Fifth Sunday in Lent, Cycle B

JOHN 12:20 -33

IT'S INTERESTING TO READ THE LIVES OF THE SAINTS. THERE ARE THOSE LIKE AUGUSTINE, WHO WAS LIVING QUITE WELL, ALMOST LIKE A PAGAN – AND THEN HE MADE A COMPLETE ABOUT FACE AND BECAME A CHRISTIAN. THERE ARE THOSE LIKE PAUL, WHO WENT FROM PERSECUTING THE CHURCH TO BEING IT'S FORMOST APOSTLE. AND THEN THERE ARE SAINTS LIKE THOMAS AQUINAS AND PADRE PIO, SEEMINGLY SAINTS FROM EARLY CHILDHOOD. THERE NEVER WAS A TIME WHEN THEIR HOLINESS WAS IN DOUBT.

BUT THE MOST INTERESTING SAINTS, I THINK, ARE THE ONES WHO WERE GOING ALONG LIVING GOOD LIVES, EVEN BLAMELESS LIVES. AND THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED. MOTHER THERESA WAS LIKE THAT. SHE WAS RELATIVELY HAPPY BEING A NUN, BUT FELT IMPELLED TO SOMETHING MORE, AND LEFT HER ORDER TO TAKE CARE OF THE POOREST OF THE POOR. SAINT THERESA OF AVILLA WAS WELL ESTABLISHED AS A SISTER IN HER CARMELITE CONVENT, AND THEN FELT GOD'S CALL TO REFORM THE CARMELITE MOVEMENT.

SO WE HAVE SAINTS WHO MADE A DRAMATIC CONVERSION; SAINTS WHO SEEM NEVER TO HAVE TO BE CONVERTED, AND THEN THE ONES WHO WERE ALREADY LIVING THE GOSPEL, BUT WERE CALLED TO SOMETHING MORE RADICAL, SOMETHING DEEPER.

I THINK MOST OF US CAN IDENTIFY WITH THIS THIRD GROUP – NOT BECAUSE WE'VE MADE THAT LEAP FROM PRETTY GOOD TO BEING A SAINT, BUT BECAUSE WE KNOW WE ARE MAKING AN EFFORT, BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE CAN DO BETTER. I THINK REAL CHRISTIANS CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL THE CALL TO GO BEYOND WHERE THEY ARE, TO DO JUST A LITTLE MORE.

JESUS IS TALKING TO US TODAY – THOSE WHO ARE ALREADY HIS FOLLOWERS. EVEN THOUGH THE GOSPEL IS A LITTLE LONG AND TYPICAL OF SAINT JOHN, A LITTLE HARD TO FOLLOW, JESUS TELLS US FOUR THINGS.

FIRST, HE SAYS, “VERY TRULY, I TELL YOU, UNLESS A GRAIN OF WHEAT FALLS INTO THE EARTH AND DIES, IT REMAINS JUST A SINGLE GRAIN; BUT IF IT DIES, IT BEARS MUCH FRUIT". THIS IS THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF LIVING A CHRISTIAN LIFE. A GRAIN OF WHEAT DOES NOT REALLY DIE WHEN IT FALLS INTO THE EARTH; WHAT IS IN IT AS POTENTIAL BECOMES ACTUAL. BUT THE WHEAT PLANT CAN ONLY GROW IF THE GRAIN GIVES ITSELF UP. YOU AND I ALL HAVE WITHIN US A GREAT SAINT; WHAT IS KEEPING THAT SAINT FROM DEVELOPING IS SIMPLY THE FACT THAT WE DON'T WANT TO CHANGE, WE DON'T WANT TO INVEST THE TIME AND ENERGY, WE DON'T WANT TO GIVE UP THE PLEASURES AND FAMILIARITIES IN OUR LIVES.

SECOND, HE SAYS, “THOSE WHO LOVE THEIR LIFE WILL LOSE IT, BUT THOSE WHO HATE THEIR LIFE IN THIS WORLD WILL KEEP IT FOR ETERNAL LIFE.” IF I HAVE TO HATE MY LIFE, I'M IN TROUBLE; I LIKE MY LIFE. THE OLDER I GET, THE MORE GRATEFUL I AM FOR ALL THAT GOD HAS GIVEN ME. JESUS THOUGH, MEANS THAT I HAVE TO LEARN TO LOOK BEYOND THIS LIFE, TO FIRMLY BELIEVE WITH MY WORDS AND ACTIONS THAT THIS LIFE IS JUST THE FRONT PORCH OF ETERNAL LIFE. IF I AM CONVINCED OF THIS, IF I TRULY TAKE JESUS AT HIS PROMISES, THEN SOME PART OF ME CAN'T WAIT TILL I GET THERE. AND IF I HAVE THAT PERSPECTIVE, THEN WHAT I TREASURE ABOUT THIS LIFE COMES INTO PERSPECTIVE. YES, ENJOY LIFE, ENJOY THE GOOD THINGS – BUT LET GO IF THEY ARE GETTING IN THE WAY.

THIRD, HE SAYS, “WHOEVER SERVES ME MUST FOLLOW ME. WHERE I AM, THERE WILL MY SERVANT BE ALSO.” IF WE ARE REALLY GOING TO SERVE JESUS WE HAVE TO GO WHERE HE IS. AND WE KNOW WHERE THAT IS. HE IS IN THE EUCHARIST. HE IS IN SCRIPTURES. HE IS IN THE TEACHINGS OF THE CHURCH. HE IS WHEREVER TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED IN HIS NAME. HE IS WITH THE POOR, AND THE SICK, AND ORPHANS AND WIDOWS. IT ISN'T HARD TO FIND OUT WHERE HE IS; HE TOLD US. IT IS HARD TO GO WHERE HE IS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT ISN'T CONVENIENT, OR WHEN WE HAVE TOO MUCH ON OUR PLATES. BUT YOU AND I HAVE TO ASK OURSELVES – ARE WE WHERE HE IS? BECAUSE IF WE AREN'T WE CAN'T CALL OURSELVES SERVANTS, CAN WE?

AND FINALLY HE SAYS SOMETHING TRULY MARVELOUS. “WHOEVER SERVES ME, THE FATHER WILL HONOR.” WE ARE HERE IN THIS CHURCH HONORING THE FATHER – THAT'S WHAT WE DO WHEN WE CELEBRATE MASS. THE MAIN WAY WE HONOR HIM IS TO OFFER HIS SON TO HIM – SOMETHING MADE POSSIBLE BY THE SON, WHO GAVE HIMSELF TO US ON THE CROSS, AND WHO GAVE OUR PRIESTS THE GIFT OF TRANSFORMING BREAD AND WINE INTO THE REAL PRESENCE OF JESUS, INTO HIS OWN BODY AND BLOOD. WE OFFER WHAT WE CAN OFFER – COMMON FOOD AND DRINK – AND JESUS BECOMES SACRAMENTALLY PRESENT. AND THIS IS THE GREATEST HONOR WE CAN GIVE THE FATHER, GREATER THAN THAT OF THE ANGELS – BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN WHAT WE OFFER.

AND YOU AND ARE PROMISED THAT WE WILL BE HONORED BY THIS SAME FATHER IF WE CAN COUNT OURSELVES AMONG THOSE WHO SERVE THE SON. SAINT PAUL SAID THAT “EYE HAS NOT SEEN, NOR HAS EAR HEARD … WHAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.” BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT IT WILL BE SOMETHING WONDERFUL – TO HEAR THOSE WORDS, “WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT, NOW ENTER YOUR MASTER'S JOY.”

IT IS IN OUR HANDS TO BE GREAT SAINTS. JESUS TELLS US IN THESE FOUR STATEMENTS HOW TO TELL WHO IS HIS SERVANT – AND OF COURSE, HOW TO BE HIS SERVANT IF WE CHOOSE THAT. LET US LEAVE MASS TODAY WITH NEW DETERMINATION IN OUR HEARTS TO GO FROM PRETTY GOOD TO SAINTHOOD.

