MATTHEW 1:18-24
I'VE JUST READ THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, CHAPTER 1, VERSES 18 TO 24. IF WE HAD READ VERSES 1-17, WE WOULD HAVE HEARD 42 LINES THAT ALL HAD THE SAME REFRAIN: ABRAHAM WAS THE FATHER OF ISAAC, ISAAC THE FATHER OF JACOB, JACOB THE FATHER OF JUDAH AND HIS BROTHERS – AND SO ON DOWN TO ELEAZAR THE FATHER OF MATHAN, MATHAN THE FATHER OF JACOB, JACOB THE FATHER OF JOSEPH; AND THEN WE HEAR, JOSEPH THE HUSBAND OF MARY, OF WHOM WAS BORN JESUS, WHO IS CALLED CHRIST. IN LUKE'S STORY, WE HEAR THAT JESUS WAS CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT BEFORE MARY AND JOSEPH LIVED TOGETHER; MATTHEW IS MAKING MUCH THE SAME POINT IN HIS GENEALOGY; HE WANTS US TO UNDERSTAND THAT IN SOME WAY JESUS IS A LINEAL DESCENDANT OF ABRAHAM, AND DAVID, AND MANY OTHERS, SOME OF WHOM WERE FAMOUS AND SOME OF WHOM WE NEVER HEARD OF; BUT IN ANOTHER WAY, JESUS IS SET APART, BECAUSE JOSEPH IS THE HUSBAND OF MARY, BUT OF ALL 42 INDIVIDUALS NAMED IN THIS GENEALOGY, JOSEPH IS THE ONLY ONE NOT REFERRED TO AS FATHER.
THIS GOSPEL PASSAGE SEEMS TO BE MORE ABOUT JOSEPH THAN EITHER JESUS OR MARY. MATTHEW HAS JUST ESTABLISHED THAT JOSEPH IS NOT THE FATHER OF JESUS IN HIS GENEALOGY. THEN HE SHOWS US THAT JOSEPH IS A MAN OF GREAT COMPASSION. THE LAW SAYS THAT IF A WOMAN IS CAUGHT IN ADULTERY, YOU CAN TAKE HER OUT TO THE EDGE OF TOWN AND STONE HER TO DEATH; IN THE TIME OF JESUS, CAPITAL PUNISHMENT WAS RESERVED FOR THE ROMAN GOVERNMENT, BUT MOBS STILL FORMED TO STONE THOSE SEEN AS SINFUL, AND IF THEY COULD NOT, YOU CAN BE SURE THAT THE WOMAN WOULD BE SHUNNED AND ABUSED, AS WOULD BE HER CHILD. AND THE WORD OF JOSEPH, A MAN, OVERWHELMED WHATEVER MARY MIGHT HAVE SAID, SINCE SHE WAS A WOMAN. SO THE FIRST THING WE NOTICE ABOUT JOSEPH IS THAT HE IS WILLING TO BREAK THE LAW; HE IS WILLING TO SAY SOMETHING THAT IS NOT TRUE, NAMELY, THAT THE CHILD IS HIS, BUT HE NO LONGER WANTS MARY AS HIS WIFE. JOSEPH IS WILLING TO SHARE IN THE SHAME THAT MARY WILL INCUR, BECAUSE OF HIS COMPASSION.
JOSEPH THEN HAS A DREAM. HOW MANY OF US WOULD SO RADICALLY CHANGE OUR LIVES BECAUSE OF A DREAM? YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT MARY, WHO WAS WIDE AWAKE WHEN SHE MET AN ANGEL, BELIEVED THE ANGEL; AND ZACHARY, WHO WAS WIDE AWAKE WHEN HE MET AN ANGEL, BALKED AT WHAT THE ANGEL TOLD HIM, AND HAD HIS ABILITY TO SPEAK TURNED OFF IN A MINUTE. BUT IN A DREAM? I THINK, THOUGH, THAT THIS IS HOW GOD SPEAKS TO MOST OF US – IN DREAMS, IN FLASHES OF INTUITION, IN IMPULSES THAT SEEM TO ARISE OUT OF NOTHING, BUT WE FEEL A COMPULSION TO FOLLOW THEM, EVEN THOUGH WE USUALLY DON'T. I THINK, ALL THROUGH OUR LIVES GOD SPEAKS TO US IN THESE LITTLE WAYS, WAYS THAT WE CAN EASILY DISREGARD, BECAUSE HE LEAVES US FREE. BUT IF WE FOLLOW THOSE DREAMS, THOSE HUNCHES, GOD SPEAKS TO US MORE CLEARLY, UNTIL FINALLY WE ARE IN A STATE OF CONVERSATION WITH GOD. MANY SAINTS HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT THIS PHENOMENON. ST. FRANCIS, ST. JOHN BOSCO, ST. CATHERINE OF SIENNA – THEIR STORIES SHOW THAT HUMAN BEINGS CAN ACHIEVE THIS INTIMACY. AND JOSEPH, WHO HAD A DREAM, AND ABRUPTLY ROSE AND DID AS HE WAS TOLD, MUST HAVE HAD THAT INTIMACY AS WELL. THE PERSON WHO LIVES IN COMMUNION WITH GOD DOESN'T NEED PRODDING TO DO HIS WILL; TO DO GOD'S WILL IS “MEAT AND DRINK”, AS JESUS PUT IT.
SO JOSEPH IS A MAN OF GREAT COMPASSION; JOSEPH IS ATTENTIVE TO THE WHISPERS OF GOD; AND JOSEPH LEAPS UP FROM HIS REST TO DO WHAT GOD COMMANDS, EVEN THOUGH IT IS IN DIRECT OPPOSITION TO WHAT HE HIMSELF INITIALLY WANTED.
IN ALL OF SCRIPTURE, WE HAVE NO WORDS OF JOSEPH. MARY AND THE APOSTLES, PONTIUS PILATE, HEROD, AND MANY OTHERS ARE GIVEN AT LEAST BIT PARTS. BUT JOSEPH SAYS NOTHING. AND YET, THE WORDS OF JOSEPH DO LIVE ON; HIS INFLUENCE ON THE CHURCH IS FAR GREATER THAN WE IMAGINE. JESUS GREW UP IN JOSEPH'S HOME. HE NEEDED FORMING, AS ALL HUMANS DO. CERTAINLY MARY HAD A PART IN FORMING HIS CHARACTER, BUT JOSEPH PERHAPS HAD A GREATER PART. THE VERY COMPASSION JOSEPH SHOWS, THE WILLINGNESS TO GO AGAINST THE RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE SAKE OF ANOTHER, IS THE SAME COMPASSION THAT JESUS SHOWS OVER AND OVER AGAIN. THE DESIRE TO DO GOD'S WILL, THE WILLINGNESS TO PUT THAT FIRST, EVEN IF IT MEANS DYING ON THE CROSS – JOSEPH SHOWED JESUS THAT THAT WAS WHAT A MAN OF GOD DID. THE WORDS THAT COME OUT OF JESUS' MOUTH, MANY OF THOSE WORDS, THOSE STORIES, THOSE ATTITUDES, CAME FROM JOSEPH. SO WE HEAR JOSEPH, AND OUR CHURCH OWES SOMETHING TO JOSEPH, NOT JUST THE FACT THAT HE PROTECTED JESUS AND MARY, BUT THE FACT THAT HIS HUMAN COMPASSION AND HIS HUMAN DESIRE TO DO GOD'S WILL WERE PASSED ON TO THIS CHILD GOD GAVE HIM TO RAISE.
WE THINK JOSEPH DIED LONG BEFORE JESUS BEGAN HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY. HE DIED WHILE JESUS WAS STILL JUST A CRAFTSMAN, GRADUALLY TAKING OVER HIS FATHER'S BUSINESS. JOSEPH LIVED AN ORDINARY LIFE, FULFILLED ORDINARY OBLIGATIONS, ALWAYS TRIED TO SERVE GOD AS WELL AS HE COULD, ALWAYS TRIED TO EXERCISE COMPASSION FOR OTHERS .
AND YET WE KNOW THAT GOD WAS WITH JOSEPH, GOD LIVED IN JOSEPH'S HOME, GOD ATE THE FOOD JOSEPH PROVIDED, GOD LEARNED WHAT JOSEPH TAUGHT SO PATIENTLY.
AND THAT IS WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS. GOD IS WITH US. IMMANUEL. WE MAY NOT KNOW IT OR FEEL IT MOST OF THE TIME; JOSEPH PROBABLY WAS THE SAME. BUT BECAUSE GOD IS WITH US, EVERY LITTLE PART OF OUR LIVES HAS AN IMPACT DOWN THROUGH ALL THE GENERATIONS OF TIME; EVERYTHING WORKS TOGETHER TO FULFILL GOD'S PLAN; AND OUR MOST INSIGNIFICANT ACTION TAKES ON COSMIC MEANING.
AND THIS ORDINARY MAN WHO DID HIS BEST LEFT US ONE WORD THAT WE KNOW HE HAD TO SAY; JESUS. BECAUSE JOSEPH RECEIVED THE INCREDIBLE PRIVILEGE OF NAMING THE SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE HUMAN RACE.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Fourth Sunday of Advent, cycle B
LUKE 1:26-38
THERE ARE MANY TRANSLATIONS OF WHAT THE ANGEL SAID TO MARY. IN THE READING TODAY, IT IS “HAIL, FULL OF GRACE!” IN SOME BIBLES, IT IS “REJOICE, HIGHLY FAVORED DAUGHTER.” IN THE NEW JERUSALEM BIBLE, IT SAYS “REJOICE, YOU WHO ENJOY GOD'S FAVOR!” THESE ARE ALL TRANSLATIONS OF THE GREEK. OF COURSE MARY DIDN'T SPEAK GREEK, BUT ALL THE DIFFERENT TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE CAN GO BACK ONLY TO THE GREEK, BECAUSE LUKE WROTE IT IN GREEK. AND THE GREEK WORDS HAVE A NICE RING: CHARI KACHERI TOMENI. THAT SOUNDS A LOT MORE LIKE SOMETHING AN ANGEL WOULD SAY. CHARI KACHERI TOMENI.
WE OFTEN THINK ABOUT THIS SCENE. WE CHRISTIANS GET THE IDEA OF THE VIRGIN BIRTH FROM THIS PASSAGE, AND WE CATHOLICS BELIEVE THAT MARY WAS SINLESS; BECAUSE THE ANGEL CALLS HER “HIGHLY FAVORED” OR “FULL OF GRACE” OR “KACHERI TOMENI”, WE CONCLUDE THAT SHE WAS BORN WITHOUT ORIGINAL SIN. AND WE ARE ALWAYS A LITTLE AWED BY HER READY ACCEPTANCE OF GOD'S PLAN FOR HER, EVEN THOUGH IT WILL TOTALLY DISRUPT HER LIFE -- “LET IT BE DONE TO ME AS YOU SAY.”
THESE ARE ALL WONDERFUL IDEAS, AND CERTAINLY WORTH OUR MEDITATION. BUT THIS PASSAGE IS NOT REALLY ABOUT MARY; IT IS ABOUT GOD.
THERE ARE MANY STORIES IN THE BIBLE ABOUT WOMEN WHO HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO HAVE A CHILD, BUT GOD INTERVENES, AND THEY DO. THE MOTHER OF SAMSON; SARAH THE WIFE OF ABRAHAM; RACHEL, THE WIFE OF JACOB; HANNAH, THE MOTHER OF SAMUEL; AND EVEN ELIZABETH, THE MOTHER OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. ALL OF THESE WOMEN WERE BARREN, BUT IT WAS NOT IMPOSSIBLE THAT THEY MIGHT CONCEIVE; JUST UNLIKELY. BUT IN MARY'S CASE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE; SHE IS A VIRGIN; HER STORY IS CATEGORICALLY DIFFERENT THAN THOSE OTHERS; GOD IS THE GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE; NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.
WE KNOW THAT MARY IS SPECIAL; WE KNOW THAT SHE IS QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH; BUT MARY DIDN'T KNOW THAT THEN, NOR DID ANYONE ELSE. MARY IS CHOSEN BY GOD'S GRACE; THERE IS NOTHING ABOUT HER THAT DESERVES THE HONOR SHE IS GIVEN. HER PLACE IN HISTORY, IN SALVATION, IS ENTIRELY A GIFT OF GOD. GOD IS THE GOD OF GRACE, THE GOD WHOSE EVERY INTERVENTION IN YOUR LIFE AND MINE IS PURE GIFT, PURE GRACE, UNDESERVED; AND WHOSE EVERY INTERVENTION IS ULTIMATELY GOOD.
AND MARY ANSWERS, “I AM THE SLAVE (A BETTER TRANSLATION THAN 'HANDMAID') OF THE LORD. LET IT BE DONE TO ME AS YOU SAY.” WE MAKE A LOT OF THE SECOND SENTENCE, BUT WE FORGET THE FIRST. IT IS TRUE THAT MARY GAVE HER CONSENT TO THE GRACE OF GOD, THE IMPOSSIBLE THING THAT GOD WAS ABOUT TO DO; BUT FROM ANOTHER STANDPOINT, COULD SHE DO OTHERWISE? GOD HAS SPOKEN, IT IS HAPPENING; IF YOU TRULY UNDERSTAND YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, AS MARY DID, CAN YOU DO OTHERWISE THAN EMBRACE HIS WILL? ST. PAUL WAS BLINDED BY A BOLT OF LIGHTNING FROM HEAVEN WHICH HALTED HIS PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH AND MADE HIM A SLAVE OF THE GOSPEL, AS HE CALLED HIMSELF. WHEN WE WILLINGLY EMBRACE THE WILL OF GOD FOR OURSELVES, WHEN WE ACCEPT THIS BEING A SLAVE, THEN AND ONLY THEN DO WE BECOME TRULY FREE. WHEN GOD'S WILL BECOMES THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN MY LIFE, THEN ALL THE CHAINS THAT BIND ME TO THIS EARTH FALL AWAY, AND I BECOME FREE.
