Volumn 1 No. 3

      Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name

                                       Holiness  is the Name of God

The prayer that Jesus taught to his followers reminds them immediately that God is Holy and it is His will and not ours.

  "Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but away from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever. Amen."


 Jesus's disciples asked to be taught how to pray. He told them that when they pray to pray like the above prayer. To acknowledge that God is Holy, He is Father, He asserts His Will on earth and in heaven, He gives to us our daily provision for life and salvation, He shows the way out from temptations and keeps us from evils. He even forgives us. The Holy forgiveness that can only come by the loving grace of God.

 "...and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us."  


 God grants us forgiveness. This is the only applied condition in the prayer. Forgive us our wrongs as we forgive others for their wronging us. We are taught by this prayer, "have mercy on us oh God." The condition is for us to have the same mercy toward others. Will our Father in heaven not give us forgiveness and mercy if we fail to be forgiving and to be merciless?  Not at all. God, the loving Father in heaven, who by the accounts of the Holy Scriptures, gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to be the ultimate punishment for our sins. So therefore God extends to us grace and mercy and Divine Forgiveness. The condition of forgiveness, is to be compassionate, be loving and be as merciful to each other as we can. We are called to be as much like "Our Father which art in Heaven" as we are able.

The condition does not mean we cannot be angry or hurt when someone does a wrong to us. If this were the case then what need would we have to extend forgiveness. How we would act towards another is what is important. Do we then act in wrath and judgement? When one chooses to act as The Father would, we put our wrath and judgement aside, and lovingly forgive those who are unworthy, shameful and due punishment. There is still a need for correction, not punishment. Repair, repayment, or repentance and learning what was done was wrong and not doing it again, "go and sin no more."

The Father forgives, in love and kindness, the gift beyond measure. He simply asks us to do the same. We are called by His Name, Holy. We are to act in His name, Holy. For His Glory and His Name to be known to all, Holy.

This is His Holy Will, in heaven as well on earth. Amen.

I confess before God in heaven, Our Holy Father, and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned. I have been unforgiving and without mercy. Often times I have been angered, offended, shamed, and wrathful.  I cannot recalled all those who have done wrong to me, trespassed against me, I cannot even remember what those wrongs and trespasses were. I do recall that I have not always responded as our loving Father would to those same people.  Therefore I ask and pray for mercy and forgiveness at my own failing to be compassionate and loving and forgiving. I ask you and the Lord to forgive me, and show me the way of mercy and forgiveness.

Furthermore, I confess that my anger, hatred, and wrath grew so strongly years ago. I was a teen about 15 years-old. I was in high school, Freshman year. There was another kid, I'll call him Sam, for this. Sam for what ever reason tormented me. it was this constant bombardment of teasing, joke making, and well I suppose bullying. I grew to hate Sam. I hated him so much I would cry in grief and anger. I wished that Sam would die. This was such a strong desire, it became a reality. Sam died.

Sam died. I never forgave him. How could I he tormented me so much so often that I hated his very existence. Sam still torments me. Just not in the same way. The guilt of unforgiveness, I remember his face. A young face. One that if I did what my Father would have had me do, I may have been Sam's friend. With-in two or three weeks after my hate and anger were sent out in a wish, Sam while driving home with his little brother in a car had a crash. Sam was driving. Sam was killed. His brother was fine. Well, he was now with-out a big brother to look after him.

There is nothing in this universe that says I had wished Sam to death, other than how I felt about him. Coincidence? I never put any trust in coincidences. Things happen for a reason. Those reasons often remain a mystery.  I never knew Sam's brother, nor their family.  I would ask for their forgiveness, if I could. I would ask Sam as well. Maybe Sam is reading this, where ever he is now, and be merciful to me.

Volumn 1 No 2

                             Holiness is for the Holy

                                                                       Only the Lord is Holy. 

 From the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, The Prayer of the Eucharist:

From The Elevation of the Host 

The Priest elevating the Holy Bread exclaims:

Holy Things are for the Holy.

The People Reply: One is Holy, One is Lord: Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen!

People of the ancient and orthodox church recite this each and every Sunday and each time they gather together at the Lord's Table of Bread and Wine. The perpetual gifts of Forgiveness and Healing. The liturgy was written in a manner to remind us of our humble estates. To remind us that only the Lord is Holy, only the Lord is Good. With this said, The Priest holds toward heaven a loaf of bread, in a like manner that Jesus would have held up to his Father in heaven, to receive bless and to set it aside as Holy.

Holy things are for the Holy. So, Jesus set a Loaf of Bread and a Cup of Wine apart and made them Holy. Then he gave these Holy things to his disciples. If the bread and the wine are Holy and Holy things are for the Holy, where his disciples then likewise Holy?

