Saturday after Ash Wednesday

 Lectionary: 222

If you hold back your foot on the sabbath from following your own pursuits on my holy day;
If you call the sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable;
If you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice--
Then you shall delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; 
I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

I remember with chagrin the teachings of the mid-twentieth century when religious dietary practices were explained as good ideas gone awry. The Jewish refusal to eat pork was due to diseases associated with pigs. Eating Kosher was apparently regarded as healthy in prehistoric times. Catholics fasted from meat on Friday, they said, to support the fish markets of Rome. And so forth. Dispirited teachings like that intentionally dismiss religion and God's sovereign authority. "No one should fear the Lord anymore. Such notions are passe." 

We have yet to come full circle and recognize religion as necessary; there are many self-described Christians who prefer vague spirituality to concrete religion. Wandering in the wilderness without a pillar of cloud or a column of fire, they create their own symbols, rituals, costumes, and chants, and gather in arenas to celebrate their athletic or political gods. But none call that religion or spirituality; it's simple idolatry.

In the meanwhile, the middle class shrinks as marriages collapse, and children pursue cheap, unworthy satisfactions. 

Good religion leads us back to ourselves and to the God who sacrifices his only begotten Son for our salvation. It teaches us to balance the love of God, of others, and of the self. People who love the same God with the same rituals form spiritual bonds that surpass their natural desires for affection and companionship. Obedient and attentive to God's presence, they agree on their goals and work out their differences. They lead and follow one another in a dance of cooperation without aggression or domination. 

We can discuss forever what constitutes "good religion" but if the discussion means anything it ceases as we do our rites together. Good religion walks the walk. 

Always seeking guidance from our God, the Church frequently turns to the ancient texts of the Bible. With its roots in human history, much of it is familiar and recognizable. Nothing human is alien to the scriptures. The Bible and the Holy Spirit continually initiate and reintegrate us into God's chosen people. We are the same people who fled from Egypt into the Sinai peninsula. We fought with David for freedom to worship our God without Philistine harassment. We watched our holy city burned to the ground by a Babylonian army. We stood with Mary on Calvary, and announced the Good News to her that Jesus had been raised from the dead. Finally, despite its long history of sin, we are grateful to be grafted into that holy vine. 

Then you shall delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.