Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A

MATTHEW 14:22-33

POOR OLD PETER. HE RECOGNIZES JESUS AS THE MESSIAH, AND IN THE NEXT BREATH IS TELLING HIM HE SHOULDN'T TALK ABOUT BEING PUT TO DEATH. HE SEES JESUS TRANSFIGURED AND SPEAKING WITH MOSES AND ELIJAH, AND IMMEDIATELY WANTS TO PUT UP SOME TENTS OR STRUCTURES FOR THESE MEN WHO OBVIOUSLY DON'T NEED ANYTHING PETER COULD PROVIDE. HE SWEARS HE WILL NEVER BETRAY JESUS, THEN SHORTLY AFTERWARD DENIES THAT HE KNOWS THE MAN. AND OF COURSE THERE'S TODAY'S GOSPEL, WHERE POOR OLD PETER NEARLY DROWNS BECAUSE HE DOESN'T HAVE THE REQUIRED AMOUNT OF FAITH. (OF COURSE WE KNOW HE COULD SWIM, BECAUSE AFTER THE RESURRECTION, HE JUMPED OUT OF THE BOAT AND SWAM TO SHORE WHEN HE RECOGNIZED JESUS.)

I THINK WHEN WE SEE PETER OR ONE OF THE OTHER APOSTLES FAILING TO GET IT, OR TRYING TO DO SOMETHING AND NOT SUCCEEDING, WE REACT WITH A TINY BIT OF SUPERIORITY; AND IT'S PARTLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT PREACHERS TURN THESE STORIES INTO OBJECT LESSONS. “LOOK AT PETER, WHO DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH FAITH. JESUS WANTS YOU TO HAVE LOTS OF FAITH.” LOOK AT PETER, WHO BETRAYS CHRIST. GOD DOESN'T WANT YOU TO BETRAY CHRIST!” YOU'VE ALL HEARD SERMONS LIKE THIS.

BUT MAYBE THERE'S MORE HERE THAN IT SEEMS. WHEN YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT THE STORY, PETER AND THE OTHERS THINK THEY ARE LOOKING AT A GHOST, AND THEY ARE TERRIFIED. THEN PETER, WHO HAS MORE COURAGE THAN THE REST, I GUESS, SAYS “LORD, IF IT IS YOU, COMMAND ME TO COME TO YOU ON THE WATER.” AND WHEN JESUS SAYS “COME”, PETER STEPS OUT OF THE BOAT. NOW WE DON'T NOW HOW LONG PETER WALKED ON THE WATER. THE POINT WAS THAT HE BEGAN TO SINK. THINK ABOUT IT. PETER GAVE THE GHOST A CHALLENGE – IF IT IS REALLY YOU, TELL ME TO COME TO YOU. AND THE GHOST SAID, “COME”. BUT WHAT WOULD GO THROUGH YOUR MIND IF YOU TRUST THE GHOST NOW AND THEN STARTED TO SINK? I WOULD PROBABLY DECIDE THAT THAT WASN'T THE LORD, BECAUSE HE WASN'T HOLDING UP HIS END OF THE BARGAIN. AND WHEN I SANK I WOULD BE TELLING MY BROTHER APOSTLES, “SAVE ME!”. BUT PETER MADE WHAT THEY CALL A LEAP OF FAITH – EVEN THOUGH HE WASN'T WALKING ON WATER AS PROMISED, HE STILL CRIED OUT, “LORD, SAVE ME!” HE STILL TRUSTED JESUS.

THE THEOLOGIAN KARL RAHNER SAID THAT EVENTUALLY EVERYONE WOULD HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN BEING A MYSTIC AND BEING AN ATHEIST. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY BELIEVE, BUT THEY DON'T PRACTICE. BUT THERE ARE MANY OTHERS WHO PRACTICE, BUT DON'T REALLY BELIEVE. OH, THEY BELIEVE IN COMING TO CHURCH, PARTICIPATING IN THE SACRAMENTS, MAYBE EVEN DONATING TIME AND MONEY TO THE CHURCH. BUT JESUS ISN'T REAL FOR THEM. RELIGION MEANS LIVING A GOOD LIFE AND BELONGING TO SOMETHING LARGER THAN YOURSELF. OR MAYBE IT MEANS BEING AFRAID THAT WHAT YOU LEARNED AS A CHILD IS TRUE – THERE MIGHT REALLY BE A HELL, AND AS ONE ELDERLY LADY TOLD ME, “I'M JUST HOPING TO GET TO PURGATORY”. BUT EACH OF US AT SOME POINT IN OUR LIFE HAS TO BECOME A MYSTIC; WE HAVE TO GET AWAY FROM THE NOISE AND OTHER PEOPLE, AND CONFRONT OURSELVES. WE HAVE TO STEP OUT OF THE BOAT. WE HAVE TO FACE THOSE SCARY FACTS: I AM WEAK, SINFUL, AND I LIE TO MYSELF. I AM ULTIMATELY ALONE, EVEN WHEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS AND FAMILY. I AM GOING TO DIE, AND MY BODY IS ALREADY WEARING OUT. THERE ARE PEOPLE I CANNOT FORGIVE. I HAVE ADDICTIONS – MAYBE NOT TO ALCOHOL OR TOBACCO OR DRUGS, BUT THERE ARE THINGS THAT WOULD BE VERY PAINFUL TO GIVE UP. THERE ARE MANY THINGS ABOUT MY LIFE THAT I SHOULD CHANGE, BUT I'M TOO LAZY. THERE ARE THINGS I PLANNED TO DO, BUT NOW I KNOW I WILL NEVER DO THEM. AND THE SCARIEST NOTION OF ALL – IS THERE REALLY A GOD WHO ACTUALLY LOVES ME AND CARES ABOUT ME? OR IS IT ALL A DELUSION?

WHEN I LOOK DEEP INSIDE MYSELF, WHEN I AM QUIET AND NOT DISTRACTED, I DON'T LIKE WHAT I SEE. MAYBE THAT'S WHY THE GREATEST SAINTS, WHO WERE CERTAINLY FAR GREATER MYSTICS THAN YOU AND I, ALWAYS SAW THEMSELVES AS SINNERS.

THERE'S A REASON WHY PEOPLE IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD ARE FALLING AWAY FROM RELIGION. IT'S BECAUSE THEY NO LONGER KNOW THEMSELVES; IT'S SO EASY TO BE DISTRACTED, SO EASY TO LET THE CULTURE WE LIVE IN TELL US HOW TO THINK. AND OUR CULTURE SAYS, THERE IS NO SIN; ACCEPT YOURSELF AS YOU ARE; IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE, AS LONG AS YOU ARE SINCERE. AND OUR CULTURE SAYS, “DON'T THINK ABOUT ALL THOSE SCARY FACTS! FILL YOUR DAY WITH BUSYNESS; AND WHEN YOUR DAY IS OVER, READ THE PAPER, WATCH TV, SURF THE NET – UNTIL YOU ARE TOO TIRED TO DO ANYTHING, THEN GO TO SLEEP AND START OVER IN THE MORNING. AND LIKE THE APOSTLES WHO REMAINED IN THE BOAT, IT'S EASIER TO STICK TO WHAT WE KNOW, TO STICK TO OUR ROUTINE, THAN TO CONFRONT THAT ANGRY SEA INSIDE US.

BUT IT IS ONLY WHEN WE QUIETLY FACE THOSE SCARY THOUGHTS, THOSE THINGS WE WOULD RATHER NEVER THINK ABOUT, THAT WE UNDERSTAND HOW BADLY WE NEED A SAVIOR, HOW BADLY WE NEED A RELATIONSHIP WITH SOMEONE WHO KNOWS OUR DARKEST SECRETS, WHO HAS FACED OUR HIDDEN FEARS; WHO OFFERS TO LISTEN TO WHAT WE DON'T EVEN WANT TO TELL OURSELVES, LET ALONE OUR LOVED ONES. AND THERE IN OUR SILENCE WHEN WE ASK OURSELVES THE SCARY QUESTIONS, WE DISCOVER THAT THE LOVER OF OUR SOUL IS THERE, THE ONE WHO CAN SAVE US. AND LIKE PETER WE WILL HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE – TO TURN BACK TO THE BOAT, TO AND REMAIN IN THAT FALSE REALITY WHERE I'M OK AND YOU'RE OK, AND THE ONLY SIN IS ACTUALLY ACTING ON MY RELIGIOUS BELIEFS – OR TO LEARN THAT I ACTUALLY NEED A SAVIOR IN THE WORST WAY, AND TO TRUST IN THAT GHOST-LIKE FIGURE WE CAN BARELY SEE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STORM AND CRY OUT, “LORD, SAVE ME!”

