First Sunday in Lent, cycle C

LUKE 4:1-13

ON ASH WEDNESDAY I GAVE OUT ASHES TO ABOUT 100 PEOPLE IN A NURSING HOME. SOME OF THEM HAD ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, AND I KNOW THEY WEREN'T EVEN AWARE THAT THEY WERE RECEIVING ASHES. MANY OTHERS WERE OLD, FRAIL, VICTIMS OF STROKES OR PARKINSON'S DISEASE; MANY WERE BEDRIDDEN, NOT EVEN ABLE TO FEED THEMSELVES. AND I GAVE THEM ASHES, TELLING THEM TO REMEMBER THAT THEY WERE DUST, AND UNTO DUST THEY WOULD RETURN.

TODAY'S GOSPEL SHOWS JESUS FACING TEMPTATION. THE CHURCH PUTS THE STORY OF HIS TEMPTATION ON THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT. THAT MEANS IT IS IMPORTANT, THAT WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION. THERE IS AN ESSENTIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEMPTATION AND LENT. WHEN I WAS IN FOURTH GRADE, ONE OF MY CLASSMATES, A GIRL NAMED SANDRA, WAS ASKED WHAT SHE WAS GIVING UP FOR LENT. SHE REPLIED, “CANDY”. OUR TEACHER ASKED, “WHY ARE YOU GIVING UP CANDY?” SANDRA REPLIED, “BECAUSE MY DENTIST TOLD ME TO.” OUR TEACHER TOLD US THAT WE SHOULDN'T GIVE UP THINGS FOR REASONS LIKE THAT; WE SHOULD GIVE THEM UP AS OFFERINGS TO GOD. BUT I THINK SANDRA WAS ON TO SOMETHING. LENT, AFTER ALL, IS NOT FOR GOD, WHO DOESN'T NEED ANYTHING. IT IS FOR US. AND IT IS ALL ABOUT TEMPTATION.

WE THINK OF TEMPTATION IN PLEURAL TERMS; TEMPTATIONS TO COMMIT SINS; TEMPTATIONS TO DO NOTHING WHEN WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING; TEMPTATIONS TO DO JUST ENOUGH TO GET BY INSTEAD OF DOING OUR BEST. WE HAVE TEMPTATIONS TO FEEL SORRY FOR OURSELVES, TO WALLOW IN OUR ANGER, TO LOOK DOWN ON SOMEONE. WE ALL HAVE THEM, EVEN WHEN WE NEVER GIVE IN TO THEM; BUT IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU PROBABLY GIVE IN TO THEM NOW AND THEN. OF COURSE, IF YOU ARE LIKE JESUS, YOU DON'T.

AND YOU AND I ARE SUPPOSED TO USE OUR LENTEN JOURNEY TO BECOME STRONGER IN RESISTING TEMPTATION. JESUS DEMONSTRATES FOR US WHAT IS NECESSARY. HE HAS JUST FINISHED A FORTY DAY FAST, DURING WHICH TIME IN ADDITION TO FASTING, HE DID A LOT OF PRAYING. AFTER ALL, IT WAS IN THIS DESERT EXPERIENCE THAT GOD REVEALED TO HIM WHAT HIS MINISTRY WOULD BE ALL ABOUT. AND JESUS USES THE WORD OF GOD TO NIP TEMPTATION IN THE BUD. “IT IS WRITTEN, ONE DOES NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE; IT IS WRITTEN, YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ALONE SHALL YOU SERVE; “IT ALSO SAYS, YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.”

PRAYER AND FASTING TO MAKE YOU STRONG, AND KNOWING THE WORD OF GOD TO GIVE YOU GUIDANCE. THAT'S WHAT KEPT JESUS FROM GIVING IN TO TEMPTATION.

SO WHAT DO WE DO?

IT ISN'T IMPORTANT WHAT WE DO. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE DO SOMETHING, AND THAT WE DO IT EVERY DAY. IN THIS YEAR OF THE FAITH, PERHAPS LEARNING MORE ABOUT A PARTICULAR PART OF YOUR FAITH MIGHT BE USEFUL. WHY DOES THE CHURCH TEACH THAT GOD IS A TRINITY? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME? OR PRAYER. MAYBE IT'S TIME TO GET RE-ACQUAINTED WITH THAT ANCIENT PRAYER, THE ROSARY AGAIN. FIFTEEN MINUTES A DAY? CAN YOU FIND TIME FOR THAT? TO MEDITATE WITH MARY ON THE LIFE OF JESUS? IF YOU CAN'T YOU ARE WAY TOO BUSY. MAYBE IT IS GIVING SOMETHING UP, SOMETHING THAT WE DO EVERY DAY, SOMETHING THAT HAS BECOME SO MUCH A ROUTINE THAT WE CAN'T IMAGINE BEING WITHOUT IT. IT'S ONLY FOR SIX WEEKS; AND IF YOU WANT TO BE A STICKLER ABOUT IT, IT'S ONLY FOR A WEEK AT A TIME, BECAUSE SUNDAY ISN'T LENT. IF YOU GIVE UP YOUR EVENING MARTINI, YOU CAN STILL HAVE ONE ON SUNDAY. MAYBE IT'S GETTING TO MASS EVERY MORNING. THAT'S A HALF-HOUR GIVE OR TAKE.

SO WE EXERCISE, WE BUILD UP STRENGTH TO RESIST TEMPTATION. YOU AND I ARE GIVEN OUR HUMAN NATURE AND WE KNOW THAT BEING HUMAN GETS US INTO TROUBLE MORE OFTEN THEN NOT. SAINT JOSEMARIA ESCRIVA COMPARED OUR HUMANITY TO A DONKEY, STUBBORN, WILLFUL, DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH; AND OUR TASK IS TO LEAD THE DONKEY, NOT BE LED BY IT. THAT'S WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO DURING LENT.

BUT WHY? WHY NOT JUST INDULGE OURSELVES? WHY DO WE REALLY NEED TO EXERCISE OUR SPIRITUAL MUSCLES? AFTER ALL, MOST OF US PROBABLY THINK WE ARE PRETTY GOOD THE WAY WE ARE. I DOUBT THAT ANYONE IN THIS CHURCH REALLY BELIEVES THEY ARE IN DANGER OF GOING TO HELL.

I THINK ABOUT THOSE PEOPLE TO WHOM I ADMINISTERED ASHES. AND I THINK THERE IS ONLY ONE TEMPTATION. THAT IS THE TEMPTATION THAT TELLS US WE ARE WORTHLESS, THAT WE ARE JUST LUMPS OF MEAT LIVING OUT OUR DAYS. IT'S ON THE SURFACE THERE IN THE NURSING HOME; AND I SUSPECT IT IS A CONSTANT TEMPTATION TO MANY OF THOSE WHO STILL HAVE MENTAL FACULTIES, BUT CAN REALLY DO NOTHING FOR THEMSELVES. BUT IT'S A TEMPTATION WE ALL HAVE. IN FACT WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE MORE COMMON FACES OF TEMPTATION – MONEY, POWER, FAME, PLEASURE – DON'T THEY ALL START FROM THE IDEA THAT ACQUIRING THEM MAKES US SPECIAL IN SOME WAY? THAT WE NEED THEM TO BE COMPLETE – AND BY EXTENSION, THAT IF WE DON'T GET THEM, WE ARE WORTHLESS, WE DON'T COUNT?

THAT'S THE VOICE OF SATAN. THAT'S THE VOICE JESUS HEARD – IF YOU ARE WORTH ANYTHING, YOU NEED TO HAVE POWER, ADMIRATION, STUFF. THAT'S ALWAYS WHAT TEMPTATION IS ABOUT.