AND FINALLY, THIS PASSAGE IS ABOUT GOD'S WORD. IF WE COULD READ GREEK, WE WOULD SEE THAT THE ANGEL SAYS TO MARY, “NO WORD IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD” AND MARY SAYS, “LET HIS WORD BE DONE TO ME.” GOD'S WORD – BRINGS THE WORLD INTO BEING; IMPRISONS THE DIVINE IN MARY'S WOMB; RAISES JESUS FROM THE DEAD; GOD'S WORD CHANGES BREAD AND WINE INTO THE BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS; GOD'S WORD MADE YOU AND I BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF JESUS AT OUR BAPTISMS; GOD'S WORD GIVES US THE GIFT OF GOD'S SELF.
SO THIS PASSAGE IS ABOUT GOD, FOR WHOM NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE; ABOUT GOD, WHO IS A GOD OF GIFT, OF GRACE; ABOUT GOD, WHO INVITES US ORDINARY HUMAN BEINGS TO BE HIS SERVANTS, FOR HIS PURPOSES; ABOUT GOD, WHO SPEAKS A WORD, AND LIVES IN US AND MAKES US A NEW CREATION.
THE PASSAGE IS ABOUT MARY AS WELL, BUT ALSO ABOUT YOU AND I. LIKE MARY, GOD HAS CHOSEN US, GRACED US, GIVEN US AN IRREPLACEABLE ROLE IN HIS CREATION; LIKE MARY YOU AND I ARE GOD BEARERS, WITH ALL THE JOYS AND DIFFICULTIES, HARDSHIPS AND PRIVILEGES THAT THIS IMPLIES. AND THE ANGELS WHO LIVE IN GOD'S PRESENCE, COULD SAY TO US, “HAIL, FULL OF GRACE” -- “CHARI KACHERI TOMENI” BECAUSE GOD HAS NOT CONCEIVED HIS CHRIST IN ANY ANGEL; BUT HE HAS DONE SO IN YOU AND I.
ADVENT IS NEARLY OVER. ON THIS FOURTH SUNDAY, WE ARE WITNESS TO THAT CENTRAL MOMENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE, WHEN GOD HIMSELF BREAKS IN TO HISTORY, WHEN THE DIVINE TAKES ON OUR MORTAL FLESH AND BONES, WHEN THE ETERNAL ONE CHOOSES TO BE BORN AND TO DIE. THIS IS THE MOMENT THAT ALL CREATION HAS AWAITED, THE MOMENT THAT TAKES ALL THE RANDOMNESS, ALL THE BLIND ALLEYS, ALL THE FAILURES, ALL THE PAIN AND SUFFERING AND INJUSTICE WHICH HAS GONE BEFORE AND WILL CONTINUE TO GO ON UNTIL JESUS COMES AGAIN, AND IN A BLINDING MOMENT MAKES SENSE OF IT ALL, REVEALS DIVINE PURPOSE WHERE NO PURPOSE WAS SEEN AND REVEALS THAT SOMEHOW ALL THINGS WORK FOR THE GOOD THAT GOD DESIRES.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, IT IS A MOMENT WHICH IS DUPLICATED IN YOUR SOUL AND MINE, AS GOD BREAKS IN TO OUR LIVES, AS GOD DOES HIS IMPOSSIBLE WORD IN US, AS GOD GIVES US HIS GRACE,HIS GIFT. AND IT IS OURS TO EMBRACE WHAT GOD DOES, AND SUBMIT COMPLETELY, AND BE HIS SLAVE, AND SO ENTER IN TO FREEDOM, FREEDOM LIKE WE HAVE NEVER DREAMED OF, FREEDOM AS BEFITS THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD.
SO TO EACH OF YOU, HAIL, YOU WHO ARE HIGHLY FAVORED. HAIL, FULL OF GRACE. CHARI KACHARI TOMENI.
THERE ARE MANY TRANSLATIONS OF WHAT THE ANGEL SAID TO MARY. IN THE READING TODAY, IT IS “HAIL, FULL OF GRACE!” IN SOME BIBLES, IT IS “REJOICE, HIGHLY FAVORED DAUGHTER.” IN THE NEW JERUSALEM BIBLE, IT SAYS “REJOICE, YOU WHO ENJOY GOD'S FAVOR!” THESE ARE ALL TRANSLATIONS OF THE GREEK. OF COURSE MARY DIDN'T SPEAK GREEK, BUT ALL THE DIFFERENT TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE CAN GO BACK ONLY TO THE GREEK, BECAUSE LUKE WROTE IT IN GREEK. AND THE GREEK WORDS HAVE A NICE RING: CHARI KACHERI TOMENI. THAT SOUNDS A LOT MORE LIKE SOMETHING AN ANGEL WOULD SAY. CHARI KACHERI TOMENI.
WE OFTEN THINK ABOUT THIS SCENE. WE CHRISTIANS GET THE IDEA OF THE VIRGIN BIRTH FROM THIS PASSAGE, AND WE CATHOLICS BELIEVE THAT MARY WAS SINLESS; BECAUSE THE ANGEL CALLS HER “HIGHLY FAVORED” OR “FULL OF GRACE” OR “KACHERI TOMENI”, WE CONCLUDE THAT SHE WAS BORN WITHOUT ORIGINAL SIN. AND WE ARE ALWAYS A LITTLE AWED BY HER READY ACCEPTANCE OF GOD'S PLAN FOR HER, EVEN THOUGH IT WILL TOTALLY DISRUPT HER LIFE -- “LET IT BE DONE TO ME AS YOU SAY.”
THESE ARE ALL WONDERFUL IDEAS, AND CERTAINLY WORTH OUR MEDITATION. BUT THIS PASSAGE IS NOT REALLY ABOUT MARY; IT IS ABOUT GOD.
THERE ARE MANY STORIES IN THE BIBLE ABOUT WOMEN WHO HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO HAVE A CHILD, BUT GOD INTERVENES, AND THEY DO. THE MOTHER OF SAMSON; SARAH THE WIFE OF ABRAHAM; RACHEL, THE WIFE OF JACOB; HANNAH, THE MOTHER OF SAMUEL; AND EVEN ELIZABETH, THE MOTHER OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. ALL OF THESE WOMEN WERE BARREN, BUT IT WAS NOT IMPOSSIBLE THAT THEY MIGHT CONCEIVE; JUST UNLIKELY. BUT IN MARY'S CASE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE; SHE IS A VIRGIN; HER STORY IS CATEGORICALLY DIFFERENT THAN THOSE OTHERS; GOD IS THE GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE; NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.
WE KNOW THAT MARY IS SPECIAL; WE KNOW THAT SHE IS QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH; BUT MARY DIDN'T KNOW THAT THEN, NOR DID ANYONE ELSE. MARY IS CHOSEN BY GOD'S GRACE; THERE IS NOTHING ABOUT HER THAT DESERVES THE HONOR SHE IS GIVEN. HER PLACE IN HISTORY, IN SALVATION, IS ENTIRELY A GIFT OF GOD. GOD IS THE GOD OF GRACE, THE GOD WHOSE EVERY INTERVENTION IN YOUR LIFE AND MINE IS PURE GIFT, PURE GRACE, UNDESERVED; AND WHOSE EVERY INTERVENTION IS ULTIMATELY GOOD.
AND MARY ANSWERS, “I AM THE SLAVE (A BETTER TRANSLATION THAN 'HANDMAID') OF THE LORD. LET IT BE DONE TO ME AS YOU SAY.” WE MAKE A LOT OF THE SECOND SENTENCE, BUT WE FORGET THE FIRST. IT IS TRUE THAT MARY GAVE HER CONSENT TO THE GRACE OF GOD, THE IMPOSSIBLE THING THAT GOD WAS ABOUT TO DO; BUT FROM ANOTHER STANDPOINT, COULD SHE DO OTHERWISE? GOD HAS SPOKEN, IT IS HAPPENING; IF YOU TRULY UNDERSTAND YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, AS MARY DID, CAN YOU DO OTHERWISE THAN EMBRACE HIS WILL? ST. PAUL WAS BLINDED BY A BOLT OF LIGHTNING FROM HEAVEN WHICH HALTED HIS PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH AND MADE HIM A SLAVE OF THE GOSPEL, AS HE CALLED HIMSELF. WHEN WE WILLINGLY EMBRACE THE WILL OF GOD FOR OURSELVES, WHEN WE ACCEPT THIS BEING A SLAVE, THEN AND ONLY THEN DO WE BECOME TRULY FREE. WHEN GOD'S WILL BECOMES THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN MY LIFE, THEN ALL THE CHAINS THAT BIND ME TO THIS EARTH FALL AWAY, AND I BECOME FREE.
AND FINALLY, THIS PASSAGE IS ABOUT GOD'S WORD. IF WE COULD READ GREEK, WE WOULD SEE THAT THE ANGEL SAYS TO MARY, “NO WORD IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD” AND MARY SAYS, “LET HIS WORD BE DONE TO ME.” GOD'S WORD – BRINGS THE WORLD INTO BEING; IMPRISONS THE DIVINE IN MARY'S WOMB; RAISES JESUS FROM THE DEAD; GOD'S WORD CHANGES BREAD AND WINE INTO THE BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS; GOD'S WORD MADE YOU AND I BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF JESUS AT OUR BAPTISMS; GOD'S WORD GIVES US THE GIFT OF GOD'S SELF.
SO THIS PASSAGE IS ABOUT GOD, FOR WHOM NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE; ABOUT GOD, WHO IS A GOD OF GIFT, OF GRACE; ABOUT GOD, WHO INVITES US ORDINARY HUMAN BEINGS TO BE HIS SERVANTS, FOR HIS PURPOSES; ABOUT GOD, WHO SPEAKS A WORD, AND LIVES IN US AND MAKES US A NEW CREATION.
THE PASSAGE IS ABOUT MARY AS WELL, BUT ALSO ABOUT YOU AND I. LIKE MARY, GOD HAS CHOSEN US, GRACED US, GIVEN US AN IRREPLACEABLE ROLE IN HIS CREATION; LIKE MARY YOU AND I ARE GOD BEARERS, WITH ALL THE JOYS AND DIFFICULTIES, HARDSHIPS AND PRIVILEGES THAT THIS IMPLIES. AND THE ANGELS WHO LIVE IN GOD'S PRESENCE, COULD SAY TO US, “HAIL, FULL OF GRACE” -- “CHARI KACHERI TOMENI” BECAUSE GOD HAS NOT CONCEIVED HIS CHRIST IN ANY ANGEL; BUT HE HAS DONE SO IN YOU AND I.
ADVENT IS NEARLY OVER. ON THIS FOURTH SUNDAY, WE ARE WITNESS TO THAT CENTRAL MOMENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE, WHEN GOD HIMSELF BREAKS IN TO HISTORY, WHEN THE DIVINE TAKES ON OUR MORTAL FLESH AND BONES, WHEN THE ETERNAL ONE CHOOSES TO BE BORN AND TO DIE. THIS IS THE MOMENT THAT ALL CREATION HAS AWAITED, THE MOMENT THAT TAKES ALL THE RANDOMNESS, ALL THE BLIND ALLEYS, ALL THE FAILURES, ALL THE PAIN AND SUFFERING AND INJUSTICE WHICH HAS GONE BEFORE AND WILL CONTINUE TO GO ON UNTIL JESUS COMES AGAIN, AND IN A BLINDING MOMENT MAKES SENSE OF IT ALL, REVEALS DIVINE PURPOSE WHERE NO PURPOSE WAS SEEN AND REVEALS THAT SOMEHOW ALL THINGS WORK FOR THE GOOD THAT GOD DESIRES.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, IT IS A MOMENT WHICH IS DUPLICATED IN YOUR SOUL AND MINE, AS GOD BREAKS IN TO OUR LIVES, AS GOD DOES HIS IMPOSSIBLE WORD IN US, AS GOD GIVES US HIS GRACE,HIS GIFT. AND IT IS OURS TO EMBRACE WHAT GOD DOES, AND SUBMIT COMPLETELY, AND BE HIS SLAVE, AND SO ENTER IN TO FREEDOM, FREEDOM LIKE WE HAVE NEVER DREAMED OF, FREEDOM AS BEFITS THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD.
SO TO EACH OF YOU, HAIL, YOU WHO ARE HIGHLY FAVORED. HAIL, FULL OF GRACE. CHARI KACHARI TOMENI.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
3rd Sunday of Advent, cycle B
JOHN 1: 6-8, 19-28
YOU FIND JOY IN ODD PLACES. I’VE SEEN IT IN A LADY WHO IS A PATIENT OF MINE, WHO IS ALWAYS IN PAIN, AND WHO HAS TO GET AROUND ON CRUTCHES. SHE HAS NO MONEY AND LIVES ALONE AND KNOWS SHE WON’T BE AROUND FOR NEXT CHRISTMAS. BUT SHE SAVORS EVERY MOMENT, AND HER CHEERFULNESS IS CONTAGIOUS. OF COURSE IF YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE JOY, HANG AROUND WITH LITTLE KIDS. THEY CAN’T NOT BE JOYFUL FOR TOO LONG – ALL THEY REQUIRE IS THE CERTAIN KNOWLEDGE THAT SOMEONE LOVES THEM FOR WHO THEY ARE.
THIS IS THE SUNDAY WE LABEL “GUADATE”, WHICH MEANS “JOYFUL”. THE FIRST AND SECOND READINGS AND THE PSALM SPEAK ABOUT REJOICING. HOWEVER, I THINK THE GOSPEL GIVES US A FUNDAMENTAL INSIGHT INTO WHAT JOY REALLY MEANS.
BECAUSE JOY IS NOT HAPPINESS, IT’S NOT THE SAME THING AS BEING PROSPEROUS OR RICH OR IN GOOD HEALTH.
THEY CAME TO JOHN AND ASKED HIM IF HE WERE THE MESSIAH, OR ELIJAH, OR THE PROPHET. AND HE SAID, “I AM NOT.” THE FIRST PART OF BEING JOYFUL IS TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE NOT, TO KNOW THAT FOR WHICH YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE.
