Second Sunday of Advent, cycle C

LUKE 3:1-6

THIS WEEK THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER CAME OUT WITH AN EDITORIAL THAT SAID THAT IT WAS TIME FOR WOMEN PRIESTS. THE REASONS GIVEN WERE MANY, BUT ONE WAS THAT “NO ONE” COULD SAY WHETHER A PERSON HAD RECEIVED A CALL TO THE PRIESTHOOD, AND TO SAY THAT ANATOMY WAS SOMEHOW A BARRIER WAS TO LIMIT THE POWER OF GOD. THE EDITORIAL WENT ON TO SAY THAT “THE MAJORITY” OF THE FAITHFUL SUPPORT THE ORDINATION OF WOMEN.

IN 1996, 27% OF THE POPULATION FELT THAT SAME SEX MARRIAGE SHOULD BE LEGALIZED. IN 2012, 49% FELT THAT WAY.

RECENTLY WHEN THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION INSISTED THAT HEALTH INSURANCE COVER ARTIFICIAL BIRTH CONTROL AND THE MORNING AFTER PILL, WHICH IS BASICALLY ABORTION, 39% OF CATHOLICS AGREED WITH THAT POSITION; 56% AGREED WITH THE BISHOPS, WHO CAME OUT STRONGLY AGAINST THIS PROVISION. ABOUT 33% OF PEOPLE WHO CALL THEMSELVES CATHOLIC FEEL THAT ABORTION IS MORALLY ACCEPTABLE IN SOME SITUATIONS. AND IN ANOTHER POLL, 55% OF PEOPLE IDENTIFYING THEMSELVES AS CATHOLICS FELT THAT THERE WERE CIRCUMSTANCES WHEN ASSISTED SUICIDE WAS OK.

WE AMERICANS PRIDE OURSELVES ON OUR INDEPENDENCE, AND WE AREN'T ABOUT TO LET ANYONE TELL US WHAT TO BELIEVE – CATHOLICS INCLUDED, APPARENTLY. NOW I AM A HARD-CORE CATHOLIC, AND EVEN I HAVE SYMPATHY FOR THE POSITIONS ON THESE ISSUES WHICH GO AGAINST THE CLEAR TEACHING OF THE CHURCH. THAT DOESN'T MEAN I AGREE WITH THEM, BUT I CAN SEE WHERE THE CHURCH'S POSITION CAN CAUSE SOME PEOPLE PAIN.

IN TODAY'S GOSPEL, YOU MIGHT BE STRUCK BY THE BEGINNING; “IN THE FIFTEENTH YEAR OF THE REIGN OF TIBERIUS CAESAR....” WHY DID LUKE GO TO SO MUCH TROUBLE TO PIN DOWN THE TIME? DOES IT ADD ANYTHING TO THE STATEMENT ABOUT TIBERIUS TO THROW IN ALL THAT OTHER STUFF ABOUT TETRARCHS AND GOVERNORS AND KINGS AND HIGH PRIESTS? IF YOU KNOW WHEN TIBERIUS RULED, YOU HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION YOU NEED, DON'T YOU?

BUT I THINK LUKE IS NOT JUST TELLING US WHEN THIS ALL HAPPENED; HE IS SAYING THAT DESPITE ALL THESE PEOPLE IN POWERFUL POSITIONS, BOTH CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS, THE WORD OF GOD DID NOT GO TO THEM; INSTEAD, IT WENT TO THE WILDERNESS AND SOUGHT OUT JOHN THE BAPTIST. AND IN THE SCRIPTURES WE READ ABOUT VAST CROWDS THAT FOLLOWED JOHN. THERE MAY HAVE BEEN CROWDS OUT THERE LISTENING TO HIM, BUT IF IT'S ANYTHING LIKE TODAY, MOST PEOPLE JUST WENT ON ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS. THE SAME WAS TRUE OF JESUS; CROWDS FOLLOWED HIM, BUT AS WE CAN SEE FROM THE STORY OF THE CRUCIFIXION, CROWDS OPPOSED HIM AS WELL.

