Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

LUKE 1:1-4; 4;14-21

IF YOU COME TO CHURCH EVERY WEEKEND AND EVEN HALF-WAY LISTEN TO THE SCRIPTURE READINGS, AFTER A WHILE MOST OF THEM, ESPECIALLY THE GOSPEL PASSAGES, BEGIN TO SOUND FAMILIAR. AND OF COURSE THAT'S NOT SO GOOD; ONCE WE HEAR THE SAME READING FOR THE THIRD OR FOURTH TIME, WE DON'T LISTEN CAREFULLY AND WE MISS A LOT OF WHAT IT MIGHT BE SAYING. WE SORT OF DISMISS IT.

THE JEWISH PEOPLE IN NAZARETH WERE LIKE YOU AND I. THEIR WORSHIP SERVICE CONSISTED OF SCRIPTURE READINGS AND PRAYER AND SONG. AND SOMETIMES THEY LOST SIGHT OF WHAT WAS BEING SAID BECAUSE IT WAS SO FAMILIAR.

I LEARNED SOMETHING INTERESTING WHEN I WAS RESEARCHING THIS GOSPEL PASSAGE. NAZARETH WAS A LITTLE VILLAGE, BUT MORE LIKE A SUBURB OF A LARGER CITY CALLED SEPPORAH, WHICH WAS FILLED WITH A MIX OF JEWS AND GENTILES MANY OF WHOM WERE ROMANS. THERE WAS A LOT OF URBAN UNREST IN SEPPORAH, RIOTING BY ONE GROUP OR ANOTHER; THERE WAS CRIME; THERE WAS POLICE BRUTALITY BECAUSE ROMAN SOLDIERS DIDN'T PUT UP WITH MUCH. AND THE CITY WAS PUT UNDER A MILITARY GOVERNMENT MORE THAN ONCE, IN AN ATTEMPT TO QUIET THINGS DOWN. SO IT WAS PROBABLY A LOT LIKE CHICAGO. NAZARETH WAS A LITTLE TOWN MADE UP MOSTLY OF JEWS, BUT BECAUSE IT WAS SO CLOSE, IT COUDN'T COMPLETELY AVOID BEING SWEPT UP IN THE TROUBLES. BETWEEN THE TAXES AND THE BRIBERY AND THE BRUTALITY OF THE ROMAN SOLDIERS IT WAS NO WONDER THAT THE NAZARENES HARBORED A SMOULDERING RESENTMENT.

SO HERE THEY WERE ONE SATURDAY GOING THROUGH A ROUTINE WORSHIP SERVICE. FAMILIAR MUSIC, FAMILIAR READING FROM THE TORAH, A SERMON, A PRAYER, THEN A READING FROM THE PROPHETS, ANOTHER SERMON, MORE PRAYERS, THEN MORE MUSIC AND GO HOME. AT LEAST THAT'S HOW THINGS STARTED OUT THAT DAY.

JEWISH MEN WERE SUPPOSED TO STUDY, AND MOST DID, AS MUCH AS THEY COULD. SO OUT IN THE LITTLE TOWNS WHERE PEOPLE WORSHIPPED IN THE SYNAGOGUES, SOMETIMES THERE WOULD BE SOMEONE WHO HAD ACTUALLY STUDIED WITH ONE OF THE MASTERS, AND HE WOULD USUALLY SPEAK ON THE TORAH READING, THE FIRST READING. THE SECOND READING FROM THE PROPHETS OR THE WISDOM BOOKS WOULD BE FOLLOWED BY COMMENTARY FROM THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN SELECTED TO READ IT. SO NOTHING WAS OUT OF THE ORDINARY. AND PEOPLE HALF LISTENED TO THE FAMILIAR WORDS FROM ISAIAH “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME BECAUSE HE HAS ANOINTED ME...” BEING READ BY JESUS, THE YOUNG MAN WHO HAD GROWN UP THERE AND WAS BACK FOR A VISIT. BUT THERE WERE TWO THINGS THAT WERE DIFFERENT. FIRST, JESUS DID NOT FINISH THE READING. AFTER THE WORDS “AND TO PROCLAIM A YEAR ACCEPTABLE TO THE LORD” SHOULD COME “AND THE VENGEANCE OVER HIS ENEMIES THAT BELONGS TO HIM” BUT JESUS DIDN'T READ THAT PART. THE SECOND WAS EVEN MORE UPSETTING: JESUS SAT DOWN TO GIVE HIS COMMENTARY, BUT ALL HE SAID WAS “TODAY THIS SCRIPTURE IS FULFILLED IN YOUR HEARING. NEXT WEEK WE WILL SEE HOW THE CONGREGATION GOES FROM ADMIRATION TO TRYING TO THROW HIM OFF A CLIFF IN A VERY SHORT TIME PERIOD. AND WE MIGHT WONDER WHY?

I IMAGINE NO ONE HAD PROBLEMS WITH BRINGING GLAD TIDINGS TO THE POOR. WELL, AS LONG AS THEY WEREN'T TOO GLAD BECAUSE IT WOULD SURE MAKE THINGS DIFFICULT IF THE POOR DECIDED TO TRY TO CHANGE THINGS ONCE THEY HEARD THE GLAD TIDINGS. WHY THE ROMANS WOULD BE ALL OVER THE PLACE. LIBERTY TO CAPTIVES? DON'T BE SILLY. YOU COULDN'T RUN A DECENT FARM WITHOUT A FEW SLAVES THAT YOU HAD PAID FOR FAIR AND SQUARE. AND THE PEOPLE WHO WERE IN THE JAILS MOSTLY DESERVED TO BE THERE – ROBBERS AND THIEVES BUT THE WORST OF ALL WERE THE TROUBLE MAKERS, WHO WENT ABOUT UPSETTING EVERYONE.

BEING ABLE TO SEE IF YOU WERE BLIND WOULD BE A GREAT THING, RIGHT? BUT IF YOU COULD SEE, YOU'D HAVE TO GET A JOB AND WORK AND COULDN'T LEGITIMATELY BEG ANYMORE; AND YOU'D GOTTEN USED TO NOT SEEING AND IT REALLY WASN'T SUCH A BAD LIFE; YOU WEREN'T SURE YOU COULD HANDLE THE CHANGE. AND TO LET THE OPPRESSED GO FREE? THAT WOULD REALLY BRING DOWN A WORLD OF HURT. SOMEONE WAS ALWAYS COMING ALONG TALKING ABOUT FREEDOM, OF THROWING OF THE YOKE OF THE EMPEROR. AND THAT ALWAYS MEANT THAT SOONER OR LATER PEOPLE WOULD BE GETTING CRUCIFIED AND TAXES WOULD BE RAISED AND THEY'D PUT NEW RULES INTO PLACE SO THAT PEOPLE COULDN'T EVEN GET TOGETHER WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THE ROMANS.

SO THE PEOPLE WERE LISTENING TO JESUS RECITING THE WORDS OF ISAIAH, AND THEN HE SITS DOWN AND SAYS, “I'M THE ONE ISAIAH IS TALKING ABOUT; I'M THE ONE WHO IS GOING TO MAKE THESE WORDS MORE THAN A NICE DREAM.” AND WHEN THE PEOPLE BEGAN TO REALIZE THAT HE WAS SERIOUS, AND WORSE, THAT HE MIGHT EVEN ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING, THAT WAS IT.

ONE OF THE SAD THINGS ABOUT HUMAN NATURE IS THAT IT DOESN'T CHANGE. WE STILL LISTEN TO THE REVOLUTIONARY WORDS OF THE GOSPEL, THE SUBVERSIVE MESSAGE OF JESUS CHRIST, THE AWESOME PROMISES HE MAKES TO THOSE WHO WILL BE HIS DISCIPLES; WE EAT HIS BODY AND DRINK HIS BLOOD AS A WAY OF INVITING HIM TO CHANGE US INTO OTHER CHRISTS. BUT IN OUR HEARTS WE DON'T WANT THINGS TO CHANGE, AND ESPECIALLY TO CHANGE IN WAYS WHICH WE CAN'T FORESEE OR PREPARE FOR.

