The
Michaelmas Daisy, aka a richly dressed dainty petaled flower with a golden eye.
Small
in size it is wise, for it grows when others die;
The
last pollen of the season, tasty feast for bees;
It
brings the viewer to their knees,
A
bevy of purple, a myriad of bloom, splendent abreast the goldenrod; Living reciprocity.
Manifesting virtues… Love, wisdom,
faith, colour… a natural
star.
September
29th is Michaelmas, the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. The
story is Archangel Michael at the height of a cosmic and epic confrontation
between the forces of good and the forces of evil. It is a cinematographer’s bounty
of vast scenes of war and conflict, fire and smoke, dragons and winged beings,
armies traversing the heavens and the earth. It is a time of woe and fear.
Canada’s
ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae was interviewed on CBC radio during
this past week.
Simply
put, he said, “It’s a very tough time in the world.” We know, we have seen or
heard the news of the rise of aggression and armed conflict throughout the
world; scenes of war and conflict, fire and smoke, armies traversing high and
low, a time of woe and fear. A time wherein conflict ravaged areas exponentially
expand, devouring cities and peoples, destroying nations.
Yet
Ambassador Rae, did not leave the interview with listeners mired in the ‘tough
times,’ he highlighted the work that the United Nations has and is
accomplishing. To begin, the dragons of the world, are still at the table
talking. Rae talked about the UN work reducing and forgiving debt, work in development
particularly in impoverished areas, and the great work – teamwork- combatting
gang presence and violence in Haiti. Optimistic despite the suffering and the
troubles of the world, Rae shared what I call his star virtue for moving
forward in troubled times; we need to remain PERSISTENT.
The
apocalyptic prophet Daniel lived at a time, when simply put, “it was a very
tough time in the world.”
Ancient
Near East histories before Daniel’s time recorded war after war and recounted a
land full of gods, where each nation ascribed to a god. The Assyrian conquest
as record in 2 Kings asks if any nation’s god could deliver the nation from the
strong hand of Assyria. There was an understanding that the gods participated
in war, comprising of cosmic and epic confrontations between them and mirroring
their battles in earthly realms. By Daniel’s time, it was no longer gods who
waged war, but princes, who were powerful patron angels. Wars played out
between nations’ patron angels and it affected people on the earth.
Chapter
10 of Daniel records the Persian period and the conquest of the kings who
followed the reign of Cyrus, King of Persia. Chapter 11 accurately records Hellenistic
history, including in verse 11 reference to Alexander the Great. This part of
Daniel was written before 163 BCE and the death of Antiochus IV which was
prophesied as the prelude to the end of the world.
The
apocalyptic text of Daniel was written to a people in the path of dragons. In a
time of great oppression, revolt, riots, and civil war. A time where high priests
were removed, Jewish religion was outlawed and Zeus, along with the sacrificing
of pigs, was added to the Temple in Jerusalem.
Optimistic
despite the suffering and the trouble of the world, Daniel shared hope:
At
that time Michael, the great prince…shall rise. … at that time your people
shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those
who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and
some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the
brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars
forever and ever. (Dan. 12:1-3)
This
text is the first writing of resurrection in the Bible and a reference to the ‘book
of life.’ Many, not all, rise; some rise to everlasting life and some, to eternal
contempt. Commentaries point out that only the very good and the very bad are raised;
not everyone. There is an additional reflection that the wise will shine like
stars, implying that the person is a companion of the angels.
At
the time of the writing of Daniel his listeners would have been familiar with Greek
legends. One legend was a story espousing beauty amidst the common where the
‘Starry Maid,’ Astraea, cried when she noticed there were no stars upon the
earth. Her tears fell to the earth and sprouted as flowers that looked like
stars, the autumn flower we know as asters.
250
years after Daniel, the apocalyptic writer of Revelation repurposed the language
and images from the book of Daniel to speak to some in the Jewish Diaspora
(people who had fled the First Jewish Revolt when the Temple in Jerusalem was
destroyed) and congregated with others in the Seven Churches of Asia Minor;
people who were heavily persecuted under the ruthless cruel tyrannical reign of
Roman Emperor Domitian.
A
war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The
dragon and his angels fought back but were defeated, and there was no longer
place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down.
The
outcome of the war in heaven was the reason for the persecution and oppression
of believers on earth, and yet, the optimism in the text is a voice that proclaimed,
Now
have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the
authority of his Messiah, for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down
(Rev. 12: 10)
Apocalyptic
texts are arrangements of extremes layered upon each other, written when, “it’s
a very tough time in the world.” The texts are filled with utopian language of
the promise of hope amidst the chaos of suffering and oppression, war and conflict,
and judgement that separates the righteous and the wicked. Within the
apocalyptic imagery there is hope for Restoration.
Apocalyptic
texts were forefront in my mind when CBC radio interviewed philosopher Todd May
talking about his book, “Should We Go Extinct? A Philosophical Dilemma for Our
Unbearable Times.” In an apocalyptic sort of way, he asks human beings to face
this question.
May
posits that humans have lots to offer, but humans also cause lots of destruction.
How does the scale of value balance out? While contributing value to the world
by producing and infusing large degrees of happiness, meaningfulness, and creating
and appreciating art/science/beauty and the richness of planet; while having
vision for a future; and birthing culture and gratitude, humans generate and
devise egregious amounts of cruelty, suffering, and devastation (in his opinion
one need only consider factory farming and deforestation to get the point). Does
human contribution of good into the world balance the moral scale of evil
perpetrated by humans? His apocalyptic coloured philosophy ends with the hope
of focused minds that open us up to possibilities, a willingness to try to make
human existence more justifiable. The stars will be those who embrace change
and generate virtue while living in and addressing the sufferings and struggles
of the world.
Apocalyptic
texts resonate when the world is …well… like it is now. Peril and forces beyond
our control have humans searching for something: explanations, justifications, a
long view that this shall pass; and glimpses of words, actions, or stories that
kindle hope. Humans open their understanding to the possibilities of that which
we do not see: heaven and hell, angels and demons, cosmic chaos and Creator;
and the possibility of contributing value to a world yet to be.
The
writer of Daniel, the author of Revelation, Ambassador Rae, Todd May describe
what was, is, and is yet to be. All
commend us to be Persistent (wise) – meaning engaged in the struggle to balance
out fear and peril with infusions of hope, appreciation, beauty, value, and at
all times protesting the forces that defy God, the devil, and all empty
promises.
In
Daniel the fullness of promise is that: Those who are wise shall shine like
the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the
stars forever and ever. (Dan.12: 3)
In
the end
God’s
tears shed in response to conflict in the realm of Angels,
in
protest to the struggles and the suffering of the world,
Tears
fallen through the heavens to the earth, stars.
Asters
of purple Wisdom, manifesting virtues, Love and faith
Shining
in apocalyptic brightness,
May
we, bathed in God’s tears, be wise and lead many to righteousness.
Persistent -living reciprocity- Stars forever and ever …. Purple asters.
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