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A

MATTHEW 14:13-21

IN THE TIME OF JESUS, EVERYONE BELIEVED IN GOD. THERE WERE THREE GENERAL UNDERSTANDINGS GOD. THE PHILOSOPHERS, LIKE ARISTOTLE AND PLATO, REASONED THAT GOD WAS THE SUM OF ALL PERFECTION, THE UNCHANGEABLE ONE, THE UNMOVABLE MOVER. ALTHOUGH THIS GOD MADE SENSE INTELLECTUALLY, IT WAS HARD TO SEE SUCH A GOD AS PERSONAL. OUTSIDE OF PHILOSOPHERS, FEW PEOPLE B RESONATED WITH THAT CONCEPTION. THE COMMON PEOPLE, ON THE OTHER HAND, USUALLY BELIEVED THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL GODS, ALL UNDER A SORT OF FATHER FIGURE. THE ROMANS BELIEVED IN JUPITER, THE GREEKS IN ZEUS, THE NORSMEN IN ODIN, THE EGYPTIANS IN OSIS. ALL HAD IN COMMON THE IDEA THAT HUMAN BEINGS WERE PLAYTHINGS TO THE GODS, AND SINCE THEY WERE SO MUCH MORE POWERFUL, AND CARED SO LITTLE ABOUT PEOPLE, THE MOST YOU COULD HOPE FOR WOULD BE TO PICK OUT A GOD AND OFFER SACRIFICES IN THE HOPES OF GETTING THE GOD TO DO YOU FAVORS. IN THE END, GODS WERE JUST LIKE PEOPLE, WITH ALL THEIR GOOD AND BAD POINTS, EXCEPT MUCH MORE POWERFUL. AND THEN THERE WERE THE JEWS. THEY INSISTED THAT THERE WAS ONLY ONE GOD. THEIR PROPHETS AND HOLY MEN SAW THAT GOD AS THE ALL POWERFUL BEING WHO ENTERED INTO A CONTRACT WITH THE HUMAN RACE, AND ESPECIALLY WITH THE JEWS. IF THE JEWS WERE FAITHFUL, AND FOLLOWED THE LAW, AND OFFERED SACRIFICES WITHOUT BLEMISH, THEN GOD WOULD REWARD THEM. IF, ON THE OTHER HAND, THEY FAILED IN THESE TASKS, GOD WOULD WITHDRAW HIS FAVOR – MAYBE EVEN USE HIS POWER TO PUNISH THEM. THE JEWS HAD BEEN IN EXILE, THEY'D BEEN SUBJECTED TO PAGAN RULERS, THEY'D HAD NATIONAL CATASTROPHES – AND THEY KNEW WHY – THEY HAD BEEN UNFAITHFUL AND IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THEY COULD NOT EVER PLEASE THIS STERN AND ALL-HOLY GOD, WHO WOULD NEVER DESERT THEM, IT WAS TRUE, BUT WHO REQUIRED FROM THEM MORE THAN THEY WERE ABLE TO GIVE.

WE CHRISTIANS PROBABLY CYCLE THROUGH ALL THESE IDEAS. WE SOMETIMES THINK OF GOD IN THE PHILOSOPHIC SENSE – WE CAN NEVER REALLY MATTER TO A GOD WHO HAS ALL THE POWER, ALL THE TRUTH, ALL THE INTELLIGENCE AND WISDOM, AND ALL THE HAPPINESS THAT IT'S POSSIBLE TO HAVE. AND OFTEN WE THINK OF GOD AS SOMEONE TO BE PLACATED; SOMEONE WHO WILL REWARD US IF WE PRAY ENOUGH, OR FAST ENOUGH, OR SAY ENOUGH ROSARIES. AND WE OFTEN THINK OF GOD AS WATCHING OUR EVERY STEP, PLANNING TO ZAP US IF WE GET OUT OF LINE, A GOD WHO IS ALWAYS MAKING HIS LIST AND CHECKING IT TWICE, GONNA FIND OUT WHO'S NAUGHTY AND NICE.

THE MIRACLE OF THE LOAVES AND THE FISHES IS A GREAT MIRACLE, INDEED. BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IT WAS A MIRACLE THAT THE APOSTLES ONLY KNEW ABOUT WHEN IT WAS OVER. THE PEOPLE IN THE CROWDS ONLY KNEW THAT THEY WERE TOLD TO SIT DOWN AND SOMEONE WOULD BRING THEM FOOD. AND THE APOSTLES DID JUST THAT. TO A PERSON IN THE CROWD, NOTHING SPECTACULAR. EVEN THE FOOD WAS PRETTY PLAIN. BUT THEY WERE HUNGRY AND THEY GOT FED.

WHERE WAS THE REAL MIRACLE? THE APOSTLES FIRST OF ALL ASKED THE LORD TO DISMISS THE CROWDS, SO THAT THEY COULD GO AND GET SOMETHING TO EAT. THEY WOULD HAVE TO HIKE TO THE NEAREST TOWN AND HOPE THAT SOMEONE WOULD SELL THEM SOMETHING. AND IN THOSE DAYS NOT EVERYONE HAD MONEY, NOT EVERYONE HAD A SURPLUS OF FOOD. DISMISSING THE CROWD TO GO AND FIND FOOD WOULD GET THE APOSTLES OFF THE HOOK, BUT IT WOULDN'T DO MUCH GOOD FOR THOSE 5000 PEOPLE WHO WERE OUT IN A DESERTED PLACE. AND THE APOSTLES WANTED TO BE OFF THE HOOK; AS WE LEARN LATER, THEY HAD A LITTLE FOOD, AND PROBABLY DIDN'T WANT TO FEEL GUILTY WHILE THEY HAD THEIR SUPPER AND THE CROWD DID NOT.

BUT JESUS IS GOD, AND JESUS TOOK PITY ON THE CROWD, JUST AS HE HAD TAKEN PITY ON THEM WHEN HE WAS HEALING THE SICK, MAKING THE BLIND SEE AND THE DEAF HEAR, DRIVING OUT DEMONS. AND HE TOLD THE APOSTLES TO HAVE THE CROWD SIT DOWN. AND THEN HE SAID, “YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT.” I'M SURE THE APOSTLES WERE NOT EXCITED ABOUT GIVING WHAT THEY HAD AWAY, AND THEY KNEW THAT THEY'D BARELY MAKE IT PAST THE FIRST FEW PEOPLE AND WOULD BE OUT OF EVERYTHING. BUT THEY SWALLOWED THEIR SKEPTICISM AND AFTER JESUS BLESSED THEIR DINNER, THEY BEGAN TO DISTRIBUTE IT. AND ONLY WHEN THE FOOD DID NOT DIMINISH, ONLY WHEN THE TWELVE BASKETS OF LEFTOVERS WERE COLLECTED, DID THEY LEARN OF THE MIRACLE; AND WE'VE SPENT TWENTY CENTURIES THINKING ABOUT IT, AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO.

JESUS IS SHOWING US SOMETHING ABOUT GOD, SOMETHING THAT ESCAPED THE PHILOSOPHERS, THE PAGANS, AND EVEN THE JEWS. IN THAT CROWD WERE PEOPLE OF ALL SORTS; MOST LIKELY SOME WERE VERY HOLY AND ATTENDED SYNAGOGUE EVERY WEEK; AND OTHERS WERE LESS SO, TAX COLLECTORS AND SUCH; AND STILL OTHERS, EVEN LESS – THIEVES PICKING POCKETS – BECAUSE ANYWHERE A CROWD GATHERED, YOU COULD FIND A FEW THIEVES – AND REVOLUTIONARIES WHO WERE PLOTTING TERRORISM AGAINST THE ROMANS; AND A FEW LADIES WITH VERY BAD REPUTATIONS, BECAUSE THEY FOLLOWED THE CROWDS AS WELL. BUT JESUS MAKES NO DISTINCTION; HE GIVES EVERYTHING AWAY, NOT BASED ON MERIT, NOT BASED ON ACCOMPLISHMENT, NOT BASED ON HOLINESS – HE GIVES ALL THE FOOD AWAY BECAUSE HE HAD COMPASSION ON THE CROWD. COMPASSION IS NOT THE SAME AS PITY; PITY MAY MOVE YOU TO ACT, BUT COMPASSION MOVES YOU TO SUFFER WITH. AND JESUS WOULD NOT EAT WHEN THOSE IN THE CROWD COULD NOT EAT. AND THE SECOND THING TO NOTICE IS THAT JESUS WORKS HIS MIRACLE THROUGH HIS RELUCTANT APOSTLES, THE ONES WHO WANTED TO DISMISS THE CROWD – SO THAT THEY COULD EAT WHAT THEY HAD. AND WHEN THE APOSTLES BEGAN TO DISTRIBUTE THE FOOD, IT IS WHEN THEY GIVE AWAY WHAT THEY HAVE, THEY FIND THAT THEY HAVE MORE, AND THE MORE THEY GIVE AWAY, THE MORE THEY HAVE, AND THROUGH THEIR LETTING GO OF WHAT LITTLE THEY HAVE, GOD REWARDS THEM WITH SUPERABUNDANCE.

