Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

MARK 14:24-32

WHENEVER WE CELEBRATE MASS TOGETHER WE MAKE CHRIST PRESENT. FIRST, HE IS PRESENT IN OUR ASSEMBLY; WHEREVER TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER IN MY NAME, HE SAID, THERE I AM. SECOND, HE IS PRESENT IN THE WORD. WE BELIEVE THAT GOD IS PRESENT IN THE SCRIPTURES, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ARE PROCLAIMED. THE WORDS IN THE BIBLE ARE JUST WORDS UNTIL THEY ARE HEARD; JESUS BECOMES PRESENT IN THE WORD WHEN IT IS HEARD; WHEN WE INTERACT WITH IT. AND JESUS IS PRESENT IN THE BREAD AND WINE, OR MORE ACCURATELY, HE IS PRESENT UNDER THE APPEARANCE OF BREAD AND WINE, WHICH NO LONGER EXISTS WHEN OUR PRIEST PRONOUNCES THE WORDS OF CONSECRATION. JESUS IN HIS INFINITE LOVE FOR US, FOUND A WAY TO BE WITH US NOT IN SOME METAPHORICAL SENSE BUT PHYSICALLY PRESENT, COMPLETELY PRESENT, BODY AND SOUL PRESENT. AND FINALLY JESUS IS PRESENT IN EACH ONE OF US AS WE LEAVE THIS CELEBRATION, BECAUSE OUR INTERACTION WITH JESUS IN THE ASSEMBLY, IN THE WORD, AND IN THE EUCHARIST, TOGETHER WITH OUR BAPTISM, MAKES US OTHER CHRISTS, AND WE GO FORTH TO CARRY OUT HIS WORK IN THE WORLD, TO BUILD UP HIS KINGDOM. THAT'S WHY GOD MADE US – AS THE OLD CATECHISM SAID, HE MADE US TO KNOW, LOVE, AND SERVE HIM IN THIS WORLD, AND TO BE HAPPY WITH HIM IN THE NEXT. THAT'S WHAT JESUS DID, AND THAT'S WHAT WE ARE CALLED TO DO.

IT'S NO WONDER WE CALL OUR WEEKLY EUCHARIST A CELEBRATION. WE MAY NOT FEEL LIKE WE ARE CELEBRATING, BUT WHAT COULD BE A GREATER EVENT THAN BEING IN HE PRESENCE OF THE SON OF GOD?

BUT TODAY OUR GOSPEL READINGS REMIND US OF SOMETHING ELSE; THE SON OF MAN HAS NOT YET COME TO US IN HIS GREAT TRIUMPH. BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHEN THIS WILL HAPPEN.

OUR ASSEMBLY IS NEVER COMPLETE. WE GO TO DIFFERENT MASSES; MANY OF OUR PARISHIONERS DON'T JOIN US AT ALL, AND OTHERS HAVE MOVED TO OTHER PARISHES. MANY PEOPLE WE LOVE, PARENTS, CHILDREN, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, DEAR FRIENDS, CANNOT BE IN OUR ASSEMBLY BECAUSE OF DISTANCE, ILLNESS, OR BECAUSE THEY HAVE REJECTED OUR COMMON FAITH.

AND WHILE IT IS TRUE THAT WE HEAR THE WORD, WE ONLY HEAR A LITTLE, JUST ENOUGH HOPEFULLY TO WHET OUR APPETITES. WE HEAR WHAT GOD MEANS TO TELL US, BUT ONLY A LITTLE BIT. AFTER WE HAVE HEARD THE WORD, THERE IS STILL A GREAT GAP BETWEEN WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT GOD'S PLAN FOR US.

WHEN WE EAT HIS BODY AND DRINK HIS BLOOD, WE ARE NOT FILLED UP, OUR THIRST IS NOT QUENCHED. IT HAS ONLY BEEN A TASTE. AND WHEN WE LEAVE THE ASSEMBLY TO DO CHRIST'S DEEDS AND SPEAK HIS WORDS IN THE WORLD, DISTRACTIONS IMMEDIATELY DRAW OUR ATTENTION AWAY FROM THESE THINGS. MOST OF US WILL BE COMPLETELY “BACK TO NORMAL” THIRTY MINUTES AFTER WE LEAVE THIS SOUL-CHANGING EVENT.

OUR WEEKLY EUCHARIST IS A CELEBRATION, BUT IT IS ALSO A TIME OF MOURNING, BECAUSE WE LONG FOR JESUS TO COME AGAIN. IF WE ARE REALLY CHRISTIANS, THERE IS SOMETHING IN US THAT KNOWS THAT WE WILL NEVER BE COMPLETE, NEVER BE HAPPY, NEVER FULFILL OUR DESTINY, UNTIL HE COMES IN TRIUMPH TO ESTABLISH HIS KINGDOM, THE NEW JERUSALEM, WHERE HE WILL BE THE LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES DARK, WHERE LIVING WATER WILL FLOW FROM THE TEMPLE.

BUT TODAY JESUS ALSO REMINDS US THAT CHRISTIANS MUST BE READY; WE MUST BE ALERT; WE MUST LOOK AROUND US FOR SIGNS OF HIS PRESENCE, SIGNS THAT HE IS WORKING IN OUR WORLD.

OUR WEEKLY MASS IS A TIME FOR REJOICING AND A TIME FOR MOURNING. BUT THE REST OF THE WEEK SHOULD BE FOR NEITHER. WHEN WE LEAVE OUR ASSEMBLY WE GO ABOUT THE DAILY TASK OF DOING CHRISTIANITY. I LIKE TO TAKE A LONG RIDE ON MY BICYCLE EVERY NOW AND THEN. IT ISN'T BECAUSE I WANT TO GO SOMEWHERE; IN FACT, I ALWAYS END UP BACK AT HOME. BUT WHEN I'M ON THE BIKE, I AM FOCUSED ON THE MOMENT. YOU'VE GOT TO WATCH OUT FOR CARS AND TRUCKS. IF YOU ARE ON A BIKE, YOU HAVE TO BE A LITTLE PARANOID, BECAUSE THERE IS ONLY ONE WINNER WHEN YOU AND A CAR TRY TO OCCUPY THE SAME SPACE. AND YOU HAVE TO LOOK OUT FOR POTHOLES AND OTHER IRREGULARITIES IN THE ROAD. SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD BARELY FEEL IN A CAR JARS YOUR BONES ON A BIKE, AND CAN KNOCK YOU FOR A LOOP. BUT YOU ARE REWARDED BY SIGHTS AND SMELLS AND SOUNDS THAT YOU ENCOUNTER ON YOUR RIDE. YOU EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY THAT SOMEONE HAS CREATED IN HIS FRONT YARD WITH LOVING ATTENTION TO DETAIL; YOU SMELL PINE TREES, AND CHIMNEY SMOKE, AND ONCE IN A WHILE YOU MIGHT GET A WHIFF OF PIZZA AS YOU ROLL PAST A PIZZA PARLOR.

IF YOU WANT TO BE A CHRISTIAN, IT'S SORT OF THE SAME THING. YOU NEED TO FOCUS. YOU NEED TO BE ALERT TO THOSE TEMPTATIONS WHICH CAN THROW YOU OFF STRIDE, THOSE MOMENTS WHEN YOU REACT WITH ANGER; THOSE TRAPS OF SELFISHNESS, THOSE TIMES WHEN WE KNOW WE SHOULD BE DOING SOMETHING BUT WE ARE TOO LAZY TO DO IT. LIVING IN THE WORLD IS FULL OF POTHOLES AND TRAFFIC. BEING A CHRISTIAN MEANS THAT WE CULTIVATE A SENSITIVITY TO WHAT KEEPS US FROM DOING WHAT GOD WANTS US TO DO – WE HAVE TO BECOME A LITTLE PARANOID, WE HAVE TO KNOW THAT THE WORLD, THE FLESH, AND DEVIL CONSPIRE TO KEEP US FROM WHAT GOD WANTS OF US.

AND THERE ARE REWARDS. IT'S FUNNY, BUT WHEN YOU BEGIN TO LIVE AS A CHRISTIAN, YOU FIND JOY. WHEN YOU OFFER A COMPLEMENT TO SOMEONE WHO HAS DONE YOU A SERVICE, YOU ARE REWARDED. WHEN YOU EXTEND YOURSELF FOR AN ELDERLY FRIEND OR RELATIVE WHO CAN'T GET AROUND ANY MORE, YOU FIND JOY AS YOU GIVE JOY. AND WHEN YOU DO YOUR TASKS AS WELL AS YOU CAN BECAUSE YOU ARE ANOTHER CHRIST, AND ONLY YOUR BEST IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR GOD, YOU FIND JOY IN EVERYTHING YOU DO, FROM YOUR OCCUPATION, TO EVEN THE MOST MENIAL TASKS; NOTHING A HUMAN BEING CAN DO IS TOO SMALL, TOO INSIGNIFICANT, TO BE TAKEN UP INTO GOD'S PLAN. FINDING JOY IN BEING A CHRISTIAN SHOULD BE NO SURPRISE. JESUS TOLD US THAT HIS JOY WOULD BE IN US, AND OUR JOY WOULD BE COMPLETE.

