Confession
When I attended Liturgy “back in the day”, I went to confession every Sunday before Liturgy began, thus becoming absolved of the sin(s) I committed the previous week and now “worthy” of taking the sacrament of Holy Communion, often called the Eucharist (thanksgiving in Greek).
I do not doubt, much less ridicule, this Holy sacrament of the church. In the Orthodox Church, it is “tradition” to confess one’s sins (be cleansed of the weaknesses that make one vulnerable to sin) prior to partaking of the sacrament of the Eucharist. I highly respect this practice, this sacrament. Lord knows, when I (ever) return to Liturgy, I will of course schedule a one-on-one with my Priest for confession – it has been that long. However, looking at the above definition of the word, i.e. thanksgiving, one should – every moment of every day – be thankful for God’s Grace, Mercy and, especially, His Love for His creation and, again, especially those He created “in His image.” Though I have not been to Liturgy in some time, I hold it dear to my heart.
So what is my confession, here, in this post? I confess a long held admiration for “Rock n’ Roll.” If you have read the story of my awakening, you will know that it has been some time since then. There was one point, after that initial experience in my truck, that I was convinced by the Protestant movement that there were some “things” that were of pervasive “demonic” influence and should, therefore, be shed from any “true” Christian. And so I did. I have no specific memory of the number of Rock n’ Roll CD’s I destroyed (with a certain glee, I might add) not long after my (initial) transformation (read: awakening). Today, I regret that loss – in general since I don’t recall every album I got rid of.
Times change. If we try, we grow. If we grow, we mature. If we mature, we grow stronger in our will and discernment. You see, to “avoid” evil is, frankly, impossible. If you destroy “this” or “that” which you (or others) have deemed “evil”, I assure you it will come back at some time in one form or another. The key here is not to “avoid” evil, but to strengthen oneself against it – to develop, through interaction with the One Who provides the wisdom necessary – and level discernment “against” it. God is not excluded from those influences of life that appear on the surface to be “evil.” That is, IMHO, ludicrous. God weaves His Truth through EVERY SINGLE ASPECT of human life and practice. He cannot be excluded from any aspect, nor does He choose to extricate Himself from what we lowly humans create. He respects the Free Will He has endowed us each with – He will NEVER break that vow (like we do our vows to Him).
My confession? Long ago I “enjoyed” the band “Black Sabbath.” And, though the album cover (back in those days we bought “albums” – large round disks you played on a “record player”) displayed troublesome images, I was drawn by the music (though ignorant of its, shall we say, demonic influences). Fast forward to my awakening, then further to my “now.”
After Erin and I rejected mainstream “television”, we began purchasing movies and series that we vetted for our own interest and beliefs. Admittedly, a significant portion of the library we built was “of poor or negative influence.” But we were aware of such potential influence and girded ourselves when watching such things (one that comes to mind is the series “Vikings”, which we enjoyed for its historical aspect but, now, have decided “done that, seen that.”) have spent time (before or afterward) talking about the “good, the bad, and the ugly.” In other words, we don’t “shun” potential evil influences, but rather prep ourselves and protect ourselves from overt “conditioning.”
And now we come to the focus of this post. I mentioned above “Black Sabbath.” At the time, the lead singer was Ozzy Osbourne. There was just something about his voice that I enjoyed. Wow! You say. Ya, I hear you. However two things. One, I just got done listening to his song “Mama I’m Comin’ Home” and just read a synopsis of his life and career. Regardless of his time during the “Black Sabbath” days, Ozzy is a member of the Church of England. We should know that “God works in mysterious ways” and that, for personas like Ozzy Osbourne, such is no exception. No, his music does not “directly” invite others to Christ, but, then, I often wondered, when a Protestant, how such Christian music artists – with all of their wealth and fame – differed from those they were supposedly and “alternative” to.
Here is the song in question – the one I just finished listening to. You have a mind – I hope. You decide. Can you pull something of God and goodness from this? The song was written for his wife Sharon, who saved him from a long history of drug and alcohol abuse. Judge not, lest ye be judged. Personally, I find the song endearing to the heart that longs to return home – to one’s mother, to the Sophia (wisdom), to the Creator.
Times have changed and times are strange
Here I come, but I ain’t the same
Mama, I’m coming homeTimes gone by, seems to be
You could have been a better friend to me
Mama, I’m coming homeYou took me in and you drove me out
Yeah, you had me hypnotized, yeah
Lost and found and turned around
By the fire in your eyesYou made me cry, you told me lies
But I can’t stand to say goodbye
Mama, I’m coming homeI could be right, I could be wrong
It hurts so bad, it’s been so long
Mama, I’m coming homeSelfish love, yeah, we’re both alone
The ride before the fall, yeah
But I’m gonna take this heart of stone
I just got to have it allI’ve seen your face a hundred times
Everyday we’ve been apart
I don’t care about the sunshine, yeah
‘Cause mama, mama, I’m coming home
I’m coming homeYou took me in and you drove me out
Yeah, you had me hypnotised, yeah
Lost and found and turned around
By the fire in your eyesI’ve seen your face a thousand times
Everyday we’ve been apart
And I don’t care about the sunshine, yeah
‘Cause mama, mama, I’m coming home
I’m coming home
I’m coming home
I’m coming home
Here’s a video with the song:
When you realize that you have forsaken something in your life that turns out to be critical to your survival as a “self”, what else is there to do but “go home?”