Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

MARK 9:30-37

IN 1964 JEAN VANIER WAS INSPIRED TO INVITE TWO PEOPLE WITH MENTAL DISABILITIES TO LEAVE THEIR INSTITUTION AND LIVE WITH HIM. GRADUALLY THE MOVEMENT GREW UNTIL TODAY THERE ARE 147 COMMUNITIES IN 35 COUNTRIES ON ALL FIVE CONTINENTS. THE MOVEMENT BEGAN AS A CATHOLIC ORGANIZATION BUT NOW THERE ARE L”ARCHE COMMUNITIES UNDER AUSPICES OF OTHER CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS SO WHAT IS L'ARCHE? IT'S MISSION IS:

TO MAKE KNOWN THE GIFTS OF PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

TO FOSTER THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITIES THAT RESPOND TO MEMBERS' CHANGING NEEDS, AND

TO ENGAGE WITH LOCAL CULTURES WHILE WORKING TOWARD A MORE HUMAN SOCIETY.

TO DO THIS, THEY

CREATE SMALL FAITH-BASED COMMUNITIES OF FRIENDSHIP AND MUTUALITY BETWEEN PEOPLE OF DIFFERING ABILITIES;

DEVELOP LIFELONG SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE HIGHLY VULNERABLE DUE TO OLD AGE AND/OR MULTIPLE DISABILITIES.

HIGHLIGHT THE UNIQUE CAPACITY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES TO ENRICH RELATIONSHIPS AND TO BUILD COMMUNITIES WHERE THE VALUES OF COMPASSION, INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY ARE UPHELD AND LIVED BY EACH PERSON.

IN EVERY COMMUNITY THOSE WITH DISABILITIES LIVE ALONGSIDE THOSE WHO ARE WHAT SOCIETY CALLS NORMAL. THEY EAT TOGETHER, WORK TOGETHER, AND CREATE A COMMUNITY.

TODAY JESUS TAKES A SMALL CHILD AND PUTS HIS ARMS AROUND IT. HE TELLS HIS DISCIPLES "WHOEVER RECEIVES ONE CHILD SUCH AS THIS IN MY NAME, RECEIVES ME; AND WHOEVER RECEIVES ME, RECEIVES NOT ME BUT THE ONE WHO SENT ME."

JEAN VANIER AND THE MOVEMENT HE STARTED PUTS INTO ACTIONS WHAT JESUS SUGGESTED. IN JESUS' TIME, ALTHOUGH CHILDREN WERE VALUED, THEY WERE NOT SEEN AS THEY ARE TODAY; THEY DIDN'T GO TO SCHOOL, THEY WERE TOO YOUNG TO LEARN A TRADE, AND ABOUT HALF OF THE CHILDREN WHO LIVED TO BE FIVE WOULD BE DEAD BY THE AGE OF TEN FROM DISEASE OR ACCIDENT. IT DIDN'T PAY TO INVEST A LOT IN A CHILD, UNLESS YOU WERE THE MOTHER OR THE FATHER. AFTER ALL, THERE WAS VERY LITTLE CHANCE THAT YOUR INVESTMENT WOULD BE RETURNED.

THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE LITTLE CHILDREN TO US. THERE ARE THE MENTALLY DISABLED, FOR SURE. WE'RE ALL AWARE OF PEOPLE BORN WITH MENTAL AND PHYSICAL DISABILITIES, SOME QUITE SEVERE. BUT THERE ARE THE FRAIL ELDERLY, WHO ARE LOSING PHYSICAL AND MENTAL POWERS AS THEY AGE; THERE ARE THOSE WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE WHOSE PERSONALITIES AND INTELLECTS ARE SLIPPING AWAY. THERE ARE REFUGEES IN OUR MIDST WHO ARE AFRAID TO COME OUT OF HIDING; AND OF COURSE THERE ARE CHILDREN, CHILDREN WHO HAVE BEEN ABANDONED BY THEIR FAMILIES AND LIVE ON THE STREETS.

JEAN VANIER WAS INSPIRED BY GOD TO FORM COMMUNITIES OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD NOT NORMALLY ASSOCIATE TOGETHER. HE RECOGNIZED THAT PEOPLE NEED TO BE MEMBERS OF COMMUNITIES, EVEN THOSE WHO ARE AT THE EXTREMES OF LIFE

IN THE JEWISH NURSING HOME, IN GLENMEADOW, IN REDSTONE, IN EAST VILLAGE PLACE – AND MANY OTHER FACILITIES IN THE AREA, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HUNGER FOR COMMUNITY. IT'S ONE THING TO BE A PATIENT, OR A RESIDENT; BUT WHAT YOU FIND IS THAT THEIR PHYSICAL NEEDS ARE TAKEN CARE OF; NOW AND THEN A SON OR DAUGHTER VISITS; BUT AS TIME GOES BY, THEY BECOME MORE AND MORE ISOLATED. THEY CAN'T GET TO CHURCH ANYMORE, THEY CAN'T GO SHOPPING; THEIR FRIENDS HAVE EITHER PASSED AWAY OR ARE IN NURSING HOMES THEMSELVES; AND THERE IS FOR THEM A GAPING HOLE WHERE COMMUNITY SHOULD EXIST. THIS ONE HAS PARKINSONS DISEASE AND CAN'T FEED HERSELF AS A RESULT; THAT ONE CAN'T SEE WELL ENOUGH TO READ, OR HEAR WELL ENOUGH TO PARTICIPATE IN A CONVERSATION. THE SADDEST THING TO ME IS TO SEE PEOPLE WHO SLEEP ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT, WAKING UP ONLY TO EAT. THEY HAVE NOTHING TO LIVE FOR, AND TO SLEEP ALL THE TIME IS TO BLOCK OUT THE REALITY THAT HAS NOTHING TO OFFER THEM. THEY ARE ALL LITTLE CHILDREN TO US; THEY CAN'T GIVE BACK ANYTHING TO THOSE WHO REACH OUT TO THEM.