HENRI NOUWEN, THE GREAT SPIRITUAL WRITER, SAID THIS: “ … THE GREATEST TRAP IN OUR LIFE IS NOT SUCCESS, POPULARITY, OR POWER, BUT SELF-REJECTION. SUCCESS, POPULARITY, AND POWER CAN INDEED PRESENT A GREAT TEMPTATION, BUT THEIR SEDUCTIVE QUALITY OFTEN COMES FROM THE WAY THEY ARE PART OF THE MUCH LARGER TEMPTATION TO SELF-REJECTION. WHEN WE HAVE COME TO BELIEVE IN THE VOICES THAT CALL US WORTHLESS AND UNLOVABLE, THEN SUCCESS, POPULARITY, AND POWER ARE EASILY PERCEIVED AS ATTRACTIVE SOLUTIONS. [BUT} … AS SOON AS SOMEONE ACCUSES ME OR CRITICIZES ME, AS SOON AS I AM REJECTED, LEFT ALONE, OR ABANDONED, I FIND MYSELF THINKING, "WELL, THAT PROVES ONCE AGAIN THAT I AM A NOBODY." ... I AM NO GOOD... I DESERVE TO BE PUSHED ASIDE, FORGOTTEN, REJECTED, AND ABANDONED. SELF-REJECTION IS THE GREATEST ENEMY OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE BECAUSE IT CONTRADICTS THE SACRED VOICE THAT CALLS US THE "BELOVED." BEING THE BELOVED CONSTITUTES THE CORE TRUTH OF OUR EXISTENCE.” THAT'S THE SECRET JESUS KNEW IN THE FACE OF TEMPTATION; HE HAD HEARD “THIS IS MY BELOVED” AT HIS BAPTISM.

WHEN I PASSED OUT ASHES TO THE PATIENTS IN THE NURSING HOME, AFTER I TOLD THEM TO REMEMBER THAT THEY WERE DUST, AND WOULD RETURN TO DUST, I FOUND MYSELF SAYING “GOD LOVES YOU” OR “GOD BLESS YOU.” BECAUSE EVEN THE ONES WHO HAVE LOST THE USE OF THEIR BODIES OR THEIR MINDS NEED TO BE REMINDED THAT WHILE WE MAY INDEED BE DESTINED TO BECOME DUST; WE ARE STILL THE BELOVED SONS OR DAUGHTERS OF THE FATHER.

SO PLEASE TAKE LENT SERIOUSLY. DO SOMETHING EVERY DAY. AND YOU WILL BEGIN TO HEAR YOURSELF BEING CALLED “BELOVED” BY THE FATHER. AND THERE ISN'T ANYTHING BETTER THAN THAT.

Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time, cycle C

FIFTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME, CYCLE C

LUKE 5:1-11

DO YOU REMEMBER THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT? THERE ARE SEVEN: WISDOM, UNDERSTANDING, COUNSEL, FORTITUDE, KNOWLEDGE, PIETY, AND FEAR OF THE LORD. THESE GIFTS MOVE US INTO THE REALM OF THE SUPERNATURAL, AND HELP US TO DEVELOP OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. ULTIMATELY THEY COME TO US AS A RESULT OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST. BRIEFLY, WISDOM ALLOWS US TO PROPERLY VALUE THINGS AS THEY PERTAIN TO OUR ULTIMATE DESTINY; UNDERSTANDING TELLS US WHY WE VALUE THEM; COUNSEL HELPS US MOVE IN THE DIRECTION THAT WISDOM LAYS OUT FOR US; FORTITUDE HELPS US OVERCOME DIFFICULTIES ALONG THE WAY, KNOWLEDGE HELPS US TO SEE INTO THE DEEPER TRUTHS OF OUR FAITH, PIETY HELPS US TO FORM A REALISTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD – CREATURE TO CREATOR; AND FEAR OF THE LORD – WELL, THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO SPEND SOME TIME ON TODAY.

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WERE FIRST DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK OF ISAIAH. THE HEBREW WORD WHICH IS TRANSLATED AS “FEAR OF THE LORD” CAN ALSO BE TRANSLATED AS AWE, AND IS RELATED TO THE WORD THAT MEANS “HOLY”. AND TODAY WE SEE SAINT PETER EXPERIENCING THIS GIFT OF THE SPIRIT. REMEMBER THAT PETER HAS ALREADY JOINED JESUS; JUST BEFORE THIS STORY, JESUS HAD HEALED PETER'S MOTHER-IN-LAW. AND NOW, IN RESPONSE TO THE MIRACULOUS CATCH OF FISH, PETER, WHO HAS WITNESSED JESUS HEALING PEOPLE AND ALREADY HEAR HIM TEACHING, AND IN FACT ALREADY COMMITTED HIMSELF TO FOLLOWING JESUS, FALLS TO HIS KNEES AND PRAYS THAT JESUS DEPART FROM HIM, FOR HE IS A SINFUL MAN.

FEAR OF THE LORD IS A DIFFICULT GIFT TO GRASP. THERE WAS A PHILOSOPHER NAMED RUDOLPH OTTO WHO WROTE A BOOK CALLED “THE IDEA OF THE HOLY”. IN IT HE TALKED ABOUT A UNIVERSAL HUMAN EXPERIENCE, A SENSE OF GREAT ATTRACTION AND AT THE SAME TIME, A DESIRE TO BE SOMEWHERE ELSE; A FEELING OF SMALLNESS IN THE FACE OF SOMETHING OVERWHELMING; A FEELING OF BEING LIFTED OUT OF THE ORDINARY INTO A STATE OF BEING IN WHICH THERE SEEMED TO BE NO LIMITATIONS. AND WHILE IT'S HARD TO DESCRIBE, I THINK WE'VE ALL HAD THIS EXPERIENCE, MORE THAN ONCE. PERHAPS AT THE TIME OF A WEDDING; PERHAPS ON A MOUNTAINTOP, OR ON THE SEASHORE WATCHING WAVES ROLL IN; PERHAPS DURING A FIERCE THUNDER AND LIGHTNING STORM; PERHAPS DURING THE PERFORMANCE OF AN EXQUISITE PIECE OF MUSIC. PEOPLE LIKE SAINT FRANCIS SEEMED TO HAVE SUCH EXPERIENCES ALL THE TIME – ALMOST ANYTHING IN NATURE COULD TRIGGER AN OVERWHELMING SENSE OF WONDER IN HIM.

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE MEANT TO BE EXERCISED. YOU RECEIVED THE GIFT OF WISDOM FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT, BUT UNLESS YOU EXERCISE THE GIFT, YOU DON'T BECOME WISE; AND THE SAME CAN BE SAID FOR THE OTHER GIFTS. IF COUNSEL TELLS US WHAT TO DO, AND WE DON'T EXERCISE FORTITUDE TO DO IT, WE'LL BE FRUSTRATED IN OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES. SO WHAT ABOUT THIS GIFT CALLED “FEAR OF THE LORD”? HOW DO WE EXERCISE IT? WHY SHOULD WE?

THE THINGS I DESCRIBED BEFORE, POSSIBLE MOMENTS WHEN YOU MIGHT HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SENSE OF AWE THAT SOMETIMES SPRINGS UP IN US, ARE NATURAL REACTIONS TO THINGS THAT WE SEE, THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO US. BUT THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS SENSE OF AWE IN THE PRESENCE OF NATURE, OF BEAUTIFUL MUSIC, OF PROFOUND EMOTIONAL EVENTS, IS AT THE SAME TIME A SENSE OF GOD'S PRESENCE IN HIS CREATION. AND THE ABILITY TO EXPERIENCE THIS CAN BE INCREASED; WE CAN BECOME MORE SENSITIVE TO GOD'S PRESENCE.

HOW DO WE DO THAT? FIRST, WE LOOK FOR THAT SENSE, AND ALLOW OURSELVES TO EXPERIENCE IT. THE ENEMY OF “FEAR OF THE LORD” IS CYNICISM. WHEN WE EXPERIENCE AWE, WE NEED TO STOP AND FEEL IT AND LET OURSELVES BE MOVED BY IT. WE NEED TO CONSCIOUSLY RECOGNIZE THAT GOD IS PRESENT TO US IN A SPECIAL WAY WHEN THIS HAPPENS. AND WE NEED TO ACKNOWLEDGE IN THOSE MOMENTS THAT WE ARE CREATURES AND WE BELONG TO GOD. IF THERE IS A PARTICULAR ACTIVITY OR EVENT THAT GENERATES THOSE MOMENTS IN US, WE SHOULD INCREASE OUR EXPOSURE TO IT. IF WE HAVE THAT SENSE WHEN WE LISTEN TO BEAUTIFUL MUSIC, THEN WE SHOULD LISTEN MORE; IF WE FIND IT WHEN WE ARE ON A MOUNTAIN TOP, WE NEED TO SPEND MORE TIME ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP.

