Rama Lamma Lamma Ka Dinga Da Dinga Dong | September 9, 2015

September 9, 2015

In my Bible, today’s first reading is entitled Rules For Holy Living. This title intrigues me because I like when things are spelled out for me, like a list to check off, or a script to memorize, or a recipe to follow. I am a creative person and honestly spend most of my time thinking outside the box, but I really do enjoy a good list of guidelines every now and then to anchor me so that in the next 5 minutes when I jump outside the proverbial box again I won’t get sucked into some sort of black hole designed specifically for dreamers like me. This reading from Colossians is a good anchor.

Paul never actually visited Colossi and is writing from prison, literally in chains. I think Paul’s literal reality of being chained inspired him to talk about what kinds of spiritual chains we can accumulate in our own lives. He opens with, “If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.” Right off the bat he tells us that we need to unchain ourselves from the world. He uses the word “think” because this kind of detachment is a matter of our will. We can choose to live in Christ or we can choose to live in this world. If we choose Christ, Paul says that, “When Christ, your life, appears then you too will appear with him in glory.” The theatre kid in me perks up at the thought of this because let’s face it; a grand entrance just seems irresistible. Will there be a curtain that Christ and I will dramatically walk through? I’m sure that our outfits would compliment one another, not quite in a figure skating couple kind of way, but maybe in a Dancing With The Stars themed outfit of glory kind of way. Jesus would definitely twirl me at some point and there would be a curtsey and a bow involved for sure. What glorious music would be playing? I’m thinking big band classic swing or maybe American Bandstand status, or New Orleans Dixie Jazz would be nice. Tap dance with top hats and canes? Would there be some sort of epic announcement from the sky…INTRODUCING CHRIST AND THE GIRL WHO CHOSE TO LIVE HER LIFE IN HIM, JENNIFER LYN BEDISON!!!!!! There would have to be fireworks in the same vein as the new Disney 60^th Anniversary amazingness.  Maybe all the angels and saints would form a tunnel with their arms for us to parade through or better yet a soul train for Christ and I to shimmy through in perfect time with each other. Maybe it would be like the final scene from Grease and we would all be singing, “We go together, like rama lamma lamma ka dinga da dinga dong!” Oh my, I jumped outside of the box again, didn’t I?

Back to Paul’s thoughts! He pulls out the strong language in regards to the things that he observed were the Colossians heaviest chains (and if we are being honest, they definitely still apply to us):

“Put to DEATH, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. Because of these the wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient. By these you too once conducted yourselves, when you lived in that way. But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths. Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.”

Anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language. Raise your hand if you have experienced any of these within the past oh, 24 hours? These are the chains that bind us to the world pulling our eyes down to only see our own selves, limiting our thoughts to only think about our own pain, and in the wake of these offenses, our hearts become hardened. Paul points out to the Colossians that they have decided to put on new selves and these new selves model their looks and behavior after Christ. We have the key that unlocks the chains that we sometimes choose to latch around our lives. The key is found at the end of this first reading, “But Christ is all and in all.”

In today’s gospel we hear Jesus’ own list of Rules For Holy Living. I encourage you to read it now and write your own reflection on it based on the understanding that Jesus wants to share the glory with us because he is madly in love with you and me. He wants that scene of glory to be what moves your heart to love the way he loves, to serve the way he serves, to be free from the things of this world, and to put to death all the ugly things that take our eyes off of him. Imagine how your duet with Jesus will be when the two of you come in glory. I want to share the glory that God has envisioned for us with you, my friends, and I promise it will be a grand scene electrified with God’s masterful creativity, Jesus’ tenderhearted passion, and the Holy Spirit’s enlivened flair for the spectacular, and remember that, “We go together, like rama lamma lamma ka dinga da dinga dong!”

Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest
Lectionary: 439

Reading 1 COL 3:1-11

Brothers and sisters:
If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory.

Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly:
immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire,
and the greed that is idolatry.
Because of these the wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient.
By these you too once conducted yourselves, when you lived in that way.
But now you must put them all away:
anger, fury, malice, slander,
and obscene language out of your mouths. 
Stop lying to one another,
since you have taken off the old self with its practices
and have put on the new self,
which is being renewed, for knowledge,
in the image of its creator.
Here there is not Greek and Jew,
circumcision and uncircumcision,
barbarian, Scythian, slave, free;
but Christ is all and in all.

Responsorial Psalm PS 145:2-3, 10-11, 12-13AB

R. (9) The Lord is compassionate toward all his works.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. The Lord is compassionate toward all his works.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is compassionate toward all his works.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. The Lord is compassionate toward all his works.

Alleluia LK 6:23AB

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rejoice and leap for joy!
Your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 6:20-26

Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.

Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. 
For their ancestors treated the prophets 
in the same way.

But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”