BUT EVERY HUMAN BEING NEEDS COMMUNITY. IT'S BUILT INTO OUR NATURE. IT'S ONE OF THE PURPOSES OF THE CHURCH, TO INVITE EVERYONE INTO A COMMUNITY WHERE JESUS IS CENTRAL, WHERE JESUS GIVES US MEANING AND PURPOSE.

THERE'S A WONDERFUL MAN IN OUR CHURCH WHO MAKES IT A POINT TO DROP IN ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK JUST TO BE PRESENT TO A FEW PEOPLE WHO ARE HOUSEBOUND AND LONELY. HE DOESN'T JUST VISIT ONCE IN AWHILE; HE DOESN'T DROP IN FOR A FEW MINUTES AND THEN LEAVE. HE FORMS A FRIENDSHIP WITH THEM; IT IS ONE ON ONE; IT'S REPEATED. HE'S DOING HIS PART TO INVITE THEM INTO COMMUNITY. IT ISN'T ALL GIVING, EITHER. THE ONE WHO OFFERS COMMUNITY WILL RECEIVE AS WELL. IF YOU GIVE SOME OF YOUR TIME TO GENUINELY GET TO KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS A “LITTLE CHILD” YOU'LL OPEN YOURSELF UP THEIR LIFE STORIES AND LEARN A LOT ABOUT YOURSELF AS WELL.

SO THIS IS A GOOD SUNDAY TO TAKE STOCK. DO YOU HAVE A LITTLE CHILD THAT YOU'VE RECEIVED? NOT A RELATIVE – THAT'S OBLIGATION. BUT JUST ONE PERSON THAT CAN'T GIVE ANYTHING BACK; A PERSON WHO IS SHUT IN, WHO IS INSTITUTIONALIZED, WHO IS SLIPPING AWAY PHYSICALLY OR MENTALLY; A PERSON WHO COULD USE THE SIMPLE PRESENCE OF ANOTHER HUMAN BEING.

JESUS IS MAKING AN ASTOUNDING CLAIM: OUR TREATMENT OF THE LOWLY, THE “NOBODIES OF THE WORLD, IS THE MEASUREMENT OF OUR TREATMENT OF GOD HIMSELF. AND IF YOU'VE RECEIVED SUCH A PERSON, YOU'VE RECEIVED JESUS CHRIST AND IF THAT IS THE CASE, YOU'VE RECEIVED THE GOD WHO SENT HIM. ISN'T THAT A GREAT INCENTIVE?

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

MARK 8:27-35

SOME OF YOU PROBABLY HAVE HEARD THE STORY OF THE DUCK AND THE SCORPION. THEY WERE STANDING AT THE EDGE OF A RIVER AND THE SCORPION, NOT BEING ABLE TO SWIM, BEGGED THE DUCK TO TAKE HIM TO THE OTHER SIDE. “DO I LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT?” SAID THE DUCK. “IF I DO THAT YOU WILL STING ME AND I'LL DIE. NOTHING DOING.” “I WON'T,” SAID THE SCORPION. “YOU WILL BE DOING ME A FAVOR AND I WOULD NEVER STING A FRIEND.” FINALLY THE DUCK AGREED. THE SCORPION CLIMBED ON HIS BACK AND ABOUT HALF-WAY ACROSS THE RIVER, THE SCORPION STUNG THE DUCK. “WHY DID YOU DO THAT?” SAID THE DUCK. “NOW WE'LL BOTH DIE.” “SORRY,” SAID THE SCORPION. “IT'S WHAT I DO.”

THE LAST SENTENCE IN THE GOSPEL SEEMS A BIT DISCONNECTED FROM THE REST, DOESN'T IT? THE LORD HAS THAT INTERCHANGE WITH PETER, WHO HAS JUST REALIZED THAT JESUS IS THE MESSIAH; AND THEN WHEN JESUS PREDICTS HIS PASSION AND DEATH, PETER REBUKES HIM. AT THAT POINT, JESUS CALLS HIM SATAN, THEN HE TURNS TO THE CROWD AND TALKS ABOUT THE REQUIREMENT FOR BEING HIS DISCIPLE.

WE ALL WOULD LIKE TO BE DISCIPLES, WOULDN'T WE? MAYBE SOME OF US ARE, MAYBE SOME OF US THINK WE ARE, AND I SUPPOSE A FEW OF US DON'T REALLY CARE. BUT I WONDER IF WE REALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A DISCIPLE, SOMEONE WHO WISHES TO COME AFTER JESUS, AS IT SAYS IN THE GOSPEL. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “TAKE UP MY CROSS” TO LOSE MY LIFE IN ORDER TO SAVE IT?