BEING A CHRISTIAN TAKES PLACE IN THE VAST EMPTINESS BETWEEN THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS AND THE MOMENT WHEN HE COMES AGAIN. IT TAKES PLACE NOT WHEN WE CELEBRATE THE PRESENCE OF JESUS, OR WHEN WE MOURN THAT HIS KINGDOM IS STILL FAR FROM NOW. IT TAKES PLACE BETWEEN OUR WEEKLY CELEBRATION AS WE GO ABOUT OUR ORDINARY LIVES.

TODAY LET US REMIND OURSELVES THAT TO BE CHRISTIAN IS AN IDENTITY, YES, BUT ALSO A PROCESS, A WAY OF LIFE, AND REQUIRES CONSCIOUS EFFORT ON OUR PARTS. OUR MASS WHERE WE ENCOUNTER CHRIST IS WHAT GETS US FROM ONE WEEKEND TO THE NEXT IN THIS LONG JOURNEY.

Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

Mark 12:38-44

A YOUNG LADY GAVE A PICTURE OF HERSELF TO HER BOYFRIEND. ON THE BACK SHE WROTE, “DEAR JOHNNIE; I LOVE YOU COMPLETELY AND I AM YOURS FOREVER. WITH THIS PICTURE I GIVE YOU MY WHOLE HEART. SIGNED, JANIE. PS. IF WE EVER BREAK UP, I WANT THIS PICTURE BACK.”

UNLIKE THE YOUNG LADY IN THE STORY, THE FIRST READING AND THE GOSPEL TELL US ABOUT TWO WIDOWS WHO WERE TOTALLY COMMITTED AND PUT ALL THEIR TRUST IN GOD. THE FIRST WIDOW WAS REWARDED WITH A MIRACULOUS SOURCE OF FLOUR AND OIL. WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE SECOND. BUT VERY OFTEN PEOPLE INTERPRET THIS GOSPEL TO MEAN THAT GOD DOESN'T REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT WE GIVE UNLESS IT HURTS. WE CALL IT “SACRIFICIAL GIVING”, AND THAT HAS BECOME ENSHRINED IN OUR VOCABULARY.

I THINK ALL OF US FEEL A LITTLE GUILTY WHEN WE REALIZE THAT WE WOULD PROBABLY NEVER GIVE WHAT WE HAD TO LIVE ON; NONE OF US ARE WILLING TO PUT COMPLETE TRUST IN GOD'S PROVIDENCE. DURING THE EARLY DAYS OF THE FRANCISCAN ORDER, CHURCH AUTHORITIES BECAME ALARMED OVER THE PRESENCE OF WANDERING FRANCISCAN BEGGARS WHO WERE LITERALLY PUTTING ALL THEIR TRUST IN GOD. SOME OF THEM WERE DYING OF STARVATION AND OTHERS WERE OBVIOUSLY APPROACHING THAT POINT, AND ROME ISSUED AN EDICT THAT FRANCISCANS, LIKE OTHER ORDERS, HAD TO LIVE COMMUNALLY AND SUPPORT THEMSELVES. AND THEY DO, TO THIS DAY.

BUT THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THIS GOSPEL THAT WE SORT OF GLIDE OVER. AT THE BEGINNING, JESUS TELLS HIS DISCIPLES TO “BEWARE OF THE SCRIBES”. HE CONDEMNS THEM FOR THEIR PRIDE, BUT ALSO BECAUSE THEY “DEVOUR THE HOUSES OF WIDOWS AND AS A PRETEXT, RECITE LENGTHY PRAYERS.” SCRIBES WERE THE PEOPLE WHO COPIED THE SACRED WRITINGS OF THE JEWS. BECAUSE THEY KNEW THE SCRIPTURES, USUALLY BETTER THAN THE PHARISEES OR THE PRIESTS, THEY BECAME UNOFFICIAL TEACHERS, AND WHEN PEOPLE WANTED TO KNOW HOW JEWISH LAW APPLIED TO A PARTICULAR SITUATION, THEY WOULD OFTEN GO TO THE SCRIBE. SCRIBES HAD AN ELABORATE SYSTEM OF CHECKS AND BALANCES TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COPY WAS IDENTICAL TO THE ORIGINAL; AFTER A DAY'S WORK COPYING, THE TEXT WAS STUDIED BY TWO OTHER SCRIBES. IF THERE WERE ANY AMBIGUITIES, THE WHOLE EFFORT WAS DESTROYED AND THE SCRIBE HAD TO START OVER AGAIN. SO SCRIBES WERE TRUSTED MORE THAN PRIESTS AND PHARISEES AS WELL, AND FUNCTIONED AS LAWYERS, JUDGES, AND TEACHERS.

WIDOWS IN JESUS' TIME WERE AT THE VERY LOW END OF THE SOCIAL SPECTRUM. THE HEBREW WORD FOR WIDOW MEANS “SILENT ONE”. BECAUSE THEY WERE WOMEN, THEY HAD NO VOICE; AND BECAUSE THEY WERE WIDOWS, THEY HAD NO ONE TO SPEAK FOR THEM. THEY COULD TURN TO THEIR CHILDREN OR TO RELATIVES FOR HELP, BUT THERE WERE MANY WHO HAD NO RESOURCES. THE TEMPLE WAS THE SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM. A WIDOW WAS ENTITLED TO RECEIVE ENOUGH TO LIVE ON FROM THE TEMPLE TREASURY. HOWEVER, SOME WIDOWS WHO HAD NO CHILDREN OR RELATIVES, MIGHT VERY WELL BE LEFT OWNING A HOME, USUALLY A ONE ROOMED BUILDING WITH A DIRT FLOOR. THESE WERE THE ONES PREYED UPON BY SOME OF THE SCRIBES AND OTHER RELIGIOUS LEADERS. YOU CAN IMAGINE THE ARGUMENT: “THE TEMPLE TREASURY IS MEANT TO SUPPORT THE POOR; YOU HAVE A HOME, SO YOU AREN'T POOR. YOU NEED TO SELL IT FIRST, AND DONATE THE MONEY TO THE TEMPLE. THEN YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR CHARITY. AND THINK OF THE ADDED BENEFIT! YOU WILL HAVE OUR PRAYERS FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!” IF YOU ARE ILLITERATE, ALL ALONE IN THE WORLD, AND YOU FEEL LIKE GOD REALLY HAS IT IN FOR YOU, THIS SOUNDS LIKE A PRETTY GOOD DEAL.

SO THAT IS THE CONTEXT IN WHICH WE READ JESUS' STORY OF THE WIDOW. NOTICE HE DOESN'T PRAISE HER, HE MERELY OBSERVES. “LOOK AT THAT POOR WIDOW,” HE SAYS. “SHE IS GIVING AWAY ALL SHE HAS TO LIVE ON BECAUSE OF HOW SHE'S BEEN BRAINWASHED BY THE SCRIBES.”

A LOT OF US IDENTIFY WITH THE WIDOW, AND FEEL THAT WE ARE COMING UP SHORT. WE GIVE FROM OUR ABUNDANCE, NOT FROM OUR NEED. BUT DO WE EVER IDENTIFY WITH THE SCRIBES? HOW ABOUT THAT GREAT PHRASE, “LET THE BUYER BEWARE!” WE ARE CONSTANTLY BOMBARDED IN OUR NATION BY LESS-THAN-TRUE MESSAGES. ORGANIC COFFEE WHICH ISN'T REALLY; HIDDEN FEES WHEN WE BUY PRACTICALLY ANYTHING; POLITICAL ADDS THAT ACCUSE THE OTHER GUY OF EVEN MURDER, LET ALONE ALL THE OTHER KINDS OF VENALITY YOU CAN IMAGINE. OR POLITICAL ADDS THAT MAKE PROMISES NO ONE EXPECTS WILL BE KEPT, INCLUDING THE CANDIDATE. OR MEASUREMENT OF THE SUCCESS OF A FAITH FORMATION PROGRAM BY THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED, RATHER THAN BY HOW MANY NEW CHURCH-GOING CHURCH-PARTICIPATING YOUNG PEOPLE ARE TURNED OUT. WE LIE TO EACH OTHER, AND WE LIE TO OURSELVES ALL THE TIME.
I REMEMBER MANY YEARS AGO MY FAMILY AND I WERE CAMPING IN THE PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH COUNTRY. AS WE DROVE DOWN A COUNTRY ROAD, THERE WAS A YOUNG MAN WHO WAS OBVIOUSLY AMISH, BY HIS DRESS, SELLING FRESH CORN. I GOT OUT TO BUY SOME. “WAS THAT JUST PICKED THIS MORNING?” I ASKED. HE LOOKED AT ME FOR A MOMENT. “NO, WE PICKED IT YESTERDAY IN THE AFTERNOON.” HE REPLIED. HE NEVER HAD TO SAY THAT; HE COULD HAVE NODDED HIS HEAD TO MY QUESTION OR PRETENDED HE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND. I WASN'T REALLY THAT INTERESTED IN THE ANSWER, ANYWAY. BUT HIS WAY OF LIFE WAS TO BE SCRUPULOUSLY HONEST, EVEN IF IT MEANT THAT HE MIGHT LOSE A SALE.