AS WE NURTURE THE ABILITY OF OUR SOULS TO SENSE GOD'S PRESENCE, IT WILL HAPPEN MORE OFTEN; AND WE WILL BEGIN TO NOTE THAT PRESENCE IN OTHER MOMENTS, PERHAPS MOMENTS WHICH HAD NOT TRIGGERED IT BEFORE.

ALL THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT ARE FOR US, SO FEAR OF THE LORD MUST BE AS WELL. WHEN WE BEGIN TO RECOGNIZE THE PRESENCE OF GOD ON MORE THAN A MERELY INTELLECTUAL LEVEL, THERE IS AN EFFECT ON OUR SOULS. LIKE SAINT PETER, WE BEGIN TO SEE OURSELVES SIMULTANEOUSLY AS LOVED BY GOD AND AT THE SAME TIME, AS SINNERS. WE ARE DEEPLY ATTRACTED TO THE ONE WHO LOVES US, AND WE REALIZE THAT WE NEED FORGIVENESS. THIS IS REALISTIC; THIS IS THE WAY WE REALLY ARE.

SO FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT LEADS US TO EXERCISE ALL THE OTHER GIFTS. FOR WHEN WE REALIZE WHAT GOD HAS IN STORE FOR US AND THAT THERE IS SOMETHING BEYOND OUR MATERIAL EXISTENCE, THEN WE HAVE A REASON TO EXERCISE THE OTHER GIFTS SO THAT WE CAN REALLY FILL UP THE EMPTINESS IN OUR HEARTS; SO THAT WE CAN REALLY BE COMPLETED IN OUR HUMANITY.

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 4:21-30

WHY DID THE PEOPLE IN JESUS' TOWN GET SO MAD AT HIM? HE DOESN'T SEEM TO SAY ANYTHING THAT MIGHT CAUSE THEM TO WANT TO KILL HIM. HOW DID WE GO FROM “ALL WERE AMAZED AT THE GRACIOUS WORDS THAT CAME FROM HIS MOUTH” TO “WHEN THEY HEARD THIS, THEY WERE ALL FILLED WITH FURY”?

RECENTLY OUR SAINT JOSEPH'S SOCIETY HEARD A TALK BY FATHER PETER NARANJO, WHO WAS JUST RECENTLY ORDAINED. FATHER NARANJO HAD BEEN A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF LATTER DAY SAINTS, THE MORMONS. HE TOLD US THAT THE BEGINNING OF HIS CONVERSION CAME ABOUT WHEN ONE OF THE MORMON ELDERS LAUGHINGLY TOLD HIM THAT CATHOLICS BELIEVED THAT THE BREAD AND WINE BECAME THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST. FATHER NARANJO LAUGHED AS WELL, AND THEN LOOKED AT HIS BIBLE. AS A MORMON ELDER, HE HAD STUDIED THE BIBLE AVIDLY, AND IT WAS HIS HABIT TO MAKE NOTES IN THE MARGINS. HE SAW THAT THERE WAS A LARGE SECTION OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN THAT HE HAD NEVER WRITTEN IN. THIS WAS THE SECTION IN WHICH JESUS TALKS ABOUT HIMSELF BEING THE BREAD OF LIFE, AND TELLS THE CROWDS THAT UNLESS THEY EAT HIS BODY AND DRINK HIS BLOOD, THEY WILL NOT HAVE LIFE IN THEM; AND WHEN THE CROWD LEAVES BECAUSE THIS IS A HARD SAYING, HE ASKS HIS APOSTLES IF THEY WILL LEAVE AS WELL. YOU REMEMBER ALL THAT. THE POINT IS THAT WHILE HE WAS A MORMON, HE NEVER SPENT ANY TIME ON THIS PART OF SCRIPTURE.

JESUS HAD COME HOME. HE WAS HANDED THE SCROLL, AND HE READ FROM ISAIAH. AS PER CUSTOM, HE WOULD HAVE OFFERED A COMMENTARY ON WHAT HE HAD READ. THE ONLY PART OF IT WE HEAR ARE THE WORDS, “TODAY THIS SCRIPTURE IS FULFILLED IN YOUR HEARING.” BUT I IMAGINE THAT HE ALSO TALKED ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON – THE BLIND WERE MADE TO SEE, THE DEAF TO HEAR, THE POOR WERE HAVING THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. JESUS' REPUTATION HAD PRECEDED HIM. AND THE PEOPLE WERE PROUD. JESUS, AFTER ALL, WAS ONE OF THEM. THEY COULD BASK IN HIS GLORY. AND AS HE PREACHED TO THEM ABOUT THE MESSAGE OF ISAIAH THE PROPHET, HE PROBABLY COVERED A LOT OF TOPICS. HE TALKED ABOUT HOW GOD DESERVED OUR WORSHIP – AND THE PEOPLE SAID, “RIGHT ON” BECAUSE THAT WAS WHAT THEY BELIEVED AS WELL. HE TALKED ABOUT HOW WE SHOULD HELP THE POOR, AND THEY AGREED; NOTHING NEW THERE. AND THEN MAYBE HE POINTED OUT THAT THERE WERE QUITE A FEW PEOPLE BEGGING ON THE STREETS OF NAZARETH – MAYBE YOU SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT THEM? AND THEN MAYBE HE REMINDED THEM THAT THE SCRIPTURES TOLD THEM TO WELCOME STRANGERS, AND THERE WERE A FEW SAMARITAN FAMILIES IN TOWN, AND SO FAR, THEY WERE ANYTHING BUT WELCOMED.

AT THIS POINT, SOMEONE IN THE CROWD SAID, “IS THIS NOT THE “SON OF JOSEPH?” NOW THAT SOUNDS INNOCENT ENOUGH, BUT SOME SCHOLARS THINK THAT IN THOSE DAYS IN NAZARETH, JESUS' PARENTAGE WAS QUESTIONED; AFTER ALL, MARY HAD BEEN PRETTY FAR ALONG WHEN THE WEDDING TOOK PLACE, AND EVEN THOUGH JOSEPH CLAIMED JESUS AS HIS SON, A LOT OF PEOPLE DIDN'T BELIEVE HIM. WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN TOLD THAT IT WAS COMMON FOR ENGAGED COUPLES IN THOSE DAYS TO HAVE RELATIONS, BUT THAT WASN'T THE CASE; COUPLES WERE EXPECTED TO WAIT UNTIL THE WEDDING, JUST AS THEY USED TO IN OUR SOCIETY A DECADE OR TWO AGO. AND JOSEPH WAS KNOWN TO BE RIGHTEOUS; HE'D BE THE LAST ONE TO BREAK THAT RULE. AFTER THE RESURRECTION, JEWS AND OTHERS BROUGHT UP THESE RUMORS AGAIN TO DISCREDIT CHRISTIANITY. SO IN EFFECT THE PEOPLE WERE SAYING, “WHY SHOULD WE LISTEN TO THIS ILLEGITIMATE SON?” BECAUSE IF YOU WERE ILLEGITIMATE YOU COULDN'T BE A TEACHER OF THE LAW. THAT'S WHY JESUS SAID “YOU WILL UNDOUBTEDLY QUOTE ME THE OLD PROVERB, PHYSICIAN, HEAL YOURSELF.” A PHYSICIAN, AFTER ALL, COULD NOT HEAL HIMSELF, THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT. IF JESUS WERE ILLEGITIMATE, HE COULD NOT MAKE HIMSELF LEGITIMATE.

