Lenten Retreat - The first session

Tonight was the first session of my parish's lenten retreat. Archpriest Paul Tarazi is teaching on the book of Psalms. What follow are some of the things I learned, my thoughts, and some observations.

- Kings are kings because God makes them kings ("Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion." 2:6, not because they are the sons of kings. This is reflected even on british coins with their "Dei Gratia Regina" (or "D G REG F D" on modern Bristish coinage: The letters standing for the Latin words Dei Gratia Regina Fidei Defensor, which means 'By the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith'). Every King receives his authority directly from God, not from his physical father. ("I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou [art] my Son; this day have I begotten thee." Ps. 2:7)

- In semitic languages the word for city is feminine. The Gate is viewed as the vagina. the word for invading a city is the same word for rape. He said something about battering rams and acted like he was holding a telephone pole. At this all of the teenagers blushed. My mind flashed to an image of the Kanamara Matsuri (aka Japanese Penis Festival), with a bunch of drunken Salarymen carying giant wooden penises through the streets. Anyway, a kings major job is to keep his city from being invaded.

- Even in the Psalms that talk about how great the king is, his greatness is always predicated on his ability to rule justly. If he doesn't rule justly, he loses God's favor (non gratia), then he loses his throne.

- He talked alot about water, how water is a symbol of God's enemy. At creation, God subdued water, God parted the Red Sea, God divided the waters of the Jordan. Why is this important? Because, with the exception of Denver, all major cites are located next to water. Water kills people, but God says to the water "this far but no closer". He does not destroy the water, yet He controls the water. I wonder why Fr. Paul didn't mention the sea of Glass in the Apocalypse? If there were ever a scene of God controling the water and being King that is it.

-The King, who represents God (hopefully) does not do battle against the water, but against other enemies, enemies he is able to withstand - the "nations" or "heathen" of Psalm 2:6

- Something about the Hebrew word for "victory" and "salvation" being the same word, e.g. yeshua, that is Jesus. Hmmm. What does this say about works vs. grace? What does it say about being saved from sin and getting the victory over habitual sin?

- He talked a lot about Psalm 45. A major thing he noted was that even when the king is getting married he is still the king. He is never not the king. His bride is his subject, she is never not his subject. He gets married in war-fighting clothes. (here he mentioned the King of Jordan who at all of his weddings was married in a military uniform.) He also took verse 16 and tied it back into 2:7, saying that the king has no ancestors because his authority comes directly from God, he is always coronated - Elizabeth might die today but Charles doesn't become king until the Archbishop of Caterbury annoints him. He didn't go into it but I think that the 5th verse and the 16th verse might be talking about the same thing, based on Psalm 127:4 -5. And who are Gods arrows but His children? Hasn't He sent us out to speak with His enemies? By that I mean tell them the Good News?

Oh! I almost forgot - on the way home from San Francisco I turned on the radio to a crazy little college station and heard a vibrato and reverb laden raggae version of the Jackson Five's "I'll Be There". Nothing to strange about that but all of a suden, at the line that says "Reach o-o-o-o-o-u-u-u-u-t" there was a punctuation of a whacked out mariachi horn section that has to be heard to be believed. And the horns just kept on going and going in a Ring of Fire, Tijuana Brass, Cake kind of spine-tingling way. It was like Bob Marly's stepson crossed with the 3 of the Jackson Five crossed with a Catholic Mass in east L.A. But better.

Well, to bed to bed. But first I have to read a bunch of Psalms in preparation for tomorow mornings session.