WE CHRISTIANS ARE LIKE OTHER PEOPLE; IF THERE IS A BARGAIN, WE TAKE IT; AND IF THERE IS A CHANCE TO MAKE A LITTLE EXTRA MONEY HONESTLY, WE AREN'T AGAINST THAT. BUT WE ARE LIKE OTHER PEOPLE IN ANOTHER WAY AS WELL; WE CAN CONVINCE OURSELVES THAT WE ARE BLAMELESS; WE ALL BELIEVE OUR OWN LIES. THE SCRIBES WHO DEVOURED THE HOUSES OF THE WIDOWS DID NOT BELIEVE THEY WERE DOING ANYTHING WRONG, AND IN FACT EVERYTHING THEY DID WAS PERFECTLY LEGAL. BUT JESUS CALLS HIS PEOPLE TO A HIGHER STANDARD. AND IT IS OUR DUTY, EVERY NOW AND THEN, TO ASK WHETHER WE, IN ANY SENSE, ARE “DEVOURING THE HOUSES OF WIDOWS” IN OUR DEALINGS WITH OTHER PEOPLE? OR ARE WE CONSTANTLY STRIVING TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST AND OPEN--IN FACT, AS WE DEAL WITH OTHER PEOPLE, ARE WE LOOKING OUT FOR THEIR WELFARE WITH AS MUCH ATTENTION AS WE LOOK OUT FOR OUR OWN?

GENEROSITY IS A WONDERFUL THING, AND WE COULDN'T SURVIVE AS A CHURCH WITHOUT THE GENEROSITY OF OUR PEOPLE. AND THERE ARE MANY PASSAGES IN SCRIPTURE WHICH SUPPORT A GENEROUS SPIRIT. BUT MAYBE THE STORY OF THE WIDOW WHO GIVES EVERYTHING SHE HAS TO THE TEMPLE TREASURY IS REALLY A CAUTIONARY TALE ABOUT PEOPLE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OTHER PEOPLE. AND THEY WILL RECEIVE A VERY SEVERE CONDEMNATION.

Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

MARK 12:28-34

ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS ONCE ASKED WHICH CHURCH HE BELONGED TO. HE REPLIED, “I HAVE NEVER JOINED A CHURCH, BUT WHEN ANY CHURCH WILL INSCRIBE OVER ITS ALTAR, AS ITS SOLE QUALIFICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP, THE WORDS OF THE SAVIOR, "THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THEY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART AND WITH ALL THY SOUL; AND THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF," THAT CHURCH WILL I JOIN WITH ALL MY HEART AND ALL MY SOUL."

SOME OF YOU OLDER FOLKS MAY REMEMBER INDULGENCES. CERTAIN PRAYERS AND ACTIONS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THE LITTLE STATEMENT “300 DAYS INDULGENCE.” WHAT IT MEANT WAS THAT THE CHURCH, WITH THE POWER TO “BIND ON EARTH WHAT IS BOUND IN HEAVEN” HAD PRONOUNCED THAT SAYING THE PRAYER WAS THE EQUIVALENT OF 300 DAYS OF FORMAL PENANCE. THE CHURCH HAD RULES ABOUT HOW LATE YOU COULD BE FOR SUNDAY MASS AND NOT COMMIT A MORTAL SIN, OR HOW MUCH ACTUAL WORK YOU COULD DO ON A SUNDAY WITHOUT CROSSING OVER INTO DAMNATION. THERE WERE MANY OTHER THINGS ABOUT THE CHURCH THAT SEEMED TO SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT GOD KEPT CAREFUL TRACK OF YOUR GOOD DEEDS AND YOUR PRAYERS, AND BALANCED THESE AGAINST YOUR FAILINGS. ON THE ONE HAND, ALL THESE RULES GAVE US VERY CLEAR LINES, AND THAT WAS QUITE HELPFUL WHEN YOU WENT TO CONFESSION, WHICH WAS FAIRLY OFTEN. ON THE OTHER HAND, MANY OF US, ME INCLUDED, HAD SERIOUS ATTACKS OF SCRUPLES NOW AND THEN. BUT WE TRIED TO FOLLOW THE RULES, HOPING WE WOULD STAY ON GOD'S GOOD SIDE.

SO TODAY JESUS TELLS THE SCRIBE THAT THE GREATEST OF THE COMMANDMENTS IS TO LOVE GOD WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART, SOUL, MIND AND STRENGTH, AND THE SECOND, TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. BUT WHY? WHY FOLLOW THESE COMMANDMENTS? NOWADAYS WE WOULD CERTAINLY NEVER SAY THAT GOD IS PERSUADED BY US ACCUMULATING GOOD WORKS AND SAYING PRAYERS, AS I THINK MOST OF US SORT OF THOUGHT IN THE OLDEN DAYS. IN OTHER WORDS, WE CAN'T MAKE GOD LOVE US MORE BY FOLLOWING THE COMMANDMENT GIVEN BY JESUS. ON THE OTHER HAND, IF GOD LOVES US UNCONDITIONALLY, THEN WHY SHOULD WE FOLLOW JESUS' COMMANDMENT? WILL IT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE IN THE LONG RUN?

FATHER RICHARD ROLLHEISER MADE AN INTERESTING POINT IN ONE OF HIS ARTICLES. HE SAID THAT GOD LOVES SATAN AS MUCH AS HE LOVES THE BLESSED MOTHER. IT'S KIND OF SHOCKING, BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IT'S TRUE. GOD IS LOVE, AND GOD CAN'T DIAL BACK LOVE; THAT WOULD BE TO DENY HIS OWN NATURE. YOU CAN'T TAKE SOMETHING THAT IS INFINITE AND MAKE IT FINITE; HALF OF INFINITY IS STILL INFINITY. BUT WHAT THIS STATEMENT TELLS US IS THAT HOW WE RESPOND TO GOD'S LOVE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.

WE KNOW HOW OUR MOTHER MARY RESPONDED TO GOD'S LOVE. THE ANGEL ANNOUNCED THAT SHE WOULD BE THE MOTHER OF JESUS. SHE QUESTIONED, “HOW CAN THIS BE, FOR I DO NOT KNOW MAN?”. SHE DIDN'T SAY NO, JUST WANTED SOME CLARIFICATION. WHEN THE ANGEL ANSWERED HER QUESTION, SHE REPLIED, NOT, “YOUR WILL BE DONE”, BUT “DO IT TO ME!” IF GOD ASKS YOU TO JUMP, PEOPLE LIKE MARY ASK “HOW HIGH?” ON THE WAY UP.

AND WE KNOW HOW SATAN RESPONDED TO GOD'S WILL. WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHY SATAN ENDED UP AT THE LOWEST POINT IN HELL, BUT WE CAN GLEAN CERTAIN THINGS FROM THE SCRIPTURES. FIRST, HE WAS ONCE CALLED LUCIFER – THE ONE WHO CARRIES LIGHT. THEN AT SOME POINT OUTSIDE OF TIME AND SPACE HE AND ONE THIRD OF ALL OF THE ANGELS CREATED BY GOD REBELLED. THE REASON FOR THIS ISN'T CLEAR. SOME PEOPLE WHO STUDY THE MATTER SAY THAT LUCIFER DID NOT WISH TO BE SUBORDINATE TO GOD. BUT ANOTHER IDEA IS THAT LUCIFER COULD NOT STAND THE THOUGHT OF GOD BECOMING MAN, – GOD, WHO HAD NEVER BECOME AN ANGEL, DECIDED TO BECOME A CREATURE FAR INFERIOR TO ANGELS. LUCIFER BECAME SATAN WHEN HE CRIED OUT, “I WILL NOT SERVE!”