BUT JESUS GOES ON; HE REFERS TO THE MIRACLES HE'S WORKED, AND THEN SAYS, “LET ME TELL YOU A COUPLE OF STORIES FROM THE BIBLE. FOR THESE WERE STORIES THEY ALL KNEW. AND GRADUALLY, THE CROWD REALIZES WHAT JESUS IS SAYING. “YOU ARE PROUD OF BEING JEWISH, OF BEING “GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE” AND THAT'S OK. BUT YOU'VE DRAWN LINES AROUND YOURSELVES AND THOSE WHO AREN'T JEWS. YOU'VE EVEN DECIDED WHO IS A GOOD JEW AND WHO ISN'T. ALL YOU DO IS ERECT WALLS BETWEEN YOURSELVES AND OTHERS. BUT GOD BREAKS DOWN THESE WALLS. TO GOD, A PAGAN GENERAL FROM SYRIA OR A PAGAN LEBANESE WIDOW IS JUST AS WORTHY OF A MIRACLE AS YOU ARE. GOD HATES LINES, GOD WANTS ALL THE WALLS BROKEN DOWN. AFTER ALL, THAT'S WHAT ISAIAH MEANT WHEN HE TALKED ABOUT HILLS BEING LEVELED AND VALLEYS FILLED, CROOKED ROADS BEING MADE STRAIGHT, ALL PEOPLE COMING TO THE NEW JERUSALEM TO WORSHIP THE LIVING GOD IN HIS TEMPLE.

AND THAT WAS TOO MUCH FOR THE CROWD. HERE WAS THIS MAN, WHO HAD GROWN UP IN THIS TOWN, WHO EVERYONE KIND OF KNEW WAS NOT REALLY THE SON OF JOSEPH, DARING TO PREACH TO THEM, DARING TO INTERPRET SCRIPTURE, DARING TO CHALLENGE THEIR WAY OF LIFE, WHICH THEY ALL BELIEVED WAS ABOUT AS GOOD AS IT COULD GET. AND TWISTING SCRIPTURE TO SUPPORT WHAT HE WAS SAYING. THAT WAS BLASPHEMY. THAT WAS A DIRECT INSULT TO GOD.

AND IN THEIR SECRET HEARTS, THEY KNEW WHAT HE WAS SAYING WAS TRUE, BUT THAT WASN'T THE POINT AT ALL; THE POINT WAS THAT GOD WAS BEING BLASPHEMED, AND BEFORE ANYONE TURNED THEIR ATTENTION TO LESSER THINGS, LIKE LIVING OUT THE SCRIPTURES, IT WAS NECESSARY TO DESTROY THE BLASPHEMER.

FATHER NARANJO BECAME A CATHOLIC AND THEN A CATHOLIC PRIEST BECAUSE HE ALLOWED THE SCRIPTURES TO CHALLENGE WHAT HE BELIEVED. UP TO THEN, HE HAD AVOIDED THE “HARD SAYINGS”. HE HAD IN FACT, PUT THEM SO FAR OUT OF HIS MIND THAT HE WAS SURPRISED WHEN HE REALIZED HE HADN'T STUDIED THEM AND PONDERED THEM. THE PEOPLE IN THE SYNAGOGUE OF NAZARETH HAD IGNORED THE IMPLICATIONS OF THEIR OWN SCRIPTURES, AND PROBABLY NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THOSE DANGEROUS AND SUBVERSIVE PASSAGES. WHEN THEY WERE READ IN THE SYNAGOGUE, THE RABBI PROBABLY PREACHED ABOUT HOW MERCIFUL GOD WAS – BUT NEVER THAT GOD CARED ABOUT GENTILES. AND UNLIKE FATHER NARANJO, WHO ALLOWED HIMSELF TO BE CHANGED BY THE SCRIPTURES, THE PEOPLE WHO HEARD JESUS REFUSED TO ALLOW THEMSELVES TO BE CHANGED, GOING SO FAR AS TO TRY TO DESTROY THE ONE WHO OPENED THE SCRIPTURES FOR THEM.

IF YOU DON'T READ THE BIBLE, I HOPE YOU WILL TAKE IT UP. I HOPE YOU WILL READ IT WITH YOUR MIND OPEN, BECAUSE IT CONTAINS A LOT OF HARD SAYINGS, THINGS THAT CHALLENGE YOU AND I. BUT EVEN IF YOU DON'T READ THE BIBLE, AT LEAST LISTEN TO THE SCRIPTURES WHEN YOU COME TO MASS; IT'S EASY TO HEAR THOSE THINGS THAT CONFIRM US IN WHAT WE BELIEVE AND HOW WE ACT; BUT LISTEN TO THE PARTS THAT CHALLENGE US, THE PARTS THAT PUT YOU AND ME TO SHAME, AND ALLOW THEM TO CHALLENGE YOU, AS THE PASSAGES FROM JOHN CHALLENGED FATHER NARANJO. OTHERWISE, JESUS WILL MOVE ON AND TAKE HIS MESSAGE TO ANOTHER TOWN, LEAVING US IN OUR COMFORT ZONE – OR OUR PRISON.

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

MY WIFE GREW UP IN THE SUBURBS OF WASHINGTON, D.C., AND I GREW UP IN MONTANA, WHICH YOU PROBABLY KNOW ALREADY IF YOU'VE BEEN COMING TO MASS DURING THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS. I REMEMBER WHEN WE WERE FIRST BECOMING A COUPLE. IT WAS THE END OF OUR COLLEGE YEAR AND I WENT HOME; SHE CAME TO VISIT A FEW WEEKS LATER, AND IT WAS THE FIRST TIME SHE HAD EVER BEEN OUT WEST. THERE WERE SO MANY THINGS I WANTED TO SHOW HER – THINGS THAT MEANT SOMETHING TO ME BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE I HAD SPENT MY CHILDHOOD. I WANTED HER TO MEET MY RELATIVES. AND IN THE COURSE OF ALL THIS, I SAW EVERYTHING IN A NEW LIGHT; I SAW THINGS, IN A SENSE, THE WAY I WANTED HER TO SEE THEM. I HAD A DEEPER APPRECIATION FOR THE STRANGE SENSE OF HUMOR THAT RAN ON MY MOTHER'S SIDE OF THE FAMILY. I ALSO HAD A DEEPER SENSE OF EMBARRASSMENT WHEN ONE OF MY UNCLES WOULD TELL AN OFF-COLOR STORY. I RE-APPRECIATED THE BEAUTY OF THE MOUNTAINS THAT I HAD TAKEN FOR GRANTED. AND I THINK WE'VE ALL HAD THAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE. SOMETIMES IT'S WITH AN OLD FRIEND WHO VISITS AFTER A LONG ABSENCE; SOMETIMES IT'S WITH A LITTLE CHILD WHO JUST BEGINS TO BECOME AN INDEPENDENT PERSON; AND SURELY IT HAPPENS WHEN A COUPLE BEGINS TO FORM, AS IN OUR CASE. WHAT WAS COMMONPLACE AND ROUTINE BECOMES SURPRISING AND NEW.

I BRING UP THAT MEMORY BECAUSE IT SHOWS WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU ARE OPEN TO SURPRISE. AND TODAY WHEN JESUS TELLS THE PEOPLE IN HIS HOME TOWN SYNAGOGUE THAT “TODAY, THIS PROPHECY IS FULFILLED AMONG YOU” HE INVITES THEM TO BE SURPRISED. AFTER ALL, THE PROPHECY TO WHICH HE REFERS IS SEVERAL HUNDRED YEARS OLD. CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW LONG THE JEWS HAD WAITED? DID THEY WAIT EXPECTANTLY OR DID THEY JUST CHALK IT UP TO ANOTHER OBSCURE WRITING THAT DIDN'T HAVE ANY IMPACT ON THEIR DAY TO DAY LIVES? PROBABLY THE LATTER. LIFE GOES ON, AND THE BLIND STILL DID NOT SEE, THE LAME STILL DID NOT WALK, AND THE POOR STILL DID NOT HAVE THE GOOD NEWS PREACHED TO THEM. AND THE GOSPEL TELLS US THAT “ALL EYES IN THE SYNAGOGUE LOOKED INTENTLY AT HIM.”

WHEN SOMEONE TELLS US THAT SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN, OUR INITIAL REACTION IS ANTICIPATION; AFTERWARD, THE ANTICIPATION DIES DOWN; AND IF THE PERSON MAKING THE PREDICTION IS CONSIDERED BY US AS AN AUTHORITY, WE MAY FIND OURSELVES MAKING EXCUSES. MAYBE THE PROPHECY WOULD HAVE COME TRUE IF WE'D BEEN BETTER PEOPLE. MAYBE IT WILL COME TRUE AT THE END OF TIME. MAYBE IT HAS ALREADY COME TRUE, BUT IN A SPIRITUAL SENSE. AND ALL OF THESE ATTITUDES WERE PRESENT AT THE TIME OF JESUS. HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH ISAIAH AND THE OTHER GREAT PROPHETS, WHEN THEIR PROPHECIES DON'T SEEM TO BE COMING TRUE? BUT JESUS IS SAYING, “THEY HAVE COME TRUE, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.” LOOK AT THIS WITH FRESH EYES. NO WONDER ALL EYES LOOKED INTENTLY AT HIM.

