Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A

MATTHEW 5:17-37

DID ANY OF YOU BREAK A COMMANDMENT THIS WEEK? DID YOU TAKE THE LORD'S NAME IN VAIN, OR WORSHIP A FALSE GOD? HOW ABOUT FAILING TO HONOR YOUR MOTHER OR FATHER? HOW ABOUT STEALING, OR COVETING? I THINK MOST OF US HARDLY EVER THINK ABOUT THE COMMANDMENTS, AND WE KNOW THAT MANY CATHOLICS CAN'T EVEN NAME ALL OF THEM. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, WHEN YOU GO DOWN THE LIST, IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU CAN'T SEE ANY THAT YOU'VE REALLY BROKEN. OF COURSE YOUR OPINION OF WHAT MIGHT BREAK A COMMANDMENT ENTERS IN. WHAT, PRECISELY, DO YOU HAVE TO DO IN ORDER TO BREAK “REMEMBER TO KEEP THE LORD'S DAY HOLY?” OR WHAT CONSTITUTES COVETING MY NEIGHBOR'S GOODS? IF I SAY, “I'D SURE LIKE TO HAVE A PORSCHE LIKE MY NEIGHBOR” DOES THAT BREAK THE COMMANDMENT?

DURING JESUS' TIME AND FOR A WHILE AFTER, JEWISH AUTHORITIES, AND THIS INCLUDED THE SCRIBES AND THE PHARISEES, REASONED AS FOLLOWS: GOD HIMSELF GAVE THE COMMANDMENTS TO US. THIS MEANS THAT THEY ARE SO IMPORTANT THAT THEY HAVE TO DO WITH ALL OF HUMAN LIFE. AND THERE IS MORE TO THE COMMANDMENT THAN JUST THE STATEMENT. SO WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE COMMANDMENTS, MEDITATE ON THEM, AND SEE HOW TO APPLY THEM TO EVERY PART OF OUR LIVES.

AND THEY DID. TAKE THE COMMANDMENT, “REMEMBER TO KEEP THE LORD'S DAY HOLY.” THE SCHOLARS KNEW THAT GOD HIMSELF HAD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY ACCORDING TO GENESIS, SO THEY DECIDED THAT REST HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH KEEPING THE DAY HOLY. REST OF COURSE MEANT THE OPPOSITE OF WORK. SO YOU HAD TO NOT WORK. AND THEN, WHAT CONSTITUTED WORK? AND THEY GAVE MANY ANSWERS. FINALLY THEY MORE OR LESS AGREED ON THE IDEA THAT YOU SHOULDN'T PREPARE YOUR MEALS ON THE SABBATH, BECAUSE LIGHTING A FIRE AND CHOPPING AND COOKING WERE ALL WORK – GET READY THE DAY BEFORE. AND THERE WAS A LIMIT TO HOW FAR YOU COULD WALK. AND YOU COULDN'T GO OUT ON YOUR HORSE OR BE PULLED IN A CARRIAGE, BECAUSE THE COMMANDMENT SAID THAT EVEN YOUR BEASTS WERE NOT TO WORK ON THE SABBATH.

AND ANOTHER COMMANDMENT – YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD IN VAIN. THAT DIDN'T JUST MEAN SWEARING AND CURSING. THE RABBIS DECIDED THAT YOU BROKE THIS COMMANDMENT IF YOU PRAYED TO GOD TO CHANGE WHAT HAD ALREADY HAPPENED. ONE EXAMPLE: IF YOU WERE ON A HILLTOP AND SAW A FIRE RISING FROM YOUR VILLAGE, YOU COULD NOT PRAY THAT THIS WAS NOT YOUR HOUSE. FIRST, THAT IMPLIED THAT YOU WERE PRAYING THAT IT WAS SOMEONE ELSE'S HOUSE, WHICH WAS NO WAY TO TREAT A NEIGHBOR; AND SECOND, THE FIRE HAD ALREADY HAPPENED, SO IN SOME SENSE IT WAS GOD'S WILL. ANOTHER EXAMPLE: IF YOU ARE A WOMAN AND FIND THAT YOU ARE PREGNANT, IT'S TOO LATE TO PRAY THAT THE CHILD WILL BE A BOY, OR A GIRL. THE SEX HAS ALREADY BEEN DETERMINED. GOD HAS MADE HIS DECISION. TO PRAY THAT HE CHANGE HIS MIND IS TO SEE HIM AS YOUR SERVANT, RATHER THAN YOUR GOD. AND TO DO THAT IS TO TAKE HIS NAME IN VAIN.

IN TODAY'S GOSPEL, JESUS TELLS US TO BE MORE RIGHTEOUS THAN THE SCRIBES AND THE PHARISEES. AND THEN HE GIVES SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF HOW WE DO THIS. AND JESUS IS DOING JUST WHAT THE RABBIS ARE DOING AND WILL BE DOING FOR THE NEXT TWO OR THREE CENTURIES. HE IS DELVING INTO THE DEEPER MEANING OF THE COMMANDMENTS, AND SHOWING BY HIS EXAMPLES THAT THESE WORDS THAT CAME DIRECTLY FROM GOD ARE OF WORLD-SHATTERING IMPORTANCE. THEY DON'T JUST TELL US THE OUTER LIMITS OF ETHICAL AND MORAL BEHAVIOR, BUT THEY POINT US IN THE DIRECTION OF BECOMING SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD; THEY TELL US THAT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BREAKING A COMMANDMENT AND KEEPING A COMMANDMENT.

HE SAYS, “YOU HAVE HEARD IT SAID, “YOU SHALL NOT KILL” BUT I SAY TO YOU, YOU SHALL NOT EVEN INSULT YOUR BROTHER.” TO INSULT YOUR BROTHER IS IN SOME WAY AN OFFENSE AGAINST THE COMMANDMENT, “YOU SHALL NOT KILL”. THEN HE GOES ON TO SAY, “IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOUR BROTHER, GO AND FIX IT BEFORE YOU APPROACH THE ALTAR.” DO YOU SEE WHAT JESUS IS DOING? HE TAKES THE COMMANDMENT, KICKS IT UP A NOTCH, THEN KICKS IT UP ANOTHER NOTCH. THAT'S WHAT HE EXPECTS US TO DO. AFTER ALL, THESE ARE WORDS OF GOD, AND AS SUCH WE SHOULD BE PREOCCUPIED WITH NOT JUST WHETHER WE BREAK THEM OR NOT, BUT WHETHER WE ARE KEEPING THEM; WHETHER WE ARE LIVING IN SUCH A WAY THAT WE ARE AS FAR FROM BREAKING THE COMMANDMENT AS WE CAN BE.

THE FIRST EIGHT COMMANDMENTS TELL US HOW WE ARE TO BEHAVE. THE LAST TWO TELL US WHAT TO THINK. WE ARE NOT TO “COVET” – THE SPOUSE OF OUR NEIGHBOR, OR THE PROPERTY OF OUR NEIGHBOR. GOD GAVE US THE COMMANDMENTS NOT ONLY TO SHOW US HOW TO LIVE IN RELATIONSHIP TO GOD AND OUR NEIGHBOR BUT ALSO HOW TO BECOME THE PEOPLE GOD WANTS US TO BE. GOD'S PEOPLE WOULD NEVER SCHEME TO TAKE A NEIGHBOR'S PROPERTY, EVEN IF WE ARE WILLING TO PAY FOR IT. IT SEEMS STRANGE, BUT THE POINT IS THAT WE ARE TO STRIVE FOR PERFECTION, TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT GETTING SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO OUR NEIGHBOR. IF OUR NEIGHBOR COMES TO US AND WISHES TO GIVE US OR SELL US HIS PROPERTY, THAT'S DIFFERENT.

WHEN JESUS TELLS US “YOU HAVE HEARD IT SAID … BUT I SAY...” HE IS NOT GIVING US NEW COMMANDMENTS. RATHER, HE IS GIVING US A METHOD TO MAKE THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD PART OF THE VERY FABRIC OF OUR LIVES. HE'S DOING WHAT THE SCRIBES AND THE PHARISEES HAVE BEEN DOING, BUT TELLING US THAT WE MUST GO EVEN FURTHER. THE COMMANDMENTS ARE NOT THERE TO SHOW US THE OUTER LIMITS OF ETHICAL BEHAVIOR. THEY AREN'T THERE SO THAT WE WILL KNOW JUST HOW FAR WE CAN GO WITHOUT OFFENDING GOD. THEY

ARE THERE TO HELP US SHAPE OUR LIVES SO THAT WE WILL BE MORE AND MORE GOD'S SONS AND DAUGHTERS. THEY ARE THE LOVING GUIDELINES OF OUR FATHER.