IF YOU LIVE IN ANY KIND OF RELATIONSHIP, YOU PROBABLY KNOW WHAT A GUILT TRIP IS. THAT IS WHEN SOMEONE FOR WHOM YOU HAVE SOME SORT OF RESPECT OR AFFECTION TRIES TO MAKE YOU FEEL RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMETHING WHICH UP TILL THEN YOU HAVEN’T. IT MAY BE THAT YOU SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE, BUT THAT’S BESIDE THE POINT. THE SUGGESTION THAT YOU ARE NOT LIVING UP TO YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES DISTURBS YOUR JOY; THE IDEA THAT YOU SHOULD BE DIFFERENT THAN YOU ARE UPSETS YOUR INNER TRANQUILITY. JOHN KNEW HE WAS NOT THE MESSIAH, NOT ELIJAH, NOT EVEN “THE PROPHET”. EARLIER THIS WEEK JESUS REFERS TO JOHN AS “THE GREATEST BORN OF A WOMAN” AND REFERS TO HIM AS “ELIJAH, IF YOU CAN ACCEPT IT”. OUR LORD, OF COURSE, SAW IN JOHN THE FULFILLMENT OF THE PROPHECY THAT ELIJAH WOULD COME TO ANNOUNCE THE MESSIAH. JOHN KNEW THAT REGARDLESS OF THIS COMPLEMENT, HE WAS NOT ELIJAH. HE WOULD NOT ACCEPT WHATEVER THAT RESPONSIBILITY MEANT.
THE SECOND PART OF BEING JOYFUL IS TO KNOW EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE, AND FOR WHAT YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE. JOHN KNEW HIS ROLE, JOHN KNEW HIS WHOLE PURPOSE WAS TO BE A POINTER, TO POINT TO THE COMING LORD, TO WARN THE PEOPLE AND DO ALL HE COULD TO GET THEM TO FREELY REPENT AND CHANGE THEIR WAYS, AND TO BECOME READY TO RECEIVE THE MESSIAH. “I AM THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,” HE SAID. HE DID NOT SAY, “I AM JOHN, THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS.” HE KNEW THAT HIS PERSON WAS NOT IMPORTANT, BUT HIS PURPOSE WAS, AND HE DID NOT SEPARATE HIMSELF FROM HIS PURPOSE. KNOWING WHAT YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR GIVES GREAT CLARITY, AND CLARITY IS A PART OF JOY.
THE THIRD PART OF BEING JOYFUL IS KNOWING THAT YOU ARE DOING THAT FOR WHICH YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE. JOHN KNEW HE WAS TO BAPTIZE WITH WATER, AND LEAVE THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT UP TO THE ONE WHO WAS TO COME. WHEN JOHN BECAME CERTAIN THAT JESUS WAS THE MESSIAH, HE SENT HIS DISCIPLES TO FOLLOW JESUS, AND SAID, “HE MUST INCREASE, I MUST DECREASE.” WITH THE MESSIAH PRESENT, THERE WAS NO MORE NEED FOR ONE TO PREPARE THE WAY, TO BE THE POINTER.
THE GREAT THING ABOUT JOY IS THAT IT CAN’T BE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU. EVEN IF YOU ARE THROWN IN PRISON AND EXECUTED, AS JOHN WAS, JOY TRANSCENDS EVEN DEATH. AND THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT. BY NOW YOU HAVE PROBABLY GUESSED THAT JOY HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH KNOWING YOURSELF, KNOWING YOUR LIMITATIONS, KNOWING WHY YOU WERE PUT ON THIS EARTH AND ACTING ACCORDINGLY. JOY HAS TO DO WITH LIVING IN THE PRESENT, AND MAKING THE VERY MOST OF EACH MOMENT THAT WE HAVE. AND WHEN WE DO THAT, WE COME INTO CONTACT WITH GOD, WHO DEALS WITH US ONLY IN THE PRESENT, NOT THE FUTURE, NOT THE PAST. IF WE ARE FULLY IN THE PRESENT, WE ARE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO ENCOUNTER GOD THAN IF OUR MINDS DWELL IN WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN, OR IN SOME WISHFUL FUTURE.
SO ON THIS GUADATE SUNDAY, ON THIS THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT, LET REFLECT ON WHETHER WE ARE JOYFUL, AND IF NOT, WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO BECOME JOYFUL. LET US RECALL, LIKE JOHN MUST HAVE, THAT WE ARE NOT JESUS, AND EVEN IF WE HAVE GREAT RESPONSIBILITIES, WE CAN TAKE COMFORT IN THE KNOWLEDGE THAT GOD’S PLAN IS ALREADY ONGOING, AND WILL SUCCEED, THANKS TO JESUS. JOHN THE BAPTIST KNEW WHO HE WAS NOT, KNEW WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO, AND DID IT. AND JESUS SAID OF HIM, “AMONG THOSE BORN OF WOMEN THERE HAS NOT RISEN ANYONE GREATER THAN JOHN THE BAPTIST,” – WHO LEFT NO BOOK, WHO FOUNDED NO RELIGION, WHO SIMPLY CRIED OUT IN THE DESERT, “PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD.”
YOU FIND JOY IN ODD PLACES. I’VE SEEN IT IN A LADY WHO IS A PATIENT OF MINE, WHO IS ALWAYS IN PAIN, AND WHO HAS TO GET AROUND ON CRUTCHES. SHE HAS NO MONEY AND LIVES ALONE AND KNOWS SHE WON’T BE AROUND FOR NEXT CHRISTMAS. BUT SHE SAVORS EVERY MOMENT, AND HER CHEERFULNESS IS CONTAGIOUS. OF COURSE IF YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE JOY, HANG AROUND WITH LITTLE KIDS. THEY CAN’T NOT BE JOYFUL FOR TOO LONG – ALL THEY REQUIRE IS THE CERTAIN KNOWLEDGE THAT SOMEONE LOVES THEM FOR WHO THEY ARE.
THIS IS THE SUNDAY WE LABEL “GUADATE”, WHICH MEANS “JOYFUL”. THE FIRST AND SECOND READINGS AND THE PSALM SPEAK ABOUT REJOICING. HOWEVER, I THINK THE GOSPEL GIVES US A FUNDAMENTAL INSIGHT INTO WHAT JOY REALLY MEANS.
BECAUSE JOY IS NOT HAPPINESS, IT’S NOT THE SAME THING AS BEING PROSPEROUS OR RICH OR IN GOOD HEALTH.
THEY CAME TO JOHN AND ASKED HIM IF HE WERE THE MESSIAH, OR ELIJAH, OR THE PROPHET. AND HE SAID, “I AM NOT.” THE FIRST PART OF BEING JOYFUL IS TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE NOT, TO KNOW THAT FOR WHICH YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE.
IF YOU LIVE IN ANY KIND OF RELATIONSHIP, YOU PROBABLY KNOW WHAT A GUILT TRIP IS. THAT IS WHEN SOMEONE FOR WHOM YOU HAVE SOME SORT OF RESPECT OR AFFECTION TRIES TO MAKE YOU FEEL RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMETHING WHICH UP TILL THEN YOU HAVEN’T. IT MAY BE THAT YOU SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE, BUT THAT’S BESIDE THE POINT. THE SUGGESTION THAT YOU ARE NOT LIVING UP TO YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES DISTURBS YOUR JOY; THE IDEA THAT YOU SHOULD BE DIFFERENT THAN YOU ARE UPSETS YOUR INNER TRANQUILITY. JOHN KNEW HE WAS NOT THE MESSIAH, NOT ELIJAH, NOT EVEN “THE PROPHET”. EARLIER THIS WEEK JESUS REFERS TO JOHN AS “THE GREATEST BORN OF A WOMAN” AND REFERS TO HIM AS “ELIJAH, IF YOU CAN ACCEPT IT”. OUR LORD, OF COURSE, SAW IN JOHN THE FULFILLMENT OF THE PROPHECY THAT ELIJAH WOULD COME TO ANNOUNCE THE MESSIAH. JOHN KNEW THAT REGARDLESS OF THIS COMPLEMENT, HE WAS NOT ELIJAH. HE WOULD NOT ACCEPT WHATEVER THAT RESPONSIBILITY MEANT.
THE SECOND PART OF BEING JOYFUL IS TO KNOW EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE, AND FOR WHAT YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE. JOHN KNEW HIS ROLE, JOHN KNEW HIS WHOLE PURPOSE WAS TO BE A POINTER, TO POINT TO THE COMING LORD, TO WARN THE PEOPLE AND DO ALL HE COULD TO GET THEM TO FREELY REPENT AND CHANGE THEIR WAYS, AND TO BECOME READY TO RECEIVE THE MESSIAH. “I AM THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,” HE SAID. HE DID NOT SAY, “I AM JOHN, THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS.” HE KNEW THAT HIS PERSON WAS NOT IMPORTANT, BUT HIS PURPOSE WAS, AND HE DID NOT SEPARATE HIMSELF FROM HIS PURPOSE. KNOWING WHAT YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR GIVES GREAT CLARITY, AND CLARITY IS A PART OF JOY.
THE THIRD PART OF BEING JOYFUL IS KNOWING THAT YOU ARE DOING THAT FOR WHICH YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE. JOHN KNEW HE WAS TO BAPTIZE WITH WATER, AND LEAVE THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT UP TO THE ONE WHO WAS TO COME. WHEN JOHN BECAME CERTAIN THAT JESUS WAS THE MESSIAH, HE SENT HIS DISCIPLES TO FOLLOW JESUS, AND SAID, “HE MUST INCREASE, I MUST DECREASE.” WITH THE MESSIAH PRESENT, THERE WAS NO MORE NEED FOR ONE TO PREPARE THE WAY, TO BE THE POINTER.
THE GREAT THING ABOUT JOY IS THAT IT CAN’T BE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU. EVEN IF YOU ARE THROWN IN PRISON AND EXECUTED, AS JOHN WAS, JOY TRANSCENDS EVEN DEATH. AND THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT. BY NOW YOU HAVE PROBABLY GUESSED THAT JOY HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH KNOWING YOURSELF, KNOWING YOUR LIMITATIONS, KNOWING WHY YOU WERE PUT ON THIS EARTH AND ACTING ACCORDINGLY. JOY HAS TO DO WITH LIVING IN THE PRESENT, AND MAKING THE VERY MOST OF EACH MOMENT THAT WE HAVE. AND WHEN WE DO THAT, WE COME INTO CONTACT WITH GOD, WHO DEALS WITH US ONLY IN THE PRESENT, NOT THE FUTURE, NOT THE PAST. IF WE ARE FULLY IN THE PRESENT, WE ARE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO ENCOUNTER GOD THAN IF OUR MINDS DWELL IN WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN, OR IN SOME WISHFUL FUTURE.
SO ON THIS GUADATE SUNDAY, ON THIS THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT, LET REFLECT ON WHETHER WE ARE JOYFUL, AND IF NOT, WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO BECOME JOYFUL. LET US RECALL, LIKE JOHN MUST HAVE, THAT WE ARE NOT JESUS, AND EVEN IF WE HAVE GREAT RESPONSIBILITIES, WE CAN TAKE COMFORT IN THE KNOWLEDGE THAT GOD’S PLAN IS ALREADY ONGOING, AND WILL SUCCEED, THANKS TO JESUS. JOHN THE BAPTIST KNEW WHO HE WAS NOT, KNEW WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO, AND DID IT. AND JESUS SAID OF HIM, “AMONG THOSE BORN OF WOMEN THERE HAS NOT RISEN ANYONE GREATER THAN JOHN THE BAPTIST,” – WHO LEFT NO BOOK, WHO FOUNDED NO RELIGION, WHO SIMPLY CRIED OUT IN THE DESERT, “PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD.”
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Second Sunday of Advent, cycle B
MARK 1:1-8
MANY YEARS AGO I WAS VISITING MY GRANDMOTHER ON A SUNDAY. THE TELEVISION WAS ON – IT WAS BLACK AND WHITE, CATCHING A SIGNAL FROM AN ANTENNA, PICKING UP THE ONLY STATION IN HELENA, MONTANA. SHE WAS WATCHING ONE OF THOSE PREACHERS, I DON'T REMEMBER WHICH ONE, BUT I REMEMBER THE MESSAGE. THE THEME OF THE SERMON WAS THAT BECAUSE JESUS HAD DIED FOR OUR SINS, WE WERE FORGIVEN! THAT STRUCK ME AS MILDLY HERETICAL. I DIDN'T DISAGREE WITH THE STATEMENT – JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS, HE'D PAID THE PRICE, BUT AS A STUDENT IN A PRE-VATICAN II CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL, I HAD MEMORIZED A MILLION CATECHISM QUESTIONS, AND WE WENT TO CONFESSION AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH, SOMETIMES MORE OFTEN, AND WE DID OUR PENANCES, AND DURING LENT WE FASTED, AND IT SEEMED TO ME THAT I HAD TO DO SOMETHING TO BE FORGIVEN. WELL, I WAS THE HERETIC. BUT SO WAS THE PREACHER. TODAY, THE GOSPEL TELLS US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT FORGIVENESS. FORGIVENESS REQUIRES REPENTANCE, BEING BAPTIZED INTO GRACE REQUIRES CONFESSION OF SINS. AND ON THIS SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, PERHAPS WE NEED TO THINK A BIT ABOUT SIN.
FIRST OF ALL, WE ARE ALL SINNERS. MOTHER THERESA CONSIDERED HERSELF A SINNER. SO DID ANY GREAT SAINT YOU MIGHT THINK ABOUT. IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE YOU ARE A SINNER, YOU ARE EITHER THE VIRGIN MARY OR YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR MIND. WE CAN'T GO THROUGH A DAY, EVEN AN HOUR, WITHOUT COMMITTING SIN, UNLESS WE ARE ASLEEP OR UNDER ANESTHESIA. NOT BIG SINS, NOT MURDER, ADULTERY, THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT LITTLE SINS, SINS THAT WE WOULD HARDLY EVEN CLASSIFY BY THE OLD TERM “VENIAL”. THE CONSTANT SOURCE OF OUR SINS IS OUR PRIDE, OUR SELF-CENTEREDNESS. WE ARE HURT BECAUSE SOMEONE SLIGHTS US; THE PAIN COMES BECAUSE WE SEE OURSELVES AS BEING MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT OTHER PERSON SEEMS TO THINK WE ARE. WE HURT OTHERS BECAUSE IN OUR HURRY, WE IGNORE THEM. WE DON'T SEE THEM AS EQUALS, WE DON'T LOVE THEM AS WE LOVE OURSELVES, THEY ARE JUST BUMPS IN OUR ROAD. WE HAVE TASKS TO DO, BUT WE WASTE TIME. WE DON'T NEED TO EAT THAT EXTRA PIECE OF PIE, WE KNOW ITS BAD FOR US, BUT WE EAT IT. WE LIGHT UP ANOTHER CIGARETTE, WE HAVE ANOTHER MARTINI. WE SIT BACK IN THE EVENING AND WATCH SEX IN THE CITY; WE ARE SPORTS JUNKIES, OR NEWS JUNKIES, OR YOU NAME IT. AND YOU SAY, “THOSE AREN'T SERIOUS, THOSE AREN'T IMPORTANT.”