Fourth Sunday in Lent, Cycle B

JOHN 3:14-21

I'M SURE THOSE OF US WHO WATCH SPORTING EVENTS HAVE SEEN SIGNS HELD UP IN THE CROWD WITH JOHN 3:16 ON THEM. THAT REFERS TO THE BIBLE VERSE WE HEAR TODAY. IT IS A VERSE THAT MOST PEOPLE COULD QUOTE IF GIVEN THE FIRST FEW WORDS, “GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, SO THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.” AND IT'S A WONDERFUL SENTIMENT; IT SEEMS TO IMPLY THAT GOD REALLY, REALLY LOVES THE WORLD. BUT IF YOU READ THE WHOLE GOSPEL TODAY AND THINK ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT, I THINK THERE MAY BE A MORE PROFOUND MEANING HERE.

FIRST, JESUS REFERS TO AN EVENT THAT TOOK PLACE WHEN THE JEWS WERE WANDERING IN THE DESERT. GOD HAD JUST HELPED THEM CONQUER AN ENEMY, AND NOW THEY WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE FOOD GOD WAS PROVIDING THEM. GOD SENT SERPENTS AMONG THEM, AND MANY DIED. THE ISRAELITES REPENTED OF THEIR SINS AND ASKED MOSES TO INTERCEDE. GOD TOLD MOSES TO MAKE A BRONZE SERPENT AND MOUNT IT ON A POLE, AND PEOPLE WHO WERE BITTEN COULD LOOK UPON IT AND BE HEALED.

I THINK IT'S INTERESTING THAT GOD USED SUCH A ROUNDABOUT WAY TO HEAL THOSE WHO WERE BITTEN. A PERSON WHO WANTED TO BE HEALED HAD TO DO SOMETHING – HE HAD TO LOOK AT THE DEVICE MOSES MADE. I WONDER IF THERE WERE SOME ISRAELITES WHO CHOSE NOT TO DO THIS – EVEN AT THE RISK OF LOSING THEIR LIVES.

NOW JESUS REFERS TO THIS EVENT, AND GOES ON TO SAY, IN A BETTER TRANSLATION, GOD LOVED THE WORLD IN THIS WAY. JESUS COMES INTO THE WORLD LIKE THE BRONZE SERPENT. YOU CAN BE SAVED IF YOU BELIEVE IN HIM. BUT YOU NEED NOT BELIEVE. GOD SENT HIS SON SO THAT SALVATION WOULD BE AVAILABLE, BUT ALWAYS LEAVES US WITH OUR FREEDOM, AND JESUS GOES ON TO SAY THAT DESPITE GOD'S INTERVENTION, PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE TO CONDEMN THEMSELVES, BECAUSE THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PEOPLE WHO PREFER DARKNESS TO LIGHT.

JESUS' STATEMENT SEEMS TO DIVIDE THE WORLD INTO TWO CAMPS, THOSE WHO PREFER THE DARKNESS AND THOSE WHO PREFER THE LIGHT. BUT IT ISN'T THAT SIMPLE. THE POINT IS THAT ALL OF US, EVERY MOMENT OF OUR LIVES, IS CALLED TO CHOOSE BETWEEN DARKNESS AND LIGHT. OR PERHAPS MORE CONCRETELY, WE MUST CHOOSE BETWEEN WHAT WE SHOULD DO AND WHAT WE WANT TO DO. I HAVE MOMENTS LIKE THAT EVERY DAY, AND I'M SURE YOU DO AS WELL. USUALLY IT'S SOMETHING SMALL AND NO-ACCOUNT. I MAY HAVE A TASK TO DO BUT IT'S LATE IN THE EVENING AND I CAN GET TO IT TOMORROW, AND IT'S EASIER TO JUST VEG OUT IN FRONT OF THE TV SET. WHO CAN LAME ME? I WORK HARD, I DESERVE A BREAK. I MAY DECIDE TO HAVE THAT EXTRA HELPING OF PIE AFTER SUPPER, EVEN THOUGH I KNOW I SHOULD BE WATCHING MY WEIGHT. WE MAKE DECISIONS LIKE THIS ALL DAY LONG – BETWEEN WHAT WE SHOULD DO AND WHAT WE WANT TO DO. AND WHEN I CHOOSE WHAT I WANT TO DO OVER WHAT I SHOULD DO, IT IS SELDOM ANY BIG DEAL BY ITSELF. BUT THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES. BY CONTINUING TO PUT OUR WANTS OVER OUR SHOULDS, WE FORM HABITS, AND PRETTY SOON WE ARE PREFERRING THE DARKNESS TO THE LIGHT. AND THIS CAN SNEAK UP ON US, SO THAT WHEN THINGS REALLY WE CHOOSE WRONGLY, AND PERHAPS THINK NOTHING OF IT.

JESUS BRINGS LIGHT. HE IS THE MEASURE BY WHICH WE CAN JUDGE OUR CHOICES. HOW DO OUR THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS STACK UP AGAINST THE CROSS?

BEING A CHRISTIAN IS NOT EASY, IT TAKES WORK, AND CONSTANT VIGILANCE. WE SOMETIMES THINK IF WE GO TO CHURCH ON SUNDAYS AND LIVE A DECENT LIFE WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY. BUT JESUS IS ALWAYS CALLING US TO CHOOSE; HE TELLS US TO BE PERFECT AS HIS FATHER IS PERFECT; HE REMINDS US THAT JUST CRYING OUT “LORD, LORD,” IS NEVER ENOUGH.

THERE IS A WONDERFUL IMAGE IN THE STORY BY C.S. LEWIS CALLED “THE GREAT DIVORCE”. THE CENTRAL CHARACTER FINDS HIMSELF IN A FEATURELESS TOWN, WHERE EVERYONE HAS A PLACE TO LIVE, BUT IT IS JOYLESS AND CRAMPED. THERE IS NOTHING TO SEE, AND NOTHING TO DO. EVERY NOW AND THEN A BUS COMES TO THAT TOWN AND SOME PEOPLE GET ON IT. THE AUTHOR OF THE STORY CHOOSES TO DO SO. AS HE RIDES ALONG HE HEARS THE STORIES OF THE OTHER PASSENGERS; ALL OF THEM HAVING NOT REALLY MEASURED UP DURING THEIR LIVES, AND HE REALIZES HE IS DEAD. FINALLY THE BUS COMES TO THE END OF THE LINE. AS THE PASSENGERS GET OFF, THERE ARE TWO POSSIBILITIES; ONE IS TO GO DOWN INTO THE GROUND ON A WIDE AND COMFORTABLE ROAD, WHERE THERE IS MUSIC AND SOUNDS OF PARTYING GOING ON. YOU CAN SMELL FIND FOODS AND HEAR THE CLINKING OF GLASSES. MOST OF THE PASSENGERS CHOOSE THAT DIRECTION. THE OTHER ROAD IS NARROW, SWITCHING BACK AND FORTH UP THE MOUNTAIN, SOMETIMES BEING ALMOST NON-EXISTENT. IN THE DISTANCE ON THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN YOU CAN SEE A CROSS, PARTLY COVERED BY STORM CLOUDS, AND OTHERWISE LOOKING FAIRLY UNINVITING. THE AUTHOR JOINS A FEW OTHERS AS THEY BEGIN THE TRECK UP THE MOUNTAIN.

JESUS, HAVING GIVEN HIS LIFE UP FOR US ON THE CROSS, IS NOT A PARTICULARLY INVITING SIGHT. OUR CRUCIFIXES ARE WHITEWASHED, AND THERE IS SORT OF A BEAUTY TO THEM. BUT IF YOU IMAGINE IN YOUR MIND HOW IT MUST HAVE REALLY BEEN – A NAKED MAN WITH NAILS THROUGH HIS ARMS AND LEGS, WRITHING IN PAIN, NOT BEING ABLE TO FIND A POSITION WHICH WOULD REDUCE THE DISCOMFORT, GETTING MORE AND MORE SHORT OF BREATH, GASPING FOR AIR, CRYING OUT IN PAIN – CHRISTIANS IN THE EARLY YEARS NEVER DEPICTED JESUS ON A CROSS. THE MEMORY WAS TOO CLOSE, AND IN THOSE DAYS THEY SAW ENOUGH OF CRUCIFIXIONS.