NEXT SUNDAY WE WILL HEAR THE NEXT CHAPTER; THEY GO FROM BEING SPEAKING HIGHLY OF HIM, BEING AMAZED, THEN WONDERING HOW A KID FROM NAZARETH COULD BE WHAT HE CLAIMS TO BE – AND IN THE END THEY TRY TO TOSS HIM OFF A CLIFF. AND THEY GO BACK TO THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES. SURPRISE IS TOO MUCH FOR SOME PEOPLE.

I THINK OUR WEEKLY LITURGY IS SOMETHING LIKE THIS. WE COME HERE WITH EXPECTATIONS. SOME OF US WANT TO RECEIVE THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST; THAT'S THE REASON WE COME. SOME WANT TO HEAR A SERMON, OR PERHAPS WALK OUT WITH A THOUGHT TO CARRY THEM ALONG FOR THE WEEK. SOME LIKE THE MUSIC. SOME COME OUT OF HABIT OR FEAR – WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF I QUIT COMING? PARENTS COME BECAUSE THEY WANT TO SET A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR THEIR CHILDREN. AND SO ON. YOU GET THE IDEA. WE WALK IN THE DOOR WITH EXPECTATIONS AND MEASURE OUR EXPERIENCE BY HOW WELL THOSE EXPECTATIONS WERE MET.

THE PEOPLE IN JESUS' SYNAGOGUE WERE LIKE US. IT WAS SATURDAY, TIME FOR THE WEEKLY WORSHIP SERVICE. BUT THIS TIME JESUS WAS PRESENT, AND HE INVITED THEM TO BE SURPRISED, TO BE OPEN TO SOMETHING ENTIRELY NEW. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT HE WAS WHAT WAS NEW, HE WAS USHERING IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD. IN HIS PERSON AND IN HIS ACTIONS, YOU COULD TELL THE WAY IT SHOULD BE, THE WAY GOD INTENDED IT TO BE FROM THE BEGINNING. AND JESUS WAS MAKING A PROMISE – THAT HIS OLD FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS COULD BE PART OF THE KINGDOM. IF YOU DO WHAT JESUS DOES, YOU ARE IN THE KINGDOM. IF YOU HELP THE BLIND SEE, THE DEAF HEAR; IF YOU LOOK AFTER WIDOWS AND ORPHANS, IF YOU PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR BY YOUR ACTIONS AS WELL AS YOUR WORDS, YOU ARE EXPANDING THE BOUNDARIES OF THE KINGDOM. ALL THIS IS POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE OF THE KING.

WE SAY WE BELIEVE IN THE REAL PRESENCE; THAT JESUS IS PRESENT TO US IN WHAT WAS THE BREAD AND THE WINE. WE BELIEVE HE IS PRESENT IN THE WORD THAT YOU JUST HEARD. AND HE IS PRESENT IN THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU AND IN FRONT OF YOU AND BEHIND YOU. “WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED IN MY NAME, THERE I AM.” HE IS PRESENT, JUST LIKE HE WAS PRESENT IN THAT SYNAGOGUE. AND HE BRINGS THE KINGDOM, THE GREAT SURPRISE.

AND THEN THE QUESTION COMES UP, HAVE YOU EVER COME TO MASS AND AFTER IT'S ALL OVER, WALKED OUT THE DOORS A CHANGED PERSON? HAVE YOU EVER WENT AWAY WITH A NEW THOUGHT – MAYBE SOMETHING YOU HEARD, OR MAYBE SOMETHING THE HOLY SPIRIT PUT IN YOUR HEART? HAVE YOU EVER GONE OUT THE DOORS HAVING MADE A RESOLUTION TO DO SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IN THE WORLD, SOMETHING THAT YOU KNOW YOU COULD DO, OR AT LEAST BEGIN? THAT'S WHAT MASS IS SUPPOSED TO DO. JESUS BECOMES PRESENT TO US, AND OFFERS TO SURPRISE US, TO LIFT US UP OUT OF OUR ORDINARY LIVES INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD, TO HELP US SEE THE COMMONPLACE AND THE ROUTINE WITH FRESH EYES.

AND WE HAVE A CHOICE. WE CAN SAY, “I DON'T LIKE SURPRISES. THEY ARE SCARY. THEY MESS UP MY PLANS. LET ME LISTEN TO THE MUSIC. LET ME RECEIVE COMMUNION. LET ME HAVE MY HOUR OF PEACE BEFORE THE WEEK STARTS UP AGAIN. JUST DON'T SURPRISE ME.”

OR WE CAN BE LIKE THE PEOPLE IN THE SYNAGOGUE WERE FOR ONE BRIEF MOMENT; WE CAN GAZE INTENTLY AT OUR SAVIOR AND BE OPEN TO THE SURPRISE. THE KINGDOM IS HERE, AND WE CAN BE IN IT!

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

JOHN 2:1-11

SEVERAL YEARS AGO JOHNNY CARSON HAD AN EIGHT YEAR OLD BOY ON HIS SHOW. THE BOY HAD SAVED A FEW LIVES, AND IN THE COURSE OF THE CONVERSATION, HE TOLD MR. CARSON THAT HE WAS A CHRISTIAN. JOHNNY ASKED HIM WHETHER HE WENT TO SUNDAY SCHOOL. HE REPLIED THAT HE DID. HE ASKED HIM WHAT THEY HAD TALKED ABOUT. HE TOLD THEM THEY HAD DISCUSSED THE STORY OF THE WEDDING FEAST AT CANA. THEN JOHNNY ASKED HIM WHAT LESSON HE LEARNED FROM THAT. THE BOY THOUGHT FOR A FEW SECONDS, AND REPLIED, “IF YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A WEDDING, YOU HAD BETTER INVITE JESUS.”

JOHN'S GOSPEL IS VERY RICH; YOU CAN FIND LAYERS AND LAYERS OF MEANING PRACTICALLY EVERYWHERE YOU TURN. IT REALLY IS A WORK OF GENIUS, OR MORE LIKELY, INSPIRATION. AND WE COULD TALK ABOUT THE MEANING OF THE SIX WATER JUGS, OR ABOUT MARRIAGE, OR ABOUT JESUS' RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS MOTHER, AND WHAT HIS STRANGE STATEMENT TO HER MEANT. BELIEVE ME, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT WRITTEN ABOUT THIS GOSPEL PASSAGE.

BUT WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING.

DID YOU EVER NOTICE HOW THE MIRACLES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT ARE GENERALLY PRETTY SPECTACULAR – PARTING THE RED SEA, HAVING THE SUN STAND STILL, HAVING LIGHTNING CONSUME ELIJAH'S SACRIFICE, SOAKED IN WATER, ALTAR STONES AND ALL, IN FRONT OF A HUGE CROWD. IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, NOT SO MUCH. WE HAVE THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND, WE HAVE RAISING LAZARUS; BUT MOST OF THE TIME THE MIRACLES OF JESUS ARE KIND OF QUIET, LIKE THIS ONE. IT SAYS THAT THE SERVANTS NOTICED, BUT THE STEWARD, THE ONE WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO NOTICE EVERYTHING, THE ONE WHO SHOULD HAVE MADE SURE THERE WAS ENOUGH WINE IN THE FIRST PLACE – HE DIDN'T NOTICE. AND WE CAN PRESUME FROM THE CONVERSATION THAT THE BRIDE AND GROOM, AND PROBABLY ALL THE WEDDING GUESTS EXCEPT THE APOSTLES, DIDN'T NOTICE. EVERYONE WAS HAVING A GREAT TIME AND IT APPEARS FROM THE STORY WE JUST HEARD THAT A LOT OF THE GUESTS WERE A LITTLE LOOPY BY THE TIME THE GOOD WINE THAT JESUS HAD MADE WAS SERVED.

