MATTHEW 4:1-11
IN THE FIRST READING, WE HEAR ABOUT THE TEMPTATION OF ADAM AND EVE. WE ALL KNOW HOW THAT CAME OUT. THEY COULDN'T RESIST. BUT THERE IS ANOTHER PART OF THAT STORY WHICH YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD. AFTER EVE ATE THE FRUIT, GOD TOLD HER SHE WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE PARADISE. AS SHE WALKED AWAY, ADAM LOOKED AROUND – THERE WAS A GORILLA OVER THERE, A GIRAFFE OVER THERE … AND FINALLY HE PICKED UP THE FRUIT AND TOOK A BITE HIMSELF. GOD TOLD HIM HE WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE AS WELL. AS ADAM WAS LEAVING THE GARDEN, HE ASKED GOD, “WHY DID YOU MAKE HER SO BEAUTIFUL? HERE I AM, GIVING UP PARADISE TO BE WITH HER.” GOD ANSWERED, “I HAD TO MAKE HER BEAUTIFUL SO THAT YOU WOULD FALL IN LOVE WITH HER.” ADAM WALKED ON. THEN HE ASKED, “GOD, JUST ONE MORE QUESTION. “ WHY DID YOU MAKE HER SO STUPID? SHE GAVE UP PARADISE JUST TO TASTE A PIECE OF FRUIT!” AND GOD ANSWERED, “WELL, SHE HAD TO FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU, YOU KNOW.”
IN THE GOSPEL STORY, JESUS IS LED BY THE SPIRIT INTO THE DESERT, WHERE HE WILL FAST AND BE TEMPTED. IN THE VERSION IN MARK, IT SAYS THAT THE SPIRIT DROVE HIM INTO THE DESERT – MUCH MORE FORCEFUL. BUT WHY? I THINK THIS MOMENT IS SUPREMELY IMPORTANT IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS. THIS IS THE MOMENT WHEN HE CHOSE – YES, CHOSE – TO UNDERTAKE THE MISSION GOD HAD GIVEN HIM. SOMETIMES WE THINK THAT THE SON OF GOD CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN AND SORT OF WALKED THROUGH THIRTY THREE YEARS OF A LIFETIME THAT COULD NOT HAVE GONE ANY OTHER WAY. IT WAS ALMOST LIKE HE WAS ACTING ON A STAGE, EVERY STEP, EVERY WORD, EVERY GESTURE, PLOTTED IN ADVANCE. BUT THAT COULD NOT BE THE CASE. JESUS WAS FULLY HUMAN, AND WE HUMANS CAN CHOOSE NOT TO OBEY GOD ANY TIME WE WANT. SOMETIMES OUR DISOBEDIENCE MAY NOT SEEM TO HAVE GREAT CONSEQUENCES – FAILURE TO DO SOMETHING OFTEN SEEMS MUCH LESS SERIOUS THAN ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING THAT GOD FORBIDS. SO I SUSPECT JESUS COULD HAVE CHOSEN OTHERWISE – HE EVEN HINTED AT IT WHEN HE WAS IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE WHEN HE PRAYED, “NOT MY WILL, BUT THY WILL BE DONE”. THAT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE IN HIS HUMAN NATURE HE MAY HAVE WANTED SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN THE HORRIBLE DEATH HE KNEW AWAITED HIM. HE WOULDN'T BE HUMAN OTHERWISE.
AND HERE, JESUS HAS CHOSEN TO BEGIN HIS MINISTRY. AND THE FATHER SAYS, IN EFFECT, “NOT SO FAST, SON! HAVE YOU THOUGHT THIS THROUGH? WHY ARE YOU CHOOSING TO DO THIS? IS IT BECAUSE YOU WANT TO EXERCISE YOUR DIVINE POWER? IS IT BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BE FAMOUS? IS IT BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BRING ABOUT MY KINGDOM, BUT IN YOUR OWN WAY? WHY DO YOU WANT TO ENTER THIS MINISTRY THAT I HAVE PUT BEFORE YOU?” AND THAT IS THE REASON FOR THE FORTY DAYS IN THE DESERT – BEFORE STARTING OUT ON THIS TASK, IT WAS VITALLY IMPORTANT THAT JESUS BEGIN HIS MINISTRY FOR THE RIGHT REASONS, BECAUSE ONLY THEN CAN IT BE SUCCESSFUL. IF IT IS UNDERTAKEN TO DO GOD'S WILL, THEN IT WILL FLY – EVENTUALLY. IF IT IS UNDERTAKEN FOR ANY OTHER REASON, EVEN THOUGH IT IS THE SAME MINISTRY, IT WILL FAIL.
EVERY YEAR THE CHURCH TELLS HER CHILDREN TO GO OUT IN THE DESERT, NOT JUST FOR A DAY OR TWO, BUT FOR FORTY DAYS. FORTY DAYS IN WHICH WE WILL UNDERTAKE SOMETHING THAT WILL CONSTANTLY REMIND US THAT WE ARE IN THE DESERT – GIVING UP THAT TIME IN THE EVENING WHEN WE WATCH TELEVISION, AND CHOOSING TO READ A SPIRITUAL BOOK INSTEAD. MAKING IT A POINT TO GET TO MASS ON A WEEKDAY, OR THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS ON FRIDAY EVENINGS. ATTENDING FATHER RIANDEAU'S PRESENTATIONS – BUT SOMETHING THAT WILL SHAKE US UP, MOVE US OUT OF OUR RUTS.
AND THE PURPOSE OF THIS LENT IS THE SAME PURPOSE FOR WHICH THE SPIRIT LED JESUS INTO THE DESERT. ARE WE WILLING TO UNDERTAKE THE MISSION GOD HAS GIVEN US, AND UNDER HIS OWN TERMS? BECAUSE BEING A CHRISTIAN IS NOT JUST A MATTER OF BEING A NICE PERSON. SAINT JEROME AND SAINT PIO WERE PROBABLY NOT NICE PERSONS AS WE UNDERSTAND THEM. SAINT JEROME HAD A GIFT FOR SARCASM. AND SAINT PIO WAS KNOWN TO LEAVE THE CONFESSIONAL AND CONFRONT THE PENITENT WHO WAS NOT TELLING HIM THE TRUTH, SOMETIMES IN A RAGE. BEING A CHRISTIAN IS NOT JUST A MATTER OF HAVING BEEN BAPTIZED AND RAISED IN A CHRISTIAN CHURCH, OR BELIEVING CERTAIN SPIRITUAL TRUTHS. SATAN, AFTER ALL, BELIEVES THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD AND THAT HE IS PRESENT IN HIS HUMANITY AND DIVINITY IN THE HOLY EUCHARIST. YOU CAN'T BE A CHRISTIAN AND COAST ALONG FROM DAY TO DAY AND YEAR TO YEAR, EVEN IF YOU ARE IN CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY, EVEN IF YOU NEVER DO ANYTHING PARTICULARLY SINFUL, EVEN IF YOU HAVE NO PROBLEM BELIEVING WHAT SCRIPTURE AND THE CHURCH TEACHES. BEING A CHRISTIAN REQUIRES THAT WE CONSTANTLY ASK THE SAME QUESTION THAT JESUS MUST HAVE ASKED HIMSELF: AM I DOING THIS FOR THE RIGHT REASON?
WHY ARE YOU A LAWYER? YOU CAN BE A LAWYER WITH THE INTENTION OF SERVING GOD THROUGH YOUR PROFESSION – OR YOU CAN HAVE OTHER REASONS FOR PRACTICING LAW. WHICH ARE YOUR REASONS? IF YOU ARE A HOMEMAKER RAISING CHILDREN, YOU CAN BE DOING THIS WITH THE INTENTION OF SERVING GOD, OR PERHAPS BECAUSE YOU LOVE YOUR CHILDREN AND AND WANT THE BEST FOR THEM. BUT EVEN THOUGH THE SECOND REASON SOUNDS GOOD, GOD STILL HAS TO COME FIRST.
IF WE ARE TO BECOME SAINTS, WE HAVE TO CONSTANTLY PURIFY OUR INTENTIONS; WE HAVE TO EXAMINE WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO, AND WORK TO ELIMINATE THOSE REASONS WHICH SERVE OURSELVES, OR EVEN SERVE OTHERS. OUR GOAL IS TO DO EVERYTHING FOR GOD, FOR THE HONOR AND GLORY OF GOD. AND THIS PROCESS CANNOT BE ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT PRAYER AND SACRIFICE, WITHOUT EFFORT. EVEN JESUS, THE SON OF GOD, HAD TO GO OUT INTO THE DESERT AND PRAY AND FAST AND BE TEMPTED, SO THAT WHEN HE CAME BACK TO CIVILIZATION, HE COULD UNDERTAKE HIS MISSION WITH THE PUREST OF INTENTIONS – AS HE SAID ONE TIME, “MY FOOD AND DRINK IS TO DO THE WILL OF MY FATHER.” AND ONCE WE PURIFY OUR OWN INTENTIONS, SO THAT EVERYTHING WE UNDERTAKE IS FOR THE SAKE OF GOD'S KINGDOM, WE WILL DISCOVER A CERTAIN CLARITY. WE MAY BE DOING THE SAME THINGS WE DID YESTERDAY – BUT WE WILL SEE THAT IN THE COURSE OF OUR DAY, THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WHAT WE INTEND TO DO IS JUST NOT THE WAY GOD WANTS THINGS. THAT'S THE HOLY SPIRIT. AND GRADUALLY WE WILL BECOME THE PERSON JESUS WANTS US TO BE – NOT A DIFFERENT PERSON, BUT A PERSON WHO LIVES TO DO GOD'S WILL. AND THAT IS THE DEFINITION OF A SAINT.
SO LET US PRAY THIS FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT THAT WE WILL BE GIVEN THE GRACE TO PURIFY OUR OWN INTENTIONS, SO THAT EVERYTHING WE DO – THE FUN THINGS, THE LOVING THINGS, THE DIFFICULT THINGS – EVERYTHING WE DO IS FOR THE SAKE OF THE FATHER.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A
MATTHEW 7:21-27
WHEN I WAS A KID GROWING UP IN MONTANA, OUR HEROES WERE COWBOYS. REAL COWBOYS, OF COURSE, DID NOT LEAD VERY GLAMOROUS LIVES. MY GRANDFATHER DID THAT FOR A WHILE WHEN HE WAS YOUNG, AND IT INVOLVED A LOT OF CHASING OF COWS TO GET THEM POINTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THERE WAS SO CALLED “FENCE RIDING” WHICH MEANT THAT YOU STOPPED AND FIXED WHATEVER WAS WRONG WITH THE FENCE. AND I SUSPECT THAT BETWEEN THE HARD WORK, THERE WAS A LOT OF BOREDOM. BUT OUR COWBOYS WERE ROY ROGERS AND GENE AUTRY AND THE LONE RANGER – DEADLY ACCURATE WITH A PISTOL, UNFAILINGLY POLITE TO WOMEN, ALWAYS GOING INTO BARS AND ASKING FOR MILK – AND THEY HAD HORSES WITH AWESOME INTELLIGENCE. AND WE KIDS BEGGED OUR PARENTS FOR “COWBOY BOOTS” AND “COWBOY HATS” AND ALL THE VARIOUS THINGS NEEDED TO DRESS LIKE OUR HEROES. AND AS WE STUDIED OUR COMIC BOOKS AND LISTENED TO THE RADIO PROGRAMS, WE TOOK ON THEIR MANNERISMS, AT LEAST WHEN WE WERE THINKING ABOUT IT. IT WAS A WAY OF TOUCHING THE IMAGINARY WORLD INHABITED BY OUR IDOLS. AND ALL OF THAT STICKS WITH YOU, I THINK. WHEN I SEE SOMEONE DRESSED IN WESTERN STYLE CLOTHING, I FEEL AN AFFINITY; I EXPECT A CERTAIN KIND OF BEHAVIOR. IT'S ALL SUBCONSCIOUS, OF COURSE.
IN TODAY'S GOSPEL, AS IN THE GOSPELS OF THE LAST FEW SUNDAYS, JESUS CONTINUES TO DESCRIBE THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, AND HOW WE CAN BE A PART OF IT. BUT LISTEN TO THOSE WORDS TODAY: NOT EVERYONE WHO PRAYS, WHO CRIES OUT, “LORD, LORD” WILL GET THERE. AND FURTHERMORE, NOT EVERYONE WHO DOES GREAT DEEDS IN HIS NAME WILL GET THERE. NEITHER PRAYER NOR WORKS ARE SURE WAYS TO GET INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. BUT JESUS GOES ON TO SAY, THE ONES WHO DO THE WILL OF THE FATHER – THE SAME PEOPLE WHO LISTEN TO HIS WORDS AND ACT ON THEM – THEY WILL ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
BUT JESUS DURING THE COURSE OF HIS TIME AS A WANDERING PREACHER SAID SO MANY THINGS. THERE ARE SOME GENERAL PRECEPTS, LIKE THE BEATITUDES. THERE IS BEHAVIOR THAT IS CONDEMNED, LIKE HYPOCRISY, ADULTERY, AND EVEN CERTAIN WAYS OF THINKING. THERE ARE MORE SPECIFIC TEACHINGS WHICH ARE VERY CONTEXT SENSITIVE, LIKE THE STATEMENT TO THE RICH YOUNG MAN, TO LEAVE ALL HE HAS AND FOLLOW JESUS. JESUS UNFORTUNATELY DID NOT LEAVE A HANDBOOK WHERE WE CAN TAKE HIS TEACHINGS AND APPLY THEM TO A PARTICULAR SITUATION.
JESUS HIMSELF KNEW THIS; THAT'S WHY HE CALLED FOR REPENTANCE – THE CHANGING OF MIND, THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR. ACTING ON HIS WORDS DOES NOT REALLY MEAN SOME SORT OF CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO THINK OF SOMETHING HE SAID THAT APPLIES TO THE SITUATION I'M FACING. WHAT IT REALLY MEANS IS THAT WE ADOPT A PATTERN OF LIVING THAT RESEMBLES THE WAY JESUS LED HIS LIFE.
AND THAT IS THE KEY TO CHRISTIANITY. WE CHRISTIANS ARE, OR SHOULD BE, OBSESSED WITH JESUS. WE SHOULD BE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO LEARN ABOUT HOW HE LIVED HIS LIFE. BECAUSE THE SUREST WAY OF DOING THE FATHER'S WILL IS TO LIVE LIKE HE LIVED – BECAUSE FOR HIM DOING THE FATHER'S WILL WAS HIS FOOD AND DRINK, AS HE PUT IT.
WHEN I WAS A KID, AND COWBOYS WERE MY HEROES, I LEARNED ABOUT HOW A COWBOY WAS SUPPOSED TO LIVE BY LISTENING TO RADIO PROGRAMS AND READING COMIC BOOKS. AND WHEN A CHRISTIAN WANTS TO LEARN ABOUT HIS HERO, JESUS, THE BEST PLACE TO TURN IS THE GOSPELS. SOMETIMES WE THINK OF THE GOSPELS AS HISTORY – IN FACT MORE THAN ONE CHRISTIAN HAS STRUGGLED TO FIT ALL THE EVENTS MENTIONED IN THE GOSPELS INTO A SINGLE STORY. BUT THE PEOPLE WHO WROTE THE GOSPELS WEREN'T INTERESTED IN WRITING HISTORIES; EACH WRITER KNEW THE BASIC STORY OF JESUS' LIFE, BUT CHOSE CERTAIN EVENTS AND WROTE WITH A CERTAIN EMPHASIS TO CONVEY A PARTICULAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHO HE WAS. I THINK THAT'S WHY THERE ARE FOUR GOSPELS RATHER THAN ONLY ONE. EACH GIVES US A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, A DIFFERENT TAKE ON THIS PERSON JESUS. BUT IN THE END, WE HAVE TO EACH SAY WHO THIS JESUS IS FOR US.
