The Eighth Sermon to the Dead

I was asked how I balance being a clergyperson and an esotericist. Do I see them as part of a greater continuum, or keep them separate. I definitely see them as a continuum. I think the clergy person is an esotericist, even he or she does no magic or joins no orders. The clergy, after all, read obscure books and have obscure knowledge, which can only be described as 'esoteric'. Some of it is overtly so, parables and numerology and mysticism, and some of it is not. In any case, the goal of the clergy and the practicing esotericist should be the same: The salvation of as many as possible. The clergy person does it directly, through pastoral efforts and education of the populace. Sometimes, the efforts of clergy are misguided, but I do genuinely think that most are trying to provide for the lost in their own context. That context may not be appropriate, and there are bad examples. The esotericist is looking for the salvation of many via the learning of, wrestling with, and p...

Today is the third anniversary of my Ordination. I was looking at my random thoughts on the idea, here. I'm still astounded that this has happened to me. Some days, I don't know what I'm doing. The past few days have been trying to grind me down. Last Night, I was privileged to celebrate a sacrament for someone. That experience reminded me why I do this. It gave me strength. A few days ago, I was able to help someone who had some emotional trouble over the phone. That experience reminded me why I do this. Sunday, I celebrated Easter Liturgy. That too, reminds me of why I do this. I thank you all for the chance to serve you, in whatever capacity. Priest, friend, confidante, obstacle, foil, nemesis.

Today, I was given a gift. My photographer stopped by, to drop off a book of pictures from the ordination. It wasn't a chronological rendition of the ordination, nor was it a liturgical following of the ceremony, more of an impressionistic view of a holy and gnostic event. Since ordination, I'd felt kind of unfocused. I was overwhelmed by the enormity of the experience at the time, and I'd had my friends and family in to visit, but since the event, it was like that was that, and they'd left, and it was done. Now what? I thanked him for the book, because I was quite touched that he'd put this much work into it. However, I'm not that visually inclined. I started absentmindedly flipping through it, my mind filled with worldly concerns, figuring I'd take a look at it, then put it on a bookshelf with my other picture books, a curio to be brought out once in a while for visitors who couldn't be at the ceremony. However, from the first page, worldly conce...

Ritual has an important place in society. It is often the recognition of work well done, of efforts proposed and successes achieved. Awards, medals, dinners, prizes, promotions, all of these have their own little rituals. Religious rituals should reflect the common human experience, and six of the seven do: Baptism for Birth, Confirmation for Adulthood, Marriage for the formation of a family, Reconciliation for the acknowledgement of wrongdoing and attempting to make amends, Extreme Unction for the final transition, either debilitating sickness or death, and the Eucharist as a spiritual reflection of the meals that sustain us physically. Holy Orders is the only sacrament that is not in the common human experience. In some ways it's simply the recognition of a job that certain individuals are already doing. It's one of the sacraments that few people will experience, for the harvest is great, but the workers are few. And yet, it is a very communal of the sacraments, at least ...