Read: John 11:1-45

Jesus wept.

I will pass over some puzzling features of this text to note that when Jesus – who had delayed by two days his journey to Lazarus’ side – eventually got to the home of Mary and Martha, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days, and the mourners were keening and wailing. Jesus wept.

Yes, Martha had run out to meet Jesus before he arrived on the scene, and Martha had heard Jesus say “your brother will rise again.” Even with this hope for Lazarus in his heart, a hope he shared with Martha, Jesus wept.

The Book of Common Prayer contains a “note” on the burial liturgy which acknowledges that the rites for burial are Easter rites and are thus characterized by joy. “This joy, however, does not make human grief unchristian,” the note continues. “The very love we have for each other in Christ brings deep sorrow when we are parted by death, because Jesus wept at the grave of his friend.”

So, as the Letter to the Romans counsels, “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” So we are to let ourselves cry. Let others cry. Share grief, without uttering platitudes to one another.

And in our hearts, we nurture the hope expressed in one of the prayers of the burial liturgy in which we pray for

“faith to see in death the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth, until, by our call, we are reunited with those who have gone before.”

O God, inspire in me the quiet confidence that trusts you even in the face of death, and so establish me in that confidence that I will be free to weep over my losses and the losses of others. Make me a member in truth of Christ’s community of compassion. Amen.
-Fr. Jonathan Weldon

Read: John 9:1-41

“… Isn’t this the same (one) who used to come sit and beg?”

Our focus this year is on community.

When I’m not feeling well, I go into isolation. It’s not because I am contagious or unclean (although I certainly could be). It’s simply because I find my suffering deeply personal. I don’t try to hide my suffering. There’s no shame involved. I had a friend who was a physician, and his hair was always jet-black until he retired. He then went gray – almost white–haired overnight. He no longer had to color it to keep up the appearance of being young for his clients. I found he actually looked ten years younger with his natural hair than he ever did with it dyed. Sometimes our vanity or training calls for the erection of a facade. No, I don’t try to hide my frailties, nor do I wish to brag about them. I don’t suffer martyrs well either, to be honest, so I try not to pull that out of the haversack of fakery I keep close by for emergencies.

No, when I am not well, I isolate myself so that I may recover more quickly and with fewer distractions. Give me chicken soup, take my blood, poke me with needles as needed, but otherwise just stay away so that, in my being healed, I can recover enough to rejoin the human family. When I’m feeling human again, that’s when I will leave my sick bed.

The man born blind lived most of his life in isolation. The unwell were often shunned. My isolation is short-term and by choice, but not so the one born blind (or deaf). And yet, Jesus draws near. Jesus touches. Jesus anoints with a holy mudpack and sends him off for a self-service facial baptism. And the one is healed by the One, restored to a new community, because the old one challenges, chastises, and ostracizes. Not Jesus. “You’re well; it is the work of God; leave darkness behind, and join us.”

Let us pray. God, the forces for healing and restoration are varied; they rest in your hands. Heal and restore us so that we may be instruments of healing and restoration to this community in which we live. Amen.
– Fr. Keith Axberg

Read: John 9:1-41

In the 9th chapter of John, Jesus heals a man blind from birth by spitting on the ground, making mud, and placing the mud on the man’s eyes. He then sends him to wash in the “Pool of Siloam.” The man did not ask to be healed; Jesus reached out in love and compassion and performed the miracle of healing.

As a community of believers, we are called to respond to one another with love and compassion. (In my experience, St. Paul’s is responding to this call.) When people have a disability or medical condition, the ideal is to find out what kind of help or assistance they want or need, and then offer that help or assistance. Sometimes, people don’t know or can’t say. In any case, we can always drop off chicken soup AND we can always sing and pray.

Here is a good recipe for chicken vegetable soup.

And here is a healing hymn #667, “Sometimes a Light Surprises”

There are many beautiful prayers for healing; here are three of my favorites from the Book of Common Prayer – Pastoral Offices – Ministration to the Sick.

For Health of Body and Soul: May God the Father bless you, God the Son heal you, God the Holy Spirit give you strength. May God the holy and undivided Trinity guard your body, save your soul, and bring you safely to his heavenly country; where he lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

For Strength and Confidence: Heavenly Father, giver of life and health: Comfort and relieve your sick servant N., and give your power of healing to those who minister to his needs, that he may be strengthened in his weakness and have confidence in your loving care; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Trust in God: O God, the source of all health: So fill my heart with faith in your love, that with calm expectancy I may make room for your power to possess me, and gracefully accept your healing; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Dear God, help us to continue to learn and grow as a community in supporting one another in sickness and in health. Amen.
-Cathey Frederick

Read: John 9:1-41

The disciples’ question of “who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind” (v. 2) grates on me because people behave similarly when it comes to autism. There are the people who believe that my decision to vaccinate Daniel caused his autism, The study by Dr. Andrew Wakefield that linked autism to the MMR vaccine has been disproven multiple times over, and Dr. Wakefield has been stricken from the British Medical Register for committing fraud in the course of that study, so the assertion that Daniel’s autism was caused by being vaccinated is ludicrous. (His autism is most likely linked to a few genetic abnormalities he has that have been also found in other autistic children.)

The bickering over how the blind man regained his sight reminds me of the group of people who seem to think they can “cure” autism with the GAPS diet, ABA therapy, or any number of quack cures. ABA therapy has been helpful for Daniel to a point, but his autism will never “go away”. Just as the Pharisees were skeptical about how the blindman was cured, I doubt anyone could objectively say what a cure for autism would be because the symptoms differ from person to person. It also begs the question of whether we should try to cure a condition that affects someone’s brain the way autism does.

The Pharisees treated the blind man as if he was a mere inconvenience. I experienced one of Jon’s parishes treating Daniel similarly. They wanted me to either exile him to the nursery with a baby monitor or keep him completely silent. It got to the point where I stopped taking Daniel to church because I was sick of people glaring at me. I am glad that St. Paul’s has been different on the occasions when I have brought him, but I was never able to get Daniel used to church. Because of my experiences, I am even more committed to making sure everyone feels welcome at St. Paul’s regardless of ability.

Lord, you chose to heal the blind man, and the Pharisees chose to dispute his healing. Help us to treat people with respect regardless of ability and give us hearts of welcome for everyone who comes through our doors. Amen.
-Jen McCabe