Sunday, June 27, 2010

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 9: 51-62
IN THE FIRST READING ELIJAH IS TAKEN UP INTO HEAVEN AND PASSES HIS MANTLE ON TO ELISHA, WHO RECEIVES A DOUBLE PORTION OF ELIJAH'S SPIRIT. BUT JUST BEFORE THIS EVENT, WE WOULD HAVE HEARD ANOTHER STORY OF ELIJAH, THE GREATEST OF THE PROPHETS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. THE KING OF SAMARIA HAD SENT FIFTY SOLDIERS TO ARREST ELIJAH. ELIJAH CALLED DOWN FIRE FROM HEAVEN AND IT CONSUMED THEM. THE KING SENT ANOTHER FIFTY SOLDIERS. ELIJAH DID THE SAME THING. EITHER THE KING BEGAN TO SEE A PATTERN HERE, OR HE COULDN'T FIND FIFTY MORE VOLUNTEERS; IN ANY EVENT, THE ATTEMPT TO ARREST ELIJAH CAME TO NOTHING.
KNOWING THIS HELPS TO MAKE SENSE OUT OF THE REACTION OF JAMES AND JOHN TO THE SAMARITAN TOWNSPEOPLE WHO REFUSED HOSPITALITY TO JESUS AND HIS FOLLOWERS. THEY WERE GOOD JEWS, THEY KNEW THE SCRIPTURES, AND IT MADE PERFECT SENSE. JESUS WAS THE NEWEST PROPHET, THE SAMARITANS WERE UP TO THEIR USUAL HOSTILITY TOWARDS THE JEWS, AND RIGHT THERE IN HOLY SCRIPTURE IT SAID WHAT PROPHETS SHOULD DO TO SAMARITANS – A FEW LIGHTNING BOLTS WOULD MAKE THEM SEE THE ERROR OF THEIR WAYS.
BUT JESUS DOES ELIJAH ONE BETTER. HE REBUKES JAMES AND JOHN. HE WHO IS INFINITELY MORE DESERVING OF RESPECT AND CAPABLE OF WIELDING MUCH GREATER POWER SHOWS MERCY. THE KINGDOM OF GOD DOES NOT PUNISH PEOPLE FOR WHAT THEY DESERVE.
AND IT IS ONLY AFTER JESUS ACTS OUT THE COMPASSION HE EXPECTS OF HIS FOLLOWERS THAT HE TURNS TO COMMITMENT.
COMMITMENT IS A WONDERFUL THING, BUT WITHOUT MERCY, IT BECOMES FANATICISM. COMMITMENT WITHOUT MERCY IS COMMUNISM, FASCISM, AL QUAEDA, THE TALIBAN, YOU NAME IT. BUT IT CAN NEVER BE CHRISTIAN.
THREE MEN VOLUNTEER TO BECOME JESUS' FOLLOWERS. THE FIRST IS BIG HEARTED: I WILL FOLLOW YOU WHEREVER YOU GO. AND JESUS IN EFFECT ANSWERS, “I HAVE NOWHERE TO GO, I HAVE NOWHERE THAT I CAN TRULY BE AT HOME. BECAUSE YOU JUST SAW WHAT HAPPENED – THE SAMARITANS THREW ME OUT, AND WHEN I GET TO JERUSALEM, IT WILL BE EVEN WORSE. AND THAT THE MAN WENT HOME TO HIS COMFORTABLE BED AND FINE SUPPER AND PLEASANT ROUTINE. HE MIGHT HAVE COMMITTED, BUT FOR HIM STRINGS WERE ATTACHED; IF HE FOLLOWED JESUS, HE WOULD CERTAINLY EXPECT THAT HE WOULD BE REWARDED IN SOME WAY. MAYBE HE THOUGHT, LIKE JAMES AND JOHN IN ANOTHER PART OF THE GOSPEL, THAT JESUS WOULD START A REVOLUTION AND HE WOULD BE IN LINE FOR A GOOD JOB. BUT JESUS EXPECTS UNCONDITIONAL COMMITMENT -- COMMITMENT TO HIM AS A PERSON.