BELIEVE ME, WE PREACHERS ARE NOT SPEAKING FROM A POINT OF MORAL OR SPIRITUAL SUPERIORITY. I DON'T WANT THINGS TO CHANGE EITHER.

BUT HERE WE ARE, SITTING IN THAT SYNAGOGUE IN NAZARETH, AND JESUS CHRIST TELLS US THAT FROM NOW ON THINGS ARE GOING TO CHANGE; SOME OF THOSE CHANGES WILL BE WONDERFUL, BUT ALL OF THEM WILL DISRUPT OUR LIVES. AND WE WILL EACH HAVE TO DECIDE WHETHER TO JOIN THE MOB THAT WANTS TO THROW HIM OFF OF A CLIFF, WHERE HE WON'T BOTHER US ANYMORE, OR CHOOSE TO JOIN HIM IN THE REVOLUTION HE IS PREACHING. BECAUSE THE WAY THE PROPHECY OF ISAIAH WILL BE CARRIED OUT BY JESUS IS THROUGH YOU AND I. WE HAVE BEEN ANOINTED, WE HAVE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD, AND IT IS OUR JOB TO SHOW THE POOR THAT THEY HAVE REASON TO BE GLAD; TO FREE THE CAPTIVES – OF DRUGS, ALCOHOL, HOPELESS SITUATIONS; TO GIVE SIGHT TO THE BLIND – BY OUR WORDS AND ACTIONS TO SHOW THEM THAT THERE IS A BETTER WAY; AND TO MAKE THIS YEAR ABOVE ALL PREVIOUS YEARS ACCEPTIBLE TO THE LORD. JESUS TOLD HIS NEIGHBORS THAT SOMETHING TOTALLY NEW AND WONDERFUL WAS HAPPENING, AND INVITES US TO GET ON BOARD. WHAT WILL OUR REACTION BE?

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

JOHN 2:1-11

I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S SOMETHING BURIED DEEP IN HUMAN NATURE OR PECULIAR TO OUR CULTURE, TIME AND PLACE, BUT OVER MY LIFETIME I'VE SEEN INNUMERABLE INSTANCES WHERE A MAN IS DESIGNATED TO DO SOMETHING AND IT TURNS OUT THAT A WOMAN OR SOME WOMEN ACTUALLY DO THE WORK. AS A PHYSICIAN, I WOULD SET DIRECTION, AND MY NURSES WOULD CARRY OUT DETAILS. AS AN ADMINISTRATOR, I WOULD HAVE TO WRITE A REPORT, BUT GATHERING THE DATA AND PUTTING THE RESULTS INTO A FINAL COPY WOULD BE DONE BY MY SECRETARY. AND THIS GOES ON IN EVERY PARISH IN THE CHURCH, EVERY PROTESTANT CONGREGATION, EVERY JEWISH COMMUNITY – WOMEN HOLD THE WHOLE ENTERPRISE TOGETHER. I'M NOT SAYING THIS IS EITHER GOOD OR BAD. I EVEN THINK THAT IN MOST CASES, NEITHER THE MAN NOR THE WOMAN WOULD HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY.

AND IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU KNOW HOW OFTEN A WOMAN RESCUES SOME ENTERPRISE BECAUSE SHE HAS NOTICED SOMETHING IS MISSING, SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN OVERLOOKED BY THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE. I READ ABOUT A LAVISH HOME THAT HAD BEEN COMMISSIONED; THE ARCHITECT HAD DRAWN UP DETAILED PLANS AND THE HOME BUILDER WAS ABOUT TO SIGN OFF ON THEM WHEN HIS WIFE ASKED A SIMPLE QUESTION: WHERE ARE THE BATHROOMS? BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD. HERE IN SAINT MARY'S IT'S NO DIFFERENT. IF WE PUT ON A PARISH SUPPER OR SOME OTHER EVENT, YOU WILL SEE WOMEN MANNING THE TABLES CHECKING PEOPLE IN, TAKING MONEY FOR TICKETS – AND OFTEN THEY ARE THE SAME WOMEN EVENT TO EVENT.

IN JESUS' TIME THINGS WERE PROBABLY NO DIFFERENT. AT A LITTLE COUNTRY WEDDING TO WHICH MARY AND JESUS HAD BEEN INVITED IT IS MARY WHO NOTICES A LOOMING PROBLEM: THE WINE IS RUNNING OUT, AND THERE ARE STILL SEVERAL HOURS OF THE PARTY LEFT TO GO – THESE AFFAIRS SOMETIMES STRETCHED ON FOR FOUR OR FIVE DAYS. NOW IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTICE TWO THINGS: FIRST, JESUS HASN'T DONE ANYTHING YET. SURE, THERE WERE WONDERFUL AND STRANGE EVENTS THAT WENT ON BEFORE HIS BIRTH AND DURING HIS EARLY INFANCY, BUT SINCE THEN JESUS HAD BEEN LIKE ANY OTHER YOUNG MAN IN PALESTINE – HE PRACTICED A TRADE, HAD A BUNCH OF FRIENDS, TOOK CARE OF HIS MOTHER AND THERE BEING NO TELEVISON IN THOSE DAYS, HE WOULD GO OFF AND LISTEN TO JOHN THE BAPTIST AND OTHER PREACHERS. IN THE MIDDLE AGES AND EVEN IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THIS COUNTRY, A GOOD FIERY SERMON WAS GREAT ENTERTAINMENT.

MARY NOTICES THAT THE COUPLE ARE RUNNING OUT OF WINE AND COMMENTS ON THIS TO HER SON. DOES SHE EXPECT A MIRACLE? PROBABLY NOT. MAYBE SHE'S JUST ASKING WHETHER HE'S GOT ANY IDEAS? AND JESUS SAYS, “WHAT IS IT TO ME AND YOU? MY HOUR HASN'T COME YET”. IF YOU REMEMBER THE OTHER GOSPELS JESUS GOES BACK TO HIS HOME TOWN TO START HIS MINISTRY – IN THE SYNAGOGUE. THAT IS HIS TIME. BUT MARY TURNS TO THE SERVANTS AND SAYS, “DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU.”. MARY HAS DONE ALL SHE CAN. SHE'S NOTICED A PROBLEM, DECIDED SHE CAN'T SOLVE IT BY HERSELF, BUT DOESN'T WANT TO GIVE UP. SHE TURNS TO HER SON, THE CARPENTER, AND HIS BUDDIES AND LEAVES EVERYTHING IN HIS HANDS.

ONE THING WE DON'T NOTICE IN THIS PASSAGE IS THAT WHEN JESUS DOES WORK HIS MIRACLE, HE DOESN'T JUST SOLVE THE PROBLEM; INSTEAD, HE MAKES ABOUT 150 GALLONS OF WINE, AND GREAT WINE AT THAT.

JOHN THE EVANGELIST NEVER WRITES ANYTHING WITHOUT A REASON. THIS STORY IS NOT SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE OF THE MIRACLE. RAYMOND BROWN, A GREAT SCHOLAR OF JOHN'S GOSPEL, SAYS THAT WE SHOULD LOOK AT THE LAST WORDS: “JESUS DID THIS … AND SO REVEALED HIS GLORY, SO THAT HIS DISCIPLES BEGAN TO BELIEVE IN HIM.” THE POINT IS THAT EVERY JEW WHO HAD ATTENDED SYNAGOGUE AND LISTENED TO THE SCRIPTURES HAD HEARD THAT WHEN THE NEW AGE CAME, WHEN THE MESSIAH SHOWED UP, ONE OF THE SIGNS WOULD BE THE ABUNDANCE OF WINE. AND IN FACT, THE LACK OF WINE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT WAS EQUATED WITH THE WITHDRAWAL OF GOD'S FAVOR. SO IF YOU HAD EYES TO SEE, IF YOU KNEW YOUR SCRIPTURES, YOU WOULD SEE IN THIS MIRACLE A FULFILLMENT OF ALL THOSE PROPHECIES AND UNDERSTAND THAT GOD'S FAVOR HAD RETURNED IN SPADES TO ISRAEL. THAT'S WHY THEY BEGAN TO BELIEVE IN HIM.

