Fifth Sunday in Lent – C1

Fifth Sunday in Lent – C1

Years C
Isaiah 43:16-21

There has been a running debate about how best to praise G*D.

Some frame praise entirely within religious language - one has to speak religion in order for G*D to hear, otherwise you are wasting your breath.

Some frame praise entirely outside religion's bounds - one must do some will of G*D for a neighbor for it to be accepted, otherwise you are wasting your energy.

Some try to portion those positions out with some acceptable ratio of the two.

This may be another arena where an untenable synthesis of fully praising G*D and fully caring for Neighbor will come to the forefront. In the meantime it might be helpful to consider some new things.

If you tend to lump praise under language skills, a new thing for you (desired from you by G*D, even?) would be engaging your translation skills from language to deed.

If you are one who tends to see praise as doing what was asked rather than talking about it, a new thing G*D may be looking for from you is a reorientation to what lies behind your deeds.

Any approach to praise is open to a downside of habit and a slow, slippery slide toward irrelevance. What keeps praise alive is an attitude of finding new occasions and styles for its expression.

= = = = = = =

carrying father's Alzheimer genes
I look forward
to not remembering former things
of recent days
and living in a land of former things
ancient of days

phylogeny recapitulates ontogeny
sometimes
and vice versa others
either way
former becomes present
former becomes future

a former of formers
was a new thing once
new things can hold
former things at bay
and open future things
foiling former's fate

this calls for praise
former is former
present is present
future is future
intersecting well
living daily