AND LOOK AT THE SITUATION. IT ISN'T A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION; IT'S JUST A COUNTRY WEDDING, AND THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN IS THAT THE COUPLE WOULD HAVE TO LIVE DOWN SOME EMBARRASSMENT BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T PLAN AS WELL AS THEY SHOULD HAVE.

WHEN WE COME TO MASS, WE OFTEN SAY LOFTY PRAYERS; WE PRAY FOR PEACE IN THE WORLD, WE PRAY THAT OUR POLITICAL LEADERS WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON THE POOR; WE PRAY THAT ALL PEOPLE WILL RECOGNIZE JESUS AS LORD AND SAVIOR. BUT WHAT WE PRAY FOR PUBLICLY ON SUNDAY IS CERTAINLY NOT WHAT WE THINK ABOUT MOST OF THE TIME. WE THINK ABOUT OUR HOMEWORK OR OUR NEXT GAME OF SOCCER OR BASKETBALL; WE THINK ABOUT THE NFL PLAYOFFS; ABOUT WHAT WE ARE GOING TO PREPARE FOR SUPPER; ABOUT THAT NEW ACHE OR PAIN THAT WE HADN'T NOTICED BEFORE. WE THINK ABOUT LITTLE THINGS, THINGS THAT DON'T MEAN MUCH ON A COSMIC SCALE; THINGS LIKE WHETHER WE WILL HAVE ENOUGH WINE ON HAND FOR OUR WEDDING GUESTS.

THERE ARE TWO THINGS TO NOTICE HERE. FIRST, JESUS CARES ABOUT THESE LITTLE THINGS. HE CHOSE TO WORK HIS FIRST MIRACLE – AND JOHN CALLS THEM “SIGNS” – AT A WEDDING IN A LITTLE TOWN AT A TIME WHEN VERY FEW PEOPLE EVEN NOTICED. AND HE WORKED THE MIRACLE TO SAVE A YOUNG COUPLE FROM EMBARRASSMENT OR PERHAPS, TO KEEP THE PARTY GOING. THE YOUNG COUPLE GETTING MARRIED WOULD LOOK BACK ON THIS DAY, AND SAY, WHAT A WONDERFUL WEDDING WE HAD! JESUS WORKED HIS FIRST MIRACLE BECAUSE HE LOVED THEM, HE WANTED THEM TO BE HAPPY, AND HE WANTED THE WEDDING GUESTS TO BE HAPPY.

THE SECOND POINT IS THAT MARY SEEMS TO HAVE GOTTEN HIM TO CHANGE HIS MIND. HIS INITIAL RESPONSE WAS NEGATIVE – “WHAT DOES ALL THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME, WOMAN? MY HOUR HASN'T COME.” JESUS “HOUR” MOST SCHOLARS THINK, REFERS TO HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS, THE MOMENT WHEN HE OFFERS HIMSELF TO THE FATHER, ACCEPTING THE PUNISHMENT FOR SINS THAT WE DESERVE. BUT MARY SAYS, “THIS YOUNG COUPLE'S PROBLEM IS ALSO WORTH YOUR ATTENTION. YOU MAY HAVE GREAT THINGS TO DO, IT MAY BE YOUR JOB TO SAVE THE WORLD AND CONQUER SIN AND DEATH, BUT RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, THIS IS IMPORTANT – IMPORTANT ENOUGH FOR YOU TO CHANGE YOUR PLANS. AND JESUS, WHO AS A HUMAN BEING GREW IN WISDOM AND STATURE, LEARNED FROM HIS MOTHER, THE SAME PERSON WHO AFTER BEING TOLD THAT SHE WAS TO BE THE MOTHER OF THE MESSIAH, WENT TO COOK AND CLEAN AND HELP OUT HER OLDER COUSIN ELISABETH.

I HAVE A PICTURE ON MY WALL AT HOME. MY 85 YEAR OLD UNCLE, WHOSE FACE SHOWS EVERY HARD YEAR OF BEING A FARMER IN MONTANA, SITTING WITH MY SON, WHO WAS ABOUT TEN AT THE TIME. MY SON IS TALKING, AND MY OLD UNCLE IS LISTENING WITH FULL ATTENTION. MY UNCLE COULD HAD BEEN HAVING AN ADULT CONVERSATION WITH ANYONE ELSE AT THE PARTY. BUT HIS WHOLE ATTITUDE SAYS, “I CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT. I CARE ABOUT YOU.”

AFTER THINKING ABOUT THIS GOSPEL, I THOUGHT ABOUT THE MIRACLES IN MY OWN LIFE – THE ONES THAT I HARDLY NOTICED. THE WAY GOD LED ME TO FIND MY WIFE. THE SEEMINGLY RANDOM CIRCUMSTANCES THAT MADE ME CHOOSE MEDICINE FOR A CAREER, AND LATER FIND MY VOCATION TAKING CARE OF PATIENTS WITH CANCER. THE MANY MOMENTS WHEN I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, BUT SOMETHING CAME ALONG THAT SHOWED ME THE ANSWER. I GUESS I COULD DECIDE THAT THESE WERE ALL COINCIDENCES, BUT IF WE ARE REALLY CHRISTIANS, IF WE REALLY BELIEVE IN AN ALL-POWERFUL, LOVING FATHER WHO IS OUR GOD, WE HAVE TO ADMIT THAT THERE AREN'T COINCIDENCES. AND THEN WE BEGIN TO SEE HOW HE HAS BEEN ACTING IN OUR LIVES TO LEAD US TO THIS PRESENT MOMENT.

THE SIGNS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, AND THE MIRACLE AT THE WEDDING FEAST OF CANA IS THE FIRST OF THOSE SIGNS, TELL US ABOUT HOW GOD IS. AND WE CAN BE CERTAIN THAT HE IS ALWAYS THERE IN THE MOMENTS OF OUR LIVES WHERE WE WOULD LEAST EXPECT HIM TO BE, SHARING OUR PAINS AND PLEASURES, ANSWERING OUR NEEDS EVEN BEFORE WE KNOW WHAT WE NEED; AND OFTEN DOING IT SILENTLY, BECAUSE HE CARES ABOUT WHAT WE CARE ABOUT, HE CARES ABOUT US.

THIS WEEK WHEN YOU HAVE A FEW MINUTES, LOOK BACK ON YOUR OWN LIFE, AND ASK GOD TO SHOW YOU HOW HE WAS THERE WHEN YOU NEEDED HIM; HE WAS THERE IN LITTLE THINGS, IN UNIMPORTANT THINGS, IN WHAT WE CALL COINCIDENCES. WHAT WERE THE TURNING POINTS IN YOUR OWN LIFE? AND GOD WAS THERE.

IN THE MIRACLE WE HAVE JUST WITNESSED, A MIRACLE WHICH THE BRIDE AND GROOM DID NOT EVEN NOTICES EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ABOUT THEM, JESUS TELLS US THAT NOTHING IS TOO SMALL OR TOO UNIMPORTANT FOR HIM TO BE INVOLVED. HAVEN'T WE GOT AN AWESOME GOD?

Baptism of the Lord, 2013

LUKE 3:15-16, 21-22

A PRIEST WAS INTERVIEWING A YOUNG FATHER. “ARE YOU AND YOUR WIFE PREPARED TO HAVE YOUR CHILD BAPTIZED?” HE ASKED. “YES, FATHER,” REPLIED THE MAN. “MY WIFE HAS COOKIES AND CAKES AND SANDWICHES ALL READY TO GO.” “I MEANT SPIRITUALLY,” REPLIED THE PRIEST. “OH, YES,” SAID THE NEW DAD. “I'VE GOT A KEG OF BEER AND A CASE OF BOURBON.”

TODAY WHEN WE CELEBRATE THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD, IT'S A GOOD TIME TO REFLECT ON OUR OWN BAPTISM. WE DO A LOT OF BAPTISMS HERE IN ST. MARY'S, AND DESPITE EVERYTHING WE DO TO PREPARE OUR CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES FOR BAPTISM, THE SAD TRUTH IS THAT ONCE THE CEREMONY IS OVER, ONCE THE PARTY IS OVER, A LOT OF THEM NEVER SEEM TO SHOW UP IN CHURCH AFTERWARD. DOES BAPTISM ACTUALLY MATTER? AFTER ALL, WE ALL KNOW GOOD PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T BEEN BAPTIZED, AND BAD PEOPLE WHO HAVE. SOME OF US REMEMBER THE OLD CATECHISM ANSWER – BAPTISM REMOVES ORIGINAL SIN – BUT UNFORTUNATELY, NOT THE CONSEQUENCES OF ORIGINAL SIN, SO WE ARE STILL SUBJECT TO DEATH AND SICKNESS, AND WE STILL HAVE A TENDENCY TO COMMIT PERSONAL SINS. BAPTISM ALSO BRINGS US INTO THE BODY OF CHRIST AND MAKES US PART OF THE COMMUNITY WE CALL THE CHURCH.