JOHN WANTS US TO UNDERSTAND THAT MARY, WHO FOR JOHN REPRESENTS THE FAITHFUL PEOPLE OF THE FIRST TESTAMENT, IS NOT JUST WAITING AROUND FOR THE MESSIAH, BUT IS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN TRYING TO BRING ABOUT THE WORLD TO COME. EVEN IN THE ABSENCE OF EVIDENCE THAT GOD IS WITH HER, SHE EXPECTS SOME SORT OF INTERVENTION FROM GOD. SHE HAS GREAT FAITH. JESUS, WHO IS THE MESSIAH, REWARDS HER FAITH BY AN ACT WHICH TELLS HER THAT THE MESSIANIC AGE HAS DAWNED.

THE ONLY OTHER TIME WE WILL RUN ACROSS MARY IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN IS THAT SCENE AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS, WHEN JESUS COMMENDS HIS MOTHER (REPRESENTING THE FAITHFUL WHO HAVE WAITED FOR THE MESSIAH) TO THE “BELOVED DISCIPLE” (REPRESENTING THE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS). THIS ALSO IS A “MESSIANIC “ ACTION, SINCE THE FIRST TESTAMENT PREDICTS THAT IN THE AGE TO COME, ALL NATIONS WILL STREAM TO JERUSALEM – TO LEARN FROM THE ISRAELITES ABOUT THE TRUE GOD.

AND OF COURSE THIS STORY TELLS US SOMETHING AS WELL. LIKE MARY, THE CHRISTIAN IS TO NOTICE THE WORLD AROUND HIM, AND IF HE SEES SIGNS OF DISTRESS, HE'S TO DO WHAT HE CAN TO RELIEVE IT, FAITHUFLLY TRUSTING THAT GOD WILL MAKE SURE THAT HIS EFFORT IS IS NOT WASTED. OUR FAITH TELLS US THAT GOD'S REPLY TO OUR PRAYER IS A GIFT OF ABUNDANCE, AND THAT EVERY CHRISTIAN HAS IT IN HIM OR HER TO BRING INTO THE WORLD A BIT OF THE WORLD TO COME, THE WORLD WHEN CHRIST RULES WITHOUT CHALLENGE FOR ALL ETERNITY.

Baptism of the Lord, 2016

LUKE 3:15-16, 21-22

AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, MY WIFE AND I HAVE NINETEEN GRANDCHILDREN. THE OLDEST IS NINETEEN AND THE YOUNGEST IS FOUR. THEY ARE ALL UNIQUE; SOME MORE UNIQUE THAN OTHERS. I'VE BAPTIZED ALL BUT THREE OF THEM – ONE WAS BORN BEFORE I WAS A DEACON AND TWO WERE BORN OVERSEAS. IN ANY EVENT, IT'S BEEN A GREAT PRIVILEGE TO WATCH THEM GROW UP.

IN ONE OF THESE FAMILIES THERE IS A FIVE YEAR OLD WHO IS THE YOUNGEST OF THE CREW. IF YOU WERE TO ASK ANY OF HIS OLDER SIBLINGS WHICH CHILD THE PARENTS LIKE THE BEST, THEY WOULD ALL AGREE THAT IT'S HIM. AND IF YOU WERE TO ASK HIM WHO HIS PARENTS LIKED THE BEST, HE WOULD AGREE – HE WOULD HAVE NO HESITATION IN SAYING IT WAS HIM.

THERE ARE TWO REASONS FOR THIS; FIRST, WHEN YOU ARE SMALL, YOU ARE CUTER THAN WHEN YOU GET OLDER, AND YOU ATTRACT MORE POSITIVE ATTENTION. PLUS OBJECTIVELY YOU REQUIRE A LOT MORE MAINTENANCE FROM MOM AND DAD TO STAY CLEAN AND OUT OF TROUBLE COMPARED TO YOUR OLDER SIBLINGS, SO IT APPEARS THAT THEY ARE GIVING YOU MORE ATTENTION. BUT THE OTHER REASON IS THAT WHEN YOU ARE LITTLE, YOUR THOUGHT PROCESSES AREN'T VERY COMPLICATED. YOU DON'T OVER-ANALYZE THINGS, YOU DON'T HOLD GRUDGES, YOU AREN'T FRUSTRATED BECAUSE YOU CAN'T HAVE SOMETHING YOU THINK YOU NEED – AT LEAST NOT FOR VERY LONG. AND AS A RESULT, YOU HAVE FEW INTERNAL BARRIERS TO ALLOWING YOURSELF TO BE LOVED.

I KNOW NOT EVERY PERSON HAS HAD A GREAT CHILDHOOD; BUT I SUSPECT THAT MOST OF US AT SOME POINT DURING OUR CHILDHOOD KNEW ABSOLUTELY AND WITHOUT QUESTION THAT WE WERE LOVED.

IN THE GOSPEL STORY WE'VE JUST HEARD, JESUS UNDERGOES THE BAPTISM OF JOHN AND IMMEDIATELY RECEIVES THE ASSURANCE THAT HE IS BELOVED, THAT HE IS PLEASING TO HIS FATHER. NOTICE THAT HE HASN'T DONE ANYTHING YET; HE'S WORKED AS A CARPENTER, HE'S LOOKED AFTER HIS MOTHER, HE, LIKE HUNDREDS OF OTHERS HAS BEEN A FOLLOWER OF JOHN THE BAPTIST – HIS LIFE IS NOT OBVIOUSLY ANY DIFFERENT FROM OTHER MEN LIKE HIM. HE HASN'T PREACHED, HE HASN'T WORKED MIRACLES, HE HASN'T COLLECTED APOSTLES – AND HE HASN'T SUFFERED AND DIED AND ROSE FROM THE DEAD. BUT IT IS AT THIS POINT, BEFORE HE'S DONE ANYTHING, THAT HE IS ASSURED THAT HE IS LOVED BY THE FATHER.

WHEN A LITTLE CHILD KNOWS HE IS LOVED UNCONDITIONALLY, HE CAN BE A LITTLE BRATTY. BUT THAT'S JUST BECAUSE HE SENSES THAT HE CAN PUSH THE BOUNDARIES A LITTLE. KNOWING YOU ARE LOVED MAKES YOU BOLD; YOU HAVE AN ANCHOR IN THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU. BECAUSE SHE IS LOVED, A LITTLE GIRL TAKES HER FIRST STEPS, SAMPLES UNFAMILIAR FOODS, GOES TO SLEEP IN THE SCARY DARKNESS OF HER BEDROOM. BEING LOVED GIVES YOU POWER. IT ISN'T JUST TRUE OF LITTLE KIDS, EITHER; IT'S TRUE FOR YOUNG COUPLES WHO UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF BEING LOVED GET MARRIED AND TURN THEIR WHOLE LIVES UPSIDE DOWN; MOST OF US WHO ARE MARRIED CAN THINK OF THINGS WE DID BECAUSE WE WERE EMPOWERED BY LOVE, THINGS WE'D NEVER DO OTHERWISE.

AND JESUS IS OBVIOUSLY GIVEN GREAT POWER BECAUSE HE KNOWS HE IS LOVED. THE LOVE OF THE FATHER WAS MANIFEST IN BODILY FORM, IT SAYS, BY THE HOLY SPIRIT DESCENDING UPON HIM IN THE FORM OF A DOVE. JESUS WAS GOD FROM THE MOMENT OF HIS CONCEPTION, BUT IT WAS AT HIS BAPTISM THAT HE RECEIVED THE POWER THAT HE WAS TO MANIFEST DURING THE NEXT THREE YEARS. AND THAT POWER CAME BECAUSE HE WAS ASSURED THAT HE WAS BELOVED, THAT HE PLEASED HIS FATHER.