BUT WHILE WE CAN GET A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF WHO JESUS IS FROM THE GOSPELS, WE HAVE ANOTHER VERY RICH SOURCE OF INFORMATION ABOUT HIM. WE HAVE THE SAINTS. ALL OF THE SAINTS TRIED TO IMITATE JESUS IN A PARTICULAR TIME, IN A PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCE. THAT THEY WERE SUCCESSFUL IS ATTESTED TO BY THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST. IF JESUS IS THE MODEL FOR HOW WE LIVE, EACH SAINT GIVES US AN EXAMPLE OF SOMEONE WHO IMITATED HIS LIFE, WHO DID THE WILL OF THE FATHER, WHO HEARD HIS WORDS AND ACTED ON THEM.
SO CHRISTIANITY IS UNIQUE. WE DON'T HAVE A LONG LIST OF LAWS TO FOLLOW LIKE OUR ELDER BROTHERS, THE JEWS. OUR APPROACH TO DOING THE WILL OF THE FATHER IS NOT BASED UPON THE IDEA THAT GOD GAVE US A WORD FOR WORD INSTRUCTION MANUAL LIKE THE KORAN IS TO MUSLIMS. THE RELIGIONS OF THE EAST TELL US TO LOOK INWARD AND FOLLOW OUR OWN PATH. BUT CHRISTIANITY SAYS ONLY TO LEARN WHO JESUS IS AND TO LIVE THE WAY HE LIVED.
I WANTED TO BE A COWBOY WHEN I WAS A KID. IT WASN'T BECAUSE OF THE BOOTS OR THE HAT OR THE HORSE; IT WAS BECAUSE THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT A COWBOY, AS I UNDERSTOOD IT, THAT I WANTED TO IMITATE. TODAY MY GRANDSONS WANT TO BE SPIDER MAN, OR BATMAN, OR A JEDI KNIGHT. I'M SURE IT'S THE SAME THING. ALL CHILDREN PASS THROUGH THAT STAGE WHEN THEY WANT TO IMITATE A HERO. BUT FOR CHRISTIANS, THE IMITATION OF JESUS IS A LIFELONG TASK, A CHALLENGE THAT NEVER ENDS. BECAUSE HEAVEN IS NOT IN ARDENT PRAYER. IT IS NOT IN MIGHTY DEEDS, EVEN WHEN DONE IN GOD'S NAME. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS ONLY IN CONFORMING OUR LIVES TO THE PATTERN THAT JESUS LAID DOWN FOR US IN HIS OWN LIFE, OR AS SAINT PAUL PUT IT, “PUTTING ON CHRIST”. IF WE DO THIS, THEN WE ARE DOING THE WILL OF THE FATHER, AND THERE IS NO HIGHER CALLING FOR ANY HUMAN BEING THAN THAT.
WHEN I WAS A KID GROWING UP IN MONTANA, OUR HEROES WERE COWBOYS. REAL COWBOYS, OF COURSE, DID NOT LEAD VERY GLAMOROUS LIVES. MY GRANDFATHER DID THAT FOR A WHILE WHEN HE WAS YOUNG, AND IT INVOLVED A LOT OF CHASING OF COWS TO GET THEM POINTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THERE WAS SO CALLED “FENCE RIDING” WHICH MEANT THAT YOU STOPPED AND FIXED WHATEVER WAS WRONG WITH THE FENCE. AND I SUSPECT THAT BETWEEN THE HARD WORK, THERE WAS A LOT OF BOREDOM. BUT OUR COWBOYS WERE ROY ROGERS AND GENE AUTRY AND THE LONE RANGER – DEADLY ACCURATE WITH A PISTOL, UNFAILINGLY POLITE TO WOMEN, ALWAYS GOING INTO BARS AND ASKING FOR MILK – AND THEY HAD HORSES WITH AWESOME INTELLIGENCE. AND WE KIDS BEGGED OUR PARENTS FOR “COWBOY BOOTS” AND “COWBOY HATS” AND ALL THE VARIOUS THINGS NEEDED TO DRESS LIKE OUR HEROES. AND AS WE STUDIED OUR COMIC BOOKS AND LISTENED TO THE RADIO PROGRAMS, WE TOOK ON THEIR MANNERISMS, AT LEAST WHEN WE WERE THINKING ABOUT IT. IT WAS A WAY OF TOUCHING THE IMAGINARY WORLD INHABITED BY OUR IDOLS. AND ALL OF THAT STICKS WITH YOU, I THINK. WHEN I SEE SOMEONE DRESSED IN WESTERN STYLE CLOTHING, I FEEL AN AFFINITY; I EXPECT A CERTAIN KIND OF BEHAVIOR. IT'S ALL SUBCONSCIOUS, OF COURSE.
IN TODAY'S GOSPEL, AS IN THE GOSPELS OF THE LAST FEW SUNDAYS, JESUS CONTINUES TO DESCRIBE THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, AND HOW WE CAN BE A PART OF IT. BUT LISTEN TO THOSE WORDS TODAY: NOT EVERYONE WHO PRAYS, WHO CRIES OUT, “LORD, LORD” WILL GET THERE. AND FURTHERMORE, NOT EVERYONE WHO DOES GREAT DEEDS IN HIS NAME WILL GET THERE. NEITHER PRAYER NOR WORKS ARE SURE WAYS TO GET INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. BUT JESUS GOES ON TO SAY, THE ONES WHO DO THE WILL OF THE FATHER – THE SAME PEOPLE WHO LISTEN TO HIS WORDS AND ACT ON THEM – THEY WILL ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
BUT JESUS DURING THE COURSE OF HIS TIME AS A WANDERING PREACHER SAID SO MANY THINGS. THERE ARE SOME GENERAL PRECEPTS, LIKE THE BEATITUDES. THERE IS BEHAVIOR THAT IS CONDEMNED, LIKE HYPOCRISY, ADULTERY, AND EVEN CERTAIN WAYS OF THINKING. THERE ARE MORE SPECIFIC TEACHINGS WHICH ARE VERY CONTEXT SENSITIVE, LIKE THE STATEMENT TO THE RICH YOUNG MAN, TO LEAVE ALL HE HAS AND FOLLOW JESUS. JESUS UNFORTUNATELY DID NOT LEAVE A HANDBOOK WHERE WE CAN TAKE HIS TEACHINGS AND APPLY THEM TO A PARTICULAR SITUATION.
JESUS HIMSELF KNEW THIS; THAT'S WHY HE CALLED FOR REPENTANCE – THE CHANGING OF MIND, THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR. ACTING ON HIS WORDS DOES NOT REALLY MEAN SOME SORT OF CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO THINK OF SOMETHING HE SAID THAT APPLIES TO THE SITUATION I'M FACING. WHAT IT REALLY MEANS IS THAT WE ADOPT A PATTERN OF LIVING THAT RESEMBLES THE WAY JESUS LED HIS LIFE.
AND THAT IS THE KEY TO CHRISTIANITY. WE CHRISTIANS ARE, OR SHOULD BE, OBSESSED WITH JESUS. WE SHOULD BE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO LEARN ABOUT HOW HE LIVED HIS LIFE. BECAUSE THE SUREST WAY OF DOING THE FATHER'S WILL IS TO LIVE LIKE HE LIVED – BECAUSE FOR HIM DOING THE FATHER'S WILL WAS HIS FOOD AND DRINK, AS HE PUT IT.
WHEN I WAS A KID, AND COWBOYS WERE MY HEROES, I LEARNED ABOUT HOW A COWBOY WAS SUPPOSED TO LIVE BY LISTENING TO RADIO PROGRAMS AND READING COMIC BOOKS. AND WHEN A CHRISTIAN WANTS TO LEARN ABOUT HIS HERO, JESUS, THE BEST PLACE TO TURN IS THE GOSPELS. SOMETIMES WE THINK OF THE GOSPELS AS HISTORY – IN FACT MORE THAN ONE CHRISTIAN HAS STRUGGLED TO FIT ALL THE EVENTS MENTIONED IN THE GOSPELS INTO A SINGLE STORY. BUT THE PEOPLE WHO WROTE THE GOSPELS WEREN'T INTERESTED IN WRITING HISTORIES; EACH WRITER KNEW THE BASIC STORY OF JESUS' LIFE, BUT CHOSE CERTAIN EVENTS AND WROTE WITH A CERTAIN EMPHASIS TO CONVEY A PARTICULAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHO HE WAS. I THINK THAT'S WHY THERE ARE FOUR GOSPELS RATHER THAN ONLY ONE. EACH GIVES US A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, A DIFFERENT TAKE ON THIS PERSON JESUS. BUT IN THE END, WE HAVE TO EACH SAY WHO THIS JESUS IS FOR US.
BUT WHILE WE CAN GET A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF WHO JESUS IS FROM THE GOSPELS, WE HAVE ANOTHER VERY RICH SOURCE OF INFORMATION ABOUT HIM. WE HAVE THE SAINTS. ALL OF THE SAINTS TRIED TO IMITATE JESUS IN A PARTICULAR TIME, IN A PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCE. THAT THEY WERE SUCCESSFUL IS ATTESTED TO BY THE CHURCH, THE BODY OF CHRIST. IF JESUS IS THE MODEL FOR HOW WE LIVE, EACH SAINT GIVES US AN EXAMPLE OF SOMEONE WHO IMITATED HIS LIFE, WHO DID THE WILL OF THE FATHER, WHO HEARD HIS WORDS AND ACTED ON THEM.
SO CHRISTIANITY IS UNIQUE. WE DON'T HAVE A LONG LIST OF LAWS TO FOLLOW LIKE OUR ELDER BROTHERS, THE JEWS. OUR APPROACH TO DOING THE WILL OF THE FATHER IS NOT BASED UPON THE IDEA THAT GOD GAVE US A WORD FOR WORD INSTRUCTION MANUAL LIKE THE KORAN IS TO MUSLIMS. THE RELIGIONS OF THE EAST TELL US TO LOOK INWARD AND FOLLOW OUR OWN PATH. BUT CHRISTIANITY SAYS ONLY TO LEARN WHO JESUS IS AND TO LIVE THE WAY HE LIVED.
I WANTED TO BE A COWBOY WHEN I WAS A KID. IT WASN'T BECAUSE OF THE BOOTS OR THE HAT OR THE HORSE; IT WAS BECAUSE THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT A COWBOY, AS I UNDERSTOOD IT, THAT I WANTED TO IMITATE. TODAY MY GRANDSONS WANT TO BE SPIDER MAN, OR BATMAN, OR A JEDI KNIGHT. I'M SURE IT'S THE SAME THING. ALL CHILDREN PASS THROUGH THAT STAGE WHEN THEY WANT TO IMITATE A HERO. BUT FOR CHRISTIANS, THE IMITATION OF JESUS IS A LIFELONG TASK, A CHALLENGE THAT NEVER ENDS. BECAUSE HEAVEN IS NOT IN ARDENT PRAYER. IT IS NOT IN MIGHTY DEEDS, EVEN WHEN DONE IN GOD'S NAME. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS ONLY IN CONFORMING OUR LIVES TO THE PATTERN THAT JESUS LAID DOWN FOR US IN HIS OWN LIFE, OR AS SAINT PAUL PUT IT, “PUTTING ON CHRIST”. IF WE DO THIS, THEN WE ARE DOING THE WILL OF THE FATHER, AND THERE IS NO HIGHER CALLING FOR ANY HUMAN BEING THAN THAT.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A
MATTHEW 6:24-34
WE MOVED TO THIS AREA IN 1984, WHEN MY SON WAS ABOUT FOUR. ONE SUNDAY MORNING AS WE PILED INTO THE CAR TO GET THE FAMILY TO MASS, WE PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT AND REALIZED THAT DONALD WAS NOT WITH US. LEAVING THE FIVE GIRLS WITH THEIR MOTHER, I RACED BACK TO THE HOUSE, TO FIND DONALD CALMLY PLAYING WITH HIS TOYS, AND WE GOT BACK JUST AS MASS WAS STARTING. THE PEOPLE IN THE PEWS MUST HAVE WONDERED WHY WE WERE SO AMUSED WHEN WE HEARD THE FIRST READING: “CAN A MOTHER FORGET HER INFANT?”
ON ONE LEVEL, THE READINGS REMIND US THAT GOD IS IN CHARGE, AND THAT HE REALLY DOES CARE FOR US. BUT THEN WE HAVE JESUS GOING ON LIKE HE DID LAST WEEK – REMEMBER? IF SOMEONE STRIKES YOU, OFFER THEM THE OTHER CHEEK; IF SOMEONE DEMANDS YOUR COAT, GIVE HIM YOUR SHIRT AS WELL. NO WAY, JESUS! AND NOW HE TELLS US TO QUIT WORRYING ABOUT TOMORROW – ABOUT WHAT OR IF WE ARE GOING TO EAT; ABOUT WHETHER WE WILL HAVE A ROOF OVER OUR HEADS; ABOUT WHETHER WE'LL HAVE CLOTHING TO WEAR. BECAUSE GOD CARES FOR US, AND HE WILL SEE TO IT THAT OUR NEEDS ARE TAKEN CARE OF IF WE JUST PUT HIM FIRST.
I WOULD DARE SAY THAT MOST OF US HAVEN'T ACTUALLY TESTED THIS IDEA. INTELLECTUALLY WE RECOGNIZE IT AS A FINE SENTIMENT, BUT WHEN WE IMAGINE LETTING GOD TAKE CARE OF THE SMALL STUFF SO WE CAN CONCENTRATE ON THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, WE TURN AWAY, WE MOVE ON TO SOMETHING ELSE. THE WORDS OF JESUS, AFTER ALL, ARE HARD TO MISINTERPRET, AND SEEM TO GO ENTIRELY CONTRARY TO HAVING A DECENT BANK ACCOUNT, A NICE HOME, A GOOD JOB – ALL THOSE THINGS THAT WE SEE AS DESIRABLE AND GOOD. IN FACT, IF IT WEREN'T FOR A BUNCH OF US TRYING VERY HARD TO ACCUMULATE A LITTLE WEALTH, WE COULDN'T HAVE REMODELED THE CHURCH, OR BUILT THAT PARISH CENTER. WE DUG DEEP, WE DIDN'T EXPECT GOD WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT.
I DON'T THINK JESUS ADVISES US TO DO THINGS THAT WE CAN'T DO, OR WON'T DO. EVEN PEOPLE IN MONASTIC ORDERS, EVEN FRANCISCANS VOWED TO POVERTY, DON'T GET THEIR NEEDS MET OUT OF THIN AIR; SOMEONE DONATES, SOMEONE NEEDS TO ACCUMULATE SURPLUS SO THAT THE FRANCISCAN CAN HAVE BREAD AND SHELTER AND A NICE BROWN ROBE. SO WHAT IS IT ABOUT BIRDS OF THE AIR, OR LILIES OF THE FIELD, AS THE OLD TRANSLATION PUT IT, THAT JESUS WANTS US TO ADMIRE AND IMITATE?
HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THE FACT THAT EVERY LIVING CREATURE, FROM THE TINIEST VIRUS TO THE BLUE WHALE, IS DOING EXACTLY WHAT GOD WANTS IT TO DO, EVERY MOMENT OF IT'S LIFE? EXCEPT FOR HUMANS. A MOSQUITO TASTING YOUR BLOOD IS IN COMPLETE CONFORMITY TO GOD'S WILL, DOING WHAT GOD MADE IT TO DO. A BEAUTIFUL FLOWER IN THE FIELD, A BIRD IN THE AIR – ALL ARE CARRYING OUT GOD'S PLAN. ONLY MAN HAS FALLEN, ONLY MAN IS CAPABLE OF DEFYING GOD, OF TURNING AWAY FROM HIS WILL. SCRIPTURE TELLS US THAT SOMEWHERE IN THE BEGINNING, LOST IN PREHISTORY, SOMETHING HAPPENED TO THE HUMAN RACE, SOMETHING THAT MADE IT POSSIBLE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN GOD AND OURSELVES. THE SQUIRRELS WHO GOT INTO MY GARAGE LAST WEEK AND STOLE MY BIRDSEED WERE DOING WHAT GOD WANTED THEM TO DO; A SQUIRREL CANNOT CHOOSE BETWEEN GOD AND ITSELF. WHEN I LET MY MIND WANDER WHEN I'M SUPPOSED TO BE PRAYING, WHEN I LET MY TEMPER GET THE UPPER HAND WHEN I'M TRYING TO DISCIPLINE A GRANDCHILD, WHEN I TELL A LITTLE UNTRUTH RATHER THAN A PAINFUL TRUTH – WELL, I'M NOT DOING WHAT GOD WANTS. I AM FALLEN, EVEN THOUGH THROUGH BAPTISM GOD IS WORKING ON THAT.