THIS WEEK THINK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN FOLLOW JESUS' ADVICE. CAN YOU MAKE THE LORD'S DAY MORE HOLY THAN YOU USUALLY DO? KEEPING IT HOLY MEANS NOT ONLY AVOIDING THE WORK WE DO THE OTHER SIX DAYS OF THE WEEK, BUT DOING SOMETHING POSITIVE TO CONCENTRATE ON WHAT IS ETERNAL. THE SABBATH IS MEANT TO BE CELEBRATED. CAN YOU FIND THE POSITIVE IN THE COMMANDMENT, “YOU SHALL NOT STEAL?” OR “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY” OR “YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS”? IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN YOU NEED, YOU ARE IN A WAY TAKING FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS LESS THAN HE NEEDS. IF YOU ENJOY READING THE SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT EDITION OR READING ROMANCE NOVELS, MAYBE YOU COULD DO A BETTER JOB KEEPING THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. IF YOU DON'T SPEAK UP WHEN SOMEONE MAKES SLANDEROUS COMMENTS ABOUT THE POPE OR THE PRESIDENT, MAYBE YOU NEED TO WORK ON THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT.

LET US WORRY ABOUT BREAKING THE COMMANDMENTS, OF COURSE, BUT LET'S CONCENTRATE ON HOW TO KEEP THEM BETTER. THAT'S WHAT JESUS IS TELLING US TODAY.

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A

MATTHEW 5:13-16

CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT THOSE DISCIPLES MUST HAVE THOUGHT WHEN JESUS CALLED THEM THE SALT OF THE EARTH AND THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD? THEY WERE PRETTY ORDINARY – FISHERMEN, TAX COLLECTORS, A FEW WOMEN, ONE OF WHOM AT LEAST YOU DIDN'T WANT TO BE SEEN WITH IN POLITE COMPANY. AND THEY WERE THE SALT OF THE EARTH?

I WAS THINKING ABOUT CHIPPY THE BARBER, WHOM MANY OF US KNEW, WHO PASSED AWAY RECENTLY. WHEN I FIRST CAME TO LONGMEADOW, I STARTED GOING TO CHIPPY FOR MY HAIR CUTS. IN THOSE DAYS YOU WOULD OFTEN SEE HIM AT THE SEVEN OCLOCK MASS HERE AT ST. MARY'S. YOU GOT THE FEELING THAT WHEN HE WAS PRAYING HE WAS UNAWARE OF ANYTHING ELSE; HE WAS TOTALLY WRAPPED UP IN WHAT WAS GOING ON ON THE ALTAR.

ONE THING ABOUT CHIPPY WAS THAT HE TREASURED WHAT HE HAD. HE DELIGHTED IN HIS FAMILY, ESPECIALLY THE GRANDCHILDREN. THE HIGH POINT OF HIS YEAR WAS A TRIP TO THE BEACH IN RHODE ISLAND, WHERE HE AND HIS WIFE HAD SPENT THEIR HONEYMOON. HE TOLD ME ONCE THAT EXCEPT FOR THAT ANNUAL TRIP AND HIS TIME IN THE MILITARY, HE'D NEVER BEEN OUTSIDE OF THE GREATER SPRINGFIELD AREA. I THINK ANYONE WHO KNEW CHIPPY WOULD PROBABLY AGREE THAT HE WAS THE SALT OF THE EARTH.

AND MARGARET JENKINS, WHO ALSO PASSED AWAY RECENTLY, WAS THE SALT OF THE EARTH. BETWEEN BRINGING COMMUNION TO SHUT-INS, SERVING FUNERALS, SHUTTLING PEOPLE TO CHURCH AND DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS AND THE GROCERY STORE, SHE SEEMED NEVER TO THINK OF HERSELF; AND WHEN SHE GAVE YOU ONE OF HER SMILES, YOU KNEW SHE MEANT IT.

WHEN WE HEAR JESUS' WORDS TODAY, MAYBE WE IMAGINE THAT HE IS CALLING ON HIS FOLLOWERS TO GO OUT AND PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL; OR TO BECOME GOOD EXAMPLES TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. BUT NOTICE THAT HE DOES NOT SAY, “BECOME THE SALT OF THE EARTH”. AND WHO IS HE TALKING TO? WE CAN BE PRETTY SURE THEY WERE ILLITERATE; SOME WERE FISHERMEN, SOME WERE FARMERS, TRADESMEN – THE PEOPLE YOU FIND IN VILLAGES AROUND THE SEA OF GALILEE. WHAT DID JESUS LIKE ABOUT THESE PEOPLE, WHOM HE CALLED “SALT OF THE EARTH” AND “LIGHT OF THE WORLD”?

CERTAINLY JESUS WAS SPEAKING TO HIS APOSTLES WHO WERE THERE AMONG THE CROWD. WE DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE APOSTLES, BUT THE ONE APOSTLE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT WHOSE PERSONALITY COMES ACROSS MOST STRONGLY IS PETER, AND WE KNOW PETER WASN'T PERFECT. HE MADE PROMISES HE COULDN'T KEEP, HE SOMETIMES SEEMED TO BE A BLOCKHEAD; AFTER JESUS REVEALED TO HIM THAT HE COULD EAT LOBSTERS AND PORK AND ALL THOSE NON-KOSHER THINGS, PETER STILL WENT BACK TO EATING WITH JEWS WHO DIDN'T EAT WITH GENTILES. THAT GOT HIM A LECTURE BY PAUL. AND I LOVE THE SCENE WHERE PETER, FINDING HIMSELF THE LEADER OF THE EARLY CHURCH, HAVING BEEN COMMISSIONED BY CHRIST, HAVING SEEN CHRIST AFTER HIS RESURRECTION, HAVING RECEIVED THE SPIRIT AND THE POWER TO FORGIVE SINS – DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT. SO HE TELLS HIS FRIENDS, “I AM GOING FISHING”. NOTHING LIKE HARD WORK AND FRESH AIR TO CLEAR YOUR HEAD.

MAYBE BEING THE SALT OF THE EARTH IS TO BE YOURSELF, WARTS AND ALL. IT'S TO RECOGNIZE YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES, IT'S WHEN THE WAY YOU APPEAR TO OTHER PEOPLE IS EXACTLY THE WAY YOU ARE. IT'S THE ABILITY TO SAY YOU ARE SORRY WHEN YOU'VE HURT SOMEONE, AS PETER DID. IT'S BEING ABLE TO FALL AND GET UP AGAIN WITHOUT LOOKING BACK. IT'S THE WILLINGNESS TO SAY WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND, EVEN IF OTHER PEOPLE WILL LAUGH OR TAKE OFFENSE. IT'S THE ABILITY TO LIVE WITH THE IDEA THAT YOU AREN'T ESSENTIAL AND YOU AREN'T GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD. ONE OF PETER'S SUCCESSORS, POPE JOHN XXIII, WHO WILL BE CANONIZED THIS YEAR, SAID THAT WHEN HE WENT TO BED, HE WOULD PRAY, “LORD, I'VE TAKEN CARE OF YOUR CHURCH FOR ANOTHER DAY. I'M GOING TO SLEEP NOW SO YOU TAKE CARE OF IT UNTIL TOMORROW.” HE KNEW WHO REALLY RAN THE CHURCH AND IT WASN'T HIM. HE WAS THE SALT OF THE EARTH.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? JESUS LOOK AT THESE PEOPLE, AT LEPERS AND THE BLIND AND LAME, WOMEN AT THE MARGINS OF SOCIETY, AND ESPECIALLY LITTLE CHILDREN, WITH GREAT LOVE, BECAUSE IN ORDER TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT JESUS WAS OFFERING, YOU HAD TO START BY BEING GENUINE, BY BEING SALT OF THE EARTH. IN YOUR AND MY JOURNEY TO BE SAINTS, WE HAVE TO GET RID OF ANY IDEA THAT WE CAN GET THERE ON OUR OWN. WE HAVE TO REMOVE THE MASKS WE WEAR, WHICH WE EVENTUALLY COME TO BELIEVE IS WHO WE REALLY ARE. WE HAVE TO BECOME, AS JESUS SAID, LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN IF WE ARE TO POSSESS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. AND THERE ISN'T ANYONE MORE GENUINE THAN A LITTLE CHILD. A LITTLE CHILD KNOWS SOMETHING THAT MOST OF US FORGET – NONE OF US REALLY HAS ANY CONTROL OVER THE FUTURE. JESUS SAID WE COULDN'T ADD AN HOUR TO OUR LIFE BY WORRYING ABOUT IT.

