season after pentecost 2013

8/13/2019 Season After Pentecost 2013

1/8eason After Pentecost 2013

We sell the poor for a pair of sandals. This is

he charge God lays upon us through the mouth of

his servant, Amos. Chances are if our clothes are

otton and were wearing shoes, then the things weell ourselves we need are gathered by selling the

poor in other nations. But what of the town we live

n and the places we inhabit? Do we glide past theick and suffering, the poor and needy, the wanderer

nd traveler without a second glance? Do we sell the

poor for a pair of sandals? Are we at war with the

poor? If so, who will begin to undo this? Who will be

he first to move?

Because God sets a heavenly banquet for us,

we set a table at the altar. Because we have set a table

t the altar, we set a table in the world for the needy

and poor. In the Mystery we consume Christ wh

consumes the war in us. When we kneel at the alhands raised up, we have been made beggars.

There is a sign on a Durham street that rea

Thinking about giving change? It catechizes us

think giving to panhandlers is a sin; we sho

instead give to organizations who know how to h

them. God responds, You wicked slave! I forgave

all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you

have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy

you? What if a priest or an acolyte were to deny y

the Mystery at the altar rail? Should we deny beggars then, having bbold enough to beg before God? Should we ask w

deserves alms, having freely received from God

the altar? The logic of Mother Churchs mysteries

available through participating in her politics.

doing so she hopes to shape us into go

commoners.

Politics continued on pag

Christian Politics

Do we sell the poor

for a pair of

sandals? Are we atwar with the poor?

Page 1

Idolatry, System, &

the Means of Grace

Rejecting idolatry

and embracing the

Trinity.

Page 2

Envy & Pride

Our relations

our companion

show us the en

and pride at w

in our own hea

Page 4

Community of the Franciscan Way

SEASON AFTER PENTECOST 2013 1116 Iredell Street, Durham, NC 27705 http://cfw.dionc.org FRThe Little Way

Christian Politicsy Blake Tipton

Based on a homily given on July 14, 2013

St. Josephs Episcopal Church, Durham, NC)
http://cfw.dionc.org/http://cfw.dionc.org/


2/8

T H E L I T T L E W A Y

Season After Pentecos

From an Easy Essay by Peter Maurin:

At the beginning of

Christianityhe hungry were fed, the

naked were clothed, the

omeless were sheltered, the

gnorant were instructed at a

ersonal sacrifice. And the

agans used to say about the

Christians, See how they

ove one another.

The pagans do no longer say

bout the Christians, See

ow they love one another,

ut say,

See how they pass the buck

o social agencies.

The First Book of Kingshronicles the prophet Elijahs

ministry against the idolatry that hadaken hold in the northern kingdom

of Israel. He rails against thedolatrous worship of the god Baalhat was being encouraged by thesraelite Kings and their foreign allies.

Elijah is a continual thorn in the sideof King Ahab and his wife Jezebel, apriestess of Baal. The book containshe magnificent story of Elijahhallenging the priests of Baal to aontest on the LORDs behalf. While

hundreds of priests called all day

upon Baal to consume with fire theoffering of a bull to no effect, theLORD received Elijahs offering,spectacularly consuming a water-drenched bull and altar. At stake isthe soul of Israel. God made acovenant with the people, broughtthem out of bondage, called them to

serve him alone and live by the Law.In spite of this relationship the leadersof Israel were promoting the worshipof idols, the reliance on false gods. The fruit of idolatry is clearlyexposed when Ahab covets thevineyard of his neighbor Naboth.When Jezebel has Naboth killed sothat her husband can take over hisancestral heritage, Ahab receives hisreward. The Lord sends Elijah to tell

Ahab, Because you sold yourself todo what is evil in the sight of theLORD, I will bring disaster on you. What we can take from thestories about Elijah and the idolatrousBaal-worshippers is the generalprinciple that idolatry, the worship offalse gods, leads to wickedness, thatis, immoral, degrading, oppressiveactions, which ultimately leads todeath. Ahab has devoted himself toidols, Baal, security, his own desires.He has allowed his power and that ofhis household to be used to murder aman whose property he covets. Fordoing so, he is ultimately subject todeath, thus says the LORD. Idolatry,wickedness, death. It is important to recognize,though, that this formulation onlymakes any sense in light of itspositive corollary, that is the rightworship of God, Yahweh, righteousness,just action, and life. We know Ahab isan idolator because we can recognizethat Baal among other things is notYahweh. We know his action iswicked because the Law ofrighteousness calls away fromcoveting and murder and towardfairness by kings, and we have heardof eternal life in God and know that it

differs from the shameful death proclaims for Ahab.