IN THE DIVINE COMEDY, IT TURNS OUT THAT SATAN IS AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF HELL, HIS LEGS FROZEN IN ICE. HIS WINGS ARE CONSTANTLY FLAPPING, KEEPING THE ICE FROM MELTING, AND KEEPING HIM TRAPPED. IT TURNS OUT THAT THE BOTTOM OF HELL IS THE CLOSEST PART OF HELL TO GOD. ALL OF SATAN'S ENERGY IS DEVOTED TO GETTING AWAY FROM GOD. THE OTHER INTERESTING THING ABOUT HELL, AS DANTE DESCRIBES IT, IS THAT THERE IS A SIGN OVER THE ENTRANCE SAYING, “ABANDON ALL HOPE, YOU WHO ENTER HERE.” BUT THE GATES ARE ACTUALLY IN RUINS, AND ANYONE IN HELL COULD LEAVE ANY TIME HE OR SHE WANTED TO. ALL THEY WOULD HAVE TO DO IS ABANDON THE HOPE THAT THEY CAN CONTROL THEIR DESTINY, THAT THEY ARE IN SOME WAY THEIR OWN GOD.

SO WHY SHOULD WE LOVE GOD AND LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR? IS IT FOR OUR SELF-INTEREST? SO THAT WE WILL GO TO HEAVEN? NOT REALLY. LOVING GOD AND LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR IS A RESPONSE TO GOD'S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE FOR US. IF WE ARE IN LOVE WITH GOD, HIS WILL BECOMES OUR WILL, AND LIKE MARY WE SAY, “DO IT TO ME!” IF GOD LOVES OUR NEIGHBOR UNCONDITIONALLY, THAN SO SHOULD WE; OUR GOAL SHOULD BE THAT OUR NEIGHBOR HAS ALL HE NEEDS TO HAVE IN ORDER TO BE FULLY HUMAN, IN ORDER TO REACH ALL HIS POTENTIAL. AND IF GOD LOVES ME UNCONDITIONALLY, THEN SO SHOULD I LOVE GOD UNCONDITIONALLY, WHICH MEANS THAT GOD BECOMES THE CENTER OF MY EXISTENCE, NOT MONEY, POWER, PLEASURE OR FAME. AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, GOD'S WILL IS MY WILL.

ONCE THERE WAS A BEGGAR. ONE DAY HE HEARD THAT THE KING WAS GOING TO BE PASSING THROUGH TOWN, SO HE PARKED HIMSELF BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WHEN THE KING CAME BY, THE BEGGAR BEGAN TO BEG, BUT TO HIS SURPRISE, THE KING ASKED HIM IF HE HAD ANY FOOD. THE BEGGAR WAS INCREDULOUS. BUT THE KING PERSISTED, “DO YOU HAVE ANY FOOD?” FINALLY THE BEGGAR REACHED IN HIS SACK AND GAVE THE KING ONE KERNEL OF CORN. LATER THAT DAY, AS HE PREPARED HIS EVENING MEAL, HE SAW THAT AMONG THE KERNELS OF CORN IN HIS BAG THERE WAS A SMALL GOLD NUGGET. AND HE WEPT BITTER TEARS WHEN HE REALIZED THAT HAD HE GIVEN THE KING EVERYTHING HE HAD, HE WOULD BE RICH BEYOND HIS WILDEST DREAMS.

THAT'S WHAT JESUS MEANS WHEN HE TELLS THE SCRIBE, “YOU ARE NOT FAR FROM THE KINGDOM OF GOD.” BECAUSE THE SCRIBE KNEW THE GREATEST COMMANDMENTS, ON WHICH ALL OF RELIGION IS BASED. IN THAT HE WAS LIGHT-YEARS AHEAD OF THE PHARISEES, WHO WERE STILL HUNG UP ON WHICH DISHES TO USE WITH WHICH FOOD, AND HOW FAR YOU COULD WALK ON THE SABBATH. BUT THE SCRIBE STILL HAD ONE THING TO DO – TO PUT INTO PRACTICE WHAT HE KNEW.

YOU AND I KNOW WHAT THE GREATEST COMMANDMENTS ARE. YOU AND I ARE BEGGARS BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. YOU AND I FACE THE CHOICE THAT FACED MARY, THE CHOICE THAT FACED LUCIFER. HOW WILL WE RESPOND TO THE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE OF GOD FOR US? AND WOULD ABRAHAM LINCOLN BE INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR CHURCH?

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

MARK 10:46-52

IN THE GOSPEL STORIES, JESUS WORKED MANY MIRACLES. THERE ARE ONLY TWO WHERE WE KNOW THE NAME OF THE PERSON WHO RECEIVED THE MIRACLE; ONE WAS JESUS' FRIEND LAZARUS, AND THE OTHER WAS THE MAN WE HEAR ABOUT TODAY. BUT DON'T BE FOOLED; BARTIMAEUS MEANS “SON OF TIMAEUS”, SO MARK WHO IS WRITING IN GREEK IS TRANSLATING THE HEBREW NAME FOR HIS READERS. SO WE DON'T REALLY KNOW HIS NAME AFTER ALL, JUST THE NAME OF HIS FATHER, AND MAYBE NOT EVEN THAT. THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER INTERESTING THINGS IN THIS STORY, THINGS TYPICAL OF MARK, WHO LIKES TO WRITE ON MANY DIFFERENT LEVELS. TIMAEUS IS A GREEK WORD MEANING “LUCKY” OR “FAVORED.” IT IS ALSO AN ARAMAIC WORD MEANING “CURSED.” MARK, WHO KNEW BOTH LANGUAGES, MIGHT HAVE KNOWN THIS, BUT I DON'T THINK HIS READERS WOULD HAVE. BUT THEY MIGHT HAVE SEEN THE IRONY IN CALLING A BLIND BEGGAR “SON OF FAVOR” OR “SON OF GOOD LUCK.”

DO YOU REMEMBER THE OTHER STORY FROM MARK ABOUT HEALING A BLIND MAN, THE STORY WE HEARD JUST ABOUT FIVE WEEKS AGO. THE FIRST BLIND MAN NEVER SPEAKS; BARTIMAEUS CRIES OUT. THE FIRST MAN IS BROUGHT TO JESUS BY OTHER PEOPLE; THE CROWDS TRY TO SILENCE BARTIMAEUS AND KEEP HIM FROM JESUS. JESUS TAKES THE FIRST BLIND MAN OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE, ALONE. BARTIMAEUS IS COMES TO JESUS IN THE MIDDLE OF A CROWD. JESUS HEALS THE FIRST BLIND MAN BY MAKING MUD AND PUTTING IT ON HIS EYES; AND REMEMBER HOW AT FIRST THE MAN COULD SEE PEOPLE, BUT THEY LOOKED LIKE TREES? HE NEEDED A SECOND TREATMENT. BARTIMAEUS IS HEALED WITHOUT ANY SORT OF TOUCH. THE FIRST BLIND MAN IS SENT HOME, AND TOLD NOT TO GO BACK TO THE VILLAGE, WHERE APPARENTLY HIS FRIENDS MIGHT BE WAITING. BARTIMAEUS IS ALLOWED TO FOLLOW JESUS. NOW YOU AND I DON'T THINK LIKE THE PEOPLE WHO FIRST HEARD THIS GOSPEL READ. THEY WOULD HAVE HEARD A VERY LONG SEGMENT, OR PERHAPS THE WHOLE THING WOULD HAVE BEEN READ. THEY ALSO HAD MUCH BETTER MEMORIES FOR DETAILS THAN WE DO, AND THEY WERE MOSTLY ILLITERATE. THEY WOULD HAVE REALLY WONDERED ABOUT THESE TWO STORIES, AND THE VASTLY DIFFERENT WAYS THAT JESUS INTERACTED WITH THE TWO BLIND MEN.

DO YOU SEE A REASON JESUS MIGHT HAVE TREATED THEM DIFFERENTLY? AGAIN, BIBLE SCHOLARS WHO HAVE GIVEN THIS SOME THOUGHT NOTICE THAT BARTIMAEUS (WE'LL CALL HIM THAT, EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T REALLY KNOW HIS NAME) DOES TWO THINGS. FIRST, HE CALLS JESUS “SON OF DAVID”. IN OTHER WORDS, EVEN THOUGH HE IS BLIND AND POOR AND LIVING AT THE VERY EDGE OF SOCIETY, HE SEES WHAT NO ONE ELSE SEES, THAT JESUS IS THE PROMISED MESSIAH. HE PROCLAIMS THIS TRUTH, WHEREAS THOSE WHO CAN SEE HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE. THE SECOND THING THAT HAPPENS IS THAT BARTIMAEUS THROWS OFF HIS CLOAK AND RUNS TO JESUS. THROWING OFF HIS CLOAK HAS IMPLICATIONS. THE CLOAK OF A BLIND BEGGAR MIGHT BE THE ONLY PIECE OF CLOTHING HE HAS; HE SLEEPS IN IT, HE KEEPS HIMSELF WARM WITH IT, AND HE PROBABLY LAYS IT IN FRONT OF HIM WHEN HE IS BEGGING SO THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE MOVED TO HELP HIM OUT HAVE A PLACE TO TOSS A COIN OR TWO. IN OTHER WORDS, THE CLOAK IS HIS LIFE, IT IS HIS SECURITY, IT IS THE WAY HE MAKES A LIVING. BUT HE THROWS OFF HIS CLOAK TO RUN TO JESUS.