BEING THE SALT OF THE EARTH ISN'T EVERYTHING, OF COURSE, BUT IT IS THE FIRST STEP, AND IT'S A VERY HARD STEP TO TAKE. JESUS PRAISES THOSE WHO HAVE TAKEN THIS STEP.

I THINK WE ALL KNOW PEOPLE WHO ARE GENUINE, WHO ARE WHAT THEY APPEAR TO BE, PEOPLE LIKE CHIPPY THE BARBER, MARGARET JENKINS, SAINT PETER, JOHN XXIII … THE LIST GOES ON. AND WE KNOW WHO ISN'T GENUINE – THE PERSON WHO GETS UPSET IF YOU ADDRESS HIM BY HIS FIRST NAME INSTEAD OF HIS TITLE. THE PERSON WHO IS QUICK TO CRITICIZE OTHER PEOPLE; THE PERSON WHO TALKS ABOUT HIMSELF AND HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS ALL THE TIME; THE PERSON WHO NEEDS THE LATEST CAR OR COMPUTER OR VIDEO GAME SYSTEM IN ORDER TO BE HAPPY – EVEN THOUGH THAT KIND OF HAPPINESS IS SHALLOW AND TEMPORARY.

WHEN SOMEONE IS GENUINE, THERE IS A CERTAIN BEAUTY ABOUT THEM; THEY ARE TRANSPARENT, THEY HIDE NOTHING, THEY HAVE NO SECRETS, THEY ATTRACT. AND JESUS KNOWS THAT HIS CHURCH WILL GROW ONLY THROUGH THAT KIND OF ATTRACTION; ALL THE PREACHING IN THE WORLD WILL NOT WIN A SOUL. CHRISTIANS WHO LIVE LIVES THAT MAKE OTHER PEOPLE SAY, “I WANT TO KNOW THAT PERSON BETTER; THERE IS SOMETHING THERE THAT I NEED IN MY OWN LIFE” – THOSE ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO WILL GROW THE CHURCH, ONE PERSON AT A TIME.

TODAY JESUS INVITES US TO ASK, ARE WE SALT? ARE WE LIGHT? OR DO WE STILL HAVE WORK TO DO?

Presentation of the Lord, 2014

LUKE 2:22-40

EVERY FRIDAY I SPEND A FEW HOURS VISITING PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY OLD. I'M GETTING OLD, OF COURSE, BUT WE ARE TALKING THE HIGH EIGHTY'S TO THE EARLY 100'S. A LOT OF THE PEOPLE I VISIT SUFFER FROM LOSS – LOSS OF CONTROL OF MOVEMENTS; LOSS OF STRENGTH; LOSS OF THE ABILITY TO FEED ONESELF; AND EVEN LOSS OF THE ABILITY TO THINK, TO RECOGNIZE; AND IT'S SAD TO SEE. I THINK A LOT OF THEM SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION. SOME OF THEM SLEEP ALL THE TIME, WAKING ONLY TO EAT OR BE CARED FOR BY THE NURSE'S AIDS. OTHERS HAVE THE TELEVISION GOING FROM MORNING TO EVENING, SITTING LIKE STONES WHILE GAME SHOWS AND SOAP OPERAS AND TALKING HEADS SUBSTITUTE FOR REAL HUMAN CONTACT. MANY OF THEM WORRY. THEY WORRY MOSTLY ABOUT THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS – THEY DON'T WANT TO BE A BURDEN; THEY WISH A SON OR DAUGHTER WOULD VISIT, BUT THEY KNOW HOW BUSY THEY ARE. SOME OF THEM HAVE BROKEN A HIP OR TAKEN YET ANOTHER FALL, AND AFTER A PERIOD OF REHABILITATION, WILL GO HOME, BACK TO A LONELY APARTMENT, KNOWING THAT SOONER OR LATER, THEY WILL BE BACK.

AND I FIND MYSELF WONDERING, IS THAT MY FUTURE? AND I CAN'T HELP BUT ANSWER, PROBABLY.

ONE LADY I SPEAK WITH SPENT MUCH OF HER LIFE AS AN OFFICER IN THE SALVATION ARMY. IN HER ROOM WERE PICTURES OF HERSELF IN HER OFFICER'S UNIFORM. SHE HAD WON SOME AWARDS FOR SERVICE, AND PUT IN HOURS RINGING BELLS AROUND CHRISTMAS, WORKING WITH ALCOHOLICS AND HOMELESS PEOPLE, OVERSEEING THE THRIFT SHOP WHERE SECOND HAND GOODS WERE RECYCLED. SHE HAD DRAWN TREMENDOUS SATISFACTION FROM THIS, BUT NOW BECAUSE OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE, BLINDNESS, AND COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES, SHE IS TOTALLY HELPLESS. AND HER BIGGEST COMPLAINT IS THAT SHE IS USELESS, SHE HAS NO PURPOSE IN LIFE. ANOTHER VERY ELDERLY MAN WHOSE MEMORY IS LIMITED TO THOSE THINGS THAT HAPPENED LONG AGO ALWAYS REMINDS ME THAT HE USED TO LEAD THE DAILY PRAYERS IN THE SYNAGOGUE WHEN THE RABBI COULDN'T BE THERE. AND HE GETS A FAR-AWAY LOOK IN HIS EYES AND SIGHS.

TODAY WE MEET A VERY OLD MAN AND A VERY OLD WOMAN IN OUR GOSPEL PASSAGE. IT DOESN'T SAY HOW OLD SIMEON IS, BUT LUKE IMPLIES THAT HE'S OLD AND LIVED A LONG LIFE. AND SIMEON MORE OR LESS CONFIRMS THIS WHEN HE SAYS, “NOW, MASTER, LET YOUR SERVANT DEPART IN PEACE...” HE HAD BEEN LIVING FOR ONLY ONE THING, TO SEE THE MESSIAH, AND NOW THAT THAT HAD TAKEN PLACE, THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT. AND LUKE TELLS US THAT ANNA WAS 84 YEARS OLD, AND SPENT ALL HER TIME IN THE TEMPLE, EVER SINCE SHE HAD BECOME A WIDOW AFTER ONLY SEVEN YEARS OF MARRIAGE. WE DON'T KNOW IF SHE HAD CHILDREN; BUT IN A FEW WORDS LUKE SUGGESTS THAT SHE, TOO, IS ALL ALONE.

THE TEMPLE WAS A BUSY, BUSTLING PLACE. WE KNOW THAT IN THE OUTER COURTYARD, MERCHANTS WERE SELLING ANIMALS TO BE SACRIFICED. IF YOU WANTED TO OFFER A SACRIFICE IT HAD TO BE A PERFECT SPECIMEN OR THE PRIEST WOULDN'T TOUCH IT. THE BEST WAY TO ASSURE THAT WAS TO BUY FROM THE MERCHANT. AND SINCE ORDINARY MONEY COULDN'T BE BROUGHT INTO THE TEMPLE PRECINCTS, YOU HAD TO CHANGE YOUR MONEY FOR TEMPLE MONEY. ALL THIS COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY ALONG WITH THE NOISE OF THE ANIMALS, MADE THE OUTER COURT MORE LIKE A SHOPPING MALL. AND WHEN YOU GOT INTO THE INNER COURT, THE ACTUAL SACRIFICES WERE GOING ON. THAT WAS NOISY AND BLOODY AS WELL. AND FURTHER IN PEOPLE WENT TO PRAY, BUT AS WE LEARNED FROM THE STORY OF THE PHARISEE AND THE TAX COLLECTOR THEY DID NOT PRAY SILENTLY – SO EVEN IN THE HOLIEST PART OF THE TEMPLE, THERE WAS A LOT OF NOISE. ALL OF THIS AND CROWDS AS WELL BECAUSE JEWS FROM ALL OVER THE ROMAN EMPIRE MADE PILGRIMAGES BACK TO THE TEMPLE, BECAUSE FOR THEM THE TEMPLE WAS THE PLACE WHERE GOD LIVED IN A SPECIAL WAY.