SO WHAT IS JESUS TELLING US? WELL, “SEEKING THE KINGDOM OF GOD” IS WHAT WE WERE DESIGNED TO DO, JUST AS A MOSQUITO IS DESIGNED TO DRAW BLOOD, A SQUIRREL IS DESIGNED TO FIND FOOD FOR ITSELF. AND SEEKING THE KINGDOM OF GOD HAS TO DO WITH ALL THOSE “BEATITUDES” THAT JESUS SPOKE TO US ABOUT LAST MONTH. THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS IN US, JUST WAITING TO BE ACTUALIZED. IT HAS TO DO WITH TRUSTING GOD AND BELIEVING THE MESSAGE OF JESUS. IT HAS TO DO WITH IMITATING JESUS – HOW OFTEN DO WE FIND HIM ENCOUNTERING SOMEONE WHO CRIES OUT TO HIM, AND JUST AS OFTEN WE SEE HIM DROPPING EVERYTHING TO MEET THAT PERSON'S NEEDS. AND IT HAS TO DO WITH COOPERATING WITH ALL OF THE GRACES WITH WHICH OUR FATHER CONSTANTLY RAINS DOWN ON US. THERE ARE GRACES FOR INNER CONVERSION, OF COURSE. BUT THERE ARE ALSO MANY OTHER GRACES. IF YOU HAVE A TALENT THAT YOU'VE BURIED, WELL, THERE GOES A GRACE GOD GAVE YOU. IF YOU CAN DO SOMETHING TO MAKE YOURSELF A BETTER SERVANT, AND YOU CHOOSE NOT TO, WELL, YOU'VE LOST ANOTHER GRACE. JUST AS JESUS GIVES US GRACE THROUGH THE SACRAMENTS, HE IS ALWAYS GRACING US THROUGH OUR CIRCUMSTANCES; HE IS HOLDING OUT OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES SO THAT WE WILL CHANGE, SO THAT THOSE CHANGES CAN INCREASINGLY BRING ABOUT THE KINGDOM.
SO AS WE WORK FOR OUR FOOD AND SHELTER, AS WE SAVE AGAINST AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE, AS WE CREATE A STABLE HOME LIFE, IT'S IMPORTANT CONSTANTLY REMIND OURSELVES THAT WE DO ALL THESE THINGS SO THAT WE CAN BE BETTER SERVANTS, SO THAT WE CAN SERVE OUR NEIGHBOR MORE EFFECTIVELY, SO THAT WE CAN LISTEN TO GOD'S WORD MORE FRUITFULLY. THEN OUR EFFORTS ARE TRANSFORMED. WE ARE NO LONGER SEEKING FOOD AND CLOTHING AND SHELTER FOR THEIR OWN SAKE. WE ARE NO LONGER OBSESSED WITH THE THOUGHT THAT EVERYTHING COULD FALL APART TOMORROW, AND WE BETTER GET READY.
YOU CAN HAVE TWO HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE WHO TO OUTWARD APPEARANCES ARE HARD TO TELL APART. BOTH WORK HARD, BOTH HAVE GOOD THINGS, BOTH HAVE HEALTHY BANK ACCOUNTS, BOTH ARE AMBITIOUS IN A GOOD WAY. BUT IF SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS – SICKNESS, ACCIDENT, THE CRASH OF THE STOCK MARKET – YOU WILL SEE WHICH ONE HAS BEEN STRIVING TO ACCUMULATE, TO GATHER WEALTH, AND WHICH HAS BEEN KEEPING THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN MIND. BECAUSE WHAT JESUS IS REALLY TALKING ABOUT IS WHAT WE LET DEFINE US. IF OUR IDENTITY IS TIED TO SOMETHING THAT CAN BE LOST OR DESTROYED, THEN WE ARE REALLY LOST AND YOU COULD SAY WE ARE FOOLS AS WELL. BUT IF OUR IDENTITY IS TIED TO TRUST IN GOD, IF AT OUR VERY CENTER WE ARE CONVINCED THAT GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF WHAT MATTERS, THEN WE ARE NOT SHAKEN BY THOSE BAD THINGS THAT WILL HAPPEN SOONER OR LATER TO EACH OF US. AND THAT SEEMS TO ME TO BE WHAT JESUS IS TALKING ABOUT WHEN HE SAYS, “SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND EVERYTHING ELSE WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU.”
LONG BEFORE JESUS THERE WAS A STORY ABOUT A MAN NAMED JOB WHO HAD GREAT WEALTH. SATAN, WITH GOD'S PERMISSION, TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY, EVEN HIS HEALTH. BUT JOB TRUSTED; HE HAD LOST NOT ONLY ALL HIS POSSESSIONS, BUT HIS OWN CHILDREN. IN HIS GREAT MISERY, JOB CRIED OUT, “SHOULD I ONLY ACCEPT GOOD THINGS FROM GOD, AND NOT BAD THINGS?” JOB SHOWED BY HIS WORDS WHERE HIS CENTER LAY, AND GOD RESTORED ALL THAT HE HAD LOST AND MORE.
WE MOVED TO THIS AREA IN 1984, WHEN MY SON WAS ABOUT FOUR. ONE SUNDAY MORNING AS WE PILED INTO THE CAR TO GET THE FAMILY TO MASS, WE PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT AND REALIZED THAT DONALD WAS NOT WITH US. LEAVING THE FIVE GIRLS WITH THEIR MOTHER, I RACED BACK TO THE HOUSE, TO FIND DONALD CALMLY PLAYING WITH HIS TOYS, AND WE GOT BACK JUST AS MASS WAS STARTING. THE PEOPLE IN THE PEWS MUST HAVE WONDERED WHY WE WERE SO AMUSED WHEN WE HEARD THE FIRST READING: “CAN A MOTHER FORGET HER INFANT?”
ON ONE LEVEL, THE READINGS REMIND US THAT GOD IS IN CHARGE, AND THAT HE REALLY DOES CARE FOR US. BUT THEN WE HAVE JESUS GOING ON LIKE HE DID LAST WEEK – REMEMBER? IF SOMEONE STRIKES YOU, OFFER THEM THE OTHER CHEEK; IF SOMEONE DEMANDS YOUR COAT, GIVE HIM YOUR SHIRT AS WELL. NO WAY, JESUS! AND NOW HE TELLS US TO QUIT WORRYING ABOUT TOMORROW – ABOUT WHAT OR IF WE ARE GOING TO EAT; ABOUT WHETHER WE WILL HAVE A ROOF OVER OUR HEADS; ABOUT WHETHER WE'LL HAVE CLOTHING TO WEAR. BECAUSE GOD CARES FOR US, AND HE WILL SEE TO IT THAT OUR NEEDS ARE TAKEN CARE OF IF WE JUST PUT HIM FIRST.
I WOULD DARE SAY THAT MOST OF US HAVEN'T ACTUALLY TESTED THIS IDEA. INTELLECTUALLY WE RECOGNIZE IT AS A FINE SENTIMENT, BUT WHEN WE IMAGINE LETTING GOD TAKE CARE OF THE SMALL STUFF SO WE CAN CONCENTRATE ON THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, WE TURN AWAY, WE MOVE ON TO SOMETHING ELSE. THE WORDS OF JESUS, AFTER ALL, ARE HARD TO MISINTERPRET, AND SEEM TO GO ENTIRELY CONTRARY TO HAVING A DECENT BANK ACCOUNT, A NICE HOME, A GOOD JOB – ALL THOSE THINGS THAT WE SEE AS DESIRABLE AND GOOD. IN FACT, IF IT WEREN'T FOR A BUNCH OF US TRYING VERY HARD TO ACCUMULATE A LITTLE WEALTH, WE COULDN'T HAVE REMODELED THE CHURCH, OR BUILT THAT PARISH CENTER. WE DUG DEEP, WE DIDN'T EXPECT GOD WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT.
I DON'T THINK JESUS ADVISES US TO DO THINGS THAT WE CAN'T DO, OR WON'T DO. EVEN PEOPLE IN MONASTIC ORDERS, EVEN FRANCISCANS VOWED TO POVERTY, DON'T GET THEIR NEEDS MET OUT OF THIN AIR; SOMEONE DONATES, SOMEONE NEEDS TO ACCUMULATE SURPLUS SO THAT THE FRANCISCAN CAN HAVE BREAD AND SHELTER AND A NICE BROWN ROBE. SO WHAT IS IT ABOUT BIRDS OF THE AIR, OR LILIES OF THE FIELD, AS THE OLD TRANSLATION PUT IT, THAT JESUS WANTS US TO ADMIRE AND IMITATE?
HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THE FACT THAT EVERY LIVING CREATURE, FROM THE TINIEST VIRUS TO THE BLUE WHALE, IS DOING EXACTLY WHAT GOD WANTS IT TO DO, EVERY MOMENT OF IT'S LIFE? EXCEPT FOR HUMANS. A MOSQUITO TASTING YOUR BLOOD IS IN COMPLETE CONFORMITY TO GOD'S WILL, DOING WHAT GOD MADE IT TO DO. A BEAUTIFUL FLOWER IN THE FIELD, A BIRD IN THE AIR – ALL ARE CARRYING OUT GOD'S PLAN. ONLY MAN HAS FALLEN, ONLY MAN IS CAPABLE OF DEFYING GOD, OF TURNING AWAY FROM HIS WILL. SCRIPTURE TELLS US THAT SOMEWHERE IN THE BEGINNING, LOST IN PREHISTORY, SOMETHING HAPPENED TO THE HUMAN RACE, SOMETHING THAT MADE IT POSSIBLE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN GOD AND OURSELVES. THE SQUIRRELS WHO GOT INTO MY GARAGE LAST WEEK AND STOLE MY BIRDSEED WERE DOING WHAT GOD WANTED THEM TO DO; A SQUIRREL CANNOT CHOOSE BETWEEN GOD AND ITSELF. WHEN I LET MY MIND WANDER WHEN I'M SUPPOSED TO BE PRAYING, WHEN I LET MY TEMPER GET THE UPPER HAND WHEN I'M TRYING TO DISCIPLINE A GRANDCHILD, WHEN I TELL A LITTLE UNTRUTH RATHER THAN A PAINFUL TRUTH – WELL, I'M NOT DOING WHAT GOD WANTS. I AM FALLEN, EVEN THOUGH THROUGH BAPTISM GOD IS WORKING ON THAT.
SO WHAT IS JESUS TELLING US? WELL, “SEEKING THE KINGDOM OF GOD” IS WHAT WE WERE DESIGNED TO DO, JUST AS A MOSQUITO IS DESIGNED TO DRAW BLOOD, A SQUIRREL IS DESIGNED TO FIND FOOD FOR ITSELF. AND SEEKING THE KINGDOM OF GOD HAS TO DO WITH ALL THOSE “BEATITUDES” THAT JESUS SPOKE TO US ABOUT LAST MONTH. THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS IN US, JUST WAITING TO BE ACTUALIZED. IT HAS TO DO WITH TRUSTING GOD AND BELIEVING THE MESSAGE OF JESUS. IT HAS TO DO WITH IMITATING JESUS – HOW OFTEN DO WE FIND HIM ENCOUNTERING SOMEONE WHO CRIES OUT TO HIM, AND JUST AS OFTEN WE SEE HIM DROPPING EVERYTHING TO MEET THAT PERSON'S NEEDS. AND IT HAS TO DO WITH COOPERATING WITH ALL OF THE GRACES WITH WHICH OUR FATHER CONSTANTLY RAINS DOWN ON US. THERE ARE GRACES FOR INNER CONVERSION, OF COURSE. BUT THERE ARE ALSO MANY OTHER GRACES. IF YOU HAVE A TALENT THAT YOU'VE BURIED, WELL, THERE GOES A GRACE GOD GAVE YOU. IF YOU CAN DO SOMETHING TO MAKE YOURSELF A BETTER SERVANT, AND YOU CHOOSE NOT TO, WELL, YOU'VE LOST ANOTHER GRACE. JUST AS JESUS GIVES US GRACE THROUGH THE SACRAMENTS, HE IS ALWAYS GRACING US THROUGH OUR CIRCUMSTANCES; HE IS HOLDING OUT OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES SO THAT WE WILL CHANGE, SO THAT THOSE CHANGES CAN INCREASINGLY BRING ABOUT THE KINGDOM.
SO AS WE WORK FOR OUR FOOD AND SHELTER, AS WE SAVE AGAINST AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE, AS WE CREATE A STABLE HOME LIFE, IT'S IMPORTANT CONSTANTLY REMIND OURSELVES THAT WE DO ALL THESE THINGS SO THAT WE CAN BE BETTER SERVANTS, SO THAT WE CAN SERVE OUR NEIGHBOR MORE EFFECTIVELY, SO THAT WE CAN LISTEN TO GOD'S WORD MORE FRUITFULLY. THEN OUR EFFORTS ARE TRANSFORMED. WE ARE NO LONGER SEEKING FOOD AND CLOTHING AND SHELTER FOR THEIR OWN SAKE. WE ARE NO LONGER OBSESSED WITH THE THOUGHT THAT EVERYTHING COULD FALL APART TOMORROW, AND WE BETTER GET READY.
YOU CAN HAVE TWO HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE WHO TO OUTWARD APPEARANCES ARE HARD TO TELL APART. BOTH WORK HARD, BOTH HAVE GOOD THINGS, BOTH HAVE HEALTHY BANK ACCOUNTS, BOTH ARE AMBITIOUS IN A GOOD WAY. BUT IF SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS – SICKNESS, ACCIDENT, THE CRASH OF THE STOCK MARKET – YOU WILL SEE WHICH ONE HAS BEEN STRIVING TO ACCUMULATE, TO GATHER WEALTH, AND WHICH HAS BEEN KEEPING THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN MIND. BECAUSE WHAT JESUS IS REALLY TALKING ABOUT IS WHAT WE LET DEFINE US. IF OUR IDENTITY IS TIED TO SOMETHING THAT CAN BE LOST OR DESTROYED, THEN WE ARE REALLY LOST AND YOU COULD SAY WE ARE FOOLS AS WELL. BUT IF OUR IDENTITY IS TIED TO TRUST IN GOD, IF AT OUR VERY CENTER WE ARE CONVINCED THAT GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF WHAT MATTERS, THEN WE ARE NOT SHAKEN BY THOSE BAD THINGS THAT WILL HAPPEN SOONER OR LATER TO EACH OF US. AND THAT SEEMS TO ME TO BE WHAT JESUS IS TALKING ABOUT WHEN HE SAYS, “SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND EVERYTHING ELSE WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU.”