BARTIMAEUS, THE BLIND BEGGAR, THE SON OF FAVOR, HAS NOTHING TO LOSE. PEOPLE MAY TELL HIM TO BE QUIET, AND TRY TO KEEP HIM AWAY FROM JESUS, BUT ANYTHING IS BETTER THAN THE LIFE HE IS LIVING. HE LETS EVERYONE KNOW WHAT HE KNOWS – THAT JESUS IS LORD; AND HE DOESN'T WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW, OR WHERE HIS NEXT MEAL IS COMING FROM; HE IS SINGLE-MINDED AND SINGLE-PURPOSED – IF HE CAN MAKE IT TO JESUS, THEN ALL WILL BE WELL.

I THINK MARK MEANS FOR US TO SEE OURSELVES ON BARTIMAEUS. THE PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS IN ROME, THOSE FOR WHOM MARK WAS WRITING, WERE CONSTANTLY TEMPTED TO KEEP QUIET ABOUT THEIR FAITH. THERE WERE MANY WHO CONVERTED, BUT WHEN FACED WITH A CHOICE BETWEEN WORSHIPING THE EMPEROR AND BEING THROWN TO THE LIONS, WOULD OFTEN EMBRACE THE OLD PAGANISM THAT THEY HAD LEFT BEHIND. DESPITE HAVING BECOME CHRISTIANS, MARK SEES THAT THEY ARE STILL BLIND, STILL NOT FULLY COMMITTED TO THEIR NEW FAITH AND TO THEIR SAVIOR.

THE FIRST BLIND MAN IS PASSIVE, AND MARK TELLS HIS STORY TO SHOW JESUS' POWER, BUT ALSO TO REMIND HIS READERS THAT JESUS ANSWERS PRAYERS, AND AT THE SAME TIME, OFTEN WORKS IN SECRET. WITH THE FIRST BLIND MAN, HE IS NOT YET READY TO PROCLAIM HIS TRUE NATURE AS MESSIAH. THE SECOND BLIND MAN, ON THE OTHER HAND, COMES FORWARD AS JESUS IS GOING DOWN TO JERUSALEM TO SUFFER AND DIE. AND HE, PITIED AND SCORNED BY EVERYONE, IS REALLY THE SON OF FAVOR, THE SON OF GOOD LUCK. BECAUSE HE PROCLAIMS CHRIST, BECAUSE HE THROWS CAUTION TO THE WINDS, TURNS HIS BACK ON HIS LIFE TO GO TO JESUS, HE IS GIVEN HIS SIGHT.

YOU AND I HAVE A LOT IN COMMON WITH THOSE EARLY CHRISTIANS IN ROME. WE LET OURSELVES BE CONTROLLED BY OUR NEED FOR SECURITY. WE DON'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING THAT MIGHT RISK WHAT WE HAVE. WE ESPECIALLY DON'T WANT TO PROCLAIM CHRIST AND RISK RIDICULE. SO WE MAKE EXCUSES, WE PROMISE OURSELVES THAT WE WILL LIVE GOOD LIVES, THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH. AND WHEN THE CHURCH CALLS US TO BE COUNTERCULTURAL, TO BE DIFFERENT FROM THE PREVAILING SOCIETY, WE DON'T LISTEN. WE'RE NOT SURE WE EVEN AGREE WITH THE CHURCH ON THAT SUBJECT. ISN'T IT BETTER TO BLEND IN, TO NOT THREATEN ANYONE WITH OUR PRIVATE BELIEFS? ISN'T IT BETTER TO JUST GO ON DOING OUR JOB, MAKING OUR LIVING, BUILDING UP OUR ESTATE, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE? BELIEVE ME, THOSE THOUGHTS GO THROUGH MY HEAD. YOU AND I CAN JUSTIFY ABOUT ANY POSITION WE WANT TO.

BUT HERE IS A MAN, A SON OF FAVOR, WHO BOLDLY PROCLAIMS CHRIST AND THROWS OFF HIS SECURITY TO FOLLOW HIM. AND HE IS THE ONE WHO GETS HIS PRAYER ANSWERED.

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, CYCLE B

MARK 10:35-45

IN THE GOSPEL TODAY, JAMES AND JOHN COME ACROSS AS FAIRLY JUVENILE, AND THE REST OF THE APOSTLES DON'T SEEM MUCH BETTER WHEN THEY BECOME INDIGNANT AT JAMES AND JOHN. BUT I THINK WE MIGHT BE MISSING THE POINT OF THIS STORY IF WE LEAVE IT AT THAT, AND SEE THIS AS JUST A WAY FOR JESUS TO MAKE HIS POINT THAT IF YOU WANT TO BE GREAT, YOU MUST BE A SERVANT. THE FIRST THING TO NOTICE IS THAT RIGHT BEFORE THIS GOSPEL, JESUS TELLS THE APOSTLES FOR THE THIRD TIME THAT HE IS GOING TO SUFFER, DIE, AND RISE AGAIN. BY NOW EVEN THE DENSEST APOSTLE MUST HAVE BEGUN TO SUSPECT THAT JESUS REALLY MEANT WHAT HE SAID. SECOND, THE PHRASES JESUS USES, “DRINK THE CUP I MUST DRINK,” “BE BAPTIZED WITH THE BAPTISM WITH WHICH I WILL BE BAPTIZED” ARE KIND OF ODD; AFTER ALL, JESUS HAS ALREADY BEEN BAPTIZED BY JOHN. BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT THESE PHRASES WERE USED BY SOLDIERS – TO DRINK THE CUP MEANT TO BE WILLING TO DIE IN BATTLE; TO BE BAPTIZED MEANT TO COMMIT YOURSELF COMPLETELY TO YOUR FELLOW SOLDIERS. IN FACT, SOMETIMES THIS WAS ACCOMPANIED BY HAVING BULL'S BLOOD POURED ON YOU – SORT OF A RELIGIOUS CEREMONY. AND MARK WAS WRITING TO AN AUDIENCE WHO KNEW THESE THINGS, THE PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS OF ROME.

SO MAYBE JAMES AND JOHN, WHEN THEY ASKED TO BE ON HIS RIGHT AND LEFT HAND, AND PROMISED THAT THEY COULD DRINK THE CUP, WERE VOLUNTEERING TO GO ALL THE WAY WITH HIM, EVEN IF IT MEANT THEIR DEATHS; I THINK THAT MAKES MORE SENSE IN TERMS OF WHY THE REST OF THE APOSTLES BECAME INDIGNANT; THEY WISHED THEY HAD THOUGHT OF IT FIRST.

AND IT GOES ALONG WITH JESUS' REPLY TO THEM, WHICH WAS GENTLE, AND NOT AT ALL CRITICAL.

BUT JESUS WAS CORRECTING THEM. IF YOU GREW UP IN CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN THE OLDEN DAYS, YOU LEARNED A LOT ABOUT SAINTS. I THINK MOST OF US KIDS HAD A SORT OF FASCINATION FOR MARTYRS. WHEN I HEARD THE STORY ABOUT ST. THERESA OF AVILA AND HER BROTHER, AS LITTLE CHILDREN, RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME IN THE HOPES OF BEING MARTYRED BY THE MOSLEMS, I IDENTIFIED WITH THAT. THERE IS SOMETHING WONDERFUL ABOUT GOING OUT IN A BURST OF GLORY WITH HEAVEN GUARANTEED. AND I THINK JAMES AND JOHN DECIDED THAT IF JESUS COULD DIE AND RISE AGAIN, AS HE HAD SAID, THEY COULDN'T DO BETTER THAN TO GO ALONG WITH HIM. IN ANOTHER GOSPEL STORY, WE HEAR A SIMILAR SENTIMENT FROM THOMAS, WHO SAYS, WHEN JESUS INSISTS ON GOING TO JERUSALEM, “LET US GO AND DIE WITH HIM.”

BUT JESUS MAKES TWO POINTS. FIRST, HE CANNOT NAME WHO IS GOING TO BE ON HIS RIGHT AND LEFT HAND. MORE ABOUT THAT LATER. THE SECOND IS THAT IF WE WANT TO BE GREAT WE MUST BECOME SERVANTS.