AND SIMEON AND ANNA MADE THEIR WAY UP THE STEPS AND THROUGH THE CROWDS TO PRAY EVERY DAY, AND ON ONE DAY THEY SAW A POOR YOUNG COUPLE WITH A LITTLE BOY. THEY KNEW THEY WERE POOR BECAUSE ALL THEY HAD TO OFFER WERE TWO PIGEONS. AND THEY SAW THAT THEY WERE FROM A LONG WAY AWAY BECAUSE OF THE TRAVELER'S CLOTHING THEY WORE. AND THE LITTLE BOY WAS NO DIFFERENT FROM ANY OF THE OTHER LITTLE BOYS WHO WERE BEING REDEEMED BY A SACRIFICE ACCORDING TO THE JEWISH LAW; THERE WAS NO HALO, NO MYSTERIOUS GLOW. AND IN ALL THE CROWDS OF PEOPLE, WITH PRIESTS AND LEVITES AND PHARISEES ALL AROUND, THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALED TO THEM AND TO THEM ALONE THAT THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD HAD FINALLY ARRIVED.

AND SIMEON AND ANNA BORE WITNESS – THE OLD MAN WHO WAS ALWAYS TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT HOW GOD HAD PROMISED HIM THAT HE WOULD SEE THE SAVIOR BEFORE HE DIED, AND THE WEIRD OLD WOMAN THAT SPENT ALL HER TIME IN THE TEMPLE, PRAYING AND FASTING. AND WE HEAR SIMEON'S JOYFUL PRAYER – “NOW YOU MAY DISMISS YOUR SERVANT, O LORD...”, AND HIS OMINOUS PROPHECY THAT MARY'S HEART WOULD BE PIERCED; AND WE READ THAT ANNA WAS TELLING EVERYONE IN EARSHOT ABOUT WHAT HAD JUST BEEN REVEALED TO HER.

BUT I SUSPECT LIKE MOST REALLY OLD PEOPLE, LIKE THE PEOPLE I VISIT EACH WEEK, THEY WERE IGNORED. SOME PEOPLE TURNED THEIR BACKS, OTHERS LAUGHED AT THEM. AND A FEW WHO THOUGHT THEY WERE BEING KIND PRETENDED TO LISTEN, HUMORING THEM.

A LOT OF THE PEOPLE I VISIT TALK ABOUT THE OLDEN DAYS; SOMETIMES THEY SAY “IN MY DAY” AS THOUGH TO TELL ME THAT THEIR DAYS LAY FAR IN THE PAST, AND THEY WERE STRANGERS IN THIS DAY WE LIVE IN. BUT ISN'T IT INTERESTING THAT GOD CHOSE TO REVEAL HIS SON TO TWO VERY OLD, ALMOST FORGOTTEN PEOPLE, A MAN AND A WOMAN WHO KNEW THAT THEY WOULD NEVER LIVE TO SEE THE PROMISE OF ISRAEL COME TO FULLNESS. A FRAIL OLD MAN AND AN ECCENTRIC OLD LADY WHO HAD WAITED AND WAITED, AND PRAYED AND PRAYED, AND BEFORE JOHN THE BAPTIST, BEFORE THE APOSTLES, BEFORE THE FIRST CHRISTIANS, WERE CALLED UPON BY THE FATHER TO ANNOUNCE TO THE WORLD THAT THE MESSIAH HAD COME, EVEN THOUGH NO ONE EXCEPT JOSEPH AND MARY BELIEVED THEM. BUT THEY DIDN'T CARE, THEY HAD DONE THEIR PART.

NO ONE IS USELESS, NO ONE IS WITHOUT PROMISE, AND GOD WHO ALLOWED THE UNBORN JOHN TO LEAP IN HIS MOTHER'S WOMB TO ANNOUNCE JESUS ALLOWED THE VERY OLD TO DO SO AS WELL. HUMAN LIFE IS SACRED AND GOD IS WITH US FROM THE MOMENT OF CONCEPTION TO THE MOMENT OF NATURAL DEATH, USING US FOR HIS OWN PURPOSES, AS HE USED HIS FRIENDS SIMEON AND ANNA.

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, cycle A

MATTHEW 24:12-23

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP I WENT TO CATHOLIC SCHOOLS. OFTEN THE SUBJECT OF “VOCATION” CAME UP. WE ALL KNEW WHAT THAT MEANT; IF YOU WERE A BOY, WAS GOD CALLING YOU TO BE A PRIEST; IF YOU WERE A GIRL, WAS HE CALLING YOU TO BE A “BRIDE OF CHRIST”, A NUN OR SISTER. WE KNEW THERE WERE MEN WHO HAD VOCATIONS WHO WEREN'T PRIESTS, BUT IN MONTANA WE DIDN'T KNOW ANY MONKS OR BROTHERS, AND IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THEY WERE BASICALLY MALE NUNS, AND WHO WOULD WANT TO BE ONE OF THOSE? MISSING IN OUR DISCUSSIONS, AND LATER CORRECTED BY VATICAN II, WAS THE IDEA THAT WE ALL HAD VOCATIONS. AND SO NOW WE TALK ABOUT VOCATIONS TO MARRIAGE, VOCATIONS TO SINGLE LIFE, AND SO ON. AND WE'VE DILUTED THE CONCEPT EVEN FURTHER; WE HAVE VOCATIONS TO BE PHYSICIANS, LAWYERS, PROFESSORS, TEACHERS, AUTO MECHANICS, PLUMBERS … IN A SENSE THIS IS GOOD, BECAUSE IT REMINDS US THAT GOD'S CALL TO US DOES NOT JUST MEAN A STATE IN LIFE, BUT IT EXTENDS TO EVERYTHING WE DO, INCLUDING HOW WE WORK; AND IT IS A REMINDER THAT THE WORK WE DO HAS DIGNITY, AND OUR WORK IS MEANT TO FURTHER OUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY AS WELL AS SERVE OUR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS. SAINT PAUL TELLS US THAT WE ALL HAVE GOD-GIVEN GIFTS THAT WE ARE TO SHARE WITH EACH OTHER.

TODAY WE HEAR ABOUT THE CALLING OF PETER AND ANDREW, AND JAMES AND JOHN. THEY WERE FISHERMEN, AND IN THE GOSPEL, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THEY THREW ASIDE THEIR VOCATIONS AS FISHERMEN AND IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED JESUS. BUT MAYBE IT'S NOT QUITE SO ABRUPT OR SO COMPLETE. WE KNOW FROM THE STORY OF PETER'S MOTHER IN LAW THAT JESUS AND PETER HAD BEEN ACQUAINTED; AND WE KNOW THAT PETER DOES NOT GIVE UP FISHING; JESUS BORROWED HIS BOAT WHEN HE PREACHED TO THE CROWDS ON THE SEASHORE, AND AFTERWARD THERE WAS THAT MIRACULOUS CATCH OF FISH. AND WE KNOW PETER SAID, AFTER THE RESURRECTION, “I AM GOING FISHING” AND WENT BACK TO HIS TRADE UNTIL JESUS APPEARED ONCE MORE. THE CALL TO THE DISCIPLES DID NOT INVOLVE THEM COMPLETELY GIVING UP THEIR TRADES; IN FACT, SCHOLARS THINK THAT IT WAS MORE LIKELY THAT THEY CONTINUED IN SOME WAY TO DO WHAT THEY HAD ALWAYS DONE; SAINT PAUL EVEN IN THE MIDST OF HIS PREACHING MISSION STILL REPAIRED TENTS FOR A LIVING.

JESUS TELLS HIS DISCIPLES THAT HE WILL MAKE THEM FISHERS OF MEN. HE DOESN'T SAY “APOSTLES” OR “BISHOPS” OR “PRIESTS”. AND I THINK HE IS TELLING ALL HIS FOLLOWERS, EVEN YOU AND I, THAT WE CAN BE FISHERS OF MEN AND WOMEN. IT IS AFTER ALL EMBEDDED IN THE MEANING OF BEING A CHRISTIAN THAT WE ARE TO MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS, THAT WE ARE COMMISSIONED TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE. BEING A FISHER OF MEN MUST BE SOMETHING EVERY CHRISTIAN REGARDLESS OF EDUCATION, PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS, MENTAL ABILITIES, OR AGE, MUST BE CAPABLE OF DOING. AND WHEN WE ASK WHAT EVERY HUMAN BEING CAN DO TO SOME DEGREE, IT IS THAT WE CAN ENTER INTO RELATIONSHIPS. A MOTHER ENTERS INTO A RELATIONSHIP WITH HER UNBORN CHILD; A PARENT WITH ADVANCED ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE REMAINS IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS OR HER LOVED ONES; AND BY DEFINITION, A CHRISTIAN IS IN SOME SORT OF RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST.

