Big Sugar Buddha: A Homily – The presentation of the Lord (Year A)

Thursday, February 2, 2023

A Homily – The presentation of the Lord (Year A)

A Homily – The Presentation of the Lord (Year A)

First Reading – Malachi 3:1-4 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 23(24):7-10 ©

Second Reading – Hebrews 2:14-18 ©

Gospel Acclamation – Luke 2:32

The Gospel According to Luke - 2:22 – 40 ©

(NJB)

Listen!

God, the creator of the universe, God is not a lord, God is not a king, God is not the head of an army; the temple of God is not a building, you will find it in the human heart.

God does not speak to us through intermediaries and priests, God speaks from the seat of consciousness, there is no other place to listen to God, listen to the voice of your conscience, the conscience of another cannot replace your own.

Have hope, both for yourself and all people, the divine spirit is present within each of us, it is the flame that purifies, it does not destroy…it refines, and no-one escapes it.

Know this!

All things and persons have their being in God, the divine will is the foundation of all that is. Without God there is nothing, and in nothing there is not even the possibility of something…remember this.

If you wish to climb the mountain to find God that is fine; do it, God is there. God is in all places at all times, there is no place where God is not.

You will find God on the mountain, or turn to your neighbor and see God reflected in their eyes. Look in the face of the stranger, see it, see them there and behold the face of God, bow to the divine spirit within them, in the presence of sacred give thanks.

Do not worry about your personal holiness, or the holiness of any other person, we all run hot and cold. Accept God’s love in the here and now, in the midst of all your faults, accept it as a token of what you will become as you pass from the world into the divine light, and know that this is true of everyone.

Be mindful!

God loved you before the first moment of creation, when there was only the possibility of you buzzing with latent potentiality, God loved you then before all that you are existed, in the same way that God loves all things and everyone; we are loved by God, in the expression of that love we are made holy.

There is no vanity in emulating the love that God bears for all God’s children; rather we are commanded to do it, to approximate that love as best we can. It is never vain to follow God even in our faltering and fumbling ways.

Look for God’s blessing in the service you provide to your neighbor, in your duty to your mother and father, to your sister and brother, find your justification in the quality and extent of the mercy you show those who have hurt you, in forgiveness, empathy and compassion.

Listen!

God is not confined to the pages of a book or by the ink on a scroll, neither is God bounded by the history and mythology of a people. Look to those things for glimpses of God, and remembrances of past encounters, but if you seek the living God, you will have to look into the heart of living beings.

Shun false narratives and irrational arguments. Know that the spirit of God is the spirit of truth, and nothing false has a place in God’s house.

Consider the reading from Paul’s letter for today; it is replete with error.

This is not to say that Paul was dishonest, I do not believe that is the case, but you must understand that his view of the world and the nature of reality, was fundamentally wrong.

Understand this: there is no devil!

There is no power I the universe other than God’s. We are not at war with the forces of darkness, we are only at war with ourselves.

Make peace.

Paul tells the truth when he says that Jesus came to set us free from the fear of death, that is the good news in the resurrection narrative, but this was not accomplished by magic or alchemy, such as Paul describes here, the key to this miracle did not take place on the cross.

Jesus was not a priest, and we are not saved by his blood, blood offerings have never accomplished anything for anyone. Jesus was not slaughtered like a sheep on the altar; he did not atone for our sins through his death, we are accountable for ourselves.

The good news is this:

God loves us, God has always loved us, whatever it is you think you need to be forgiven for, the forgiveness was yours before you ever sinned.

God’s love and mercy cover everything and everyone from the beginning until the end of time, there is no exception.

Jesus did not effectuate the atonement, either with his life or with his death, he came to proclaim the truth that had been hidden, that God has made us as one; we have been one with God since the beginning. The Christian mission is to follow Jesus in the way, to spread the word and instill that faith in everyone; we are one in the divine, and no power can tear us apart.

Consider the Gospel for today, read the narrative carefully.

It is mythology and propaganda, as such it is a deviation from the way, for the way is always found in the service of truth.

The gospel writers gave us narratives concerning the early life of Jesus that are complete fiction, and while their intention was to spread the good news, and while they were not acting with malice, nevertheless, they subverted the real teaching of Jesus and left the burgeoning movement exposed to human corruption.

The authors of Luke’s gospel ask us to believe this narrative concerning Jesus: that he obeyed the “law,” following the forms of ritual and blood sacrifice that were proscribed in the books of his ancestors, ostensibly lending credibility to claims of Jesus’ holiness.

Jesus did not need this, he did not need these stories told about him to boost his image in the eyes of the people, these lies were a disservice to them and only helped to deliver the church into the hands of priests.

Jesus rejected traditions that were not helpful to the people, to the poor, the marginalized and disenfranchised; he adhered to the prophetic tradition which insisted that God preferred acts of mercy over animal sacrifices.

Jesus taught us that the way was to be found in service: in service o God, and more importantly through the service we provide to one another, not in the fulfillment of corrupt rituals, blood-magic and paying duties to the temple.

Jesus was not a magician, Jesus was not a supernatural being; Jesus was an ordinary man who led an extraordinary life and was killed for ordinary reasons: greed, jealousy and fear.

Jesus only merited the status of Christ (the anointed) insofar as he led a life of service, which he did; he served his people to the bitter end.

We are all anointed, baptized or not, we are anointed insofar as we follow the way, we are anointed through service, and by demonstrating mercy in the cause of justice.

The mythologization of Jesus was a subversion of the way because it suggested that the ordinary service he called us to, the service he exemplified, came from a place of supernatural-power, it didn’t it came through the ordinary compassion of a human being.

First Reading – Malachi 3:1-4 ©

The Lord You Are Seeking Will Suddenly Enter His Temple

The Lord God says this: Look, I am going to send my messenger to prepare a way before me. And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple; and the angel of the covenant whom you are longing for, yes, he is coming, says the Lord of Hosts. Who will be able to resist the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he is like the refiner’s fire and the fullers’ alkali. He will take his seat as refiner and purifier; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and then they will make the offering to the Lord as it should be made. The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will then be welcomed by the Lord as in former days, as in the years of old.

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 23(24):7-10 ©