IN TODAY'S GOSPEL, THOUGH, WE WITNESS THE BAPTISM OF JESUS. UP TILL NOW, REMEMBER, JESUS HASN'T DONE ANYTHING – ANYTHING UNUSUAL, I MEAN. HE'S BEEN A CARPENTER. HE PROBABLY SPENT SOME TIME AS A FOLLOWER OF JOHN, HIS COUSIN. BUT THE POINT IS, HE'S BEEN PRETTY ORDINARY. SO MUCH SO THAT WHEN HE DID START HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY, THE PEOPLE WHO KNEW HIM ASKED, “IS THIS NOT THE SON OF THE CARPENTER?” AND THEY ASKED, “CAN ANYTHING GOOD COME OUT OF NAZARETH?” AND WE ARE TOLD THAT HE COULD NOT WORK MANY MIRACLES IN HIS HOME TOWN, BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF FAITH.

BUT AN AMAZING THING HAPPENED AT JESUS' BAPTISM. THE FATHER PROCLAIMS THAT JESUS IS HIS BELOVED SON. JESUS HAS DONE NOTHING; THE INITIATIVE IS THAT OF GOD THE FATHER.

A FEW YEARS AGO THERE WAS A WONDERFUL MOVIE CALLED “AS GOOD AS IT GETS”. JACK NICHOLSON WAS A RECLUSIVE WRITER WITH OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER. EVERY DAY HIS ROUTINE HAD TO BE JUST SO. EVERY DAY HE HAS BREAKFAST AT THE SAME TABLE IN THE SAME RESTAURANT, AND IS SERVED BY THE SAME WAITRESS. ONE DAY SHE DOESN'T SHOW UP BECAUSE SHE HAS TO TEND TO HER SICK SON. THE WRITER GOES OUT OF HIS WAY TO FIND HER, INITIALLY SO THAT HE CAN GET BACK TO HIS ROUTINE, BUT FINALLY HE FALLS IN LOVE. HE GRADUALLY OVERCOMES MANY OF HIS HANG-UPS, AND AT ONE POINT HE SAYS TO HER, “YOU MAKE ME WANT TO BE A BETTER MAN.”

IN THE BAPTISM OF JESUS, THE FATHER REACHES OUT TO HIM IN LOVE, CLAIMS HIM, AND BLESSES HIM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. AND WE KNOW THE REST OF THAT STORY. JESUS PROCEEDS TO GIVE HIMSELF ENTIRELY TO THE FATHER, EVEN TO THE POINT OF SUFFERING AND DYING ON THE CROSS. FROM A DIVINE STANDPOINT, JESUS IS GOD, OF COURSE; BUT FROM A HUMAN STANDPOINT, THE FREELY GIVEN LOVE OF THE FATHER MADE JESUS WANT TO BE A BETTER MAN.

WHEN WE GO THROUGH OUR OWN BAPTISMS, WE DON'T BRING ANYTHING TO THE TABLE. IT IS ALWAYS GOD WHO REACHES OUT TO US, WHO CLAIMS US, AND GIVES US HIS HOLY SPIRIT. LIKE THE FATHER IN THE STORY OF THE PRODIGAL SON, HE THEN WAITS FOR US TO RESPOND TO HIS LOVE.

BAPTISM IS FIRST OF ALL, ABOUT IDENTITY. IN OUR OWN BAPTISM, GOD IDENTIFIES US; I AM HIS BELOVED CHILD. CERTAINLY NOT BECAUSE I DESERVE IT. BUT IT'S KIND OF LIKE THE LITTLE BABIES THAT COME TO BE BAPTIZED. THEY CRY, THEY WAKE THEIR PARENTS UP AT NIGHT, DIAPERS NEED TO BE CHANGED, NOSES NEED TO BE WIPED – HARDLY A DAY GOES BY THAT THEY DON'T DO SOMETHING THAT WORRIES MOM AND DAD. BUT THE BABY IS STILL THE BELOVED CHILD OF HIS PARENTS. THE PARENTS LOVE IS FREELY GIVEN, AND THE BABY DOESN'T DESERVE IT.

SECOND, BAPTISM IS A RELATIONSHIP WHICH WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT, BECAUSE IT IS INITIATED BY GOD. I WAS READING AN ARTICLE THE OTHER DAY ABOUT “UNBAPTISM” CEREMONIES, USUALLY OCCURRING ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES BY KIDS WHO THINK THERE IS SOMETHING BOLD AND BRAVE ABOUT RENOUNCING CHRISTIANITY. BUT THEY CAN'T CHANGE THE RELATIONSHIP; GOD STILL LOVES THEM; FOR GOD, HE OR SHE IS STILL THE BELOVED CHILD. OH, SURE, WE CAN NEGLECT THE RELATIONSHIP, WE CAN RUN FROM IT, WE CAN IGNORE IT; BUT WE CAN'T DESTROY IT; ONCE GOD CLAIMS YOU AND I, HE IS NEVER GOING TO LET US GO.

BUT WHAT IS REALLY WONDERFUL IS THAT AS WE REFLECT ON THE RELATIONSHIP, WE BEGIN TO SEE HOW MUCH GOD LOVES US, HOW MUCH HE GIVES US. AND IF WE HAVE A SPARK OF DECENCY IN OUR HEARTS, WE SHOULD FIND OURSELVES WANTING TO BE BETTER MEN, BETTER WOMEN. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT REAL LOVE DOES, IT PULLS US OUT OF OURSELVES, IT MAKES US TAKE STOCK, AND IT SHOWS US A BETTER WAY TO BE.

BAPTISM ISN'T JUST A ONE-TIME EVENT. IT CHANGES US, AND PUTS US INTO A RELATIONSHIP THAT NEVER ENDS. EVERY TIME WE COME IN TO CHURCH WE DIP OUR FINGERS IN HOLY WATER AND SIGN OURSELVES WITH THE CROSS. THAT IS A REMINDER OF OUR BAPTISM. ON SOME SUNDAYS AND HOLY DAYS, WATER IS SPRINKLED ON THE CONGREGATION; THAT IS A REMINDER OF BAPTISM.

BUT I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT YOUR DAILY ROUTINE. WATER IS EVERYWHERE. IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU GET UP IN THE MORNING AND TAKE A SHOWER. YOU BRUSH YOUR TEETH, YOU MIGHT WASH YOUR HANDS AS FEW TIMES A DAY, BEFORE MEALS. YOU RUN THE WATER IN THE SINK AS YOU CLEAN UP DISHES. SOME OF YOU MIGHT BATHE A SMALL CHILD, OR HELP BATHE AN ELDERLY PARENT. SOME OF YOU MIGHT HAVE TO DO LAUNDRY. THE NEXT TIME YOU USE WATER, AND IN FACT EVERY TIME YOU USE WATER, SAY TO YOURSELF, “I AM GOD'S BELOVED CHILD”. SAY IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN. LET WATER REMIND YOU OF THIS FACT. EVENTUALLY, IT WILL SINK IN – AND IT CAN'T HELP BUT MAKE YOU JOYFUL. IT CAN'T HELP BUT MAKE YOU WANT TO BE A BETTER PERSON.

THAT'S WHAT BAPTISM IS ABOUT.