JOAN AND I KNOW A COUPLE WHO REACT TO FINANCIAL PROBLEMS BY GIVING MORE OF WHAT THEY HAVE AWAY. EARLY IN THEIR MARRIAGE, SHE WAS PREGNANT AND HE HAD A JOB WHICH DIDN'T PAY VERY WELL, AND THINGS WEREN'T LOOKING GOOD AT ALL. THEY DECIDED TO INCREASE THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE SUNDAY COLLECTION. AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, HE WAS OFFERED A NEW POSITION WITH A BETTER SALARY. AND THIS WASN'T THE ONLY TIME – THEY HAVE HAD MANY EXPERIENCES WHICH HAVE MADE THEM FIRM BELIEVERS IN THE GENEROSITY OF GOD.

THE REAL MIRACLE IS THAT TWELVE HUNGRY APOSTLES WHO WANTED TO DISMISS THE CROWD WERE CHANGED SO THAT THEY TAPPED INTO GOD'S COMPASSION AND UNEQUALED GENEROSITY – AND YOU AND I CAN AS WELL. PUT GOD TO THE TEST. NEXT TIME YOU REALLY NEED SOMETHING, GIVE SOMETHING OF WHAT YOU HAVE TO SOMEONE IN NEED, AND SEE WHETHER GOD WILL OUTDO YOU IN GENEROSITY – HE PROMISED HE WOULD. DO YOU TRUST HIM?  

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A

MATTHEW 13:44-52
I HAD A GREAT AUNT, MY GRANDMOTHER'S SISTER.  SHE WAS IN HER LATE TEENS, BEING COURTED BY A YOUNG MAN NAMED GEORGE, AND IT LOOKED AS THOUGH MARRIAGE WAS ON THE HORIZON.  CHRISTINE, LIKE HER BROTHERS AND SISTERS, HAD A DEEP FAITH.  ONE DAY SHE WAS TALKING WITH HER PASTOR, AND BROUGHT UP THE FACT THAT SHE THOUGHT SHE LOVED GEORGE, AND HOPED SOMEDAY HE'D ASK HER TO MARRY HIM.  AS THE STORY GOES (TOLD BY CHRISTINE) THE PRIEST TOLD HER THAT SHE WAS BEING CALLED TO GIVE UP EVERYTHING AND FOLLOW JESUS, AND THAT COULD BE DONE BEST IF SHE ENTERED A RELIGIOUS ORDER.  CHRISTINE DECIDED, APPLIED TO THE MADAMES OF THE SACRED HEART, AND INFORMED GEORGE THAT HIS ATTENTIONS WERE NO LONGER DESIRED.  SHE ENTERED THE CONVENT AT 19, AND PASSED AWAY AT 105, STILL WEARING HER HABIT, STILL A MEMBER OF HER COMMUNITY.  I THINK SHE WAS  HAPPY AND CONTENTED IN HER RELIGIOUS LIFE; AT LEAST WHEN I KNEW HER SHE RADIATED JOY AND GOOD CHEER.
JESUS TODAY DESCRIBES THREE THINGS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS LIKE.  IT IS LIKE SOMEONE WHO FINDS A TREASURE, THEN SELLS ALL HE HAS SO THAT HE CAN BUY THE FIELD WHERE THE TREASURE IS BURIED.  THE PARABLE OF THE PEARL IS NOT TOO DIFFERENT; AGAIN, THE PERSON SELLS ALL HE HAS TO TAKE POSSESSION OF THE PEARL.  THE INDIVIDUALS IN THESE TWO STORIES IN A WAY MAKE A TOTAL COMMITMENT, EXCHANGING EVERYTHING SO THAT THEY CAN POSSESS ONE THING.  I REMEMBER A LONG TIME AGO THESE PARABLES BEGAN TO BOTHER ME.  WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU HAD NOTHING LEFT IN LIFE BUT A REALLY WONDERFUL PEARL?  HOW WOULD YOU EAT? WHERE WOULD YOU LIVE?  YOU'D HAVE THE PEARL, ALRIGHT, BUT IT ALMOST SEEMS LIKE THE OLD STORY OF KING MIDAS – HE HAD ALL THE GOLD HE COULD POSSIBLY WANT, BUT COULD NOT HAVE ANYTHING ELSE.  MY GREAT AUNT THOUGHT SHE WAS GIVING UP EVERYTHING FOR JESUS, BUT IN A WAY, AS IS TRUE OF EVERYONE WHO GIVES UP EVERYTHING, IT DIDN'T REALLY HAPPEN.  SHE JUST EXCHANGED ONE LIFE FOR ANOTHER; SHE STILL HAD FOOD, CLOTHING, SHELTER, COMPANIONSHIP, AN INTELLECTUAL LIFE, AND SO ON.  AND THE OTHER PROBLEM WITH THESE PARABLES; IS JESUS TELLING US ALL TO DO THIS?  OR IS IT RESERVED FOR A FEW, ASSUMING THAT'S WHAT HE MEANS.  WHEN HE TELLS THE RICH YOUNG MAN TO SELL ALL HE HAS AND GIVE IT AWAY AND COME FOLLOW HIM, WE SORT OF  SEE THIS AS A SPECIFIC REQUEST TO THE YOUNG MAN, A VOCATION, IF YOU WILL, AND NOT A GENERAL PRESCRIPTION.  AFTER ALL, THERE WERE OTHERS WHO BEGGED TO FOLLOW HIM, BUT WHO WERE TOLD TO RETURN TO THEIR HOMES AND PROCLAIM THAT THE KINGDOM WAS NEAR.
IT'S INTERESTING THAT JESUS TELLS THE STORY OF THE TREASURE, THEN THE PEARL, AND THEN SAYS, “AGAIN, THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS LIKE A NET THROWN INTO THE SEA … “  THAT PARABLE DOESN'T SEEM TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE OTHERS, IN FACT, IT'S MORE LIKE THE PARABLE ABOUT THE WHEAT AND THE WEEDS.  BUT JESUS SEEMS TO CONNECT IT TO THE OTHER TWO IN THIS GOSPEL.
SO WHAT IS JESUS ASKING?  AND IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE FOR MOST OF US?  I THINK JESUS GIVES US A CLUE WHEN HE SAYS, “THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS WITHIN YOU”.  WE EACH HAVE IT IN OUR POWER TO MAKE THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN REAL.  THAT MEANS THAT EVERY DECISION WE MAKE SHOULD BE MADE WITH THE KINGDOM IN MIND.  EVERY TIME WE PULL OUT OUR WALLET OR OPEN OUR PURSE, WE SHOULD BE THINKING OF THE KINGDOM; EVERY TIME WE ENCOUNTER ANOTHER PERSON, EVEN SOMEONE VERY CLOSE TO US, WE SHOULD HAVE THE KINGDOM IN MIND.  SAINT PAUL TALKS ABOUT PUTTING ON CHRIST.  THAT'S THE IDEA; EVERYTHING WE DO NEEDS TO BE DONE AS THOUGH CHRIST WERE DOING IT – WHICH MEANS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE RESOLUTIONS EVERY MORNING AND EXAMINATIONS OF  CONSCIENCE EVERY EVENING IF WE ARE REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT MAKING THE KINGDOM REAL.  AND WE CAN ALL DO THIS, WE CAN ALL COMMIT TOTALLY TO THE KINGDOM, WE CAN ALL CHOOSE TO GIVE UP EVERYTHING ELSE THAT IS NOT CHRIST FOR THE SAKE OF CHRIST – AND IT DOESN'T MEAN ENTERING A  MONASTERY OR BECOMING A HERMIT.  IT MIGHT FOR SOME, BUT NOT FOR MOST OF US.
THERE'S A STORY ABOUT A WOMAN WHO COMES TO CHURCH.  SHE THROWS A STERN LOOK AT THE CHILD WHO IS TWITCHING IN HIS SEAT; SHE LOOKS WITH DISAPPROVAL AT THE YOUNG MAN WEARING SHORTS AND A  TANK TOP.  WHEN THE CHOIR HITS A SOUR NOTE, SHE WINCES; WHEN THE PRIEST MISPRONOUNCES A WORD DURING THE READING OF THE GOSPEL, SHE NODS IN SATISFACTION THAT SHE CAUGHT THE MISTAKE.  AND WHEN SHE LEAVES THE CHURCH SHE HAS A MENTAL LIST OF EVERYTHING THAT WENT WRONG, AND IS WONDERING IF THERE IS ANY CHURCH WHERE EVERYTHING IS PERFECT.
ANOTHER WOMAN COMES TO CHURCH AND SMILES AT THE CHILD TWITCHING; SHE'S GLAD HIS PARENTS ARE STARTING HIM EARLY.  SHE SEES  THE YOUNG MAN IN CASUAL  CLOTHES AND GIVES THANKS THAT A FEW YOUNG PEOPLE COME TO CHURCH WHEN THEY COULD BE DOING SOMETHING ELSE.  SHE HEARS THE SOUR NOTE FROM THE CHOIR AND HER HEART IS GRATEFUL THAT THERE ARE VOLUNTEERS WHO WORK HARD TO PROVIDE THE MUSIC FOR THE LITURGY; AND SHE LAUGHS OFF FATHER'S MISPRONUNCIATION BECAUSE SHE IS LISTENING HARD FOR THE WORD THAT GOD WILL GIVE HER TODAY, BECAUSE HE ALWAYS DOES, YOU JUST HAVE TO BE OPEN.  AND WHEN SHE LEAVES CHURCH, SHE IS THINKING ABOUT HOW SHE CAN CHANGE HER LIFE, EVEN A LITTLE BIT, TO BE MORE LIKE JESUS.  AND SHE'S HAPPY THAT SHE BELONGS TO A COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE IN COMMON THAT THEY ARE ALL PART OF CHRIST'S BODY.
BOTH WOMEN HAVE COME TO THE SAME CHURCH, THE SAME MASS, AND THEY'VE BOTH GOTTEN WHAT THEY PREPARED  THEMSELVES TO RECEIVE.  BUT ONLY ONE IS POSESSING THE KINGDOM.
AT THE END OF TIME, THERE WILL BE A SEPARATION OF THE WHEAT FROM THE WEEDS, THE BAD FISH FROM THE GOOD FISH.  AND WHILE JESUS SAYS THAT THE ANGELS WILL DO THE SEPARATING, IT WILL JUST BE THE LAST STEP, BECAUSE THE SEPARATING STARTED A LONG TIME AGO, WHEN EACH INDIVIDUAL MADE A DECISION – TO GO ALL OUT TO BRING ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, OR TO HOLD BACK, AND MAKE SURE THAT WHILE WE REACHED FOR THE KINGDOM WITH ONE HAND, WE HELD TIGHT TO WHAT WE HAD WITH THE OTHER.

