Over the last week and a half, the people of Louisiana have been coming to terms with what is of true value in our lives. Many of us have experienced firsthand the loss of cars, homes, and in some cases, lives. Some of us have witnessed and shared in the experience of loss and attempted recovery, through the myriad of needs that have arisen as a result of the flooding waters, and our attempts to do whatever we can to help, assist, feed, clothe, and rescue each other. I myself have seen the bewildered and dazed look on the faces of so many who have been stunned by the dramatic upheaval and sense of loss brought in with the waters. Some are struggling over what to try to save and what must be let go – heirloom furniture, water-ruined photos… so many precious things that are attached in some ways to our hearts and memories, and indeed our livelihood. Standing on a stained slab of concrete with walls ripped out and a pile of personal items in the center of the room characterizes a familiar scene all over the Louisiana parishes hit the hardest in the flood.
Interestingly, today, we have one of the most hard-hitting descriptions in all of the Gospels (MT 23: 13-22) where Matthew has Jesus seemingly lambasting the scribes and Pharisees…
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’ Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’ You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred”
As angry and frustrated as Jesus sounds, what he is saying is very much what I believe we in Louisiana are living right now – only in contradistinction. I believe that we are not acting blindly like those in the Gospel story. We are in fact living this Gospel story in the reverse, i.e., seeing things quite clearly and in a positive human way. In the face of tremendous loss, devastation, homelessness, hunger, nakedness, and all other upheaval that we are experiencing, the people of this state are responding from the strong depths of their spirit to the questions of the Gospel, “which is greater, the gold or the temple that made the gold sacred…which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?”
As the apostle Paul says so strongly, we are the temples of the Holy Spirit. We are the “altar” upon which God’s works are made sacred. In our rescuing each other…in our feeding each other…in our clothing each other…packing up what can be salvaged… carrying out and demolishing what must go…housing each other… holding each other…listening to each other…crying and even laughing with each other – all, when everything seems such a loss. In our reaching out to each other to let go and grieve over some of the “gold” and “gifts” that the water has taken, we are giving honor to the wonderful gifts that we are to each other. God is here!
This is where God dwells. This in Incarnation – God with us. Inasmuch as it seems that everything about our lives may seem to be taken away, there is someone who can help or just be with us in all of this. It is the “altar” of caring support that creates a space where we can touch each other in ways that can heal. Yes, WE are sacred and precious temples of the Holy Spirit. Even in the stench of river-soaked furniture, sheetrock and clothes, God is here, acting and moving…in and through us!
As the pastor at my church this past weekend stated so simply yet so eloquently, the quote attributed to St Francis of Assisi…”Preach the Gospel at all times, using words only when necessary.” Indeed, the actions of our lives poured out for each other is stronger than any rising river current and louder than any sermon that could be given!
Peace
Thomas