TO BE A FISHER OF MEN AND WOMEN THROUGH OUR RELATIONSHIPS IS NOT THE SAME THING AS BEING A PLUMBER OF MEN, OR A DOCTOR OF MEN, OR A HOMEMAKER OF MEN. FISHING IS UNIQUE, BECAUSE IT IS PASSIVE; THE FISHERMAN WAITS FOR THE FISH TO TAKE THE BAIT; OR THE FISHERMAN PULLS A NET THROUGH THE WATER, HOPING IT WILL ENCOUNTER A FISH. AND THAT'S HOW WE ARE TO BE FISHERS OF MEN.

HERE ARE THE STEPS. FIRST, WE EXAMINE OUR RELATIONSHIPS. SOME ARE VERY CLOSE, LIKE HUSBAND AND WIFE, LIKE PARENT AND CHILD. OTHERS ARE MORE DISTANT, LIKE CO-WORKERS. SOME ARE NEGATIVE; PEOPLE WITH WHOM WE HAVE A TROUBLED RELATIONSHIP. SOME RELATIONSHIPS SEEM ONE-SIDED; I MAY ADMIRE SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW I EXIST. BUT EVEN HERE THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP.

THE SECOND STEP IN BEING A FISHER IS TO CONSIDER HOW EACH RELATIONSHIP CAN BE ENHANCED. COMMON SENSE TELLS US THAT OUR RELATIONSHIPS PROSPER WHEN WE SPEND MORE TIME ON THEM. JUST BEING PRESENT TO SOMEONE HELPS THE RELATIONSHIP. BUT THERE ARE OTHER THINGS AS WELL; LEARNING THE INTERESTS OF THE OTHER PERSON; FORGIVING THE OTHER PERSON, FINDING SOMETHING THE OTHER PERSON NEEDS AND FULFILLING THAT NEED IF WE CAN, BEING A FRIEND IN OTHER WORDS. WE CAN'T IMPROVE OUR RELATIONSHIPS TO EVERYONE IN OUR CIRCLE ALL AT ONCE, BUT WE CAN CONCENTRATE ON A FEW AT A TIME.

THE THIRD STEP IS TO ALLOW GOD TO WORK THROUGH THE RELATIONSHIP TO BRING THE OTHER PERSON CLOSER TO HIM. WE MAY NOT BE AWARE OF MUCH HAPPENING, BUT BECAUSE WE ARE IN RELATIONSHIP TO CHRIST, AND BECAUSE WE ARE IN RELATIONSHIP WITH ANOTHER PERSON, WE CAN BE “ANOTHER CHRIST” FOR THAT PERSON. WE CAN BE ANOTHER CHRIST IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS IF THROUGH OUR LIVES WE SHOW THAT CHRIST MEANS SOMETHING TO US AND WE ARE ACTIVELY TRYING TO BE GUIDED BY HIM IN HOW WE LIVE OUR LIVES. WE CAN BE ANOTHER CHRIST IF WE MAKE IT A PRACTICE TO DELIBERATELY PRAY FOR THAT PERSON JUST AS JESUS PRAYED FOR HIS APOSTLES, AND PAUL PRAYED FOR THE PEOPLE HE HAD BROUGHT TO CHRIST.

THE STORIES OF THE SAINTS ARE FULL OF SITUATIONS WHERE PEOPLE CAME INTO RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD BECAUSE OF ENCOUNTERING SOMEONE WHO ALREADY HAD SUCH A RELATIONSHIP. THINK OF THE GROWTH OF THE FRANCISCAN MOVEMENT – ALL BECAUSE PEOPLE SAW SOMETHING OF JESUS IN FRANCIS, AND SOMETHING OF FRANCIS IN HIS FOLLOWERS. SAINT AUGUSTINE, ONE OF THE GREATEST THINKERS IN CHRISTIANITY, WAS BROUGHT INTO THE CHURCH THROUGH HIS RELATIONSHIPS WITH ST. AMBROSE AND WITH HIS OWN MOTHER.

AND IN THE GOSPEL STORY, WE SEE THAT THE FISHERMEN IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED JESUS – NOT BECAUSE HE WAS A STRANGER PASSING BY, BUT BECAUSE THEY KNEW HIM WELL ENOUGH SO THAT THEY WERE WILLING TO CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF THEIR LIVES AT HIS CALL.

SO PRAY FOR THE GRACE TO BE FISHER OF MEN, AND THEN WORK AT IT. YOU ARE THE BAIT, AND JESUS IS THE REAL FISHERMAN.

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A

JOHN 1:29-34

IN OUR GOSPEL TODAY JOHN THE BAPTIST TWICE SAYS OF JESUS, “I DID NOT KNOW HIM”. WE KNOW THAT IN THE LITERAL SENSE THAT WOULDN'T BE TRUE. WE KNOW MARY AND ELIZABETH WERE RELATED, AND MARY THOUGHT ENOUGH OF ELIZABETH TO TRAVEL, PROBABLY ON FOOT, ABOUT EIGHTY MILES TO HELP HER OUT DURING THE LAST PART OF HER PREGNANCY. AND IT WOULD SEEM UNLIKELY FOR JOHN TO GROW UP WITHOUT HEARING THE STORY OF HOW HIS FATHER LOST HIS ABILITY TO SPEAK, AND WHEN IT CAME BACK, ANNOUNCED THAT JOHN WAS DESTINED TO USHER IN THE MESSIAH. AND CERTAINLY THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF MARY AND ELIZABETH MEETING, AND ELIZABETH RECOGNIZING MARY AS THE MOTHER OF “HER LORD”, THE INFANT LEAPING IN HER WOMB BECAUSE OF THE NEARNESS OF JESUS – CERTAINLY THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION IN THE HOUSEHOLD OF ELIZABETH AND ZACHARY. AND WE KNOW THAT DEVOUT JEWS TRAVELED TO JERUSALEM TO CELEBRATE THE PASSOVER, AS JESUS AND HIS PARENTS DID WHEN HE WAS TWELVE. SURELY JOHN AND JESUS MUST HAVE MET ON SUCH OCCASIONS.

SOME SCHOLARS THINK THAT JESUS SPENT SOME TIME AS ONE OF JOHN'S DISCIPLES; CERTAINLY IN ONE OF THE ACCOUNTS OF JESUS' BAPTISM, JOHN RECOGNIZES THAT IT WOULD BE MORE APPROPRIATE IF JESUS WERE TO BAPTIZE HIM.

BUT EVEN DURING HIS LAST DAYS ON EARTH, WHEN HE WAS IN PRISON, JOHN SENDS SOME OF HIS FOLLOWERS TO ASK JESUS, “ARE YOU THE ONE WHO IS TO COME, OR SHALL WE LOOK FOR ANOTHER?” DID HE STILL “NOT KNOW HIM” DESPITE ALL THAT HAD HAPPENED?

JESUS SAID OF JOHN, “THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ONE BORN OF WOMAN GREATER THAN JOHN”. BUT HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT “THE ONE WHO IS LEAST IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS GREATER THAN HE.” WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE? JOHN WAS A HEROIC FIGURE, SACRIFICING EVERYTHING FOR GOD. AND YET JESUS SAYS THAT YOU AND I ARE GREATER.

THE DIFFERENCE, I GUESS, MUST BE THE GIFTS WE RECEIVE AT BAPTISM. ONE OF THESE, OF COURSE, IS THE SUPERNATURAL VIRTUE OF FAITH, THE CHARACTER GIVEN OUR SOULS WHICH ALLOWS US TO KNOW JESUS. WITHOUT THIS GIFT, EVEN IF WE WERE TO ENCOUNTER JESUS IN THE FLESH, EVEN IF WE WERE TO WITNESS HIM RAISING THE DEAD, WE WOULD NOT REALLY KNOW HIM. WE WOULD CONCLUDE, PERHAPS, THAT HE WAS A PROPHET, A MIRACLE WORKER, A GOOD AND HOLY MAN – WE MIGHT EVEN CONCLUDE THAT HE WAS ONE OF GOD'S FAVORITES – AND WE WOULD BE SAYING WHAT THE KORAN SAYS ABOUT HIM. MOSLEMS AND UNITARIANS BELIEVE THAT ABOUT JESUS. JOHN WAS NEVER GIVEN THE SUPERNATURAL VIRTUE OF FAITH, AT LEAST WHILE HE WAS ON THE EARTH, AND WITHOUT IT, EVEN WHEN HE THOUGHT HE WAS FINALLY GETTING TO KNOW WHO JESUS WAS, HE STILL DID NOT KNOW HIM.