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A

MATTHEW 13:24-43

IF YOU HAVE A GREEN THUMB, YOU PROBABLY ARE LIKE MY WIFE, WHO REALLY DISLIKES WEEDS. IF YOU DON'T HAVE A GREEN THUMB, YOU ARE MORE LIKE ME, WHO FEELS THAT WEEDS HAVEN'T BOTHERED ME, SO I WON'T BOTHER THEM. MANY YEARS AGO ONE OF OUR DAUGHTERS WHO PROBABLY TAKES AFTER ME MORE THAN MY WIFE, WAS ASKED TO GO OUT AND WEED. WHEN SHE GOT THROUGH, THE AREA WHICH HAD BEEN WEEDED WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY DEVOID OF PLANTS OF ANY KIND; IT LOOKED LIKE A DESERT. NEEDLESS TO SAY, SHE HASN'T BEEN ASKED TO WEED SINCE THEN.

SO WHAT IS A WEED? IF YOU LOOK AT A COMMON WEED, THE DANDELION, IT ISN'T A WEED TO A LITTLE KID, WHO LIKES TO BLOW THE SEEDS OFF AND WATCH THEM FLY AWAY. IT ISN'T A WEED TO SOMEONE WHO HAPPILY SPENDS HOURS PICKING OFF THE FLOWER PETALS TO MAKE DANDELION WINE. BUT IT IS A WEED TO SOMEONE WHO LIKES A CARPET-LIKE LAWN. WE COULD PROBABLY DEFINE A WEED AS A PLANT THAT I DON'T HAVE A USE FOR.

NOTICE TODAY THAT JESUS COMPARES THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN TO THREE THINGS – A MAN WHO SOWS WHEAT IN A FIELD, A MUSTARD SEED, AND YEAST. WE CAN SORT OF GRASP THE MUSTARD SEED AND THE YEAST; JESUS IS ILLUSTRATING THE POINT THAT THE KINGDOM SPREADS AND GROWS AND IN THE CASE OF THE YEAST, INFLUENCES EVERYTHING AROUND IT. BUT WHAT DO WE MAKE OF THE MAN WHO SOWS WHEAT IN A FIELD? JESUS LATER GOES ONTO EXPLAIN THAT HE IS THAT MAN. HE IS THE EMBODIMENT, THE BEGINNING, THE SEED FROM WHICH THE KINGDOM OF GOD WILL ARISE. AND THE KINGDOM SPRINGS FROM THE SEED THAT HE SOWS.

SO LET US LOOK AT THAT KINGDOM. FIRST, THE PARABLE TELLS US THAT THERE WILL NEVER BE A TIME, UNTIL THE VERY END, WHEN THE WHEAT AND THE WEEDS WILL NOT BE MINGLED TOGETHER. WHEN I WAS A LITTLE KID GOING TO CATHOLIC SCHOOLS, MY TEACHERS ASSURED US THAT SOMEDAY THE WHOLE WORLD WOULD BE CATHOLIC. EVERYONE WOULD HAVE FINALLY REALIZED THAT THIS WAS THE ONE TRUE FAITH. THAT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH THAT STOOD ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR SCHOOL WOULD BE ANOTHER OUTPOST OF OUR CHURCH. BUT JESUS SEEMS TO BE SAYING SOMETHING DIFFERENT HERE. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE WEEDS, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PEOPLE WHO ARE BUILDING THEIR LIVES ON THE WORDS OF CHRIST, AND PEOPLE WHO AREN'T. HOW THIS IS GOING TO BE RESOLVED AT THE END OF TIME IS A QUESTION THAT WILL NOT BE ANSWERED UNTIL THEN. BUT RIGHT NOW AND FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES, WHEAT AND WEEDS WILL MINGLE. AND I'M NOT SAYING PRESBYTERIANS ARE LIKE WEEDS.

SECOND, PARABLE TELLS US SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S PRETTY IMPORTANT. THE WEEDS THAT WERE SOWN IN THE FARMER'S FIELD REALLY LOOKED A LOT LIKE WHEAT. IN FACT, ONE OF THE REASONS YOU HAD TO WAIT BEFORE DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT WAS BECAUSE OF THIS FACT. NOT EVEN A REALLY GOOD FARMER COULD TELL UNTIL THE END OF THE GROWING SEASON WHAT WAS WHEAT AND WHAT WAS DARNEL, THE IMITATION WHEAT WHOSE SEEDS MADE PEOPLE SICK. THAT HAS SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS WITH HOW WE DEAL WITH EACH OTHER. YOU MAY LOOK LIKE A WEED TO ME, BUT THERE'S NO WAY I CAN KNOW; WE ARE STILL GROWING, WE ARE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF DEFINING OURSELVES. AND SINCE I DON'T EVEN KNOW MY OWN FUTURE, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF I AM DESTINED TO BE A WEED THROUGH SOME FUTURE CHANGE OF HEART, I CAN'T JUDGE YOU OR EVEN MYSELF. ALL I CAN DO IS TRY TO LOOK AT YOU KNOWING ONE THING – WHILE YOU ARE HERE ON EARTH, GOD LOVES YOU ENOUGH TO DIE FOR YOU. AND IF THAT'S THE CASE, AM I NOT CALLED TO LOVE YOU AS WELL? WHEAT OR WEEDS?

