the visitation, f. d. maurice, and dammed justice

can anything good come out of gallilee?  well, mary, the mother of our lord, did, even though the church from early centuries found pious legends to put her in jerusalem.  last year i was wondering whether there were any cradle anglicans in anglican seminaries.  i am reminded by j. f. d. maurice that it is often the converts who make the most important contributions to the big church.

maurice was born into a unitarian family, although not a confident one, it seems:  he was baptised by his unitarian father in the name of the trinity; two of his sisters became baptists.  but he eventually was himself ordained in the anglican church, and although he is probably most widely remembered for his role in christian socialism, his teaching covering many areas have become influential in the decades since his death.  while marx would claim religion to be the "opiate of the people," maurice suggested that "we have been dosing our people with religion when what they want is not this but the living god." 

the controversies which caught up maurice seem to recur:  he was dismissed from his post at king's college for positions similar to what is today getting rob bell in trouble.  but the beginning of maurice's thought was always the creation of mankind in the image of god, and our restoration to the same in what the collect for his feast calls "the perfect obedience of our saviour jesus christ."  it is the recognition of the image of god in all people which requires our reponse to all people with "a passion for justice and truth."

in the celtic orthodox calendar, the visitation of the blessed virgin also occurs on 1 april.  it seems good to remember the fierce call to justice that mary sings as she visits elizabeth:

"my soul doth magnify the lord, *
    and my spirit hath rejoiced in god my savior.
for he hath regarded *
    the lowliness of his handmaiden.
for behold from henceforth *
    all generations shall call me blessed.
for he that is mighty hath magnified me, *
    and holy is his name.
and his mercy is on them that fear him *
    throughout all generations.
he hath showed strength with his arm; *
    he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
he hath put down the mighty from their seat, *
    and hath exalted the humble and meek.
he hath filled the hungry with good things, *
    and the rich he hath sent empty away.
he remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant israel, *
    as he promised to our forefathers,
    abraham and his seed for ever."  (the holy gospel according to st. luke, 1: 46-55)

these are fearsome words, even though we often make them into   conforting-sounding songs .   but then the fear of god is the beginning of wisdom.  i am convinced that there is much more to christianity than  social justice.  but we must start there.  otherwise when we seek the kingdom of heaven, we are like the arkansas traveler, who when he asked for directions from the old geezer on the porch, was told, "you just can't get there from here."

here is the collect for frederick denison maurice from the american book of lesser feasts and fasts:

almighty god, you restored our human nature to heavenly glory through the perfect obedience of our saviour jesus christ:  keep alive in your church, we pray, a passion for justice and truth; that, like your servant frederick denison maurice, we may work and pray for the triumph of the kingdom of your christ, who lives and reigns with  you and the holy spirit, one god, now and for ever.  amen.

amen!