WE MAY PRIDE OURSELVES ON OUR INDEPENDENCE OF THOUGHT, BUT THE STATISTICS ARE CLEAR; CATHOLICS THINK LIKE EVERYONE ELSE IN OUR SOCIETY. THEY ARE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO AGREE WITH BARACK OBAMA OR JOE BIDEN THAN WITH CARDINAL DOLAN. AND YOUNG CATHOLICS ESPECIALLY, IF THEY STILL HAVE ANY ATTACHMENT AT ALL TO THE CHURCH, ARE LIKELY TO EXPLAIN THEIR SO-CALLED ENLIGHTENED ATTITUDES ABOUT SAME SEX MARRIAGE, ABORTION, ASSISTED SUICIDE, ORDINATION OF WOMEN – ATTITUDES WHICH ARE DIAMETRICALLY APPOSED TO WHAT THE CHURCH TEACHES – BY SAYING THAT JESUS WOULD AGREE WITH THEIR POSITION. WHY? BECAUSE HE HAS A SOFT HEART; HE HAS SYMPATHY FOR PEOPLE GOING THROUGH DIFFICULT TIMES; HE WOULD NEVER AGREE WITH A CHURCH THAT TAUGHT THINGS THAT MIGHT CAUSE ANYONE PAIN. JESUS WAS ALL ABOUT FORGIVENESS, FINDING THE LOST SHEEP, EATING WITH SINNERS, TAKING SIDES AGAINST AUTHORITIES, BEING INCLUSIVE.

BUT IS THAT THE REAL JESUS? IT'S PART OF HIM,THAT'S FOR SURE. BUT HE IS ALSO THE ONE WHO SAID, “LISTEN TO THE PHARISEES AND THE SCRIBES, BECAUSE THEY SIT ON THE SEAT OF MOSES; BUT DO NOT DO WHAT THEY DO.” AND HE SAID, “FOR TRULY I SAY TO YOU, UNTIL HEAVEN AND EARTH PASS AWAY, NOT THE SMALLEST LETTER OR STROKE SHALL PASS FROM THE LAW UNTIL ALL IS ACCOMPLISHED.” AND HE SAID, “UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH, AND THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT.” AND HE SAID, “WHATSOEVER YOU BIND ON EARTH SHALL BE BOUND IN HEAVEN, AND WHAT YOU LOOSE ON EARTH SHALL BE LOOSED IN HEAVEN.”

THERE WAS AN INTERESTING ANSWER TO THE EDITORIAL OF THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER. THE WRITER SAID, “IF WOMEN WHO WANT TO BE PRIESTS BELIEVE THAT THE CHURCH IS WRONG IN ITS REASONED POSITION WHICH IT HAS HELD FOR 2000 YEARS, THEN WHY DESIRE TO BECOME CATHOLIC PRIESTS? IF THE CHURCH IS WRONG ABOUT THIS, IT'S PROBABLY WRONG ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS, AND MAYBE IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR THOSE WOMEN TO FIND A CHURCH THAT DOES ORDAIN WOMEN TO THE PRIESTHOOD, OR THE MINISTRY. AFTER ALL, THERE ARE SEVERAL, INCLUDING THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. BUT IF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS THE TRUE CHURCH FOUNDED BY CHRIST AND PROTECTED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, THEN WHAT THE CHURCH TEACHES IS THE TEACHING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND IF THAT'S THE CASE, IF YOU WANT TO BE A CATHOLIC, GET ON BOARD.