NOW WHEN I HEAR THAT CHALLENGE, I ALWAYS FEEL GUILTY. I THINK OF PEOPLE LIKE MOTHER THERESA OR MY FRIEND IN BUFFALO WHO RUNS A MINISTRY FOR THE HOMELESS AND DEPENDS ON CHARITY TO KEEP IT AND HIMSELF GOING. MOST OF US LOOK AT OUR LIVES AND SAY, WELL, I AM DOING A LITTLE SERVING; I'M ON THE PARISH COUNCIL, I WORK IN THE SOUP KITCHEN ONCE A MONTH – MOST OF US DO SOMETHING, AND WISH WE COULD DO MORE. BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'S WHAT JESUS IS TALKING ABOUT.

HE IDENTIFIES THAT JAMES AND JOHN'S HEARTS ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE, AND PROMISES THEM THAT THEY WILL DRINK HIS CUP AND BE BAPTIZED WITH HIS BAPTISM. BUT HE EQUATES GREATNESS WITH AN ATTITUDE OF SERVICE.

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, THE ONLY KIND OF DOCTORS WE HAD IN MY HOME TOWN WERE GENERAL PRACTITIONERS. THEY WOULD DO EVERYTHING AND THEY WOULD TREAT ANYONE WHO CAME THROUGH THE DOOR, EVEN BABIES. OUR GENERAL PRACTITIONER DELIVERED MY YOUNGEST SISTER, TOOK OUT MY APPENDIX, AND REMOVED MY TONSILS – NOWADAYS YOU WOULD NEED THREE DIFFERENT SPECIALISTS FOR THOSE THINGS. HE HAD A VERY NICE HOME IN OUR TOWN, UP WHERE THE RICH PEOPLE LIVED. HE DROVE A NICE CAR, I THINK IT WAS A LINCOLN. HE SENT HIS KIDS TO GOOD PRIVATE COLLEGES. HE AND HIS WIFE TOOK GREAT VACATIONS THAT WE ENVIED – I KNOW THESE THINGS BECAUSE MY MOTHER, WHO WAS A NURSE, USED TO TALK ABOUT THEM AROUND THE SUPPER TABLE. HE MUST HAVE DONE WELL FINANCIALLY.

HE WAS KIND TO EVERYBODY, INCLUDING LITTLE KIDS; HE WAS AT MASS NEARLY EVERY DAY, AND HE GAVE AWAY A LOT OF HIS MEDICAL CARE TO PEOPLE WHO COULDN'T AFFORD IT – THIS WAS BEFORE MEDICARE. HE DIED OF A HEART ATTACK ONE SNOWY NIGHT ON HIS WAY TO A HOUSE CALL. THE POINT IS THAT HIS WHOLE LIFE WAS A SERVANT-LIFE, EVEN THOUGH HE MADE MONEY AND LIVED WELL.

I THINK JESUS IS NOT SO MUCH ASKING ALL OF US TO GIVE EVERYTHING UP AND BECOME MOTHER THERESA'S, ALTHOUGH SOME ARE CALLED TO THAT KIND OF LIFE. I THINK HE IS TELLING US THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT HOW OUR LIVES SERVE, AND APPROACH THE LIFE WE LIVE WITH THAT ATTITUDE. A MAN WHO SELLS GROCERIES CAN BE A SERVANT – A WOMAN WHO IS A LAWYER CAN BE A SERVANT. WHEN YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR KIDS OR HELP OUT AN ELDERLY PARENT, YOU ARE BEING A SERVANT. IF WE SEE THAT, IF WE SEE HOW WHAT WE DO TIES IN WITH JESUS' STATEMENT, THEN THE WAY WE LOOK AT OUR WORK AND OUR DAILY DUTIES TRANSFORMS THEM FROM THE ORDINARY TO SOMETHING THAT GOES WAY BEYOND THE ORDINARY – SOMETHING THAT MAKES US GREAT. I KNOW MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE GRASPED THIS, AND IT REALLY SHOWS IN THE WAY THEY LIVE, IN THE WAY THEY DO THEIR WORK.

SAINT JOSEMARIA ESCRIVA, THE FOUNDER OF OPUS DEI, SAID THAT THE TASK OF THE LAY PERSON IS NOT TO WORK BECAUSE WE HAVE TO, BUT TO WORK SO THAT WE MAKE THE WORK HOLY, AND THROUGH THE WORK, MAKE THE WORLD HOLY AND MAKE OURSELVES HOLY. WHEN WE GET AWAY FROM THE IDEA THAT SERVANT WORK MEANS THAT YOU DO SOMETHING THAT YOU DON'T GET PAID FOR, THE ORDINARY THINGS WE DO DAY TO DAY ARE SEEN IN A NEW LIGHT, AND WE REALIZE THAT THERE IS A WAY FOR A BANKER OR A CHEF OR AN INSURANCE SALESMAN TO BE A SERVANT TO OTHERS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAILY GRIND.

BEING A MARTYR, DYING A HEROIC DEATH AND WAKING UP IN HEAVEN, THAT'S STILL KIND OF FASCINATING. BUT TO APPROACH EVERYTHING YOU ORDINARILY DO AS AN ACT OF SERVICE IS THE WAY MOST OF US WILL SAVE OUR SOULS.

AS FOR THE TWO WHO WILL SIT AT HIS RIGHT AND LEFT HANDS, I DON'T THINK ANY OF US WILL KNOW UNTIL WE GET TO HEAVEN. BUT I THINK ONE OF THEM IS OUR BLESSED MOTHER, WHO WAS THE FIRST PERSON IN WHOM JESUS LIVED – THE FIRST CHRISTIAN. AND THE OTHER IS MARY MAGDALENE, WHO WAS CLEANSED OF SEVEN DEMONS BY JESUS, WHO WASHED HIS FEET WITH HER HAIR, WEPT OVER HER SINS – THE FIRST PERSON TO WHOM JESUS APPEARED AFTER HIS RESURRECTION, THE FIRST ONE HE SENT TO ANNOUNCE THE GOOD NEWS. YOU MAY HAVE OTHER IDEAS, BUT I LIKE THE IDEA OF THE TWO WOMEN WHO LOVED HIM MOST IN HIS EARTHLY LIFE ARE SITTING AT HIS RIGHT AND LEFT HANDS IN HEAVEN.

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

MARK 10:17-30

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE LADY WHO WENT INTO A PET STORE? THE OWNER SOLD HER A BEAUTIFUL PARROT, TELLING HER THAT THIS BIRD COULD TALK UP A STORM. SHE BROUGHT IT HOME, AND IT DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING. SHE WENT BACK AND THE OWNER SAID, WELL, MAYBE YOU NEED A MIRROR SO HE WON'T FEEL LONELY. SO SHE BOUGHT THAT. IT DIDN'T WORK. SHE WENT BACK AGAIN, AND HE SOLD HER A LADDER SO THE BIRD COULD GET EXERCISE. DIDN'T WORK. THEN HE SOLD HER A SWING, SO THE BIRD COULD FEEL LIKE IT WAS ON A TREE BRANCH. A FEW DAYS LATER, THE LADY CAME BACK AND SAID, NOTHING WORKED. THE OWNER ASKED, DID THE PARROT EVER SAY ANYTHING? WELL, SAID THE LADY, JUST BEFORE IT DIED I THINK I HEARD IT WHISPER, “LADY, DOESN'T THAT PET SHOP SELL ANY FOOD?” THE PARROT HAD EVERYTHING BUT THE ONE THING IT REALLY NEEDED.

WHEN WE HEAR THIS GOSPEL STORY OF THE RICH YOUNG MAN, I THINK MANY OF US FOCUS ON THE STATEMENT JESUS MADE, IN WHICH HE SAYS THAT IT IS EASIER FOR A CAMEL TO PASS THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE THAN FOR ONE WHO IS RICH TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD. AND WE CONCLUDE, RICHES ARE BAD. OR, PERHAPS WE ABSTRACT IT A LITTLE AND SAY THE STORY SIMPLY MEANS THAT WE NEED TO BE DETACHED FROM OUR WEALTH, OUR THINGS. IN OTHER WORDS, WE CAN HANG ON TO THEM AS LONG AS THEY DON'T BECOME THE CENTER OF OUR EXISTENCE. AND OF COURSE IT TURNS OUT THAT IT IS A LOT EASIER TO BE DETACHED FROM STUFF IF YOU HAVE STUFF, SO WE CAN GO BACK TO WHAT WE ARE DOING BEFORE THE GOSPEL STORY DISTURBED US.