YOU AND I KNOW JESUS; AT LEAST WE HAVE THE POWER TO KNOW HIM. POPE FRANCIS TALKS ABOUT CHRISTIANITY BEING FUNDAMENTALLY ABOUT AN ENCOUNTER WITH A PERSON, THE PERSON OF JESUS, AN ENCOUNTER THAT THREATENS TO CHANGE US. AND NOBODY LIKES CHANGE, SO I THINK THERE IS A TENDENCY IN MANY CATHOLICS TO BACK AWAY FROM THAT ENCOUNTER, TO RETREAT INTO A SITUATION WHERE WE RESIST KNOWING HIM. AND WE HOPE THAT IF WE AVOID SIN, AT LEAST BIG ONES, AND PARTICIPATE IN THE SACRAMENTS, WE'LL BE OK. AND ONLY GOD KNOWS HOW MANY PEOPLE RECEIVED THE SUPERNATURAL VIRTUES AT BAPTISM, BUT NEVER EXERCISED THEM, AND NO LONGER EVEN RETAIN A CONNECTION TO THE CHURCH.

EVEN THE LEAST IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS GREATER THAN JOHN THE BAPTIST, BECAUSE OF OUR POTENTIAL TO KNOW JESUS AS HE REALLY IS. BUT FAITH NEEDS TO BE NURTURED. AND WHAT DO WE MEAN BY SUPERNATURAL FAITH?

WE HAVE A POOR UNDERSTANDING OF FAITH IN THIS DAY AND AGE. FOR SOME OF US, IT MEANS BELIEVING IN THINGS THAT CAN'T BE PROVEN. FOR OTHERS, IT IS A CRUTCH, A CONSOLATION TO HOLD ON TO WHEN THINGS GET ROUGH. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SHARING OUR FAITH, WHAT DO WE MEAN? WHAT DO WE HAVE TO SHARE?

POPE FRANCIS WRITES THAT “ IN FAITH, CHRIST IS NOT SIMPLY THE ONE IN WHOM WE BELIEVE, THE SUPREME MANIFESTATION OF GOD’S LOVE; HE IS ALSO THE ONE WITH WHOM WE ARE UNITED PRECISELY IN ORDER TO BELIEVE. FAITH DOES NOT MERELY GAZE AT JESUS, BUT SEES THINGS AS JESUS HIMSELF SEES THEM, WITH HIS OWN EYES: IT IS A PARTICIPATION IN HIS WAY OF SEEING.”

JOHN THE BAPTIST, THE LAST AND GREATEST OF PROPHETS, WAS IN FACT LIKE ALL THE PROPHETS AND HOLY PEOPLE BEFORE HIM, NOT ABLE TO “SEE THINGS AS JESUS HIMSELF SEES THEM”, BECAUSE JESUS HAD NOT YET COMPLETED HIS MISSION ON EARTH. BUT YOU AND I HAVE THE CAPACITY TO SEE THINGS AS JESUS SEES THEM. POPE FRANCIS TALKS ABOUT THE LINK BETWEEN FAITH AND LOVE. IF WE LOVE, WE WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT WHOM WE LOVE; AND AS WE KNOW MORE ABOUT HIM, WE LOVE HIM MORE. FAITH, THEREFORE, CAN NEVER BE STATIC; IT'S EITHER GROWING OR FADING AWAY.

HOW DO WE PARTICIPATE IN JESUS' WAY OF SEEING? WE NEED TO SEE EVERYTHING THROUGH THE TWIN LENSES OF THE INCARNATION AND RESURRECTION. GOD REALLY DID COME TO DWELL AMONG US. THIS MEANS THAT THE WORLD WE LIVE IN HAS VALUE; CHRISTIANS SHOULD NOT ONLY BE INVOLVED IN THE WORLD, BUT SHOULD VALUE ALL OF CREATION. AND JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD, REALLY AND TRULY, TELLING US IN THAT ACTION THAT HUMAN BEINGS ARE NOT DEFINED BY THIS LIFE, BUT AS LONG AS THEY LIVE, HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE THE SAME JOURNEY THROUGH DEATH THAT JESUS DID.

TRUE, SUPERNATURAL FAITH CANNOT BE PRESENT IN ISOLATION; IT MUST BE LIVED IN THE CHURCH. SAINT PAUL REMINDS US THAT WE ARE MEMBERS OF THE BODY OF CHRIST; HE IS ALWAYS THE MEASURE AGAINST WHICH WE MEASURE OURSELVES. THE CHURCH HOLDS UP FOR US THE MIRROR IN WHICH WE SEE CHRIST'S IMAGE IN OURSELVES AND IN EACH OTHER, AND SHE DOES THIS FOR ONLY ONE REASON – SO THAT WE CAN JOIN OURSELVES MORE COMPLETELY TO CHRIST OUR HEAD.

IN PRACTICAL TERMS, WE CATHOLIC CHRISTIANS ARE CALLED TO SEE THE WORLD AS CHRIST SEES IT, AND THAT MEANS THAT WE NEED TO SEE IT AS THE CHURCH, HIS BODY, SEES IT. THE WAY WE SEE THE WORLD MOVES US TO ACTION; AND WHEN WE ACT OUT OF THE VISION JESUS HAS FOR US, OUR FAITH IS DEEPENED. THIS PROCESS OF LEARNING FROM THE CHURCH, ACTING IN THE WORLD BASED UPON WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED, AND THEN LOOKING FOR THE PRESENCE OF JESUS IN THIS PROCESS, IS HOW WE GROW IN OUR FAITH.

IT'S A NEW YEAR. THIS YEAR IS A GOOD TIME FOR YOU AND I TO STRENGTHEN OUR FAITH. PLEASE THINK ABOUT HOW IT WILL BE A YEAR FROM NOW – WILL YOU HAVE CHANGED ANYTHING ABOUT YOURSELF? WILL YOUR FAITH BE STRONGER? WILL YOU BE IN BETTER SHAPE TO BE A REAL APOSTLE THEN? WHAT PRACTICAL STEPS CAN YOU AND I TAKE SO THAT WE CAN SAY, “I DO KNOW HIM; I SEE THE WORLD WITH HIS EYES; I SEE HIS PRESENCE IN MY NEIGHBOR; GOD REALLY DWELLS WITH US. JESUS REALLY ROSE FROM THE DEAD SO THAT I CAN DO SO AS WELL.

Baptism of the Lord, cycle A

MATTHEW 3:13-17

MY MOTHER AND HER NINE SIBLINGS HAVE ALL PASSED ON TO THEIR FINAL REWARD. IT'S BEEN A WHILE AND I FIND THAT MY MEMORY OF HOW ANY OF THEM LOOKED IS FADING AS WELL. ONCE IN A WHILE I DIG OUT AN OLD PHOTOGRAPH TO REMIND ME. IF YOU LOOKED AT A PICTURE OF ALL TEN OF THEM, YOU WOULD PROBABLY NOTICE THAT FOUR OF THEM BEAR A RESEMBLANCE TO EACH OTHER, WHILE THE OTHER SIX LOOK LIKE EACH OTHER AS WELL. IF YOU HAD A PICTURE OF THEIR PARENTS IT WOULD BE CLEAR THAT SOME INHERITED THEIR LOOKS FROM THEIR MOTHER'S SIDE AND THE OTHERS, FROM THEIR FATHER'S SIDE.

I DON'T LOOK MUCH LIKE MY FATHER DID; I GET MY LOOKS FROM MY MOTHER'S SIDE. BUT I SEE A STRONG RESEMBLANCE TO MY FATHER IN ONE OF MY NEPHEWS.

FAMILY RESEMBLANCE ISN'T JUST ABOUT LOOKS. SOMETIMES IT'S IN MANNERISMS. I HAVE A NEPHEW WHO NOT ONLY LOOKS LIKE HIS FATHER, BUT TALKS LIKE HIM, GESTURES, LIKE HIM, WALKS LIKE HIM. HE COULD BE A CLONE.

