The Nature of the Beast The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling 5 Epiphany, February 9, 2025
“Lost sheep do not find
themselves; they are found. You can get lost in childhood and adolescence. You
can get lost in a midlife crisis. You can get lost in old age. Jesus will find
us – will find you – when you are lost. He will know where to look because he’s
been there.” Brother Curtis
Almquist, SSJE, February 5, 2025
Her book # 11 is
entitled “The Nature of the Beast”, and centers on the atrocity of wars and
murders. She reminds us of a massacre in Vietnam and the dark side of our
humanity. One central figure, named John Fleming, is a violent and murderous
man who has been locked away in a maximum security prison, a place designated
for only the “worst of the worst” offenders. His murders were so evil that
details were shared only with a small number of law enforcers.
According to Louise Penny’s book of fiction, this man
had joined forces with a real man named Gerald Bull who was a Canadian
scientist and arms designer. With a third man, named Dr. Guillaume Couture,
this unholy alliance of three had built the largest missile launcher in the
world, intended to be sold to Saddam Hussein as he edged toward a regional war.
Called Project Babylon, the missile launcher was hidden in the woods near the
village of Three Pines, and was aimed not across the ocean but rather towards
the United States.The artistic drawing on the side of this “Supergun” was a
picture of the “Whore of Babylon”, an apocalyptic figure as described in the
last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation.
Her story, “The Nature of the Beast”, begins with the
shocking and sad murder of a 9 year old boy who inadvertently discovered this
“Supergun” in the woods. His child’s play turned deadly when he shared his
discovery with others. While the “Supergun” was by then obsolete, the plans of
the “Supergun” were not. There were some people who wanted to find the plans
and sell them, supposedly worth millions of dollars, regardless of the possible
recreation of a deadly force.
Now I’ve often argued recently that the nature of our
humanity is good, regardless of the heinous acts we commit or the ways in which
we disfigure and distort our humanity. If God created us, and indeed all of
creation, and if God is good all the time, then there must be a piece of that
indestructible goodness lodged deeply within our souls. Some people think not.
They wonder if it is possible that our good natures can become so rotten that
they disintegrate within ourselves. From acts of self-destruction or worse,
from criminal and evil acts of hate and violence, are we irredeemable? When
we’ve lost our way, can we be found? And if “they” find us, what will become of
us? Is our salvation universal?
I hit a spiritual wall
recently. My old and new disciplines of prayer went cold. I felt an emptiness,
a hollowness, and an apathy that is highly unusual for me. I wasn’t interested
in things that had deeply mattered to me before. I was disgusted by certain
institutions and people; and I was aware of some resentments that had hardened
my heart. I became concerned, even a little bit afraid. What was going on
within me?
I think St. Paul may
have been able to understand my state of mind, heart, and soul. After all, he
was the one that was chasing down all those new Christians with murderous
intentions. Or Simon Peter; he was close behind in his affinity to my spiritual
state. Look, I say to Jesus, “I’ve been working all my life and faithfully
engaged in all these prayerful disciplines. But now my net is empty, and I’m
not quite sure that your suggestion will help. I’ve been out on those deep
waters and, trust me, there’s nothing there.”
St. Paul wrote his
letter to those people in Corinth, who may have also been struggling and lost
their way. And so he attempts to encourage them. “I would remind you, brothers
and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received,
in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold
firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you--unless you have come to believe
in vain.” Despite all that I had received and believed in the past, I was
afraid that I had come to that place of “believing in vain.”
As they say, when the
student is ready, the teacher appears. Concerned about my spiritual health I
had conversations with three of my closest friends, companions on the Way with
me for decades. The first person counseled me to wait, not to worry, that God
would show up on time and would show me the way forward. The second person told
me to be proactive, to have “coffees” with various people and see where they
might lead. And the third person drew me a picture of the mandorla.
“A mandorla in art is a
painting or sculpture used to describe the almond-shaped enclosure which is
sometimes depicted around Christ or the Virgin Mary.” (Wikipedia) This
friend suggested that two almonds placed side by side, sharing a small overlap
in the middle, might offer some guidance. The inner circle in the center (or
the overlap) is the place of revelation, with one almond representing a time
for “waiting” and the other almond a time to be “proactive.” He reminded me
that I am a “both/and” kinda girl.
Sick and tired, and
tired of being sick and tired of the news, I switched over to a radio station
that has no commercials and plays contemporary Christian songs. It’s called The
Message. As if on cue, the DJ talked about two different postures in our prayer
lives. A time for waiting and a time for walking. Both are blessings. It’s the
nature of our beast.
In the year that King Uzziah died the prophet Isaiah
saw the Lord sitting on a throne. Like him, like St Peter and like St. Paul, my
house (was) filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am
a (wo)man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips." I
needed air in my smoke-filled soul. I needed the Holy Spirit to fan the flames
of my inner fire.
Isaiah, like me, was
demanding answers. "How long, O Lord?" And so the Lord reminded me of
the cyclical nature of the beast. There is creation, yes, and we are good. And
yet our creation was followed by sin, a time spent away from the Garden, a
place of wilderness, wandering, and wild beasts, where temptations are
plentiful, and murder is part of the landscape. In this long story of our
salvation, judgment would arrive in the form of a human being whose nature was
all good and without sin. Yes, there would be death, a murderous crucifixion
and yet the Whore of Babylon would be defeated; for the final act by God was
one of redemption, reconciliation, and resurrection. In Christ, we are
redeemable people. That is the nature of our beast. That is God’s revelation.
And so….
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; *
before the gods I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy
temple
and praise your Name, *
because of your love and faithfulness;
3 For you have glorified your Name *
and your word above all things.
4 When I called, you answered me; *
you increased my strength within me.
5 All the kings of the earth will
praise you, O Lord, *
when they have heard the words of your mouth.
6 They will sing of the ways of the Lord, *
that great is the glory of the Lord.
7 Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly; *
he perceives the haughty from afar.
8 Though I walk in the midst of
trouble, you keep me safe; *
you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies;
your right hand shall save me.
9 The Lord will make good his purpose for me; *
O Lord, your love endures for
ever;
do not abandon the works of your hands.
Isaiah 6:1-8, [9-13] 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Luke 5:1-11 Psalm 138