A LOT OF US THINK OF BAPTISM AS THE SACRAMENT THAT REMOVES ORIGINAL SIN. BUT IT'S SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT; IN THE FORMAL CEREMONY THERE IS THE CLOTHING WITH A WHITE GARMENT. THIS IS A SYMBOL OF THE INVITATION TO THE HEAVENLY BANQUET; BUT IT IS ALSO A SYMBOL OF OUR ADOPTION AS CHILDREN OF JESUS' FATHER. OUR GARMENTS ARE WASHED IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, AND BECOME WHITE AS SNOW, AS IT SAYS IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION. WE ALSO RECEIVE A LIGHTED CANDLE AT BAPTISM. THE LIGHT IS TAKEN FROM THE PASCHAL CANDLE, WHICH SYMBOLIZES THE LIGHT OF CHRIST WHICH COMES INTO THE WORLD. AND IT IS PASSED ON TO US. AND FINALLY WE ARE ANOINTED WITH OIL – CHRISMED – AGAIN REINFORCING THE IDEA THAT WITH BAPTISM WE BECOME IDENTIFIED WITH CHRIST.

OVER THE NEXT FEW SUNDAYS WE WILL BE SEEING THE CONSEQUENCES OF THAT MOMENT WHEN JESUS WAS ASSURED OF HIS FATHER'S LOVE. HE WILL SAY ASTOUNDING THINGS, HE WILL WORK MIRACLES, HE WILL GATHER DISCIPLES WHO ARE DRAWN TO HIM BECAUSE THEY CAN SEE THAT HE HAS SOMETHING THEY WANT; HE HAS THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE.

KNOWING THAT YOU ARE LOVED GIVES YOU POWER. KNOWING THAT YOU ARE UNRESERVEDLY LOVED BY THE FATHER OF JESUS CHRIST GIVES YOU IMMENSE POWER IF YOU WISH TO TAKE IT. EVERY ONE WHO HAS BEEN BAPTIZED IS MEANT TO PLAY A UNIQUE ROLE IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, WHICH AS JESUS TOLD US, IS NOT OFF IN THE FUTURE BUT IS AMONG US. THAT SHOULD NOT BE FRIGHTENING, BUT SHOULD BRING US GREAT JOY, BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN INVITED TO USE OUR GIFTS TO CHANGE THE WORLD, TO WORK ALONGSIDE OF JESUS OUR BROTHER TO MAKE GOD'S WILL A REALITY ON EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.

WHEN YOU RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST, WHEN YOU SAY YOUR MORNING OR EVENING PRAYERS, WHEN YOU SPEND A FEW MOMENTS DRAWING BACK FROM THE WORLD AND CATCHING YOUR BREATH BEFORE YOU PLUNGE IN AGAIN, LISTEN CLOSELY, AND YOU ALSO WILL HEAR THOSE WORDS: “YOU ARE MY BELOVED, IN YOU I AM WELL PLEASED.

Epiphany 2016

MATTHEW 2:1-12
WHEN YOU ARE A LITTLE KID YOU DON'T ALWAYS PICK UP ON WHAT IS GOING ON BETWEEN YOUR PARENTS.  ONE THING I VIVIDLY REMEMBER WAS THAT ON CHRISTMAS DAY AFTER MASS AND BREAKFAST, MY FATHER WOULD TAKE ME – NOT MY SISTERS, NOT MY MOTHER, JUST ME – TO VISIT “THE LINDSTROMS”.  THIS TRADITIONS STARTED WHEN I WAS ABOUT FIVE, AND CONTINUED UNTIL I WAS IN COLLEGE AND THE ELDERLY COUPLE, PLAGUED BY MEDICAL PROBLEMS AND DEMENTIA, DISAPPEARED INTO A NURSING HOME.  THEY WERE THE PARENTS OF ONE OF MY DAD'S FRIENDS.  MR. AND MRS. LINDSTROM HAD EMIGRATED FROM SWEDEN AS ADULTS.  THEY'D HAD THEIR FAMILY AT AN OLDER AGE THAN MOST.  MRS. LINDSTROM, HAVING SPENT HER LIFE AS A HOMEMAKER, COULD BARELY SPEAK ENGLISH, AND MR. LINDSTROM WAS PRETTY DEAF.  OUR VISITS ALWAYS CONSISTED OF MY DAD SHOUTING AT MR. LINDSTROM AND ME EATING SWEDISH COOKIES OFFERED BY MRS. LINDSTROM.  I REMEMBER ONE TIME AS WE WERE ABOUT TO LEAVE THE HOUSE MY MOTHER, WHO WAS AS USUAL OVERWHELMED WITH PREPARATIONS FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER, SAID TO MY FATHER, “WHY CAN'T YOU JUST CALL THEM UP AND WISH THEM A MERRY CHRISTMAS?”  WE WENT ANYWAY.
AS I WAS READING TODAY'S GOSPEL, I THOUGHT ABOUT THE MAGI.  IT IS ALMOST CERTAIN THAT THEY WERE MEMBERS, IF NOT PRIESTS, OF THE ZORASTORIAN RELIGION.  BY THE TIME JESUS LIVED, THE JEWISH RELIGION AND MANY OF THE PAGAN CULTS IN THE ROMAN WORLD HAD BORROWED CONCEPTS FROM ZORASTORIANISM – THE IDEA OF ANGELS, FOR EXAMPLE; THE PERSONIFICATION OF EVIL IN A DEVIL; EVEN THE PICTURE OF AN AFTERLIFE AS HEAVEN OR HELL.  I'M NOT SAYING THAT THESE IDEAS ARE NOT REFLECTIONS OF TRUTH, BUT THE ZORASTORIANS HAD THEM BEFORE THE JEWS DID.  AND THE ZORASTORIANS WERE THE FIRST TO BELIEVE THAT INDIVIDUALS COULD COMMUNICATE WITH GOD THROUGH PRAYER WHEREVER THEY WERE; THEY DID NOT NEED TEMPLES OR CHURCHES, DID NOT NEED TO MAKE ANIMAL SACRIFICES.  SO WHY TRAVEL ALL THAT DISTANCE, WITH ALL THE HARDSHIP AND DANGER, LEAVING BEHIND LOVED ONES AND PROBABLY PRETTY GOOD JOBS, JUST TO SEE THIS BABY WHO ADMITTEDLY, ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN ASTROLOGICAL CALCULATIONS, WAS IMPORTANT – BUT IN THE PASSAGE WE'VE JUST HEARD, THERE IS NO MENTION THAT HE WILL HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH ANY NATION BESIDES ISRAEL.
THAT'S THE ARGUMENT YOU HEAR FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE, CATHOLICS INCLUDED.  IN FACT, I'M SURE MANY OF OUR PARISHIONERS, THE ONES WE SEE ON CHRISTMAS AND EASTER, WOULD OFFER THAT ARGUMENT.  “GOD IS EVERYWHERE, SO I CAN WORSHIP GOD ANYWHERE.  I DON'T NEED TO GO TO A CHURCH TO SPEAK TO GOD.  AND IN A WAY THAT'S THE ARGUMENT MY MOTHER WAS MAKING; JUST CALL THEM UP.  MERRY CHRISTMAS IS MERRY CHRISTMAS, WHETHER IN PERSON OR BY PHONE OR BY CHRISTMAS CARD.
IN LATER YEARS I THOUGHT ABOUT THOSE VISITS.  I REALIZED THAT MY DAD DIDN'T VISIT THE LINDSTOM'S BECAUSE THEY WERE THE PARENTS OF A CHILDHOOD FRIEND – THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER OLDER COUPLES WHO COULD QUALIFY FOR THAT DISTINCTION – AND I DON'T THINK HE VISITED THEM BECAUSE THEY WERE LONELY AND HE WAS DOING THEM A FAVOR.  THEY WEREN'T LONELY – THEY HAD THREE CHILDREN AND A COUPLE OF GRANDCHILDREN RIGHT THERE IN THAT CITY, AND THEY WERE ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE LOCAL LUTHERAN CHURCH WHICH CONTAINED A LARGE CONTINGENT OF SWEDISH IMMIGRANTS.  I THINK HE VISITED THEM BECAUSE IT PUT HIM IN TOUCH WITH SOMETHING HE TREASURED – THE FACT THAT AS A CHILD HE WAS UNCONDITIONALLY ACCEPTED BY THEM – HE WAS MADE TO FEEL PART OF THEIR FAMILY AT A TIME WHEN HIS OWN PARENTS WERE GOING THROUGH A LOT OF STRESS.
THE ZORASTORIAN PRIESTS BELIEVED THAT GOD WAS EVERYWHERE, BUT IT WASN'T THE SAME THING AS TO BE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN THE FLESH, HOWEVER THEY MIGHT HAVE UNDERSTOOD THIS.  AND THAT'S WHY, AS IT SAYS IN THIS GOSPEL,  THEY WERE OVERJOYED WHEN THEIR QUEST WAS SUCCESSFUL.
THERE ARE PLACES WHERE WE FIND GOD IN THE FLESH.  OF COURSE THERE IS THE HOLY EUCHARIST, WHICH WE CATHOLICS ARE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE AVAILABLE TO US.  ALL OF US COULD OF COURSE DEEPEN OUR DEVOTION TO THE EUCHARIST.  WE COULD TAKE TIME TO LOOK UPON JESUS, PRESENT IN THE FORM OF BREAD AND WINE, AND LET HIM LOOK AT US.  TRUE FRIENDS DON'T NEED WORDS, BUT THEY DELIGHT IN BEING PRESENT TO EACH OTHER.  I THINK THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT MY DAD FELT WHEN HE VISITED THE LINDSTROMS.
BUT ANOTHER PLACE WE FIND GOD IN THE FLESH, AS DO OUR PROTESTANT BROTHERS AND SISTERS, IS IN EACH OTHER.  JESUS SAID THAT WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER IN HIS NAME, HE WOULD BE THERE.  THAT ITSELF IS A REASON TO GET TOGETHER WITH OTHER BELIEVERS ONCE A WEEK OR MORE OFTEN; TO EXPERIENCE JESUS PRESENCE IN THE MIDST OF THE ASSEMBLY WHO GATHER TO WORSHIP HIM.  MY DAD MAY NOT HAVE HAD THIS ON THE TOP OF HIS MIND, BUT THE CHRISTMAS VISIT TO THE LINDSTROMS WAS A MOMENT WHEN CHRISTIAN PEOPLE, OF DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS, TO BE SURE, CAME TOGETHER TO HONOR THE BIRTH OF JESUS, AND HIS PRESENCE WAS THERE.  THAT COULDN'T HAPPEN OVER THE PHONE.
THE MAGI KNEW ABOUT GOD, AS MUCH AS IT WAS POSSIBLE, I GUESS, FROM A NATURAL PERSPECTIVE.  THEY HAD PROBABLY READ THE HOLY BOOKS OF OTHER FAITHS – IT APPEARS THAT THEY UNDERSTOOD THAT THE JEWS EXPECTED A MESSIAH.  AND THEY HAD ENOUGH INFORMATION TO KNOW THAT THE STAR THEY FOLLOWED WAS LEADING THEM TO THIS MESSIAH.  AND UNLIKE HEROD, UNLIKE THE SCHOLARS HE CONSULTED WHO KNEW WHERE AND PROBABLY WHEN THE MESSIAH WOULD COME, THE MAGI ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING WITH THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND WERE USHERED INTO THE INCARNATE PRESENCE OF GOD HIMSELF.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MAGI.  THERE ARE LEGENDS THAT THEY SPREAD THE NEWS OF THE COMING OF GOD INTO THE WORLD, BOTH IN THE EAST AND THE WEST.  THAT WOULD BE LOGICAL, I'M SURE.  AND IF JESUS IS IN OUR ASSEMBLY AND IN OUR EUCHARIST, THEN IT SEEMS WE SHOULD BE SPREADING THE NEWS AS WELL, ESPECIALLY AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE LOST SIGHT OF THE FACT THAT GOD, THOUGH INDEED EVERYWHERE, HAS MADE HIMSELF PRESENT TO US IN A SPECIAL WAY IN THIS PLACE, AT THIS TIME, SO THAT WE CAN NOT JUST KNOW OF HIM, BUT KNOW HIM IN THE FLESH, IN PERSON, FRIEND TO FRIEND.
MY FATHER KNEW THAT A PHONE CALL WOULD NEVER REPLACE A PERSONAL VISIT.

