Meditation Moment: The Rev Absalom Jones

February 13 ~ Feast of The Rev. Absalom Jones

"You must before your God appear

to Give an account of your transactions,

And how you spent your time, when here.”

~ The Rev. Absalom Jones, 1746-1818    

   

      Absalom Jones was born into slavery in Sussex County, Delaware in 1746. When sold to a Philadelphia store owner at 16, he learned to read, write, and work for the wages that eventually allowed him to purchase his and his wife's freedom. The short version of his extensive biography is that he became the first African-American priest in the Episcopal Church in the US, founded several churches, multiple organizations to aid freed and runaway slaves, and a Literary Circle. 

      His words above may sound trivial at first glance, but when measured against the institution of slavery these words become profound and should reverberate within us all.  

      On New Year's Day in 1808, Jones said the following in his sermon giving thanksgiving for the passage of the Abolition of African Slave Trade Act by the US Congress: 

      Let not our expressions of gratitude to God for his late goodness and mercy to our countrymen, be confined to this day, nor to this house: let us carry grateful hearts with us to our places of abode, and to our daily occupations; and let praise and thanksgivings ascend daily to the throne of grace, in our families, and in our closets, for what God has done for our African brethren.

      His graciousness may be considered premature inasmuch as slavery itself was not abolished in the US for 55 more years. And so, as those supporters of slavery then and now, we each will give the accounts of our own transactions while on this earthly plane. As for me, I ought to be too busy taking my own inventory to account for the transactions of others.  

Let us take this Moment to breathe in deeply for a few minutes, take time to consider how to open our hearts to mindfully Give up some habits that are not helpful to ourselves and others, to take on being conscious of our thoughts and actions toward ourselves and others, and pray for the guidance to walk more gently through this life: 

O Loving and Forgiving God,

       Through the inspiration of Your true servant Absalom, we find the graciousness, joy, and reconciliation that should be the hallmarks of every Christian life.  For today, I will give up counting up the faults of others and take on re-framing my thoughts from instant judgment to more tolerance; and my actions from thoughtless to reconciling. I will pray for the insight to acknowledge my own faults, for a more contrite heart to make amends, and for the wisdom to think first of God before I act on my own.  amen.  

 

The Rev. Absalom Jones  is remembered in the Episcopal Church Calendar 

each year on February 13.

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