The Pink Flamingo :: Lent, Forgiveness, Christian Kindness, and John McCain

This is a funny time of year for me. From about now until the middle of March is when the ‘bad stuff’ happens in my family. During the past three years I’ve lost my beloved Clancy (miniature poodle) Siggy, Brunhilda, GeorgieW, and years ago, my grandparents. Also three years ago starting around the first of March my mother started having severe heart problems that lead to her heart stopping twice. For the next 8 weeks or so I think my family walks on egg-shells.

I think I mention this because we’ve come full cycle in the Episcopal church. Three years ago, when I last truly experienced Lent, we were using the Gospel of Matthew for the year (until Advent). This year we are back again on Matthew, which is my favorite of all the books in the Bible. I think we have more of the actual directions on how to be a Christian in Matthew, how Christ wants us to live.

I mention the full circle thing because Clancy died on the 16th.   I was in Fr. Ron’s office when they told me she was no longer with us. (My beautiful and gentle little poodle suffered from a congenital disk problem. A few days earlier a disk had ruptured leaving her in agony. Her age made it impossible for surgery to be successful. When I took her into Dr. Franklin’s the Saturday before, I told him I could not allow her to suffer.)

When I worked for Fr. Ron as his ‘secretary’ there at church, I always kept a huge basket of candy on his desk. He is a grazer. Periodically his wife would go into his office and clean out his drawers where he would stash popcorn, chips, candy bars, cookies, and always chocolate candy. The girls in my youth group had given Fr. Ron a huge basket of Valentine candy a few days earlier and not even he could consume that amount of candy in three days.   I sat down in front of his desk and started popping dark chocolate. My mother, attending a meeting (I’d left the meeting) discovered I was eating chocolate and had a fit).

For the past 20 years I’d been on the ‘wagon’ with chocolate. I had some sort of food allergy with it and there was no way I could eat it and be around polite society. A few days after consuming it I would just go nuts, absolutely nasty. I soon discovered the allergy was in remission and I can now eat chocolate. I’ve become so accustomed to not eating it, I don’t eat near as much as I had once consumed.

I was in the office taking to Fr. Ron. That year I decided I was going to give up being a (word deleted because of my Lent pledge) witch with a b. I still have a special rapport with Fr. Ron, who is now living in Houston. He and Doris moved not long after the Recently Departed (now ex-Rector) arrived to take over the parish.

My long rambling tale has a moral: Forgiveness

Several years earlier, I was asked to step in and be the assistant director of a group of girls at our parish. The director soon stepped down and I was left in charge. I had a wonderful time with them. I just can’t get over how many are now grown and are successful ‘adults’. The person I replaced was soon given control over a group of women from whom the girls’ group sprang. Revenge is a dish that is best served cold. Evidently she blamed me for the fact that she stepped down from leading the girls. I knew nothing of this other than the fact that there were some ‘issues’ between she and our then rector. She unloaded, filling The Recently Departed with all sorts of tales. Let’s just say two years ago Lent, I simply walked away from everything.

I stayed away because I have a mouth and know how to use it.   Fr. Penn suggested I keep quiet and just let things work out, and not to burn my bridges.   A heck of a lot of nasty things were told about me and are still being told. BUT – I kept my big mouth shut (for once in my life) and I’m just letting who I am speak out against the things that have been said. The important thing is the fact that I forgive these people.

FORGIVENESS
Forgiveness is a wonderful thing.   It lets the person who needs to do the forgiving ‘off the hook’ so to speak. It takes the weight of the world off a person’s shoulders. The lack of forgiveness can actually lead to very real physical problem. I know someone who was the most wonderful minister of music. He was happy, playful, glib, and incredibly talented. His father had been murdered when he was a teenager. He helped track down the murderer, testified against him, and was a witness to the man’s execution. My friend, Phil was diagnosed with colon cancer and was dead by the time he was forty. According to one physician, he was literally eaten up by the fact that he could not forgive the murderer of his father.

Years ago I realized the only way I could get on with my life was to forgive the man who molested me as a child. I am now trying to get my mother to truly do the same for the sake of her health. I think the thing that truly helped me was discovering that this man’s son has gone on to become one of the leading advocates for molested children, and tracking pedophiles. He literally stopped the multi-generational abuse in his family. The Lord is good.

FATHER FORGIVE THEM
As he was dying on the Cross, Jesus asked his Father to forgive the people who were killing him because they did not know what they were doing. Christ is the example we are to follow. If he could forgive those who executed him, how can we refuse to forgive people who sin against us.

The Lord’s Prayer says:
Forgive us our trespasses
AS WE FORGIVE those who have trespassed against us.

That’s tough stuff. In other words, if we can’t forgive those who have done unto us, we aren’t forgiven!

Once we forgive, we need to then move on with out lives.

LIVE THE TALK
I think the one thing that truly puzzles me about our talk-show conservatives is the way they wear their “salvation” and their “Born Again” status on their sleeves. But then I realized that Ann Coulter does need to keep telling everyone she is “born again” or who would be able to tell she is a Christian the way she acts? Christ tells us ‘In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.”

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

‘You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny….”

I love this stuff. (Notice I did not use the other “S” word. It all comes from Matthew 5. This is how we are to live as Christians. You may also notice the problem I am having.
“….” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire….”

Our precious talk show “Christian” conservatives and their syncopates now do nothing but revile John McCain. There’s something very wrong with this picture.

How can a person say they are a “Christian” but constantly revile, lie, and attempt to destroy another person, especially a Christian. They are now so infused with hatred toward others, toward Hispanics, and toward anyone who doesn’t worship Ronald Reagan that they will now literally try to destroy that person.

Someone needs to go back and read The Sermon on the Mount this Lent, before it is too late. I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes – Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.