Sunday, September 27, 2015

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

MARK 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, I LIVED IN A SMALL TOWN IN MONTANA. THE POPULATION WAS ABOUT 19,000 EVEN THOUGH IT WAS THE CAPITAL CITY. TODAY IT'S ABOUT 30,000, ALTHOUGH THAT'S AN UNDERESTIMATE SINCE IT IS NOW SURROUNDED BY GROWING SMALLER TOWNS. ANYWAY, WITH ALL THAT OPEN SPACE WE WEREN'T VERY CONCERNED ABOUT POLLUTION AND ECOLOGY, AND THERE WAS A TRASH DUMP JUST OVER THE EDGE OF TOWN WHERE THE DUMP TRUCKS DROPPED THEIR LOADS. AND IT WAS A MAGICAL PLACE FOR KIDS. ONCE WHEN MY SISTER MADE HER FIRST COMMUNION, SHE AND I SNUCK OFF IN OUR CHURCH CLOTHES TO SEE WHAT WE COULD FIND; OUR PARENTS WERE BUSY ENTERTAINING SOME FRIENDS. WHEN WE RETURNED, IT DID NOT SIT WELL WITH OUR MOTHER. BUT I REMEMBER THE DUMP. BROKEN FURNITURE, DISCARDED FOOD, BROKEN TOYS, AND OF COURSE CARDBOARD, TIN CANS, GLASS – WE DIDN'T RECYCLE. AND ALWAYS SMOKE. THE DUMP ATTRACTED TRANSIENTS, WHO COULD FIND LOTS OF STUFF TO MAKE CAMPFIRES OUT OF, AND THERE WAS ALWAYS ONE OR TWO SMOULDERING REMNANTS. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT WORMS, BUT THE DUMP DID ATTRACT ALL MANNER OF BIRDS, SO MAYBE.
GEHENNA WAS LIKE THAT, I SUPPOSE. ORIGINALLY, IT WAS THE NAME GIVEN TO A VALLEY OUTSIDE JERUSALEM. BIBLICAL ARCHEOLOGISTS THINK THAT SOME OF THE ABOMINATIONS ATTRIBUTED TO CERTAIN JEWISH KINGS INCLUDED HUMAN SACRIFICE TO PAGAN GODS; SOLOMON EVEN BUILT ALTARS AND TEMPLES SO THAT HIS WIVES COULD WORSHIP THEIR GODS. ELIJAH HAD TO FACE DOWN 400 PROPHETS OF BAAL WHO HAD BEEN BROUGHT TO JUDEA TO ESTABLISH THE CULT OF BAAL BY JEZEBEL, THE WIFE OF AHAB, ANOTHER KING GONE BAD. WHEN THE JEWS RETURNED FROM EXILE AND TRIED TO RE-ESTABLISH THEIR TEMPLE BASED RELIGION IN ITS PURE FORM, THE VALLEY BECAME A GARBAGE DUMP. I THINK THAT'S WHAT JESUS WAS THINKING OF WHEN HE SPOKE OF GEHENNA.
TODAY'S GOSPEL IS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD. PEOPLE CAN DO GOOD THINGS EVEN IF THEY AREN'T PART OF YOUR GROUP. WE CATHOLICS ARE SOMETIMES PUT TO SHAME BY THE FAITH OF PEOPLE IN OTHER DENOMINATIONS, IN OTHER RELIGIONS, EVEN THOUGH WE BELIEVE OUR RELIGION WAS FOUNDED BY JESUS AND IS PROTECTED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT FROM ERROR, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE THE EUCHARIST, THE GUARANTEE THAT JESUS IS WITH US UNTIL THE END OF TIME. NONE OF US WOULD DISAGREE THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT SEEMS TO WORK OUTSIDE THE CHURCH AS WE KNOW IT.
AND NONE OF US WOULD DISAGREE THAT CAUSING AN INNOCENT PERSON TO SIN IS A TERRIBLE THING; MOST OF US WOULD PROBABLY NOT GO SO FAR AS TO DROWN A PORNOGRAPHER OR SOMEONE WHO ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO SPEND THEIR FORTUNES GAMBLING. BUT JESUS PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE EITHER.
BUT WHERE MANY OF US WOULD HAVE A PROBLEM IS WHEN JESUS TURNS TO YOU AND I AND SAYS, “IF YOUR HAND CAUSES YOU TO SIN, CUT IT OFF; IT IS BETTER TO ENTER INTO LIFE MAIMED THAN HAVING TWO HANDS, TO BE CAST INTO GEHENNA”. SURELY HE MUST MEAN REALLY SERIOUS SIN; BECAUSE IF HE'S TALKING ABOUT ANY OLD SIN, WE ARE ALL IN BIG TROUBLE. AND YET, HE DID SAY “SIN” WITHOUT QUALIFIERS, RIGHT?