THE SECOND MAKES A REASONABLE REQUEST: FIRST LET ME BURY MY FATHER. HIS FATHER WAS NOT DEAD. BUT IT WAS EXPECTED THAT THE OLDEST SON, WHO WOULD INHERIT MOST OF WHAT THE FATHER LEFT BEHIND, WOULD SERVE THE FATHER UNTIL HE DIED, AND WOULD SEE TO IT THAT THE FATHER HAD AN APPROPRIATE BURIAL. THAT WAS TRADITION, THAT WAS CONSIDERED A DUTY. BUT JESUS SAID, “LET THE DEAD BURY THE DEAD; BUT YOU, GO PROCLAIM THE KINGDOM OF GOD.” I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE SECOND MAN DID. I KNOW THAT WHEN I LOOK BACK ON MY OWN LIFE, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY TIMES WHEN I'VE SAID, “I'D BE HAPPY TO DO THIS OR THAT FOR YOU, JESUS, BUT IT WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL I'VE FINISHED THIS PROJECT, OR SUMMER COMES, OR I'M NOT SO BUSY WITH WORK, OR MAYBE WHEN I RETIRE.” AND I'LL BET MANY OF YOU HAVE SAID THE SAME THING. SO MANY TIMES IN OUR LIVES, THE GOOD GETS IN THE WAY OF THE BETTER.
THE THIRD MAN LIKEWISE MAKES A REQUEST: LET ME SAY GOODBYE TO MY FAMILY. AND JESUS GIVES THE HARSHEST RESPONSE TO THIS MAN, “NO ONE WHO SETS A HAND TO THE PLOW AND LOOKS TO WHAT WAS LEFT BEHIND IS FIT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD." I DON'T THINK JESUS IS TELLING US WE HAVE TO ABANDON OUR FAMILIES IF WE CHOOSE TO FOLLOW HIM.. BUT HE MUST HAVE KNOWN THE HEART OF THAT MAN, AND SEEN THAT THERE WOULD ALWAYS BE A CONFLICT BETWEEN HIS COMMITMENT TO JESUS AND HIS COMMITMENT TO HIS FAMILY. AND THAT HAPPENS TO ALL OF US AS WELL, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF US WHO ARE PARENTS. BECAUSE THE GREATEST DEMAND ON OUR TIME COMES FROM THOSE WE LIVE WITH, THOSE WE LOVE. AND WE ARE OBLIGATED TO THEM, AND WE DO HAVE THE DUTY TO SERVE THEM IN LOVE. BUT EVEN THIS CAN BECOME AN EXCUSE TO AVOID GOD'S CALL TO US.
WE ARE ALL CALLED TO DO SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL FOR GOD. BECAUSE OF OUR BAPTISMS WE ARE ALL PROPHETS – PEOPLE WHO TELL THE WORLD WHERE IT IS GOING WRONG, EVEN WHEN IT WILL BE PAINFUL, EVEN WHEN WE WILL BE LAUGHED AT. WE ARE ALL PRIESTS – GIVEN A COMMISSION TO BE THE BRIDGE BETWEEN GOD AND HUMANITY, TO SHOW GOD'S LOVE TO THE PEOPLE WE MEET THROUGH OUR WORDS AND ACTIONS. WE ARE ALL KINGS – GIVEN SOME OF THE GOODS OF THE WORLD TO MEET OUR NEEDS, BUT AFTER THAT, TO HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE AWAY. AND THERE ISN'T ANYTHING MORE IMPORTANT FOR YOU AND I THAN TO DO SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL FOR GOD.
COMPASSION WITHOUT COMMITMENT IS EMPTY. IT DOES A STARVING PERSON NO GOOD IF YOU TELL HIM THAT YOU ARE SORRY THAT HE IS STARVING. COMMITMENT WITHOUT COMPASSION IS HEARTLESS. ALL THE TERRIBLE THINGS THAT HUMANS HAVE DONE TO EACH OTHER AND TO THE WORLD AT LARGE COME PRECISELY BECAUSE OF COMMITMENT WITHOUT COMPASSION.
BUT COMPASSION WITH COMMITMENT, REAL COMMITMENT, NOT THE CONDITIONAL COMMITMENTS THAT ARE REALLY JUST WAYS OF AVOIDING COMMITMENT, IS THE ONLY WAY TO FOLLOW JESUS CHRIST. AND IF WE LEAVE CHURCH TODAY THINKING A LITTLE BIT MORE DEEPLY ABOUT OUR OWN CALL, AND HOW WE ARE RESPONDING TO IT, WE WILL HAVE MADE SOME PROGRESS. IF WE LEAVE THINKING ABOUT THOSE THINGS THAT HOLD US BACK, THOSE GOOD THINGS THAT GET IN THE WAY OF THE BETTER, WE WILL HAVE MADE EVEN MORE PROGRESS.
THREE MEN OFFERED TO FOLLOW JESUS BUT IN THE END CHOSE NOT TO. WHEN THEY LAY DYING, I WONDER WHETHER THEY REMEMBERED THAT MOMENT, AND WHETHER THEY WISHED THEY COULD LIVE IT OVER AGAIN?