IN JESUS' TIME, ALL THROUGH THE ROMAN WORLD, THERE WEREN'T MANY PEOPLE WHO COULD READ AND WRITE; AND THERE WEREN'T MANY THINGS YOU COULD READ EVEN IF YOU KNEW HOW. KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM WERE TRANSMITTED ORALLY. IF YOU WERE A MAN, YOU WOULD HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE; MAYBE FOLLOW THE TRADE OF YOUR FATHER; MAYBE JOIN THE ARMY; MAYBE BECOME A LEADER OF YOUR RELIGION, JEWISH OR PAGAN. THERE WERE ALWAYS A FEW, THOUGH, WHO BECAME DISCIPLES. WE KNOW THAT THERE WERE VARIOUS PHILOSOPHIC SCHOOLS – EPICURIANS AND STOICS AND PLATONISTS AMONG THE GREEKS; VARIOUS SCHOOLS OF PHARISEICAL THOUGHT, BUT ALSO SADDUCEAN THOUGHT AMONG THE JEWS; AND IF YOU FELT CALLED TO BECOME WISE, YOU MIGHT BECOME A DISCIPLE OF SOMEONE WHO PROFESSED ONE OF THESE PHILOSOPHICAL OR RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS. THIS MEANT THAT YOU BECAME A DISCIPLE OF A MASTER. MOST MASTERS HAD AT ANY ONE TIME BETWEEN FIVE AND EIGHT DISCIPLES. THE MASTER WOULD INTERVIEW THE POTENTIAL DISCIPLE AT GREAT LENGTH; THE DISCIPLE WOULD SPEND SOME TIME FOLLOWING THE MASTER BEFORE BEING FULLY ACCEPTED. THAT'S KIND OF WHAT THAT SCENE IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN IS ALL ABOUT, WHEN JESUS ASKS ANDREW “WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?” AND ANDREW SAYS, “WHERE DO YOU LIVE?” AND JESUS REPLIES, “COME AND SEE.”

THE DISCIPLE LIVED WITH THE MASTER; RECEIVED INSTRUCTION FROM HIM; ASKED AND ANSWERED QUESTIONS, BUT ALSO IMITATED HIM SIMPLY BECAUSE HE WAS THE MASTER. WISDOM, AFTER ALL, IS NOT JUST IN THE HEAD; IT HAS TO DO WITH HOW YOU SPEAK, HOW YOU TREAT OTHERS, EVEN HOW YOU EAT AND BRUSH YOUR TEETH. A GOOD DISCIPLE SLOWLY BECAME SO MUCH LIKE THE MASTER THAT A THIRD PARTY COULD TELL WHICH DISCIPLE BELONGED TO WHICH MASTER. EVENTUALLY WHEN THE MASTER FELT THE DISCIPLE HAD LEARNED ALL HE COULD, HE WOULD SEND THE DISCIPLE OFF TO BECOME A “MASTER” HIMSELF. THIS SYSTEM OF INSTRUCTION IN WISDOM WAS WIDESPREAD; NOT ONLY IN THE MEDITERRANIAN WORLD, BUT IN CHINA AND INDIA AND PERSIA AS WELL. CONFUSCIUS AND BUDDHA AND ZOROASTER ALL HAD DISCIPLES, WHICH IS WHY THE RELIGIONS THEY FOUNDED MANAGED TO GROW AND BECOME WIDESPREAD.

NOW THE GOSPEL STARTS TO HANG TOGETHER, DOESN'T IT? JESUS REBUKES PETER: “YOU ARE THINKING NOT AS GOD DOES, BUT AS HUMAN BEINGS DO.” SO PETER'S JOB, IF HE WANTS TO BE A DISCIPLE, IS TO THINK AS GOD DOES. AND IN ORDER TO DO THIS, IN ORDER TO FOLLOW JESUS AS A DISCIPLE, HE HAS TO LOSE HIS LIFE, BECAUSE IF HE KEEPS ON BEING PETER, IF HE TRIES TO SAVE PETER, HE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FOLLOW JESUS. AND JESUS LIKENS THIS PROCESS TO TAKING UP A CROSS; IT'S NOT EASY, ITS PAINFUL – IT'S LIKE THOSE POOR GUYS BEING FORCED TO CARRY THEIR CROSSES TO THEIR OWN EXECUTIONS, SOMETHING EVERYONE HAD WITNESSED ONE TIME OR ANOTHER.

SO BACK TO THE QUESTION. IF I WANT TO BE A DISCIPLE, WHO IS MY MASTER? WE KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT. IT'S JESUS. AND WHERE IS HE? IN THE CHURCH HE FOUNDED, WHICH SAINT PAUL CALLED “THE BODY OF CHRIST”. JESUS CREATED THE CHURCH TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU AND I AND EVERYONE WHO WILL COME AFTER US TO BECOME DISCIPLES. AND LIKE THOSE DISCIPLES OF OLD, OUR TASK IS TO IMITATE OUR MASTER, TO LEARN WHAT HE WANTS US TO LEARN; TO CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK AND ACT SO THAT WE ARE CONSTANTLY GIVING UP OUR LIVES AND TAKING ON HIS LIFE. A SERIOUS DISCIPLE IS GOING TO BE CONSCIOUS OF THIS PROCESS; HE IS GOING TO HAVE A PLAN OF PRAYER, OF STUDY, OF ACTION; HE IS GOING TO HAVE A WAY TO BENCHMARK PROGRESS. MAYBE SHE WILL TAKE THE TASK SERIOUSLY ENOUGH TO HAVE A SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR, JUST TO GET SOMEONE ELSE TO MAKE SURE SHE'S ON THE RIGHT PATH. AND IT WILL BE DIFFICULT AND SOMETIMES PAINFUL AS WE PROGRESS FROM THINKING THE WAY WE DO NOW TO THE WAY GOD THINKS.

