Author: John Thomas Frazier

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 24: Year 2

 Psalm 37; Ecclesiasticus 10:1-18; Revelation 9:1to12; Luke 10:25 to 37

“But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?”  (Luke 10:29) 

Today, we too, want to justify ourselves.  More than that, we want to justify ourselves by having others side with us. It no longer matters if we are right as long as we are in the majority.

The lawyer wanted to vindicate himself. He wanted to know the definition of neighbor. Perhaps he thought that by defining neighbor, he might eliminate a lot of people he wouldn’t have to be concerned about.  In this way he would be off the hook, so to speak.

Of course this parable goes into the story about the person whom we call the Good Samaritan. In this parable we notice that a priest, and then a Levite, pass by the injured man. Some say that if the man was dead and they touched him, they would then be defiled and could not enter the temple.  To this I would ask, what good is a faith tradition if it prevents you from being helpful to others?

So are we off the hook, if the person in need is not on our team, our political party, or have our same skin tone, or speak our language? None of these differences disqualify him or her as a neighbor. But the truth is, that the neighbor was identified not by any of these outward characteristics or even by his faith tradition but by the Samaritan having pity on the injured man and responding to him from compassion.  Your neighbor is determined by what’s in you, not who the other person is.

We have our faith traditions in order that such traditions might help us be better neighbors. We do not have neighbors only if they share our looks or tradition. Every human being is our neighbor. We need to ask God to let us see all persons on this planet as our neighbor.  We all live on this “earth-hood” and that makes the earth our neighborhood.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of Proper 24: Year 2

AM Psalm 38; PM Psalm 119:25to 48; Ecclesiasticus 7:4-14; Revelation 8:1-13; Luke 10:17to24

“Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).

As I read this good news for the 70 “others” who just returned I ponder who they were.  Jesus has previously sent out the twelve apostles on a similar mission among whom was Judas Iscariot who would betray Jesus later.  So who among these seventy others were also not so honorable?  Was Jesus prematurely handing out passage into heaven?

As a priest I see my job as one who coaches people into heaven.  I want them to be the best people they can possibly be.  I also need people to know and understand that should they make a mistake later in life, our God is a merciful God.  This comes with a caution however.

As we enter the company of saints in heaven we can’t be upset about Judas and others we know who may be present there.  We are not to judge, only love.  This love, not judge idea, must start now, in this life. Jealousy, vengeance, retaliation and all such feelings are toxic to our hearts and could work against our own entry into heaven.

The experience the seventy received was life changing.  The same is true for us today.  Have you realized any miracles in your life?  I will tell you that I have, several times. They have occurred in your life as well but you may not have “realized” it.  I can never see where God is, but I can easily see where God was in my life.  And I am thankful. 

Rejoice when you realize that God has acted in your life. I do.  But be even happier that because God is present with you now, you will be present with God for all eternity, even with some folk you didn’t care so much for in this life. We can’t say who will, or will not be in heaven.  That’s God’s job. We just need to work on ourselves, our less than loving feeling toward some people we have come to know. The seventy were thirty-five pairs of people on a mission for our Lord Jesus.  Maybe even among these pairs of people there was some resentment. Perhaps what they saw as they went out to do the work of the Lord was more about themselves.  Some people in high human positions miss this opportunity.  Jesus said to the seventy, “For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”  (Luke 10:24) Let go of ill wills. Just let go and let God. God is tricky.  Sometimes God will send you out to find your inner self.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Proper 24: Year 2

AM Psalms 26 and 28; PM Psalms 36 and 39; Ecclesiasticus. 6:5to17; Revelaation 7:9to17; Luke 10:1to16

“After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go” (Luke 10:1)

So our Lord Jesus sent his followers out to places where he himself intended to go.  It is important to note here that Jesus sent them out in pairs.  There are many faith traditions today that follow this example of evangelism. I think there is something about the integrity of two. Also, the two usually consist of a leader and an apprentice.

This idea of pairing appears in the Hebrew Testament as well.  Some examples are Abraham and Sarah, or Abraham and Lot; Ruth and Naomi or Ruth and Boaz; Moses and Aaron; David and Jonathan, Elijah and Elisha.  There are others as well.  Partnering, either with one’s spouse or significant other; or a vocational missioner; partnering, is who God designed us to be and the way God wants us to go about our lives. This is why God in Christ Jesus sends us out in twos.

