Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY
Br. Robert James Magliula, OHC
Pentecost, Proper 12 C - July 24, 2022
Our readings today illustrate the difference between arguing and bargaining with God. In our first lesson we learn that arguing with God is not only good and appropriate, but also our responsibility and duty. Bargaining, on the other hand---although we do it a lot---is destructive, because it’s based on the wrong idea of who God is and what God does. Consider the ways we try to bargain with God. It usually takes the form: “if you do this, then I’ll do that.” It may involve our health, a relationship, our work, …you name it. I find that this way of operating can become so automatic that it’s almost unconscious. The first problem that arises, if we are not granted our request, is that we go to that very human assumption that we are not loved or worthy to receive what we’ve asked for. It’s usually something wrong with us or something wrong with God. Another problem arises when we get what we want and then are faced with keeping our end of the bargain. We don’t always follow through with good resolutions, especially when the pressure is off, and we've gotten what we want. There’s a sort of forgetfulness that descends upon us. Guilt is often the byproduct of this failure to follow through. It’s not the good variety of guilt that can serve as a transition to repentance and change, but the kind that substitutes fear for love. Since we’ve failed God, it leaves us open to interpret the next bad thing that happens to us as a punishment from God. The worst problem of all in bargaining is what it says about what we think of God. Unless we bribe God, God does not love us enough to have our best interest at heart. The premise is that we can control God by making the right deal.
13 th century mystic, Meister Eckhart wrote: “Some people want to love God in the same way they love a cow. They love it for its milk and cheese and the profit they will derive from it. Those who love God for the sake of outward riches or for the sake of inward consolation operate on the same principle. They are not loving God correctly; they are merely loving their own advantage.”
If bargaining with God is dangerous to our spiritual and mental health, arguing with God is good for us. The psalms are filled with countless examples as are our lessons for today. When Abraham learns that God is about to destroy Sodom, he argues with God about whether it’s appropriate. The form of the arguing may sound like bargaining to our ears. It resembles the haggling of a Middle Eastern marketplace. Abraham keeps lowering the number of righteous it would take to spare
the city. Abraham isn’t trying to get anything for himself nor is he promising to do anything for God. He’s concerned over the destruction of good people. He’s reminding God that it’s not something that God does, that it’s not consistent with God’s nature, which is love. He’s on solid ground when he calls on God to be faithful to God’s character.
The story in Luke is a variation on the same theme. Jesus gives two examples about the right way to pray. The first is the story of a family who discovers they have no provisions when a late-night visitor arrives. Even though the neighbors may resent being disturbed at such a late hour, they will respond to the need, not out of friendship, but because they understand the duty of hospitality in their culture. They are being asked to be true to their own nature---to act appropriately in the situation. So, we are told in both instances that God responds to requests according to the divine nature, at least when those requests are on behalf of others. In fact, it’s our responsibility to make such requests. Intercessory prayer is not a manipulation of God, but a radical and open cooperation with the God who loves and cherishes us. Intercessory prayer helps us to cultivate trust in God’s providence rather than our own will, when we entrust those for whom we pray to the never-failing love and care of God.
Jesus’ second example takes us further by letting us know that we can ask that our own needs be met as well. Again, the last two weeks modeled good and loving parenting for me, even under stressful, loud,
and chaotic conditions. Just as a human parent will not withhold what is needed or give what is harmful to their child, so much more will our divine parent care for us. But there’s a catch. Just as a loving parent will not give a scorpion to a child who asks for an egg, so that parent will not give a scorpion to a child who asks for a scorpion. Loving parents know that children do not always know what will harm them. My older great niece was repeatedly reminded, amid loud protesting, that it is her parents’ responsibility to exercise good judgment and protect her. Asking God for the wrong things, no matter how attractive or how much we want, bargain, or protest for them, will not induce God to give them to us. We let God know what we or others need, not because God needs our prayers. God doesn’t need to be reminded of God’s nature or God’s love for us---we do---just like little children---over and over again. So, when we pray, instead of bargaining, let us remember that if we who are infinitely less generous and patient, know how to provide good things for those we love, how much more will God provide for us. Again, Meister Eckhart reminds us: “We should be prepared at all times for the gifts of
God and be ready always for new ones. For God is a thousand times more ready to give than we are to receive. As God is omnipotent in deeds, so too the soul is equally profound in its capacity to receive.” We need never fear to make the radical and risky prayer taught and prayed so often by Jesus---“Your will be done.” We can trust that God’s will for us is nothing but the best. +Amen.
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