Epiphany, 2013

MATTHEW 2:1-12

YOU WILL NOTICE THAT IN THE GOSPEL READING WE HEAR ABOUT WISE MEN WHO CAME FROM THE EAST. SO WHERE DID WE GET THE IDEA THAT THERE WERE THREE OF THEM AND THAT THEY WERE KINGS? AFTER ALL, EVERY CHRISTMAS WE SING “WE THREE KINGS OF ORIENT ARE...” SINCE I WAS A BOY, THE NEXT LINE IS EITHER “BEARING GIFTS WE TRAVEL AFAR” OR “TRIED TO SMOKE A RUBBER CIGAR”. BUT THE FACTS ARE CLEAR. WE REFER TO THEM AS KINGS BECAUSE OF THE PSALM WE HEARD, WHERE IT SAYS THAT “ALL KINGS SHALL PAY HIM HOMAGE”. BUT WE AUTOMATICALLY THINK THERE WERE THREE BECAUSE OF THE THREE GIFTS. AFTER ALL, IF THERE WERE MANY MAGI AND ONE OF THEM BROUGHT ALL THREE GIFTS, WE JUST DON'T SEE THAT AS NORMAL. ONE GIFT, ONE KING. THAT MAKES SENSE TO US.

IN THE FIRST READING, BY THE WAY, WE HEAR ABOUT CAMELS AND DROMEDARIES BEARING GIFTS OF GOLD AND FRANKINCENSE. CLEARLY MATTHEW KNEW ABOUT THIS PASSAGE FROM THE PROPHET ISAIAH – IN HIS GOSPEL MATTHEW OFTEN SHOWS THAT HE KNOWS ISAIAH'S PROPHECY. IN FACT, IT IS SO FULL OF PREDICTIONS ABOUT JESUS THAT IT HAS BEEN CALLED THE “FIFTH GOSPEL”. BUT MATTHEW REPORTS THAT IN ADDITION TO GOLD AND FRANKINCENSE, THEY BRING MYRRH. GOLD MAKES SENSE; THAT'S A GIFT FOR A KING. FRANKINCENSE MAKES SENSE, THAT'S A GIFT FOR A HIGH PRIEST. BUT MYRRH? THAT'S LIKE GIVING A NEWBORN BABY A JAR OF EMBALMING FLUID. BUT FOR MATTHEW IT MADE PERFECT SENSE, BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT JESUS WOULD BE KING AND HIGH PRIEST, BUT THROUGH SUFFERING AND DEATH. SO MYRRH IS A SYMBOL OF THAT.

BUT BACK TO THE THREE KINGS, AND THE THREE GIFTS. EACH KING HAS A DIFFERENT GIFT. YOU AND I, AND EVERY MEMBER OF SAINT MARY'S PARISH, HAS A UNIQUE GIFT. WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT WE CAN GIVE AWAY, SOMETHING THAT THE CHURCH NEEDS (AND BY THE CHURCH WE OF COURSE MEAN THE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH – ?CHURCH, AFTER ALL, MEANS “ASSEMBLY”). AND IN FACT WITHOUT OUR GIFT, THE CHURCH CANNOT THRIVE, IT CAN'T REACH IT'S FULL POTENTIAL. NO MATTER HOW SMALL WE THINK OUR GIFT IS, IT'S NECESSARY.

YOU WILL ALSO NOTICE THAT IN ORDER TO HONOR JESUS' ROLE AS KING AND HIGH PRIEST, AND THE ONE WHO SUFFERS AND DIES, THE THREE GIFTS ARE NECESSARY. ONE WOULD NOT EXPRESS THE WHOLE STORY. SO EACH KING BRINGS A GIFT, BUT NO KING IS ABLE TO BRING ALL THE GIFTS; HE SIMPLY DOESN'T HAVE THEM TO GIVE. WHETHER YOUR GIFT IS SOMETHING SPECTACULAR, MAYBE FOUNDING A RELIGIOUS ORDER LIKE MOTHER THERESA, OR SOMETHING NOT SO FLASHY, LIKE FIXING A MEAL FOR SOMEONE GOING THROUGH A CRISIS, ONE GIFT DOES NOT OVERSHADOW ANOTHER. AND EVERY GIFT ORIGINALLY COMES FROM GOD ANYWAY.

FINALLY, THE THREE KINGS MADE A LONG AND DIFFICULT JOURNEY TO LAY THEIR GIFTS AT THE FEET OF JESUS. ONE OF THE TRAGEDIES OF OUR MODERN CHURCH IS THAT WE DON'T MAKE THE EFFORT TO BRING OUR GIFT TO WHERE IT IS NEEDED. THERE ARE SOME REASONS FOR THIS, OF COURSE; WE CAN ALWAYS FALL BACK ON BEING TOO BUSY. BUT REALLY, ONE OF THE REASONS IS THAT WE DON'T MAKE THE EFFORT TO KNOW OUR GIFTS. SOMETIMES WE DON'T SEE OUR GIFT, OR WE DON'T VALUE IT AS MUCH AS IT SHOULD BE VALUED – AND THE SECOND PROBLEM IS THAT WE AREN'T HELPING EACH OTHER DISCOVER OUR GIFTS. THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE AN IMPORTANT PART OF PARISH LIFE – AS WE GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER IN THE SERVICES WE DO, THE OPPORTUNITIES TO SOCIALIZE, AND OUR MEETING TOGETHER FOR LITURGY EVERY WEEK, WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HELP EACH OTHER DISCERN HIS OR HER GIFTS. DO YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL BETTER BY YOUR WORDS? ARE YOU GIFTED WITH WISDOM, SO THAT YOU SEE WHAT ACTION TO TAKE? DO YOU HAVE THE GIFT OF LEADERSHIP? ARE YOU A GOOD “DETAIL PERSON?” CAN YOU MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH? DO YOU HAVE RARE PATIENCE? CAN YOU TEACH IN AN EFFECTIVE WAY? WHEN WE RECOGNIZE THESE GIFTS IN EACH OTHER, WE SHOULD POINT THEM OUT. OF COURSE, EVEN IF WE KNOW OUR GIFTS, ANOTHER DANGER IS THAT WE PUT OFF GIVING THEM AWAY.

FINALLY, THERE IS A LEGEND FROM THE MIDDLE EAST THAT COULD GO HERE. THERE WAS ONCE A KING WHO WOKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT BECAUSE OF SOME THUMPING ON THE ROOF. “WHO'S THERE?” HE CALLED. “A FRIEND”, REPLIED A VOICE. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON THE ROOF,” DEMANDED THE KING. “I'M LOOKING FOR MY CAMEL.” “YOU FOOL!” HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY FIND A CAMEL ON A ROOF?”, SAID THE KING. “YOU FOOL,” REPLIED THE VOICE, “HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY FIND GOD INSIDE YOUR PALACE IN SILK PAJAMAS IN YOUR SOFT BED?”

JESUS MADE IT CLEAR, ABUNDANTLY CLEAR, THAT IF WE WANTED TO FIND HIM, WE HAVE TO GIVE AWAY OUR GIFTS. REMEMBER THE STORY JESUS TOLD? “THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SAY, 'LORD, WHEN DID WE FEED YOU, AND GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO DRINK?' … AND THE KING REPLIED, “WHATSOEVER YOU DO FOR THE LEAST OF MY BRETHREN, YOU DO FOR ME.” HAVING A GIFT IS A WONDERFUL THING, EVEN A SMALL GIFT, EVEN SOMETHING THE WORLD MIGHT CONSIDER INSIGNIFICANT. A GIFT TELLS US THAT GOD LOVES US, AND HAS GIVEN US SOMETHING UNIQUE, SOMETHING WHICH CAN HELP BRING ABOUT THE KINGDOM. RECOGNIZING THE GIFT IS EVEN BETTER, BECAUSE THAT IS A SIGN THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS WORKING IN US, HELPING US TO KNOW OURSELVES. BUT GIVING AWAY THE GIFT, THAT IS THE GREATEST THING OF ALL, BECAUSE WHEN WE GIVE AWAY OUR GIFT, WE FIND GOD.

DURING THE NEW YEAR, LET US RESOLVE TO GIVE AWAY OUR GIFTS TO EACH OTHER. AND WE CAN BE ASSURED THAT WE WILL BE GIVEN GREATER GIFTS, AND THAT THE GREATEST OF ALL GIFTS WILL BE THAT GOD ENTERS INTO OUR LIVES, GOD BECOMES ONE OF US. THAT AFTER ALL IS THE MEANING OF THE EUCHARIST WE CELEBRATE EVERY WEEK; WE OFFER GOD BREAD AND WINE, AND HE RETURNS TO US HIS SON.