WE READ ABOUT MASTERS WHO HAVE THEIR DISCIPLES DO THINGS THAT DON'T SEEM TO MAKE SENSE. ONLY AFTER THEY DO THEM DOES THE MASTER REVEAL HOW THIS FITS INTO THE PLAN. A DISCIPLE COULD NOT BE A CAFETERIA DISCIPLE, PICKING AND CHOOSING WHICH TEACHINGS OF HIS MASTER HE WOULD FOLLOW AND WHICH HE WOULD NOT. A TRUE DISCIPLE WOULD BE IN IT ALL THE WAY. A DISCIPLE OF JESUS HAS TO BE LIKE THAT; IF JESUS, SPEAKING THROUGH HIS CHURCH, SAYS SOMETHING, THE TRUE DISCIPLE WILL DO HIS BEST TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS BEING SAID AND TO CONFORM HIS OWN LIFE AND HIS OWN THINKING TO WHAT HE IS BEING TOLD.

TODAY JESUS TELLS US WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO COME AFTER HIM; THAT IT WON'T BE EASY; THAT IT ISN'T OVER IN A SHORT TIME; IN FACT, IT WILL TAKE ALL OF YOUR LIFE. BUT IN THE END THERE IS THE PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE.

BUT SOME OF US DON'T REALLY WANT TO BE DISCIPLES; WE DON'T WANT TO CHANGE OURSELVES; WE ARE LIKE THE SCORPION, WHO WOULD RATHER DIE THAN CHANGE.

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

MARK 7:31-37

I'M HARD OF HEARING. AS I GET OLDER, IT SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE, EVEN WITH MY HEARING AIDS. I KNOW I PROBABLY WON'T LOSE ALL MY HEARING; MY MOTHER AND MANY OF HER BROTHERS AND SISTERS WERE HARD OF HEARING, BUT EVEN AT 90 THEY COULD STILL PARTICIPATE IN A CONVERSATION. BUT IT IS ANNOYING, ESPECIALLY TO PEOPLE LIKE MY WIFE, WHO SPENDS MUCH OF OUR CONVERSATIONS REPEATING WHAT SHE JUST SAID. SO I SYMPATHIZE WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE HARD OF HEARING. LIKE THE THREE MEN WHO WERE SITTING ON A PARK BENCH. THE FIRST SAID, “IT'S WINDY, ISN'T IT?” THE SECOND SAID, “NO, IT'S THURSDAY.” THE THIRD SAID, “ME TOO, LETS GO GET A BEER.”

WE HAVE JUST LISTENED TO THE ONLY TIME IN SCRIPTURE THAT JESUS HEALS A DEAF MAN. THERE WAS A CASE WHERE HE CAST OUT A DEAF AND DUMB SPIRIT, BUT THAT'S PROBABLY NOT THE SAME THING. MOST OF JESUS OTHER MIRACLES OF HEALING TAKE PLACE AT HIS COMMAND, OR AT HIS TOUCH. IN FACT, THAT IS THE REQUEST OF THE MAN'S FRIENDS – FOR JESUS TO LAY HIS HAND ON HIM. BUT IN THIS ONE, JESUS ACTS DIFFERENTLY, AND MARK TAKES PAINS TO RECORD EVERY DETAIL. SO WHAT IS GOING ON?

THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF SPECULATION ABOUT THIS. MARK IS THE OLDEST GOSPEL, AND IN THIS STORY AND A FEW OTHERS, MARK DEPICTS JESUS ACTING LIKE OTHER ITINERANT HEALERS. MARK SEES THIS IN A POSITIVE WAY, BUT MATTHEW, WHO INCORPORATES ABOUT 90 PERCENT OF MARK, LEAVES OUT THIS MIRACLE AND ANOTHER WHERE JESUS USES HIS SALIVA TO MAKE MUD WHICH HE APPLIES TO A BLIND MAN'S EYES. MATTHEW, WRITING TWENTY-FIVE YEARS LATER FOR A DIFFERENT AUDIENCE, MIGHT HAVE FELT THAT FOR JESUS TO ACT THIS WAY WAS NOT IN KEEPING WITH THE FACT THAT HE IS NOT JUST A HEALER, OR EVEN A GREAT HEALER, HE IS QUALITATIVELY DIFFERENT.

BUT SOME THINK MARK IS TELLING HIS READERS SOMETHING ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN JOURNEY WE ALL GO THROUGH; IT GOES SOMETHING LIKE THIS:

FIRST, THE MAN IS BROUGHT TO JESUS BY OTHERS. ALL OF US KNOW JESUS ONLY BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE SHOWN HIM TO US – PARENTS, TEACHERS, CLERGY, PEOPLE WE ADMIRE. BUT JUST AS WE WERE BROUGHT TO JESUS BY OTHERS, WE HAVE THE OBLIGATION TO BRING OTHERS TO HIM. IF NOT US, WHO?