BUT A CHRISTIAN MUST CONFRONT THE CROSS. JESUS CALLS US TO CHOOSE – TO CHOOSE DARKNESS, TO CLOSE OURSELVES OFF, TO REJECT THIS ADMITTEDLY HORRIBLE SIGHT; OR TO CHOOSE LIGHT, TO STRUGGLE UP THE MOUNTAIN, TO MEASURE EVERYTHING IN OUR LIVES BY THE CROSS. JESUS CAME TO SAVE, NOT TO CONDEMN. BUT HE LEAVES US THE CHOICE WHETHER TO LOOK UPON HIS SUFFERING AND DEATH, OR WHETHER TO TURN AWAY.

GOD LOVED THE WORLD IN THAT MANNER, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON SO THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.

Third Sunday in Lent, Cycle B

JOHN 2:13-25

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP I ATTENDED CATHOLIC SCHOOLS FROM GRADE SCHOOL ON. WE WERE TAUGHT MOSTLY BY NUNS, THE SISTERS OF CHARITY OF LEAVENWORTH, AND THEY WORE HABITS, AND LIVED IN A CONVENT. THEY WOULD ADMINISTER A SHARP WRAP TO THE KNUCKLES WITH WOODEN RULER NOW AND THEN, AND ONCE I WITNESSED A WELL-AIMED ERASER STOP THE BAD BEHAVIOR OF ONE OF MY CLASSMATES DEAD IN ITS TRACKS. AND AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK, OFTEN MORE FREQUENTLY, WE WOULD BE MARCHED FROM THE SCHOOL TO THE CHURCH, WHERE WE WOULD PERFORM SOME RITE – MAYBE MASS, MAYBE CONFESSION, MAYBE A ROSARY OR A NOVENA. AND EVEN THE MOST UNRULY CATHOLIC CHILD, BY THE TIME HE OR SHE HIT THIRD GRADE, KNEW THAT THE INSIDE OF THE CHURCH WAS A SPECIAL PLACE, WHERE YOU NEVER TALKED ABOVE A WHISPER, WHERE YOU NEVER LOUNGED ON THE PEWS, AND WHERE YOU GENUFLECTED WHEN YOU WALKED PAST THE TABERNACLE. ALL THESE LITTLE CUSTOMS REINFORCED OUR SENSE THAT THIS WAS A SACRED SPACE, A PLACE SET APART FROM THE WORLD.

AND IF YOU ARE OLD LIKE ME, YOU MAY REMEMBER THE CUSTOM OF VISITING THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. MY FATHER MADE IT A POINT TO STOP IN THE CHURCH ON HIS WAY HOME NOW AND THEN. WE KIDS IN GRADE SCHOOL WOULD DO THE SAME BEFORE WE WALKED HOME FROM SCHOOL. THE STILLNESS AND SPECIAL PRESENCE OF GOD WAS GOOD FOR OUR SOULS EVEN THEN.

WHEN WE CATHOLICS THINK ABOUT OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHO ARE JEWISH, WE MIGHT GET THE IMPRESSION THAT THEIR SYNAGOGUES ARE SOMETHING LIKE OUR CHURCHES. BUT TO THE JEWS OF JESUS' TIME, THERE WAS ONLY ONE SACRED SPACE, AND THAT WAS THE TEMPLE. EVEN THOUGH JEWS LIVED THROUGHOUT THE ROMAN EMPIRE, AND HAD SYNAGOGUES WHEREVER THEY LIVED, THEY ALL LOOKED TO THE TEMPLE AS THE ONE PLACE WHERE GOD WAS PRESENT IN A SPECIAL WAY. WE EVEN SEE THAT STILL GOING ON IN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES, WHEN THE HIGH PRIEST ZACHARY RECEIVES A REVELATION AND A PUNISHMENT WHEN HE GOES INTO THE HOLY OF HOLIES. THE TEMPLE CONSISTED ROUGHLY OF CONCENTRIC AREAS. AT THE VERY CENTER WAS THE HOLY OF HOLIES, WHERE A PRIEST WOULD ENTER ONCE A YEAR. AROUND THAT WAS THE AREA WHERE SACRIFICES WERE OFFERED. THEN THERE WAS THE COURT FOR JEWISH MEN, THEN THE ONE FOR JEWISH WOMEN, AND THEN THERE WAS THE COURT OF THE GENTILES, WHERE NON-JEWS COULD WORSHIP. AND IT WAS IN THIS AREA WHERE YOU WOULD PURCHASE ANIMALS FOR SACRIFICE, AT HIGHLY INFLATED RATES, OF COURSE.

JESUS' ACTION HAS BEEN EXPLAINED IN MANY WAYS – WAS HE UPSET OVER COMMERCE GOING ON IN THE TEMPLE? PROBABLY NOT, SINCE IT WAS ACTUALLY CONSIDERED A SERVICE TO PROVIDE UNBLEMISHED ANIMALS TO OFFER TO GOD. WAS HE UPSET BECAUSE MANY OF THE MERCHANTS WERE OVERCHARGING THEIR CUSTOMERS? MAYBE SOMEWHAT, BUT HIS ACTIONS SEEMED TO INDICATE THAT HE HATED ALL OF IT. BUT WE GET A CLUE THAT THIS IS REALLY A SYMBOLIC ACTION WHEN THOSE AROUND QUESTION HIM AND SAY “WHAT SIGN CAN YOU SHOW US FOR DOING THIS?” IF YOU READ THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS, THEY WOULD DO SOMETHING STRANGE, AND WHEN ENOUGH PEOPLE HAD BEGAN TO WONDER WHAT WAS GOING ON, THEY WOULD EXPLAIN THEIR ACTIONS IN TERMS OF GOD'S RELATIONSHIP TO ISRAEL. JEREMIAH BROKE A POT, EZECHIEL LAY ON ONE SIDE FOR A VERY LONG TIME, HOSIAH MARRIED A PROSTITUTE ALL AT GOD'S COMMAND, AND LATER EXPLAINED WHAT THE ACTION MEANT.

AND JESUS TELLS THOSE AROUND HIM: DESTROY THIS TEMPLE AND IN THREE DAYS I WILL RAISE IT UP. AND LATER, THE APOSTLES WOULD REALIZE THAT HE WAS REFERRING TO HIS RESURRECTION. SO THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE WAS ABOUT JESUS' RESURRECTION. THIS MOST SACRED SPACE, HE SEEMED TO BE SAYING, WOULD BE SUPERSEDED BY SOMETHING ELSE. GOD WOULD NO LONGER DWELL ONLY IN THE INMOST PART OF THE TEMPLE, BUT JESUS HIMSELF WOULD BE THE TEMPLE.

YOU AND I ARE TEMPLES AS WELL, BECAUSE WE ARE PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST. IF WE ARE IN THE STATE OF GRACE, THEN JESUS DWELLS WITHIN US. SOMETIMES, OF COURSE, WE DON'T FEEL MUCH LIKE TEMPLES; SOMETIMES THE STILLNESS AND PEACE IN OUR HEARTS, THERE BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, IS UNDETECTABLE, BECAUSE OF EXTERNAL DISTRACTIONS – GETTING AND SPENDING, LAYING WASTE THE WORLD, AS A GREAT POET PUT IT. THERE ARE INTERNAL DISTRACTIONS AS WELL, THE WORRIES WE HAVE, THE FEAR OF THE FUTURE AND THE REGRETS OF THE PAST. THERE ARE SOME OF US WHO SPEND SO MUCH TIME IN THE FUTURE OR IN THE PAST THAT WE HAVE NO TIME FOR THE PRESENT, WHICH, OF COURSE, IS THE ONLY PLACE WE WILL ENCOUNTER GOD.