When pairing with a partner, whether it’s for Bible Study or building a shed, one of the two needs to be well informed about whatever the undertaking is. The one learning needs to agree to follow the teacher’s lead. The other piece about partnering is that often such relationships aren’t permanent and are not intended to be applied to other vocations.  Using the example above, one of the two teaching Bible Study should have some kind of biblical education.  For building a shed, one of the two should have experience in carpentry.

Partner relationships evolve.  As we learn and grow we gravitate to other partners.  In this way we develop greater skills and move on to new and different areas of interests.  Whether we are pondering about our personal spirituality or wanting to learn a new language, there is always someone we can seek out whom we can emulate.  Someone once told me that if you see who you want to be in another person, you can copy him or her. But first, you have to see it being lived out. This is the master and protégé or apprentice concept. It still works today.  God made us to copy one another. However, we must choose wisely.

We need to value noble personality traits. We need to highly value people of strong faith. If we look around, the people we want to be more like are in our communities.  However, such people tend to keep a low profile in this sad world that seems to value negativity.  Therefore, you must seek out those who are walking humbly before our Lord and traveling to all the places where Jesus himself intends to go.  Partner with such people and listen to them, learn from them, love, live and then finally, you yourself, will also lead.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Monday of Proper 24: Year 2

AM Psalm 25; PM Psalms 9 and 15; Ecclesiasticus 4:20-7; Revelation7:1to8; Luke 9:51to 62

“Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”  (Luke 9:62)

Let’s go deeper using this agricultural metaphor.  If we are plowing a field, we can’t look back and tell where we are going, only where we have been. Once we set out to churn up the soil we must stay focused on where we are going and how the tiller is working.

Just so, as we carry the message of love into the world we must stay focused on the challenges that lie in front of us.  We can’t keep looking back at the places where we succumbed to selfishness, jealousy or hate. We must keep our eyes fixed on the new path ahead.  And like the rows of earth being created by the tiller, the road we are on is often being created by us as we walk it.  Jesus is often sending us out ahead of himself to prepare the Way as he did with John the Baptist.

The path we try to build is not always successful. As we read, “he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set towards Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ But he turned and rebuked them” (Luke 9: 52 to 55}. Apparently James and John had some power and they wanted to use it. But revenge and retaliation is not the Jesus Way.

For me this means that we do what we can do, where we can do it, in the Name of the love of our Lord Jesus.  Where we can’t, we move on. We don’t stay and bring down a fire and brimstone argument about rejection.  We must keep our eyes on the potentially fertile field ahead. Once we set out to churn up the soil we must stay focused on where we are going and how the tiller is working.  Go forth then my beloved of the Lord, stay focused and do good work.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Part 1 of 2

Daily Office Readings for Sunday of Proper 24: Year 2

AM Psalms 148, 149, 150; PM Psalms 114, 115;
Ecclesiasticus. 4:1to10; 1^st Corinthians10:1to13; Matthew16:13to20

“Be a father to orphans, and be like a husband to their mother; you will then be like a son of the Most High, and he will love you more than does your mother. (Ecclesiasticus 4:10)

This verse reminds me of James 1: 27 where James says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”  Women with children seem to be the most distressed among all peoples of the world.  Even in the animal kingdom, a random mother, (monkey or great cat) with an infant and no mate, seems to be a pariah among the regular members of its given community. Jesus came to us in such a way. Yes, there was Joseph, and as we learn, he was not the biological father of our Savior.  Mary and her child needed community support.  Mary and her child needed the contribution of providers to help her through their difficult times. They needed “Religion that [was] pure and undefiled before God, the Father.”

Part 2 of 2

New Testament Readings for Sunday of Proper 24: Year A

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10;  Matthew 22:15-22

“Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” (Matthew 22:17)

Back in the days of antiquity the tax was needed to pay the wages of Roman troops as well as Roman government workers. The same is true today for all governments, including our own United States government.  Caring for the poor used to be the primary work of the Church. And, the Church still does.  But now it is the responsibility of all governments to care for their citizens, in particular those who cannot take care of themselves, like mothers with children and the elderly and the infirmed.  And yet, there will be people “gaming the system.”  I believe it is better to lose some money to fraud than to neglect those in real need.  The tax takes care of the needy and provides the needed services we all need.  God however, takes care of everybody, the great and the small, including those who game the system.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Proper 23: Year 2

AM Psalms 20, 21:1-7(8-14); PM Psalms 110:1-5(6-7), 116, 117; Ecclesiasticus. 3:17to31; Acts 28:17to31; Luke 9:37to50

 “My child, perform your tasks with humility; then you will be loved by those whom God accepts. The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself; so you will find favor in the sight of the Lord. For great is the might of the Lord; but by the humble he is glorified.”  (Ecclesiasticus 3:17 to 20)

If you look this passage up you will see that there is not a verse 19.  My notes say that verse 19 should read “Many are lofty and renowned, but to the humble he reveals his secrets.”  So 18 and 20, even without the missing verse 19, are still about humility.  In my own practice of humility, which I still fail from time to time, it is about the humility of invisibility.  The humility of invisibility is about not insisting on my own presence in the group.  We live in a world now where everybody wants to be heard.  Fine. But given air time alone does not make one right. Being heard does not mean being believed. The humble way is to wait to be asked to speak.

