They are among the most harmful words ever uttered or thought – “You should be different.”
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Whatever anyone may think about the necessity of entering into armed conflict, war is never the first preferred option for rational leaders in resolving international disputes.
The verses immediately following I Timothy 2:5 where the author uses the word mesitēs to refer to Jesus, support the perception that the author had in mind the question of how people, particularly people outside Jewish faith, might learn about the nature of God’s saving work in Jesus.
Mediation is an important and valuable skill. What could be more powerful than the ability to stand between separate warring parties seeking a way towards reconciliation?
The Greek word mesitēs translated “mediator” in I Timothy 2:5 does not necessarily imply a go-between who negotiates between separate parties. It can also be translated as “a medium of communication” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon).
Last week reading Richard Rohr’s book The Divine Dance with a small group of lovely people with whom I am studying the book, we stumbled upon a few powerful lines from Theodore Roethke’s poem “The Rose.” Near the end of his poem in nine short lines Roethke offers a luminous vision of what it might mean to be truly human:
4 Oct 1999 –13 Nov 2003 Victoria, BC –
from Transcript of Audio Recording of Cynthia Bourgeault’s Commentaries on:
Living Presence by Kabir Edmund Helminski
I have reached the age at which many of my peers are retiring. It seems every day, someone I know is turning in their professional position for the privilege of life without the demands of full-time employment.
My father died thirty-five years ago today. He was seventy-three, which to me at the time seemed a ripe old age, but today seems sadly young for death to arrive.
4 Oct 1999 –13 Nov 2003 Victoria, BC –
from Transcript of Audio Recording of Cynthia Bourgeault’s Commentaries on:
Living Presence by Kabir Edmund Helminski