C.S. LEWIS SAID THAT THERE ARE THREE ERRORS PEOPLE MAKE ABOUT SIN. THE FIRST IS THAT A SIN, EVEN A SERIOUS SIN, COMMITTED A LONG TIME AGO ISN'T AS IMPORTANT AS ONE WE COMMIT RIGHT NOW. SOMEHOW, PEOPLE FEEL THAT TIME HAS A WAY OF DIMINISHING A SIN. NOT TRUE. A SIN IS A SIN, AND TIME DOES NOTHING TO DECREASE ITS SERIOUSNESS. THE SECOND IS THAT WE LOOK AT SINS, AND I LISTED MANY ABOVE, AND SAY “THEY AREN'T A BIG DEAL, THEY AREN'T SERIOUS ENOUGH TO MATTER.” NOT TRUE, BECAUSE EVEN A LITTLE SIN, EVEN A LITTLE FAULT, IS A GRAVE OFFENSE AGAINST GOD. EVEN A LITTLE SIN IS A POISON, BECAUSE GOD CREATED US IN THE HOPES THAT WE WOULD FREELY SURRENDER OURSELVES TO HIM, SO THAT HE COULD MAKE US HAPPY, SO THAT HE COULD BUILD UP HIS KINGDOM WITH OUR COOPERATION AND HELP. AND ANYTHING WE DO THAT INTERFERES WITH THIS IS A SLAP IN HIS FACE. THE THIRD MISTAKE IS THAT WE SAY “I'M ONLY HUMAN” -- THAT IS, WE FORGIVE OURSELVES. AND THAT'S NOT TRUE, BECAUSE WE CAN'T FORGIVE OURSELVES FOR AN OFFENSE AGAINST GOD, AND WHEN WE MAKE THE EXCUSE THAT WE ARE ONLY HUMAN, WE ARE BASICALLY SAYING THAT GOD IS NOT GIVING US THE GRACE WE NEED TO OVERCOME SIN – AND THAT'S NOT TRUE. JESUS COMMANDED US TO BE PERFECT.
WELL, SO FAR THAT'S A PRETTY DEPRESSING MESSAGE, AT LEAST TO ME. BUT THAT'S WHERE REPENTANCE, CONFESSING OUR SINS COMES IN. REPENTANCE MEANS TO TURN, TO TURN AWAY FROM SIN, AND TO TURN TO GOD. TO TURN AWAY FROM SIN REQUIRES THAT WE CONFRONT SIN HONESTLY, AND THAT IS WERE CONFESSING COMES IN, BECAUSE TO NAME OUR SINS, ESPECIALLY TO NAME THEM OUT LOUD, TO OUR PRIEST, IS THE FIRST STEP IN KNOWING WHAT TO TURN AWAY FROM. WE HAVE TO CONSIDER ALL OF OUR OWN SINS, EVEN THE LITTLE ONES; WE HAVE TO TRULY SEE THOSE SINS FOR THE SERIOUS THINGS THEY ARE – HOW DO THEY KEEP US FROM LIVING A FULLY HUMAN LIFE, HOW DO THEY HOLD US BACK FROM DOING GOD'S WILL; AND WHEN WE SEE THIS, HOPEFULLY WE WILL FEEL REVULSION, AND PUSH THEM AWAY, AND TURN TOWARDS GOD. AND THEN COMES FORGIVENESS.
GOD'S FORGIVENESS IS LIKE THE SUN; CONSTANTLY BATHING US IN WARMTH AND LIGHT. BUT SIN IS LIKE A ROCK UNDER WHICH WE HIDE. AND WE HAVE TO TURN AWAY FROM THAT COOL DARK AND PROBABLY COMFORTABLE HIDING PLACE AND COME OUT TO RECEIVE FORGIVENESS; SINCE WE ARE FREE, ONLY WE CAN MAKE THAT CHOICE.
MOST OF US SEE OURSELVES AS GOOD PERSONS; BUT WE AREN'T; AND MOST OF US EXCUSE OUR FAILINGS BECAUSE WE ARE ONLY HUMAN, OR BECAUSE THEY AREN'T THAT SERIOUS, OR BECAUSE THEY HAPPENED LONG AGO; BUT THOSE AREN'T EXCUSES, BECAUSE THOSE STATEMENTS ARE BASED ON FANTASY, NOT ON REALITY.
AND WILL WE SIN AGAIN? SURE, UNTIL OUR DYING DAY, BUT SO DID SAINT PAUL, AND MOTHER THERESA, AND YOU NAME THE SAINT. BUT WHAT MAKES A SAINT, PERHAPS, IS TO RECOGNIZE SIN FOR WHAT IT IS, TO CONSTANTLY STRUGGLE TO OVERCOME IT, AND HAVING SEEN IT FOR WHAT IT IS, TO TURN AWAY FROM SIN AND TURN TOWARDS GOD, EVERY DAY, MAYBE EVEN EVERY HOUR, DAY IN AND DAY OUT, FOR THE REST OF ONE'S LIFE. AND THAT SEEMS LIKE A VERY DIFFICULT TASK, BUT EVEN THERE GOD HELPS US. IF WE WANT TO REPENT, IF WE WANT TO CONFESS OUR SINS, THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THERE TO SHOW THEM TO US, TO HELP US IDENTIFY THEM, TO PUSH THEM AWAY, AND TO TURN TOWARDS FORGIVENESS. IT'S BEEN SAID THAT HELL IS FULL OF SINNERS WHO DID NOT REPENT, WHILE HEAVEN IS FULL OF SINNERS WHO DID. AND WHAT GREAT JOY THERE WILL BE AS WE GET RID OF ALL THAT CLOUDS OUR VISION, AS WE DETACH OURSELVES FROM ALL THOSE LITTLE THINGS THAT DRAG US DOWN, THAT KEEP US FROM PROGRESSING IN OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES – AND ENTER INTO THE LIGHT AND WARMTH OF GOD'S FORGIVENESS.
ADVENT IS A TIME FOR EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE. WHAT IS HOLDING ME BACK, WHAT ARE THOSE HABITUAL SINS, MAYBE VERY SMALL ONES, WHICH I MUST FIRST IDENTIFY AND THEN TURN AWAY FROM. TOMORROW THERE WILL BE OTHERS, NEXT YEAR, STILL MORE. BUT AS WE REPENT, AS WE RECEIVE FORGIVENESS, WE GET STRONGER AND THE PROCESS BECOMES EASIER, AND FORGIVENESS BECOMES MORE AND MORE DESIRABLE BECAUSE WE COME TO DELIGHT IN GOD'S TOUCH.
MANY YEARS AGO I WAS VISITING MY GRANDMOTHER ON A SUNDAY. THE TELEVISION WAS ON – IT WAS BLACK AND WHITE, CATCHING A SIGNAL FROM AN ANTENNA, PICKING UP THE ONLY STATION IN HELENA, MONTANA. SHE WAS WATCHING ONE OF THOSE PREACHERS, I DON'T REMEMBER WHICH ONE, BUT I REMEMBER THE MESSAGE. THE THEME OF THE SERMON WAS THAT BECAUSE JESUS HAD DIED FOR OUR SINS, WE WERE FORGIVEN! THAT STRUCK ME AS MILDLY HERETICAL. I DIDN'T DISAGREE WITH THE STATEMENT – JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS, HE'D PAID THE PRICE, BUT AS A STUDENT IN A PRE-VATICAN II CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL, I HAD MEMORIZED A MILLION CATECHISM QUESTIONS, AND WE WENT TO CONFESSION AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH, SOMETIMES MORE OFTEN, AND WE DID OUR PENANCES, AND DURING LENT WE FASTED, AND IT SEEMED TO ME THAT I HAD TO DO SOMETHING TO BE FORGIVEN. WELL, I WAS THE HERETIC. BUT SO WAS THE PREACHER. TODAY, THE GOSPEL TELLS US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT FORGIVENESS. FORGIVENESS REQUIRES REPENTANCE, BEING BAPTIZED INTO GRACE REQUIRES CONFESSION OF SINS. AND ON THIS SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, PERHAPS WE NEED TO THINK A BIT ABOUT SIN.
FIRST OF ALL, WE ARE ALL SINNERS. MOTHER THERESA CONSIDERED HERSELF A SINNER. SO DID ANY GREAT SAINT YOU MIGHT THINK ABOUT. IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE YOU ARE A SINNER, YOU ARE EITHER THE VIRGIN MARY OR YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR MIND. WE CAN'T GO THROUGH A DAY, EVEN AN HOUR, WITHOUT COMMITTING SIN, UNLESS WE ARE ASLEEP OR UNDER ANESTHESIA. NOT BIG SINS, NOT MURDER, ADULTERY, THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT LITTLE SINS, SINS THAT WE WOULD HARDLY EVEN CLASSIFY BY THE OLD TERM “VENIAL”. THE CONSTANT SOURCE OF OUR SINS IS OUR PRIDE, OUR SELF-CENTEREDNESS. WE ARE HURT BECAUSE SOMEONE SLIGHTS US; THE PAIN COMES BECAUSE WE SEE OURSELVES AS BEING MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT OTHER PERSON SEEMS TO THINK WE ARE. WE HURT OTHERS BECAUSE IN OUR HURRY, WE IGNORE THEM. WE DON'T SEE THEM AS EQUALS, WE DON'T LOVE THEM AS WE LOVE OURSELVES, THEY ARE JUST BUMPS IN OUR ROAD. WE HAVE TASKS TO DO, BUT WE WASTE TIME. WE DON'T NEED TO EAT THAT EXTRA PIECE OF PIE, WE KNOW ITS BAD FOR US, BUT WE EAT IT. WE LIGHT UP ANOTHER CIGARETTE, WE HAVE ANOTHER MARTINI. WE SIT BACK IN THE EVENING AND WATCH SEX IN THE CITY; WE ARE SPORTS JUNKIES, OR NEWS JUNKIES, OR YOU NAME IT. AND YOU SAY, “THOSE AREN'T SERIOUS, THOSE AREN'T IMPORTANT.”
C.S. LEWIS SAID THAT THERE ARE THREE ERRORS PEOPLE MAKE ABOUT SIN. THE FIRST IS THAT A SIN, EVEN A SERIOUS SIN, COMMITTED A LONG TIME AGO ISN'T AS IMPORTANT AS ONE WE COMMIT RIGHT NOW. SOMEHOW, PEOPLE FEEL THAT TIME HAS A WAY OF DIMINISHING A SIN. NOT TRUE. A SIN IS A SIN, AND TIME DOES NOTHING TO DECREASE ITS SERIOUSNESS. THE SECOND IS THAT WE LOOK AT SINS, AND I LISTED MANY ABOVE, AND SAY “THEY AREN'T A BIG DEAL, THEY AREN'T SERIOUS ENOUGH TO MATTER.” NOT TRUE, BECAUSE EVEN A LITTLE SIN, EVEN A LITTLE FAULT, IS A GRAVE OFFENSE AGAINST GOD. EVEN A LITTLE SIN IS A POISON, BECAUSE GOD CREATED US IN THE HOPES THAT WE WOULD FREELY SURRENDER OURSELVES TO HIM, SO THAT HE COULD MAKE US HAPPY, SO THAT HE COULD BUILD UP HIS KINGDOM WITH OUR COOPERATION AND HELP. AND ANYTHING WE DO THAT INTERFERES WITH THIS IS A SLAP IN HIS FACE. THE THIRD MISTAKE IS THAT WE SAY “I'M ONLY HUMAN” -- THAT IS, WE FORGIVE OURSELVES. AND THAT'S NOT TRUE, BECAUSE WE CAN'T FORGIVE OURSELVES FOR AN OFFENSE AGAINST GOD, AND WHEN WE MAKE THE EXCUSE THAT WE ARE ONLY HUMAN, WE ARE BASICALLY SAYING THAT GOD IS NOT GIVING US THE GRACE WE NEED TO OVERCOME SIN – AND THAT'S NOT TRUE. JESUS COMMANDED US TO BE PERFECT.
WELL, SO FAR THAT'S A PRETTY DEPRESSING MESSAGE, AT LEAST TO ME. BUT THAT'S WHERE REPENTANCE, CONFESSING OUR SINS COMES IN. REPENTANCE MEANS TO TURN, TO TURN AWAY FROM SIN, AND TO TURN TO GOD. TO TURN AWAY FROM SIN REQUIRES THAT WE CONFRONT SIN HONESTLY, AND THAT IS WERE CONFESSING COMES IN, BECAUSE TO NAME OUR SINS, ESPECIALLY TO NAME THEM OUT LOUD, TO OUR PRIEST, IS THE FIRST STEP IN KNOWING WHAT TO TURN AWAY FROM. WE HAVE TO CONSIDER ALL OF OUR OWN SINS, EVEN THE LITTLE ONES; WE HAVE TO TRULY SEE THOSE SINS FOR THE SERIOUS THINGS THEY ARE – HOW DO THEY KEEP US FROM LIVING A FULLY HUMAN LIFE, HOW DO THEY HOLD US BACK FROM DOING GOD'S WILL; AND WHEN WE SEE THIS, HOPEFULLY WE WILL FEEL REVULSION, AND PUSH THEM AWAY, AND TURN TOWARDS GOD. AND THEN COMES FORGIVENESS.