THE PEOPLE WHO LISTENED TO JOHN THE BAPTIST WERE THE REAL INDEPENDENT THINKERS. WHEN THEY LISTENED TO HIM, THEY KNEW IN THEIR HEARTS THAT HE HAD THE WORD OF GOD. SOMETIMES THE WORD WAS DIFFICULT TO HEAR – JOHN CONDEMNED HEROD FOR MARRYING HIS BROTHER'S WIFE, WHICH LED TO HIS EXECUTION. A MODERN CATHOLIC WOULD SAY, “WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? THE BROTHER HAD DIED. SO WHAT IF GOD'S LAW SAID OTHERWISE? WHY SHOULD HEROD AND HERODIAS HAVE TO SUFFER BECAUSE OF A LAW?” JOHN INSISTED ON OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW. HE TOLD SOLDIERS TO BE CONTENT WITH THEIR PAY, TAX COLLECTORS TO ONLY COLLECT WHAT THEY WERE ENTITLED TO – THESE WERE RULES HE WAS LAYING DOWN. WE MODERN PEOPLE HAVE AN IDEA THAT THE EARLY CHRISTIANS, INDEED, EARLY CHRISTIANITY, OVERTHREW THE LAW. BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ MUCH OF THE NEW TESTAMENT BEFORE YOU REALIZE THAT THE ESSENCE OF THE LAW WAS STILL BEING PREACHED BY PETER, PAUL, AND THE OTHER EARLY LEADERS.

JEWISH LAW HAD ITS ABUSES, BUT IF ANYTHING THE REAL ABUSE WAS USUALLY TO TAKE THE WORD OF GOD AND THINK THROUGH HOW IT COULD BE APPLIED TO EVERY SITUATION IMAGINABLE; AND SOMETIMES THAT SOUNDED SILLY. THE FIRST CHRISTIANS DID NOT THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATHWATER, BUT INSTEAD, SAW THAT THERE WAS A CERTAIN CORE OF MORAL BEHAVIOR THAT EXISTED IN JEWISH LAW. THIS THEY KEPT.

IF YOU ARE A MODERN CATHOLIC AND YOU THINK THAT THE TEACHINGS OF THE CHURCH ARE JUST THE RAMBLINGS OF OLD MEN IN LONG ROBES TRYING TO MAKE LIFE DIFFICULT, THE MOST LIKELY THING IS THAT YOU HAVEN'T TAKEN THE TIME TO LEARN WHY THE CHURCH TEACHES WHAT IT TEACHES. IN THE YEAR OF THE FAITH PROCLAIMED BY OUR HOLY FATHER, IT IS AN EXCELLENT TIME TO STUDY THESE ISSUES. YOUR CHOICE IS TO BECOME AN INDEPENDENT THINKER AND BEGIN WITH THE WORD OF GOD, OR TO GO ALONG WITH WHATEVER THE PREVAILING OPINION IS.

GOD DOES NOT CHANGE, AND HIS TEACHINGS DON'T CHANGE.

First Sunday of Advent, cycle C

LUKE 21:25-28, 34-36

WHEN I WAS A LITTLE KID, IT WAS ALWAYS EXCITING ON CHRISTMAS MORNING WHEN MY GRANDPARENTS WOULD COME TO OUR HOUSE WITH ARMLOADS OF GIFTS. MY GRANDMOTHER'S FAVORITE HOLIDAY WAS CHRISTMAS, AND EVEN THOUGH SHE AND GRANDPA DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY, THEY REALLY SPLURGED ON CHRISTMAS. MY PARENTS WOULD ALWAYS GET US ONE THING WE HAD ASKED FOR, TOGETHER WITH A LOT OF SOCKS AND UNDERWEAR. BUT MY GRANDPARENTS WOULD BRING SURPRISES, THINGS WE HADN'T EVEN KNOWN WE WANTED. I STILL REMEMBER THOSE MORNINGS.

TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE CHURCH'S CALENDAR, AND YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE READINGS TELL US ABOUT THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS. THERE SEEM TO BE TWO UNHEALTHY WAYS OF DEALING WITH THE SECOND COMING. ONE IS TO OBSESS ABOUT IT, LOOK FOR HIDDEN CODES, READ THE EVENTS DESCRIBED IN SCRIPTURE INTO WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW – AND MAYBE SIT ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN IN THE HOLY LAND ON A CERTAIN DAY, WAITING FOR JESUS TO COME OUT OF THE SKY LEADING A TROOP OF ANGELS. THE SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS AND THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES WERE FOUNDED BY PEOPLE WHO HAD FIGURED OUT WHEN JESUS WOULD COME AGAIN. PEOPLE HAVE DONE THAT, AND THEY KEEP DOING IT. IN THE YEAR ONE THOUSAND THERE WAS ACTUALLY A SORT OF DEPRESSION IN EUROPE, SINCE SO MANY PEOPLE BELIEVED THE WORLD WOULD END THAT THEY STOPPED WORKING. AND IN THE YEAR 2000, IT WASN'T QUITE AS BAD, BUT STILL THERE WERE THOSE WHO JUST KNEW THAT THIS WOULD BE THE DATE WHEN THINGS WOULD CHANGE FOREVER.