Consider who his devoted servants were. Not one was considered worthy enough to study at the feet of any teacher in Judea. A Rabbi, or a teacher, would select only a few worthy students to continue to train in the Law and knowledge of scriptures. There were levels of learning. All males were taught the basics of the Law and prophets. As they would be considered for advancement, only a select few would proceed to the next level. The others not considered worthy then would return to their fathers to learn his trade in order to provide for his own family. Those of the next level again when the choosing for advancement came again only a few would be elected. The others again that remained return to their fathers. Ultimately, out of the best of the best, a Rabbi would come to select only the best to learn at his feet. All others would return to their fathers. The rejected. If you are rejected, then how could you be Holy?

Even more so, the twelve who sat with Jesus, learning from his feet, Rejected by the prominent teachers of their day, would learn from their master, their Rabbi. Yet these rejected men were also sinners. As is described in the gospels. 

The Gospel of St. Mark 2:15-16 ESV

15And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16And the scribes of^a the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat^b with tax collectors and sinners?” 

The question again is how can sinners be then Holy. The answer is simple, they were at the table, with the Master, the Holy One of Heaven.

17And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”  St. Mark 2:17 ESV

 In the first post I confessed to you, that I am a sinner. A terrible person. A Liar. Now I shall confess, before God, and to you my brothers and sisters, that I am a thief. I am not a thief in an active way, but I have stolen. I stole a toy from a neighbor child when I was about ten (10) years-old. A stupid dinosaur. I was doubly angered by this toy, it had a nail driven through it around the place of its heart. I knew I was doing wrong yet I did it anyway. I justified my action based on rescuing it from a terrible owner. In truth I was in violation of not one but two of the Ten Commandments. I coveted it. I wanted it so strongly I became obsessed. It was there on the rail of the porch at my neighbor's house. I looked about and saw no one, so I quickly snatch it and ran off with my prize. It was only then I found the nail driven through it. So, my justification was nullified by my late discovery. Huh, I lied to myself about what I did. 

Tax collectors in Judea and around the Roman empire had the distinguishing title of Publican. A Publican collected the taxes and fees for the coffers of a very costly and expanding bureaucratic regime know as Rome. The moneys they would collect went to pave roads, provide for the worlds largest standing army, administrative officers, Senators, the Imperial Household and the Governors of the various provinces.  Effectively Publicans took money from the people to pay for the system that oppressed them. St. Mark, a man now considered very Holy and revered for generations as a disciple of Jesus the Author of the second canonical  Gospel was such a publican. He was a Jew in Judea, at the time when Jesus call Mark to follow him. Mark was at his counting table. He left it to follow Jesus.

So, Mark left a dirty job behind one that made him an "enemy of his own people"  to go off and be with the Rabbi Jesus. Great! He obviously was a good guy, right. No, not at the time Jesus called him. Mark dropped not only a dirty job, but left behind more than that, He was well to do, had influence and power to some extant. No one messes with a Tax Collector. Mark was also a thief. It was common knowledge that the Publicans would "tilt" the scales and fix the books. Mark most likely charged extra taxes where he could and recorded in the collections what was expected from him. He pocketed the rest. 

“Why does he eat^b with tax collectors [Mark] and sinners?” 

Mark needed Jesus. So did the others that were called. So do I.

Consider your life. Have you stolen? Have you coveted? Have you ever thought about what if I just put a few extra bucks in my wallet, they'll never know? Have you ever taken that other child's toy, or gum, or lunch money?  Have you ever just taken some extra break time because your company "owes it" to you?  How are you like Mark the Publican? Do you work for an oppressor, or take more from you neighbors than you should? Is that drill or saw or other tool you borrowed still in your garage? 

Maybe it's time to be like Mark the saint, and follow Jesus? He is calling.

St Paul wrote to the church in Rome:

"6For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. "
St. Paul's Letter to the Romans 5:6-8 ESV

While we were still sinners, like Mark, Jesus died for us. Jesus made Mark, Holy. Therefore worthy of Holy things like the Bread of forgiveness, and the Wine of release. 

Still, how does this count Mark as Holy? How could this make any sinner Holy? There is more to the story of Truth, more to the story of forgiveness.
 

ESV® Text Edition: 2011.

The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. . All rights reserved. Not used by the author with full permissions. Author has requested permissions.

The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

 

                   

Volumn 1 No. 1

                       Holiness is for the Holy

                       Only the Lord is Holy.

 10as it is written:“None is righteous, no, not one;11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.12All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Romans 3:10-12 ESV

This is True. Consider your own life. Everything is going well. Your healthy, you have a good income, your family is doing well at school, in their careers, your bills are paid, and you are enjoying certain luxuries you thought you deserve. You even go to church on Sunday mornings. You give thanks silently and are able to put a little in the offering plate.  You have worked hard on gaining all these things. Is it not obvious that you are a good person. You even put a dollar in the kettle at the Salvation Army.