GOD'S FORGIVENESS IS LIKE THE SUN; CONSTANTLY BATHING US IN WARMTH AND LIGHT. BUT SIN IS LIKE A ROCK UNDER WHICH WE HIDE. AND WE HAVE TO TURN AWAY FROM THAT COOL DARK AND PROBABLY COMFORTABLE HIDING PLACE AND COME OUT TO RECEIVE FORGIVENESS; SINCE WE ARE FREE, ONLY WE CAN MAKE THAT CHOICE.
MOST OF US SEE OURSELVES AS GOOD PERSONS; BUT WE AREN'T; AND MOST OF US EXCUSE OUR FAILINGS BECAUSE WE ARE ONLY HUMAN, OR BECAUSE THEY AREN'T THAT SERIOUS, OR BECAUSE THEY HAPPENED LONG AGO; BUT THOSE AREN'T EXCUSES, BECAUSE THOSE STATEMENTS ARE BASED ON FANTASY, NOT ON REALITY.
AND WILL WE SIN AGAIN? SURE, UNTIL OUR DYING DAY, BUT SO DID SAINT PAUL, AND MOTHER THERESA, AND YOU NAME THE SAINT. BUT WHAT MAKES A SAINT, PERHAPS, IS TO RECOGNIZE SIN FOR WHAT IT IS, TO CONSTANTLY STRUGGLE TO OVERCOME IT, AND HAVING SEEN IT FOR WHAT IT IS, TO TURN AWAY FROM SIN AND TURN TOWARDS GOD, EVERY DAY, MAYBE EVEN EVERY HOUR, DAY IN AND DAY OUT, FOR THE REST OF ONE'S LIFE. AND THAT SEEMS LIKE A VERY DIFFICULT TASK, BUT EVEN THERE GOD HELPS US. IF WE WANT TO REPENT, IF WE WANT TO CONFESS OUR SINS, THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THERE TO SHOW THEM TO US, TO HELP US IDENTIFY THEM, TO PUSH THEM AWAY, AND TO TURN TOWARDS FORGIVENESS. IT'S BEEN SAID THAT HELL IS FULL OF SINNERS WHO DID NOT REPENT, WHILE HEAVEN IS FULL OF SINNERS WHO DID. AND WHAT GREAT JOY THERE WILL BE AS WE GET RID OF ALL THAT CLOUDS OUR VISION, AS WE DETACH OURSELVES FROM ALL THOSE LITTLE THINGS THAT DRAG US DOWN, THAT KEEP US FROM PROGRESSING IN OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES – AND ENTER INTO THE LIGHT AND WARMTH OF GOD'S FORGIVENESS.
ADVENT IS A TIME FOR EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE. WHAT IS HOLDING ME BACK, WHAT ARE THOSE HABITUAL SINS, MAYBE VERY SMALL ONES, WHICH I MUST FIRST IDENTIFY AND THEN TURN AWAY FROM. TOMORROW THERE WILL BE OTHERS, NEXT YEAR, STILL MORE. BUT AS WE REPENT, AS WE RECEIVE FORGIVENESS, WE GET STRONGER AND THE PROCESS BECOMES EASIER, AND FORGIVENESS BECOMES MORE AND MORE DESIRABLE BECAUSE WE COME TO DELIGHT IN GOD'S TOUCH.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
First Sunday in Advent, cycle B
MARK 13:33-37
AS YOU KNOW, I AM A CANCER DOCTOR. AND AS SUCH, I AM PRIVILEGED TO WITNESS THINGS THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T SEE VERY OFTEN. THIS LAST WEEK WAS NO EXCEPTION. I HAD BEEN CARING FOR HER FOR ABOUT 15 YEARS. FOR A LONG TIME I SAW HER EVERY SIX MONTHS, JUST MAKING SURE THE CANCER WAS NOT BACK. AND THEN ONE DAY I GOT A CALL FROM ANOTHER HOSPITAL THAT SHE WAS UNCONSCIOUS AND RUNNING A HIGH FEVER. WE TRANSFERRED HER TO BAYSTATE AND DIAGNOSED A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MALIGNANCY, WHICH WE MANAGED TO BRING UNDER CONTROL BUT COULD NEVER CURE. AND TWO YEARS WENT BY, AND OVER THE LAST SIX WEEKS HER CONDITION DETERIORATED, AND LAST WEEK SHE LAY IN A HOSPITAL BED RECEIVING MORPHINE BECAUSE ALL WE COULD DO WAS CONTROL HER PAIN. AND HER DAUGHTER AND HER GRANDSONS WAITED. FOR A WEEK ONE OF THEM WAS ALWAYS AT THE BEDSIDE, MAYBE DOZING BUT NEVER SLEEPING. WHEN SHE STIRRED OR CALLED OUT, THEY WERE THERE, TO HOLD HER HAND, OR OFFER REASSURANCE, MAKING SURE SHE KNEW SHE WASN'T ALONE. AND FINALLY IT WAS OVER – SHE DIED IN THEIR ARMS, PEACEFULLY.
“BE WATCHFUL. BE ALERT! YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN THE TIME WILL COME.” THAT'S WHAT JESUS TELLS US TODAY. HE TALKS TO US ABOUT THE SERVANTS WHO WAIT FOR THEIR MASTER TO RETURN, MAKING SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS IN ORDER SO THAT WHEN HE DID COME, NO MATTER WHEN THAT WOULD BE, HE WOULD FIND NOTHING MISSING, HE WOULD FIND EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE, EVERYTHING DUSTED AND READY.
IT'S BEEN 2000 YEARS SINCE JESUS TOLD US TO BE WATCHFUL, TO BE ALERT. SO FAR, THE MASTER HASN'T RETURNED. PEOPLE ARE LOSING THEIR EDGE. PEOPLE ARE WONDERING IF THE MASTER WILL EVER RETURN. AND MANY HAVE LOST FAITH. AND IT SEEMS THAT THE ONLY TIMES WE CAN SUMMON THAT INTENSE WATCHFULNESS, THAT ALERTNESS THAT JESUS TALKS ABOUT, IS WHEN THERE IS SOME MAJOR LIFE EVENT, LIKE THE DEATH OF A LOVED ONE, OR PERHAPS A WEDDING OR THE BIRTH OF A CHILD. AND THE REST OF THE TIME, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE ARE IN CHURCH ON SUNDAY, THAT SENSE OF ALERTNESS IS REALLY NOT THERE AT ALL, AND OUR MINDS FIGHT TO ATTEND TO THE MYSTERIES THAT ARE UNFOLDING IN FRONT OF US.
BUT WHAT IF WE LIVED THIS SENSE OF ALERTNESS, THIS SENSE OF READINESS TO WHICH JESUS CALLS US? WHAT WOULD OUR LIVES BE LIKE IF WE REALLY BELIEVED THAT OUR KING MIGHT RETURN AT ANY MOMENT?
I'M SURE MOST OF US WOULD GET TO CONFESSION. PERHAPS WE WOULD BE PAYING A LITTLE MORE ATTENTION TO OUR PRAYER LIFE – WE MIGHT TAKE UP THE ROSARY, FOR EXAMPLE, BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY PROMISES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT PRAYER, PROMISES GUARANTEED BY THE GREAT SAINTS WHO TRANSMITTED THEM. PERHAPS WE WOULD TAKE SOME STEPS TOWARDS HEALING THE BROKEN AND INJURED RELATIONSHIPS WE HAVE WITH SO MANY PEOPLE, EVEN THOSE CLOSE TO US. MAYBE WE WOULD REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO THE LORD'S WORDS, “WHATEVER YOU DO FOR THE LEAST OF MY BROTHERS, YOU DO FOR ME.” AND WE WOULD LOOK AT OUR LIVES AND TRY TO IDENTIFY WHAT WE NEED TO DO MORE OF AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO LESS OF. HOW MUCH TIME DO WE WASTE? HOW MANY THINGS HAVE WE PUT OFF WHICH WE SHOULD HAVE DONE? ARE THERE HABITS WE WOULD BREAK, ONCE AND FOR ALL, BECAUSE WE WOULD RATHER NOT HAVE OUR KING LOOK AT US WITH SORROW BECAUSE WE HAVE MADE OURSELVES UNHEALTHY, WE HAVE DAMAGED OUR BODY OR OUR MIND, GIVEN TO US BY HIM.
THINGS WOULD STILL BE THE SAME OUT THERE IN OUR WORLD. THE BIG CHANGES WOULD BE IN HERE, IN OUR HEARTS.
ADVENT REMINDS US THAT OUR GREAT KING COULD RETURN AT ANY MOMENT. BUT IT ALSO REMINDS US THAT WE DON'T HAVE AN ENDLESS SEQUENCE OF TOMORROWS. WHEN YOU WAKE UP TOMORROW MORNING, YOU WILL HAVE ONE LESS DAY TO LIVE. NEXT SUNDAY, A WEEK WILL HAVE PASSED THAT YOU CAN'T RELIVE, THAT YOU CAN'T GO BACK TO AND DO IT RIGHT. AND THE CHURCH GIVES US ADVENT IN THE HOPE THAT NEXT YEAR WE WILL BE ABLE TO LOOK BACK AND SEE THAT WE HAVE MADE PROGRESS, THAT WE ARE MORE PREPARED FOR OUR GREAT KING.
AND MAYBE WE SHOULD CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY THAT JESUS IS NOT TALKING ABOUT THE END OF THE WORLD. PERHAPS HE IS TALKING ABOUT THE END OF YOUR WORLD, AND MY WORLD.
MY PATIENT, OVER THE FIFTEEN YEARS I KNEW HER, OCCASIONALLY TALKED ABOUT HER DESIRE TO GO BACK TO THE COUNTRY IN WHICH SHE WAS BORN. SHE HAD NOT BEEN THERE SINCE SHE HAD BEEN MARRIED TO A SOLDIER DURING WORLD WAR II. SHE HAD THE MEANS, SHE HAD THE TIME. SHE EVEN HAD A SISTER OVER THERE WHO HAD VISITED HER ON A FEW OCCASIONS. BUT A DAY CAME WHEN THIS DREAM COULD NO LONGER BE REALIZED. THE KING HAD COME, AND SHE WAS NOT READY.
SOME OF YOU PROBABLY SAW THE MOVIE, “BUCKET LIST”, ABOUT A PAIR OF MIDDLE AGED MEN WITH CANCER WHO DECIDE TO DO ALL THE THINGS THEY HAD ALWAYS WANTED TO DO, BUT NEVER GOT AROUND TO DOING. PERHAPS YOU'VE SEEN THOSE BOOKS THAT KEEP APPEARING, 500 PLACES TO VISIT BEFORE YOU DIE, OR 100 GREAT COMPOSITIONS TO LISTEN TO BEFORE YOU DIE. I HAVEN'T SEEN 500 THINGS TO EAT BEFORE YOU DIE, BUT I'M SURE IT WILL BE COMING SOON. ADVENT IS A TIME FOR US TO MAKE AN INVENTORY OF THE WHAT WE NEED TO DO BEFORE WE DIE, THOSE THINGS THAT PREPARE US FOR THE COMING OF OUR GREAT KING. AND THEN WE MUST MAKE OUR OWN LIST, AND GET TO IT. IT MAY BE ANOTHER TWO THOUSAND OR EVEN TWO MILLION YEARS BEFORE HE COMES IN ALL HIS GLORY TO BRING TO AN END OUR WORLD AND CREATE A NEW WORLD. BUT IT MAY BE NEXT WEEK, OR NEXT MONTH, OR NEXT YEAR WHEN HE COMES TO BRING AN END TO OUR BRIEF TOUR ON THIS WONDERFUL WORLD HE GAVE US. AND TODAY WE PRAY, “MAY HE NOT COME SUDDENLY, AND FIND US SLEEPING.”
AS YOU KNOW, I AM A CANCER DOCTOR. AND AS SUCH, I AM PRIVILEGED TO WITNESS THINGS THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T SEE VERY OFTEN. THIS LAST WEEK WAS NO EXCEPTION. I HAD BEEN CARING FOR HER FOR ABOUT 15 YEARS. FOR A LONG TIME I SAW HER EVERY SIX MONTHS, JUST MAKING SURE THE CANCER WAS NOT BACK. AND THEN ONE DAY I GOT A CALL FROM ANOTHER HOSPITAL THAT SHE WAS UNCONSCIOUS AND RUNNING A HIGH FEVER. WE TRANSFERRED HER TO BAYSTATE AND DIAGNOSED A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MALIGNANCY, WHICH WE MANAGED TO BRING UNDER CONTROL BUT COULD NEVER CURE. AND TWO YEARS WENT BY, AND OVER THE LAST SIX WEEKS HER CONDITION DETERIORATED, AND LAST WEEK SHE LAY IN A HOSPITAL BED RECEIVING MORPHINE BECAUSE ALL WE COULD DO WAS CONTROL HER PAIN. AND HER DAUGHTER AND HER GRANDSONS WAITED. FOR A WEEK ONE OF THEM WAS ALWAYS AT THE BEDSIDE, MAYBE DOZING BUT NEVER SLEEPING. WHEN SHE STIRRED OR CALLED OUT, THEY WERE THERE, TO HOLD HER HAND, OR OFFER REASSURANCE, MAKING SURE SHE KNEW SHE WASN'T ALONE. AND FINALLY IT WAS OVER – SHE DIED IN THEIR ARMS, PEACEFULLY.
“BE WATCHFUL. BE ALERT! YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN THE TIME WILL COME.” THAT'S WHAT JESUS TELLS US TODAY. HE TALKS TO US ABOUT THE SERVANTS WHO WAIT FOR THEIR MASTER TO RETURN, MAKING SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS IN ORDER SO THAT WHEN HE DID COME, NO MATTER WHEN THAT WOULD BE, HE WOULD FIND NOTHING MISSING, HE WOULD FIND EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE, EVERYTHING DUSTED AND READY.