AND YET EVEN JESUS TOLD US THAT HE DIDN'T KNOW WHEN THESE THINGS WOULD HAPPEN, ONLY THE FATHER.

THE OTHER UNHEALTHY WAY TO DEAL WITH THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS IS TO IGNORE IT. AFTER ALL, IF WE DON'T KNOW WHEN IT WILL BE, WHAT POSSIBLE RELEVANCE DOES IT HAVE TO OUR DAILY LIFE? OR PERHAPS WE IGNORE THIS BECAUSE IT IS FRIGHTENING AND THREATENS OUR COMFORTABLE PRESENT. IT'S EASY TO PUT OUT OF OUR MIND.

BUT I DON'T THINK JESUS MEANT US TO BE FRIGHTENED BY HIS SECOND COMING. I THINK HE WANTS US TO REMEMBER THAT NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, NO MATTER WHAT CATASTROPHES TAKE PLACE, IN THE END GOD'S PLAN WILL BE FULFILLED, AND WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF THAT PLAN.

ADVENT IS A REMINDER THAT WE LIVE IN AN IN-BETWEEN TIME.

I SUSPECT ALL OF US WERE LITTLE KIDS ONCE. AND MOST OF US ARE NOW ADULTS. WHAT A DIFFERENCE THERE IS BETWEEN BEING A LITTLE KID AND BEING AN ADULT DURING THE TIME FROM THANKSGIVING TO CHRISTMAS. FOR AN ADULT, ESPECIALLY A PARENT, THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS TO OCCUPY YOUR TIME. YOU'VE GOT TO BUY GIFTS, OF COURSE; YOU'VE GOT TO DRAG OUT THE ORNAMENTS AND GET A TREE AND DECORATE THE HOUSE. YOU'VE PROBABLY GOT A FEW PARTIES TO GO TO. YOU PROBABLY HAVE A HAND IN PREPARING A GREAT FEAST FOR CHRISTMAS. IF YOU WORK IN AN OFFICE, THERE ARE PROBABLY PARTIES THERE, AND GIFTS TO BE EXCHANGED, AND IF YOU ARE A BOSS, YOU KNOW YOU WON'T GET AS MUCH WORK OUT OF YOUR EMPLOYEES DURING THIS TIME OF YEAR AS DURING THE REST – MEANING YOU WILL HAVE EVEN MORE TO DO IN RUNNING YOUR ORGANIZATION. BUT FOR A LITTLE KID, IT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. THERE ARE REMINDERS OF CHRISTMAS EVERYWHERE – THE DECORATIONS, THE ADVERTISEMENTS IN THE NEWSPAPERS, THE VARIOUS SPECIAL PROGRAMS ON TELEVISION. AND BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT INVOLVED IN GETTING READY, YOU LIVE IN A HAPPY ANTICIPATION – NOT JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR GIFTS, BUT BECAUSE EVERYTHING WILL BE DIFFERENT; YOU WILL SEE RELATIVES YOU DON'T SEE VERY OFTEN AND EAT THINGS YOU DON'T USUALLY EAT. BUT YOU WILL ALSO NOTICE THAT THE BEHAVIOR OF THE ADULTS IN YOUR LIFE CHANGES, ESPECIALLY ON CHRISTMAS DAY. IT IS THE SAME WORLD, BUT IN SOME SENSE, DIFFERENT. THE WAITING IS A TIME TO BE SAVORED, THE DAYS TO BE COUNTED DOWN, THE NIGHTS TO BE OCCUPIED BY DREAMING HAPPY DREAMS.

