fact that humankind cannot name or describe God, then we must admit this kind of thinking represents an early stage in the development of our concept of God.

Ezekiel says that God will set things up so that the people can return to their land. They will no longer worship idols and go astray. God will be in heaven and they will be on their land under one leader David. It is essential that tribal, patriarchal gods have the full fealty of the people. Laws, customs, rites and regulations will emerge to assure that God is not angered again. This is the stuff of religion. Religio = to bind. The people are bound to their narrow concept of God. We have to ask what God is doing with the rest of the world while God and the people of Israel are once again getting cozy in their relationship. Continue Reading

I hear the whisperings of many:
“Terror on every side!
Denounce! let us denounce him!”
All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine.
“Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,
and take our vengeance on him.” (Jeremiah 20:10-11)

This almost sounds like something coming out of Washington these days. Without drawing undue comparisons between Jeremiah and current political leaders, the words still point out what happens when human beings take seemingly unpopular stands. Trying to change the way people think and act is fraught with difficulties because people are resistant to change. One pundit said, “Only babies with wet diapers like to be changed.” Continue Reading

Dawn Greeter

This bird sits atop our gazebo and sings in the dawn. It reminds me Merton saying that birds chirping at dawn are asking permission to be for yet another day.

Abraham is the common denominator in both readings. The change of name form Abram to Abraham represents a shift—a shift toward a broader concept of God. God promises to make Abraham the father of many nations and then reverts back into the tribal-god-become-real-estate- agent (Gn 17:3-9).

There are conflicting concepts of God here. First off God appears to be the God of a “host of nations.” God is the God of every nation. Then, the concept of God backslides into tribalism—“I will give to you and your descendants the land on which you are now staying, the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession.” Now the God of all nations is favoring one nation over all other nations. If I were writing this account, I also would make sure that my God gave me land in perpetuity. Continue Reading

The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dn 3) is a story of faith. It is a story about competing nationalistic, tribal gods. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to worship Nebuchadnezzer’s god. They are faithful to their god who saves them from the fiery furnace.

Over the ages, men and women have died rather than abandon their gods. Over the centuries, men and women have killed others in the name of their gods. We killed commies for Christ. We have killed Muslims for Christ. Muslims have killed Christians for Allah. Continue Reading

The Israelites grew weary of doing God’s will rather quickly. They grumbled and complained about the hardships they were enduring. God sent deadly serpents to bite them into repentance. They formed the first BMW club (Bitch, Moan, and Whine). The bronze serpent was a symbol of God who would heal the recalcitrant Israelites from deadly snake bites if they would look upon this symbol and call upon God (Nm 21: 4-9). The bronze serpent was a reminder that they were to do the will of God, hardship or no hardship. Continue Reading