IT'S BEEN 2000 YEARS SINCE JESUS TOLD US TO BE WATCHFUL, TO BE ALERT. SO FAR, THE MASTER HASN'T RETURNED. PEOPLE ARE LOSING THEIR EDGE. PEOPLE ARE WONDERING IF THE MASTER WILL EVER RETURN. AND MANY HAVE LOST FAITH. AND IT SEEMS THAT THE ONLY TIMES WE CAN SUMMON THAT INTENSE WATCHFULNESS, THAT ALERTNESS THAT JESUS TALKS ABOUT, IS WHEN THERE IS SOME MAJOR LIFE EVENT, LIKE THE DEATH OF A LOVED ONE, OR PERHAPS A WEDDING OR THE BIRTH OF A CHILD. AND THE REST OF THE TIME, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE ARE IN CHURCH ON SUNDAY, THAT SENSE OF ALERTNESS IS REALLY NOT THERE AT ALL, AND OUR MINDS FIGHT TO ATTEND TO THE MYSTERIES THAT ARE UNFOLDING IN FRONT OF US.
BUT WHAT IF WE LIVED THIS SENSE OF ALERTNESS, THIS SENSE OF READINESS TO WHICH JESUS CALLS US? WHAT WOULD OUR LIVES BE LIKE IF WE REALLY BELIEVED THAT OUR KING MIGHT RETURN AT ANY MOMENT?
I'M SURE MOST OF US WOULD GET TO CONFESSION. PERHAPS WE WOULD BE PAYING A LITTLE MORE ATTENTION TO OUR PRAYER LIFE – WE MIGHT TAKE UP THE ROSARY, FOR EXAMPLE, BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY PROMISES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT PRAYER, PROMISES GUARANTEED BY THE GREAT SAINTS WHO TRANSMITTED THEM. PERHAPS WE WOULD TAKE SOME STEPS TOWARDS HEALING THE BROKEN AND INJURED RELATIONSHIPS WE HAVE WITH SO MANY PEOPLE, EVEN THOSE CLOSE TO US. MAYBE WE WOULD REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO THE LORD'S WORDS, “WHATEVER YOU DO FOR THE LEAST OF MY BROTHERS, YOU DO FOR ME.” AND WE WOULD LOOK AT OUR LIVES AND TRY TO IDENTIFY WHAT WE NEED TO DO MORE OF AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO LESS OF. HOW MUCH TIME DO WE WASTE? HOW MANY THINGS HAVE WE PUT OFF WHICH WE SHOULD HAVE DONE? ARE THERE HABITS WE WOULD BREAK, ONCE AND FOR ALL, BECAUSE WE WOULD RATHER NOT HAVE OUR KING LOOK AT US WITH SORROW BECAUSE WE HAVE MADE OURSELVES UNHEALTHY, WE HAVE DAMAGED OUR BODY OR OUR MIND, GIVEN TO US BY HIM.
THINGS WOULD STILL BE THE SAME OUT THERE IN OUR WORLD. THE BIG CHANGES WOULD BE IN HERE, IN OUR HEARTS.
ADVENT REMINDS US THAT OUR GREAT KING COULD RETURN AT ANY MOMENT. BUT IT ALSO REMINDS US THAT WE DON'T HAVE AN ENDLESS SEQUENCE OF TOMORROWS. WHEN YOU WAKE UP TOMORROW MORNING, YOU WILL HAVE ONE LESS DAY TO LIVE. NEXT SUNDAY, A WEEK WILL HAVE PASSED THAT YOU CAN'T RELIVE, THAT YOU CAN'T GO BACK TO AND DO IT RIGHT. AND THE CHURCH GIVES US ADVENT IN THE HOPE THAT NEXT YEAR WE WILL BE ABLE TO LOOK BACK AND SEE THAT WE HAVE MADE PROGRESS, THAT WE ARE MORE PREPARED FOR OUR GREAT KING.
AND MAYBE WE SHOULD CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY THAT JESUS IS NOT TALKING ABOUT THE END OF THE WORLD. PERHAPS HE IS TALKING ABOUT THE END OF YOUR WORLD, AND MY WORLD.
MY PATIENT, OVER THE FIFTEEN YEARS I KNEW HER, OCCASIONALLY TALKED ABOUT HER DESIRE TO GO BACK TO THE COUNTRY IN WHICH SHE WAS BORN. SHE HAD NOT BEEN THERE SINCE SHE HAD BEEN MARRIED TO A SOLDIER DURING WORLD WAR II. SHE HAD THE MEANS, SHE HAD THE TIME. SHE EVEN HAD A SISTER OVER THERE WHO HAD VISITED HER ON A FEW OCCASIONS. BUT A DAY CAME WHEN THIS DREAM COULD NO LONGER BE REALIZED. THE KING HAD COME, AND SHE WAS NOT READY.
SOME OF YOU PROBABLY SAW THE MOVIE, “BUCKET LIST”, ABOUT A PAIR OF MIDDLE AGED MEN WITH CANCER WHO DECIDE TO DO ALL THE THINGS THEY HAD ALWAYS WANTED TO DO, BUT NEVER GOT AROUND TO DOING. PERHAPS YOU'VE SEEN THOSE BOOKS THAT KEEP APPEARING, 500 PLACES TO VISIT BEFORE YOU DIE, OR 100 GREAT COMPOSITIONS TO LISTEN TO BEFORE YOU DIE. I HAVEN'T SEEN 500 THINGS TO EAT BEFORE YOU DIE, BUT I'M SURE IT WILL BE COMING SOON. ADVENT IS A TIME FOR US TO MAKE AN INVENTORY OF THE WHAT WE NEED TO DO BEFORE WE DIE, THOSE THINGS THAT PREPARE US FOR THE COMING OF OUR GREAT KING. AND THEN WE MUST MAKE OUR OWN LIST, AND GET TO IT. IT MAY BE ANOTHER TWO THOUSAND OR EVEN TWO MILLION YEARS BEFORE HE COMES IN ALL HIS GLORY TO BRING TO AN END OUR WORLD AND CREATE A NEW WORLD. BUT IT MAY BE NEXT WEEK, OR NEXT MONTH, OR NEXT YEAR WHEN HE COMES TO BRING AN END TO OUR BRIEF TOUR ON THIS WONDERFUL WORLD HE GAVE US. AND TODAY WE PRAY, “MAY HE NOT COME SUDDENLY, AND FIND US SLEEPING.”
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Christ the King
MATTHEW 25:31-46
ONCE IN AN IRISH VILLAGE THE FATHER OF A LARGE FAMILY FELL AND BROKE HIS LEG. HE WAS THE ONLY BREADWINNER. THE PEOPLE DECIDED TO GATHER TOGETHER ONE SUNDAY TO PRAY FOR THE MAN AND HIS FAMILY. THEY NOTICED THAT EVERYONE HAD TURNED OUT, EXCEPT GEORGE MURPHY, AS USUAL. GEORGE ALMOST NEVER GRACED THE DOORS OF THE CHURCH. AFTER THE PRAYER SERVICE WAS OVER, THE PASTOR ASKED GEORGE'S SON, “WHERE IS YOUR FATHER?” THE BOY REPLIED, “HE HAD A LOT TO DO, SO HE SENT HIS PRAYERS IN THE WAGON.” AND THE WAGON WAS FILLED WITH THINGS FROM GEORGE'S FARM, VEGETABLES, POTATOES, A SMOKED HAM – ENOUGH FOOD FOR SIX WEEKS, ABOUT THE TIME IT WOULD TAKE FOR A BROKEN LEG TO HEAL.
WHEN WE HEAR THIS PARTICULAR GOSPEL, WE THINK OF THE LAST JUDGEMENT. OUR MINDS NATURALLY LEAP TO THE IDEA THAT IN SOME WAY, THOSE WHO FEED THE HUNGRY, GIVE DRINK TO THE THIRSTY, AND ALL THOSE OTHER THINGS WILL BE JUDGED AND SENT TO HEAVEN, AND THOSE WHO DON'T WILL GO OFF TO ETERNAL PUNISHMENT. AND WE MIGHT CONCLUDE THAT THE WAY TO GET TO HEAVEN IS TO DO GOOD WORKS.
BUT THERE ARE SOME INTERESTING THINGS GOING ON HERE. FIRST, THE KING SEPARATES THE SHEEP FROM THE GOATS. THEY ARE ALREADY SHEEP AND GOATS, THEY HAVEN'T BEEN MADE THAT WAY BY THE KING. IT IS REALLY NOT WHAT WE DO THAT SAVES OR CONDEMNS US, IT IS WHAT WE ARE. SOME MAY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO GREAT WORKS OF CHARITY; OTHERS MAY HAVE LITTLE OR NO OPPORTUNITY. BUT HOW WE RESPOND TO THE OPPORTUNITIES WE ARE GIVEN HAS TO DO WITH WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE WE ARE.
SECOND, THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS ARE SURPRISED BY WHAT THE KING TELLS THEM. “WHEN DID WE SEE YOU HUNGRY, OR NAKED, OR A STRANGER?” WHEN DID WE SERVE YOU, OR WHEN DID WE NOT? “BECAUSE”, BOTH GROUPS MIGHT ADD, “IF WE HAD SEEN YOU IN NEED, WE WOULD HAVE OF COURSE SERVED YOU.” AND THEY WOULD HAVE, WHETHER THEY WERE SHEEP OR GOATS. THE GREAT KING, IN ALL HIS GLORY, WOULD BE THE OBJECT OF LOVE, AND ALL WHO MET HIM WOULD WANT TO SERVE HIM, WOULD WANT TO TEND TO HIS NEEDS. WANTING TO DO GOOD IS PROBABLY COMMON TO SAINTS AND SINNERS. HOW MANY REALLY BAD THINGS HAVE HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND THAT STARTED OUT WITH SOMEONE WANTING TO DO GOOD? AND HOW MANY OPPORTUNITIES HAVE SLIPPED BY TO DO GOOD, BECAUSE THE PERSON WHO COULD HAVE DONE GOOD WAS, NOT BAD, BUT MORALLY LAZY.
BEING MORALLY LAZY MEANS THAT YOU CAN LOOK AT A CHILD IN TROUBLE AND SAY, “THAT'S NOT MY CHILD.” OR YOU CAN LOOK AT A LONELY OLD WOMAN AND SAY, “THAT'S NOT MY MOTHER.” OR YOU CAN HEAR ABOUT SOMEONE WHO HAS NO HOME, WHO GOES TO BED HUNGRY, AND YOU CAN SAY, “THAT'S NOT MY BROTHER.” MORAL LAZINESS – THE FAILURE TO USE OUR IMAGINATIONS TO SEE REAL RELATIONSHIPS.
SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI SPENT HIS LIFE ALLOWING GOD TO TEACH HIM. IN HIS LAST YEARS HE TOLD HIS BROTHERS ABOUT THE MOMENT THAT GOD MOVED HIM TO SEE THE REALITY OF THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAN. HE PASSED BY A LEPER. FRANCIS UP UNTIL THEN WAS APPALLED BY LEPROSY. HE WOULD CROSS THE STREET TO AVOID EVEN COMING NEAR A LEPER. BUT THAT DAY SOMETHING MOVED HIM TO GO OVER TO THE LEPER AND EMBRACE HIM AND CALL HIM BROTHER. AND FROM THAT MOMENT ON FRANCIS SAW EVERYONE AS CLOSER TO HIS HEART THAN EVEN THAN HIS OWN FAMILY MEMBERS.
JESUS CALLS US, NOT TO DO GOOD DEEDS, BECAUSE AS I SAID BEFORE, SOME HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO GREAT THINGS, OTHERS VERY LITTLE OPPORTUNITY. AND WHEN WE DO A GOOD DEED, WE ARE REALLY SIMPLY RESPONDING TO GOD'S IMPULSE IN US. “ALL GOOD THINGS,” ST. PAUL TELLS US, “COME FROM GOD.”. JESUS CALLS US RATHER TO DEVELOP A WAY OF LOOKING AT OTHERS, A SECOND NATURE, IF YOU WILL. WHEN WE MEET SOMEONE, THE FIRST THOUGHT SHOULD BE, “HOW CAN I HELP HIM OR HER?” WHEN WE HEAR ABOUT SOMEONE IN TROUBLE, OUR FIRST THOUGHT SHOULD BE, “CAN I DO SOMETHING TO HELP THAT PERSON GET OUT OF TROUBLE?” BECAUSE WHEN WE HAVE THIS ATTITUDE, WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST. IT DOESN'T TAKE A LOT OF EFFORT TO SEE IN THE GOSPELS HOW JESUS LIVED THIS WAY – THOSE WHO CROSSED HIS PATH, HE HELPED. WHEN HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO RAISE THE DAUGHTER OF THE SYNAGOGUE OFFICIAL, HE STOPPED TO HEAL THE WOMAN WHO CONFRONTED HIM, EVEN THOUGH SHE WASN'T EVEN JEWISH. WHEN HIS APOSTLES TRIED TO SILENCE THE BLIND MAN, BECAUSE THY FELT THAT JESUS HAD DONE ENOUGH THAT DAY, JESUS HEARD AND HEALED HIM. WHEN PETER STRUCK THE SERVANT OF THE HIGH PRIEST, AND LOPPED OFF HIS EAR, JESUS HEALED THE MAN AS PERHAPS THE LAST HEALING HE WOULD DO IN THIS LIFE – HE HEALED AN ENEMY WHO HAD COME TO PUT HIM TO DEATH.
HOW DO WE GET TO BE SHEEP? WE HUMAN BEINGS HAVE A WONDERFUL CAPACITY – WE CAN DEVELOP HABITS. OUR WHOLE DAY IS TAKEN UP BY HABITS ACTED OUT. JUST REFLECT ON YOURSELF. WHEN YOU CAME INTO CHURCH TODAY, YOU PROBABLY SAT IN ABOUT THE SAME PEW YOU ALWAYS SIT IN. WHEN YOU LEAVE CHURCH, YOU WILL PROBABLY DO WHAT YOU DID LAST SUNDAY, AND THE SUNDAY BEFORE. WHEN YOU GET IN THE CAR, YOU WILL GET IN THE SAME WAY YOU ALWAYS DO. AND WE CAN LEARN THE HABIT OF SENSITIVITY, THE HABIT OF CHARITY, AS WELL. AT FIRST ITS HARD; MAYBE WE HAVE TO BREAK THE HABIT WE NOW HAVE, WHICH IS TO CLOSE OUR EYES AND EARS AND GO ON ABOUT OUR BUSINESS WHEN WE CONFRONT SOMEONE IN NEED. MAYBE THERE IS A TAPE IN OUR HEADS THAT SAYS, “HE'D PROBABLY JUST SPEND ANYTHING I GAVE HIM ON ALCOHOL,” OR “WHY DOESN'T SHE GO TO A SHELTER? THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE FOR.” OUR TASK IS TO BECOME THE KIND OF PEOPLE WHO, WITHOUT EVEN THINKING ABOUT IT, CANNOT BE IDLE WHEN SOMEONE ELSE NEEDS US. AND THEN, WHEN THE GREAT KING MOVES AMONG HIS PEOPLE, WE DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT FAILING TO SERVE HIM BECAUSE WE DO NOT RECOGNIZE HIM.
