Catching le bus 46

Flik: You brought up angels. I wasn't going to mention them. But you brought them up. Mkay?

When I was an angsty defensive agnostic, and my Mum would bring up angels - it only happened once or twice because - well, I'd snarl at her and say, "and I don't believe in fairies either!" (Sorry Mum, if you're reading!)

Recently I was woken up by the touch of my guardian angel.

The night before setting out for the Pope's mass at Lourdes - so last Saturday, I prayed as I was going to sleep that I would get to Lourdes. That there would be no... interference, that nothing would stop me getting there. At three AM I woke up and checked my phone. Still an hour and fifteen until I had to get up. Then I noticed the alarm app was still open and I hadn't hit confirm to finish setting the alarm. So I did and the reassuring message telling me that the alarm would sound in just over an hour flashed on my screen. I went back to bed and prayed to Mary asking for the extra hour of sleep I felt I needed. I left the phone by the door of the bedroom, far enough away from the kids whom I co-sleep with, that I thought they might not wake when it sounded. I slept.

At four thirty my angel touched my back and told me get up, go. My phone told me that the alarm which should've woken me up fifteen minutes ago had been snoozed. And like I say, it was a long way from the bed I was sleeping in. But it was all fine because I caught my bus (after going the wrong way, turning round in a lane and narrowly avoiding a ditch) with a moment to spare and made it after all to the Pope's mass.

Here is our bedtime prayer. It's the one my Mum prayed with me and my brother each night before bed, and now I say it to my kids:

I will lie me down in peace and take my rest;
for it is thou Lord only who makest me dwell in safety.
Keep me O Lord, as the apple of your eye.
Hide me under the shadow of your wings.
The Lord almighty grant me a quiet night, and a perfect end. Amen.

I've started writing a version of the canticle from Daniel. My version of the canticle is a litany of thanks for the people in my family. I've used the same number of lines and verses and all the 'O bless the Lord', and 'To him be highest glory and praise for ever' refrains. It's fun... it's keeping me out of trouble anyway!

I finished a book which I mentioned when we were inviting dinner guests to our table 'Truth and Beauty', by Andrew Klavan. It was great. One of the final discussions relates to the parable of the Good Samaritan, which I thought I knew...

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Now read it as an exercise in logic:

Assertion: 

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.

Question:

Who is my neighbour?

[Parable]

Answer, Assertion:

The one who showed him Mercy.

It's actually not, "Love your neighbour as yourself": your neighbour is the one who you are emphatically not friends with. Go and bind his wounds, set him on your own animal, care for him, pay others to care for him, check in on him later etc.

It's, Love your neighbour as yourself. He is the one who showed you mercy when you were close to death. In a shocking twist, it's the complete opposite way round to the way I thought it was! 

So therefore the commandment is, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor (who also, in some ways, is God) as yourself."

"You go and do likewise"

The acts of mercy then stem from our love of God. Not our neighbour. 

It's a great rebuff, if the sentiment behind the question is, 'there are certain people whom I would prefer not to consider as my neighbour.' Because we are reminded that all people image God in some way.

And there follows an interesting point about God's Mercy being worked not always through the bona fide religious channels, (the High Priest, the Levite). As much as we (mostly!) love the church, God is so much bigger, he is not confined to it.

I know you did a theology degree at one of the world's top universities. You probably got to geek out on this stuff all the time. I'm new to it. I love it!

Let me know which bees are in your bonnet, what thoughts and ideas are knocking around your head bone? ♡♡♡