Holy Family, 2015

LUKE 2:41-52

I HAVE A LITTLE MAGNET – AND YOU MIGHT HAVE ONE ALSO. IT IS AN OUTLINE OF THE CRECHE, AND IT REMINDS ANYONE WHO READS MY CAR TO KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS. THIS YEAR PEOPLE GOT UPSET WITH STARBUCKS BECAUSE THEY HAD A HOLIDAY CUP THAT WAS JUST RED; THERE WAS NOTHING ABOUT IT THAT SAID CHRISTMAS. AND SOME PEOPLE INTERPRETED THIS TO MEAN THAT STARBUCKS WAS TAKING CHRIST OUT OF CHRISTMAS. AND DURING THE WEEKS BEFORE THE HOLIDAY WE CAN BE SURE THAT SOME OF OUR COMMENTATORS WILL LAND ON ONE SIDE OR ANOTHER OF THIS ISSUE; ONE FEELS THAT WE SHOULD HAVE NO PUBLIC EXPRESSION OF THE FACT THAT CHRISTMAS CELEBRATES CHRIST'S BIRTH; ANOTHER THINKS THAT GIVEN THE FACT THAT MOST AMERICANS ARE CHRISTIAN, WHAT'S THE HARM IN REMEMBERING THAT THIS IS HIS BIRTHDAY?

BUT THOSE OF YOU WHO CAME TO ONE OF THE SIX CHRISTMAS MASSES HERE AT SAINT MARY'S YOU WOULD NOT THINK THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH CHRIST BEING IN CHRISTMAS; FOR SO MANY OF OUR PARISHIONERS, THIS SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY TIME THEY COME TO CELEBRATE CHRIST'S PRESENCE IN OUR LIVES.

AND MAYBE THE PROBLEM IS NOT KEEPING CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS, BUT TAKING CHRIST OUT OF CHRISTMAS.

WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL THAT PEOPLE WHO WERE RAISED CATHOLIC, MAYBE WENT TO CATHOLIC SCHOOLS, STILL ARE CONNECTED TO THEIR FAITH, EVEN IF IT IS ONLY AT CHRISTMAS. BUT WOULDN'T IT BE WONDERFUL IF WE GOT CHRIST OUT OF CHRISTMAS, AND INVITED HIM TO COME INTO THE OTHER THREE HUNDRED SIXTY FOUR DAYS OF THE YEAR. THAT COULD BE SOMETHING FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE REGULAR CHURCH GOERS TO CONSIDER AS WELL..

WE ALL HAVE A TENDENCY TO PUT CHRIST IN BOXES. EVEN MARY AND JOSEPH HAD THAT PROBLEM. WHEN THEIR TWELVE YEAR OLD SON WENT MISSING, THEY LOOKED ALL OVER FOR HIM – FOR THREE DAYS – AND WHEN THEY FOUND HIM THEY WERE SORROWING. HIS EXPLANATION DID NOT REGISTER WITH THEM; THEY WOULD NOT BE HAPPY UNTIL HE WAS BACK WHERE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE – A TWELVE YEAR OLD BOY SHOULD BE HOME, LEARNING, BEING DISCIPLINED, BEING SUBJECT TO HIS FATHER AND MOTHER.