SECOND, JESUS TAKES THE MAN AWAY FROM THE CROWD. HE IS DEMONSTRATING THE ISOLATION OF THE DEAF MAN, BUT ALSO THE ISOLATION AND LONELINESS THAT SIN BRINGS ABOUT. A PERSON IN SIN DOES NOT HEAR WHAT GOD WANTS TO TELL HIM. JESUS ALSO TAKES HIM AWAY SO THAT A RELATIONSHIP CAN FORM; IT IS ONLY IN RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS THAT WE CAN HOPE TO BE HEALED, HOPE TO BE SAVED; AND RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS IS CULTIVATED AWAY FROM THE CROWD, AWAY FROM NOISE, AWAY FROM THE CONSTANT DEMANDS OF LIFE.

JESUS PUTS HIS FINGERS IN THE MAN'S EARS. IF YOU ARE DEAF, YOU CAN'T HEAR JESUS ASKING YOU WHAT IT IS YOU WANT, OR TELLING YOU WHAT HE IS GOING TO DO. THE FINGERS IN THE EARS IS A FORM OF SIGN LANGUAGE; YOUR EARS ARE STOPPED UP, BUT I WILL UNSTOP THEM. THE SAME IS TRUE OF THE SALIVA ON THE TONGUE; THE MAN CAN'T SPEAK INTELLIGIBLY, A PROBLEM WHEN YOU'VE BEEN STONE DEAF A LONG TIME. YOU CAN'T HEAR OTHERS, AND YOU CAN'T HEAR YOUR OWN VOICE, SO YOU FORGET WORDS, FORGET HOW TO PRONOUNCE WORDS, AND EVENTUALLY NO ONE KNOWS WHAT YOU ARE SAYING. SALIVA WAS CONSIDERED TO HAVE HEALING PROPERTIES, SO JESUS, AGAIN USING SIGN LANGUAGE, IS SAYING, I WILL HEAL YOUR SPEECH AS WELL.

JESUS LOOKS UP TO HEAVEN. HE CALLS UPON THE FATHER FOR HEALING, BECAUSE ALL HEALING COMES FROM THE FATHER. IN LOOKING UP TO HEAVEN HE SHOWS THE DEAF MAN THAT THE POWER HE WILL EXPERIENCE COMES FROM GOD, NOT FROM MAN.

FINALLY, JESUS GROANS, OR SIGHS – BUT GROANING IS A MORE ACCURATE TRANSLATION. WE DON'T HAVE A GOOD REASON FOR THIS; WAS IT BECAUSE HE FELT DEEP SYMPATHY FOR THE MAN? OR BECAUSE WHENEVER HE WORKED A MIRACLE IT TOOK A LOT OUT OF HIM, AT LEAST IF YOU GO BY MARK. OR AS ONE SCHOLAR SPECULATED, WHEN HE GROANED, HE ENTERED INTO THE DEAF MAN'S WORLD BY TAKING ON HIS INABILITY TO SPEAK, JUST LIKE JESUS ENTERS INTO OUR WORLD TO TAKE ON OUR HUMANITY AND ULTIMATELY OUR DEATH.

FINALLY JESUS COMMANDS “BE OPENED!” IN ARAMAIC – WHY DOES MARK RECORD THE WORDS AS JESUS SPOKE THEM RATHER THAN SIMPLY HAVE JESUS SAYING “BE OPENED” IN GREEK, LIKE THE REST OF WHAT MARK RECORDED? WAS IT BECAUSE THIS HEALING TOOK PLACE IN A BORDER AREA, WHERE THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO SPOKE GREEK, AND WHERE HEBREW WAS THE LANGUAGE OF THE JEWS? IF JESUS USED HIS OWN ARAMAIC TONGUE, MAYBE FEW PEOPLE HEARD HIS COMMAND.

AND SUDDENLY THE DEAF MAN HEARS AND SPEAKS PLAINLY AND WITH THAT IS RESTORED TO HIS FRIENDS. SO WE HAVE A LITTLE PLAY THAT TELLS US IN GRAPHIC TERMS THAT WE ARE SINNERS (THE DEAFNESS, THE MUTENESS) AND OUR ONLY HOPE IS JESUS. THAT WE HAVE TO BE BROUGHT TO JESUS BY OTHERS WHO KNOW OF HIM. THAT WE HAVE TO ENTER INTO A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM, AND EVEN HERE, HE INITIATES IT. THAT IN ORDER TO HAVE THAT RELATIONSHIP WE HAVE TO SET ASIDE TIME TO BE ALONE WITH JESUS.

AND IT IS IN THE RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS THAT HE WILL HEAL US, HE WILL REMOVE THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR SINFULNESS, HE WILL RESTORE US TO WHAT WE ARE MEANT TO BE, AND WITH THAT WE BECOME FULLY HUMAN, WE BECOME PART OF THE PEOPLE JESUS IS GATHERING TOGETHER FOR HIS FATHER.

AND JESUS SAYS, “TELL NO ONE...” NOT BECAUSE HE IS BASHFUL AND DOESN'T WANT TO BE SEEN AS A GREAT HERO OR WONDERWORKER, BUT BECAUSE ULTIMATELY EVERYONE HAS TO UNDERGO THE DEAF MAN'S JOURNEY BY THEMSELVES; YOU DON'T INHERIT YOUR FAITH, YOU DON'T GET A RELATIONSHIP UNLESS YOU WANT ONE. JESUS DOES NOT FORCE THIS ON YOU. AND WHEN YOU ARE HEALED, WHEN YOU CAN SPEAK, WHO KNOWS? DID THE DEAF MAN GO ABOUT PROCLAIMING WHAT GOD HAD DONE FOR HIM? DID HIS PROCLAMATION PREPARE THE SOIL FOR THE GROWTH OF THE CHURCH AMONG THE GENTILES? WHATEVER HAPPENED WITH THE DEAF MAN, WHEN WE CAN SPEAK AGAIN, LET US PROCLAIM WHAT HAS BEEN DONE FOR US.