LONG BEFORE JESUS THERE WAS A STORY ABOUT A MAN NAMED JOB WHO HAD GREAT WEALTH. SATAN, WITH GOD'S PERMISSION, TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY, EVEN HIS HEALTH. BUT JOB TRUSTED; HE HAD LOST NOT ONLY ALL HIS POSSESSIONS, BUT HIS OWN CHILDREN. IN HIS GREAT MISERY, JOB CRIED OUT, “SHOULD I ONLY ACCEPT GOOD THINGS FROM GOD, AND NOT BAD THINGS?” JOB SHOWED BY HIS WORDS WHERE HIS CENTER LAY, AND GOD RESTORED ALL THAT HE HAD LOST AND MORE.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A
MATTHEW 5:38-48
ARE THERE EVER TIMES WHEN SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN AND YOU WILL FEEL RAGE OR EMBARRASSMENT OR FEAR, OR SOME UNWANTED EMOTION, WELLING UP INSIDE YOU? IT HAPPENS. I REMEMBER A TIME IN COLLEGE WHEN SOMEONE WAS DESPERATE FOR MONEY, AND PROMISED THAT IF I LOANED HIM FIVE DOLLARS HE WOULD PROMPTLY PAY IT BACK. FIVE DOLLARS, BY THE WAY, WAS A LOT OF MONEY IN THE 1960'S. I ALLOWED MYSELF $20.00 SPENDING MONEY EACH MONTH IN THOSE DAYS. SO AFTER A FEW WEEKS, I ASKED FOR THE RETURN OF MY LOAN. HE STATED THAT THE MONEY HE WAS EXPECTING FROM HIS PARENTS HAD NOT YET COME IN, BUT AS SOON AS IT DID, I WOULD BE FIRST ON THE LIST. SUMMER BREAK CAME ALONG. IN THE FALL, I RAISED THE ISSUE AGAIN. HE DENIED KNOWING ANYTHING ABOUT MY LOANING HIM MONEY. AND I HAD NO PROOF. I FELT LIKE AN IDIOT, I FELT DISRESPECTED, AND I FELT LIKE BEATING HIM TO A PULP, ALL IN ONE FLASH. I LOST MY COOL. I NEVER DID SEE THAT FIVE DOLLARS, BUT I STILL REMEMBER THE EMOTIONS I FELT.
I RECENTLY READ ABOUT A PALESTINIAN PHYSICIAN WHO LIVES IN THE GAZA STRIP AND PRACTICED IN A HOSPITAL IN ISRAEL, WHERE JEWS AND PALESTINIANS WORKED TOGETHER. WHEN ISRAEL INVADED GAZA IN RESPONSE TO ROCKET ATTACKS THAT HAD BEEN GOING ON FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, THREE OF HIS DAUGHTERS WERE KILLED. DR. IZELDEEN ABUIELISH WROTE A BOOK CALLED “I SHALL NOT HATE”. HE TOLD A REPORTER, "THE WOUND AND THE PAIN HAVE NOT DISAPPEARED, BUT SUFFERING IS PART OF THE PROCESS OF FORGIVENESS. NOT FORGIVENESS FOR ISRAELIS, BUT FIRST AND FOREMOST FOR MYSELF, IN ORDER TO SHAKE OFF THE HATRED AND THE RAGE AND HOPE FOR A BETTER PATH.” HE WENT ON TO SAY, "IN LIFE, DON'T COUNT ON THINGS THAT CAN CHANGE. POWER CAN CHANGE. TODAY, YOU ARE STRONG LIKE ISRAEL, TOMORROW YOU ARE WEAK. RELY ONLY ON WHAT IS BASIC AND PERMANENT. IN OTHER WORDS, THE HUMANITY IN ALL OF US. THE TOLERANCE, THE CAPACITY FOR FORGIVENESS AND THE DESIRE FOR A BETTER LIFE.”
JESUS TODAY LISTS SEVERAL SCENARIOS WHICH WOULD MAKE ME EXPERIENCE ONE OF THOSE UNWANTED EMOTIONS. IF SOMEONE STRUCK ME, I MIGHT NOT STRIKE BACK, BUT I WOULD PROBABLY INWARDLY BE VERY ANGRY; BUT TO OFFER THE OTHER CHEEK? FAT CHANCE. IF SOMEONE TAKES MY COAT BY FORCE, I WOULD FEEL HELPLESS AND ANGRY; I DOUBT I WOULD GIVE THAT PERSON MY SHIRT. IF I AM FORCED TO DO SOMETHING AGAINST MY WILL, I WILL FEEL LIKE A SLAVE, LIKE AN OBJECT; AND I CAN'T SEE MYSELF VOLUNTEERING TO CONTINUE IN THAT PARTICULAR STATE. I DON'T THINK JESUS IS ACTUALLY GIVING US SPECIFICS ABOUT HOW TO BEHAVE; I THINK HE WANTS US TO PUT OURSELVES INTO THOSE SCENARIOS. WILL WE HAVE THOSE INVOLUNTARY REACTIONS? BECAUSE THEY ARE POINTERS; THEY TELL US THAT WE ARE PUTTING OURSELVES AT THE CENTER OF OUR WORLD. THOSE NEGATIVE EMOTIONS WE FEEL ARE THERE BECAUSE WE SEE OURSELVES AS LOSING OUR INDEPENDENCE, OUR AUTONOMY; IN SHORT, WE SEE OURSELVES AS BEING MADE INTO OBJECTS, CREATURES TO BE USED BY ANOTHER PERSON. AND WE HUMAN BEINGS HAVE A VERY STRONG INSTINCT TO BE SUBJECTS, TO BE IN CONTROL.
JESUS BY HIS WORDS AND HIS LIFE, SHOWED US THAT OUR ATTEMPT TO BE IN CONTROL IS DOOMED TO FAILURE; OUR DESIRE FOR INDEPENDENCE, FOR AUTONOMY, FOR SECURITY – THOSE DESIRES WILL NOT BE FULFILLED, THOSE DESIRES ARISE PRECISELY BECAUSE WE SEE OURSELVES AS THE CENTER OF OUR WORLD – AND WE REALLY AREN'T.
JESUS' ANSWER IS TO PUT GOD FIRST, AND OUR NEIGHBOR SECOND; WE ARE THIRD. THAT IS THE WAY THINGS REALLY ARE, WE MIGHT AS WELL GO ALONG WITH REALITY. GOD IS FIRST, THAT'S NOT HARD TO GRASP INTELLECTUALLY; IT IS HIS WORLD, AND HIS WILL WILL BE DONE. NEIGHBOR IS SECOND. THIS IS HARDER TO GRASP. IT DOES SEEM TO BE BIBLICAL, BUT IS IT NATURAL, DOES IT STEM FROM OUR NATURE? I THINK IT DOES. I THINK PEOPLE ARE HAPPIEST WHEN THEY ARE VOLUNTARILY DOING THINGS FOR OTHER PEOPLE – WHETHER FAMILY MEMBERS OR STRANGERS. IF I MAKE A CHILD HAPPY, I'M HAPPY. IF I CAN SEE A SENSE OF RELIEF IN SOMEONE WHO REALLY NEEDED SOMETHING THAT I COULD PROVIDE, I CAN FEEL THAT RELIEF MYSELF. WE ARE DESIGNED, NATURALLY, TO HAVE EMPATHY, TO FEEL WHAT OTHERS FEEL. I'VE LEARNED THAT I CAN'T REALLY MAKE MYSELF HAPPY – I CAN NEVER FIX EVERYTHING I WOULD HAVE TO FIX. BUT I CAN MAKE OTHERS HAPPY AND FEEL THEIR JOY.
SO GOD FIRST, MY BROTHER OR SISTER SECOND, AND ME LAST. AND IF I LIVE THAT WAY, IF SOMEONE SLAPS ME ON THE CHEEK, I CAN TURN THE OTHER CHEEK, BECAUSE IT WON'T REALLY MATTER. I WON'T FEEL RAGE OR ANGER; AFTER ALL, IF GOD IS FIRST, IF GOD IS AT THE CENTER, THEN I AM ASSURED THAT ALL WILL PROCEED ACCORDING TO HIS PLAN, AND I CAN ACCEPT THAT, JUST AS SO MANY MARTYRS WENT JOYFULLY TO THEIR OWN DEATHS.
AN ENEMY IS SOMEONE WHO CONTROLS YOU AGAINST YOUR WILL, OR THREATENS TO DO THIS. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES MANY PEOPLE IRRATIONAL ABOUT ISLAM – THE IDEA THAT A LEGAL SYSTEM, SHARIA LAW, WOULD BE IMPOSED ON US WITHOUT OUR WILL, IF MUSLIMS HAD THEIR WAY. IT'S ONE OF THE CONSTANT SOURCES OF TENSION IN OUR SOCIETY – SHOULD WE “IMPOSE” MORALITY BY LAW, OR SHOULD WE PUT UP WITH JUST ABOUT ANYTHING BECAUSE WE VALUE FREEDOM AND AUTONOMY MORE? BUT JESUS IS SAYING, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES. THAT WILL BE THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIS FOLLOWERS AND THE REST OF THE WORLD. AND IN ORDER TO REALLY DO THIS, I HAVE TO CHANGE THE WAY I SEE THE WORLD AND MYSELF IN THE WORLD. AND I CAN RECOGNIZE THIS CHANGE AS HAVING TAKEN PLACE IF I NO LONGER FEEL THOSE INVOLUNTARY REACTIONS THAT COME AS A CONSEQUENCE OF PEOPLE THREATENING MY CONTROL, MY AUTONOMY.
ALL OF US ARE BY NATURE DESIGNED TO LIVE AS THOUGH WE ARE THE CENTER OF OUR WORLD. BUT THIS WILL ALWAYS LEAD TO UNHAPPINESS; NATURE DOESN'T CARE IF WE ARE HAPPY . JESUS GIVES US THE MEANS TO ALTER OUR WORLD VIEW THROUGH HIS GRACE, THROUGH THE SACRAMENTS, THROUGH HIS WORD. AND IN TODAY'S GOSPEL, WE HAVE A WAY OF TELLING HOW WE ARE DOING. CAN WE REALLY LOVE THOSE WHO TRY TO CONTROL US, WHO THREATEN TO TAKE AWAY OUR INDEPENDENCE, WHO PUSH US AWAY FROM THE CENTER IN WHICH WE SO BADLY WANT TO BE? OR HAVE WE PUT GOD AT THE CENTER, SO THAT WE ARE NO LONGER SLAVES TO HATRED AND RAGE, AND SO THAT WE CAN TRULY LOVE OUR ENEMIES?
ARE THERE EVER TIMES WHEN SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN AND YOU WILL FEEL RAGE OR EMBARRASSMENT OR FEAR, OR SOME UNWANTED EMOTION, WELLING UP INSIDE YOU? IT HAPPENS. I REMEMBER A TIME IN COLLEGE WHEN SOMEONE WAS DESPERATE FOR MONEY, AND PROMISED THAT IF I LOANED HIM FIVE DOLLARS HE WOULD PROMPTLY PAY IT BACK. FIVE DOLLARS, BY THE WAY, WAS A LOT OF MONEY IN THE 1960'S. I ALLOWED MYSELF $20.00 SPENDING MONEY EACH MONTH IN THOSE DAYS. SO AFTER A FEW WEEKS, I ASKED FOR THE RETURN OF MY LOAN. HE STATED THAT THE MONEY HE WAS EXPECTING FROM HIS PARENTS HAD NOT YET COME IN, BUT AS SOON AS IT DID, I WOULD BE FIRST ON THE LIST. SUMMER BREAK CAME ALONG. IN THE FALL, I RAISED THE ISSUE AGAIN. HE DENIED KNOWING ANYTHING ABOUT MY LOANING HIM MONEY. AND I HAD NO PROOF. I FELT LIKE AN IDIOT, I FELT DISRESPECTED, AND I FELT LIKE BEATING HIM TO A PULP, ALL IN ONE FLASH. I LOST MY COOL. I NEVER DID SEE THAT FIVE DOLLARS, BUT I STILL REMEMBER THE EMOTIONS I FELT.
I RECENTLY READ ABOUT A PALESTINIAN PHYSICIAN WHO LIVES IN THE GAZA STRIP AND PRACTICED IN A HOSPITAL IN ISRAEL, WHERE JEWS AND PALESTINIANS WORKED TOGETHER. WHEN ISRAEL INVADED GAZA IN RESPONSE TO ROCKET ATTACKS THAT HAD BEEN GOING ON FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, THREE OF HIS DAUGHTERS WERE KILLED. DR. IZELDEEN ABUIELISH WROTE A BOOK CALLED “I SHALL NOT HATE”. HE TOLD A REPORTER, "THE WOUND AND THE PAIN HAVE NOT DISAPPEARED, BUT SUFFERING IS PART OF THE PROCESS OF FORGIVENESS. NOT FORGIVENESS FOR ISRAELIS, BUT FIRST AND FOREMOST FOR MYSELF, IN ORDER TO SHAKE OFF THE HATRED AND THE RAGE AND HOPE FOR A BETTER PATH.” HE WENT ON TO SAY, "IN LIFE, DON'T COUNT ON THINGS THAT CAN CHANGE. POWER CAN CHANGE. TODAY, YOU ARE STRONG LIKE ISRAEL, TOMORROW YOU ARE WEAK. RELY ONLY ON WHAT IS BASIC AND PERMANENT. IN OTHER WORDS, THE HUMANITY IN ALL OF US. THE TOLERANCE, THE CAPACITY FOR FORGIVENESS AND THE DESIRE FOR A BETTER LIFE.”
JESUS TODAY LISTS SEVERAL SCENARIOS WHICH WOULD MAKE ME EXPERIENCE ONE OF THOSE UNWANTED EMOTIONS. IF SOMEONE STRUCK ME, I MIGHT NOT STRIKE BACK, BUT I WOULD PROBABLY INWARDLY BE VERY ANGRY; BUT TO OFFER THE OTHER CHEEK? FAT CHANCE. IF SOMEONE TAKES MY COAT BY FORCE, I WOULD FEEL HELPLESS AND ANGRY; I DOUBT I WOULD GIVE THAT PERSON MY SHIRT. IF I AM FORCED TO DO SOMETHING AGAINST MY WILL, I WILL FEEL LIKE A SLAVE, LIKE AN OBJECT; AND I CAN'T SEE MYSELF VOLUNTEERING TO CONTINUE IN THAT PARTICULAR STATE. I DON'T THINK JESUS IS ACTUALLY GIVING US SPECIFICS ABOUT HOW TO BEHAVE; I THINK HE WANTS US TO PUT OURSELVES INTO THOSE SCENARIOS. WILL WE HAVE THOSE INVOLUNTARY REACTIONS? BECAUSE THEY ARE POINTERS; THEY TELL US THAT WE ARE PUTTING OURSELVES AT THE CENTER OF OUR WORLD. THOSE NEGATIVE EMOTIONS WE FEEL ARE THERE BECAUSE WE SEE OURSELVES AS LOSING OUR INDEPENDENCE, OUR AUTONOMY; IN SHORT, WE SEE OURSELVES AS BEING MADE INTO OBJECTS, CREATURES TO BE USED BY ANOTHER PERSON. AND WE HUMAN BEINGS HAVE A VERY STRONG INSTINCT TO BE SUBJECTS, TO BE IN CONTROL.
JESUS BY HIS WORDS AND HIS LIFE, SHOWED US THAT OUR ATTEMPT TO BE IN CONTROL IS DOOMED TO FAILURE; OUR DESIRE FOR INDEPENDENCE, FOR AUTONOMY, FOR SECURITY – THOSE DESIRES WILL NOT BE FULFILLED, THOSE DESIRES ARISE PRECISELY BECAUSE WE SEE OURSELVES AS THE CENTER OF OUR WORLD – AND WE REALLY AREN'T.
JESUS' ANSWER IS TO PUT GOD FIRST, AND OUR NEIGHBOR SECOND; WE ARE THIRD. THAT IS THE WAY THINGS REALLY ARE, WE MIGHT AS WELL GO ALONG WITH REALITY. GOD IS FIRST, THAT'S NOT HARD TO GRASP INTELLECTUALLY; IT IS HIS WORLD, AND HIS WILL WILL BE DONE. NEIGHBOR IS SECOND. THIS IS HARDER TO GRASP. IT DOES SEEM TO BE BIBLICAL, BUT IS IT NATURAL, DOES IT STEM FROM OUR NATURE? I THINK IT DOES. I THINK PEOPLE ARE HAPPIEST WHEN THEY ARE VOLUNTARILY DOING THINGS FOR OTHER PEOPLE – WHETHER FAMILY MEMBERS OR STRANGERS. IF I MAKE A CHILD HAPPY, I'M HAPPY. IF I CAN SEE A SENSE OF RELIEF IN SOMEONE WHO REALLY NEEDED SOMETHING THAT I COULD PROVIDE, I CAN FEEL THAT RELIEF MYSELF. WE ARE DESIGNED, NATURALLY, TO HAVE EMPATHY, TO FEEL WHAT OTHERS FEEL. I'VE LEARNED THAT I CAN'T REALLY MAKE MYSELF HAPPY – I CAN NEVER FIX EVERYTHING I WOULD HAVE TO FIX. BUT I CAN MAKE OTHERS HAPPY AND FEEL THEIR JOY.