BUT MARK MAKES SURE THAT WE KNOW THIS RICH MAN IS GOOD. FIRST, HE OBEYS ALL THE COMMANDMENTS. WE CAN ASSUME THAT BESIDES THOSE LISTED HERE, HE KEEPS ALL THE OTHER COMMANDMENTS OF JEWISH LAW, MANY OF WHICH HAVE TO DO WITH CHARITY TOWARDS THE POOR, TITHING, AND PROPER TREATMENT OF ONE'S SERVANTS OR SLAVES. AND TO TOP IT OFF, JESUS LOOKED AT HIM AND LOVED HIM. TO THE PEOPLE OF JESUS' TIME THERE WOULD BE NO QUESTION THAT THIS RICH MAN WAS GOOD; NOT ONLY DID HE TAKE PAINS TO OBEY THE LAW IN ALL ITS DETAILS, BUT IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT GOD LOOKED ON HIM FAVORABLY; BECAUSE HE WAS RICH. THAT'S WHY THE APOSTLES WERE AMAZED AT HIS WORDS. AFTER ALL, THE MANY STORIES IN SCRIPTURE SHOWED THAT GOD REWARDED THE PEOPLE WHO KEPT HIS LAW, AND PUNISHED THOSE WHO DIDN'T. WHEN ABRAHAM WAS FAITHFUL, HE BECAME VERY RICH; WHEN JOB REMAINED FAITHFUL EVEN IN ADVERSITY, GOD GAVE HIM BACK EVERYTHING HE HAD ALLOWED TO BE TAKEN, AND MORE.

BUT HERE'S THE THING. JESUS HAS NOTHING AGAINST RICHES IN AND OF THEMSELVES. WHAT HE DEMONSTRATED IN TELLING THE MAN THAT HE LACKED ONE THING, AND THAT HE SHOULD GO, SELL ALL HE HAD AND GIVE TO THE POOR AND FOLLOW JESUS, WAS THAT THE MAN HAD NO FAITH. AND THAT'S THE DANGER OF RICHES; THEY MAKE US THINK THAT WE CAN CONTROL OUR LIVES, OUR DESTINIES. WE GOT OUR RICHES BY WORKING HARD AND APPLYING OURSELVES. SOME OF US BUILT BUSINESSES THAT TOOK EVERY WAKING MOMENT; SOME OF US SPENT MANY YEARS BECOMING EDUCATED IN OUR FIELD AND PUTTING OFF THE GOOD THINGS IN LIFE UNTIL WE FINISHED. SOME OF US ARE STILL WORKING TO ACHIEVE GOALS THAT WE SET FOR OURSELVES. SO YOU AND I AND MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS CHURCH, WHO ARE RICH BEYOND THE WILDEST DREAMS OF THE RICH MAN IN JESUS' STORY, KNOW BECAUSE OF OUR LIFE EXPERIENCES THAT HARD WORK, SMART WORK, AND A LITTLE LUCK CAN GET US WHERE WE WANT TO GO. AND IT JUST SEEMS LOGICAL THAT GETTING INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS THE SAME; JUST FOLLOW THE RULES, AVOID SERIOUS SIN, TAKE PART IN THE SACRAMENTS, PRAY NOW AND THEN, TREAT PEOPLE DECENTLY.

BUT NO, JESUS SAYS. TO GET INTO THE KINGDOM YOU HAVE TO COMPLETELY CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE; YOU HAVE TO GET RID OF THE IDEA THAT YOU CAN DO ANYTHING THAT CAN MAKE GOD DO SOMETHING FOR YOU IN RETURN. IN SHORT, YOU HAVE TO HAVE FAITH. AND FOR THE RICH MAN, TO DO THIS HE HAD TO GET RID OF HIS RICHES, BECAUSE THAT WAS THE BARRIER THAT KEPT HIM FROM LETTING GOD TAKE OVER HIS LIFE. TO PUT YOUR CHANCE FOR ETERNAL LIFE IN THE HANDS OF SOMEONE ELSE, EVEN GOD, WAS MORE THAN HE COULD BEAR.

I THINK EACH OF US WHO IS TRYING TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN HAS TO FACE THAT MOMENT WHEN WE ARE CHALLENGED TO LET GO OF THE FALSE IDEA THAT WE ARE IN CONTROL, THAT IF WE JUST DO THE RIGHT THINGS, WE CAN COUNT ON GOD, JUST LIKE IF I GIVE MONEY TO A CAR DEALER, I CAN EXPECT A CAR. AND I THINK THAT GOD GIVES EACH OF US A MOMENT WHEN, LIKE THE RICH MAN, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE OUR MINDS. WHEN I MEET SOMEONE WITH TERMINAL CANCER, OR VISIT SOMEONE WHO IS VERY OLD AND FRAIL, SOMETIMES I SEE THAT THEY HAVE REACHED THAT POINT WHERE THEY REALIZE THAT THEY ARE NO LONGER IN CONTROL, THAT EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON THE GENEROSITY AND GOOD WILL OF OTHER PEOPLE. AND PERHAPS FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE YOU CAN COME TO REALIZE THAT ENTERING THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON GOD'S GOOD GRACES.

THERE ONCE WAS A LITTLE GIRL WHO TREASURED A NECKLACE MADE OF PLASTIC BEADS. ONE DAY HER FATHER ASKED HER TO GIVE IT TO HIM. SHE REFUSED. EVERY NOW AND THEN, HE WOULD ASK HER AGAIN, GENTLY, BUT INSISTENTLY, “GIVE ME THAT NECKLACE PLEASE.” AND SHE WOULD ALWAYS REFUSE. FINALLY, ONE DAY IN TEARS SHE TOOK OFF THE NECKLACE AND PLACED IT IN HIS HANDS. “THERE! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?” SHE SAID. AND THE FATHER REACHED IN HIS POCKET AND HANDED HER A BEAUTIFUL NECKLACE MADE OF PERFECT PEARLS.

THIS IS THE HARDEST THING FOR A HUMAN BEING TO DO, I THINK – BECAUSE I HAVEN'T DONE IT, SO I DON'T KNOW – TO LET GO OF ONE'S SECURITY, WHICH IS REALLY WHAT JESUS IS ASKING OF THE YOUNG MAN. IT IS INTERESTING THAT PETER SUDDENLY RECOGNIZES THAT HE AND THE OTHER APOSTLES HAVE DONE WHAT JESUS HAS ASKED OF THE YOUNG MAN – LIKE A LIGHT BULB COMING ON, HE RECOGNIZES THAT THIS IS PRECISELY WHAT JESUS IS ASKING – THAT COMPLETE TRUST IN HIM IS THE KEY TO THE KINGDOM.

AND WHENEVER I HEAR THIS GOSPEL, I FEEL A LITTLE SAD, BECAUSE I REALLY IDENTIFY WITH THE RICH YOUNG MAN. BUT THEN I TAKE HOPE FROM JESUS' STATEMENT THAT WITH GOD, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

MARK 10:2-16

TWO OF OUR READINGS TODAY DEAL WITH MARRIAGE. MY PARENTS, BOTH OF WHOM I LOVED DEARLY, DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE A VERY HAPPY MARRIAGE. THEY AND ALL THEIR FRIENDS ARE GONE NOW, SO I'M SURE THEY WOULDN'T MIND BEING IN MY SERMON TODAY. MOM GREW UP ON A FARM WHERE EVERY YEAR IT WAS TOUCH AND GO; THE GREAT DEPRESSION WAS ON, AND MY GRANDFATHER LOST HIS FARM ONCE AND NEARLY DID SO OTHER TIMES WHEN A HAILSTORM DESTROYED THE CROPS, OR THE PRICE OF SOMETHING WENT DOWN. MOM HAD AN UNHEALTHY FEAR OF BEING IN DEBT, AND MONEY PREOCCUPIED HER. DAD GREW UP IN THE CITY. HIS FOLKS NEVER WORRIED MUCH ABOUT MONEY, WHICH THEY DIDN'T HAVE. DAD FELT THAT MONEY WAS TO BE SPENT, AND IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE IT, THAT'S WHAT CREDIT WAS FOR.

IS THERE SUCH A THING AS A PERFECT MARRIAGE? NOT REALLY, NOT IN THIS LIFE; AFTER ALL, WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS. BUT I THINK THE SCRIPTURES ARE INSTRUCTIVE HERE. NOTICE THAT THE PHARISEES ASK JESUS A LEGAL QUESTION. IS IT LAWFUL... THEY SAY. BUT JESUS ANSWERS THE QUESTION NOT BY GOING TO THE MARRIAGE LAWS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, THE LAWS OF MOSES, BUT RATHER, BY GOING TO THE GENESIS STORY, WHICH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE LEGAL ISSUES WHICH HAVE TO DO WITH MARRIAGE. “FOR THIS REASON,” HE QUOTES, “A MAN LEAVES FATHER AND MOTHER AND CLEAVES TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO BECOME ONE FLESH.” THAT IS A POWERFUL IMAGE, AND PERHAPS GIVES US INSIGHT INTO A BIBLICAL VIEW OF MARRIAGE.