This cant be emphasenough: we can only recogidolatry if we know God, knowTrinity. We can only name wickedif we have known righteousness.can only denounce death if we h

tasted life. This is the truth that Econtinually speaks to the corrking. It is a truth that we mrecognize if we want to say anythat all to the forces of death that shour world. Idolatry, wickedndeath. Trinity, righteousness, life. Rooting out idolatry is easy. Wickedness likes to call irighteousness. Death continumasquerades as life. Doing so

rather touchy because we in church are plenty captive to the foof idolatry. We regularly cannot aon what brings death and what brlife. This should not, must not, sus from trying to get to the bottomwho, what, and how we worship. The wicked, death-deaways of the god Baal bring to minparticular idol that all of us havtendency to share. I want to deschis ways and consider briefly hbasic Christian practices orientaway from this idol. A little more than a year our brother James was dying. Jawas a fixture at the church: qugentle, and thoughtful. He had bliving in a tent in the woods nearchurch. Over the course of a months his leg became swollen he had increasing trouble walkAfter a couple hospital visits doctors diagnosed him wmetastatic lung cancer with tumon his lungs, nodes, and even inlegs. Living alone and in a became impossible for him and number of us who were friends wJames as well as various medical a

Idolatry continued on pa

Idolatry,

System,

& the Means

of Gracey Luke Wetzel

Based on a homily given on June 16, 2013

St. Josephs Episcopal Church,

Durham, NC)


3/8


eason After Pentecost 2013

dolatry continued from page 2

ocial work-types tried to figure outwhat to do to help him. I rememberdistinctly a conversation I had withhe woman who is the nurse

practitioner at the homeless clinic inDurham. After weeks of trying to

figure out where he could be cared forstated forcefully, there should be

omewhere for James, some place forhim to stay, an institutional someoneo take care of him. I was confusednd angry why there were no housing

options for one as sick and poor as he.At that moment I was crying out inament, confronting the limits of thedol of System, System, System, why

have you forsaken James?

Most if not all of us believedeeply that there is a systemicolution to every problem. If we onlypply the right incentives, institutehe right programs, offer the rightducation, establish the right

professions, apply the right processes,we can manage every eventuality. Wentrust significant aspects of our liveso systems as we erect a massiveustice or health system. We have faithn the knowledge of experts to buildnd refine systems in order to make

our lives and societies run smoothlynd to our liking. By definitionystems are impersonal. They areule-bound to the extent that humannteraction is ideally reduced to theommunication of those rules. This iso ensure fairness and efficiency.

System sets itself up as a rival god inwhich we live, move, and have ourbeing.

From birth we are broughtnto the medical system and taughthat we should regularly offer our

money and bodies to its management.We should cooperate and submit tohe education system because it is the

way to a prosperous, just,harmonious society, not to mentionpersonal success. Human labor is

described and enforced as part of asystem governed by elaborate policymanuals. We are told that we are partof a carefully orchestrated system andthat we are morally obligated tobehave in ways that enable thesystem to function efficiently.Friendship and the virtue of prudence

have no place under System becausethey are inefficient.

Systems promise to manageevery eventuality, which is invariablya promise that they cant keep. WhenSystem lies to us, we feel betrayed.We are shocked when the justicesystem cannot ensure justice,frustrated when the medical systemcannot name and treat our maladies. The social service system isparticularly sweeping in its promisesand brutal in its rules. In theirprecarious uncertain existence, thepoor make the most costly tributes tothe idol of System. The promises ofthe system, whether governmental ornon-profit, are awesome: housing,work, monetary support. These are,however, in short supply and blockedby numerous bureaucratic hurdles. Ifyou have helped someone navigatethese agencies, you have seen howcapricious and perverse System canbe. As the poor seek out the promisesof these systems they are told directlyand indirectly that they areunvirtuous and untrustworthy.

When I consider how the idolof System leads through wickednesstoward death, I think about Jesus inMatthew 5 holding those who call

another fool liable for murder. poor to a great extent are called fin their lives when they are oustep with System. The rich know to some lesser extent. We all hexperienced the shame brought onthe scolding of the justice, medicaeducation systems.