SO GOD FIRST, MY BROTHER OR SISTER SECOND, AND ME LAST. AND IF I LIVE THAT WAY, IF SOMEONE SLAPS ME ON THE CHEEK, I CAN TURN THE OTHER CHEEK, BECAUSE IT WON'T REALLY MATTER. I WON'T FEEL RAGE OR ANGER; AFTER ALL, IF GOD IS FIRST, IF GOD IS AT THE CENTER, THEN I AM ASSURED THAT ALL WILL PROCEED ACCORDING TO HIS PLAN, AND I CAN ACCEPT THAT, JUST AS SO MANY MARTYRS WENT JOYFULLY TO THEIR OWN DEATHS.
AN ENEMY IS SOMEONE WHO CONTROLS YOU AGAINST YOUR WILL, OR THREATENS TO DO THIS. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES MANY PEOPLE IRRATIONAL ABOUT ISLAM – THE IDEA THAT A LEGAL SYSTEM, SHARIA LAW, WOULD BE IMPOSED ON US WITHOUT OUR WILL, IF MUSLIMS HAD THEIR WAY. IT'S ONE OF THE CONSTANT SOURCES OF TENSION IN OUR SOCIETY – SHOULD WE “IMPOSE” MORALITY BY LAW, OR SHOULD WE PUT UP WITH JUST ABOUT ANYTHING BECAUSE WE VALUE FREEDOM AND AUTONOMY MORE? BUT JESUS IS SAYING, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES. THAT WILL BE THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIS FOLLOWERS AND THE REST OF THE WORLD. AND IN ORDER TO REALLY DO THIS, I HAVE TO CHANGE THE WAY I SEE THE WORLD AND MYSELF IN THE WORLD. AND I CAN RECOGNIZE THIS CHANGE AS HAVING TAKEN PLACE IF I NO LONGER FEEL THOSE INVOLUNTARY REACTIONS THAT COME AS A CONSEQUENCE OF PEOPLE THREATENING MY CONTROL, MY AUTONOMY.
ALL OF US ARE BY NATURE DESIGNED TO LIVE AS THOUGH WE ARE THE CENTER OF OUR WORLD. BUT THIS WILL ALWAYS LEAD TO UNHAPPINESS; NATURE DOESN'T CARE IF WE ARE HAPPY . JESUS GIVES US THE MEANS TO ALTER OUR WORLD VIEW THROUGH HIS GRACE, THROUGH THE SACRAMENTS, THROUGH HIS WORD. AND IN TODAY'S GOSPEL, WE HAVE A WAY OF TELLING HOW WE ARE DOING. CAN WE REALLY LOVE THOSE WHO TRY TO CONTROL US, WHO THREATEN TO TAKE AWAY OUR INDEPENDENCE, WHO PUSH US AWAY FROM THE CENTER IN WHICH WE SO BADLY WANT TO BE? OR HAVE WE PUT GOD AT THE CENTER, SO THAT WE ARE NO LONGER SLAVES TO HATRED AND RAGE, AND SO THAT WE CAN TRULY LOVE OUR ENEMIES?
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A
MATTHEW 5:17-37
ALL THROUGH THE FIRST FIVE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE, THERE ARE THE LAWS GIVEN TO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL BY MOSES. THESE AREN'T JUST THE TEN COMMANDMENTS; THEY ARE INSTEAD, LAWS HAVING TO DO WITH OFFERING SACRIFICE, WITH ADMINISTERING JUSTICE, WHICH DIET, WITH HOW TO PURIFY YOURSELF, WITH THINGS LIKE ALLOWING A NEWLY MARRIED MAN TO STAY HOME WITH HIS WIFE FOR A YEAR BEFORE CONSCRIPTING HIM TO GO OFF TO WAR...THERE ARE LAWS DEALING WITH THE PEOPLE WHO WEREN'T JEWS BUT LIVED AMONG THE JEWS – MOSTLY NATIVE PEOPLES WHO HAD BEEN THERE BEFORE THE JEWS ENTERED THE PROMISED LAND.
IT'S INTERESTING THAT SOME OF THESE LAWS WERE QUICKLY IGNORED; THERE IS A LAW THAT TELLS YOU WHEN YOU CAN PUT TO DEATH A DISOBEDIENT SON, FOR EXAMPLE. THERE IS THE LEVIRITE LAW, WHICH SAYS THAT IF YOUR BROTHER DIES, YOU HAVE TO MAKE HIS WIDOW PREGNANT, SO THAT SOMEONE WILL BE AROUND TO BE HIS DESCENDANT. AND THERE IS THE LAW OF JUBILEES, WHICH SAYS THAT EVERY FIFTY YEARS ALL THE LAND THAT HAS BEEN SOLD IS GIVEN BACK TO THOSE WHO HAD IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. BUT SOME JEWS, THE PHARISEES AND THE SCRIBES ESPECIALLY, EVENTUALLY DECIDED THAT GOD WANTED HIS PEOPLE TO OBEY ALL THE LAWS UNLESS OF COURSE IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE. BUT SOME OF THESE LAWS ARE A LITTLE VAGUE. ONE SAYS THAT YOU SHALL NOT WORK ON THE SABBATH DAY. SO WHAT IS WORK? SOME RABBIS TAUGHT THAT YOU COULD WALK 100 STEPS FROM YOUR HOUSE WITHOUT BREAKING THE LAW. SOME TAUGHT THAT YOU COULDN'T PREPARE FOOD ON THE SABBATH. EVENTUALLY THE COMMANDMENT WAS BROKEN DOWN INTO ALL KINDS OF SPECIFIC RULES WHICH, IF YOU FOLLOWED THEM, YOU COULD BE SURE YOU WERE NOT BREAKING THE COMMANDMENT. ANOTHER RULE WAS THAT YOU COULDN'T BOIL A KID IN IT'S MOTHER'S MILK. MODERN SCHOLARS THINK THIS WAS BECAUSE THAT WAS A PAGAN PRACTICE; BUT THE PHARISEES AND THE SCRIBES DEVELOPED THAT RULE INTO THE DIETARY LAWS THAT ORTHODOX JEWS STILL FOLLOW; YOU EVEN HAVE TO HAVE TWO SETS OF DISHES SO THAT YOU WILL USE ONE FOR DAIRY AND ONE FOR NON-DAIRY. TO US THIS APPROACH TO LAW IS HARD TO UNDERSTAND, BUT REMEMBER, TO JEWS OBEYING GOD'S LAW WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THEY COULD DO, SO IT HELPED TO HAVE DETAILED RULES. THIS WAS CALLED “PUTTING A FENCE AROUND THE LAW”.
TODAY WE HEAR JESUS COMING UP WITH A RADICALLY DIFFERENT INTERPRETATION. FIRST, HE SAYS THAT HE DID NOT COME TO ABOLISH THE LAW. HE CAME TO FULFILL IT, DOWN TO THE SMALLEST DETAIL. AND THEN INSTEAD OF LISTING WAYS TO AVOID BREAKING A PARTICULAR COMMANDMENT, HE DRILLS DOWN. YOU HAVE HEARD IT SAID “YOU SHALL NOT KILL; AND WHOEVER KILLS WILL BE LIABLE TO JUDGMENT.” BUT JESUS RECOGNIZES THAT KILLING STEMS FROM ANGER – NOT THAT MOMENTARY FLASH OF ANGER YOU GET WHEN SOMEONE CUTS YOU OFF IN TRAFFIC – OTHERWISE, I'D BE IN REAL TROUBLE. RATHER, THAT DEEP SEATED ANGER, THAT SIMMERING ANGER THAT COLORS YOUR WHOLE LIFE. IN THE MOVIE “FOR ROSANNA” THERE IS A SCENE IN WHICH A MAN IS RELEASED FROM PRISON AFTER SERVING A 20 YEAR SENTENCE. HE BUYS A GUN AND GOES OFF TO KILL HIS WORST ENEMY. WHEN HE LEARNS THAT HIS ENEMY DIED A NATURAL DEATH, HE SHOUTS “YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME IN HELL. I'M COMING TO GET YOU!” AND THEN HE SHOOTS HIMSELF IN THE HEAD. LIKEWISE JESUS TALKS ABOUT LUST. IF YOU ARE A NORMAL MALE, YOU CAN'T GET THROUGH A DAY WITHOUT NOTICING ATTRACTIVE WOMEN; IT'S BUILT IN TO YOUR BIOLOGY. IT MAY BE TRUE OF WOMEN AS WELL, BUT I CAN ONLY SPEAK FOR MYSELF. THAT IS NOT LUST. LUST IS THE MAN WHO SITS DOWN IN FRONT OF HIS COMPUTER AND DELIBERATELY GOES TO A PORNOGRAPHY SITE. AFTER A WHILE, HE'S AN ADDICT; THAT'S THE KIND OF LUST JESUS IS TALKING ABOUT.
JESUS TALKS ABOUT DIVORCE. WE HAVE CASUAL DIVORCES IN OUR DAY – JUST OPEN UP PEOPLE MAGAZINE ANY PARTICULAR WEEK – AND THIS WAS THE KIND OF DIVORCE IN JESUS' DAY. A MAN WOULD GET TIRED OF HIS WIFE AND DECIDE HE NEEDED SOMEONE YOUNGER AND PRETTIER, AND ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS WRITE OUT A BILL OF DIVORCE, AND HIS WIFE WAS OUT ON THE STREET. OFTEN THE WOMAN ENDED UP DOING WHATEVER SHE COULD TO SURVIVE, INCLUDING PROSTITUTION. SHE MIGHT EVEN MARRY AGAIN, BUT JESUS MAKES IT CLEAR THAT NEITHER ALTERNATIVE IS ACCEPTABLE. DIVORCE ALWAYS COMES BECAUSE ONE PARTY FEELS THAT THE OTHER IS NOT MEETING HIS OR HER NEEDS, AND THAT ATTITUDE MEANS THAT THE PARTNER IS VIEWED AS AN OBJECT, A POSSESSION, INSTEAD OF AN EQUAL TO WHOM ONE IS COMMITTED.
AND FINALLY JESUS TALKS ABOUT TAKING OATHS. THIS ISN'T THE SAME THING AS PROMISING TO TELL THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. THIS STEMS FROM A SITUATION IN WHICH THERE IS GENERAL DISTRUST, SO THAT PEOPLE HAVE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN CASUAL SPEECH AND TELLING THE TRUTH. WHEN PEOPLE TAKE OATHS, THEY ARE SAYING THAT “YOU CAN TRUST ME NOW” BUT ALSO, THAT “YOU CAN'T TRUST ME MOST OF THE TIME.” JESUS IS SAYING THAT IT ISN'T A MATTER OF TRUE OATHS AND FALSE OATHS; IT IS A MATTER OF LIVING SO THAT YOU DON'T NEED TO TAKE OATHS. ALL YOU SAY IS TRUE.
THE PHARISEES BUILT FENCES AROUND THE LAWS OF MOSES. JESUS LOOKED AT THE LAWS AND SAW THEIR ROOTS. WHEN THE ROOTS ARE VISIBLE, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE LAW IS NOT AN EXTERNAL THING BUT HAS TO DO WITH OUR AUTHENTIC SELVES. IF WE GO AROUND CONSTANTLY HOLDING A GRUDGE, WE MIGHT MURDER, WE MIGHT HUT OUR NEIGHBOR, BUT WE WILL DEFINITELY DESTROY OURSELVES, BECAUSE SOMETHING THAT POSSESSES US TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN NO LONGER CONTROL OURSELVES ERASES WHAT IS GOD-LIKE IN US, OUR POWER TO CHOOSE. IF WE LIVE IN A STATE OF LUST, AND LUST ISN'T JUST ABOUT SEX, IT CAN BE ABOUT FOOD, ALCOHOL, POWER, RICHES … ALL OF THESE CAN CAUSE ME TO COMMIT SINFUL ACTS, BUT THEY ALWAYS DISTORT AND DIMINISH MY HUMANITY.
NOW JESUS ALSO DEMONSTRATES SOMETHING THAT EACH OF US CAN DO. IF WE EXAMINE WHAT WE DO, AND RECOGNIZE SINFUL ACTS, WE CAN DIG DOWN TO THEIR ROOTS, AND INVARIABLY, WE WILL FIND SOMETHING THAT KEEPS US FROM BEING FULLY HUMAN – AND WE ARE HUMAN TO THE EXTENT THAT WE ARE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
BUT WE CAN'T DO THIS BY OURSELVES. FORTUNATELY, JESUS STANDS READY TO HELP US IN THE PERSON OF OUR PRIESTS, IN THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. WE THINK OVER OUR ACTIONS, WE LAY THEM OUT BEFORE THE PRIEST, AND HOPEFULLY, THERE WILL BE SOME DISCUSSION, LOOKING AT THE ROOTS OF OUR ACTIONS. AND THEN WE RECEIVE GOD'S SACRAMENTAL GRACE THAT CAN HELP US AT OUR ROOTS, THAT CAN LIFT THOSE BARRIERS WHICH KEEP US FROM WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE.
ALL THROUGH THE FIRST FIVE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE, THERE ARE THE LAWS GIVEN TO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL BY MOSES. THESE AREN'T JUST THE TEN COMMANDMENTS; THEY ARE INSTEAD, LAWS HAVING TO DO WITH OFFERING SACRIFICE, WITH ADMINISTERING JUSTICE, WHICH DIET, WITH HOW TO PURIFY YOURSELF, WITH THINGS LIKE ALLOWING A NEWLY MARRIED MAN TO STAY HOME WITH HIS WIFE FOR A YEAR BEFORE CONSCRIPTING HIM TO GO OFF TO WAR...THERE ARE LAWS DEALING WITH THE PEOPLE WHO WEREN'T JEWS BUT LIVED AMONG THE JEWS – MOSTLY NATIVE PEOPLES WHO HAD BEEN THERE BEFORE THE JEWS ENTERED THE PROMISED LAND.
IT'S INTERESTING THAT SOME OF THESE LAWS WERE QUICKLY IGNORED; THERE IS A LAW THAT TELLS YOU WHEN YOU CAN PUT TO DEATH A DISOBEDIENT SON, FOR EXAMPLE. THERE IS THE LEVIRITE LAW, WHICH SAYS THAT IF YOUR BROTHER DIES, YOU HAVE TO MAKE HIS WIDOW PREGNANT, SO THAT SOMEONE WILL BE AROUND TO BE HIS DESCENDANT. AND THERE IS THE LAW OF JUBILEES, WHICH SAYS THAT EVERY FIFTY YEARS ALL THE LAND THAT HAS BEEN SOLD IS GIVEN BACK TO THOSE WHO HAD IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. BUT SOME JEWS, THE PHARISEES AND THE SCRIBES ESPECIALLY, EVENTUALLY DECIDED THAT GOD WANTED HIS PEOPLE TO OBEY ALL THE LAWS UNLESS OF COURSE IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE. BUT SOME OF THESE LAWS ARE A LITTLE VAGUE. ONE SAYS THAT YOU SHALL NOT WORK ON THE SABBATH DAY. SO WHAT IS WORK? SOME RABBIS TAUGHT THAT YOU COULD WALK 100 STEPS FROM YOUR HOUSE WITHOUT BREAKING THE LAW. SOME TAUGHT THAT YOU COULDN'T PREPARE FOOD ON THE SABBATH. EVENTUALLY THE COMMANDMENT WAS BROKEN DOWN INTO ALL KINDS OF SPECIFIC RULES WHICH, IF YOU FOLLOWED THEM, YOU COULD BE SURE YOU WERE NOT BREAKING THE COMMANDMENT. ANOTHER RULE WAS THAT YOU COULDN'T BOIL A KID IN IT'S MOTHER'S MILK. MODERN SCHOLARS THINK THIS WAS BECAUSE THAT WAS A PAGAN PRACTICE; BUT THE PHARISEES AND THE SCRIBES DEVELOPED THAT RULE INTO THE DIETARY LAWS THAT ORTHODOX JEWS STILL FOLLOW; YOU EVEN HAVE TO HAVE TWO SETS OF DISHES SO THAT YOU WILL USE ONE FOR DAIRY AND ONE FOR NON-DAIRY. TO US THIS APPROACH TO LAW IS HARD TO UNDERSTAND, BUT REMEMBER, TO JEWS OBEYING GOD'S LAW WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THEY COULD DO, SO IT HELPED TO HAVE DETAILED RULES. THIS WAS CALLED “PUTTING A FENCE AROUND THE LAW”.