THE THIRD QUALITY OF THE KINGDOM IS PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT. IN THE BOOK, “REBUILT”, WHICH IS THE STORY OF THE REVIVAL OF A DYING PARISH AND HOW THAT WAS ACHIEVED, THE AUTHORS, WHO WENT ALL OVER THE COUNTRY TRYING TO LEARN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESSFUL FAITH COMMUNITIES AND THOSE WHICH WERE NOT, CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT IN EVERY SUCH COMMUNITY, CATHOLIC, PROTESTANT, OR JEWISH, THERE SEEMED TO BE TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE. THEY LABELED ONE GROUP “CONSUMERS”. THESE WERE THE PEOPLE WHO CAME TO CHURCH WANTING TO BE FED. THEY WANTED GREAT MUSIC, AN INSPIRING SERMON, BREVITY, OF COURSE, AND EASY PARKING. THE NEW BABIES WERE BROUGHT FOR BAPTISM, AT THE CONVENIENCE OF THE PARENTS, OF COURSE, TO ACCOMMODATE THE POST BAPTISMAL PARTY. THE CHILDREN WERE DUTIFULLY EDUCATED UNTIL THEY ACHIEVED THEIR CONFIRMATION, OR BAR MITZVAH, AND THEN THAT WAS IT. CONSUMERS WHO WERE NOT HAPPY WITH THEIR FAITH COMMUNITY READILY DROPPED OUT, OR PERHAPS SOUGHT ANOTHER COMMUNITY. THE OTHER GROUP WERE LABELED “DISCIPLES”. THESE PEOPLE SAW UNDERSTOOD THAT THE COMMUNITY WAS THERE TO HELP THEM BECOME MORE LIKE THE PERSON GOD WAS CALLING THEM TO BE; THEY CAME TO SERVICES LISTENING, KNOWING THAT GOD WOULD ALWAYS HAVE A WORD JUST FOR THEM. THEY HAD A PRAYER LIFE OUTSIDE THE CHURCH; JUST AS THEY WERE TRYING TO BE DISCIPLES, THEY RAISED THEIR CHILDREN TO BE DISCIPLES. AND AS PART OF THEIR GROWTH, THEY GAVE PART OF THEMSELVES TO THE COMMUNITY – IN SERVICE, IN MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS – BECAUSE THEY REALIZED THAT THE SURVIVAL AND HEALTH OF THE COMMUNITY WAS INTEGRAL TO THEIR OWN DISCIPLESHIP.

THERE IS A SIMPLE WAY TO TELL THE SEED THAT THE SOWER SOWS – IT'S THE SEED THAT BEARS FRUIT. ALL THE REST IS WEED, WHICH AT THE END OF TIME WILL BE GATHERED UP AND CAST INTO THE FIRE – ALL THAT GROWTH, ALL THAT GREENERY, JUST BUNDLED UP AND BURNED. THE WEEDS HAVE NOTHING TO SHOW FOR THEIR TIME ON EARTH. THE WHEAT, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS VALUED BY THE SOWER, WHO GATHERS IT UP AND STORES IT IN HIS BARNS. AND WE KNOW THAT WHILE A LOT OF THE WHEAT WILL GO INTO MAKING BREAD TO REDUCE HUNGER AND PROVIDE NOURISHMENT, GOOD THINGS IN THEMSELVES, SOME OF THE SEED WILL BE SET ASIDE TO BEGIN THE PROCESS ALL OVER AGAIN DURING THE NEXT GROWING SEASON. TO BE WHEAT IS TO HAVE PURPOSE, TO BE TREASURED, AND TO BE IMMORTAL.

IN JESUS' PARABLE, A SEED SOWN CANNOT CHANGE IT'S NATURE; IF IT IS THE SEED OF A WEED, IT WILL BE A WEED. BUT FOR US THERE IS ALWAYS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME WHEAT, TO BE DISCIPLES, TO BEAR FRUIT.

SO TODAY LET US PRAY THAT GOD WILL GIVE US THE GRACE TO BE WHEAT.  

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A

MATTHEW 13:1-23

I KNEW A YOUNG MAN WHO HAD REALLY FALLEN AWAY FROM THE CHURCH. HE WAS SINGLE, ALTHOUGH HE HAD HAD A FEW GIRL FRIENDS. HE WAS DEEPLY INVOLVED IN MUSIC, AND ALTHOUGH HE DIDN'T SMOKE OR DRINK, HE HUNG OUT WITH GUYS WHO DID. EVENTUALLY HE MET A YOUNG LADY WHO WAS VERY RELIGIOUS. THEY FELL IN LOVE, APPARENTLY, BECAUSE THEIR RELATIONSHIP LASTED FOR SEVERAL YEARS. DURING THIS TIME HE BECAME A REGULAR CHURCH-GOER, GOT TO KNOW A LOT MORE ABOUT HIS FAITH, BEGAN TO DISTANCE HIMSELF FROM SOME OF THE BAD INFLUENCES IN HIS LIFE. THE COUPLE GOT ENGAGED MORE THAN ONCE, BUT FOR SOME REASON THEY NEVER MADE IT TO MARRIAGE. EVENTUALLY THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS TESTED SEVERELY – BY SEPARATION AND OTHER THINGS – AND THEY BROKE UP. HE NO LONGER PRACTICES HIS FAITH, AND HAS STATED THAT HE DOESN'T CONSIDER HIMSELF A CATHOLIC ANYMORE.

SO WHERE DOES HE FIT IN WHAT JESUS WAS TALKING ABOUT? THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THE WORD MEANT NOTHING TO HIM. THEN IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THE SEED FELL ON FERTILE GROUND, AND BORE FRUIT. BUT THEN, WORLDLY CARES STRANGLED THE NEW GROWTH. AND WE MIGHT EVEN THINK THIS CYCLE HAPPENED BEFORE, BECAUSE HE WAS RAISED IN A DEEPLY CATHOLIC FAMILY. MIGHT THINGS HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT IF HE HAD MARRIED THE WOMAN HE HAD GONE WITH FOR SEVERAL YEARS? WOULD THAT HAVE CREATED MORE FERTILE GROUND? YOU WONDER.

MANY YEARS AGO, MY REACTION TO THIS PARABLE WAS TO BE GRATEFUL THAT I WAS FERTILE GROUND, THAT I WAS WHERE THE SEED COULD BEAR FRUIT. FOR THE OTHER EXAMPLES, I COULD LOOK AROUND AND SEE MY FRIENDS AND RELATIVES – SOME WHO HAD FALLEN AWAY FROM THE CHURCH, SOME WHO HAD NEVER EMBRACED THE FAITH OF THEIR PARENTS; SOME WHO HAD BEEN VERY ENTHUSIASTIC FOR A WHILE, BUT WERE NO LONGER. BUT JESUS IS TELLING US TO LOOK AT OURSELVES; HE'S NOT GIVING US A MEASURING STICK THAT HELPS US TO CLASSIFY OTHER PEOPLE.

IF WE ARE HONEST WITH OURSELVES, WE KNOW THAT WE GO THROUGH INDIFFERENCE, ENTHUSIASM FOLLOWED BY BURNOUT, FORGETTING OUR CHRISTIAN CALLING BECAUSE OF ALL THE NOISE IN OUR LIVES, THE 24/7 DISTRACTIONS; AND YET THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE CAN SEE THAT GOD IS WORKING IN US TO BEAR AT LEAST A LITTLE FRUIT.

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, I HAD UNCLES WHO FARMED. ONE OF THE TASKS EVERY SPRING WAS TO GET THE LAND READY FOR PLANTING. THIS INVOLVED PLOWING, BUT PLOWING WASN'T JUST PULLING A PLOW BEHIND A TRACTOR. FOR REASONS WHICH I NEVER UNDERSTOOD, PART OF PLOWING WAS TO PICK UP AND MOVE THE LARGE ROCKS THAT SEEMED TO HAVE GROWN IN THE FIELD OVER THE WINTER; EVERY FIELD HAD A PILE OF ROCKS OFF IN THE CORNER SOMEWHERE. FERTILIZATION WAS OFTEN NECESSARY AS WELL; GOOD FARMERS GREW CROPS LIKE ALFALFA EVERY NOW AND THEN, AND THESE WOULD RESTORE NITROGEN TO THE SOIL. AND OF COURSE THERE WAS THE WEEDING THAT HAD TO TAKE PLACE, AT LEAST UNTIL THE CROP HAD A HEAD START.