AND THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME JESUS IS PUT IN A BOX. AS HE WENT OUT ON HIS MINISTRY, HIS MOTHER AND SOME OTHER RELATIVES CAME TO WHERE HE WAS STAYING INTENDING TO BRING HIM HOME, BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT HE WAS “MAD”. AND IT ISN'T JUST THE PARENTS; PETER GETS UPSET WITH HIM WHEN HE PREDICTS HIS DEATH AT THE HANDS OF THE JEWISH LEADERS. AND WHEN LAZARUS DIES, AND JESUS DOESN'T SHOW UP FOR FOUR DAYS, MARTHA DOES NOT EXPECT HIM TO BE ABLE TO RAISE HER BROTHER FROM THE DEAD. AND OF COURSE THE BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THEM ALL; THE AUTHORITIES THINK THEY HAVE PUT HIM IN A BOX ONCE AND FOR ALL, BUT HE RISES FROM THE DEAD.

THIS IS THE FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY. EXCEPT FOR THE EPISODE WE HEAR ABOUT TODAY, JESUS WAS ACTIVELY TAKING PART IN FAMILY LIFE FOR A THIRTY OF HIS THIRTY-THREE YEARS.

OUR CHURCH HAS A FEW THINGS TO SAY ABOUT FAMILIES. ONE OF THE IMAGES IS THAT THE FAMILY IS THE DOMESTIC CHURCH. IF WE THINK ABOUT THE HOLY FAMILY, CHRIST IS AT THE CENTER. AND YET WE DON'T OFTEN HONOR THESE IDEAS IN OUR OWN FAMILIES. IN THE INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WIFE AND HUSBAND, WE FORGET THAT WE WERE CALLED TOGETHER BY GOD TO SHOW OUR SPOUSE HOW MUCH GOD LOVES THAT PERSON. INSTEAD WE FIND OURSELVES EXPECTING OUR SPOUSE TO SERVE US AND BEING UPSET WHEN HE OR SHE DOES NOT MEET OUR EXPECTATIONS. AND OUR CHILDREN – WE GO TO A LOT OF TROUBLE, WE FAMILIES IN LONGMEADOW, TO SEE THAT OUR CHILDREN RECEIVE THE BEST EDUCATION, GET TO THEIR SPORT PRACTICES ON TIME, AND WE FEEL GUILTY IF THEY DON'T HAVE EVERYTHING THE WORLD SAYS THEY NEED. BUT HOW ARE WE GOING ABOUT FORMING CHRIST IN THEM? DO OUR CHILDREN SEE THAT CHRIST IS CENTRAL TO THE LIVES OF THEIR PARENTS? IS FAMILY PRAYER A REGULAR THING? DO THEY UNDERSTAND FROM THEIR PARENTS HOW IMPORTANT THE MASS IS? BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT ONE THIRD OF ADULTS UNDER THIRTY YEARS OF AGE CLAIM TO BE ATHEIST, AGNOSTIC, OR HAVE NO RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION. AMONG THOSE OVER SIXTY, THAT TOTAL NUMBER IS ABOUT 10 PERCENT. WE ARE NOT DOING MUCH OF A JOB IN PASSING ON OUR FAITH.

MAYBE THE FIRST PLACE WE NEED TO PUT CHRIST INTO IS THE FAMILY FOR WHICH WE ARE RESPONSIBLE. AND OTHER FAMILIES AS WELL; HOW CAN WE AWAKEN FAMILIES TO THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST IN THEIR MIDST?

IN THE COUNTRY OF CROATIA WHEN A COUPLE BECOMES ENGAGED, THEY BEGIN PREPARATION FOR MARRIAGE WITH A PRIEST. THERE IS NO TALK ABOUT EACH HAVING FOUND THE IDEAL PARTNER. INSTEAD, THE PRIEST TELLS THEM “YOU HAVE FOUND YOUR CROSS”. WHEN THEY GET MARRIED, THEY ARE PRESENTED WITH A CROSS; THE RIGHT HANDS OF THE BRIDE AND GROOM ARE BOUND TO THE CRUCIFIX, AND THE PRIEST COVERS THEIR HANDS WITH HIS STOLE AS THEY RECITE THEIR VOWS. AT THE END OF THE VOWS THEY DO NOT KISS EACH OTHER; THEY BOTH KISS THE CROSS. THEY RECOGNIZE THE SOURCE OF LOVE. THEY RECOGNIZE THAT WHEN THEY LOSE THE CROSS, THERE IS NOTHING LEFT.

COUPLES RECOGNIZE HOW CENTRAL CHRIST IS TO THEIR DOMESTIC LIFE, AND THE CROSS IS DISPLAYED PROMINENTLY IN THEIR HOME. WHEN THINGS SEEM TO BE GOING POORLY, THEY DON'T SEEK OUT A MARRIAGE COUNSELOR; THEY GO TO THE CRUCIFIX TOGETHER. AND THEY SAY THERE ARE NO DIVORCES IN THE VILLAGES WHERE THIS CUSTOM IS PRACTICED.

SO THIS IS A GOOD DAY TO ASK WHETHER WE ARE FORMING A DOMESTIC CHURCH, WHETHER WE ARE FORMING EACH OTHER AND OUR CHILDREN TO BE OTHER CHRISTS. WHAT CAN YOU AND I DO TO RESTORE CHRIST TO HIS RIGHTFUL PLACE, NOT JUST IN THE MANGER AT CHRISTMAS, BUT IN THE HEART OF EVERY FAMILY, EVERY DAY, 365 DAYS A YEAR? JESUS WILL DWELL IN OUR FAMILIES IF WE MAKE ROOM FOR HIM.

Christmas Day, 2015

LUKE 2:15-20

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT HEAVEN? OF COURSE YOU HAVE; AND NEARLY EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES IN GOD AND AN AFTERLIFE HAS. WE CHRISTIANS HAVE COME UP WITH SOME INTERESTING IDEAS. ONE OF COURSE IS WE GET A WHITE ROBE AND A PAIR OF WINGS AND STAND AROUND ON A CLOUD PLAYING A HARP. THAT IMAGE WHICH APPEARS IN A CARTOON NEARLY EVERY WEEK OR SO, IS DEEPLY ENGRAINED IN THE AMERICAN PSYCHE. ANOTHER IS THAT HEAVEN IS A SITUATION WHERE WE WILL CONTEMPLATE THE BEATIFIC VISION FOREVER. THAT DOESN'T GIVE US MUCH OF AN IMAGE, OBVIOUSLY, BUT I DON'T THINK MY YOUNGER GRANDCHILDREN COULD SIT STILL THAT LONG. SOMETIMES WE IMAGINE HEAVEN AS A PLACE WHERE WE WILL HAVE A PERPETUAL PARTY WITH OUR LOVED ONES – THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US, AS WELL AS THOSE WE LEFT BEHIND. BUT ANYONE WHO HAS HAD LOVED ONES FOR HOUSE GUESTS KNOWS THAT THERE'S ONLY SO LONG YOU CAN TAKE THEM.

WHEN YOU GO TO THE BIBLE FOR IMAGES OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, THE WORLD TO COME, YOU FIND TOTALLY DIFFERENT IDEAS. EZECHIEL IMAGINES A CITY WHERE THE TREES THAT GROW BY THE RIVER OF LIVING WATER PROVIDE FOR ALL MAN'S NEEDS. ISAIAH TALKS ABOUT SWORDS BEING BEATEN INTO PRUNING HOOKS – WHY PRUNING HOOKS? – BECAUSE IN THE WORLD TO COME WE WILL BE PRUNING AND TILLING THE GROUND AND CRUSHING GRAPES FOR WINE. HE TALKS ABOUT A RICH FOOD FOR ALL PEOPLE … BECAUSE GOD WILL SWALLOW UP DEATH FOREVER.” AND JESUS HIMSELF PRAYS THAT GOD'S WILL BE DONE ON EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. ALL OF US HAVE HAD MOMENTS HERE ON EARTH WHICH WE WOULD LOVE TO LIVE OVER AGAIN; MOMENTS WHEN WE WERE DOING WHAT WE LOVED TO DO. HEAVEN, PERHAPS, IS NOT A PLACE WE ARE GOING TO, BUT INSTEAD, IT BEGINS RIGHT HERE; IT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD, THE WORLD TO COME.

