Integration Luke 4: 14-21   There is something about stories that pierce the heart in such a way that tthey have a way of to stay with you long after you have heard them for the first time and even though you hear them again, they still have a way of occupying your thoughts.  The story of a Franciscan monk and Mother Teresa is like that for me. A Franciscan monk in Australia was assigned to be the guide and "gofer" to Mother Teresa when she visited New South Wales. Thrilled and excited at the prospect of being so close to this great woman, he dreamed of how much he would learn from her and what they would talk about. But during her visit, he became frustrated. Although he was constantly near her, the friar never had the opportunity to say one word to Mother Teresa. There were always other people for her to meet. Finally, her tour was over, and she was due to fly to New Guinea. In desperation, the Franciscan friar spoke to Mother Teresa: If I pay my own fare to New Guinea, can I sit next to you on the plane so I can talk to you and learn from you? Mother Teresa looked at him. "You have enough money to pay airfare to New Guinea?" she asked. Yes, he replied eagerly. "Then give that money to the poor," she said. "You'll learn more from that than anything I can tell you." Mother Teresa understood that Jesus' ministry was to the poor and she made it hers as well. She knew that they more than anyone else needed good news. This story is a potent one because it speaks of the need to integrate the good news into our lives.  It is not enough to discuss our beliefs, to know the words by heart and to quote them on occasion but to live them.  In fact, one can say they are not truth until they become part of our lives.  Karen Armstrong in her book The Case for God points out that religion was not primarily what people thought but something they did.  The truth was acquired by practical action.  She goes on to say: It is no use imagining that you will be able to drive a car if you simply read the manual or study the rules of the road. You cannot learn to dance, paint, or cook by perusing texts or recipes. The rules of a board game sound obscure, unnecessarily complicated, and dull until you start to play, when everything falls into place. There are some things that can be learned only by constant, dedicated practice, but if you persevere, you find that you achieve something that seemed initially impossible. Instead of sinking to the bottom of the pool, you can float. You may learn to jump higher and with more grace than seems humanly possible or sing with unearthly beauty. You do not always understand how you achieve these feats, because your mind directs your body in a way that bypasses conscious, logical deliberation. (Karen Armstrong The Case For God, Alfred A. Knopf, publisher, New York, Toronto 2009,  p.xii and xiii) For Mother Teresa her religion was not just something she talked about but it was an integral part of her life. Her ministry  among the poor was something she did all the time, every hour of every day.  She pointed out to the Franciscan monk that his belief needed to go beyond the discussion level and to be a integral part of his life. * It is with this understanding that we come to the story of Jesus in today's Gospel.  Jesus goes to the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth as was his custom.  He read from the book of Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:18-21) You realize immediately that to Jesus he was not just quoting this passage as one presented by Isaiah many years before. They were a summary of Jesus' life. This how he lived his whole life reaching out to the poor, to those who captives by any means,  to those who were oppressed in any way and to those who suffered blindness of any kind.  His whole life was about compassion. This was the meaning of his life. When we hear this story, it is not just a story of Jesus talking to people of his time about how he was to live his life. It is now our story and the truth of this story will only be known if it is integrated into our lives.  The nature of our lives could be summed up by the word compassion, knowing the oneness between us and others.  If we truly believe these words that Jesus spoke, they become the way that we act in the world and just as they were the meaning of Jesus' life, they become the meaning of our life. As we continually practice this way of life they bring an indescribable joy. Just as the musician can lose herself in her music, a dancer can become inseparable from the dance and a skier can feel entirely at one with himself and the external world as he speeds down the slope, we can lose ourselves in our compassionate activity. It becomers part of us our mind directs our activities in a way that bypasses conscious, logical deliberation. It goes deeper than just "feeling good", it is stepping outside of ourselves, escaping the prism of ego, and experiencing the sacred. * We see much compassion in the way that people have responded to the victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti.  People have responded to this tragedy in ways that warm the heart.  You have the sense that many  people are not just participating in an effort to bring aid to the poor in that country, but they feel "at one" with the people there. That is the true meaning of compassion.  "com" which means together and passion meaning "suffering" .  In true compassion we suffer together. However, we also realize that this way of life that we are presented with through the words and example Jesus in the Gospel is not limited to huge and glorious occasions of humanitarian aid. It is to be our way of life at all times, everyday and every hour of everyday.  It is in the smallest and most hidden ways as well as in the greatest and most visible ones. It is how we act throughout our everyday activities, at home, at work, at school, in our gathering places, in our recreation  and in all of our relationships.  Some times we look at the great needs that surround us and we become  overwhelmed because of the limited resources that we have. When we cry, "The Sea is so vast, and my boat is so small" It is good to remember these words: "I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but I still can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do." --- Helen Keller * In a real sense we need to be to some extent the kind of people that Johnny Cash sang about in in the song The Man In Black: Well, you wonder why I always dress in black, Why you never see bright colors on my back, And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone. Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on. I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down, Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town, I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime, But is there because he's a victim of the times. I wear the black for those who never read, Or listened to the words that Jesus said, About the road to happiness through love and charity, Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me. Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose, In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes, But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back, Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black. I wear it for the sick and lonely old, For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold, I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been, Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.   And, I wear it for the thousands who have died, Believin' that the Lord was on their side, I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died, Believin' that we all were on their side. Well, there's things that never will be right I know, And things need changin' everywhere you go, But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right, You'll never see me wear a suit of white. Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day, And tell the world that everything's OK, But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back, 'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black. Things are not always black and sometimes I think it is important  to wear a rainbow and to celebrate goodness and acts of love in the world in which there is much darkness but we also have to have continual awareness of the needs and suffering in the lives of people that surround us and to act where we can and how we can at all times.  That is how our religion get totally integrated into our lives. You are visitor number UK Online Casinos This free counter  is supplied by Visible Counter Connect with Deacon Sils Homelical resource Also for more sermon and lectionary resources connect to SERMON AND SERMON LECTIONARY RESOURCES   Check Out my daughter's web site CARLY'S STRENGTH THE GODDESS WITHIN MUSIC PROJECT Each year, thousands of women and children become homeless as a result of domestic violence.  "The Goddess Within" music project is designed to empower those whose lives have been affected by domestic abuse and to raise awareness of this issue. "The Goddess Within" compilation album will showcase artists and their songs, written for or relating to those escaping the cycle of violence.  The C.D. will be distributed throughout North America and proceeds from the sale of the C.D. will be donated to women's shelters. More information on the CD is available at ARTISTS FOR CHANGE My daughter Carly is featured on the album with her song The Mask.  The art for cover for the CD album is the creation of another daughter, Mary Anne Molcan. Another site to access is Ending Domestic Abuse * Mary Anne is a very talented artist.  She has a new web site called Faerie Artist where she displays her Art.   You can access her site at: Faerie Artist