Today, we worshipped in the upper church of St. Francis’ Basilica. The songs were led by guitar, and the choir was a group of nuns from Zambia. There is a reverence in the service that seems missing in most modern American church services. Those gathered visibly honored the Eucharist as they took a humble, kneeling position for the blessing of the sacrament. The music filled the space as the church is designed to enhance our voices. It was holy to hear the scriptures read slowly as they echoed in the sanctuary. The gospel lesson was from Luke, The Good Samaritan, and the priest declared to us to never cease or tire of doing good. Quoting Mother Teresa’s “Do Good Anyway” poem, he read,

“People are often unreasonable,

illogical and self centered;

Forgive them anyway

If you are kind, people will accuse you

of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway

If you are successful, you will win

some false friends and some true enemies

Succeed anyway

If you are honest and frank

people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway

What you spend years building,

someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway

If you find serenity and happiness,

they may be jealous

Be happy anyway

The good you do today

people will often forget tomorrow;

Do Good anyway

Give the world the best you have,

and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you’ve got anyway\.

You see, in the final analysis,

it is between you and your God;

It was never between you and them anyway

I am truly thankful for worship today. Weekly worship is necessary for my soul. I also do miss the regular commitment to one church and one church family.

I wonder if this is part of the Sabbatical experience, but I have found myself lacking in the spirit most days. My thoughts drifting to places I would prefer it not. Even in church, I found myself making assumptions and assessment of others I do not even know. I truly wish I was holier, more like Christ, and St. Francis and their love for all.
Maybe I need to spend more intentional time in prayer and personal devotion myself.

Today I read a wonderful story of St. Francis and his adherence to the church even when it was badly in need of reform. As stated yesterday, Francis desired approval from the pope for his way of life. When this poorly dressed maybe dirty man came to the center of the Western church before its most powerful person, Pope Innocent III, the pope apparently was not impressed. He stated to Francis, “Why don’t you go roll with the pigs? You look like you belong with them!” Francis who took obedience to the church seriously, did exactly what the pope said. After Francis left, the Pope that night had a dream of a simple, poor man holding up St John Lateran church, the most significant church in that day. Thus, the next day, the pope sent people to find Francis. When St. Francis returned and was presented before the pope, he was muddier and smellier than before because he obeyed the pope’s words to go “roll with the pigs.” How would we respond to such an insult? Francis could have responded defensively speaking a tirade of all the faults with the church. They were many. Francis could have contrasted his simple life that looked more like Jesus with the life of the cardinals and papacy, and in so doing seek to correct or shame the pope. Instead he was obedient even to a ridiculous request. This started an important partnership and movement within the church because Pope Innocent III also desired to reform the church. In fact, he is remembered as one of the great popes who helped to institute needed change. I am definitely not as humble or as assured in God as St. Francis. I would rather highlight the faults of the church than genuinely be obedient. I would rather do things my own way than follow a superior who I do not 100% agree with. Maybe I should go roll with the so called “pigs” of the world and be more humble.

We Protestants and Americans are brashly individualistic. The UMC church just went through a schism. Contrary to St. Francis, Martin Luther when he saw a need for the church to reform was also brash and individualistic. A cardinal met with Luther about how he might modify his message, not because Luther’s message was wrong, but so that it might better be heard from the papacy. However, Luther would not have any of it. If Luther would have taken this cardinal’s advice, could church history have been different? Maybe the Catholic church (in Luther’s day this was the church of the West) would have listened and reformed. In response to the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church did go through its own reformation. Luther’s critique of the church and the church’s needed change were real. But could it have been different? St. Franics’ day needed reformation as desperately as Luther’s day. His life was a sign of that needed change. These two reformers handled things completely different. As a result, today, we have become “Protestants”, people who protest, whenever there is something we don’t like. We struggle with unity. Today, guess how many Protestant denominations there are? 36,000. Yes that is right, 36,000. In this post, I am not saying Luther was wrong. It is difficult to blend unity with change because most institutions prefer not to change. Somehow Francis kept these two things together, and this union is within the United Methodist tradition. John Wesley was Anglican, and wanted reformation, but was incessant on not starting a new church, but reforming the church people already worshipped within. In fact, the Methodist classes that were started, were meant to go back to their home church for worship on Sunday to help bring more faithfulness there. We started as a church because of the circumstances of the American Revolution, and the need for ministers in the colonies. This was not John Wesley’s doing. We are one church. It is time to be one church again, despite all our errors, differences, etc. Let us seek to worship, love, and follow Jesus.