The church started manythese systems and we continuefund them. The idol of System keour care for the poor ratioaccountable, and impersonal. See they pass the buck. Problems and relationsunder the idol of System technical, educational, strategic, never personal. This is the mglaring deficiency of the idol

system in the light of the Triune GOur God is a personal God. Our Gis love. The Gospels tell us loving God is inextricably tiedloving our neighbors. The ApoPaul tells us that we worship a Gwho lives in us, a God who givehis body and blood as food and drThe love of God that the Holy Spputs in our hearts is not systemic but personal love that delifriendship, salvation, and life. We invited James to stay inchurch. He lived in the back rowhere the choir cassocks surplices are now kept. It was nsystemic solution. We had objective for him except scomfort. There was more dignitthat arrangement, I think, than lifa hospital or in an institution. Ilittle ashamed that it never occuto me to spend the night at the chuto keep him company in shivering, sweating, and confusioneven better, to invite him to stamy home. Until very near the endkept seeking a system to help Jamhe was finally taken by the hospsystem where he died.

Idolatry continued on pa

The idol of System

keeps our care for

the poor rational,

accountable, and

impersonal.


4/8



Adopt

a fruit tree

This November we are

planting apple, pear, and fi

trees at the historic St. Mary

Chapel in Hillsborough, NWe hope that these trees w

provide food for our

breakfasts and houses in th

future.

If you would like to cover th

cost for purchasing a tree,

please send a $20 check(designated for Fruit Trees

to:

Community of the Franciscan Wa

1116 Iredell St.

Durham, NC 27705

The devil frequently fills our thoughts

with great schemes, so that instead of

utting our hands to what work we

an do to serve the Lord, we may rest

atisfied with wishing to perform

mpossibilities. St. Teresa of Avila

n the Gospel today [Matt3:54-58], the people in Jesusometown reject him as a prophet.

There are two aspects of this storyhat I think are acute for us today.

The first is that the sin of theeople in this passage is that ofnvy, which is, as we would sayere in the South, a kissingousin to the sin of pride. Wherene of these is, you can be assuredhat the other is not far behind.nvy is the disdain for somethingood that someone else has (justecause they have it). It is to

despise the good of anotherecause they themselves have itnd we feel that their possession oft lessens us. In this case, theeople are envious of the honoriven to Jesus as prophet. To haveomeone so close to them have theonor, power and recognition as arophet is threatening to their ownense of power and position.

The second thing to note is thatride is tested, and charity is madenown or unknown, not incquiescing to big ideas but in ourelations to those whom we know

most closely. Those who are closesto us reveal our desire to not be

unknown, left behind, small, orervants in close comparison. It is

one thing to say you believe inprophets, to say that they arepowerful, and it is another thing tohave to submit to the prophecies ofyour neighbors son. It is one thingto imagine ourselves humble withstrangers; it is another to behumble with our brothers. Wemust be wary that the devilfrequently fills our thoughts withgreat schemes so that we may restsatisfied with wishing to performimpossibilities.

Around here we rightly speakagainst those who talk of service,need and charity in the abstractbut will not give money topanhandlers or take a homelessman into their own house. Butwhat about us? Are we, too, proudand envious of our neighbors justas Jesus neighbors are? Perhapswe too allow big ideas to shadowthe hard work of humility athome. Maybe our interactions witheach other, our work in ourhometown, the work to whichGod has given us, shows just asstarkly our own pride.

What might it look like for us tohave our envy and pride shown

particularly in contrast to ourconfessions? It looks primarily likea refusal to serve our housemateswhile living in a community thatsays it seeks holiness, humility,and charity. We may refusebecause they dont do any workaround here, because were toobusy, because itll get doneanyways,

Envy continued on page 5

Envy & Prideby Leigh Edwards

Based on a homily given on August 2, 2013

Dedication Festival, Clare Chapel, Maurin House)

Artwork by Ade Bethune


5/8



Envy continued from page 4

because they get on our nerves, orust because we dont want to. Herewe may invite everybody that showsup at prayer to eat in our homes, butwe may just as readily grumble aboutor abstain from cooking dinner andwashing dishes. We give a listeningar to an acquaintance or a stranger

while we go home and gossip andlander our housemates. We want to

offer housing to every person whoomes around but hate to share ourhampoo, food, or goods with ourriends. We enjoy carrying bags forhe guy at church down the street butvoid taking out the trash when it isull. We are eager to be a part of the

grand scheme of personalism wemagine, but we often refuse to accepthe works of charity as they come to

us in our own homes because it hits aittle too close to home. More oftenhan not these are thankless tasks andhe time may be better used, we

think, reading a book or having funwith friends. The devil may indeedfrequently fill our thoughts with greatschemes, so that instead of puttingour hands to what work we can do toserve the Lord, we may rest satisfiedwith wishing to performimpossibilities.