THE SOWER IN JESUS' EXAMPLE ISN'T A TYPICAL FARMER. HE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE GROUND ON WHICH HE CASTS SEEDS. A REAL FARMER WOULD BE CONCERNED; TO THROW SEED WHERE IT COULDN'T GROW WOULD BE A WASTE.

I THINK ONE POINT JESUS IS MAKING IS THAT GOD IS A VERY EXTRAVAGANT FARMER, WHO HAS AN INFINITE AMOUNT OF SEED. HE MAKES HIS WORD AVAILABLE AT ALL TIMES TO ALL PEOPLE. BUT WE ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE TO PREPARE THE SOIL, AND KEEP IT PREPARED.

IF YOU ARE SINGLE, OR CALLED TO THE RELIGIOUS LIFE, THERE ARE CERTAINLY PITFALLS AND PROBLEMS WITH DOING THIS. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, YOU DO HAVE MORE CONTROL OVER THE QUALITY OF YOUR SOIL THAN PERHAPS PEOPLE CALLED TO MARRIAGE. I KNOW FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE THAT WITH SMALL CHILDREN, A CAREER, BILL PAYING, UNEXPECTED EMERGENCIES – IT'S EASY TO FORGET ABOUT YOUR SOIL. AND THAT IS PROBABLY A SPECIAL GRACE THAT COMES FROM THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY, THE SACRAMENT THAT THE COUPLE I DESCRIBED DID WITHOUT. BECAUSE A HUSBAND CAN HELP PREPARE HIS WIFE'S SOIL, AND A WIFE, HER HUSBAND'S. AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, YOU CAN'T HELP BUT HAVE A REALLY WONDERFUL MARRIAGE, WHERE THE WORD OF GOD IS BEARING MUCH FRUIT, MOST OF THE TIME.

HOW DO WE MAKE GOOD SOIL OF OURSELVES? JESUS GIVES US THE ANSWER. FIRST, WE ARE NOT INDIFFERENT TO HIS WORD. WE CHEW ON IT, WE MEDITATE, WE STUDY IT. WE DON'T JUST LET IT GO IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER. EVERYONE HAS A BIBLE, AND IF YOU DON'T YOU CAN GO ON LINE. IF YOU WANT GOOD BIBLICAL COMMENTARY, THERE'S PLENTY OF THAT AS WELL. BUT WE CANNOT BE INDIFFERENT, IF WE WANT TO BE GOOD SOIL.

SECOND, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THERE WILL BE TIMES OF ENTHUSIASM AND TIMES OF COLDNESS; SOMETIMES OUR SOIL IS NOT VERY DEEP. HOW CAN WE DEEPEN IT? A SIMPLE ANSWER, AVAILABLE TO US ALL, BUT ESPECIALLY TO HUSBANDS AND WIVES, IS TO SPEAK TO EACH OTHER ABOUT OUR FAITH, NOT JUST THE GOOD STUFF, BUT THE HARD THINGS, THE DOUBTS, THE TIMES WHEN WE WONDER IF THERE REALLY IS A LOVING GOD. SPEAKING TO EACH OTHER, HAVING SOME SPIRITUAL FRIENDSHIPS, ALLOWS US TO HOLD EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE, SO THAT WHEN THE WORD OF GOD IS HAVING TROUBLE LAYING DOWN ROOTS BECAUSE WE ARE SHALLOW, WE HELP EACH OTHER DEEPEN THE SOIL. JESUS TOLD US THAT WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER IN HIS NAME, HE WOULD BE THERE.

THIRD, WE ALREADY KNOW THAT MOST OF OUR DAY IS SPENT DEALING WITH LIVING – JOBS, HOMEMAKING, EDUCATION OF CHILDREN, DISCIPLINE, KEEPING UP OUR PROPERTY, MAYBE EVEN WORKING IN SOME TIME FOR RECREATION. AND AFTER THIS, WE NEED TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH OUR LOVED ONES. THERE'S USUALLY VERY LITTLE TIME LEFT TO WORK ON OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. WE NEED TO DO SOME WEEDING. THIS MEANS NOT JUST ONCE, BUT MAYBE EVERY FEW DAYS, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT IS TAKING OUR TIME AND EVALUATE WHAT'S IMPORTANT AND WHAT'S NOT. A PRIEST TOLD MOTHER THERESA THAT HIS BIG PROBLEM WAS THAT HE WAS SO BUSY WITH HIS PRIESTLY DUTIES THAT HE HAD NO TIME FOR PROLONGED PRAYER. MOTHER THERESA, ONE OF THE BUSIEST WOMEN IN THE WORLD, WHO SPENT HER FIRST HOUR OF EVERY DAY BEFORE THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, AND THE SECOND HEARING MASS, REPLIED THAT IF THAT WAS THE CASE, THEN HE WAS WAY TOO BUSY.

 SO TODAY JESUS CHALLENGES US – NOT TO CLASSIFY PEOPLE WE KNOW INTO DIFFERENT KINDS OF SOIL, BUT TO TEND TO OUR OWN SOIL. BECAUSE THE FATHER WILL ALWAYS PROVIDE ABUNDANT SEED; IT IS UP TO US WHETHER THE SEED BEARS FRUIT.