TODAY WE HEAR JESUS COMING UP WITH A RADICALLY DIFFERENT INTERPRETATION. FIRST, HE SAYS THAT HE DID NOT COME TO ABOLISH THE LAW. HE CAME TO FULFILL IT, DOWN TO THE SMALLEST DETAIL. AND THEN INSTEAD OF LISTING WAYS TO AVOID BREAKING A PARTICULAR COMMANDMENT, HE DRILLS DOWN. YOU HAVE HEARD IT SAID “YOU SHALL NOT KILL; AND WHOEVER KILLS WILL BE LIABLE TO JUDGMENT.” BUT JESUS RECOGNIZES THAT KILLING STEMS FROM ANGER – NOT THAT MOMENTARY FLASH OF ANGER YOU GET WHEN SOMEONE CUTS YOU OFF IN TRAFFIC – OTHERWISE, I'D BE IN REAL TROUBLE. RATHER, THAT DEEP SEATED ANGER, THAT SIMMERING ANGER THAT COLORS YOUR WHOLE LIFE. IN THE MOVIE “FOR ROSANNA” THERE IS A SCENE IN WHICH A MAN IS RELEASED FROM PRISON AFTER SERVING A 20 YEAR SENTENCE. HE BUYS A GUN AND GOES OFF TO KILL HIS WORST ENEMY. WHEN HE LEARNS THAT HIS ENEMY DIED A NATURAL DEATH, HE SHOUTS “YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME IN HELL. I'M COMING TO GET YOU!” AND THEN HE SHOOTS HIMSELF IN THE HEAD. LIKEWISE JESUS TALKS ABOUT LUST. IF YOU ARE A NORMAL MALE, YOU CAN'T GET THROUGH A DAY WITHOUT NOTICING ATTRACTIVE WOMEN; IT'S BUILT IN TO YOUR BIOLOGY. IT MAY BE TRUE OF WOMEN AS WELL, BUT I CAN ONLY SPEAK FOR MYSELF. THAT IS NOT LUST. LUST IS THE MAN WHO SITS DOWN IN FRONT OF HIS COMPUTER AND DELIBERATELY GOES TO A PORNOGRAPHY SITE. AFTER A WHILE, HE'S AN ADDICT; THAT'S THE KIND OF LUST JESUS IS TALKING ABOUT.
JESUS TALKS ABOUT DIVORCE. WE HAVE CASUAL DIVORCES IN OUR DAY – JUST OPEN UP PEOPLE MAGAZINE ANY PARTICULAR WEEK – AND THIS WAS THE KIND OF DIVORCE IN JESUS' DAY. A MAN WOULD GET TIRED OF HIS WIFE AND DECIDE HE NEEDED SOMEONE YOUNGER AND PRETTIER, AND ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS WRITE OUT A BILL OF DIVORCE, AND HIS WIFE WAS OUT ON THE STREET. OFTEN THE WOMAN ENDED UP DOING WHATEVER SHE COULD TO SURVIVE, INCLUDING PROSTITUTION. SHE MIGHT EVEN MARRY AGAIN, BUT JESUS MAKES IT CLEAR THAT NEITHER ALTERNATIVE IS ACCEPTABLE. DIVORCE ALWAYS COMES BECAUSE ONE PARTY FEELS THAT THE OTHER IS NOT MEETING HIS OR HER NEEDS, AND THAT ATTITUDE MEANS THAT THE PARTNER IS VIEWED AS AN OBJECT, A POSSESSION, INSTEAD OF AN EQUAL TO WHOM ONE IS COMMITTED.
AND FINALLY JESUS TALKS ABOUT TAKING OATHS. THIS ISN'T THE SAME THING AS PROMISING TO TELL THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. THIS STEMS FROM A SITUATION IN WHICH THERE IS GENERAL DISTRUST, SO THAT PEOPLE HAVE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN CASUAL SPEECH AND TELLING THE TRUTH. WHEN PEOPLE TAKE OATHS, THEY ARE SAYING THAT “YOU CAN TRUST ME NOW” BUT ALSO, THAT “YOU CAN'T TRUST ME MOST OF THE TIME.” JESUS IS SAYING THAT IT ISN'T A MATTER OF TRUE OATHS AND FALSE OATHS; IT IS A MATTER OF LIVING SO THAT YOU DON'T NEED TO TAKE OATHS. ALL YOU SAY IS TRUE.
THE PHARISEES BUILT FENCES AROUND THE LAWS OF MOSES. JESUS LOOKED AT THE LAWS AND SAW THEIR ROOTS. WHEN THE ROOTS ARE VISIBLE, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE LAW IS NOT AN EXTERNAL THING BUT HAS TO DO WITH OUR AUTHENTIC SELVES. IF WE GO AROUND CONSTANTLY HOLDING A GRUDGE, WE MIGHT MURDER, WE MIGHT HUT OUR NEIGHBOR, BUT WE WILL DEFINITELY DESTROY OURSELVES, BECAUSE SOMETHING THAT POSSESSES US TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN NO LONGER CONTROL OURSELVES ERASES WHAT IS GOD-LIKE IN US, OUR POWER TO CHOOSE. IF WE LIVE IN A STATE OF LUST, AND LUST ISN'T JUST ABOUT SEX, IT CAN BE ABOUT FOOD, ALCOHOL, POWER, RICHES … ALL OF THESE CAN CAUSE ME TO COMMIT SINFUL ACTS, BUT THEY ALWAYS DISTORT AND DIMINISH MY HUMANITY.
NOW JESUS ALSO DEMONSTRATES SOMETHING THAT EACH OF US CAN DO. IF WE EXAMINE WHAT WE DO, AND RECOGNIZE SINFUL ACTS, WE CAN DIG DOWN TO THEIR ROOTS, AND INVARIABLY, WE WILL FIND SOMETHING THAT KEEPS US FROM BEING FULLY HUMAN – AND WE ARE HUMAN TO THE EXTENT THAT WE ARE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
BUT WE CAN'T DO THIS BY OURSELVES. FORTUNATELY, JESUS STANDS READY TO HELP US IN THE PERSON OF OUR PRIESTS, IN THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. WE THINK OVER OUR ACTIONS, WE LAY THEM OUT BEFORE THE PRIEST, AND HOPEFULLY, THERE WILL BE SOME DISCUSSION, LOOKING AT THE ROOTS OF OUR ACTIONS. AND THEN WE RECEIVE GOD'S SACRAMENTAL GRACE THAT CAN HELP US AT OUR ROOTS, THAT CAN LIFT THOSE BARRIERS WHICH KEEP US FROM WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A
MATTHEW 5:13-16
ONE OF THE THINGS DEACONS AND PRIESTS ARE SUPPOSED TO DO IS WRITE DOWN ALL THE DETAILS FOR THEIR FUNERALS, AND FILE THEM WITH THE DIOCESE. IT SOUNDS A LITTLE MORBID, DOESN'T IT? BUT IT'S NOT SUCH A BAD IDEA. IT TAKES A HUGE BURDEN OFF OF THE PEOPLE YOU'VE LEFT BEHIND, WHO WILL HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS WITHOUT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE.
PART OF THE TASK IS TO SELECT THE MUSIC AND THE READINGS FOR THE FUNERAL MASS. I'M NOT MUCH OF A MUSIC PERSON, ALTHOUGH I LIKE TO SING. BUT MY FAVORITE PIECE OF SACRED MUSIC IS SHUBERT'S AVE MARIA, SO I'VE PUT THAT DOWN. ONE OF MY FAVORITE NON-SACRED PIECES IS THE STONE'S “SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL”, WHICH PROBABLY WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE FOR MY FUNERAL, ALTHOUGH I HAVEN'T ASKED MY WIFE WHAT SHE THINKS YET.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE GOSPEL, THE FIRST READING, THE SECOND READING? WHAT WOULD REFLECT YOUR LIFE, WHAT READINGS WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR LOVED ONES TO ASSOCIATE WITH YOU?
WOULD ANYONE PICK THE READINGS FROM TODAY? I'D BE ASHAMED TO, BUT I WISH I COULD. BECAUSE THESE VERY SHORT READINGS GIVE US THE ESSENCE OF WHAT GOD WANTS FROM US. AND IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU KNOW YOU FALL WAY SHORT.
JESUS SAYS WE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH AND THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. IN JESUS TIME THERE WAS SALT WHICH WAS OBTAINED FROM MINES. THIS WAS VERY PURE, AND WAS USED BY THE VERY RICH, AND WEIGHED OUT AND USED TO PAY ROMAN SOLDIERS. SINCE IT WAS IN DEMAND ALL OVER THE EMPIRE, IT MADE A PRETTY GOOD MEDIUM OF EXCHANGE. BUT WHEN JESUS TALKED ABOUT SALT, HE WAS PROBABLY THINKING ABOUT BROWN AND YELLOW CRYSTALS THAT HAD BEEN OBTAINED FROM DRYING SEA WATER. IF YOU WERE A SALT MERCHANT, YOU MIGHT SELL SALT WITH A LOT OF SAND MIXED IN TO INCREASE YOUR PROFIT. POOR PEOPLE DIDN'T SPRINKLE SALT ON FOOD; THEY USED IT TO PRESERVE FOOD, AND WHEN THEY ATE THE MEAT OR FISH THAT HAD BEEN HEAVILY SALTED, THEY WASHED AWAY THE SALT. OBVIOUSLY IF YOUR SALT WAS MIXED WITH SAND, THE FOOD MIGHT NOT BE ADEQUATELY FLAVORED, OR MAYBE EVEN SPOILED. JESUS BRINGS UP THE IMAGE OF LIGHT AS WELL; IF WE HIDE THE LIGHT UNDER A BUSHEL BASKET, WHAT GOOD ARE WE? IF WE DECIDE NOT TO BE SALT, IF WE DECIDE TO HIDE OUR LIGHT, WELL, THERE IS NO BACK UP PLAN. GOD HAS TURNED OVER TO US THE CREATION AND REALIZATION OF HIS KINGDOM. IT WILL COME, WE KNOW THAT. BUT GOD GIVES US THE CHANCE TO BE A PART OF IT.
THE FIRST READING FROM THE BOOK OF ISAIAH SHOWS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE LIGHT; SIMPLE THINGS – FEEDING THE HUNGRY, SHELTERING THE HOMELESS, CLOTHING THE NAKED – NOT ONLY DOES THAT CAUSE MY LIGHT TO SHINE FORTH, IT ENLISTS GOD HIMSELF IN MY ACTIONS, AND JUST AS WE BECOME LIGHT FOR THOSE AROUND US, GOD BECOMES LIGHT FOR US, HE ANSWERS OUR PRAYERS, HE PROTECTS US. BUT THIS PROMISE THAT GOD WILL LOOK AFTER THOSE WHO TAKE SERIOUSLY THAT THEY ARE LIGHT AND SALT, IS NOT UNIQUE TO ISAIAH; IT IS A THEME THAT RUNS THROUGH THE BIBLE. JESUS HIMSELF PROMISED THAT THE MEASURE WITH WHICH WE MEASURE AS WE GIVE TO OUR NEIGHBOR IS THE SAME MEASURE GOD WILL USE TO GIVE TO US; IF YOU OFFER A TEASPOON FULL OF LOVE, EXPECT A TEASPOON OF REWARD FROM GOD. IF YOU OFFER A TRUCKLOAD, A TRUCKLOAD FOR YOU IS PROMISED.
SAINT PAUL ADDS ANOTHER DIMENSION. I IMAGINE SOME OF YOU ARE LIKE ME. I HAVE A CHARACTER TRAIT THAT I WISH I DIDN'T HAVE. I'VE BEEN TRYING TO SHAKE IT ALL MY LIFE. I DON'T LIKE TO BEGIN ANYTHING UNLESS I'M REASONABLY SURE OF THE OUTCOME, AND THE EFFORT WHICH I WILL HAVE TO EXERT. SO I THINK OF SOMETHING I HAVE TO DO, AND AFTER I ANALYZE IT FROM ALL SIDES I OFTEN END UP THINKING THAT THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO DO IT, I'M NOT PREPARED, I HAVE TOO MANY OTHER IRONS IN THE FIRE. SO I PUT IT ON THE BACK BURNER UNTIL I AM MORE PREPARED, UNTIL I HAVE MORE TIME. AND IF YOU WERE TO SEE MY BACK BURNER, IT IS PRETTY CROWDED. BUT SAINT PAUL WRITES TO HIS BELOVED CORINTHIANS. HE REMINDS THEM THAT WHEN HE CAME TO THEM, HE BROUGHT NOTHING – HE HADN'T PREPARED ELOQUENT SERMONS, HE DIDN'T BRING LOGICAL ARGUMENTS AND BRILLIANT THOUGHTS, EVEN THOUGH HE WAS EXTREMELY WELL EDUCATED. IN FACT, IN THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, PAUL TRIED THAT IN ATHENS. HE MET WITH THE IMPORTANT PEOPLE OF THE CITY AND TRIED TO BRING CHRIST TO THEM BY USING PHILOSOPHY AND LOGIC. THEY REPLIED THAT IT WAS INTERESTING, AND MAYBE THEY'D HAVE HIM COME AROUND AGAIN SOME TIME. AND HERE, AN OLDER AND WISER PAUL RESOLVES TO STICK TO THE BASIC MESSAGE – THAT CHRIST SUFFERED, DIED, AND ROSE AGAIN, SO THAT WE COULD HAVE ETERNAL LIFE – AND THE REST WOULD BE UP TO GOD.
YOU GO OUT, BEGIN TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OTHERS, A LITTLE AT A TIME; YOU GO OUT AND SHINE A LITTLE OF THE LIGHT OF CHRIST, REFLECTED OFF OF YOU, INTO SOME DARK CORNERS; YOU GO OUT, UNPREPARED, NOT SEEING WHERE YOU WILL END UP, BEING LIKE JESUS WHO GAVE WHAT HE COULD TO THOSE WHO CROSSED HIS PATH. AND YOU GO OUT KNOWING ONLY THAT THE CRUCIFIED LORD GIVES YOU ALL THE POWER YOU NEED TO BE THE LIGHT, TO BE THE SALT. AND THE PROMISE IS THAT IF YOU ARE DOING THE WORK OF GOD, THE WORK LAID OUT BY ISAIAH, GOD HIMSELF WILL BE THERE WITH YOU. AND THAT'S THE RECIPE FOR BEING A SAINT. SIMPLE.
WOULDN'T IT BE WONDERFUL IF AT YOUR FUNERAL, THOSE WHO KNEW YOU GOT TOGETHER AND SAID, “YOU KNOW, HE WAS A LIGHT SHINING IN THE DARKNESS, HER LIFE WAS LIKE THE SALT THAT KEEPS THINGS FRESH, THAT KEEPS CORRUPTION AT BAY. AND THIS GOSPEL IS THE RIGHT GOSPEL TO READ AT THE FUNERAL MASS.