I THINK THAT SHOULD LEAD US TO ANOTHER LANGUAGE LESSON. THE HEBREW WORD FOR SIN IS “CHET” WHICH MEANS “TO MISS THE MARK” AS IN SHOOTING AN ARROW. SO WE MIGHT RE-PHRASE CHRIST'S STATEMENT AS “IF YOUR HAND CAUSES YOU TO MISS THE MARK, CUT IT OFF; IT'S BETTER TO ENTER LIFE MAIMED THEN TO BE THROWN ONTO THE GARBAGE PIT WITH ALL YOUR LIMBS”.
SO WHAT IS THE MARK WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HIT? CHRISTIANITY IS SIMPLE; IN THE FIRST GRADE I LEARNED THAT GOD MADE ME TO KNOW, LOVE AND SERVE HIM IN THIS WORLD AND BE HAPPY WITH HIM IN THE NEXT. THAT'S THE MARK. WE KNOW GOD BY COMMUNICATING WITH HIM, SPEAKING TO HIM AND LISTENING TO HIM. WE PRAY AND WE LISTEN TO THE SCRIPTURES AND THE CHURCH, WHICH SPEAKS FOR JESUS. WE MAKE TIME TO DO THIS; YOU WOULD NEVER GET TO KNOW ANOTHER HUMAN BEING BY NEVER SPENDING ANY TIME WITH HIM; TRUE OF GOD AS WELL. WE LOVE GOD BY IMITATING HIS SON, WHO CAME TO EARTH TO SHOW US HOW A HUMAN BEING IS SUPPOSED TO LIVE. IF YOU WANT TO IMITATE SOMEONE, THAT TAKES A LOT OF PRACTICE; YOU HAVE TO MAKE CONSCIOUS DECISIONS ABOUT HOW YOU ARE GOING TO ACT AND REACT, AND KEEP DOING THIS UNTIL YOU'VE CHANGED YOURSELF. WE ALL EXPECT TO SLIP ONCE IN A WHILE, BUT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOOK BACK AND SAY, “I'M MAKING SOME PROGRESS”. AND WE SERVE HIM IN THE ONLY WAY WE CAN – WE SERVE HIS CHILDREN, THE PEOPLE WE ENCOUNTER EVERY DAY, EACH OF WHOM BEARS HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS.
RECENTLY I READ AN ESSAY WHICH TRIED TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, “WHY DOES GOD LOVE US?”. THE TITLE OF THE ESSAY WAS “HUMAN BEINGS ARE USELESS”. THE AUTHOR SAID THAT WE VALUE A SHOVEL BECAUSE IT HELPS US MOVE DIRT. BUT WE VALUE A BEAUTIFUL PAINTING PRECISELY BECAUSE IT IS USELESS. IT ISN'T REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING; IT'S VALUE IS IN ITSELF. GOD LOVES US FOR THE SAME REASON; WE AREN'T USEFUL TO HIM, BUT BEING MADE IN HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS, WE ARE BEAUTIFUL TO HIM. AND JUST AS WE DESIRE TO POSESS BEAUTIFUL THINGS, GOD DESIRES TO GATHER US BACK TO HIMSELF.
SAINT JOHN SAID, “GOD IS LOVE”. WE CAN TURN THAT AROUND AND SAY, “LOVE IS GOD”. THAT MEANS THAT WHERE LOVE IS PRACTICED, GOD IS THERE; AND WHERE LOVE DOESN'T EXIST, GOD IS FAR AWAY. AND OUR PURPOSE IS TO WILLINGLY ALLOW GOD TO GATHER US BACK TO HIMSELF, TO DRAW US THROUGH LOVE, BECAUSE GOD IS LOVE.
SO THINK ABOUT THAT THIS WEEK. IF YOU COMMIT A SIN SOME PEOPLE WOULD SAY THAT EVEN A MINOR SIN, EVEN WHAT WE USED TO CALL A VENIAL SIN, IS A TERRIBLE OFFENSE AGAINST GOD BECAUSE GOD IS SO PERFECT, SO GOOD, SO YOU NAME IT, THAT ANY OFFENSE DESERVES DEATH. BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT I THINK; AFTER ALL, GOD LOVES US AND MADE US THE WAY WE ARE, NOT SO HE COULD PUNISH US FOR ANY INFRACTION, EVEN SERIOUS ONES. A FATHER WHO SLAPS AROUND HIS THREE YEAR OLD BECAUSE THE CHILD WAS DISOBEDIENT WOULD BE IN COURT; GOD IS THE BEST FATHER THERE IS. NO, THE SADDEST THING IS A HUMAN BEING WHO IS CALLED TO SUCH GREATNESS AND FRITTERS AWAY HIS LIFE PURSUING TRIVIAL THINGS. HE'S MISSED THE MARK; HE'S MADE HIMSELF TRASH.