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle A

MATTHEW 11:25-30
POPE FRANCIS MADE HEADLINES WHEN HE TOLD REPORTERS, “WHEN I MEET GAY PEOPLE, IF THEY ACCEPT THE LORD AND HAVE GOODWILL, WHO AM I TO JUDGE THEM? THEY SHOULD NOT BE MARGINALIZED.”  HE AND ONE OF HIS BEST FRIENDS, A RABBI, WROTE A BOOK TOGETHER BEFORE HE WAS MADE POPE.  ON GOOD FRIDAY HE WASHED THE FEET OF A WOMAN WHO WAS A MUSLIM, BREAKING NOT ONE BUT TWO OLD TRADITIONS.  THE CATHOLIC CHURCH SEES ITSELF AS A PEOPLE ON PILGRIMAGE, AS A PREVIEW OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, AS THE BODY OF CHRIST, AND WHILE THESE ARE NOT BAD IMAGES, POPE FRANCIS HAS GIVEN US A NEW ONE – A FIELD HOSPITAL.  AND HE HAS FAMOUSLY SAID THAT SHEPHERDS SHOULD SMELL LIKE THEIR SHEEP.
THE WORDS JESUS SAYS TODAY ARE VERY COMFORTING.  BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER WHO HE WAS SPEAKING TO.  IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS, BESIDES THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, THERE ARE 603 OTHER COMMANDMENTS.  MOST OF THEM ARE SIMPLE AND LOGICAL; SOME ONLY MADE SENSE TO PEOPLE WANDERING IN THE DESERT AND HAD NO MEANING TO PEOPLE LIVING IN CITIES.  A LARGE NUMBER HAD TO DO WITH HOW TO PERFORM RITUALS.  THE PHARISEES WERE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVED THAT GOD WOULD FAVOR YOU IF YOU FOLLOWED HIS LAW, AND THE MORE CAREFULLY YOU FOLLOWED IT, THE BETTER.  SO THEY MADE IT THEIR BUSINESS TO TAKE EACH LAW AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO KEEP IT.  ONE LAW SAID, “YOU SHALL NOT BOIL A KID IN IT'S MOTHER'S MILK”.  THE PHARISEES DECIDED THAT THIS MEANT YOU SHOULDN'T EAT MILK AND MEAT AT THE SAME TIME.  NOT ONLY THAT, BUT YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN USE THE SAME DISHES FOR A MEAL WITH MEAT AND A MEAL WITH MILK.  SINCE THE RABBIS WHO RAN THE SYNAGOGUES WERE MOSTLY PHARISEES, THEY HAD THE POWER TO EXPEL YOU FROM MEMBERSHIP IF YOU BROKE THE LAWS OF MOSES.  SO THESE LAWS WITH ALL THEIR DETAILS WERE A BURDEN, AND REFERRED TO AS A YOKE.   IN THIS WORLD, THE AVERAGE JEWISH PERSON WAS CONSTANTLY BREAKING THE LAWS, THE LAWS OF PURITY, THE LAWS REGARDING WORKING ON SUNDAY, THE LAWS HAVING TO DO WITH ASSOCIATING WITH GENTILES.  THE BURDEN WAS TOO HEAVY.
JESUS CALLS THEM AWAY FROM THAT.  HE PROMISES THAT HIS YOKE, UNLIKE THAT OF THE PHARISEES, WILL BE SUCH THAT PEOPLE CAN FOLLOW IT, AND IT WON'T DRAG THEM DOWN.
JESUS PROBABLY MADE YOKES, BEING A CARPENTER.  A YOKE WAS DESIGNED TO MAKE IT EASY FOR A PAIR OF OXEN TO PULL A PLOW.  YOU BEGAN BY ROUGHING OUT THE SHAPE, AND THEN YOU TOOK THE TWO ANIMALS WHO WOULD BE WORKING TOGETHER AND FITTED THE YOKE TO THEM.  YOU SANDED OFF ROUGH EDGES, YOU WHITTLED AWAY PROTRUSIONS – YOU TRIED TO MAKE THE YOKE FIT THE ANIMAL, SO THAT WHEN IT PULLED THE LOAD, THERE WERE NO PRESSURE SPOTS THAT COULD CAUSE PAIN.  ONCE THE YOKE FIT, THE ANIMAL COULD BEAR EVEN A HEAVY BURDEN MORE EASILY.
JESUS TELLS US TO LEARN FROM HIM, BECAUSE HE IS MEEK AND HUMBLE OF HEART.  THE PHARISEES KNEW A LOT; THEY COULD QUOTE BIBLE VERSES RIGHT AND LEFT, AND KNEW THE OPINIONS OF THE GREAT RABBIS.  NATURALLY, WITH ALL THE WORK THEY HAD PUT INTO LEARNING THESE THINGS, THEY EXPECTED RESPECT FROM THE PEOPLE THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE SERVING.  WHEN THEY WERE CONSULTED, AS THEY OFTEN WERE, THEY WOULD LAY OUT THE LAW, REGARDLESS OF THE HARDSHIP IT MIGHT CAUSE.  THERE WAS NO CONSIDERATION OF A PERSON'S CIRCUMSTANCES.  THE LAW WAS THE LAW.  JESUS DOESN'T LET US OFF THE HOOK EITHER, BUT IN HIS HUMILITY, IN HIS MEEKNESS, HE RECOGNIZES THAT WE ARE GOING TO FAIL.  AND HE'S ALREADY THERE WITH HIS FORGIVENESS.
SO WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM JESUS?  WE LEARN TO LOVE GOD AND LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR.  LOVING GOD MEANS THAT WE RECOGNIZE THAT HE IS IN CHARGE, AND THAT WE CAN'T REALLY DO ANYTHING UNLESS HE ALLOWS IT.  LOVING GOD MEANS THAT WE TRY TO DO HIS WILL RATHER THAN OUR OWN, JUST AS JESUS DID.  A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY LOVE GOD LOVE ON THEIR OWN TERMS WHICH ISN'T LOVE AT ALL.  “I LOVE GOD BUT THAT COMMANDMENT IS TOO MUCH, THAT RULE OF THE CHURCH IS NOT TO MY LIKING”.  SOME OF US ONLY LOVE A FALSE GOD, WHO NEVER DISAGREES WITH US, WHO LETS US DO ANYTHING WE WANT AS LONG AS WE ARE SINCERE.
LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR MEANS THAT WE LOVE LIKE JESUS DID – WE LOOK FOR BARRIERS BETWEEN HIM AND I, AND TRY TO GET RID OF THEM.  THIS DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE GIVE UP OUR VALUES; IT MEANS THAT LIKE POPE FRANCIS, WE REFUSE TO JUDGE, AND WE KEEP LOOKING FOR THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD THAT IS IN EVERY HUMAN BEING.  
SOMEONE ONCE USED THIS EXAMPLE.  IF YOU WERE A BIRD, YOU WOULD BE MOST AT HOME IN THE SKIES.  THERE YOU WOULD BE FAST, YOU WOULD BE FREE, AND WOULD HARDLY GET TIRED AT ALL BECAUSE YOU WERE BEING HELD UP BY THE AIR ITSELF.  BUT IF YOU HAD TO RUN AROUND ON THE GROUND, OR SWIM IN THE OCEAN (I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT DUCKS AND PENGUINS AND OSTRICHES, OF COURSE) YOU WOULD BE SEVERELY LIMITED AND AT THE MERCY OF WHATEVER CREATURE WAS ADAPTED TO THE GROUND OR THE WATER.
JESUS OFFERS US THE AIR THAT IS OUR TRUE HOME – TO LOVE GOD THE RIGHT WAY, AND TO LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR THE RIGHT WAY.  IF WE ARE DOING THIS, WE ARE IN THE ENVIRONMENT WE ARE MEANT TO BE IN, THE ENVIRONMENT WHERE OUR EFFORTS ARE MULTIPLIED A HUNDRED FOLD, WHERE WE CAN ACCOMPLISH REALLY GREAT THINGS WITH ONLY A LITTLE EFFORT.  WHEN SAINT PAUL WAS CAST FROM HIS HORSE ON THE WAY TO DAMASCUS TO PERSECUTE THE CHRISTIANS, JESUS SAID TO HIM, “”WHY DO YOU KICK AGAINST THE GOAD?”  IN OTHER WORDS, AS LONG AS YOU RESIST YOU WON'T BE HAPPY, YOU WON'T GET ANYTHING IMPORTANT DONE, YOUR LIFE WILL JUST BE FAILURE AFTER FAILURE.
BUT IF YOU TAKE ON THE YOKE JESUS HAD MADE FOR YOU,  THE YOKE THAT YOU WERE MEANT TO WEAR, THE LOAD THAT YOU WERE MEANT TO PULL, YOUR BURDEN WILL BE LIGHT, AND LIKE A BIRD, YOU WILL BE IN YOUR ELEMENT.
POPE FRANCIS, I THINK, SHOWS THIS BY HIS EXAMPLE.  HE IS CATHOLIC TO THE CORE.  HE BELIEVES IN EVERYTHING THE CHURCH TEACHES – HE SAID SO HIMSELF.  BUT THE FIRST THING SINNERS NEED, AND WE ARE ALL SINNERS, EVEN THE POPE – IS TO BE LOVED, TO BE FORGIVEN, TO BE TOUCHED BY GOD'S GRACE.  AND THOSE WHO BEAR THE YOKE OF JESUS LOVE, FORGIVE, AND BECOME THE CHANNELS FOR GOD'S GRACE TO TOUCH OUR FELLOW MAN. JESUS IS NOT AGAINST RULES; AS HE SAID, “NOT THE SMALLEST LETTER OR STROKE OF THE LAW WILL PASS AWAY TILL ALL IS ACCOMPLISHED.”  WHEN WE BECOME THE INSTRUMENTS GOD USES TO HEAL HIS PEOPLE, WE ARE RIGHT WHERE WE SHOULD BE, AT REST, WITH A BURDEN THAT IS LIGHT AND A YOKE THAT IS SWEET.

Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, 2014

JOHN 21:15-19

TODAY I HAVE SOME BIBLE QUOTES FOR YOU. HERE IS PAUL WRITING IN THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS: “RECOGNIZING THE GRACE THAT HAD BEEN GIVEN TO ME, JAMES AND CEPHAS AND JOHN, WHO WERE REPUTED TO BE PILLARS, GAVE TO ME AND BARNABAS THE RIGHT HAND OF FELLOWSHIP, SO THAT WE MIGHT GO TO THE GENTILES AND THEY TO THE CIRCUMCISED.”

HERE IS ANOTHER FROM THE SAME EPISTLE: “BUT WHEN CEPHAS CAME TO ANTIOCH, I OPPOSED HIM TO HIS FACE, BECAUSE HE STOOD CONDEMNED. FOR PRIOR TO THE COMING OF CERTAIN MEN FROM JAMES, HE USED TO EAT WITH THE GENTILES; BUT WHEN THEY CAME, HE BEGAN TO WITHDRAW AND HOLD HIMSELF ALOOF, FEARING THE PARTY OF THE CIRCUMCISION.…”

AND FROM THE SECOND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS: “FOR I CONSIDER MYSELF NOT IN THE LEAST INFERIOR TO THE MOST EMINENT APOSTLES.”