LENT, OF COURSE, IS ABOUT GETTING MORE ACQUAINTED WITH THAT STILLNESS AND PEACE IN OUR HEARTS. BUT WHILE THAT'S A GOOD THING, IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU NEED TO BUILD TIME INTO YOUR DAY AND YOUR WEEK TO RENEW THAT ATTENTION TO YOUR CENTER, THE PART WHERE GOD DWELLS.

IT'S A WONDERFUL THING THAT YOU COME HERE EVERY WEEK TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR SUNDAY LITURGY. SADLY, LESS THAN A QUARTER OF OUR PARISHIONERS DO THAT. THE PURPOSE OF MASS IS TO WORSHIP GOD, TO PRAY TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY, AND TO BRING JESUS INTO OUR MIDST. IT IS NOT THE TIME TO ENTER INTO THE STILLNESS THAT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR OUR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE BUILDING UP OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS.

BUT OUR CHURCH IS NOT JUST FOR MASS AND SACRAMENTS. IT IS A PLACE WHERE MOST OF THE TIME ANYONE CAN COME IN AND ENJOY THE PEACE AND SILENCE. JESUS IS HERE AS WELL, AND READY TO LISTEN TO US AND SPEAK TO OUR HEARTS. LENT IS A GOOD TIME TO GET IN THE HABIT OF STEPPING OUT OF THE WORLD INTO THIS SANCTUARY ON A REGULAR BASIS

IF YOU HAVE TIME, WE AT ST. MARY'S HAVE A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY. EVERY TUESDAY, THE BLESSED SACRAMENT IS EXPOSED FROM 9:00 TO 3:30. YOU CAN COME IN FOR A VISIT, TO A PLACE WHERE EVERYTHING IS STILL AND JESUS IS PRESENT ON THE ALTAR, AND YOU CAN RECAPTURE THAT PEACE THAT SHOULD BE INSIDE YOU. AND IF YOU COME AT ABOUT 3:00, THE CHAPLET OF DIVINE MERCY IS SUNG, FOLLOWED BY BENEDICTION AND A BRIEF REFLECTION. IT;S ALL VERY LOW-KEY, AND A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY.

IN CLEANSING THE TEMPLE, JESUS REMINDS US THAT EVEN OUR SACRED SPACE CAN BECOME CLUTTERED AND DISTORTED, AND EVEN UNRECOGNIZABLE. AND THERE HAS TO BE AN EFFORT ON OUR PARTS TO FOCUS ON WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT, TO ALLOW JESUS TO CLEANSE US WHO BECAUSE OF OUR BAPTISM, BECOME TEMPLES OF THE DIVINE PRESENCE AS HE IS HIMSELF.

JESUS, COME IN TO OUR HEARTS AND DRIVE OUT EVERYTHING THAT DISTRACTS US FROM YOURSELF.

Second Sunday in Lent, cycle B

MARK 9:2-10

IN NOVEMBER ANOTHER GRANDCHILD CAME INTO OUR FAMILY. I LOVE ALL MY GRANDCHILDREN, BUT THEY ALL LIVE SOMEWHERE ELSE. MY NEWEST GRANDDAUGHTER LIVES WITH ME FOR NOW. SINCE I AM RETIRED, I AM CALLED UPON TO HOLD HER WHILE HER MOTHER DOES OTHER THINGS, SO I AM GETTING TO KNOW HER PRETTY WELL.

NOW IF YOU WERE SOME ALIEN FROM ANOTHER PLANET AND STUDIED A THREE MONTH OLD BABY, YOU WOULD NOT BE IMPRESSED. THEY AREN'T PARTICULARLY USEFUL, THEY HAVE A VERY SHORT ATTENTION SPAN, THEY DROOL A GREAT DEAL AND SPIT UP CURDLED MILK. AND THE OTHER END IS EVEN WORSE. AND THEY ARE VERY HARD TO IGNORE WHEN THEY CRY, BECAUSE THE CRYING GETS LOUDER AND MORE VIOLENT THE LONGER YOU IGNORE THEM.

BUT IF YOU ARE A GRANDFATHER, OR A FATHER OR A MOTHER, THE MORE TIME YOU SPEND WITH THE BABY, THE MORE YOU BEGIN TO SEE THAT THERE IS SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL HERE, NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE FUTURE, BUT RIGHT NOW. SURE, THERE ARE MOMENTS WHEN YOU WISH YOU COULD BE SOMEWHERE ELSE, BUT ALL IN ALL, IT'S HARD NOT TO APPRECIATE THE BEAUTY OF A BABY.

TODAY WE HEAR THE STORY OF THE TRANSFIGURATION. BEFORE THAT MOMENT, THE APOSTLES KNEW JESUS WAS SPECIAL. HE COULD, AFTER ALL, HEAL, AND HE DEMONSTRATED A REMARKABLE WISDOM IN HIS TEACHING. THEY CHOSE TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES AND THEIR OCCUPATIONS TO FOLLOW HIM. BUT THERE WERE OTHER CHARISMATIC TEACHERS IN THAT TIME; THERE WERE OTHER WANDERING WONDER-WORKERS IN PALESTINE, AND THERE HAD BEEN BOTH IN THE PAST AS WELL. ELIJAH HAD HEALED, RAISED THE DEAD, AND COMMANDED FIRE FROM THE SKY TO CONSUME A SACRIFICE, NOT ONLY THE SACRIFICE, BUT THE ALTAR ON WHICH IT HAD BEEN OFFERED. MOSES HAD NOT ONLY WORKED MIRACLES, BUT HAD TAUGHT; THE JEWISH NATION HAD PERSISTED FOR CENTURIES BASED UPON HIS TEACHINGS.

THEN JESUS IN A MOMENT ON THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN SHOWED HIS REAL SELF, SHOWED THAT HE WAS FAR MORE THAN A MIRACLE WORKER, A TEACHER, OR A LAW-GIVER. WHY DID HE DO THIS? SOME SAY IT WAS TO STRENGTHEN THE RESOLVE OF THE APOSTLES WHEN THEY WITNESSED THE CRUCIFIXION. I GUESS IF THAT WAS THE CASE, IT DIDN'T WORK; THEY ABANDONED HIM AND DIDN'T GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER UNTIL PENTECOST. SOME SAY IT WAS TO SHOW THAT HE WAS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, REPRESENTED BY MOSES, THE LAWGIVER, AND ELIJAH, THE GREATEST PROPHET. I CAN BUY THAT, BUT THAT'S THEOLOGY, AND I SUSPECT THE THREE DISCIPLES, WHO PROBABLY KNEW A LOT ABOUT FISH, DIDN'T HAVE A THEOLOGICAL THOUGHT BETWEEN THEM. AND OF COURSE, SOME SAY IT WAS TO REVEAL TO THEM THAT JESUS WAS THE SON OF GOD. OF COURSE, AFTER HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN, THEY WOULD BE EVEN MORE CONVINCED.

BUT THE TRANSFIGURATION DID DO SOMETHING. FROM THAT MOMENT ON, THE APOSTLES LOOKED AT JESUS WITH NEW EYES, EVEN THOUGH HE APPEARED TO THEM THE SAME AS BEFORE. THE WORDS OF THE FATHER, THE APPEARANCE OF MOSES AND ELIJAH, THE CLOUD SETTLING ON THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN – WONDROUS AS THOSE WERE, THEY WOULD EVENTUALLY FADE FROM THE MIND. THAT'S THE WAY HUMAN BEINGS ARE. EVEN THE MOST POWERFUL EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES BECOME PALE MEMORIES OVER TIME.

