September 12, 2021
/Proper 19
Proverbs 1: 2--33; Psalm 19; James 3: 1-12; Mark 8:27-38
The Rev. James M.L. Grace
In the Name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. AMEN
On most days, I like to read Forward Day by Day, which is a small daily reader for the Episcopal Church that offers a daily reflection. When I read it this past Thursday, the reflection was all about the Martyrs of Memphis. The Martyrs of Memphis were a small group of brave individuals who cared for the sick and the dying in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1878. During that year, 1878, a pandemic of yellow fever spread through Memphis. When the order to quarantine was issued, reports indicate that half of the population fled. Of those who remained in Memphis, nearly ninety percent became infected and five thousand people in the city of Memphis died.
A group of Episcopal nuns and priests remained to tend to the sick. They included Sisters Constance, Thecla, Ruth, and Frances and the Revs. Charles Parsons and Louis Schuyler, among others. The author of the reflection I read wondered about the courage of this group – how did they have the strength and the fortitude to honor their call to risk even death to offer love and care to those dying from yellow fever? Despite their selfless and noble efforts in bringing comfort and care to the sick, each nun and each priest caught the fever, and died.
Yet, their death was not the last word. Today a chapel dedicated in their honor stands as part of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Memphis. The chapel stands not as a monument to their courage – although it is obvious that none of the Martyrs of Memphis were deficient in that area. Rather it is a reminder to all of us that God calls us to do the same. Many were the nurses and doctors who gave their lives trying to save those with Covid. There is not a chapel dedicated to their selfless acts of service – yet.
Jesus called the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.” A cynic might argue that the Martyrs of Memphis and all the deceased nurses and physicians who contracted Covid just lost their lives. Yes, that is true – they lost their lives. But I would submit that they lost them for Jesus’ sake. They lost their lives trying to save others. Is there any cause more noble, or more holy than that?
Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus promise us that taking up our cross to follow him will be easy or safe. Also, nowhere in the Bible does Jesus ever promise material gain for our faithfulness. What Jesus promises is abundant life. Abundant life does not mean a life of comfort, ease, or financial security, as the lives of the Memphis Martyrs clearly demonstrate. Abundant life is rather the kind of life you get when you put the needs of others in front of your own. Abundant living is achievable only when you pick up your cross and follow Jesus.
Here again our cynic friend might say “what is abundant about working in horrible conditions, fighting disease and death with no end in sight?” The cynic is right – in the world’s view, there is nothing abundant about this. The world tells us to lay down our crosses and get comfortable in our recliner chairs instead. But in God’s eyes – the person who is courageous enough to take up their cross daily – that is living abundantly. When you take up your cross, you won’t get what you deserve. You will get something much better. You’ll get God’s mercy. AMEN.