Yet these small works of love forthose to whom we are closest are, asSt. Terese of Liseaux writes, the littleway of love (or if you will theLittle Way) that is the real test of ourcharity. Our relations with ourcompanions show us the envy andpride at work in our own hearts thatwe so often mask with grand ideas ofhelping the poor. It is pride to notserve our community members andhousemates because we are bitterabout demands on our time for anaction we will not get applause for.Worse, we will have to serve andhumble ourselves to those whom weknow all too well, whom we know

really do not deserve the service.would have to decrease and being unknown except to Godrefuse service to our commumembers reveals our pride: too owe ultimately want to be masters,servants.

We cannot love the poor that acquaintances to us unless we have charity for those with whomlive. Our lack of humility to friends, as we try to save the wowill be the pride that condemns hearts before the Judgment Seat. Jewill continue to not be recognizehis hometown as long as we willsee each other as the opportunitserve Jesus in our midst. The ddoes indeed frequently fill thoughts with great schemes. Andtoo often, instead of putting hands to what work we can doserve the Lord, we rest satisfied wwishing to perform impossibiliT

One of the brothers, a spiritual man, to whom blessed Francis was very close, was staying in a hermitage. Considehat if blessed Francis came there at some time he would not have a suitable place to stay he had a little cell built emote place near the place of the brothers, where blessed Francis could pray when he came. After a few day

happened that blessed Francis came. When the brother led him to see it, blessed Francis said to him, This littleeems too beautiful to me. But, if you want me to stay in it for a few days, have it covered inside and out with fnd tree-branches.

That little cell was not made of stonework but of wood, but because the wood was planed, made with hatchet and

t seemed too beautiful to blessed Francis. The brother immediately had it changed as blessed Francis had requeste

For the more the house and cells of the brothers were poor and religious, the more willingly he would see them ometimes be received as a guest there. As he stayed and prayed in it for a few days, one day, outside the little

near the place of the brothers, a brother who was at that place came to where blessed Francis was staying. BlesFrancis said to him, Where are you coming from, brother? He told him, I am coming for your little cell. Becayou said it is mine, blessed Francis said, someone else will stay in it from now on; I will not.We who were with him often heard him repeat the saying of the holy gospel: Foxes have dens and the birds of the air nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. T

Francis refuses to stay in a cell specially prepared for himFrom The Assisi Compilation, Paragraph 57


6/8



Politics continued from page 1

We believe Charity is a virtue, not anorganization we push our poor to. God did not demand

corporation to serve, but the corpus, The Body that isHis Church. The fact that non-Christian shelters andoup kitchens exist in our cities is an indictment against

Christians.

The harvest is plentiful

but the laborers are few.

Christ came not to be served, but to serve andlso to say to his Apostles, I do not call you servants anyonger, but I have called you friends. Therefore, we believeervice is being reconciled to God and reconciling to

God. We believe in confession as a normative politicalct. There is no longer hostility between us and God but

riendship.As ambassadors we befriend those we serve.

Serving then is not even the ultimate good, friendships. And the essence of friendship is to love one anothern common life in the city of God, subject to Christ our

King.This is not an easy city to live in. It tells us what

we ought to and ought not to do. I often find myselfinning against the very ones I am supposed to serve,gainst my friends.

Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgiv

those who trespass against us.

So I ask you, imagine this. Imagine our pawas our share of the city. Imagine we are ambassad

who were at war with God but now are at peace friendship with Him. Imagine our parish has its opolitical actions: praying, almsgiving, fasting, heathe Word, confession of sins, serving, and so Imagine we have not a public square but a commparish hall. Imagine the politics of serving were forpurpose of friendship. Imagine God sent his only who was the only person notto sell the poor for a of sandals, and imagine that makes the Church the oRealists and makes the rest of the world IdealImagine our Mystery is the most important poli

thing we could ever do on this earth and thenecessary thing.

Can we imagine? Are we awake? Or is imagination dead? If so, can it be reborn? Can firstborn from the dead resurrect it? If he could, wowe be commoners of his kingdom? Would we stnext to angels and archangels and with all the compof heaven, forever singing a hymn to proclaim the gof His name? Holy, Holy, HolyAmen. T

dolatry continued from page 3

For generations, the idol ofystem has distorted our vision ofhe world. Systems seek to formur identities, to make us goodervants of an order that bringseath. When we do the traditional

work of the Church, we resist the

dol of System. The great gift ofChristian practices is that whilehey are ordered, they are not aystem. They promise salvation notecause they affect it themselvesut, rather, because God gives it.

