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Breath of the Spirit

Pastoral, Liturgical, Teaching, and Social Justice Moments brought to you by www.DignityUSA.org.

Breath of the Spirit is DignityUSA’s electronic spiritual and liturgical resource for our members and potential members. Nothing can replace your chapter or other faith community, but we hope you will find further support here for integrating your spirituality with your sexuality and all the strands of your life.

We welcome relevant homilies, inspirational writings, social justice opportunities, or theological articles from other sources also — particularly from wise women and men who can help us grow as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) and allied Catholic/Christians. You may volunteer to help with this program or send your comments by e-mailing info@DignityUSA.org ATTN: Breath of the Spirit.

AUGUST 1, 2010: EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Readings: 
Ecclesiastes 1:2-2:21-23
Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11
Luke 12:13-21

One of the side-effects of choosing a dissertation topic involving money - the Ananias and Sapphira story in Acts 5 - was that I was obligated to research every Hebrew and Christian Scripture text having anything to do with wealth and its use.

JULY 25, 2010: SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Readings: 
Genesis 18:20-32
Colossians 2:12-14
Luke 11:1-13

Today’s first reading would make more sense if it started with verse 19 instead of verse 20.

But, no matter where it starts, as early as grade school I had learned about this memorable encounter between Abraham and Yahweh; a meeting in which a human being finagles God into lowering an agreed upon price from fifty to ten. We kids probably liked and remembered it because it presented an instance in which an immutable, all-powerful being was cajoled into changing his or her mind.

JULY 18, 2010: SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Readings: 
Genesis 18:10-lOa
Colossians 1:24-28
Luke 10:38-42

The contrast between the role of women in today’s Genesis passage and our Lucan pericope is striking.

Many scholars believe the Yahwistic source of Genesis - from which our reading is taken - was written by a woman. Perhaps that’s why the author “tells it like it was.” Abraham and the “three men” are the narrative’s four main characters. Sarah is simply behind the scene (or the tent flap) during the entire passage. Of course, she, like all women, is doing most of the work, enabling her husband to provide hospitality to the three strangers - who eventually reveal themselves as Yahweh in human form. Though a few verses beyond today’s liturgical selection, Sarah is given some lines, her presence is heard, not seen. She’s a woman of her 1,800 century BCE day and age.

JULY 11, 2010: FIFTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Readings: 
Deuteronomy 30:10-14
Colossians 1:15-20
Luke 10:25-37

In one of my favorite Peanuts cartoon strips, Linus is in the kitchen making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when he suddenly notices his hands. Staring at them, he walks into the living room and tells his sister, “Lucy, these could one day be the hands of a great surgeon, or a powerful leader, or a terrific scientist!” Lucy looks up and says, “Those hands have jelly all over them!”

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