One of the things I wrestled with in the psalms is that the enemy is not 'out there' - it is 'in here'. My foes are within me, whether they are my own tendencies to do what is wrong or my construction of the tendencies I see in others that seem wrong to me. If 'my foes' are 'wrong' then there is still a 'me' that seems 'right' in my eyes. Is that 'me' an enemy also? I hope not. Perhaps that is an article of faith, that I can know something of right and wrong. Is this the same as the knowledge of good and evil? I think it is where 'evil' is an excess of wrong.
This pondering on 'me' is too constrained. If I draw the circle wider, who is in 'my' household? Is it family? Where does that start and stop? Is it community? But they support family in a host of ways. Is it the religious household, the household of faith - where foes, divisions, conflict over right and wrong seem pervasive? But they too are supportive. Is it those others who cannot govern themselves, the terrorists, the extremists, those of the whole household of humanity? Yes there are divisions and foes here but what history has created them that I should consider them foes?
The above comments are based on the lectionary lessons for this week. See the standard list here. It is a very long list with alternative lessons for the Torah and Psalms. In addition, our parish will celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, transferred from Thursday. The lessons here are: Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16, Psalm 116:10-17, and in the NT, 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, John 6:51-58.
So I could chose from several texts. A local rector has just put up an interesting post on Hell - worth a read.
I think I recognize Deuteronomy 8, but they leave out the section I posted on some time ago, verses 6-18, (2012 thanksgiving - shows how my techniques for transcription have changed). Here's a bit of it with the newer technique. But look to the next post on Jeremiah - what a modern prophet.
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