Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Lent: Year 2
Morning, Psalm 72; Evening, Psalm 119:73 to 96;
Genesis 42:18 to 28; 1st Corinthians 5:9 to 6:8; Mark 4:1 to 20:
“Do you not know that we are to judge angels—to say nothing of ordinary matters? If you have ordinary cases, then, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church?” (1 Corinthians 6: 3 – 4)
I believe that people who are regular church attendees make the best police persons, military personal, and lawyers and judges. There should always be some kind of community moral compass in place and activated in such work as police, military and the judicial system.
Humane treatment and decency should always be at the forefront of all public service or conflict. People that do such work should come from a community of faith. I don’t believe such a faith community has to be Christian. But it should be a community whose beliefs recognize the godly value of all people regardless of ethnicity, religion, nationality, language, or sexual orientation. Yes, we must appoint or elect judges to make decisions about how to proceed in terms of what to do about offenders. However, compassion must be given to people, even those who themselves show no compassion. Being tough on crime does not mean being hateful to those who are different or who have made mistakes or even those who show no desire to improve.
Preachers or priests, or imams, or rabbis, must be mindful of the message they plant in the hearts of their listeners, from whom such public servants are called. We all have the same loving God. We have found different ways to relate to and worship God. But just as we look up to God, we must also look to our right and left at our neighbor and remember to love them through this same God. I agree with Saint Paul, I think our judges (and other public service providers and military) should come from people who have an understanding of some kind of loving worship community. The religious leaders who plant the seeds of morality have a huge responsibility for making sure such seeds are loving and inclusive.
Today we remember Anna Julia Haywood Cooper; Educator (1859 to 1965). Her story can be found at Anna Julia Hayward Cooper (satucket.com). Her story really speaks to the need for people to have a moral and spiritual integrity. “Anna Julia was an academically gifted child and received a scholarship to attend St. Augustine Normal School and Collegiate Institute, a school founded by the Episcopal Church to educate African-American teachers and clergy.” (borrowed from the site above). This part saddens me knowing that St Augustine just lost its accreditation.
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Palestine, and our schools, including St Augustine.
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
onewhoponders 