I THINK JESUS WANTS US TO LIVE LIKE CHILDREN IN THIS IN-BETWEEN TIME. I THINK THAT'S WHY HE SAYS FOR US TO STAND TALL AND RAISE OUR HEADS; WHY HE TELLS US TO BE ALERT AND DON'T GET TRAPPED IN THE ENDLESS ROUTINE OF DAILY LIFE. BECAUSE THAT IS THE GREATEST OF DANGERS – TO LIVE AS THOUGH THERE ARE ENDLESS TOMORROWS AND TO WAKE UP ONE DAY REALIZING THAT YOU AREN'T IN THE LEAST READY FOR THE END; IT'S THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS AND YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN THE PRESENTS AND YOU HAVEN'T DECORATED THE TREE AND YOU DON'T HAVE A THING READY FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER.

ADVENT IS MEANT TO WAKE US UP, TO HELP US BECOME LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN ONCE AGAIN. AND JESUS TELLS US TO PRAY THAT WE WILL ESCAPE THE FATE OF THOSE WHO AREN'T PREPARED, BECAUSE IT'S EASY TO SLIP INTO A ROUTINE, TO TELL OURSELVES THAT THERE IS ALWAYS TOMORROW.

BECAUSE WHEN WE STAND BEFORE THE SON OF MAN, IF WE ESCAPE THOSE TRIBULATIONS, IT WILL BE LIKE CHRISTMAS MORNING WITH GRANDPARENTS WALKING DOWN THE SIDEWALK TO OUR FRONT DOOR, CARRYING WITH THEM ARMFULS OF SURPRISES.

IT IS A SAD THING TO SPEND TIME TRYING TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHEN JESUS WILL COME AGAIN, AND WHAT THAT MIGHT BE LIKE. IT IS EVEN SADDER TO GET LOST IN THE DAILY ROUTINE, JUST GOING FROM ONE MEAL TO ANOTHER, FROM THE JOB TO THE HOME AND BACK TO THE JOB; FROM GETTING OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING TO FALLING BACK INTO BED IN THE EVENING.

THOSE ARE SAD THINGS BECAUSE THEY ARE SO WASTEFUL OF THE IN-BETWEEN TIME WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN, THE TIME WHEN WE CAN GET READY, AS MUCH AS ANYONE CAN GET READY, FOR THE SURPRISE IN STORE FOR US WHEN THE SON OF MAN COMES TO HIS PEOPLE IN A CLOUD OF GLORY.

Feast of Christ the King, cycle B

JOHN 18:33-37

FOR MOST OF THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY, EVERYONE KNEW ABOUT KINGS. THERE WERE GOOD ONES AND BAD ONES, AND THE VAST MAJORITY WERE PROBABLY AVERAGE. KINGS OFTEN OBTAINED THEIR POWER BY FORCE OR SOMETIMES BY DECEPTION; AND DESPITE EFFORTS TO MAKE SURE YOUR KINGDOM WAS PASSED ON TO YOUR HEIRS, THAT PLAN WAS OFTEN RUINED BECAUSE YOUR CHILDREN FOUGHT AND KILLED EACH OTHER OVER THE KINGDOM. IN THE MIDDLE AGES, THERE WAS A MOVEMENT IN EUROPE WHICH CHRISTIANIZED THE IDEA OF KINGSHIP. FOR A TIME KINGS TRIED TO OUTDO EACH OTHER IN HOW WELL THEY MATCHED THIS IDEAL OF A CHRISTIAN KING; AND FROM THAT TIME WE HAVE A LOT OF SAINTS – STEPHEN, LOUIS, HENRY, DAVID, AND OF COURSE WENSESLAUS COME TO MIND. AND THERE WERE QUEENS AS WELL – MARGARET, OLGA, KINGA, TO NAME A FEW.