I HOPE I HAVE A FEW MORE YEARS BEFORE MY FUNERAL MASS. AND I HOPE THAT BEFORE I DIE MAYBE I WILL GROW ENOUGH IN MY SPIRITUAL LIFE SO THAT THESE READINGS COULD BE READ AT MY FUNERAL, WITHOUT PEOPLE WONDERING WHAT ON EARTH THEY HAD TO DO WITH MY LIFE.
SO IN THE PLAN FOR MY FUNERAL I'VE GOT SHUBERT'S AVE MARIA, AND I'VE PICKED OUT SOME NICE READINGS. BUT A FUNERAL PLAN IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, AND MAYBE I'LL MAKE SOME CHANGES NOW AND THEN. IT'S GOOD TO LOOK AT THE PLAN ONCE A YEAR OR SO, AND WONDER WHETHER THOSE THINGS I'VE PUT IN THERE ARE STILL WHAT I WANT, OR WHETHER SOMETHING ELSE MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE, AND WHETHER I AM MAKING ANY PROGRESS IN MY SPIRITUAL LIFE, PROGRESS THAT CALLS FOR A DIFFERENT READINGS, DIFFERENT MUSIC.
MAYBE PLANNING ONE'S FUNERAL IS A GOOD THING FOR ALL OF US TO DO.
ONE OF THE THINGS DEACONS AND PRIESTS ARE SUPPOSED TO DO IS WRITE DOWN ALL THE DETAILS FOR THEIR FUNERALS, AND FILE THEM WITH THE DIOCESE. IT SOUNDS A LITTLE MORBID, DOESN'T IT? BUT IT'S NOT SUCH A BAD IDEA. IT TAKES A HUGE BURDEN OFF OF THE PEOPLE YOU'VE LEFT BEHIND, WHO WILL HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS WITHOUT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE.
PART OF THE TASK IS TO SELECT THE MUSIC AND THE READINGS FOR THE FUNERAL MASS. I'M NOT MUCH OF A MUSIC PERSON, ALTHOUGH I LIKE TO SING. BUT MY FAVORITE PIECE OF SACRED MUSIC IS SHUBERT'S AVE MARIA, SO I'VE PUT THAT DOWN. ONE OF MY FAVORITE NON-SACRED PIECES IS THE STONE'S “SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL”, WHICH PROBABLY WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE FOR MY FUNERAL, ALTHOUGH I HAVEN'T ASKED MY WIFE WHAT SHE THINKS YET.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE GOSPEL, THE FIRST READING, THE SECOND READING? WHAT WOULD REFLECT YOUR LIFE, WHAT READINGS WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR LOVED ONES TO ASSOCIATE WITH YOU?
WOULD ANYONE PICK THE READINGS FROM TODAY? I'D BE ASHAMED TO, BUT I WISH I COULD. BECAUSE THESE VERY SHORT READINGS GIVE US THE ESSENCE OF WHAT GOD WANTS FROM US. AND IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU KNOW YOU FALL WAY SHORT.
JESUS SAYS WE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH AND THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. IN JESUS TIME THERE WAS SALT WHICH WAS OBTAINED FROM MINES. THIS WAS VERY PURE, AND WAS USED BY THE VERY RICH, AND WEIGHED OUT AND USED TO PAY ROMAN SOLDIERS. SINCE IT WAS IN DEMAND ALL OVER THE EMPIRE, IT MADE A PRETTY GOOD MEDIUM OF EXCHANGE. BUT WHEN JESUS TALKED ABOUT SALT, HE WAS PROBABLY THINKING ABOUT BROWN AND YELLOW CRYSTALS THAT HAD BEEN OBTAINED FROM DRYING SEA WATER. IF YOU WERE A SALT MERCHANT, YOU MIGHT SELL SALT WITH A LOT OF SAND MIXED IN TO INCREASE YOUR PROFIT. POOR PEOPLE DIDN'T SPRINKLE SALT ON FOOD; THEY USED IT TO PRESERVE FOOD, AND WHEN THEY ATE THE MEAT OR FISH THAT HAD BEEN HEAVILY SALTED, THEY WASHED AWAY THE SALT. OBVIOUSLY IF YOUR SALT WAS MIXED WITH SAND, THE FOOD MIGHT NOT BE ADEQUATELY FLAVORED, OR MAYBE EVEN SPOILED. JESUS BRINGS UP THE IMAGE OF LIGHT AS WELL; IF WE HIDE THE LIGHT UNDER A BUSHEL BASKET, WHAT GOOD ARE WE? IF WE DECIDE NOT TO BE SALT, IF WE DECIDE TO HIDE OUR LIGHT, WELL, THERE IS NO BACK UP PLAN. GOD HAS TURNED OVER TO US THE CREATION AND REALIZATION OF HIS KINGDOM. IT WILL COME, WE KNOW THAT. BUT GOD GIVES US THE CHANCE TO BE A PART OF IT.
THE FIRST READING FROM THE BOOK OF ISAIAH SHOWS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE LIGHT; SIMPLE THINGS – FEEDING THE HUNGRY, SHELTERING THE HOMELESS, CLOTHING THE NAKED – NOT ONLY DOES THAT CAUSE MY LIGHT TO SHINE FORTH, IT ENLISTS GOD HIMSELF IN MY ACTIONS, AND JUST AS WE BECOME LIGHT FOR THOSE AROUND US, GOD BECOMES LIGHT FOR US, HE ANSWERS OUR PRAYERS, HE PROTECTS US. BUT THIS PROMISE THAT GOD WILL LOOK AFTER THOSE WHO TAKE SERIOUSLY THAT THEY ARE LIGHT AND SALT, IS NOT UNIQUE TO ISAIAH; IT IS A THEME THAT RUNS THROUGH THE BIBLE. JESUS HIMSELF PROMISED THAT THE MEASURE WITH WHICH WE MEASURE AS WE GIVE TO OUR NEIGHBOR IS THE SAME MEASURE GOD WILL USE TO GIVE TO US; IF YOU OFFER A TEASPOON FULL OF LOVE, EXPECT A TEASPOON OF REWARD FROM GOD. IF YOU OFFER A TRUCKLOAD, A TRUCKLOAD FOR YOU IS PROMISED.
SAINT PAUL ADDS ANOTHER DIMENSION. I IMAGINE SOME OF YOU ARE LIKE ME. I HAVE A CHARACTER TRAIT THAT I WISH I DIDN'T HAVE. I'VE BEEN TRYING TO SHAKE IT ALL MY LIFE. I DON'T LIKE TO BEGIN ANYTHING UNLESS I'M REASONABLY SURE OF THE OUTCOME, AND THE EFFORT WHICH I WILL HAVE TO EXERT. SO I THINK OF SOMETHING I HAVE TO DO, AND AFTER I ANALYZE IT FROM ALL SIDES I OFTEN END UP THINKING THAT THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO DO IT, I'M NOT PREPARED, I HAVE TOO MANY OTHER IRONS IN THE FIRE. SO I PUT IT ON THE BACK BURNER UNTIL I AM MORE PREPARED, UNTIL I HAVE MORE TIME. AND IF YOU WERE TO SEE MY BACK BURNER, IT IS PRETTY CROWDED. BUT SAINT PAUL WRITES TO HIS BELOVED CORINTHIANS. HE REMINDS THEM THAT WHEN HE CAME TO THEM, HE BROUGHT NOTHING – HE HADN'T PREPARED ELOQUENT SERMONS, HE DIDN'T BRING LOGICAL ARGUMENTS AND BRILLIANT THOUGHTS, EVEN THOUGH HE WAS EXTREMELY WELL EDUCATED. IN FACT, IN THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, PAUL TRIED THAT IN ATHENS. HE MET WITH THE IMPORTANT PEOPLE OF THE CITY AND TRIED TO BRING CHRIST TO THEM BY USING PHILOSOPHY AND LOGIC. THEY REPLIED THAT IT WAS INTERESTING, AND MAYBE THEY'D HAVE HIM COME AROUND AGAIN SOME TIME. AND HERE, AN OLDER AND WISER PAUL RESOLVES TO STICK TO THE BASIC MESSAGE – THAT CHRIST SUFFERED, DIED, AND ROSE AGAIN, SO THAT WE COULD HAVE ETERNAL LIFE – AND THE REST WOULD BE UP TO GOD.
YOU GO OUT, BEGIN TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OTHERS, A LITTLE AT A TIME; YOU GO OUT AND SHINE A LITTLE OF THE LIGHT OF CHRIST, REFLECTED OFF OF YOU, INTO SOME DARK CORNERS; YOU GO OUT, UNPREPARED, NOT SEEING WHERE YOU WILL END UP, BEING LIKE JESUS WHO GAVE WHAT HE COULD TO THOSE WHO CROSSED HIS PATH. AND YOU GO OUT KNOWING ONLY THAT THE CRUCIFIED LORD GIVES YOU ALL THE POWER YOU NEED TO BE THE LIGHT, TO BE THE SALT. AND THE PROMISE IS THAT IF YOU ARE DOING THE WORK OF GOD, THE WORK LAID OUT BY ISAIAH, GOD HIMSELF WILL BE THERE WITH YOU. AND THAT'S THE RECIPE FOR BEING A SAINT. SIMPLE.
WOULDN'T IT BE WONDERFUL IF AT YOUR FUNERAL, THOSE WHO KNEW YOU GOT TOGETHER AND SAID, “YOU KNOW, HE WAS A LIGHT SHINING IN THE DARKNESS, HER LIFE WAS LIKE THE SALT THAT KEEPS THINGS FRESH, THAT KEEPS CORRUPTION AT BAY. AND THIS GOSPEL IS THE RIGHT GOSPEL TO READ AT THE FUNERAL MASS.
I HOPE I HAVE A FEW MORE YEARS BEFORE MY FUNERAL MASS. AND I HOPE THAT BEFORE I DIE MAYBE I WILL GROW ENOUGH IN MY SPIRITUAL LIFE SO THAT THESE READINGS COULD BE READ AT MY FUNERAL, WITHOUT PEOPLE WONDERING WHAT ON EARTH THEY HAD TO DO WITH MY LIFE.
SO IN THE PLAN FOR MY FUNERAL I'VE GOT SHUBERT'S AVE MARIA, AND I'VE PICKED OUT SOME NICE READINGS. BUT A FUNERAL PLAN IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, AND MAYBE I'LL MAKE SOME CHANGES NOW AND THEN. IT'S GOOD TO LOOK AT THE PLAN ONCE A YEAR OR SO, AND WONDER WHETHER THOSE THINGS I'VE PUT IN THERE ARE STILL WHAT I WANT, OR WHETHER SOMETHING ELSE MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE, AND WHETHER I AM MAKING ANY PROGRESS IN MY SPIRITUAL LIFE, PROGRESS THAT CALLS FOR A DIFFERENT READINGS, DIFFERENT MUSIC.
MAYBE PLANNING ONE'S FUNERAL IS A GOOD THING FOR ALL OF US TO DO.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A
MATTHEW 5:1-12
IF YOU COME TO CHURCH REGULARLY, YOU HAVE HEARD THE GOSPEL ABOUT THE BEATITUDES BEFORE. IT IS ALSO THE GOSPEL FOR ALL SAINTS DAY. THE BEATITUDES APPEAR IN A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FORM IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE. WHEN I HEAR THE BEATITUDES, I ALWAYS FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE. SURE, I WANT TO BE BLESSED, OR BLEST, OR HAPPY, DIFFERENT WORDS THAT YOU WILL RUN ACROSS IN DIFFERENT TRANSLATIONS. BUT THOSE CONDITIONS! FIRST, I DON'T REALLY WANT TO MOURN, OR BE PERSECUTED, OR BE POOR, IN SPIRIT OR IN REALITY. I'M NOT PARTICULARLY MEEK, SO IT LOOKS AS THOUGH I WON'T INHERIT THE EARTH ANY TIME SOON. I LIKE RIGHTEOUSNESS, BUT I DON'T HUNGER AND THIRST FOR IT; AND I COULD GO ON.
SO WHAT IS JESUS TALKING ABOUT? ODDLY ENOUGH, DOWN THROUGH THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY, MANY GREAT THEOLOGIANS AND PREACHERS HAVE ATTEMPTED TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION, AND TWO THOUSAND YEARS HAVE NOT RESULTED IN AGREEMENT.
FOR EXAMPLE: THE BEATITUDES INSPIRED MANY OF THOSE WHO FOUNDED MONASTIC MOVEMENTS, OR BECAME MEMBERS OF RELIGIOUS ORDERS LIKE THE FRANCISCANS. BUT WHILE YOU CAN PRACTICE SOME OF THE BEATITUDES, SOME SEEM ACCIDENTAL – MOURNING, FOR EXAMPLE, REQUIRES SOMETHING TO MOURN ABOUT. AND IF YOU TRY TO CREATE SOMETHING TO MOURN ABOUT, IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU. THE SAME IS TRUE OF PERSECUTION. IF WE GO LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO PERSECUTE US, THAT SEEMS A LITTLE MASOCHISTIC. SO IF WE TAKE THEM ABSOLUTELY LITERALLY, AS IF THEY PRESCRIBE A WAY OF LIFE, THAT DOESN'T WORK.
THE OPPOSITE EXTREME, TAUGHT BY SOME OTHER CHRISTIAN THINKERS, IS THAT THESE ARE ALL SPIRITUAL. LUKE QUOTED JESUS AS SAYING, “BLESSED ARE THE POOR.” BUT MATTHEW CAME ALONG AND SAID, “BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT. MAYBE HE WAS GIVING US A HINT. IT'S A LOT EASIER TO BE POOR IN SPIRIT AND KEEP MY SUV AND FLAT PANEL TV THAN IT IS TO BE REALLY POOR AND WONDER WHERE MY NEXT MEAL IS COMING FROM. AND IF I SPIRITUALIZE EVERYTHING, THAT WORKS WELL. I CAN BE ARROGANT AND DOMINEERING ON THE OUTSIDE, BUT MEEK IN MY HEART; I CAN LAUGH AND PARTY A LOT, BUT IN MY HEART I CAN MOURN THAT THERE IS SIN IN THE WORLD. SEE HOW IT WORKS? WHEN SOME POLITICAL LEADER PROMISES TO MAKE ABORTION EVEN MORE AVAILABLE AND TELLS THE WORLD THAT THOSE WHO OPPOSE ABORTION ARE TRYING TO FORCE EVERYONE TO ACCEPT THEIR PRIVATE CONVICTIONS, WELL, I CAN FEEL PERSECUTED BECAUSE I AM AGAINST ABORTION, AT LEAST ENOUGH SO THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE ONE MYSELF.
KARL BARTH, A PROTESTANT THEOLOGIAN WHO POPE BENEDICT CALLED THE GREATEST THEOLOGIAN OF THE 20TH CENTURY, SAID THAT JESUS HIMSELF FULFILLS THE BEATITUDES, SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO. AND CERTAINLY EACH BEATITUDE IS FULFILLED PERFECTLY BY JESUS; HE IS POOR, HUNGERS AND THIRSTS FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS; HE IS MEEK; HE MOURNS ESPECIALLY ABOUT THOSE WHO REJECT WHAT HE OFFERS; AND OF COURSE HE IS PERSECUTED. BUT WHILE YOU CAN'T ARGUE WITH THAT LOGIC, JESUS IS CLEARLY TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE, NOT A PERSON.
SO WHEN YOU CAN'T FIGURE SOMETHING OUT IT'S TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW THINGS ACTUALLY WERE IN JESUS' DAY; WHAT WAS THE WORLD LIKE IN THEN?