ONCE IN AN IRISH VILLAGE THE FATHER OF A LARGE FAMILY FELL AND BROKE HIS LEG. HE WAS THE ONLY BREADWINNER. THE PEOPLE DECIDED TO GATHER TOGETHER ONE SUNDAY TO PRAY FOR THE MAN AND HIS FAMILY. THEY NOTICED THAT EVERYONE HAD TURNED OUT, EXCEPT GEORGE MURPHY, AS USUAL. GEORGE ALMOST NEVER GRACED THE DOORS OF THE CHURCH. AFTER THE PRAYER SERVICE WAS OVER, THE PASTOR ASKED GEORGE'S SON, “WHERE IS YOUR FATHER?” THE BOY REPLIED, “HE HAD A LOT TO DO, SO HE SENT HIS PRAYERS IN THE WAGON.” AND THE WAGON WAS FILLED WITH THINGS FROM GEORGE'S FARM, VEGETABLES, POTATOES, A SMOKED HAM – ENOUGH FOOD FOR SIX WEEKS, ABOUT THE TIME IT WOULD TAKE FOR A BROKEN LEG TO HEAL.
WHEN WE HEAR THIS PARTICULAR GOSPEL, WE THINK OF THE LAST JUDGEMENT. OUR MINDS NATURALLY LEAP TO THE IDEA THAT IN SOME WAY, THOSE WHO FEED THE HUNGRY, GIVE DRINK TO THE THIRSTY, AND ALL THOSE OTHER THINGS WILL BE JUDGED AND SENT TO HEAVEN, AND THOSE WHO DON'T WILL GO OFF TO ETERNAL PUNISHMENT. AND WE MIGHT CONCLUDE THAT THE WAY TO GET TO HEAVEN IS TO DO GOOD WORKS.
BUT THERE ARE SOME INTERESTING THINGS GOING ON HERE. FIRST, THE KING SEPARATES THE SHEEP FROM THE GOATS. THEY ARE ALREADY SHEEP AND GOATS, THEY HAVEN'T BEEN MADE THAT WAY BY THE KING. IT IS REALLY NOT WHAT WE DO THAT SAVES OR CONDEMNS US, IT IS WHAT WE ARE. SOME MAY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO GREAT WORKS OF CHARITY; OTHERS MAY HAVE LITTLE OR NO OPPORTUNITY. BUT HOW WE RESPOND TO THE OPPORTUNITIES WE ARE GIVEN HAS TO DO WITH WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE WE ARE.
SECOND, THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS ARE SURPRISED BY WHAT THE KING TELLS THEM. “WHEN DID WE SEE YOU HUNGRY, OR NAKED, OR A STRANGER?” WHEN DID WE SERVE YOU, OR WHEN DID WE NOT? “BECAUSE”, BOTH GROUPS MIGHT ADD, “IF WE HAD SEEN YOU IN NEED, WE WOULD HAVE OF COURSE SERVED YOU.” AND THEY WOULD HAVE, WHETHER THEY WERE SHEEP OR GOATS. THE GREAT KING, IN ALL HIS GLORY, WOULD BE THE OBJECT OF LOVE, AND ALL WHO MET HIM WOULD WANT TO SERVE HIM, WOULD WANT TO TEND TO HIS NEEDS. WANTING TO DO GOOD IS PROBABLY COMMON TO SAINTS AND SINNERS. HOW MANY REALLY BAD THINGS HAVE HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND THAT STARTED OUT WITH SOMEONE WANTING TO DO GOOD? AND HOW MANY OPPORTUNITIES HAVE SLIPPED BY TO DO GOOD, BECAUSE THE PERSON WHO COULD HAVE DONE GOOD WAS, NOT BAD, BUT MORALLY LAZY.
BEING MORALLY LAZY MEANS THAT YOU CAN LOOK AT A CHILD IN TROUBLE AND SAY, “THAT'S NOT MY CHILD.” OR YOU CAN LOOK AT A LONELY OLD WOMAN AND SAY, “THAT'S NOT MY MOTHER.” OR YOU CAN HEAR ABOUT SOMEONE WHO HAS NO HOME, WHO GOES TO BED HUNGRY, AND YOU CAN SAY, “THAT'S NOT MY BROTHER.” MORAL LAZINESS – THE FAILURE TO USE OUR IMAGINATIONS TO SEE REAL RELATIONSHIPS.
SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI SPENT HIS LIFE ALLOWING GOD TO TEACH HIM. IN HIS LAST YEARS HE TOLD HIS BROTHERS ABOUT THE MOMENT THAT GOD MOVED HIM TO SEE THE REALITY OF THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAN. HE PASSED BY A LEPER. FRANCIS UP UNTIL THEN WAS APPALLED BY LEPROSY. HE WOULD CROSS THE STREET TO AVOID EVEN COMING NEAR A LEPER. BUT THAT DAY SOMETHING MOVED HIM TO GO OVER TO THE LEPER AND EMBRACE HIM AND CALL HIM BROTHER. AND FROM THAT MOMENT ON FRANCIS SAW EVERYONE AS CLOSER TO HIS HEART THAN EVEN THAN HIS OWN FAMILY MEMBERS.
JESUS CALLS US, NOT TO DO GOOD DEEDS, BECAUSE AS I SAID BEFORE, SOME HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO GREAT THINGS, OTHERS VERY LITTLE OPPORTUNITY. AND WHEN WE DO A GOOD DEED, WE ARE REALLY SIMPLY RESPONDING TO GOD'S IMPULSE IN US. “ALL GOOD THINGS,” ST. PAUL TELLS US, “COME FROM GOD.”. JESUS CALLS US RATHER TO DEVELOP A WAY OF LOOKING AT OTHERS, A SECOND NATURE, IF YOU WILL. WHEN WE MEET SOMEONE, THE FIRST THOUGHT SHOULD BE, “HOW CAN I HELP HIM OR HER?” WHEN WE HEAR ABOUT SOMEONE IN TROUBLE, OUR FIRST THOUGHT SHOULD BE, “CAN I DO SOMETHING TO HELP THAT PERSON GET OUT OF TROUBLE?” BECAUSE WHEN WE HAVE THIS ATTITUDE, WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST. IT DOESN'T TAKE A LOT OF EFFORT TO SEE IN THE GOSPELS HOW JESUS LIVED THIS WAY – THOSE WHO CROSSED HIS PATH, HE HELPED. WHEN HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO RAISE THE DAUGHTER OF THE SYNAGOGUE OFFICIAL, HE STOPPED TO HEAL THE WOMAN WHO CONFRONTED HIM, EVEN THOUGH SHE WASN'T EVEN JEWISH. WHEN HIS APOSTLES TRIED TO SILENCE THE BLIND MAN, BECAUSE THY FELT THAT JESUS HAD DONE ENOUGH THAT DAY, JESUS HEARD AND HEALED HIM. WHEN PETER STRUCK THE SERVANT OF THE HIGH PRIEST, AND LOPPED OFF HIS EAR, JESUS HEALED THE MAN AS PERHAPS THE LAST HEALING HE WOULD DO IN THIS LIFE – HE HEALED AN ENEMY WHO HAD COME TO PUT HIM TO DEATH.
HOW DO WE GET TO BE SHEEP? WE HUMAN BEINGS HAVE A WONDERFUL CAPACITY – WE CAN DEVELOP HABITS. OUR WHOLE DAY IS TAKEN UP BY HABITS ACTED OUT. JUST REFLECT ON YOURSELF. WHEN YOU CAME INTO CHURCH TODAY, YOU PROBABLY SAT IN ABOUT THE SAME PEW YOU ALWAYS SIT IN. WHEN YOU LEAVE CHURCH, YOU WILL PROBABLY DO WHAT YOU DID LAST SUNDAY, AND THE SUNDAY BEFORE. WHEN YOU GET IN THE CAR, YOU WILL GET IN THE SAME WAY YOU ALWAYS DO. AND WE CAN LEARN THE HABIT OF SENSITIVITY, THE HABIT OF CHARITY, AS WELL. AT FIRST ITS HARD; MAYBE WE HAVE TO BREAK THE HABIT WE NOW HAVE, WHICH IS TO CLOSE OUR EYES AND EARS AND GO ON ABOUT OUR BUSINESS WHEN WE CONFRONT SOMEONE IN NEED. MAYBE THERE IS A TAPE IN OUR HEADS THAT SAYS, “HE'D PROBABLY JUST SPEND ANYTHING I GAVE HIM ON ALCOHOL,” OR “WHY DOESN'T SHE GO TO A SHELTER? THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE FOR.” OUR TASK IS TO BECOME THE KIND OF PEOPLE WHO, WITHOUT EVEN THINKING ABOUT IT, CANNOT BE IDLE WHEN SOMEONE ELSE NEEDS US. AND THEN, WHEN THE GREAT KING MOVES AMONG HIS PEOPLE, WE DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT FAILING TO SERVE HIM BECAUSE WE DO NOT RECOGNIZE HIM.
Monday, November 17, 2008
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A
MATTHEW 25:14-30
THE OTHER DAY I WAS TALKING TO A MAN I'VE ADMIRED FOR A LONG TIME. HE'S VERY OLD, NOW, AND SHOWS A LOT OF THE FAILINGS OF OLD AGE, BUT HIS MIND IS SHARP. I MENTIONED TO HIM HOW I WAS WORRYING ABOUT MY OWN TRANSITION; I AM GETTING READY TO REDUCE MY WORK LOAD, AND EVENTUALLY RETIRE. I TOLD HIM HOW I HAD REGRETS FOR ALL THE THINGS I THOUGHT I WOULD DO, AND NOW SEE THAT I WON'T REALLY DO THEM. AND IN TRUTH, I LOOK BACK AT MY SPIRITUAL LIFE, AND FEEL THE SAME WAY ABOUT THAT. WHY AM I NOT FURTHER ALONG THAN I AM? WHY AM I NOT A GREAT SAINT? AND MY FRIEND, WHO IS ONE OF THE MOST DEVOUT MEN I KNOW, REPLIED THAT HE FELT THE SAME WAY. HE TOO HAD A SENSE THAT HIS LIFE HAD NOT LIVED UP TO ITS PROMISE, THAT HIS VISION FOR HIMSELF WHEN HE WAS YOUNG HAD FALLEN SHORT. AND PERHAPS WE ALL FEEL THAT WAY.
THERE ARE MANY HEROES IN THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WERE GREAT MISSIONARIES, LIKE ST. PAUL AND ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. THERE WERE MEN AND WOMEN WHO LIVED HEROIC LIVES OF CONTEMPLATION, LIKE ST. ANTHONY OF THE DESERT, OR ST. CATHERINE OF SIENNA. GREAT MYSTICS, MARTYRS, FOUNDERS OF RELIGIOUS ORDERS, WRITERS, THEOLOGIANS – PEOPLE WHO LED LIVES WHICH HAVE COME TO DEFINE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN; PEOPLE WHO WORKED WITH ALL THEIR HEARTS TO FOLLOW JESUS.
SOMETIMES WHEN YOU READ THEIR LIVES, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT THEY'VE DONE, ITS EASY TO GET DISCOURAGED. WHEN YOU READ ABOUT ONE OF THE RECENTLY CANONIZED MARTYRS OF KOREA, WHO WAS BROUGHT BEFORE THE JUDGE WITH HIS FRIENDS, AND WHO IN A MOMENT OF FEAR, DENIED THAT HE WAS A CHRISTIAN. HE WAS RELEASED, BUT LATER CAME BACK INTO THE COURTROOM AND ADMITTED LOUDLY THAT HE WAS A CHRISTIAN, AND WENT ON TO HIS DEATH – COULD YOU OR I DO THAT?
TODAY'S GOSPEL SHOULD BE ONE OF COMFORT. WHAT WE ARE GIVEN TO LIVE OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES IS NOT REALLY IN OUR HANDS. THE GREAT SAINTS WERE NOT SPIRITUAL ATHLETES; THEY WERE GIVEN THE GRACE TO LIVE LIVES TO SERVE AS BEACONS TO THE REST OF US, LIVES TO TEACH, TO HEAL, TO CONVERT. GOD WAS THE REASON FOR SAINT FRANCIS; ALL HE DID WAS COOPERATE WITH GOD'S GRACE. GOD WAS THE REASON FOR MOTHER THERESA; SHE WAS GIVEN FIVE TALENTS, AND MADE ANOTHER FIVE. AND GOD IS THE REASON FOR MY FRIEND; HE WORKED FOR THE GOVERNMENT, HE RAISED A FAMILY, HE SAW TO IT THAT HIS CHILDREN HAD EVERY ADVANTAGE, AND HE WORKED FOR HIS CHURCH AS WELL.