POSSIBLY BECAUSE THESE INDIVIDUALS WERE SO DEVOTED TO DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR THEIR PEOPLE, THERE AROSE THE IDEA OF THE “DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS” WHICH HELD THAT THE KING RECEIVED HIS RIGHT TO RULE FROM GOD HIMSELF, AND TO REBEL WAS A SLAP IN GOD'S FACE. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THE GLORIOUS AGE OF SAINTLY KINGS AND QUEENS RAPIDLY DIED OUT, TO BE REPLACED BY TYRANTS AND BULLIES WHO FOUGHT WARS TO GATHER MORE WEALTH FOR THEMSELVES. AND TODAY THE INSTITUTION OF KING HAS ALMOST DIED OUT IN WESTERN SOCIETY.

SO I THINK THAT WHEN WE CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING, WE HAVE A VAGUE IDEA THAT WE ARE CELEBRATING MAYBE A PERMANENT PRESIDENT OR GOVERNOR; TO US THE WORD “KING” DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING LIKE WHAT IT MEANT WHEN THE FEAST WAS FIRST CELEBRATED.

SO WHAT DO WE TRULY CELEBRATE ON THIS FEAST DAY? CERTAINLY JESUS IN NO WAY RESEMBLED A KING; OUR GOSPEL HAS HIM STANDING HELPLESS BEFORE PILATE, A PRISONER. BUT JESUS TALKS ABOUT HIS KINGDOM BEING NOT OF THIS WORLD.

WE CHRISTIANS LIVE IN TWO WORLDS. WE ARE FULLY ENGAGED WITH THIS WORLD; MOST OF US MARRY, RAISE CHILDREN, HOLD DOWN JOBS, PAY OUR BILLS – AND UNFORTUNATELY WE FAIL AT TIMES TO ACCOMPLISH THE WORLDLY TASKS THAT WE HAVE TO DO. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SOME AMONG US WHO FORGO MARRIAGE, OR WHO LEAVE THE WORLD TO LIVE IN A CLOISTER OR A MONASTERY, MOST OF US CHRISTIANS ARE CALLED TO BE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.

BUT WE ALSO LIVE IN THE WORLD TO COME. THIS IS THE WORLD JESUS AND THE PROPHETS TALKED ABOUT; A WORLD WHERE GOD'S PLAN HAS BEEN COMPLETED; A WORLD IN WHICH THERE IS NO MORE WAR, DISEASE, HUNGER, OR DEATH. THIS WORLD IS WHERE THE ETERNAL BANQUET TAKES PLACE, THE WEDDING PARTY TO WHICH WE WERE INVITED WHEN AT BAPTISM WE WERE GIVEN A WHITE GARMENT. IF WE ARE CHRISTIANS, WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT WORLD, AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WORLD WILL FADE AWAY AND THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN WILL BE FULLY REALIZED, FOREVER.

WE CHRISTIANS ARE A NATION OF PRIESTS. PRIESTS ARE BRIDGE-BUILDERS, AND WE ARE CALLED TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THE WORLD WE LIVE IN AND THE WORLD TO COME. HOW WE LIVE AND WHAT WE DO SHOULD BE BRINGING THE KINGDOM CLOSER. WHEN THE HUNGRY ARE FED, WHEN THE SICK ARE HEALED, WHEN WE BRING PEACE TO ENEMIES, WHEN FIGHT AGAINST DEATH, OPPOSING ABORTION, SO-CALLED “ASSISTED SUICIDE”, WE ARE BRINGING THE KINGDOM A LITTLE CLOSER.

WE CHRISTIANS ARE A HOLY PEOPLE. WE MAY NOT LOOK HOLY, AND WE MAY NOT EVEN THINK WE ARE PARTICULARLY HOLY, BUT AGAIN, BY VIRTUE OF OUR BAPTISM, WE HAVE BEEN SET APART FOR GOD'S PURPOSES, WHICH IS THE MEANING OF THE TERM “HOLY”. AND GOD'S PURPOSE IS TO GATHER THE NATIONS TO HIMSELF. WHEN WE WORK TOWARDS THE UNITY OF PEOPLE – OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS, DIFFERENT RACES, DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS, EVEN THE PEOPLE IN OUR WORK PLACE OR OUR HOME – WE ARE EXERCISING OUR COMMISSION AS HOLY PEOPLE.

