My friends, I had planned on addressing the gospel selection which I just read for you, first thing, because on face value, it seems so harsh, but instead, (we will get to that gospel) because I believe that as Father Richard Rohr is fond of saying, “everything fits,” I will first lift up briefly some of the “learnings” of our recent trip to Norway. 

   Because we usually take such a trip just once a year, we had been planning this one for a long time – dates on  the calendar, all the prep work done, or getting done, and on the night before we were to leave, checking in 24 hours ahead for our boarding passes for the flight that would take us to our ship headed for Norway, we discovered that we had made a major error – we were not 24 hours ahead, but 24 hours behind.  As we sat in the comfort of our home that night, we were supposed to be on a flight to London! 

   Due to our great travel agent, Liz, our trip was salvaged with us flying on the same flight the next day and having a couple of unplanned days in London, wherein we visited Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, and Oxford, connecting up with our ship just a few days late, only missing 3 days at sea, with no port calls. 

   We came to see that as the first few days of our trip played out, they were really quite serendipitous, giving us unexpected adventures and ending with a chance meeting of 2 flight attendants, Mary and Jeffery, sitting right next to us at the Italian restaurant down the street from our hotel. 

   In the course of our shared conversation – where are you from? –what do you do? – it came out that I am a priest with Roman Catholic Women Priests, and pastor this parish in Winona, Minnesota.  Mary was thrilled to know this as she comes out of a very Catholic family, the only girl in a family of 6 brothers. Even though Mary presented herself as a very competent woman, she expressed a feeling, growing up of not being quite as good as her brothers.  As is often the case, women feeling inadequate in Church or State, if that feeling is not countered by someone, through the growing years, it can take root and becomes very hard to uproot. 

   Through the Spirit putting Mary and I in the same place, enabling us to share rather deeply, she was able to come to a place of appreciating herself more, by the affirmation that I was able to give her.  So, even though our trip started out with “kicking ourselves” for our human mistake, by being open to what this change might bring, something unexpected was able to happen. 

   And this is a good place to jump into the gospel today that seems, as I said, “rather harsh.”  First, it must be remembered that the gospels and other readings chosen for each Sunday are but “a slice in time,” and for the most part, should not be taken literally.  There is usually a “back story” that fleshes out, and makes clear, what the words included actually mean. 

   A case in point is Jesus’ discussion of divorce and remarriage.  Remembering that women and children had no status in the society in which Jesus lived, this discussion, which does seem harsh, and was probably intended to be, was given primarily for the men.  As the laws of the time were written, men could divorce their wives for little or no cause and once that happened, women and their children, if they had no home to return to, were usually in quite a fix. 

   A similar story – the woman caught in adultery, who was brought to Jesus for judgment, is yet another case of the unevenness of the law.  Exegetes raise up for us the fact that the Scriptures don’t designate which person, the woman, or the man was committing adultery – we always assume it was the woman. It may have been the case that this woman was mistreated in a marriage contract, divorced, and the only way she could take care of herself, and her children was through the “oldest profession.”

   This gospel of many layers of human living is coupled well with the first reading from Sirach.  This reading, in its entirety can be summed up in two words, “free will.”  Sirach says simply, “No one is commanded to sin, none given the strength for lies…” “Before [us] is life and death –whichever [we] choose will be given” [us]. 

   Having a “free will” is a great gift given us by our God – God wanted us to have this gift to choose our path in life – but that doesn’t mean that it will always be easy.  Paul, in his letter selection to the Corinthians today says as much:  It takes a “certain maturity” to live “wisely” and this comes from our relationship with the Spirit, to live as our “best selves,” choosing good over evil, and of course, this means, good for us, but for others too!

   Today, the prophecy of Isaiah, repeated by Paul is good for us to remember in the troubling times in which we live: “Eye has not seen and ear not heard …what God has prepared for those who love God.”  And of course, “love of God” must always be coupled with compassionate action for God’s people.

      My friends, the gift of life that each of us has, complete with a free will to choose our own path in life is based upon faith in a God who loves us, who has given us commandments to follow in living our best.  And yet there is more…

   If we look at the commandments for right living in a very surface way, we could walk away thinking, as in the case, “not to kill” that we have not physically taken another’s life, and therefore are safe.  It must be remembered though that our words, our inaction, when action is needed, can “kill” too. 

   Our brother Jesus was often accused of wanting to “abolish the law,” and he said, “No,” – I have come to “fulfill” the law, to help you see there is more than one way to kill, for instance.  In challenging his followers to a fuller way to keep the law, Jesus often uplifted what most of us know as the Golden Rule – “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Also, the two-fold command of, “Loving God, and loving your neighbor as yourself.”  And in the end, if obeying a sterile law gets in the way of the law to love, that sterile law needs to be changed!  When we exclude anyone, or say that anyone is not worthy, not acceptable, or that “we are better,” we have failed to love. 

   So, every time we go on a trip, we try to see what new places and new people can teach us. In conclusion then, I will share just a few more things that were lifted up for us, because it all, somehow, fits:

• I had always wanted to see Stonehenge – that marvelous feat of construction, begun 3,000-2,000 B.C. as Robert shared over the years how nearly 60 years ago, he and a friend rode their motorcycles into this place in England and were able to get up close and personal with these monoliths, touching them, even.  Now, 50 years later since more people know of them, and have the privilege of visiting, 150-200 feet away is as close as one can get. Seems Robert’s earlier experience might have been more meaningful…perhaps this says that over the years, these structures began to be taken for granted instead of held in awe…
• Windsor Castle –it was somewhat exciting to think of King Charles III and his Queen Consort, Camilla, being somewhere within the castle as we toured, but at the end of the day, came the realization that they are humans too, just like us, with their own path to follow…
• Robert and I had to laugh throughout our time in London over the fact that as we toured around the city on foot, we often got lost, which in my memory, Robert never has – basically, if we got off our street, we just couldn’t find our way back! Even asking directions many times…we often heard –“it’s just one street over!” A word to the wise –London has no street signs!  All in all, it was humbling…
• On everyone’s bucket list going to Norway is to see the Northern Lights – most of us didn’t see them – too cloudy, moon gave off too much light, lights on ship too bright – this was one of those times not to get stuck in one way of thinking – we did see some quite stunning sunrises and sets though!
• A man by the name of Arran Smith, our cruise director gave us the privilege one evening of hearing a selection of music that he sang from popular musicals and from individuals of note.  We were completely in awe of his rendition from Les Misérables of “Bring Him Home,” which as you may know was sung by the character, Jean Valjean in this musical.  It was about a young man who was like a son to Valjean, and it expressed his great love, compassion and willingness to sacrifice everything for the beloved.  I mention this performance to lift up how we sometimes see others only on the surface – I would never have imagined that this seemingly quiet and really non-descript  cruise director could sing the way he did … never to underestimate, I guess. 

   The prayer of the psalmist seems a good place to end all of this that seems “to fit.”  The psalmist prays for “goodness” from God, that their eyes “would be opened,” that they would be able to discern God’s law, … and keep it with all their heart.  The times that we are living in are truly calling us to our very best – it’s “heart” work and hard work too.  Let’s do it together! Amen? Amen!