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

MARK 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23
A MAN WAS DRIVING ALONG ONE DAY WHEN HE FOUND HIMSELF STOPPED BEHIND A WOMAN WHO WAS ON HER CELL PHONE.  THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN; SHE DIDN'T MOVE; THE LIGHT TURNED RED AGAIN.  THE MAN SHOOK HIS FIST AT HER, POUNDED HIS STEERING WHEEL, AND BECAME RED IN THE FACE.  ALL OF THIS WAS OBSERVED BY THE POLICEMAN IN THE CAR BEHIND HIM, WHO PROMPTLY ARRESTED HIM AND TOLD HIM TO GET OUT OF THE CAR.  THE MAN WAS PUT IN HANDCUFFS WHILE THE POLICEMAN WENT THROUGH ALL THE PAPERS, OPENED THE GLOVE BOX AND THE TRUNK, MADE A FEW CALLS, AND THEN FINALLY UNLOCKED THE MAN'S HANDS AND TOLD HIM HE WAS FREE TO GO.  THE MAN WAS SEETHING. “I'LL HAVE YOUR BADGE! HE SAID.  I'LL SUE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO STOP SOMEONE IN HIS OWN CAR.  MY WINDOWS WERE ROLLED UP AND NO ONE COULD HEAR ME!”  THE OFFICER REPLIED, “WELL, I DIDN'T STOP YOU BECAUSE OF THE TANTRUM YOU WERE THROWING.  I SAW A CROSS DANGLING FROM  YOUR MIRROR, YOU HAVE ONE OF THOSE BUMPER STICKERS WITH A FISH ON IT AND ANOTHER ONE THAT SAYS “JOHN 3:16; AND YOU HAVE A DECAL THAT SAYS “KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS.”  I ARRESTED YOU BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU HAD STOLEN THE CAR FROM A CHRISTIAN.”
AS WE LISTEN TO THE GOSPEL TODAY, WE HEAR ABOUT THOSE HYPOCRITICAL PHARISEES AGAIN.  WE REMEMBER THAT THEY WERE ALWAYS CRITICIZING ORDINARY PEOPLE FOR NOT BEING AS CAREFUL ABOUT THE LAW AS THEY WERE.  IT SEEMS AS THOUGH ANYTIME WE PICK UP ONE OF THE GOSPELS WE RUN INTO ANOTHER PHARISEE, SOMEONE WHO NOT ONLY DOESN'T GET WHAT JESUS IS TRYING TO TEACH, BUT GETS SO MAD THAT THEY PLOT WAYS TO KILL HIM.  OUR JESUS, THOSE PHARISEES.
BUT JESUS NEVER BECAME A CHRISTIAN.  HE LIVED AND DIED A JEW.  WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SCRIPTURES, JESUS HIMSELF DOESN'T DO VERY MUCH TO CONVERT GENTILES; HE SEES HIS MISSION FIRST TO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL.  AND POSSIBLY HIS CONFRONTATIONS WITH THE PHARISEES ARE PRECISELY BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES WHO TAKE RELIGION MOST SERIOUSLY IN JESUS' TIME.  IF JESUS WERE BORN AND RAISED A 20TH CENTURY AMERICAN CATHOLIC HE WOULDN'T BE FIGHTING WITH RABBIS FROM THE LOCAL SYNAGOGUES AND TEMPLES; HE WOULD BE CONFRONTING CATHOLICS, NOT THE ONES WHO HAVE DROPPED OUT OR ATTEND THE ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH ACROSS THE RIVER; NOT THE ONES WHO ARE REGISTERED AS CATHOLICS BUT COME TO MASS ON CHRISTMAS AND EASTER; NOT THE ONES WHO ENROLL THEIR KIDS IN FAITH FORMATION BUT NEVER DARKEN THE DOOR OF THE CHURCH THEMSELVES.  JESUS WOULD BE CONFRONTING FAITHFUL CATHOLICS, MAYBE YOU AND SURELY ME.
HE WOULD CONFRONT ME BECAUSE I'M A HYPOCRITE.  BUT I'M IN GOOD COMPANY, I GUESS.  SAINT PAUL SAID, “WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM! WHO WILL SET ME FREE FROM THE BODY OF THIS DEATH? THANKS BE TO GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD! SO THEN, ON THE ONE HAND I MYSELF WITH MY MIND AM SERVING THE LAW OF GOD, BUT ON THE OTHER, WITH MY FLESH THE LAW OF SIN.”
SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT BEING A HYPOCRITE IS A BAD THING.  IT'S NOT.  IN FACT, PEOPLE WHO ARE HYPOCRITES ARE A STEP ABOVE PEOPLE WHO AREN'T.  A HYPOCRITE IS SOMEONE WHO PROFESSES CERTAIN BELIEFS BUT WHOSE ACTIONS CONTRADICT THOSE BELIEFS.  THAT'S WHAT PAUL IS TALKING ABOUT.  THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF HYPOCRITES.  THERE ARE THE ONES WHO PRETEND TO BELIEVE SOMETHING SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOMEONE ELSE.  BUT MOST OF US HYPOCRITES BELIEVE SOMETHING BUT CANNOT BRING OURSELVES TO ACT AS WE BELIEVE.  I BELIEVE THAT CHRISTIANS SHOULD FEED THE HUNGRY, GIVE DRINK TO THE THIRSTY, CLOTHE THE NAKED, GIVE SHELTER TO THE HOMELESS, VISIT THE SICK, VISIT THE IMPRISONED, AND BURY THE DEAD.  I HOPE WHAT MY WIFE AND I GIVE TO CHARITY WILL COVER OUR PART IN THIS, BUT EXCEPT FOR VISITING SOME SICK PEOPLE, I DON'T PERSONALLY DO MANY OF THOSE THINGS; DO YOU?  I BELIEVE I AM CALLED TO INSTRUCT THE IGNORANT; TO COUNSEL THE DOUBTFUL; TO ADMONISH SINNERS; TO BEAR WRONGS PATIENTLY; TO FORGIVE OFFENSES WILLINGLY; TO COMFORT THE AFFLICTED; AND TO PRAY FOR THE LIVING AND THE DEAD. BUT I DON'T REMEMBER ADMONISHING SINNERS, AND I'M NOT VERY PATIENT AND IT'S HARD  TO FORGIVE OFFENSES. MY BELIEFS AND MY ACTIONS DON'T LINE UP.
JESUS CONFRONTED THE PHARISEES NOT BECAUSE THEY WERE SO VERY WRONG, BUT BECAUSE THEY WERE ALMOST RIGHT; THEY TOOK SERIOUSLY WHAT GOD COMMANDED, BUT GOT THE DETAILS WRONG.  THEY FAITHFULLY WASHED  THEIR HANDS BEFORE EATING, AS GOD HAD COMMANDED; BUT FORGOT THAT THEIR RITUAL ACT OF PURIFICATION WAS SUPPOSED TO REFLECT AN INNER PURITY; AND WERE THE INNER PURITY THERE, THEIR OUTWARD BEHAVIOR WOULD BE DIFFERENT.  I THINK WHEN JESUS SPOKE TO THE PHARISEES IN THIS PASSAGE, HE SMILED A LITTLE WHEN HE USED THE WORD “HYPOCRITE”.  HE KNEW THEY WERE TRYING, AND REMINDED THEM TO TRY HARDER, OR PERHAPS, TO TRY SMARTER.
IF JESUS WERE A MODERN AMERICAN CATHOLIC, HE WOULD BE SAYING TO THOSE OF US WHO ARE TRYING TO BE FAITHFUL, WHO ARE TAKING THE CHURCH A LITTLE BIT SERIOUSLY, “COMPARE WHAT YOU SAY YOU BELIEVE WITH WHAT YOU DO.  IT'S NOT CONSISTENT, IS IT?  YOUR TASK AS MY FOLLOWER IS TO SPEND YOUR LIFE NOT ONLY LEARNING WHAT I TEACH, BUT CONFORMING YOUR LIFE TO WHAT YOU LEARN.  THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS TO BE MY DISCIPLE. WE HYPOCRITES ARE JESUS' HOPE FOR THE WORLD.  PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE TENSION BETWEEN WHAT THEY BELIEVE AND WHAT THEY DO ARE NOT GOING TO CHANGE; THEY AREN'T GOING TO HEAR JESUS' MESSAGE.  THEIR ONLY HOPE IS WHEN, THROUGH THE GRACE OF GOD, THEY BEGIN TO HAVE TENSION BETWEEN THEIR BELIEFS AND THEIR  ACTIONS; AND THAT CAN ONLY COME WHEN THEY LOOK AT A PERSON THEY LOVE AND ADMIRE, MAYBE YOU, MAYBE ME, AND SEE THAT HE OR SHE LIVES ACCORDING TO DIFFERENT VALUES THAN  THEY DO.  WHEN HE KNOWS SOMEONE WELL AND BEGINS TO WISH HE HAD HIS JOY, HIS PEACE, HIS INTEGRITY, HIS DEVOTION – THAT'S WHEN TENSION IS INTRODUCED AND  THE POSSIBILITY OF CHANGE BECOMES REAL.  THAT'S WHEN HE BECOMES A  HYPOCRITE.
SO DON'T THINK THIS GOSPEL IS MEANT TO CONTRAST THOSE HYPOCRITICAL PHARISEES WITH US CHRISTIANS, WHO KNOW BETTER.  AND PLEASE DON'T READ INTO THIS PASSAGE THE IDEA THAT MARK IS CRITICIZING JEWS BECAUSE OF THE EXTERNAL PRACTICES THEY FOLLOW IN ATTEMPTING TO LIVE GOD'S LAW.  RATHER, ASK YOURSELF WHERE YOU ARE A HYPOCRITE; WHERE YOU COULD DO BETTER, COULD DO DIFFERENTLY, WHERE PEOPLE COULD WATCH YOU AND SAY, “I KNOW WHAT HE BELIEVES”.  AND MAY NO ONE EVER THINK YOU STOLE YOUR CAR FROM A CHRISTIAN.