When the writer says “The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself,” perhaps it works the other way also; that is, “the more you humble yourself, the greater you are.” What do you think?  Must we insist on being heard?  And if heard, we must realize that what we say may not be valued?

We must perform our tasks with humility. Many of the Mystics that I have learned from were unknown in their own day; Saint John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila to mention two.  It is through reading their writings that we are able to go to the deep end of the spiritual pool.

Remember, it is in our humility that God is glorified. “For great is the might of the Lord; but by the humble he is glorified.”  And as pointed out, by the missing verse, the humble are blessed with secret wisdom.  I don’t know about you, but being gifted with God’s secret knowledge makes being quiet even harder, it makes being humble even harder. I think having such secret knowledge would make me want to run out and share it right away. However, we must listen to the counsel of the Spirit of God in Christ Jesus and learn how to be still and be silent and not to unnecessarily share our thoughts which is the rule of DUST, which is, “Don’t Unnecessarily Share Thoughts.”

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Friday of Proper23: Year 2

AM Psalms 16 and 17; PM Psalm 22; Ecclesiasticus 1:1to10 and18to 27; Acts 28:1to16; Luke 9:28to 36

“For the fear of the Lord is wisdom and discipline, fidelity and humility are his delight.” (Ecclesiasticus 1:27)

This book from the Apocrypha is the Ecclesiasticus, or Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach; not to be confused with Jesus, Son of God.  This is a Wisdom writing.  It did not make the canon, or the accepted books of the Bible, but is none the less an important teaching tool for the Church.  In this book, there is a close association between wisdom and seeking the will of God.

Perhaps a better word for the word fear in this sense is the word respect or belief in the Lord.  For it is in believing in God and trusting in God that we are enlightened.  God reveals to those who believe in God.  Many people refuse to believe because they cannot prove God exists.  But, on the other hand, they cannot prove that God does not exist.  Art is proof of the Artist. Creation is proof of the Creator.  Nothing is happenstance.

For many of us today, frustrations abound.  But “Those who are patient stay calm until the right moment, and then cheerfulness comes back to them” (Ecclesiasticus 1:23). Patience is key here.  We have to prayerfully wait things out.  We should ponder all things as a people of prayer.  The writer of Ecclesiasticus says of such a people, “They hold back their words until the right moment; then the lips of many tell of their good sense (Ecclesiasticus 1:24).  I like to use the term DUST or “don’t unnecessarily share thoughts.”  Too quickly sharing thoughts, even if not meant, or fully developed yet by the speaker, have gotten people fired from their jobs.  All they had to do was keep it to themselves for just a little bit longer.  Again, those who are patient stay calm until the right moment.

In our practice of discipline, fidelity and humility we should try to DUST ourselves.  Holding back our thoughts and anger will give us time to ponder about what truly bothers us. It will lead us to better outcomes and we will have fewer regrets.  We just need to calm ourselves.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 23: Year 2

 Psalm 18; Jonah 3:1to4:11; Acts 27:27to44; Luke 9:18to27

“Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, ‘Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’ And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.” (Jonah 3:4 and 5)

Jonah did not like the people of Nineveh.  He preferred all of them to be destroyed.  But God loved them. God wanted to save them.  I can see Jonah walking through Nineveh sarcastically uttering the words, ‘Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’  He probably said the words in a low tone, hoping the people would not hear him.  That way he could say to God he did the work, but knowing it was not his best effort. 

However, the people did hear him and repented, much to Jonah’s disappointment. Jonah learned that God loved the people that he did not love.  God loved the people who oppressed him and his people.  God loves the people today of the other political party.  God loves the people of the other race. We all need to realize that God’s love is not limited to us and our kind.  God is “all” kinds and loves all kinds. 

In the end, Jonah would rather die than have the people of Nineveh be saved.  I truly hope we don’t sink to that level. More than that, we need to ask God to help us to see the other as God sees them.  And when we have come to our true selves, do the Lord’s work as if we ourselves came up with the idea.  There should be no hint that we are not pleased to do what God is asking us to do.