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATES INCARNATION – THAT THIS WORLD MATTERS; THAT THOSE THINGS THAT GIVE US JOY IN THIS WORLD ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO GOD – BECAUSE GOD BECAME HUMAN. THAT'S WHY JESUS WENT ABOUT USING HIS POWER TO HEAL, TO RAISE THE DEAD, TO DRIVE OUT DEMONS; THAT'S WHY HE FED THE CROWD, THAT'S WHY HE SHOWED HIS DISCIPLES THAT HE COULD EVEN CALM A STORM. AND WHEN JESUS WASN'T DOING THESE THINGS, HE WAS TELLING OTHER PEOPLE HOW TO BE HAPPY; HE TOLD THE CROWD THAT BEING PEACEMAKERS, BEING POOR IN SPIRIT, BEING MERCIFUL – ALL THESE WERE WAYS TO BE BLESSED, TO BE HAPPY. IN OTHER WORDS, IN HIS WORDS AND ACTIONS, GOD WHO BECAME MAN WAS GOING ABOUT CREATING THE KINGDOM; JESUS WAS STARTING THE PROCESS OF BRINGING HEAVEN TO EARTH.

GOD THE FATHER GIVES THE WORLD JESUS, TO SHOW US THAT HE CARES ABOUT THE WORLD, AND ABOUT WHAT WE HUMANS CARE ABOUT. AND JESUS, THE PERFECT MAN, SHOWS US WHAT MAN IS EXPECTED TO DO – TO BRING ABOUT HEAVEN ON EARTH.

IT MAKES SENSE. GOD HAS FILLED HUMAN BEINGS WITH INSTINCTS WHICH WE CAN USE TO DESTRUCTION AS WELL AS TO GOOD. SOME PEOPLE FIND THEIR GREATEST JOY IN UNCOVERING THE SECRETS OF THE WORLD; GREAT SCIENTISTS ARE NOT HAPPY UNLESS THEY ARE LEARNING. SOME FIND JOY IN MAKING MUSIC; THE COMPOSER BRAHMS WEPT WHEN HE WAS TOLD HE WAS DYING, NOT BECAUSE HE FEARED DEATH BUT BECAUSE HE WANTED TO GO ON MAKING MUSIC. AND SOME PEOPLE TAKE DELIGHT IN EDUCATING – A DEDICATED TEACHER LOVES WHAT SHE IS DOING, SO MUCH SO THAT SHE SPENDS HER OWN MONEY ON THINGS TO HELP HER CHARGES LEARN MORE. BUT OF COURSE THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT AREN'T HAPPY DOING WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO TO SURVIVE. PEOPLE STUCK IN DEADENING JOBS, PEOPLE WHO CAN'T FIND WORK AND WOULD GIVE ANYTHING FOR A JOB; PEOPLE WHO ARE PHYSICALLY OR MENTALLY CRIPPLED AND AS A RESULT HAVE TO LIVE ON THE MARGINS OF SOCIETY. BRINGING ABOUT HEAVEN ON EARTH IS WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO DO; SOME OF US ARE ALMOST THERE, AND OTHERS NEED SO MUCH.

INCARNATION MEANS THAT GOD IS WITH US, GOD GUARANTEES THAT FOR THOSE WHO USE THEIR GIFTS TO BRING ABOUT HEAVEN ON EARTH, THEIR WORK WILL NOT BE FRUITLESS, EVEN WHEN IT SEEMS THAT WAY. INCARNATION GUARANTEES THAT GOD'S HEAVEN WILL BE REALIZED ON EARTH, HIS WILL WILL BE DONE, SOMEDAY, BUT CERTAINLY. INCARNATION MEANS THAT GOD GIVES US WHAT WE NEED TO MAKE A WORLD OF JOY, OF PEACE, OF MERCY, A WORLD WHERE EVERYONE HAS ENOUGH TO EAT, WHERE EVERYONE CAN DO WHAT MAKES HIM OR HER MOST HUMAN, WHERE WE CAN RESTORE THE GARDEN OF EDEN, WHERE MAN DID NOT JUST LIE AROUND DRINKING BEER AND WATCHING FOOTBALL, BUT WAS GIVEN THE GARDEN TO TAKE CARE OF AND THE ANIMALS TO NAME.

NOTICE THAT WHEN JESUS BECAME ONE OF US, HE DID NOT WAIT AROUND FOR THE RIGHT CONDITIONS, HE DID NOT COME UP WITH A FIVE POINT PLAN THAT HAD BEEN DEVELOPED BY A COMMITTEE. HE WENT ABOUT USING HIS GIFTS TO CREATE HEAVEN ON EARTH, TO REBUILD THE WORLD ACCORDING TO THE FATHER'S PLAN. AND THE BIGGEST BARRIER TO HEAVEN ON EARTH IS DEATH, BUT HE CONQUERED DEATH SO IT IS NO LONGER A THREAT TO THE FATHER'S PLAN.

THOSE OF US WITH SMALL CHILDREN IN OUR LIVES – MAYBE OUR OWN, MAYBE GRANDCHILDREN – MAYBE JUST MEMORIES OF CHILDREN, KNOW THAT IT'S EASY TO GIVE HEAVEN TO A LITTLE CHILD. THE CHRISTMAS TREE, THE GIFT THAT THE CHILD HAS LONGED FOR, THE COOKIES AND ICE CREAM AND ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS TO EAT; YOU CAN GIVE A CHILD HEAVEN, IF ONLY FOR A VERY SHORT TIME. AND IT'S POSSIBLE FOR US TO GIVE HEAVEN TO OTHERS AS WELL IF WE CHOOSE TO. WE KNOW HOW THINGS SHOULD BE – THERE SHOULD BE NO POVERTY, NO DISEASE, NO ADDICTION, NO HUNGER – AND WE COULD MAKE A LONG LIST. THERE SHOULD BE LOVE NOT JUST BETWEEN CLOSE FAMILY MEMBERS, BUT BETWEEN ALL PEOPLE, ALL NATIONS. WE KNOW HOW THINGS SHOULD BE. AND WE KNOW HOW THINGS ARE, ESPECIALLY IN OUR HOMES, IN OUR WORK PLACES, IN THE CITY WE LIVE IN. AND THERE ARE A FEW PLACES WHERE WE HAVE IT IN OUR POWER TO TAKE SOMETHING THAT IS AND MAKE IT WHAT IT SHOULD BE. AND THEN HEAVEN HAS GOTTEN A LITTLE CLOSER TO EARTH.

CHRISTMAS IS A SEASON OF GIVING. THE FATHER GAVE US HIS SON TO NOT ONLY SHOW US THE WAY, BUT TO BE THE WAY, TO BE THE LIFE THAT ENLIVENS HIS PEOPLE, TO OVERCOME DEATH SO THAT NOTHING WOULD STAND IN THE WAY; AND THEN THE SON PROMISES THAT THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AMONG US, IT IS WITHIN OUR GRASP, IT IS THERE FOR THE TAKING AND FOR THE GIVING. YOU ARE GOD'S GIFT TO THE WORLD; YOU ARE THE ONE WHO OPENS HEAVEN'S GATES.

Fourth Sunday of Advent, cycle C

LUKE 1:39-45

MY 73^RD BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP SOON. I WAS BORN IN 1942. THERE WERE A LOT OF FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN THEN. HARRISON FORD, STEPHEN HAWKING, JIMMI HENDRIX, VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN; AND THERE WAS JOHN WAYNE GACY, A FAMOUS SERIAL KILLER, AND MUMAR QUADAFFI, THE LIBIAN DICTATOR.

BUT WHEN WE WERE BORN, WE WERE JUST BABIES. OUR PARENTS LOOKED AT US LIKE ANY PARENT, A LITTLE AFRAID OF THE NEW RESPONSIBILITY, MAYBE FEELING AN OVERWHELMING SENSE OF LOVE; AND MAYBE THEY RESOLVED TO GIVE US A GOOD LIFE AND HELP US TO ACHIEVE OUR POTENTIAL.

