| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | This week we continue to look at the role of the cross to defeat Satan. The spotlight upon Satan makes it impossible for him to fool humanity any longer. Paul attempts to say this (with other words Girard notes): And you - God made alive with Christ, having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the Cross. He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in him. (Colossians 2:13-15) The nailing (of this legal document that tries to condemn us) to the cross is a first attempt to say that the principalities and powers, in other words, Satan, are defeated and even ridiculed by the cross. I have to stop here. Girard says it out loud - the principalities and powers are the same as Satan. If you think back a few weeks, Satan was portrayed as both order and disorder - both of which can and do resist the non-violent work of Christ. It seems as though we must always keep our eyes open to how the powers around us operate. What is emerging from their realm of influence? What do they bring forth in the life around them? This does not mean that Satan is a devilish figure running around trying to turn us into a part of the principalities and power. Rather, these powers are so vital to keeping the world wrapped in mimetic violence and so good at making it all look so right and good that is is difficult to see that they are often acting quite contrary to the way of Jesus. Therefore, it is good to enter the day already expecting to see the violence (in all its many forms) that saturated the systems in which we live. For then, as people who rise out of our baptism each day, we will begin to see (by the power of the Holy Spirit) the differences of the way of the Cross and the way of the world. The day is then open to acts of everyday resistance that is the mark of the Cross. Connection: It could be that the way we enter the world dominated by principalities and powers is to have an eye for healing. Being able to see how and when things are broken or corrupted or diseased, and begin to be the presence of the healing of Christ, Jesus. The Church is a resistance movement - but not one that destroys the other side. We daily witness to another way to be humans shaped by the Holy Spirit and walking in the way of the Cross. As you walk with us, O God, teach us the ways that make for peace in a world that is in love with warring madness. Encourage all your saints who long to be nourished by your love. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | Today will be an 'add on' to what was printed yesterday - again, Rene Girard. Satan is the prince of this world because he is first of all the Prince of Darkness. The Christian revelation dissipates the darkness of the founding murder by showing the innocence not only of the one victim, Jesus, wrongly accused by Satan, but of all such victims. - this is the secret that the Gospels force out of hiding merely by their faithful representation of one collective murder typical of them all - typical of the process that has dominated human culture since the foundation of the world. We can stand up to the power of the father of lies. The one who rules by creating a world of brokenness and insisting on a world that is ordered by such brokenness can be resisted and denied its power among us. Yes, the way of resistance is the way of the cross - a definitive "no" to all the power that tries to dominate and subdue humanity into something other than what it is. Humanity is made in the image of God - that is the life that is available to all of us. It is a life that drives the power of evil mad. At the same time, to live within the grace-filled love of God is to walk out into the open in front of evil and use our lives as that which will embarrass evil and drive the powers of death to show themselves. To be a part of the light of the world is to have lives that shine (this is Epiphany by the way) so that the father of lies will be exposed in every day life. Connection: Exposing evil is not to be one who point fingers. That is what the evil does and wants us to mimic. Rather Exposing evil is done by living in a way that is noticeably contrary to the finger-pointing, blaming, violence that accompanies the power and principalities in every place and time - that means in our place and in our time. As you walk with us, O God, make us a part of this light that brings the world to your face. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | What makes this story of Satan fall apart - we say the cross. Here are some more ways of looking at that dynamic - again, Rene Girard. Satan is the prince of this world because he is first of all the Prince of Darkness. The Christian revelation dissipates the darkness of the founding murder by showing the innocence not only of the one victim, Jesus, wrongly accused by Satan, but of all such victims. I will add to this tomorrow. but it is here that Jesus is really present. Jesus is present in the midst of all victims as the one who will stand with and never leave any victim to the destructive power of Satan (please read here the wider notion of Satan). All powers -grand and global or simple and nearby - creates victims in order to sustain themselves. As long as there is someone or some people or some other 'power' that must be beaten down, Satan rules. Need we say anything more about who rules here?! And yet, one voice - like that of Jesus - cracks the silence that keeps things going as they have from the beginning. One voice that will lift up a word of truthfulness lessens the grip of the evil powers. That one voice may be put under just like Jesus - but we are told the voice will never die - it will rather begin another way for more and more people to live. More and more people who hear the witness of the light of the Christ, Jesus, will bring forth more and more light to another way to function as people. In the middle of this enlightened truthfulness about who we are comes a resistance movement that does not destroy but rather confronts with a non-violent innocence that can be crushed - but will be raised up as light for others. Connection: The 'truly Human One' brings the violence that has shaped us all to an end by not participating in that violence. That is why the coming of the 'truly Human One' (son of man) was greatly anticipated. I think such a truly Human One is still available to us - as us. The Church claims that it is the Holy Spirit that brings such a life to the world. It is always within the blessedness of dialogue that keeps the way of Jesus in front of us. As you walk with us, O God, keep our eyes and our hearts tuned to the coming of your beloved Jesus, among us and with us. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | Today I'll begin with a piece of yesterday's quote from Girard and then continue on with his point. Girard notes: Once we realize that the power of Satan is dependent upon a lie, which will not remain effective unless it is firmly believed by all people, an untruth that is always mistaken for a sacred truth, everything else follows. In order for it to remain credible, this untruth, this satanic lie must remain hidden. I must be protected from human curiosity. The founding murder is shrouded in darkness. This is the darkness of myth and of mythical origins. The violence at the heart of myth resembles the violence of the Passion - but the victim is always guilty. For Example: Oedipus (and others) become gods - but still are guilty of whatever they were guilty to start with. They become gods of violence, gods of the violent sacred. The lie is one where violence rules and violence will be the way that order is maintain and disorder comes to an end. And yet, the Cross signals the beginning of the end of that lie. The only way for the world to disrupt the violence and end it is through the utter transparency of the Cross and Resurrection. Violence does not prevail and never can as long as there is a witness to the non-violence and innocence of Jesus that will not let evil and hatred and the father of lies rule. It only takes one light - one witness - one word of truthfulness, to dismantle and expose the way violence never brings peace - in fact it only brings more violence. Connection: We may need to ask ourselves and discuss among the follower of Jesus the witness of rulers and people in positions of authority. What comes from their leadership - is it the ongoing presence of violence - is it another lie hiding another lie - is it the increase of victims at the hands of those given authority to rule? Then we must talk about our own lives and ask what it the witness that we bring into the world. Do we live within light - or remain in the midst of lies? I would say we do both (saint - sinner). But we do not end with that observation - which merely allows for violence to continue. We must be the encouragement to live outside the realm of the father of lies. We need to encourage one another to rise daily within the story of how the Cross defeats the powers that would separate us. That's called baptismal remembrance - no mere words - the actual victory over evil. As you walk with us, O God, give us rest that we may not let the warring ways of the days at hand make us weary and forget whose Reign is really available to us in and through all times. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | Girard starts with: The Cross is a decisive defeat for Satan, the end of his kingdom, which follows logically from the whole mimetic interpretation. It is an end to the cycles of violence - it is the beginning of light shining and exposing how we - all of us - operate. Therefore, something new is really possible. This is the supreme theme regarding Satan, the most amazing and the most difficult to believe - the idea that the Cross is a decisive victory over Satan and the end of Satan's power. Girard notes: Once we realize that the power of Satan is dependent upon a lie, which will not remain effective unless it is firmly believed by all people, an untruth that is always mistaken for a sacred truth, everything else follows. It only takes one witness to the truthfulness of the lying power of Satan - and the principalities and powers - and the structures of evil, to expose the lie that continues to keep us bound up by Satan. As was noted weeks ago, the power that helps to expose these lies is the Holy Spirit the defender of the victim - the Paraclete. This also means the community of saints who find at their very center, this defeat of Satan on the cross. This is not an individual journey - a mere inner walk. It needs to always be communal because no one can fight this kind of darkness alone. In fact, I think this 'theory' would suggest that alone, we really can do nothing but live according to lies that help us go our own way. Satan is always happy with that decision. For it is then that we forget about other - other victims - other powers that attempt to look fine and keep order but are really the source of much evil. Connection: The old bumper stick has some truth to it in this context - "Question Authority." Look more deeply at what is being held up by the 'authority' within any context. Is it a power that does not see or care for or seek to redeemer/liberate the victim - or is there another power at work. This is hard to say and dangerous to say out loud, I think. For now, is places each one of us in the position of being a contrary voice whenever we see the authorities that exist - using others for the welfare of some - of a mere institution - a way of life. When we stand as followers of Jesus (mimic that positive journey) there is going to be a tension among us as we run through the 'normal' actions of the day. Normal may not be blessed - it may just be a part of the order that keeps the father of lies smiling. As you walk with us, O God, give us eyes to see the path of your beloved, Jesus, so that we will not walk down the path of so many powers that hang on the promises of lies and liars. Draw into our lives others who long to walk together into the power of the cross that brings light to our darkness. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | We are a part of this grand scheme of lies and the power that goes with such lies. Girard continues: The Devil/Satan is alien to all truth. The foundation of the first culture was the moment when this lie began to envelop humanity in the sense not simply of some false information but of a "system of representation" that still permeates our thinking long after primitive institutions are gone. People are forever rooted and rerooted in the foundational violence. To say that our human will is to do the desires of our father, the devil, is another way of saying that we cannot really cut loose from the primordial lie, from the effects of the primordial murder. We cannot acknowledge our dependence on primordial violence, Satan is not merely the father of lies - but - the father of liars. Rather than doing a 'Flip Wilson' "the devil made me do it," - we do it - we take part in this lie from the beginning. It is a lie that sustains us and keeps us (we could say) on the right path. Think about that. Staying on the right path - following the way of the world as it is set out in front of us is to be the sons and daughters of the father of liars. That is that case because we somehow keep things as they have been since those stories that reach back farther than we can imagine. In some ways, as I think about old stories I even wonder about Luther's "here I Stand.' Is that all a part of the foundational violence. Did that movement bring about peace or war? Did that movement liberate and set free or bring about new ways to subject people to the rule of others within a system that is supported by lies and violence? Do we hold up one story over and against another story - even to the point of violence and blame and persecution? This father of lies and the liars that are born into the unfolding systems of the world will use all the resources in the world to keep things dependent on violence of any kind. The followers of Jesus count on the Holy Spirit - as that Spirit works between us and among us - to be pulled (not on our own and not with our consent) into the peaceable Reign that is utterly contrary to all the lies. This is the Spirit of Truthfulness that never allows for us to forget what was nor does it let us 'get away' with murder (of any degree). Connection: I don't think anyone likes to be called a liar or be caught in the middle of a lie. Even the youngest among us know that lying - is wrong. It is wrong because it breaks things apart - relationships - community - fun - love - joy. And yet, that is who we are and how we live. It is not easy to hear and we really want to just put a lid on such talk. But when we do or when we try to do that, rather than brew truthfulness, we limit the truth to be what is acceptable to us - in other words, we lie. So we say again, Come, Holy Spirit, Come. As you walk with us, O God, we need the power of the Spirit to take us and help us face the wonder of our humanity when it becomes a part of your image - a part of the Christ - a part of the shalom that puts an end to all violence. Come, Spirit - take us forward through this day. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | Today we will continue with Girard's look at 'blood shed since the foundation of the World.' Girard starts with a thesis: The Gospels view Satan as the principle reality of human culture since the foundation of the world. He notes that this thesis needs a text that explicitly links Satan to the collective murder - the foundation of the world - the invention of human culture. John has that text (8:44): You are the father of the devil, and your will is to do your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Spoken to those religious leaders who could not hear Jesus's word of love. They could not hear it because they were a part of the whole structure of evil that is the world of the great liar and the one who so easily turns us into liars - that is - Sons and Daughters of the Father of Liars. The word of love is the power that make the violence of the world have no power. Yes, violence does kill and destroy and ruin lives, but is is not a greater power than this love Jesus was. It is this love that has transformed the followers of Jesus in many ways and throughout time. And yet - as we can see - violence and the lying power of Satan still rules. The Jesus of John's gospel still presses on to be another vision for life and to follow that vision even when the powers of the day (religious and secular) are able to dispose of him as they would any other person or power that did not follow the violence of the world. What we see is the that which is available after the end of violence has done all it can do. We see that love - outside the tomb - beyond the power of death - ready to empower others to live within the embrace of this love and as ones who are just that kind of embracing power of love for others. Connection: It is not easy to see lying ways win the day. It is not easy to stop falling into their traps and become a part of it all. Prayerful vigilance is necessary - a life in which we continue to teach one another this other, more perfect way. As you walk with us, O God, lead us through the violence that tempts us so that we may be a part of the love you have promised will be ours. Amen. |
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