AND HERE'S A QUOTE FROM THE SECOND LETTER OF PETER: “ … JUST AS ALSO OUR BELOVED BROTHER PAUL, ACCORDING TO THE WISDOM GIVEN HIM, WROTE TO YOU, AS ALSO IN ALL HIS LETTERS, SPEAKING IN THEM OF THESE THINGS, IN WHICH ARE SOME THINGS HARD TO UNDERSTAND, WHICH THE UNTAUGHT AND UNSTABLE DISTORT ...”

IF YOU READ THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, YOU GET THE IDEA THAT EVERYTHING WAS REALLY WONDERFUL IN THE EARLY CHURCH, AND ANY TIME THERE WAS A DISAGREEMENT, THE LEADERS QUICKLY MOVED TO FIND COMMON GROUND. SAINT LUKE WANTED HIS READERS TO LOOK BACK TO THE EARLY CHURCH AS A MODEL FOR HOW THINGS SHOULD BE IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES. BUT WHEN YOU READ THE WRITINGS OF PAUL AND THE QUOTATION FROM THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PETER, OR THE THIRD EPISTLE OF JOHN – AND THERE ARE A LOT MORE – YOU MIGHT GET THE FEELING THAT THINGS WEREN'T ALL WARM AND FUZZY. I SUSPECT WHEN PETER AGREED THAT PAUL WOULD GO TO THE GENTILES AND HE WOULD WORK WITH THE JEWS, THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A SENSE OF RELIEF.

I DON'T THINK PETER AND PAUL WERE FRIENDS, EVEN THOUGH TODAY IS THEY SHARE A FEAST. I DON'T THINK THEY WERE ENEMIES, EITHER. BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THAT ISN'T SURPRISING. PETER WAS UNEDUCATED, SPOKE ARAMAIC AS HIS NATIVE TONGUE; KNEW VERY LITTLE ABOUT PHILOSOPHY OR THEOLOGY, AND PROBABLY FELT MOST COMFORTABLE WHEN HE WAS WITH PEOPLE LIKE HIMSELF – DOWN TO EARTH, PRACTICAL, FULL OF COMMON SENSE. PAUL, ON THE OTHER HAND, KNEW HEBREW AND GREEK, AND MAYBE SOME LATIN AS WELL. HE WAS VERY WELL EDUCATED, AND PROBABLY HAD THE EQUIVALENT OF A PHD. HIS WRITINGS SUGGEST THAT HE KNEW SOMETHING ABOUT GREEK PHILOSOPHY AND ROMAN POLITICS, AS WELL AS JEWISH LAW AND THEOLOGY. PAUL WAS A BIG CITY KIND OF GUY, AND PETER WAS FROM THE STICKS.

BUT YOU WILL NOTICE IN THE FIRST QUOTATION THAT PAUL REFERS TO THE “HAND OF FELLOWSHIP” THAT PETER AND THE OTHERS OFFERED HIM. SO WHAT IS FELLOWSHIP, AND WHAT IS FRIENDSHIP, AND HOW DO THEY DIFFER, AND WHAT DO THEY HAVE IN COMMON?

FELLOWSHIP MEANS THAT YOU AND I SHARE A WORLD VIEW; A BELIEF SYSTEM. IT MEANS THAT WE ARE BOTH DEDICATED TO THE SAME GOAL. IT MEANS THAT EVEN IF WE ARE VERY DIFFERENT, WE RECOGNIZE EACH OTHERS TALENTS AND GIFTS, AND ARE WILLING TO WORK TOGETHER BECAUSE WE BOTH BELIEVE IN WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH. FELLOWSHIP MAY BE AS SIMPLE AS GETTING TOGETHER AFTER MASS FOR COFFEE AND DONUTS – BECAUSE WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE ARE FAMILY, THAT WE HAVE THE SAME FATHER, THAT WE ARE BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF JESUS. OR IT MAY BE MUCH MORE THAN THAT. IT MAY BE THAT WE GET TOGETHER AROUND A MINISTRY, SO THAT WE FEED THE HUNGRY, SO THAT WE COMFORT THE SORROWING.

FRIENDSHIP, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS VERY DIFFERENT. ST. AUGUSTINE SAID THAT FRIENDSHIP WAS LIKE TWO PERSONS WITH ONE SOUL. IF WE ARE FRIENDS WITH SOMEONE, WE CAN BE OURSELVES WITH THAT PERSON. IF WE ARE APART FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND THEN COME TOGETHER AGAIN, WE CAN TAKE UP WHERE WE LEFT OFF, AS THOUGH THE INTERVENING YEARS NEVER HAPPENED. FRIENDSHIP IS MORE ON A VISCERAL LEVEL. IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME THAT YOUR LIFESTYLE IS DIFFERENT THAN MINE, THAT YOU HAVE DIFFERENT BELIEFS – FRIENDSHIP GOES BEYOND ALL THAT.

A LOT OF PEOPLE CONFUSE FELLOWSHIP AND FRIENDSHIP. AS THE EXAMPLE OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL DEMONSTRATE, YOU CAN HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITHOUT FRIENDSHIP. AND THAT'S A GOOD THING. IF I BECOME PART OF A FELLOWSHIP WHICH IS MOVING TOWARDS A GOAL, ESPECIALLY A GOAL RELATED TO THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH, THERE IS A LOT OF SATISFACTION IN WORKING TOGETHER AROUND THE COMMON END. BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO TAKE THAT RELATIONSHIP HOME WITH US; WE DON'T HAVE TO DEVELOP DEEP FRIENDSHIPS WITH OUR FELLOWS. FELLOWSHIP ALLOWS PEOPLE WHO ARE TOTALLY INCOMPATIBLE TO POOL THEIR GIFTS AND TALENTS SO THAT THY ARE MUCH MORE THAN THE SUM OF THE INDIVIDUAL PARTS.

FRIENDSHIP, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS RELATED TO THE PERSONS INVOLVED, NOT THE TASK AT HAND. I CAN BE FRIENDS WITH SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T BELIEVE WHAT I BELIEVE, WHO HAS DIFFERENT VALUES THAN I DO, WHO MAY BE WORKING TOWARDS GOALS WITH WHICH I DO NOT AGREE. OF COURSE IT'S POSSIBLE TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH FRIENDS, AND BE FRIENDS WITH THOSE WITH WHOM WE HAVE FELLOWSHIP. BUT WE NEED TO KEEP THE TWO FORMS OF RELATIONSHIP DISTINCT.

IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE BOTH KINDS OF RELATIONSHIPS. IF WE WANT TO ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING IN THIS WORLD, IF WE WANT TO FURTHER THE WORK OF GOD, WE CAN DO SO MUCH MORE IF WE ARE WORKING WITH OTHERS WHO HAVE THE SAME GOALS IN MIND. WE NEED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE RELATIONSHIPS BECAUSE THEY ARE POWERFUL. PETER AND PAUL DESPITE THEIR DIFFERENCES, WANTED THE SAME END – TO BRING THE MESSAGE OF JESUS TO THE WHOLE WORLD, TO BRING PEOPLE INTO RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. TO THAT END, THEY WOULD GO TO GREAT LENGTHS TO SEE PAST THEIR DIFFERENCES, AND TO WORK TOGETHER. PAUL WAS AWARE OF THE STRUGGLING CHURCH IN JERUSALEM, AND RAISED MONEY FOR IT AMONG HIS CONVERTS. MANY OF PAUL'S COMPANIONS HAD STARTED OUT AS COMPANIONS OF THE APOSTLES; PETER DID NOT STAND IN THE WAY WHEN MARK OR SILAS OR BARNABAS WENT OFF TO WORK WITH PAUL.

SO BE IN FELLOWSHIP WITH THOSE WHO WANT WHAT YOU WANT, AND WORK TOWARDS COMMON GOALS. BUT DON'T BE AFRAID TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT LIKE YOU, WHO HAVE DIFFERENT GOALS, WHO BELIEVE DIFFERENTLY. BECAUSE IT MAY BE THAT THROUGH THAT RELATIONSHIP THAT THEY WILL BE BROUGHT TO CHRIST – AND PERHAPS THROUGH THAT RELATIONSHIP YOU WILL COME TO KNOW JESUS BETTER YOURSELF.

PETER AND PAUL HAD FELLOWSHIP ON EARTH; BUT TODAY WE CELEBRATE THAT THEY HAVE FRIENDSHIP IN HEAVEN. AND WE PRAY FOR GREATER FELLOWSHIP AMONG THE PEOPLE OF THIS PARISH, AND WE PRAY THAT OUR FRIENDSHIPS WILL TRULY LEAD OUR FRIENDS TO JESUS.