BUT EVERY TIME THEY LOOKED AT JESUS, THEY WOULD NOW REMEMBER THAT MOMENT ON THE MOUNTAIN WHEN THE JESUS WAS REVEALED AS HE REALLY IS; FOR PETER, JAMES, AND JOHN, THEY COULD NOT LOOK AT JESUS WITHOUT REMEMBERING.

SAINT MAXIMUS THE CONFESSOR, WHO LIVED IN THE SEVENTH CENTURY, WAS THE FIRST TO NOTE SOMETHING ELSE; THAT IN ORDER TO PERCEIVE THE GLORY OF CHRIST, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NECESSARY FOR THE SENSES OF THE APOSTLES TO BE CHANGED OR TRANSFIGURED, BECAUSE IT WAS WELL KNOWN THAT YOU COULD NOT LOOK UPON GOD AND LIVE.

THERE IS AN INNER GLORY IN EACH OF US, WHETHER YOU ARE A THREE MONTH OLD BABY OR JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF. WE ARE, AFTER ALL, ADOPTED SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE FATHER, AND BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF JESUS CHRIST. WE ARE DESIGNED TO SPEND ETERNITY IN THE PRESENCE OF THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE. WE HAVE A PRIVILEGE THAT NOT EVEN ANGELS CAN CLAIM – WE CAN EAT AND DRINK THE BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST. AND JESUS HIMSELF HINTED THAT YOU AND I CAN HAVE TRANSFIGURED SENSES; WHAT WE DO FOR THE LEAST OF OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WE DO FOR JESUS. IT IS POSSIBLE TO SEE THE GLORY OF CHRIST IN OTHER PEOPLE, PERHAPS ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MOST DESTITUTE, MOST HEARTBROKEN, WHO ARE LIVING AT THE MARGINS.

I WONDER IF PETER, JAMES, AND JOHN THOUGHT BACK TO THAT MOMENT AND WISHED THEY COULD REVISIT IT, WISHED THAT IT HAD NEVER ENDED. I WONDER IF THEY LOOKED FORWARD TO THAT DAY WHEN THEY WOULD MOVE FROM HERE TO THEIR ETERNAL HOME AND ONCE MORE SEE THE GLORY OF GOD COMING FROM THEIR LORD. AND MAYBE THIS THOUGHT CONSOLED THEM AS THEY TURNED TO THOSE AROUND THEM, THOSE WHOM THEY SERVED, AND BECAUSE OF THAT MOMENT, THEY WOULD AGAIN SEE A FAINT SHADOW OF THE TRANSFIGURATION IN THEIR BROTHERS AND SISTERS; THAT WOULD HAVE TO DO FOR NOW.

THIS WEEK LET US ASK FOR THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR OWN SENSES, SO THAT WE CAN CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THE GLORY OF GOD IN OUR NEIGHBOR. WE MARRIED PEOPLE NEED TO SEE THAT ESPECIALLY IN OUR SPOUSES, WHO ARE OUR CLOSEST COMPANIONS AND WITH WHOM WE AT LEAST ONCE EXPERIENCED THE LOVE OF GOD FOR US. WE PARENTS NEED TO SEE THE GLORY OF GOD IN OUR CHILDREN, WHO ARE GIFTS FROM GOD TO US. ALL OF US IN THIS PARISH NEED TO SEE GOD'S GLORY IN EACH OTHER, BECAUSE THE ONLY THING WE ALL HAVE IN COMMON IS THE FACT THAT WE ARE FRIENDS AND COMPANIONS OF JESUS.

AND LET US NOT HESITATE TO REVEAL THE GLORY OF GOD WHICH IS IN US, TO EACH OTHER THROUGH OUR WORDS, THROUGH OUR ACTIONS. THE TRANSFIGURATION REMINDS US THAT THERE IS FAR MORE TO EACH OF US THAN WHAT WE SEE WITH OUR MORTAL EYES. LET US PRAYER FOR TRANSFIGURED SENSES SO THAT THIS WILL BE APPARENT TO US ALL THE TIME.

First Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

MARK 1:12-15

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP IN MONTANA, MY COUSINS WENT TO A SMALL WOODEN CHURCH IN THE TINY TOWN OF EAST HELENA DEDICATED TO SAINTS CYRIL AND METHODIUS. I ONLY KNEW VAGUELY THAT THEY WERE BROTHERS WHO WERE MISSIONARIES. I WAS REMINDED OF THEM ON VALENTINE'S DAY THIS MONTH, WHEN, CONTRARY TO WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT, WE CELEBRATED THEIR FEAST DAY RATHER THAN THE FEAST OF SAINT VALENTINE. I DON'T HAVE A GOOD EXPLANATION FOR THIS, BUT I'M SURE YOU CAN ASK FATHER AFTER MASS.

BOTH BROTHERS ARE WORTH STUDYING, BUT I'M GOING TO CONCENTRATE ON SAINT CYRIL. HE WAS THE OLDER BROTHER, AND STARTED HIS CAREER AS A LAYMAN, WORKING FOR THE BYZANTINE EMPEROR. HIS GIVEN NAME WAS CONSTANTINE. THE EMPIRE WAS THREATENED BY ISLAM AND THERE WERE CONFLICTS WITH JEWISH COMMUNITIES; CYRIL, IN ORDER TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESE PROBLEMS, STUDIED THEOLOGY, AND LEARNED ARABIC AND HEBREW. HE WROTE SEVERAL TRACTS DEMONSTRATING WHY CHRISTIANITY WAS SUPERIOR TO ISLAM AND JUDAISM. EVENTUALLY THE EMPEROR PREVAILED UPON HIM AND HIS BROTHER, WHO WAS A PRIEST, TO CONVERT THE SLAVIC PEOPLE, WHO WERE PAGANS, BUT ALSO, WHO WERE BEING ACTIVELY PROSELYTIZED BY MISSIONARIES FROM GERMANY, WHO REPRESENTED THE POPE. THE EASTERN AND WESTERN CHURCH HAD NOT SPLIT AT THAT TIME, BUT THERE WAS INTENSE RIVALRY. CYRIL WITH HIS BROTHER MANAGED TO CREATE THE SLAVONIC LITURGY AND DESIGNED AN ALPHABET FOR THE SLAVIC LANGUAGES. CYRIL WON THE APPROVAL OF THE POPE FOR HIS EFFORTS, LEGITIMIZING THE SLAVONIC LITURGY IN THE EYES OF ROME. HE DIED AT ABOUT THE AGE 50, AND ONLY A FEW DAYS BEFORE HE DIED, HE BECAME A MONK, TAKING THE NAME CYRIL.

CYRIL WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL BUREAUCRAT, AND MIGHT HAVE SPENT HIS LIFE ADVANCING IN THE COURT OF THE EMPEROR. BUT HE LEFT THIS LIFE FOR A LIFE OF STRUGGLE AND SOME DEGREE OF PERSECUTION AND BEING MISUNDERSTOOD. HE DIED BEFORE SEEING HIS EFFORTS REACH COMPLETION; HIS BROTHER METHODIUS LIVED LONG ENOUGH TO SEE THEIR EFFORTS SUCCEED.

CYRIL ILLUSTRATES SOMETHING ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN. I WAS REMINDED OF THAT BY THE GOSPEL TODAY. YOU WILL NOTICE THAT JESUS WAS “DRIVEN” BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. CYRIL WAS DRIVEN, AS WELL, AS WERE ALL OF THE SAINTS. A CHRISTIAN IS SOMEONE WHO SUBMITS TO BEING DRIVEN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. AND OFTEN THAT MEANS GOING WHERE YOU DON'T WANT TO GO, DOING THINGS YOU DON'T WANT TO DO.

A CHRISTIAN, BY VIRTUE OF HER BAPTISM AND CONFIRMATION, BECOMES THE HANDS AND FEET AND VOICE OF CHRIST, AND BECOMES, IN THE WORDS WE USED TO USE WHEN I WAS YOUNG, A TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

THE SACRAMENTS GIVE US THE GRACE TO DO WHAT CYRIL DID, WHAT ANY OF THE SAINTS DID – THE GRACE TO DO WHAT WE DON'T WANT TO DO. BUT LIKE ALL GRACES, THEY DON'T WORK IN A VACUUM. FOR GRACE TO WORK, THE ONE RECEIVING THE GRACE HAS TO COOPERATE. GRACES CAN BE GIVEN, BUT IGNORED.

