Fr Ben Garren

For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it. —Matthew 19:12

Dear Friends in Christ,

Within Judaism near the time of Jesus there were four categories for individuals born Eunuchs. A pressing concern for these individuals was how to integrate them into the community so that they would be supported throughout life, who could they marry and would they inherit property as a son or as a daughter.

The general request was that they take on the role that would best benefit the community. For them, and those who were made eunuchs by others, there was the ability to move across otherwise immutable borders, to connect across stations, and to be present throughout the community in a unique way. They did not exist within the rigid expectations of those around them.

Today we come to the feast of Simeon Bachos, the Ethiopian Eunuch.

Baptized by the Deacon Philip they would go on to evangelize their home country, where some of the earliest illuminated bibles would be created. In this they could go and speak across barriers that others would not have as readily been able to cross. Their life became one where they asked consistently how they could more readily serve the role in the community that would best support everyone. They left the rigid expectations of the world around them and worked for the Gospel.

If we are to follow the example of the Ethiopian Eunuch then we must choose to live our lives in a way that defies the borders and expectations that the world puts upon us and instead work around and across them for the Love of God in our midst.

The question must always be how can we serve the rest of the community in the role we are taking up, not how can we best serve just ourselves.

Pax,

—Ben