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN JESUS TOLD HIS DISCIPLES THAT IT WAS EASIER FOR A CAMEL TO SQUEEZE THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE THAN IT WAS FOR A RICH MAN TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN? WHAT DID THE DISCIPLES SAY? SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT THAT IF A RICH MAN CAN'T DO IT, HOW CAN ANYONE EXPECT THEM TO DO IT? AFTER ALL, A RICH MAN HAD THE LEISURE TO FOLLOW THE LAW PERFECTLY; HE HAD THE MONEY TO OFFER SACRIFICES; HE HAD THE TIME TO STUDY SCRIPTURE; AND IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT GOD HAD BLESSED HIM, BECAUSE HE WAS RICH! AND THE APOSTLES DEMONSTRATED THIS MIND SET ANOTHER TIME, WHEN THEY ASKED JESUS WHETHER A BLIND MAN WAS BLIND BECAUSE OF HIS OWN SIN, OR THE SIN OF HIS PARENTS? IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE BEING BLIND FROM BIRTH WAS A SIGN THAT GOD DIDN'T LIKE YOU, AND GOD DIDN'T LIKE PEOPLE WHO SINNED, SO LOGICALLY, SOMEONE BLIND WAS AFFECTED BY SIN.
AND IF YOU LOST A LOVED ONE AND WERE MOURNING, OR IF YOU WERE TOO SHY TO STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU DESERVED, OR IF YOU WERE POOR, OR PERSECUTED, WELL, THOSE WERE ALL SIGNS THAT SIN HAD AFFECTED YOUR LIFE.
SO CAN YOU IMAGINE THE EFFECT OF JESUS' WORDS ON PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT LIKE THIS? WHY, IT CHALLENGED EVERYTHING THEY KNEW. AND IN A SOCIETY WHERE THERE WAS ALWAYS CONFLICT BETWEEN JEWS AND ROMANS, PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES, JEWS AND SAMARITANS, AND WHERE EVERYONE ASSUMED THAT WAS THE WAY IT WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE, JESUS BLESSED PEACEMAKERS, EVEN THOUGH THEY NEVER SEEMED TO SUCCEED. AND WHERE EVERYONE WAS OUT TO GET WHAT WAS COMING TO THEM, EVEN IF IT MEANT CHEATING A BIT, JESUS BLESSED THE RIGHTEOUS, THOSE WHO WANTED JUSTICE, EVEN WHEN IT MADE REGULAR PEOPLE FEEL GUILTY AND SOMETIMES ANGRY. AND IF GOD IS BLESSING ALL OF THESE PEOPLE, NOT IN THE FUTURE, BUT RIGHT NOW – IT MUST HAVE SLOWLY DAWNED ON JESUS' HEARERS THAT GOD WANTS TO BLESS, INDEED DOES BLESS, EVERYONE. HE DESIRES TO BLESS EVERYONE; HIS JOY IS TO GIVE US WHAT WE NEED TO BE HAPPY.
AND NOW THE BEATITUDES START TO MAKE SENSE. FIRST, JESUS IS SAYING, LOOK AROUND YOU. DO YOU SEE PEOPLE WHO LOOK GOD-FORSAKEN? PEOPLE LIVING IN SIN, PEOPLE LIVING IN POVERTY, STUMBLING ALCOHOLICS, DOPE ADDICTS? DO YOU SEE THAT WOMAN FURTIVELY ENTERING THE ABORTION CLINIC FOR THE FOURTH OR FIFTH TIME? DO YOU SEE THAT OLD MAN WITH ALZHEIMER,S DISEASE, THAT WOMAN WHOSE MENTAL ILLNESS WAXES AND WANES? GOD IS BLESSING ALL OF THEM, HE IS SHOWERING THEM WITH HIS GRACE, HE IS CALLING THEM TO HIMSELF, HE IS LOVING THEM. AND IF HE IS DOING THIS, HE IS BLESSING YOU, AND THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU. AND HE IS MADLY IN LOVE WITH THE PEOPLE HE CREATED, THE PEOPLE HE DIED FOR, THE PEOPLE IN WHOM HE MAKES HIS DWELLING. SAINT PAUL SUMMED IT UP: “NEITHER HEIGHT NOR DEPTH, NOR ANYTHING ELSE IN ALL CREATION, WILL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD.”
AND THAT IS THE GOOD NEWS, THE GOSPEL. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A HAPPY BABY? I'VE SEEN QUITE A FEW. BABIES ARE HAPPY BECAUSE THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE UNCONDITIONALLY LOVED. THEY CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE THAT ANYTHING THEY DO COULD CHANGE THAT FACT, AND KNOWING THAT ONE ELEMENTARY BIT OF INFORMATION, THEY FEEL FREE TO EXPLORE, TO LEARN TO WALK, TO ACQUIRE LANGUAGE, TO GROW INTO BEING THEMSELVES, TO BECOME PERSONS. AND IF I TRULY BELIEVE THAT GOD UNCONDITIONALLY LOVES ME, I CAN DO AMAZING THINGS, AND I CAN BE BLESSED, I CAN BE HAPPY.
ISN'T THIS WONDERFUL NEWS? DON'T YOU WISH EVERYONE KNEW THAT GOD LOVES THEM PASSIONATELY, THAT HE IS RIGHT NOW BLESSING THEM, THAT EVEN WHEN THEY FEEL THAT THEY ARE ABANDONED AND MISERABLE, HE IS THERE, HE IS ALWAYS THERE. AND JESUS TELLS US THAT EVEN IF WE DIE, GOD'S BLESSING IS STILL WITH US, AND IF WE ACCEPT HIS BLESSING, WE WILL LIVE FOREVER IN THE HOUSE OF OUR FATHER. GO OUT AND SHARE THIS GOOD NEWS, AND AS YOU DO, YOU WILL FIND IT BECOMING MORE AND MORE REAL FOR YOU.
IF YOU COME TO CHURCH REGULARLY, YOU HAVE HEARD THE GOSPEL ABOUT THE BEATITUDES BEFORE. IT IS ALSO THE GOSPEL FOR ALL SAINTS DAY. THE BEATITUDES APPEAR IN A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FORM IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE. WHEN I HEAR THE BEATITUDES, I ALWAYS FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE. SURE, I WANT TO BE BLESSED, OR BLEST, OR HAPPY, DIFFERENT WORDS THAT YOU WILL RUN ACROSS IN DIFFERENT TRANSLATIONS. BUT THOSE CONDITIONS! FIRST, I DON'T REALLY WANT TO MOURN, OR BE PERSECUTED, OR BE POOR, IN SPIRIT OR IN REALITY. I'M NOT PARTICULARLY MEEK, SO IT LOOKS AS THOUGH I WON'T INHERIT THE EARTH ANY TIME SOON. I LIKE RIGHTEOUSNESS, BUT I DON'T HUNGER AND THIRST FOR IT; AND I COULD GO ON.
SO WHAT IS JESUS TALKING ABOUT? ODDLY ENOUGH, DOWN THROUGH THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY, MANY GREAT THEOLOGIANS AND PREACHERS HAVE ATTEMPTED TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION, AND TWO THOUSAND YEARS HAVE NOT RESULTED IN AGREEMENT.
FOR EXAMPLE: THE BEATITUDES INSPIRED MANY OF THOSE WHO FOUNDED MONASTIC MOVEMENTS, OR BECAME MEMBERS OF RELIGIOUS ORDERS LIKE THE FRANCISCANS. BUT WHILE YOU CAN PRACTICE SOME OF THE BEATITUDES, SOME SEEM ACCIDENTAL – MOURNING, FOR EXAMPLE, REQUIRES SOMETHING TO MOURN ABOUT. AND IF YOU TRY TO CREATE SOMETHING TO MOURN ABOUT, IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU. THE SAME IS TRUE OF PERSECUTION. IF WE GO LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO PERSECUTE US, THAT SEEMS A LITTLE MASOCHISTIC. SO IF WE TAKE THEM ABSOLUTELY LITERALLY, AS IF THEY PRESCRIBE A WAY OF LIFE, THAT DOESN'T WORK.
THE OPPOSITE EXTREME, TAUGHT BY SOME OTHER CHRISTIAN THINKERS, IS THAT THESE ARE ALL SPIRITUAL. LUKE QUOTED JESUS AS SAYING, “BLESSED ARE THE POOR.” BUT MATTHEW CAME ALONG AND SAID, “BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT. MAYBE HE WAS GIVING US A HINT. IT'S A LOT EASIER TO BE POOR IN SPIRIT AND KEEP MY SUV AND FLAT PANEL TV THAN IT IS TO BE REALLY POOR AND WONDER WHERE MY NEXT MEAL IS COMING FROM. AND IF I SPIRITUALIZE EVERYTHING, THAT WORKS WELL. I CAN BE ARROGANT AND DOMINEERING ON THE OUTSIDE, BUT MEEK IN MY HEART; I CAN LAUGH AND PARTY A LOT, BUT IN MY HEART I CAN MOURN THAT THERE IS SIN IN THE WORLD. SEE HOW IT WORKS? WHEN SOME POLITICAL LEADER PROMISES TO MAKE ABORTION EVEN MORE AVAILABLE AND TELLS THE WORLD THAT THOSE WHO OPPOSE ABORTION ARE TRYING TO FORCE EVERYONE TO ACCEPT THEIR PRIVATE CONVICTIONS, WELL, I CAN FEEL PERSECUTED BECAUSE I AM AGAINST ABORTION, AT LEAST ENOUGH SO THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE ONE MYSELF.
KARL BARTH, A PROTESTANT THEOLOGIAN WHO POPE BENEDICT CALLED THE GREATEST THEOLOGIAN OF THE 20TH CENTURY, SAID THAT JESUS HIMSELF FULFILLS THE BEATITUDES, SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO. AND CERTAINLY EACH BEATITUDE IS FULFILLED PERFECTLY BY JESUS; HE IS POOR, HUNGERS AND THIRSTS FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS; HE IS MEEK; HE MOURNS ESPECIALLY ABOUT THOSE WHO REJECT WHAT HE OFFERS; AND OF COURSE HE IS PERSECUTED. BUT WHILE YOU CAN'T ARGUE WITH THAT LOGIC, JESUS IS CLEARLY TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE, NOT A PERSON.
SO WHEN YOU CAN'T FIGURE SOMETHING OUT IT'S TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW THINGS ACTUALLY WERE IN JESUS' DAY; WHAT WAS THE WORLD LIKE IN THEN?
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN JESUS TOLD HIS DISCIPLES THAT IT WAS EASIER FOR A CAMEL TO SQUEEZE THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE THAN IT WAS FOR A RICH MAN TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN? WHAT DID THE DISCIPLES SAY? SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT THAT IF A RICH MAN CAN'T DO IT, HOW CAN ANYONE EXPECT THEM TO DO IT? AFTER ALL, A RICH MAN HAD THE LEISURE TO FOLLOW THE LAW PERFECTLY; HE HAD THE MONEY TO OFFER SACRIFICES; HE HAD THE TIME TO STUDY SCRIPTURE; AND IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT GOD HAD BLESSED HIM, BECAUSE HE WAS RICH! AND THE APOSTLES DEMONSTRATED THIS MIND SET ANOTHER TIME, WHEN THEY ASKED JESUS WHETHER A BLIND MAN WAS BLIND BECAUSE OF HIS OWN SIN, OR THE SIN OF HIS PARENTS? IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE BEING BLIND FROM BIRTH WAS A SIGN THAT GOD DIDN'T LIKE YOU, AND GOD DIDN'T LIKE PEOPLE WHO SINNED, SO LOGICALLY, SOMEONE BLIND WAS AFFECTED BY SIN.
AND IF YOU LOST A LOVED ONE AND WERE MOURNING, OR IF YOU WERE TOO SHY TO STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU DESERVED, OR IF YOU WERE POOR, OR PERSECUTED, WELL, THOSE WERE ALL SIGNS THAT SIN HAD AFFECTED YOUR LIFE.
SO CAN YOU IMAGINE THE EFFECT OF JESUS' WORDS ON PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT LIKE THIS? WHY, IT CHALLENGED EVERYTHING THEY KNEW. AND IN A SOCIETY WHERE THERE WAS ALWAYS CONFLICT BETWEEN JEWS AND ROMANS, PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES, JEWS AND SAMARITANS, AND WHERE EVERYONE ASSUMED THAT WAS THE WAY IT WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE, JESUS BLESSED PEACEMAKERS, EVEN THOUGH THEY NEVER SEEMED TO SUCCEED. AND WHERE EVERYONE WAS OUT TO GET WHAT WAS COMING TO THEM, EVEN IF IT MEANT CHEATING A BIT, JESUS BLESSED THE RIGHTEOUS, THOSE WHO WANTED JUSTICE, EVEN WHEN IT MADE REGULAR PEOPLE FEEL GUILTY AND SOMETIMES ANGRY. AND IF GOD IS BLESSING ALL OF THESE PEOPLE, NOT IN THE FUTURE, BUT RIGHT NOW – IT MUST HAVE SLOWLY DAWNED ON JESUS' HEARERS THAT GOD WANTS TO BLESS, INDEED DOES BLESS, EVERYONE. HE DESIRES TO BLESS EVERYONE; HIS JOY IS TO GIVE US WHAT WE NEED TO BE HAPPY.
AND NOW THE BEATITUDES START TO MAKE SENSE. FIRST, JESUS IS SAYING, LOOK AROUND YOU. DO YOU SEE PEOPLE WHO LOOK GOD-FORSAKEN? PEOPLE LIVING IN SIN, PEOPLE LIVING IN POVERTY, STUMBLING ALCOHOLICS, DOPE ADDICTS? DO YOU SEE THAT WOMAN FURTIVELY ENTERING THE ABORTION CLINIC FOR THE FOURTH OR FIFTH TIME? DO YOU SEE THAT OLD MAN WITH ALZHEIMER,S DISEASE, THAT WOMAN WHOSE MENTAL ILLNESS WAXES AND WANES? GOD IS BLESSING ALL OF THEM, HE IS SHOWERING THEM WITH HIS GRACE, HE IS CALLING THEM TO HIMSELF, HE IS LOVING THEM. AND IF HE IS DOING THIS, HE IS BLESSING YOU, AND THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU. AND HE IS MADLY IN LOVE WITH THE PEOPLE HE CREATED, THE PEOPLE HE DIED FOR, THE PEOPLE IN WHOM HE MAKES HIS DWELLING. SAINT PAUL SUMMED IT UP: “NEITHER HEIGHT NOR DEPTH, NOR ANYTHING ELSE IN ALL CREATION, WILL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD.”
AND THAT IS THE GOOD NEWS, THE GOSPEL. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A HAPPY BABY? I'VE SEEN QUITE A FEW. BABIES ARE HAPPY BECAUSE THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE UNCONDITIONALLY LOVED. THEY CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE THAT ANYTHING THEY DO COULD CHANGE THAT FACT, AND KNOWING THAT ONE ELEMENTARY BIT OF INFORMATION, THEY FEEL FREE TO EXPLORE, TO LEARN TO WALK, TO ACQUIRE LANGUAGE, TO GROW INTO BEING THEMSELVES, TO BECOME PERSONS. AND IF I TRULY BELIEVE THAT GOD UNCONDITIONALLY LOVES ME, I CAN DO AMAZING THINGS, AND I CAN BE BLESSED, I CAN BE HAPPY.
ISN'T THIS WONDERFUL NEWS? DON'T YOU WISH EVERYONE KNEW THAT GOD LOVES THEM PASSIONATELY, THAT HE IS RIGHT NOW BLESSING THEM, THAT EVEN WHEN THEY FEEL THAT THEY ARE ABANDONED AND MISERABLE, HE IS THERE, HE IS ALWAYS THERE. AND JESUS TELLS US THAT EVEN IF WE DIE, GOD'S BLESSING IS STILL WITH US, AND IF WE ACCEPT HIS BLESSING, WE WILL LIVE FOREVER IN THE HOUSE OF OUR FATHER. GO OUT AND SHARE THIS GOOD NEWS, AND AS YOU DO, YOU WILL FIND IT BECOMING MORE AND MORE REAL FOR YOU.
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