ON THE OTHER HAND, I HAVE A GRANDCHILD THAT LOOKS NOTHING LIKE HIS FATHER, BUT HAS SOME TRAITS THAT REMIND ME OF MY SON-IN-LAW. HE HAS A CERTAIN WAY OF INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE THAT NONE OF HIS SIBLINGS SHARE, BUT IN THAT HE IS VERY MUCH LIKE HIS DAD.

THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT GOD MADE MAN IN HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS. PEOPLE HAVE PUZZLED OVER THIS STATEMENT FOR A LONG TIME. WHAT DOES IT MEAN, AND WHY DID THE INSPIRED AUTHOR USE TWO DIFFERENT HEBREW WORDS. FOR US, IMAGE AND LIKENESS MEAN THE SAME THING. BUT AS YOU GO THROUGH THE OLD TESTAMENT YOU FIND THAT THE TWO WORDS ARE NEVER USED TOGETHER AFTER THE STORY OF THE CREATION OF MAN. THERE ARE MANY REFERENCES TO MAN BEING MADE IN GOD'S IMAGE, BUT THE WORD “LIKENESS” ISN'T USED. SOME OF THE CHURCH FATHERS DECIDED THAT AFTER ADAM AND EVE SINNED, THEY LOST THE “LIKENESS” OF GOD, BUT RETAINED THE IMAGE. AND THEIR CHILDREN, AND THEIR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN, DOWN TO THE PRESENT, RETAINED THE IMAGE, BUT NO LONGER HAD THE LIKENESS. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD? IT HAS TO DO WITH OUR ABILITY TO REASON, TO REMEMBER, AND TO ACT INDEPENDENT OF EXTERNAL INFLUENCES. GRANTED, THESE QUALITIES EXIST IN US IN A VERY IMPERFECT WAY; WE KNOW OUR LOGIC SOMETIMES LEADS US DOWN THE WRONG PATH; WE KNOW OUR MEMORIES ARE FLAWED; AND WE KNOW THAT MUCH OF WHAT WE CHOOSE TO DO IS IN RESPONSE TO SOME EXTERNAL PRESSURE. BUT WE SHARE THESE TRAITS WITH GOD. BUT SOMETHING ABOUT OUR VERY BODIES RESEMBLES GOD AS WELL; JESUS SAID, “IF YOU HAVE SEEN ME, YOU HAVE SEEN THE FATHER”. ALL HUMAN BEINGS POSSESS THE IMAGE OF GOD. IF WE LOOK AT EACH OTHER, WE CAN CATCH GLIMPSES OF GOD. WHETHER YOU ARE ADOLPH HITLER OR POPE FRANCIS, THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT YOU THAT RECALLS OUR FATHER; WE BEAR A FAMILY RESEMBLANCE.

TODAY WE HEAR ABOUT THE BAPTISM OF JESUS. JOHN HAD BEEN BAPTIZING PEOPLE AS A SIGN THAT THEY WERE COMMITTED TO REPENTANCE, TO TRYING TO CHANGE THEIR LIVES, TO RENEW THEIR EFFORTS TO FOLLOW GOD'S LAW. THE BAPTISM WAS SEEN AS A SIGN OF COMMITMENT; TO ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE PLUNGED UNDER THE WATER AND COME UP AGAIN SIGNALED A NEW BIRTH. BUT JOHN'S BAPTISM WAS MERELY A SYMBOL.

WHEN JESUS WAS BAPTIZED, HOWEVER, SOMETHING NEW HAPPENED. GOD'S SPIRIT DESCENDED UPON HIM IN THE FORM OF A DOVE, IT SAYS; AND A VOICE FROM THE HEAVENS CRIED OUT “THIS IS MY BELOVED, IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED!” THOSE CHURCH FATHERS WHO THOUGHT ABOUT THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD IN HUMAN BEINGS THOUGHT THAT AT THIS MOMENT JESUS INITIATED THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM, AND IN BAPTISM, THE LIKENESS TO GOD WAS RESTORED.

SACRAMENTAL BAPTISM, ACCORDING TO SOME OF THOSE CHURCH FATHERS, RESTORES OUR LIKENESS TO GOD. AND WHAT IS THIS LIKENESS? IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD DESCENDING ON US. WHEN THAT HAPPENS, WE BEGIN TO SHARE GOD'S LIFE. WE BEGIN TO HAVE SUPERNATURAL QUALITIES – FAITH – THE ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD WANTS FOR US; HOPE – THE ABILITY TO LOOK FORWARD TO A DESTINY THAT WE COULDN'T OTHERWISE EVEN THINK ABOUT; AND LOVE – GOD'S KIND OF LOVE, THE ABILITY TO LOVE IN THE WAY GOD LOVES. WE BECOME CAPABLE OF SELF-GIVING LOVE, LOVE WHICH EMPTIES US OUT SO THAT GOD CAN FILL US UP.

WHEN WE LOOK AROUND AT OUR FELLOW CHRISTIANS, THE LIKENESS OF GOD SOMETIMES SHINES FORTH BRILLIANTLY AND OTHER TIMES, ONLY DIMLY. BUT ONE OF THE MARVELOUS THINGS ABOUT HAVING GOD'S LIKENESS IS THAT WHEN WE GET TOGETHER WITH EACH OTHER TO STUDY OUR FAITH, TO DO WORKS OF CHARITY, OR TO DO ANYTHING ELSE IN CHRIST'S NAME, EVEN SOCIAL EVENTS, THERE IS A MULTIPLIER EFFECT. EVERYONE'S LIKENESS SHINES FORTH, AND CHRIST BECOMES PRESENT. JESUS HIMSELF SAID THIS: “WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER IN MY NAME, THERE I AM”.

SO BAPTISM IS A WONDERFUL THING. IT GIVES US A SUPERNATURAL DIMENSION; IT MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO RECLAIM THE WAY WE WERE CREATED TO BE – LIKE ADAM AND EVE BEFORE THE FALL, BUT EVEN MORE, BECAUSE WE SHARE THE BAPTISM OF JESUS IT GIVES US A GODLY DIMENSION. ST. JOHN SAYS: “ DEAR FRIENDS, NOW WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD, AND WHAT WE WILL BE HAS NOT YET BEEN MADE KNOWN. BUT WE KNOW THAT WHEN CHRIST APPEARS, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, FOR WE SHALL SEE HIM AS HE IS.” WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM.

ISN'T THAT A WONDERFUL PROMISE? WE BELIEVE JESUS IS GOD AND MAN. EVERY TIME WE PUT A DROP OF WATER IN THE WINE THAT WILL BE CHANGED INTO THE BLOOD OF JESUS AT MASS, WE SAY THESE WORDS, “BY THE MYSTERY OF THIS WATER AND WINE, MAY WE COME TO SHARE IN THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST, WHO HUMBLED HIMSELF TO SHARE IN OUR HUMANITY.”

THAT'S THE AMAZING THING – THAT THROUGH BAPTISM WE BEGIN THE PATH TO BECOME LIKE JESUS, TO BECOME “DIVINIZED”. AND WE CAN HARDLY BELIEVE THIS.

BUT IT'S TRUE. AND BAPTISM OPENS THESE DOORS TO US. AND FOR EACH OF US WHO HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED, THOSE WORDS RING IN OUR EARS; “YOU ARE MY BELOVED, IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED.” BECAUSE, THE FATHER TELLS US, YOU LOOK LIKE ME, AND YOU ACT LIKE ME, AND YOU SHARE MY VERY SPIRIT, YOU BEAR MY IMAGE AND LIKENESS – THAT'S WHY YOU ARE MY BELOVED. AND IN OUR LIVES AS CHRISTIANS, AS WE RESPOND TO THE SPIRIT WHO LIVES IN US, IT'S WITHIN OUR POWER TO MORE AND MORE COME TO RESEMBLE OUR FATHER.

Feast of the Epiphany, 2014

MATTHEW 2:1-12

MY YOUNGEST GRANDCHILD IS ABOUT TWO YEARS OLD, AND OVER CHRISTMAS CAME TO VISIT US WITH HER MOM. NOW I AM VERY FOND OF ALL MY GRANDCHILDREN; EVERY ONE OF THEM IS UNIQUE IN SOME WAY. BUT LITTLE LEILA SPENT MUCH OF THE FIRST FEW MONTHS OF HER LIFE LIVING WITH US IN OUR HOME, AND I HAD JUST RETIRED FROM MY JOB, AND SO SPENT A LOT OF TIME WITH HER. WE BONDED.