MARY AND ELIZABETH WERE PEASANT WOMEN. ONE WAS AN UNMARRIED TEENAGER IN A SOCIETY WHERE SEX OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE MIGHT MEAN BEING STONED, BUT ALWAYS MEANT BEING CAST OUT OF SOCIETY IN SOME WAY. THE OTHER WAS AN ELDERLY WOMAN WHO THOUGHT SHE HAD WANTED CHILDREN, BUT NOW WONDERED WHETHER SHE AND ZACHARY WOULD LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO RAISE THE CHILD. TODAY, OF COURSE, OUR SOCIETY WOULD GIVE THEM AN EASY ANSWER – ABORTION. BUT THANK HEAVEN THEY DIDN'T LIVE IN OUR SOCIETY.

ONE BABY WOULD BECOME AS JESUS SAID OF HIM, “AMONG THOSE BORN OF WOMEN, THERE IS NONE GREATER”. AND OF COURSE THE OTHER IS THE VERY CENTER OF HISTORY, THE REASON FOR OUR JOY, THE SAVIOR OF OUR RACE. IN OTHER WORDS, THESE TWO BABIES WERE REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT. BUT THAT COULD ONLY BE DETERMINED WITH TIME, BECAUSE WHEN MARY AND ELIZABETH MET, NEITHER COULD HAVE FORESEEN ALL THIS. IN FACT WHEN YOU READ THE GOSPELS, IT BECOMES OBVIOUS THAT MARY HERSELF DURING JESUS' LIFETIME ONLY HAD THE VAGUEST IDEA OF WHAT HER SON WOULD BECOME; AND THERE WAS A TIME WHEN SHE EVEN THOUGHT HE MIGHT BE MAD.

BUT ONE THING IS CLEAR, THESE TWO INFANTS, BOTH NOT EVEN BORN YET, WERE IMPORTANT; AND ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO GOD, SINCE HIS WHOLE PLAN HINGED UPON THEM. AND DESPITE THE FACT THAT EVEN THEIR OWN PARENTS HAD NOT SEEN THEM, THEY WERE LOVED – BY THEIR PARENTS, BY GOD HIMSELF.

AND DID YOU EVER STOP TO THINK THAT WE COULD SAY THE SAME THING ABOUT EACH OF US? YOU ARE LOVED, YOU ARE IMPORTANT, NOT ONLY TO OTHER PEOPLE, BUT TO GOD HIMSELF, WHO HAS GIVEN YOU THROUGH BAPTISM A SPECIAL STATUS – YOU ARE A PROPHET. YOUR MISSION IS TO LIVE SO THAT OTHERS SEE THAT YOU BELIEVE IN GOD, THAT YOU FIND JOY IN YOUR FAITH, THAT YOU STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE. PROPHETS GET IN TROUBLE, IT'S TRUE, AND THEY AREN'T ALWAYS WELL-LIKED. BUT NEVERTHELESS, THAT'S WHAT GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO BE.

AND YOU ARE A PRIEST. A PRIEST IS SOMEONE WHO IS A LINK BETWEEN GOD AND THE WORLD. YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE LINKS. YOU BRING GOD TO OTHER PEOPLE BY YOUR VERY PRESENCE; CHRIST LIVES IN YOU, AND THE MORE YOU IMITATE CHRIST, THE MORE HE CAN REACH OUT THROUGH YOU TO A WORLD THAT DESPERATELY NEEDS HIM. AS A PRIEST, YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO BE THAT BRIDGE.

AND YOU ARE A KING. WE THINK OF KINGS WITH ALL THEIR TRAPPINGS OF ROYALTY, OR PERHAPS AS MERE FIGUREHEADS. BUT KINGS IN THE HEBREW TRADITION WERE ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAFETY AND WELL-BEING OF THOSE OVER WHOM THEY RULED. THEY HAD TO BE CONCERNED NOT ONLY ABOUT THE PEOPLE, BUT THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PEOPLE, AND THE LAND WHICH THEY LIVED ON. AS KINGS WE ARE EACH GIVEN A KINGDOM, EVEN LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE A TINY KINGDOM FOR WHICH THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE. AND OUR DUTY IS TO TAKE WHAT WE ARE GIVEN AND PERFECT IT AND GIVE IT BACK TO GOD.

WE EACH ARE PROPHET, PRIEST AND KING THROUGH OUR BAPTISM AND AS SUCH ARE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO GOD; AND EVEN THOUGH GOD LOVES EACH OF US AS MUCH AS HE LOVED JOHN THE BAPTIST AND JESUS, HIS FATHERLY HEART CANNOT HELP BUT BE FILLED WHEN HE SEES US DOING WHAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO DO.

WHEN A WOMAN BECOMES PREGNANT, AND MAYBE I'M PRESUMPTUOUS TO SAY THIS, SINCE I HAVEN'T HAD THAT EXPERIENCE, SHE HAS TO MAKE WAY FOR THE CHILD SHE CARRIES. HER BODY CHANGES, EVEN HER MIND IS AFFECTED. AND THE PREGNANCY CARRIES HER ALONG, CHANGING HER, AND FOREVER ALTERING HER LIFE. EVEN LONG AFTER SHE HAS BORN HER CHILD, EVEN INTO HER ADVANCED AGE, THAT CHILD WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT HER, TO BE A PART OF HER LIFE, FOR GOOD OR FOR BAD. ONE OF THE LAST THINGS MY 90 YEAR OLD MOTHER, LOST IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, SAID TO ME WAS, “MY SON, IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO FOR YOU?”

WHEN MARY CONSENTED TO BE THE MOTHER OF THE SAVIOR, WHEN SHE BECAME THE MOTHER OF LOVE PERSONIFIED, HER LIFE WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME; HER LIFE WOULD ALWAYS BE AFFECTED BY THIS EVENT. AND IN EACH OF US LOVE IS BEING FORMED, CHRIST IS COMING INTO THE WORLD. AND LIKE MARY, LIKE EVERY WOMAN WHO CONCEIVES AND BEARS A CHILD, ONCE LOVE HAS TAKEN HOLD, IT WILL GROW, IT WILL SEEK TO COME INTO BEING, AND SOMETIMES IT WILL COMPLETELY ALTER WHATEVER PLANS WE'VE MADE, WHATEVER FUTURE WE'VE WISHED FOR OURSELVES. AND LIKE MARY, FOR WHOM THE CONSEQUENCES OF HER CONSENT PLAYED OUT IN A WAY THAT SHE WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND UNTIL THE RESURRECTION, WE ALSO CAN ONLY SEE GOD'S GUIDING HAND IN OUR LIVES BY LOOKING BACKWARD, AND EVEN THEN OUR VISION IS STILL IMPERFECT; BUT ALL WE KNOW FOR SURE IS THAT WE ARE IMPORTANT TO GOD, AS PROPHET, PRIEST, AND KING; AND WE ARE LOVED BY GOD BECAUSE LOVE IS CONCEIVED IN US AND WE ARE ENTRUSTED TO BRING LOVE TO LIFE, TO GROW LOVE, AND TO BE BEARERS OF LOVE TO OUR NEIGHBORS.

ELIZABETH SAID TO MARY, “BLESSED IS SHE WHO TRUSTED THAT THE LORD'S WORD TO HER WOULD BE FULFILLED.” THE LORD FULFILLED HIS PROMISE TO MARY BECAUSE SHE WAS SO IMPORTANT, BECAUSE HE LOVED HER AS MUCH AS IT IS POSSIBLE FOR GOD TO LOVE SOMEONE. AND YOU ARE SO IMPORTANT, AND YOU ARE ALSO LOVED AS MUCH AS IT IS POSSIBLE FOR GOD TO LOVE YOU. AND HIS WORD WILL BE FULFILLED IN US, THE MORE WE COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY TRUST IN HIM.