Readings
Trinitarian Blessing
May God, whose very name begins in silence, be with you in the silence of your heart;
may God, whose transfiguring Word calls out with joy, fill your heart with holy song;
may God, whose Spirit gives voice to all creation, teach you to sing God's song to the world;
and may the blessing of God Almighty, creator, redeemer and sustainer,
be with you now and evermore. Amen.
Simple Blessing
May God Almighty bless you with a listening heart and a courageous voice, that you may hear his Word in the silence of your heart, and speak his Word to the world, with joy.
Meanders
This was the first time I noticed Elisha repeatedly telling the other prophets "Yes, I know; keep silent." The whirlwind and the fiery chariot, Elisha tearing his robes in grief and crying "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!"... these had stuck with me ever since my own father died when I was a teenager. But today, something caught me in that "Yes, I know; keep silent." Was it too painful for Elisha to speak about? Was he angry that the prophets were gathering like flies and vultures, rubber-necking the coming tragedy? Was Elisha trying to preserve the holy mystery of what was to come, telling his colleagues to get out of their own heads and the pride of their commentary, and simply come to experience God?
Today's Hebrew Scripture reading from 2 Kings, along with the mystery of the Transfiguration in the Gospel, and Paul's meditation on light and revelation, can be paired with that beautiful hymn, "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence"
It's a hymn that makes a wonderful bridge into the solemnity of Lent, and lets us also get out a few more Alleluias!
Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly-minded,
For with blessing in his hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth he stood
Lord of lords, in human vesture --
In the Body and the Blood --
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of Light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.
At his feet the six-winged seraph;
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the Presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry,
Alleluia, alleluia,
Alleluia, Lord most high.
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