WE HUMAN BEINGS ARE ALWAYS CAUGHT BETWEEN THE VOICE OF THE SERPENT AND THE VOICE OF GOD. GIVEN ANY DECISION, THERE IS THE ONE THAT ANSWERS THE DESIRES OF MY ANIMAL NATURE, AND THE ONE THAT HELPS BRING GOD'S KINGDOM CLOSER. MOST OF THE TIME, OUR DECISIONS DON'T SEEM TO BE VERY MOMENTOUS, AND IN THE COURSE OF A DAY, WE MAY MAKE SOME DECISIONS OUT OF SELFISHNESS AND SOME BECAUSE WE ARE SENSITIVE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT. BUT WE MAKE THESE DECISIONS ON THE EDGE OF OUR CONSCIOUSNESS; NO WONDER WE DON'T SEE MUCH CHANGE AS TIME GOES ON.

AND THAT IS WHERE LENT COMES IN. DURING LENT, OUR GOAL SHOULD BE TO BECOME MORE SENSITIVE TO THE MOVEMENTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. IN ORDER TO TO DO THIS, WE HAVE TO BECOME MORE CONSCIOUS OF THOSE DECISIONS WHICH STEM FROM OUR ANIMAL NATURE, THOSE DECISIONS THAT STEM FROM OUR SELFISHNESS. AND THAT IS WHY WE FAST AND ABSTAIN. IN THE OLDEN DAYS, WE WERE AWARE OF THIS EVERY DAY OF LENT; WE FASTED SIX OUT OF SEVEN DAYS. IT CERTAINLY DIDN'T KILL US, AND SOME OF US LOST A LITTLE WEIGHT, WHICH IS ALWAYS GOOD; BUT IN THE PROCESS OF CONSCIOUSLY NOT EATING AN AVAILABLE PIECE OF CHOCOLATE, OR NOT INDULGING ON THAT NICE MARTINI AT THE END OF THE WORK DAY, WE REMEMBERED THAT WE WERE ABLE TO RESIST TEMPTATION AND GROW IN GRACE. IT'S A GOOD THING, OF COURSE, TO DO SOMETHING POSITIVE DURING LENT, AND SOMETIMES IT HAS A SIMILAR EFFECT; BUT I THINK IT'S EASIER TO ADD SOMETHING TO OUR DAY THEN IT IS TO TAKE SOMETHING THAT IS ALMOST A PART OF US AND PUT IT ASIDE, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS SOMETHING THAT REALLY HURTS TO GIVE UP. THAT IS WHAT FASTING MEANS – NOT TURNING INTO SKIN AND BONES, BUT GIVING UP, JUST FOR A TIME, SOMETHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH OUR SELFISH SIDE, OUR ANIMAL NATURE.

REMEMBER, OUR GOAL IS TO BECOME SENSITIVE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND WE CAN BEGIN TO DO THIS BY CONSCIOUSLY MAKING A DENT IN OUR SELFISHNESS, OUR SELF-CENTEREDNESS. AND IN THOSE MOMENTS WHEN WE FEEL THE ACHE IN OUR LIVES BECAUSE WE ARE FASTING, WE CAN HEAR THE VOICE OF THE SPIRIT, AND BECOME MORE FAMILIAR WITH HIM.

IT SEEMS LIKE A LITTLE THING, TO GIVE SOMETHING UP FOR LENT. BUT REMEMBER THAT OUR GOAL IS TO OPEN OUR LIVES UP TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND ALLOW HIM TO “DRIVE” US, AS HE DROVE JESUS, AS HE DRIVES THE SAINTS. AND ONCE WE ALLOW THIS, WE WILL BEGIN TO SEE THOSE MOMENTS IN OUR LIVES WHEN THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR JESUS TO ACT THROUGH US, AND WHEN HE DOES, IT WILL BECOME POSSIBLE FOR US TO DO MORE, AND AS WE YIELD TO THE SPIRIT, WE MIGHT FIND OURSELVES DOING GREAT THINGS FOR GOD, FULFILLING OUR CALLING AS CHRISTIANS.

SO LET US RESOLVE TO MAKE THIS LENT DIFFERENT, AND PRAY FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT; BUT ALSO FAST FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND REACH OUT TO THOSE WHO NEED US FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT. AND MAY THE HOLY SPIRIT DRIVE US WHERE WE DON'T WANT TO GO, AND MOVE US TO DO WHAT WE DON'T WANT TO DO.

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

MARK 2:1-12

WHEN I LISTEN TO THIS GOSPEL, I HAVE AN ODD REACTION. HAVE YOU EVER MOVED A PARALYZED PERSON AROUND? I HAVE. IT'S VERY DIFFICULT. THEY ARE DEAD WEIGHT. HERE FOUR MEN HAVE STRUGGLED TO GET THEIR FRIEND UP ON THE ROOF OF THE HOUSE IN WHICH JESUS IS TEACHING AND HEALING. THEY HAVE REMOVED A PORTION OF THE ROOF, AND THEN VERY CAREFULLY LOWERED THEIR FRIEND DOWN IN FRONT OF JESUS. THE GOSPEL TELLS US THAT JESUS SAW THEIR FAITH. NOW WE KNOW THAT IN OTHER STORIES ABOUT JESUS' MIRACLES, THAT'S IMPORTANT. HE TELLS A WOMAN THAT HER FAITH HAS SAVED HER. HE COMMENTS ON THE LACK OF FAITH WHEN HE IS HAVING PROBLEMS WORKING MIRACLES IN HIS HOME TOWN. FAITH SEEMS TO BE IMPORTANT FOR JESUS IF MIRACLES ARE TO HAPPEN. SO WHEN JESUS SEES THE FAITH OF THE FRIENDS OF THE PARALYZED MAN, WE WOULD CERTAINLY EXPECT THAT THE NEXT THING TO HAPPEN WOULD BE A MIRACLE.

WHEN JESUS SAYS, “CHILD, YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN.” I AM A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED. OF COURSE JESUS GOES ON TO MAKE IT RIGHT AND REALLY DOES HEAL THE MAN, SO IT ALL TURNS OUT WELL IN THE END. BUT THINK FOR A MINUTE ABOUT MY ASSUMPTIONS. FORGIVING SINS IS NO BIG DEAL; HEALING A PARALYTIC IS.

I THINK THE SCRIBES WERE PROBABLY SMARTER THAN I AM AT THIS POINT, BECAUSE THEY REACTED WITH SHOCK AND ALARM WHEN JESUS SAID “YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN.”

DURING THE TIME JESUS WALKED THE EARTH, EVERYONE KNEW THAT HEALINGS TOOK PLACE THROUGH MIRACULOUS INTERVENTION. THEY WERE WRITTEN ABOUT IN THE SCRIPTURES, AND IT WAS COMMON FOR PEOPLE TO SEEK OUT HOLY MEN AND WOMEN, NOT JUST AMONG THE JEWS BUT EVEN AMONG THE PAGANS. AND SOMETIMES HEALING TOOK PLACE. TODAY WE MIGHT HAVE A SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION FOR IT, BUT THIS KIND OF THINKING WASN'T HAPPENING THEN, AND IF YOU SOUGHT THE INTERVENTION OF GOD OR A REPRESENTATIVE OF GOD, AND YOU WERE HEALED, CAUSE AND EFFECT WAS OBVIOUS. SOMETIMES JESUS' OPPONENTS ATTRIBUTED HIS HEALING TO DEMONIC FORCES; AND ONCE AT LEAST THEY TRIED TO CONVINCE THE MAN BLIND FROM BIRTH THAT JESUS DIDN'T REALLY HEAL HIM, BUT MOST OF THE TIME, NO ONE QUESTIONS THAT JESUS COULD HEAL.

