Build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
Although the Letter of Jude is very short, the editors of our lectionary have preferred only a scant six and a half verses from his writing. They exhort Saturday morning congregations "to build yourself up in faith," show mercy to ne'er-do-well scoffers who plague the Church, and conclude with a song of praise the "One who is able to keep you from stumbling." We're not given the juicier passages that describe the awful behaviors that stain our reputation and discourage our patient waiting.
Clearly, Saint Jude's congregation has survive a period of persecution and bore a second or third generation who have picked up the nasty attitudes of their contemporaries and have little respect for our faith or religion. The picture we glean from his twenty-five verses sounds too familiar in this twenty-first century. There are innumerable "Christians" who claim the title for reasons of their own, but dismiss our morality, doctrine, and devotion.
Saint Jude gently suggests that we remember Saint Michael who only rebuked the Devil when he attempted to molest the body of Moses. He did not, at that time, defeat his army of wicked angels, nor cast them out of heaven to plague the Earth. Saint John of Patmos had yet to write Revelation 12. We should let the Lord do the punishing while we stand aside and wait on his mercy.
We should also remember, lest we forget, that our Baptism and Eucharist do not exempt us from the judgment of God. If our baptized brethren can "revile what they do not understand and are destroyed by what they know by nature like irrational animals," the rest of us should be warned. The worst thing we could possibly do is suppose that God has mercy on fools, and then turn away from our disciplined life of good works and prayer.
A gentle “May the Lord rebuke you!” in imitation of Saint Michael might make all the difference. But if it doesn't, "...have mercy with fear, abhorring even the outer garment stained by (their) flesh."
The Lord was betrayed by one of his own apostles, so we should never be surprised that there is wickedness among us. We must keep our eyes fixed on him, and continue our walk on the water of faith.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.