BUT BECAUSE WE CHRISTIANS LIVE IN TWO WORLDS, THAT UNFORTUNATELY PUTS US IN A SORT OF TENSION. IT IS EASY TO BE TOO MUCH OF THIS WORLD – WHERE OUR RELIGION COMES TO THE SURFACE ON SUNDAY MORNINGS, AND THE REST OF THE TIME, WE ARE BUSY DOING ALL THE THINGS EVERYBODY DOES. IT IS EASY AS WELL TO LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND, AND LIVE IN A GHETTO OF OUR OWN MAKING. THE AMISH PEOPLE IN PENNSYLVANIA ARE SORT OF LIKE THIS. THE WORLD CONTAMINATES, THE WORLD DISTRACTS AND CARRIES WITH IT CONSTANT TEMPTATION, SO IT IS BETTER TO TURN YOUR BACK ON THE WORLD. WE HAVE MOVEMENTS IN OUR OWN CHURCH LIKE THIS. SOME GROUPS CONTINUE TO RESENT THE CHANGES IN THE CHURCH BROUGHT ABOUT BY VATICAN II – CHANGES WHICH STEMMED DIRECTLY FROM POPE JOHN XXIII EXPRESSED DESIRE FOR THE CHURCH TO RE-ENGAGE THE WORLD.

EACH OF US NEEDS TO CONSTANTLY SEEK THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN THE TWO WORLDS WE LIVE IN.

THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING HAS AN INTERESTING HISTORY. UP UNTIL 1925, IT WAS SORT OF AN UNOFFICIAL FEAST; SOME PLACES CELEBRATED IT AND OTHERS DID NOT. IN 1925, THE POPE PROCLAIMED THIS FEAST. HE DID NOT JUST COME UP WITH THE IDEA ONE DAY; HE PLACED THE FEAST ON THE SUNDAY THE PROTESTANTS CALL “REFORMATION SUNDAY” WHICH CELEBRATES MARTIN LUTHER'S SEPARATION FROM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. HE DID THIS, I GUESS, TO CONTRAST THE RULERSHIP OF CHRIST OVER THE FAITHFUL, AS OPPOSED TO THE PERCEIVED REBELLION OF MARTIN LUTHER . THAT FEAST, BY THE WAY, IS IN OCTOBER. AFTER VATICAN II, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, IN ORDER TO GIVE THE FAITHFUL A MORE COMPLETE EXPOSURE TO THE BIBLE, CREATED THE CURRENT LECTIONARY – THE SCRIPTURES WHICH ARE READ ON SUNDAY AND AT THE WEEKDAY MASSES, THE SO-CALLED THREE YEAR CYCLE. THIS WAS DONE IN 1969. AFTER THAT, CATHOLICS AND SOME OF THE OLDER PROTESTANT DENOMINATIONS BEGAN TO WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE A COMMON LECTIONARY. THIS REVISED COMMON LECTIONARY, BASED CLOSELY ON THE CATHOLIC LECTIONARY, WAS ADOPTED BY MANY PROTESTANT DENOMINATIONS IN THE US AND CANADA, AND NOW IS USED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

WITH THE REVISED COMMON LECTIONARY AND THE REVISED CATHOLIC LECTIONARY, PROTESTANTS AND CATHOLICS NOW CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING ON THE LAST SUNDAY BEFORE ADVENT. ALTHOUGH WE SHARE OTHER FEAST DAYS, SUCH AS CHRISTMAS AND EASTER, THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING IS THE ONLY FEAST DAY WE HAVE IN COMMON WHICH CAME INTO BEING AFTER THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION.

ALL CHRISTIANS HAVE A FOOT IN THIS WORLD AND THE OTHER IN THE WORLD TO COME. THIS IS A GREAT DAY TO REMIND OURSELVES AND OUR CHRISTIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF OUR DUAL CITIZENSHIP, AND TO REFLECT ON WHETHER WE ARE LIVING WHERE WE SHOULD BE – BALANCED BETWEEN THE TWO WORLDS.

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.