Newspaper Columns by Bishop Paul V. Marshall
Keep a place for the ecstatic to break in
Bishop Paul V. Marshall
April 2002“Do you renew your commitment to your ministry?” I asked,
“Do you reaffirm your promise to give yourself to prayer and study, to minister the Word of God and the Sacraments in such a way that the reconciling love of Christ may be known and received, and to be a faithful servant of all those committed to your care, patterning your life in accordance with the teachings of Christ so that you may be a wholesome example to his people?”
I interrupted my sabbatical to preside at a special Eucharist. Among some 200 people present were 75 priests, women and men, of the Diocese of Bethlehem.
I value this annual service because I am convinced that the parish as a corporate entity will never reach a state of holiness and stewardship higher than that of its clergy and will never find more joy in the Lord than does its clergy person.
I began my sermon by asking the clergy what their presence, style and demeanor tell people about God?
One of the readings told of King David’s exuberance over the Ark of the Covenant -- God’s presence -- coming to Jerusalem. It was the fulfillment of David’s life’s work, of both his vocation and ambition. He burst out in song, tore off the encumbrance of clothing and danced his heart out.
Michal, David’s wife and first love, was mortified that her husband was on display so seriously out of control. She overreact\ed with harsh words.
Most marriages have one accumulator and one thrower-outer, one shopper and one hater-of-shopping, one spender and one saver, and so on.
Michal was the more tightly wrapped. She had saved David’s life and may have had a lot to do with organizing his ascendancy to the throne of a united nation. She gave structure to the energies of the warrior, politician, and poet she married.
David, instead of remembering the good that resulted from Michal’s cautious attitude and planning, lashed back, and left her without the possibility of children, the worst thing for a woman in that culture. He also left himself without a guardian, a dangerous place for an absolute ruler to be. The Bathsheba tragedy was waiting to happen.
If Michal had let ecstatics be ecstatic, and if David had let the tightly wrapped be tightly wrapped, several tragedies would have been avoided — and David would not have found himself having to write Psalm 51.
Where do you and I keep a place for the ecstatic to break in? I know the fear that if I leave myself entirely open to God I might want to do something embarrassing; I might want to give up some control.
Even if the Michal in me gets religion and recognizes the duty to be joyful -- just think about that -- my inner Michal finds that I can’t schedule the experience of ecstasy. There are limits to my Palm Pilot.
Disciplined contemplation, however, is part of the duty of ordained clergy. It’s part of the job where we don’t get to look busy.
I have come to realize during my sabbatical time how having serious time to contemplate has felt like a luxury. I have to do something about that. Contemplative prayer is not a luxury for free time.
Paths to deep contemplation are not the same for everybody. For me, music is sublimely the way to a deeper reality; for some, it is printed text; for others, it is the icon. Still others find the door opens when they stay in a place of perfect stillness.
We need to keep a place ready for the Ark.
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