Then something changes. Your life is dramatically interrupted. What happened? Your company closes. You have a car crash on the way home from the movies or dinner. Your child is arrested for possession. Your spouse discovers your affair. You or a loved one suddenly has a stage four cancer. That deal you've spent months on was found to be illegal and the police are examining you very closely.  Your whole world is crashing down in a whirl wind of fear, anger, panic, and doubt. You may even cry out silently inside or out loud, "Where are you God?! How could you do this to me?!"

What do you do? How do you handle this? Do you pray to God for help? Perhaps yes, perhaps no.
Do you blame God for not being their to intervene? Maybe. Do you blame yourself or others? Do you seek to sort it out on your own? Does vengeance and hate fill your mind, your heart? Maybe. So again, what about you that will make this crisis correct? What have you done to deserve this wrong? "I'm a good person. I don't deserve this!"

I am not going tell you what you do. I am not going tell how you think or feel. I am not going tell you what I think you have decided to do, be, or choose. I am simply here to give examples of Truth. I have lived and observed. I have struggled and experienced life, good and bad. I have chosen well and chosen poorly. I have been there, seen it, or know someone who has.  I know this to be very true, I am not a good person. I may very well be as evil as the worse person you could imagine. I may be as good as the kindest person you know.

I will also tell you the Truth. I shall confess in this Blog my sin, my evils. I will also confess what is good, right and lovely about me. As I share I will continue the story of Truth. How I have discovered it, am discovering it and, seek to continue to discovering Truth.

My first confession to you my brothers and sisters, before God, in the face of this world, "I am a liar."

Ironic, right. In a blog I have titled, Discovering Truth, my first confession is that I lie. Well to say that I do not lie, have never lied and most likely never shall lie again, is the biggest lie of all. The first and perhaps most destructive sin imaginable. To present a falsehood is the greatest way to destroy anything and everything that is good about being a person, a friend, a parent, a child, a neighbor, or any illusion of being trusted.

I do not want to do the wrong thing. I do not want to be a bad person. I desire to do right, to be a good person. Yet for what ever reason. I often choose poorly and make the bad choice. What  does this do? It creates harm. Even if my intentions have been good directly from the start, I make things bad or even worse. Why?

I think and may even feel I am doing the right thing. I even know that it is not the case. I ignore the voice of Truth to pursue my own will. Then I see the error in the end and seek to cover it up. I lie. I lie because of fear. Fear of discovery, fear of consequences, fear of loosing love. Fear of loosing the perception you have of me being a good person. No one likes or trusts a liar. Anyone who does is deceived and a fool.

Consider your own life. Have you ever lied? Sure you have. If you say that you have not, then you are either lie-ing as you read this or you are the Holy One of heaven, in whom is all Truth and knowledge.

Does this make you a bad person? Does this mean your evil even just a little? That is not for me to say. I am not worthy to judge. I have no say in the Truth about you. I only can say that this does make me a bad person. In Truth, I just have to examine myself, acknowledge my faults, sins, lies, and become a better person by striving towards a right and worthy life and lie (sin) no more.

22 "...For there is no distinction: 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
Romans 3:22-23 ESV

So, now what do you do? What do I do? What can we do?  Well, we work towards becoming better people. Right! We stop lie-ing. We start being nice towards others. We even attend church or offer to be better members of our churches, right? Yes! All we have to do is make right all the lies you and I have told. Good, the right start!

Well, I made a decision. What about you? I have chosen to do the right thing! Just, like last time. and the time before that,...and before that,...and before that,...and...

This never seems to work. As before I failed. As before I forgot my promise. As before I turned back to the thing I have done before. I lie. It is so easy and reliable.

Huh. Reliable Lies. As long as I can remember the falsehood I told I can never get caught in a lie. Ah damn! I forgot the details. They'll know now. I'm Screwed! I need a new lie to make up for the old one. Sounds familiar?

"22the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins." - Romans 3:22-25 ESV

I know that the Truth is I have a propinquity to sin, to lie. It is my nature, like a family member or good friend. Ha! good friend indeed. A friend who lets you drink poison because you want to see how sweet it is. We each have the same companion. We even give names to it. Like, "just being human" or "White Lie" or "didn't mean it", and the best one of all, "Blame". "The devil made me..." "If you would have...then I would never had..." etc.

Does that say: "24and are justified by his grace as a gift,

As a gift? What gift? We will find out. I shall tell about the gift. A very special gift. The only gift that has ever mattered. Forgiveness.

ESV® Text Edition: 2011.

The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. . All rights reserved. Not used by the author with full permissions.

The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.