2024-06-26 A Meditation on the Dignity of the Office

“26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”” (1 Cor 1:26-31 ESV)

“28 The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” (Prov 28:1 ESV)

The space afforded by the office of Patron, Saint, Adherent, is a space dignified and bringing to recall how far and mighty we go on the strength of a Promise, how far and high, high in mindedness, high in ethics, high in intentions, we go on the strength of the dignity of the Office, finding in Praise some Space and some Maneuverability. We are called to etch out this living, this roominess, this grand edifice, because it is in service to the One on High, unto God, unto the Father in the heavens, unto His dignity lent, rather permanently ascribed: He has ascribed to us worth and valor, has seen a Far Vision of just who and with what glow, what shimmering Presence, our Place in the world does exclaim.

We exclaim Godliness, Sanctity of Life, the Moral Cause focused on the Cross, submission unto that prior to any ledger of good works or so-called “goodness”, the false subscription enemies of the Cross do use to malign and cast disreputable insinuations unto the largely Innocent Saint. So to the role King David in Scripture was proud and dutiful to evince—adulteries and sin notwithstanding—to dance as the ark of the covenant was brought home (2 Sam 6:14). So it spells the end of our furtive, hiding in the shadows and forgotten corners of life. It spells a Confidence that Nothing—we mean Nothing—can persuade the Father, the Son, the Spirit they share, to shirk away from us in humiliation or impossible considerations.

Some considerations seem to great for us to shoulder. Some recollections, some faulty wiring makes us attention-grabbers or the guilty-silent. We have neuroses and some have absolute madness as an aspect of their mentality: it is mad, after all, we read in popular books, to go into battle. It is madness to find oneself awaken one morning and for once take a courageous step back, seeing the big picture for once, and seeing who and what we have become, what strange career moves have furtively corralled us into; all things are somehow relative, until we realize God has called us to a Later Stage, a Next Step, a Wakening.

Therefore to the dignity, and to the shimmering haloed innocent and unvainglorious Personage of the Saint. Who has that character trait or good breeding that calls for humorous—not always literally with joking around—or lighthearted Acceptance, Judgment kindly on all situations, even when tired to do so Automatically. So the Christian listens to the goons and the naysayers, the grumps and the frustrated preachers of the Law: “Why don’t any of you GET IT?”. But we have this treasure in jars breakable but holding Substance Divine. Broken, we Rise Up. Hated, we bask in the Love. We do all this because the alternative is something we were bred up into, loved throughout unto, taught patiently unto, that “we kind of people don’t do that”. We labor with Christ’s own wounds, daily experiencing the timely Resurrection gift.