IN THE GOSPEL, WE READ ABOUT A MAN WHO STARTED WITH FIVE TALENTS, ANOTHER, WITH TWO. AND BOTH COOPERATED FULLY WITH WHAT THEY WERE GIVEN. THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS WERE NOT THEIR DOING; THEY COULD NEVER HAVE BEEN DONE WITHOUT WHAT THEIR LORD GAVE THEM. THE THIRD MAN WAS GIVEN ONE TALENT, AND DID NOTHING WITH IT. THE POINT OF JESUS' STORY, PERHAPS, IS NOT THAT WE SHOULD LOOK WITH ENVY ON THOSE WHO ARE SPIRITUAL GIANTS, BUT ONLY LOOK TO WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN US, AND ASK IF WE ARE USING OUR TALENTS WELL. IT IS INTERESTING THAT THE MASTER DID NOT EVEN BERATE THE THIRD MAN FOR NOT DOING WHAT THE OTHERS HAD DONE, NAMELY, DOUBLING WHAT HE HAD BEEN GIVEN. HE CHASTISED HIM BECAUSE HE COULD HAVE AT LEAST PUT THE TALENT IN THE BANK SO THAT IT WOULD EARN INTEREST. AND THAT SEEMS TO ME TO BE THE MERCIFUL PART OF THIS STORY. GOD WILL SAY “WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT” INDEED, IF WE HAVE DONE GREAT THINGS. BUT HE WILL SAY THAT AS WELL IF WE HAVE ONLY DONE SMALL THINGS, IF WE HAVE ONLY ADDED A LITTLE BIT TO THE WORLD FROM WHAT WE WERE GIVEN.
THIS IS NOT A REASON FOR COMPLACENCY. PERHAPS THERE IS ANOTHER LESSON IN THIS STORY. TO THE TWO MEN WHO DOUBLED WHAT THEY HAD BEEN GIVEN, THEY ARE PROMISED THAT THEY WILL BE PUT IN CHARGE OF GREATER RESPONSIBILITIES. NOT ONLY WILL THEY ENTER THEIR MASTER'S JOY, BUT THEY WILL PARTICIPATE IN THEIR MASTER'S WORK IN THE FUTURE. IN THE STORY IN LUKE, THEY ARE PUT IN CHARGE OF TOWNS, THEY GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO FROM SLAVE TO RULER. AND JESUS AS WELL HAS PROMISED THAT THOSE WHO FOLLOW HIM WILL RULE, WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE CREATION OF HIS KINGDOM. THE MAN WHO HAS MADE FIVE TALENTS GETS ANOTHER; HE WHO HAS MUCH WILL GET MORE; AND THE MAN WHO HID THE ONE TALENT LOSES EVEN THAT; HE WHO HAD LITTLE WILL HAVE EVEN THAT TAKEN AWAY.
SOME TIME AGO THERE WAS A VERY POPULAR BOOK CALLED “THE PRAYER OF JABEZ”. IN THAT PRAYER, THE PRAYER OF AN OLD TESTAMENT PATRIARCH, ABOUT WHOM WE KNOW NOTHING ELSE, JABEZ ASKS GOD TO INCREASE HIS TERRITORY. THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK INTERPRETS THAT TO MEAN THAT JABEZ WANTED THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO MORE FOR GOD, AND THAT THIS WAS A PRAYER ALL OF US CHRISTIANS SHOULD BE SAYING. CERTAINLY THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS SEEMS TO IMPLY THE SAME IDEA.
SO WE NEEDN'T LOOK WITH ENVY AT THE GREAT SAINTS. IF GOD WANTED YOU OR ME TO BE A GREAT SAINT, HE WOULD GIVE US THE WHEREWITHAL TO BE A GREAT SAINT. IT WOULD NOT BE OUR DOING. MAYBE HE GIVES MANY THE WHEREWITHAL, AND MAYBE VERY FEW COOPERATE. BUT OUR JOB IS NOT TO BE ANOTHER FRANCIS, ANOTHER ST. THOMAS, ANOTHER ST. THERESA. OUR JOB IS TO BE WHO I AM, TO TAKE WHAT I HAVE BEEN GIVEN AND MAKE SOMETHING OF IT, EVEN IF ONLY CUPCAKES FOR A BAKE SALE, HELPING SET UP FOR A PARISH EVENT, TEACHING IN FAITH FORMATION – OR SEEING TO IT THAT MY FAMILY HAS WHAT THEY NEED, OR THAT I GIVE WHAT I CAN TO HELP THOSE LESS FORTUNATE. PERHAPS MY JOB AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE IS JUST TO BROADEN AND DEEPEN MY OWN UNDERSTANDING OF MY FAITH, IN PREPARATION TO BEING CALLED TO SOMETHING GREATER. AND IF WE BEGIN WITH LITTLE THINGS, AND MAKE MORE OUT OF WHAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN, WE MAY FIND THAT MORE WILL BE GIVEN TO US TO USE, MORE WILL BE PUT AT OUR DISPOSAL, AND THE HABITS AND GENEROSITY THAT HAVE HELPED US TAKE A LITTLE AND MAKE MORE WILL SERVE US WELL AS THE MASTER PUTS US IN CHARGE OF GREATER THINGS. AND MAYBE ONE OR TWO OF US WILL DISCOVER BEFORE THE END OF OUR LIVES THAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN FIVE TALENTS, AND WE CAN MAKE FIVE MORE FOR OUR MASTER.
SO LET US PRAY ON THIS LAST SUNDAY THAT WE WILL HEAR THOSE WONDERFUL WORDS SOMEDAY, “WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT! COME SHARE YOUR MASTER'S JOY.”
THE OTHER DAY I WAS TALKING TO A MAN I'VE ADMIRED FOR A LONG TIME. HE'S VERY OLD, NOW, AND SHOWS A LOT OF THE FAILINGS OF OLD AGE, BUT HIS MIND IS SHARP. I MENTIONED TO HIM HOW I WAS WORRYING ABOUT MY OWN TRANSITION; I AM GETTING READY TO REDUCE MY WORK LOAD, AND EVENTUALLY RETIRE. I TOLD HIM HOW I HAD REGRETS FOR ALL THE THINGS I THOUGHT I WOULD DO, AND NOW SEE THAT I WON'T REALLY DO THEM. AND IN TRUTH, I LOOK BACK AT MY SPIRITUAL LIFE, AND FEEL THE SAME WAY ABOUT THAT. WHY AM I NOT FURTHER ALONG THAN I AM? WHY AM I NOT A GREAT SAINT? AND MY FRIEND, WHO IS ONE OF THE MOST DEVOUT MEN I KNOW, REPLIED THAT HE FELT THE SAME WAY. HE TOO HAD A SENSE THAT HIS LIFE HAD NOT LIVED UP TO ITS PROMISE, THAT HIS VISION FOR HIMSELF WHEN HE WAS YOUNG HAD FALLEN SHORT. AND PERHAPS WE ALL FEEL THAT WAY.
THERE ARE MANY HEROES IN THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WERE GREAT MISSIONARIES, LIKE ST. PAUL AND ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. THERE WERE MEN AND WOMEN WHO LIVED HEROIC LIVES OF CONTEMPLATION, LIKE ST. ANTHONY OF THE DESERT, OR ST. CATHERINE OF SIENNA. GREAT MYSTICS, MARTYRS, FOUNDERS OF RELIGIOUS ORDERS, WRITERS, THEOLOGIANS – PEOPLE WHO LED LIVES WHICH HAVE COME TO DEFINE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN; PEOPLE WHO WORKED WITH ALL THEIR HEARTS TO FOLLOW JESUS.
SOMETIMES WHEN YOU READ THEIR LIVES, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT THEY'VE DONE, ITS EASY TO GET DISCOURAGED. WHEN YOU READ ABOUT ONE OF THE RECENTLY CANONIZED MARTYRS OF KOREA, WHO WAS BROUGHT BEFORE THE JUDGE WITH HIS FRIENDS, AND WHO IN A MOMENT OF FEAR, DENIED THAT HE WAS A CHRISTIAN. HE WAS RELEASED, BUT LATER CAME BACK INTO THE COURTROOM AND ADMITTED LOUDLY THAT HE WAS A CHRISTIAN, AND WENT ON TO HIS DEATH – COULD YOU OR I DO THAT?
TODAY'S GOSPEL SHOULD BE ONE OF COMFORT. WHAT WE ARE GIVEN TO LIVE OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES IS NOT REALLY IN OUR HANDS. THE GREAT SAINTS WERE NOT SPIRITUAL ATHLETES; THEY WERE GIVEN THE GRACE TO LIVE LIVES TO SERVE AS BEACONS TO THE REST OF US, LIVES TO TEACH, TO HEAL, TO CONVERT. GOD WAS THE REASON FOR SAINT FRANCIS; ALL HE DID WAS COOPERATE WITH GOD'S GRACE. GOD WAS THE REASON FOR MOTHER THERESA; SHE WAS GIVEN FIVE TALENTS, AND MADE ANOTHER FIVE. AND GOD IS THE REASON FOR MY FRIEND; HE WORKED FOR THE GOVERNMENT, HE RAISED A FAMILY, HE SAW TO IT THAT HIS CHILDREN HAD EVERY ADVANTAGE, AND HE WORKED FOR HIS CHURCH AS WELL.
IN THE GOSPEL, WE READ ABOUT A MAN WHO STARTED WITH FIVE TALENTS, ANOTHER, WITH TWO. AND BOTH COOPERATED FULLY WITH WHAT THEY WERE GIVEN. THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS WERE NOT THEIR DOING; THEY COULD NEVER HAVE BEEN DONE WITHOUT WHAT THEIR LORD GAVE THEM. THE THIRD MAN WAS GIVEN ONE TALENT, AND DID NOTHING WITH IT. THE POINT OF JESUS' STORY, PERHAPS, IS NOT THAT WE SHOULD LOOK WITH ENVY ON THOSE WHO ARE SPIRITUAL GIANTS, BUT ONLY LOOK TO WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN US, AND ASK IF WE ARE USING OUR TALENTS WELL. IT IS INTERESTING THAT THE MASTER DID NOT EVEN BERATE THE THIRD MAN FOR NOT DOING WHAT THE OTHERS HAD DONE, NAMELY, DOUBLING WHAT HE HAD BEEN GIVEN. HE CHASTISED HIM BECAUSE HE COULD HAVE AT LEAST PUT THE TALENT IN THE BANK SO THAT IT WOULD EARN INTEREST. AND THAT SEEMS TO ME TO BE THE MERCIFUL PART OF THIS STORY. GOD WILL SAY “WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT” INDEED, IF WE HAVE DONE GREAT THINGS. BUT HE WILL SAY THAT AS WELL IF WE HAVE ONLY DONE SMALL THINGS, IF WE HAVE ONLY ADDED A LITTLE BIT TO THE WORLD FROM WHAT WE WERE GIVEN.
THIS IS NOT A REASON FOR COMPLACENCY. PERHAPS THERE IS ANOTHER LESSON IN THIS STORY. TO THE TWO MEN WHO DOUBLED WHAT THEY HAD BEEN GIVEN, THEY ARE PROMISED THAT THEY WILL BE PUT IN CHARGE OF GREATER RESPONSIBILITIES. NOT ONLY WILL THEY ENTER THEIR MASTER'S JOY, BUT THEY WILL PARTICIPATE IN THEIR MASTER'S WORK IN THE FUTURE. IN THE STORY IN LUKE, THEY ARE PUT IN CHARGE OF TOWNS, THEY GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO FROM SLAVE TO RULER. AND JESUS AS WELL HAS PROMISED THAT THOSE WHO FOLLOW HIM WILL RULE, WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE CREATION OF HIS KINGDOM. THE MAN WHO HAS MADE FIVE TALENTS GETS ANOTHER; HE WHO HAS MUCH WILL GET MORE; AND THE MAN WHO HID THE ONE TALENT LOSES EVEN THAT; HE WHO HAD LITTLE WILL HAVE EVEN THAT TAKEN AWAY.
SOME TIME AGO THERE WAS A VERY POPULAR BOOK CALLED “THE PRAYER OF JABEZ”. IN THAT PRAYER, THE PRAYER OF AN OLD TESTAMENT PATRIARCH, ABOUT WHOM WE KNOW NOTHING ELSE, JABEZ ASKS GOD TO INCREASE HIS TERRITORY. THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK INTERPRETS THAT TO MEAN THAT JABEZ WANTED THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO MORE FOR GOD, AND THAT THIS WAS A PRAYER ALL OF US CHRISTIANS SHOULD BE SAYING. CERTAINLY THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS SEEMS TO IMPLY THE SAME IDEA.
SO WE NEEDN'T LOOK WITH ENVY AT THE GREAT SAINTS. IF GOD WANTED YOU OR ME TO BE A GREAT SAINT, HE WOULD GIVE US THE WHEREWITHAL TO BE A GREAT SAINT. IT WOULD NOT BE OUR DOING. MAYBE HE GIVES MANY THE WHEREWITHAL, AND MAYBE VERY FEW COOPERATE. BUT OUR JOB IS NOT TO BE ANOTHER FRANCIS, ANOTHER ST. THOMAS, ANOTHER ST. THERESA. OUR JOB IS TO BE WHO I AM, TO TAKE WHAT I HAVE BEEN GIVEN AND MAKE SOMETHING OF IT, EVEN IF ONLY CUPCAKES FOR A BAKE SALE, HELPING SET UP FOR A PARISH EVENT, TEACHING IN FAITH FORMATION – OR SEEING TO IT THAT MY FAMILY HAS WHAT THEY NEED, OR THAT I GIVE WHAT I CAN TO HELP THOSE LESS FORTUNATE. PERHAPS MY JOB AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE IS JUST TO BROADEN AND DEEPEN MY OWN UNDERSTANDING OF MY FAITH, IN PREPARATION TO BEING CALLED TO SOMETHING GREATER. AND IF WE BEGIN WITH LITTLE THINGS, AND MAKE MORE OUT OF WHAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN, WE MAY FIND THAT MORE WILL BE GIVEN TO US TO USE, MORE WILL BE PUT AT OUR DISPOSAL, AND THE HABITS AND GENEROSITY THAT HAVE HELPED US TAKE A LITTLE AND MAKE MORE WILL SERVE US WELL AS THE MASTER PUTS US IN CHARGE OF GREATER THINGS. AND MAYBE ONE OR TWO OF US WILL DISCOVER BEFORE THE END OF OUR LIVES THAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN FIVE TALENTS, AND WE CAN MAKE FIVE MORE FOR OUR MASTER.
SO LET US PRAY ON THIS LAST SUNDAY THAT WE WILL HEAR THOSE WONDERFUL WORDS SOMEDAY, “WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT! COME SHARE YOUR MASTER'S JOY.”
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