BUT THAT SOMEONE COULD FORGIVE SINS – THAT WAS BLASPHEMY. A SIN WAS AN OFFENSE AGAINST GOD, AND ONLY GOD COULD FORGIVE SOMEONE WHO OFFENDED HIM. THE JEWS SPENT A LOT OF MONEY AND TIME AND EFFORT HOPING TO PERSUADE GOD TO FORGIVE THEIR SINS. ON YOM KIPPUR, ONE GOAT WAS OFFERED TO GOD AND THE OTHER SENT INTO THE DESERT SYMBOLICALLY CARRYING THE SINS OF THE PEOPLE. EVERY DAY IN THE TEMPLE, A LAMB WAS SACRIFICED IN THE MORNING AND ANOTHER IN THE EVENING FOR THE SINS OF ISRAEL; AND PEOPLE PAID FOR PRIVATE SACRIFICES AS WELL. AND DESPITE THIS, ALL REMEMBERED HOW GOD HAD REJECTED THE SACRIFICE OF CAIN FOR REASONS WHICH NO ONE KNEW; AND THEY KNEW THE SCRIPTURE THAT SAID, “GOD LOVED ISAAC AND HATED EASAU”. WHO COULD TELL IF GOD EVER FORGAVE SINS?

BUT THIS IS WHAT JESUS SAW. THE PARALYTIC WAS PARALYZED BECAUSE OF SIN. IT WASN'T PERSONAL SIN; BUT EVEN NOW, EVERY TIME YOU SEE SOMEONE WHO IS BROKEN DOWN BY OLD AGE, WHO IS WEARING A CASTE, WHO HAS TO HAVE A HEARING AID OR EYEGLASSES TO USE THOSE SENSES; ANYTIME YOU SEE A HUMAN BEING WHOSE BODY OR MIND COULD USE SOME TUNING UP BY GOD, YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN. WE ARE ALL SINNERS; WE ALL SHARE IN THE SIN OF OUR FIRST PARENTS, AND EVEN IF WE HAVE HARDLY EVER COMMITTED ANY KIND OF SERIOUS SIN, WE SHARE IN THE SOCIETAL SINS – AS SOMEONE ONCE SAID, IF YOU HAVE TWO SETS OF CLOTHING AND SOMEONE ELSE HAS NONE, THAT PERSON OWNS THAT SECOND SET. WE ARE ALL DESPERATELY IN NEED OF FORGIVENESS.

AND THE REAL MIRACLE IS THAT WE CAN RECEIVE FORGIVENESS AND KNOW WE ARE FORGIVEN. THAT'S THE MIRACLE OF THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE.

JOHN PAUL II TELLS US THAT THE BODY IS A SACRAMENT OF THE SELF. THAT MEANS THAT THE BODY REVEALS THE SELF BEHIND IT, WHAT WE MIGHT CALL THE SOUL. AND ACTIONS BY THE BODY, AND ACTIONS DONE TO THE BODY, AFFECT THE SELF. THESE BODIES WE HAVE NOW WE WILL HAVE FOREVER, BECAUSE WE ARE MADE TO BE EMBODIED SPIRITS. SO WHEN THE SCRIBES RECOIL IN HORROR AS JESUS CLAIMS THE POWER TO FORGIVE SIN, JESUS SHOWS THEM THAT HE HAS THE POWER BY DOING TO THE BODY WHAT HE HAS JUST DONE TO THE SOUL – THE SOUL HAS BEEN FREED OF PARALYSIS, NOW THE BODY WILL BE AS WELL.

JESUS LEAVES US WITH ACCESS TO REAL MIRACLES THROUGH THE SACRAMENTS. BUT THEY ARE MIRACLES THAT AFFECT OURSELVES. LAZARUS WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD, BUT HE STILL GREW OLD AND DIED. NONE OF THE MIRACLES OF HEALING THAT JESUS PERFORMED WHEN HE WAS WALKING THE EARTH, OR EVEN THAT HE PERFORMS TODAY THROUGH HIS MOTHER AND THE SAINTS, IS A LASTING MIRACLE, ONLY A SIGN THAT MIRACLES ARE POSSIBLE. THE REAL MIRACLES ARE THOSE THAT AFFECT THE TRUE SELF, MIRACLES OF FORGIVENESS, AS IN PENANCE; MIRACLES OF BECOMING ONE WITH CHRIST, AS IN THE EUCHARIST, THE MIRACLE OF BECOMING A SON OR DAUGHTER OF GOD, THROUGH BAPTISM; AND YOU CAN FILL IN THE BLANKS FOR THE OTHER SACRAMENTS. JESUS LEFT US THE IMPORTANT MIRACLES, AND IT IS A TERRIBLE FAILURE OF IMAGINATION AND INDEED, OF OUR UNDERSTANDING OF REALITY, THAT WE FEEL A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED WHEN JESUS TELLS THE PARALYZED MAN “YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN.” AND WE WAIT ANXIOUSLY FOR THE SUPPOSED “REAL” MIRACLE TO COME.

AS WE BEGIN TO ENTER THE LENTEN SEASON, LET US MAKE AN EFFORT TO SEE REALITY MORE CLEARLY. LET US APPRECIATE AND REVEL IN THE FACT THAT WE CAN BE FORGIVEN IF WE WANT TO BE; THAT WE CAN BE ONE WITH JESUS IF WE WANT; AND THAT THESE MIRACLES ARE FAR GREATER THAN A MERE HEALING, OR EVEN BEING RAISED FROM THE DEAD. OUR TRUE GOAL, OUR TRUE HOME, IS TO BE GATHERED INTO THE TRINITY, WHERE WE WILL EXPERIENCE LIFE SUCH THAT WHAT WE HAVE NOW WILL BE NOTHING BUT A SHADOW. AND GOD DID EVERYTHING HE COULD TO MAKE THIS A SURE THING IF WE WANT IT. AND THE ONLY THING THAT KEEPS US FROM THAT GOAL IS OUR OWN SELVES. WE WOULD RATHER BE HEALED FROM PARALYSIS THAN HAVE OUR SINS FORGIVEN. OTHERWISE, OUR CONFESSIONALS WOULD BE OCCUPIED DAY AND NIGHT, AND OUR PRIESTS WOULD HAVE TIME FOR NOTHING ELSE.

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

MARK 1:40-45

LAST WEEK ONE OF YOU ASKED ME WHY JESUS WAS ALWAYS TELLING PEOPLE NOT TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE MIRACLES HE WAS PERFORMING. AND TODAY YOU HEARD IT AGAIN, WHEN HE COMMANDS THE LEPER NOT TO TELL ANYONE HOW HIS CURE HAPPENED. EVEN THOUGH JESUS TELLS PEOPLE NOT TO SAY ANYTHING, THEY OFTEN DO: THE LEPER SPREAD THE NEWS FAR AND WIDE. AND THIS IS THE YEAR THAT WE HEAR JESUS MAKING THIS STRANGE REQUEST, BECAUSE IN THE OTHER GOSPELS WE DON'T HEAR JESUS DOING THIS.

BIBLE SCHOLARS HAVE A TERM FOR THIS, CALLED THE “MESSIANIC SECRET”. AND THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF SPECULATION AS TO WHY IT APPEARS IN MARK'S GOSPEL. SOME HAVE SAID THAT JESUS DID NOT WANT PEOPLE TO THINK HE WAS THE MESSIAH ALONG THE LINES THAT THEY EXPECTED, BECAUSE THAT WOULD GET THE ROMANS RILED UP AND PUT AN END TO HIS MINISTRY. OTHERS SAY THAT JESUS DID WANT PEOPLE TO TELL OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT HIM, AND THE BEST WAY TO DO IT WOULD BE TO FORBID IT. BUT IN MARK WE FIND THAT SHORTLY AFTER HE STARTS HIS MINISTRY, HE NO LONGER CAN GO INTO THE CITIES BECAUSE HE HAS BECOME SO FAMOUS, AND THERE ARE SO MANY DEMANDING TO BE HEALED, THAT HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO WHAT HE CAME FOR, WHICH WAS PRIMARILY PROCLAIMING THE KINGDOM OF GOD. SO IF JESUS WAS TRYING TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM NOTICING HIM IT DIDN'T WORK VERY WELL.