LEILA IS STILL PRETTY HELPLESS AND DEPENDENT ON ADULTS FOR EVERYTHING. BUT SHE CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT AND IS VERY PROUD OF HER ABILITY TO RUN. ON HER RECENT VISIT SHE WATCHED MARY POPPINS SEVERAL TIMES, AS WELL AS MONSTERS INC, HER TWO FAVORITE MOVIES. AND WHILE SHE WAS IN OUR HOME, EVERYTHING CHANGED. THINGS THAT SHOULD HAVE REMAINED ON SHELVES NOW FOUND THEIR WAY TO THE FLOOR. THE TIMES WHEN EATING WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN CHANGED. THE SETTINGS ON THE TELEVISION WERE ALL SWITCHED TO UNFAMILIAR CHANNELS. LEILA QUICKLY BECAME THE CENTER OF ATTENTION AND WHEN SHE WOULD SEE HER COUSINS THEY WOULD CHANGE AS WELL; EVEN HER ALMOST FOUR YEAR OLD COUSIN DEFERRED TO HER; SHE DECIDED TO PLAY WITH ONE OF HIS CHRISTMAS PRESENTS, AND REFUSED TO GIVE IT BACK WHEN HE ASKED. INSTEAD OF FIGHTING WITH HER, LIKE HE WOULD HAVE DONE HAD THIS BEEN DONE BY AN OLDER BROTHER, HE QUICKLY GAVE UP AND FOUND SOMETHING ELSE TO DO.

THERE ARE DIFFERENT KINDS OF POWER. A CEO OF A GIANT CORPORATION CAN HIRE AND FIRE PEOPLE; SHE CAN CLOSE DEPARTMENTS AND START NEW ONES; SHE CAN SINGLE-HANDEDLY CHANGE THE ENTIRE COMPANY. AN ATHLETE HAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF POWER. A STAR QUARTERBACK CAN DO THINGS WITH A FOOTBALL THAT SEEM ALMOST MIRACULOUS. SOME OF THE GREAT BASKETBALL PLAYERS ALMOST SEEM ABLE TO FLY. AND THEN YOU HAVE A THIRD KIND OF POWER. IF YOU'VE EVER WATCHED A CONCERT GIVEN BY A POPULAR MUSICIAN OR MUSICAL GROUP, YOU SOON LEARN THAT IT'S NOT THE MUSIC THAT DRAWS PEOPLE; IT'S CHARISMA – THE ABILITY TO MAKE PEOPLE BE ATTRACTED TO YOU.

BUT LEILA HAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF POWER. JUST BY BEING HER HELPLESS SELF, SHE CAN CHANGE THE BEHAVIOR OF A CEO, OR A STAR ATHLETE, OR A CHARISMATIC MUSICAL STAR; BECAUSE THERE IS SOMETHING IN ALL OF US THAT IS TOUCHED BY A SMALL CHILD; WE FIND OURSELVES WANTING THE CHILD'S ATTENTION, WANTING TO SEE THE CHILD SMILE, WANTING IN SOME WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE CHILD. AND IT'S INTERESTING THAT THE CLOSER YOU ARE TO THIS KIND OF POWER, THE STRONGER IT IS.

ON THIS FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY, WE SEE DIFFERENT KINDS OF POWER. HEROD HAS ABSOLUTE POWER OVER HIS SUBJECTS, THE POWER OF LIFE AND DEATH; IN FACT, HE HAD TWO OF HIS SONS EXECUTED BECAUSE HE THOUGHT THEY WERE TRYING TO OVERTHROW HIM. THE MAGI HAD POWER. THEIR POWER CAME FROM THEIR LEARNING, LEARNING WHICH HAD BEEN ACQUIRED OVER YEARS AND YEARS; THE FACT THAT THEY UNDERTOOK THE LONG TRIP FROM PERSIA TO ISRAEL ITSELF POINTS TO THE SELF-DISCIPLINE OF A SCHOLAR, AN ATHLETE, OR SOMEONE WHO UNDERTAKES A LONG AND DANGEROUS JOURNEY. AND THEY HAVE THE POWER THAT COMES WITH WEALTH AS WELL; THEIR GIFTS ARE NOT CHEAP.

BUT THE BABY, THE POWERLESS, TOTALLY DEPENDENT LITTLE HUMAN BEING – THE BABY HAS THE REAL POWER. POWER TO FRIGHTEN HEROD SO MUCH THAT HE WILL DESTROY OTHER HELPLESS CHILDREN OUT OF FEAR THAT HIS KINGSHIP IS THREATENED. POWER TO DRAW THE MAGI ACROSS DESERTS AND SEAS, THROUGH POTENTIALLY HOSTILE TERRITORIES; POWER TO MAKE THEM CHANGE THEIR PLANS AND RETURN HOME BY A DIFFERENT ROUTE, AS IT SAYS IN THE GOSPEL READING.

THAT'S THE POWER THAT JESUS HAS AS A BABY, AND THE POWER HE HAS HELPLESS, HANGING ON A CROSS, CONDEMNED TO DEATH. IT IS THE BASIS OF THE POWER OF GOD HIMSELF.

WE HUMAN BEINGS WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A GOD WHO COMES AMONG US AND SETS THINGS RIGHT BY SIMPLY USING HIS POWER. WAR? NO MORE. CANCER? FIXED. EVIL PEOPLE? ELIMINATED. WE ALL LONG FOR THAT PARADISE THAT WE DREAM OF, WHERE THERE IS NO WANT, WHERE WE NEVER AGE, WHERE WE HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER NATURE. AND WE WONDER, WHY DOESN'T GOD, WHO IS ALL GOOD AND ALL POWERFUL, FIX THINGS?

BUT THAT IS NOT HOW GOD WIELDS HIS POWER. IN FACT, WHENEVER THE NEW TESTAMENT REFERS TO JESUS' POWER, WHEN WORKING A MIRACLE FOR EXAMPLE, IT USES A UNIQUE TERM, EXOUSIA, WHICH MEANS AUTHORITY OR THE ABILITY TO TURN PEOPLE AROUND. THOSE WHO ACCOMPANIED JESUS DURING HIS EARTHLY LIFE WERE AMAZED AT HIM PRECISELY BECAUSE THEY SAW THIS KIND OF POWER.

WHY DID THE MAGI COME ALL THAT WAY TO SEE A HELPLESS BABY? AND WHY DIDN'T THE SCHOLARS OF THE LAW, WHO KNEW THAT THE MESSIAH WOULD BE BORN IN BETHLEHEM, GET UP FROM THEIR BOOKS AND GO TO BETHLEHEM? I THINK THIS IS AN EXCELLENT ILLUSTRATION OF THE POWER OF JESUS. THINK ABOUT IT; THE WISE MEN SET OUT NOT KNOWING WHAT THEY WOULD FIND, OR WHERE. BUT AS THEY GOT CLOSER, AS THEY CONTINUED TO SEARCH, THEY WERE LED TO THE CHILD; AND WHEN THEY WERE THERE, THEY REJOICED AND DID HIM HOMAGE. WERE THEY CHANGED BY THIS ENCOUNTER? HOW COULD THEY NOT BE? TO GET CLOSE TO GOD YOU HAVE TO GIVE SOMETHING UP, YOU HAVE TO MAKE ROOM FOR HIM IN YOUR LIFE. THE MAGI GAVE UP THEIR TREASURES, AND RECOGNIZED GOD HIMSELF IN THE BABY. THEY WERE NOT JUST TOURISTS; THEY WERE THERE WILLING TO BE CHANGED, AND ALTHOUGH WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AFTERWARD, THERE ARE LEGENDS THAT THEY NEVER CEASED TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE, EVEN AS FAR AWAY AS SPAIN – THEIR ENCOUNTER WITH THE GOD WHO CHOOSES TO DWELL AMONG US.

THE SCHOLARS OF THE LAW, ON THE OTHER HAND, MADE NO EFFORT TO ALLOW THE POWER OF THE CHILD TO AFFECT THEM. BECAUSE THE CLOSER YOU GET, THE MORE YOU ARE DRAWN AND IT IS SAFEST NOT TO MOVE AT ALL IF YOU DON'T WANT TO RISK CHANGE.

THAT'S THE POWER OF THE BABY, THE POWER OF THE HELPLESS VICTIM ON THE CROSS, THE POWER THAT WE SEE IN POPE FRANCIS, OR IN ANY SAINT. TODAY LET US PRAY THAT WE WILL GET UP FROM OUR BOOKS AND MAKE OUR WAY TO THE CHILD, AND ALLOW HIM TO CHANGE US.