Pleased be cautioned however.  If people of your group, be it political party, race, gender, orientation, nationality, or any human segregation, your own people will turn against you. But you will have God on your side.  Who else do you need?  When you help the other, do not wish you were dead instead like Jonah. Whether we like it or not, God loves all people because God is good, all the time, and everywhere. 

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of Proper 23: Year 2

AM Psalm 119:1to24; PM Psalms 12, 13, 14; Jonah 1:17to2:10; Acts 27:9to26; Luke 9:1to17

“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, ‘I called to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.” (Jonah 2:1 and 2)

I have a saying, “God’s ears hears tears.”  I know it’s not correct grammar but it works for me.  It is a reminder that when we are at our lowest in life, all we have to do is cry out to God.  Theologians will tell us that we can’t know God. And, maybe there is some truth to that.  But maybe we can know something about God.  Throughout the Bible God comes to the aid of people who come to tears, from Hagar (Genesis 21:16),  to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11), and many points in between. God comes to people who cry from sadness, grief, or abuse.

I have come to believe that it matters not what people believe in terms of getting God’s attention.  God is so attached to the sadness of humans that even if a self declared atheist cries, God is with them. We can’t escape the love of God. God loves us more than we love God. God forgives our shortcomings. God overlooks our ignorance.  God is eternally merciful and therefore,  God’s ears hears tears.

If you think you don’t know how to pray, cry.  It works.  Cry from sadness, Cry from abuse or victimization.  Cry from loss of a loved one.  In all these, God is with you.  God made us with secret alarms that go directly to God which brings God to us in times of distress.  This is why God’s ears hears tears.  This does not mean that God will respond in a way that suits the one crying.  It does mean that God is present and attentive in ways beyond the discernment of mortals.

In the biblical examples above, an angel attended to Hagar and Ishmael in Genesis, and Jesus called Mary by Name in the Gospel of John. In our story of Jonah the writer has Jonah spit out on the shores of Nineveh. It takes these times of desolation and isolation to become contemplative enough to become aware of the presence of God with us, Emanuel. 

This still happens today.  Don’t wait until something bad happens.  Carve out some time to be still and be quiet and wait for God.  Reflect on your life, the good and the bad.  If you come to tears, watch out!

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Proper 23: Year 2

AM Psalms 5 and 6; PM Psalms 10 and 11; Jonah 1:1to17; Acts 26:24to27:8; Luke 8:40to56

“But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.” (Luke 8:46)

In my Thursday morning Cursillo Reunion Group the gathered group is well aware that I, John, am not a fan of “unexpected opportunities.”  During our session the question always comes up, “With what unexpected opportunities has the Lord accomplished through you…” I am a strong “J” on the Myers Briggs personality tests. While this “J” stands for judgment it more readily relates to the need to know outcomes.  I am so “off the chart” in this category that I will wait until someone has seen a movie that I want to see and then ask them to tell me about it in detail.  If pushed, I would probably even pay for them to see the movie so that they can tell me about it.  I know this is bad but I really don’t like surprises. And I don’t think “opportunity” and “unexpected” should be used in the same sentence,, especially with “opportunity” used as an adjective for “opportunity.”

Having said all this, I now learn from our Lord Jesus as he was in rout to do a good work when an unexpected opportunity occurs. While on his way to attend to a dying twelve year old, a woman, bleeding for 12 years, guided by her faith, touches the garment of Jesus.  She is instantly healed.  Jesus realizes that someone’s faith has made use of his healing power.  He has unknowingly participated in an unexpected opportunity.

I have heard that the reward for hard work is more hard work.  Perhaps the same is true of good opportunities.  That is, the rewards for good opportunities are more good, and even unexpected, opportunities. This healing is further evidence that Jesus takes the faith in us already and uses it to heal us.  After the woman was healed, He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” (Luke 8: 48)

I also want to note again, that this is another situation where Jesus takes with him his inner circle of very faithful followers, Peter, John and James along with the parents of the child..  Perhaps he picked those who had both, faith in him, as well as genuine love for the child.  After kicking the doubters out of the room Jesus focused on the twelve year old girl. “He took her by the hand and called out, ‘Child, get up!’ Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then he directed them to give her something to eat.” (Luke 8:54 and 55) Even in this act of healing I would say that Jesus used the faith of the five in the room to do His work. 

Thank you Lord Jesus and use my faith in opportunities to do your good works, both expected and unexpected.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John