When we order our lives to theersonal practices of piety and

mercy we encounter and shareGods love and resist the idol of

system. Ill mention two of manyconcrete ways we try to so orderour lives in the Community of theFranciscan Way. The first and primarypractice for resisting System and allidolatry is prayer. When we prayThe Daily Office from the Book ofCommon Prayer we are certain that

for a few minutes every few hoursduring our waking day we are notworshiping idols or serving aSystem but are worshiping theTriune God. The second practice isoffering, in the words of PeterMaurin, the works of mercy at apersonal sacrifice. Taking Petersurgings to heart, we serve a meal

each morning at St. JoseEpiscopal Church. The hungry and hungry poor share grits eggs, jokes and stories. None ofhas an objective beyond love perhaps, resistance to the idea our labor and care should ssome greater end than shaGods love. We hope that pe

might again say of Christians, how they love one another. Idolatry is something happens when we order our lifsome created thing rather thathe Creator of all things and histo love. May we reject idolwickedness, and death as embrace the Trinity, righteousnand life. T


7/8



EditorsTim Callow

Jamie Kennedy Jones

Greg Little

Colin Miller

Mac Stewart

Meredith Stewart

Blake Tipton

Allison Waters

Luke Wetzel

Natalie Wetzel

Contact UsThe best way to get involved in the communityto contact us is to come to the Daily Office at StJosephs Episcopal Church (1902 W. Main StreeDurham, NC) Monday through Friday at 7:30 aand 5:30 pm.

Around universities even if you do not attend summer always ends up aime of transition. For us around the Franciscan Way, a few big changes have

happened. Weve had a few friends living both in and out of the houses moveaway. Calls from bishops to churches, to Anglican years at other seminaries,and moves to other communities, amongst other things, have been reasons forhe relocations. Still, we had such requests from friends to move into the houseshat, in June, we added another house to the Franciscan Way, the St. Teresa

House.

The name of the house comes from our indebtedness to St. Therese of LiseauxSister Teresa of the Child Jesus), both in her own exhortation to the little way

of love and in her massive influence on Servant of God Dorothy Day andBlessed Mother Teresa. St. Teresa House is about a mile from each of the otherwo houses and is home to, currently, seven of us humans and two dogs. St.

Teresa House is also primarily a womens house; the only male (besides thedogs) is the husband of a married couple. Along with a hospitality room, wehave set aside a room for out-of-town guests to the community, as we usually do not have much room for frieand family who come to visit. All other space in our Christ Rooms, we have found, inevitably becooccupied for indeterminate amounts of time rather quickly. Teresa House has a large fenced in back yard thatgreat place for community members dogs to run free, and it is a relatively calm place except for the large dinnhosted weekly. We are beginning to settle in as students return from internships and as school and work beWe beg you for your prayers. T

Community Newsby Leigh Edwards

PanhandlingIn the Easter 2012 edition of The Little Way Fr. Colin wrote:

God will give us what we need for our new house when we needit; I have no anxieties about that. When I do have anxieties aboutthat, it is good for me. Sharing the precarious situation of the poor,even in this small way, as Dorothy Day wrote, is a council of theGospel, because it brings us a taste of the poverty of Christ.Nevertheless, we have to beg. Another miracle, please, St.Joseph. And this miracle may involve sacrifice on your part.Please partner with us. We feel entitled to nothing, and yet hopefor everything.

God has indeed provided for us since that Easter, and we thank you foryour sacrifice. When Fr. Colin wrote those words none of us could imagineopening three hospitality houses within one year. And so we beg for yourcontinued assistance as we pray, All things come of thee, O Lord, and ofThine own have we given thee.

Monetary donations are received by:

The Community of the Franciscan Way

1116 Iredell St., Durham, NC 27705.

NOTE: Our bookkeeper has changed, please update our name and address

with your bank if are using their automated check service.

Artwork by Kelly Steele


8/8


Community of the Franciscan Way

The Little Wayis a pamphlet of the Community of the Franciscan Way, a Mission of the Episcopal DiocesNorth Carolina. We seek a life of prayer, study, simplicity, and fellowship with the poor. We stand in theradition of the Catholic Worker Movement, founded in 1933 by Peter Maurin and Dorothy Day. Maurin

St. Elizabeth of Hungary, and St. Teresa Houses offer shelter and food to the homeless. Rent, food and utilifor the hospitality houses are paid entirely on donations. Funds are always used directly for the performanf the Works of Mercy, and no one in the community draws any salary or other benefits.

1116 Iredell Street

Durham, NC 27705

The Corporal Works of Mercy

To feed the hungryTo give drink to the thirstyTo clothe the naked

To harbor the harborlessTo visit the sick

To ransom the captiveTo bury the dead

The Spiritual Works of Mercy

To instruct the uninformedTo counsel the doubtfulTo admonish sinners

To bear wrongs patientlyTo forgive offenses willingly

To comfort the afflictedTo pray for the living and the dead

season after pentecost 2013

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