I REMEMBER MY DAD – HE WOULDN'T CONSIDER LEAVING THE TOWN HE GREW UP IN. HE WOULDN'T TAKE SIDES WHEN HIS MOTHER AND MY MOTHER WOULD HAVE A DISAGREEMENT, USUALLY OVER HOW WE KIDS WERE BEING RAISED. I THINK MY MOM RESENTED ALL HIS CLOSE FRIENDSHIPS WITH PEOPLE HE HAD GONE TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH. BUT JESUS SAYS YOU HAVE TO LEAVE YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; IN FACT, EVERY RELATIONSHIP WITH PEOPLE, WITH THINGS, HAS TO BE TORN DOWN AND RE-FASHIONED, BECAUSE IF YOU WANT THE KIND OF MARRIAGE GOD HAS IN MIND, YOUR SPOUSE DISPLACES ALL YOUR OTHER RELATIONSHIPS. A LOT OF US ENTER MARRIAGE THINKING WE CAN HANG ON TO WHAT WE HAD BEFORE. BUT IF WE TRY, WE CHEAT OURSELVES AND OUR SPOUSES.

MY MOTHER MUST HAVE BEEN IN LOVE WITH MY DAD AT SOME POINT. MAYBE SHE STILL WAS. BUT IT DIDN'T TAKE MUCH TO GET HER INTO A COMPLAINING MODE, AND WE KIDS HEARD A LOT OF COMPLAINTS, AS DID HER BROTHERS AND SISTERS, AND WHO KNOWS WHO ELSE? HE DOESN'T MAKE ENOUGH MONEY. WE DON'T NEED A NEW CAR. HE WANTS TO GO ON A VACATION, BUT WE HAVEN'T PAID OFF THE MORTGAGE YET. I REMEMBER WHEN DAD HAD CATARACT OPERATIONS AND THEY FITTED HIM WITH HIS NEW GLASSES. MOM KEPT COMPLAINING THAT THE GLASSES MADE HIM LOOK LIKE AN OWL, AND SHE WASN'T TRYING TO BE FUNNY.

JESUS SAYS, YOU HAVE TO CLEAVE TO YOUR SPOUSE. CLEAVING MEANS THAT YOU DON'T LET THINGS COME BETWEEN YOU. MOST OF US, AFTER THE HONEYMOON, LET MANY THINGS COME BETWEEN US; OUR CAREERS, FOR EXAMPLE. THE NEW BABY THAT COMES ALONG. THE GOLF GAME WE HAVE TO HAVE EVERY SATURDAY. AND WHENEVER SOMETHING COMES BETWEEN YOU, YOUR RELATIONSHIP TAKES SECOND PLACE; AND AFTER A WHILE, IT IS WAY DOWN THE LIST AND YOU'VE FORGOTTEN WHY YOU EVER GOT MARRIED IN THE FIRST PLACE.

WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY, I REMEMBER DAD BRINGING MOM FLOWERS ON OCCASION. SOMETIMES THEY'D HIRE A BABY SITTER AND GO OUT TO A MOVIE, OR DANCING. AS TIME WENT ON, THESE EVENTS GRADUALLY FADED. ONLY WHEN THEY HAD TO MAKE AN APPEARANCE AT SOME FUNCTION DID THEY GO OUT TOGETHER. THERE WERE RARE MOMENTS WHEN THE TENSION BETWEEN THEM EASED UP A BIT; WE KIDS LIVED FOR THOSE MOMENTS. JESUS SAYS THAT WE MUST BECOME ONE FLESH. NOTICE THE WORD “BECOME”. A MARRIAGE IS A LIFETIME OF WORK. WORK HAS TO HAVE A GOAL. MAYBE WE CAN SAY A MARRIAGE MUST ACHIEVE. THE GOAL OF MARRIAGE MAY BE COMPANIONSHIP, OR CHILDREN, OR SECURITY. BUT THE GOAL OF MATRIMONY FOR CHRISTIANS IS TO HELP GET EACH OTHER TO HEAVEN. AND WE DON'T DO THIS BY BECOMING THE CROSS OUR SPOUSE HAS TO BEAR. WE DO THIS, VERY SIMPLY, BY SHOWING OUR SPOUSE HOW MUCH GOD LOVES HIM OR HER. AND LOVE IS NOT LOVE UNLESS THERE IS ACTION – TO SAY “I LOVE YOU” AND NOT SHOW IT IN ACTION IS TO LIE. SAINT PAUL SAID THAT THE HUSBAND MUST LAY DOWN HIS LIFE LIKE CHRIST DID FOR HIS CHURCH; WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE RESPONSE OF THE WIFE IS TO SUBMIT TO HER HUSBAND, AS TO CHRIST. SINCE PAUL SAYS WE HAVE TO SUBMIT TO EACH OTHER IN CHRIST, I'M SURE HE MEANT FOR THIS TO GO BOTH WAYS. EACH SPOUSE IN OTHER WORDS, NEEDS TO MAKE THE HAPPINESS OF HIS PARTNER AS IMPORTANT TO HIM AS HIS OWN. AND HAPPINESS IS MADE UP OF ROMANTIC GESTURES, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, OF KNOWING WHAT THE PARTNER NEEDS AND DOING WHATEVER IT TAKES TO HELP HIM OR HER GET TO BE, AS MATTHEW KELLY PUTS IT, “THE BEST VERSION OF HERSELF OR HIMSELF THAT SHE OR HE CAN BE.”

MANY OF YOU ARE NOT MARRIED. I AM SURE YOU WONDER WHAT ALL OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH YOU. WELL, IT IS VITALLY IMPORTANT TO THE CHURCH THAT GREAT MARRIAGES HAPPEN, AND THEY WON'T HAPPEN UNLESS EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT GOES INTO A GREAT MARRIAGE. IT'S NOT CHANCE. SO PRAY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE MARRIED. AND IF YOU SENSE THAT YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER OR SISTER OR BROTHER IS IN A TROUBLED MARRIAGE, MAYBE A COUPLE OF WORDS FROM YOU, TACTFUL, GENTLE, BASED ON TRUTH, MIGHT HELP TURN THINGS AROUND. THE SCRIPTURES TELL US THAT WE ARE TO OFFER COUNSEL TO OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS; WE ARE OUR BROTHER'S KEEPER.

AND IF YOU ARE MARRIED, YOU MIGHT HAVE A PRETTY GOOD MARRIAGE. THEY SAY ABOUT 60 OR 70 PERCENT OF COUPLES WHO HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOR SEVERAL YEARS DO. BUT MARRIAGE COUNSELORS WILL TELL YOU THAT MOST MARRIAGES CAN BE BETTER. PEOPLE WHO STUDY SUCH THINGS CALL THESE EXCEPTIONAL MARRIAGES, AND SAY THAT ABOUT 7% OF MARRIED COUPLES HAVE THEM. SO IF SOMETIMES YOU WISH THINGS COULD BE BETTER, THEY CAN! SIT DOWN WITH YOUR SPOUSE AND ASK THE QUESTIONS THAT COME FROM THIS SCRIPTURE PASSAGE. IS THERE SOMETHING I HAVEN'T LET GO OF? DID I LEAVE EVERYTHING? AM I LETTING ANYTHING COME BETWEEN US? ARE THERE THINGS IN MY LIFE THAT ARE PUSHING OUR RELATIONSHIP LOWER ON THE LIST OF WHAT IS IMPORTANT? AM I CLEAVING TO MY SPOUSE? AND IS OUR MARRIAGE ACHIEVING WHAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO? DO WE ACTUALLY KNOW WHY WE GOT MARRIED? MAYBE IT'S TIME TO TREAT OUR MARRIAGE LIKE THE PRECIOUS GIFT IT IS, AND SET OUT A PLAN TO MAKE IT BETTER. EVERYTHING WORKS BETTER IF YOU HAVE A PLAN.

TO LEAVE, TO CLEAVE, AND TO ACHIEVE. GOD GAVE US THE STRUCTURE FOR A PERFECT MARRIAGE RIGHT THERE IN THE SECOND CHAPTER OF THE FIRST BOOK IN THE BIBLE.

AFTER I WAS MARRIED AND LIVING FAR AWAY FROM MY PARENTS, I CALLED ONE DAY AND LEARNED THAT THEY WERE GOING OFF TOGETHER ON A SHORT TRIP. DAD WAS A FURNITURE DEALER AND SOMETIMES HE WOULD TAKE A LOAD OF FURNITURE TO ANOTHER TOWN. HE AND MOM WOULD GO TOGETHER ON THESE EXCURSIONS AND HAVE SUPPER AT A NICE RESTAURANT AND STAY OVERNIGHT. DAD DIED SUDDENLY AT THE AGE OF 57. I HOPE THAT MY PARENTS HAD BEGUN TO REDISCOVER WHY THEY GOT MARRIED IN THE FIRST PLACE. AND TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, DO JOAN AND I HAVE A PERFECT MARRIAGE? NO, BUT EVEN AFTER 46 YEARS, WE ARE STILL WORKING AT IT, AND IT GETS BETTER EVERY YEAR.