GENERALLY WHEN YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SOMETHING IN THE BIBLE, IT HELPS TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT THE AUDIENCE FOR A PARTICULAR WRITING. EVERYTHING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT (AND THE OLD) WAS WRITTEN FOR SOME PURPOSE, AND WRITTEN FOR SOME SPECIFIC AUDIENCE. PEOPLE THINK MATTHEW, FOR EXAMPLE, WAS WRITTEN TO SHORE UP THE FAITH OF NEW JEWISH CONVERTS, BY SHOWING THAT JESUS FULFILLED THE PROPHECIES OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. LUKE WAS WRITTEN FOR CERTAIN GENTILE CONVERTS WHO DID NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT JEWISH TRADITIONS. THE WHOLE STORY OF THE ANGELS AND THE SHEPHERDS AT THE BIRTH OF CHRIST, AND THE STORY OF THE ANNUNCIATION, WOULD REMIND GENTILE READERS OF THE LEGENDS THAT SURROUNDED THE BIRTH OF AN EMPEROR, OR POSSIBLY ONE OF THOSE LESSER GODS AMONG THEIR HUGE NUMBER OF GODS. MOST PEOPLE THINK MARK IS BEING WRITTEN WITH THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY IN ROME IN MIND THE GOSPEL WAS WRITTEN SHORTLY AFTER THE REIGN OF NERO, WHO HAD LAUNCHED ONE OF THE MOST SEVERE PERSECUTIONS UP TO THAT POINT. THE REMAINING CHRISTIANS IN AND AROUND ROME MUST HAVE BEEN WONDERING WHAT KIND OF TERRIBLE CHOICE THEY HAD MADE WHEN THEY BECAME CHRISTIAN.

ALL THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF MARK, JESUS TELLS PEOPLE TO SAY NOTHING ABOUT WHAT THEY HAVE WITNESSED. AND AT THE CENTRAL POINT IN THE STORY, WHEN JESUS ASKS HIS APOSTLES, “WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?” PETER BLURTS OUT, “YOU ARE THE MESSIAH OF GOD”. AND HERE AGAIN, JESUS TELLS THEM TO SAY NOTHING. BUT HE NOW GIVES A REASON: “THE SON OF MAN MUST SUFFER MANY THINGS AND BE REJECTED BY THE ELDERS AND BE KILLED AND AFTER THREE DAYS RISE AGAIN.” THE KIND OF MESSIAH JESUS WAS WAS NOTHING LIKE ANY OF THE IMAGES IN THE MINDS OF THE APOSTLES, OR FOR THAT MATTER, AMONG THE JEWS IN GENERAL. THEY ALL EXPECTED A GREAT KING, OR A HIGH PRIEST, OR A PROPHET LIKE THE ONES OF ANCIENT TIMES – OR PERHAPS ALL THREE ROLLED INTO ONE. BUT THE SECRET KNOWLEDGE OF THE CHRISTIAN IN ROME WAS THAT THE MESSIAH WAS VERY MUCH LIKE THEY WERE; A PERSON WHO WAS MISUNDERSTOOD, PERSECUTED, PUT TO DEATH – BUT ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND PROMISED THAT HIS FOLLOWERS WOULD RISE WITH HIM. AND THAT WAS A WONDERFULLY CONSOLING MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO HEARD MARK'S GOSPEL. IT WAS REVOLUTIONARY, INSISTING THAT CONTRARY TO ANY RATIONAL EXPECTATION, SUFFERING COULD BE TRANSFORMED; DEATH COULD BE MADE INTO LIFE.

IN TODAY'S GOSPEL JESUS HEALS A LEPER. THE LEPER ALMOST DARES JESUS TO HEAL HIM, AND JESUS TAKES UP THAT DARE. BUT UNEXPECTEDLY HE DOES SOMETHING SHOCKING. HE TOUCHES THE LEPER. IT IS AS THOUGH A CONNECTION HAD TO BE MADE FOR THE HEALING TO TAKE PLACE; A BRIDGE SO THAT THE LEPROSY WOULD LEAVE THE MAN – AND SOMEHOW BE TAKEN UP BY JESUS. IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK, MOST OF THE MIRACLES JESUS PERFORMS DO INVOLVE TOUCH OR SOME SORT OF CONTACT, REINFORCING THIS IDEA THAT HE TAKES ON OUR BURDENS. AND IN TELLING THESE STORIES ABOUT JESUS, AND IN THE IDEA OF THE MESSIANIC SECRET, MARK IS TELLING US AND HIS OWN AUDIENCE SOMETHING ABOUT GOD, SOMETHING ALSO TOTALLY UNEXPECTED, OUTSIDE EVERYTHING THEY HAD EVER THOUGHT ABOUT GOD.

THE WAY GOD IS, MARK IS SAYING, IS NOT AS A GREAT KING, NOT AS SOMEONE WHO SITS IN HIS HEAVEN GRANTING FAVORS AND DEALING OUT PUNISHMENT. FROM THE EARLIEST DAYS OF HUMANKIND, THAT WAS THE WAY THE GODS WERE SEEN. THEY WERE TYRANTS WHO HAD TO BE PLACATED BY SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS; THEY HAD NO MORALITY, AND WHY THEY DID THINGS WAS NEVER PREDICTABLE. BUT THE GOD OF CHRISTIANS, EMBODIED IN THE MESSIAH JESUS, IS A GOD WHO SUFFERS WITH US, WHO TAKES ON OUR BURDENS; WHO UNDERGOES DEATH, WHO LITERALLY GIVES EVERYTHING HE POSSIBLY CAN FOR THE SAKE OF THE WHOLE WORLD. AND SOMEHOW, THIS IS TRANSFORMED INTO LIFE ETERNAL. TO THE ROMAN CHRISTIAN IN MARK'S TIME, HIDING FROM THE AUTHORITIES, SEEING HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS THROWN TO THE LIONS, OR BEING LIT ON FIRE TO LIGHT THE STREETS OF ROME, THIS WAS THE ONLY POSSIBLE REASON FOR REMAINING A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST.

YOU AND I STILL HAVE THAT PAGAN TENDENCY TO THINK OF GOD AS THE ONE WHO FIXES THINGS, THE ONE WHO RULES OVER US, THE ONE WHO GETS SOME SORT OF PLEASURE FROM OUR PRAYERS AND SACRIFICES. OLD HABITS DIE HARD, AND IT TOOK A LONG TIME FOR GOD, WORKING FIRST THROUGH THE JEWISH PEOPLE AND THEN THROUGH JESUS AND NOW THROUGH HIS CHURCH, TO CONVINCE US OTHERWISE. BUT DEEP IN EVERYONE'S HEART IS THAT QUESTION, “WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?” WHY DO WONDERFUL PEOPLE SUFFER SO MUCH? WHY DO I HAVE TO SUFFER, WHEN GOD COULD FIX THINGS WITH A WAVE OF HIS HAND? AND PERHAPS THERE IS NO PERFECT ANSWER TO THESE QUESTIONS. BUT THE MESSIANIC SECRET, THE FACT THAT THE MESSIAH OF GOD MUST SUFFER MANY THINGS, AND BE PUT TO DEATH, IS AN ANSWER WE CAN LIVE WITH.

AND WE ARE LEFT WITH THE SAME CONSOLATION THAT THOSE ROMAN CHRISTIANS SO LONG AGO HAD – THERE WILL BE RESURRECTION, THERE WILL BE TRIUMPH, EVEN OVER DEATH BECAUSE OF THIS MESSIAH.