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

JOHN 6:60-69

I'M SURE SOME OF YOU KNOW ABOUT THE MASONIC ORDER. THEY STARTED A LONG TIME AGO AS A SECRET SOCIETY WHICH OPPOSED THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, AND EVENTUALLY BECAME A SOCIAL ORGANIZATION HERE IN THE US. WHEN I WAS GROWING UP I THOUGHT THAT IF YOU WERE A PROTESTANT YOU JOINED THE MASONS, AND IF YOU WERE CATHOLIC IT WAS THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. IN OUR TOWN MANY OF MY DAD'S NON-CATHOLIC FRIENDS WERE MASONS. I GOT TO THINKING ABOUT THIS NOT LONG AGO WHEN I WAS SPEAKING TO A FRIEND OF MINE WHO IS A FAIRLY OBSERVANT JEW. HE IS ALSO A MASON, AND HE TOLD ME THAT IN THE 1950'S THERE WERE MORE THAN 1.2 MILLION MASONS IN THE US. NOW THERE ARE ABOUT 300,000. TO BE A MASON YOU HAVE TO MAKE SOME VERY SERIOUS PROMISES, OATHS REALLY. MY FRIEND THINKS THAT THE TREMENDOUS DROP IN MEMBERSHIP IS BECAUSE MODERN PEOPLE CANNOT COMMIT. HE'S PROBABLY RIGHT.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO MUCH TO BE A PRACTICING CATHOLIC. THE CHURCH EVEN LAID OUT THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS A LONG TIME AGO. ATTEND MASS ON SUNDAYS AND HOLY DAYS OF OBLIGATION, YEARLY RECEPTION OF HOLY COMMUNION, RECEIVE THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE ONCE A YEAR IF YOU ARE IN THE STATE OF MORTAL SIN, AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUPPORT OF THE CHURCH, FAST AND ABSTAIN ON THE DAYS DESIGNATED BY THE CHURCH. BUT AS EASY AS THESE ARE, WE ARE LOSING MEMBERS AS WELL; FOR EVERY ADULT WHO CONVERTS TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH FIVE DROP OUT OF ACTIVE PRACTICE; SOME JOIN OTHER FAITHS BUT MOST JUST BECOME NOTHING.

A LOT OF OUR PROTESTANT BROTHERS AND SISTERS LOOK AT THE GOSPEL WE READ TODAY AND SAY, “LOOK, JESUS DIDN'T REALLY MEAN THAT STUFF ABOUT EATING HIS BODY AND DRINKING HIS BLOOD; HE SAYS RIGHT HERE THAT IT IS THE SPIRIT THAT GIVES LIFE AND THE FLESH IS OF NO AVAIL. BUT I DON'T THINK ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO TURNED AWAY AND WENT BACK TO THEIR FORMER LIVES THOUGHT THAT. IF THEY HAD, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE LEFT. NO, THEY LEFT BECAUSE THEY KNEW JESUS WAS NOT BACKING DOWN.

CONSIDER – HE SAYS TO THEM, “DOES THIS SHOCK YOU? WHAT IF YOU WERE TO SEE THE SON OF MAN ASCENDING TO WHERE HE WAS BEFORE?” CLEARLY, HE IS CHALLENGING THEM – WHAT IF YOU SAW ME RISE INTO THE HEAVENS, WOULD YOU BELIEVE MY WORDS THEN? AND HE GOES ON TO SAY THAT IT TAKES AN ACT OF THE FATHER FOR SOMEONE TO COME TO HIM. AND JESUS CLEARLY SAID IN THE PREVIOUS PASSAGES THAT IF YOU WANTED TO HAVE LIFE, YOU HAD TO EAT HIS BODY AND DRINK HIS BLOOD; AND NOW HE SAYS THAT THE SPIRIT GIVES LIFE, THE FLESH IS OF NO AVAIL. IF WE ARE TO BENEFIT FROM EATING HIS BODY AND DRINKING HIS BLOOD, THE SPIRIT NEEDS TO ACT UPON US.

THE GREAT THING, THOUGH, IS THAT WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN CALLED BY THE FATHER; THAT'S BAPTISM. AND WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN GIVEN THE SPIRIT; THAT'S CONFIRMATION. SO WE HAVE ACCESS TO ETERNAL LIFE; IT'S OURS FOR THE TAKING.

SOMETIMES WE MAKE THINGS WAY TOO COMPLICATED. IN THE SIMPLEST TERMS, GOD LOVES US, SO HE GIVES US HIS SON TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO BECOME ONE WITH GOD. ALL THE THEOLOGY, ALL THE RULES, ALL THE PRACTICES OF DEVOTION WE PARTICIPATE IN, EVEN OUR DEVOTION TO MARY, ARE ALL JUST WAYS FOR US TO DRAW CLOSER TO THE SON, TO JESUS.

AND THAT'S WHAT THE APOSTLES RECOGNIZED AT THIS MOMENT. JESUS SAYS, “DO YOU ALSO WANT TO LEAVE?” AND PETER, SPEAKING FOR THEM ALL, REPLIES, “TO WHOM WOULD WE GO? YOU HAVE THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE.”

PETER IS SAYING, “I DON'T PRETEND TO UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING; I'M JUST A HUMAN BEING. BUT I'M PUTTING EVERYTHING ON THE LINE. I'M CASTING MY LOT WITH YOU.”

AND PETER AND THE OTHERS WHO DID STICK WITH HIM WITNESSED HIS RESURRECTION AND FROM THE STRENGTH OF THAT WENT ON TO PREACH HIS GOSPEL TO ALL THE WORLD, EVEN TO THE POINT OF THEIR OWN MARTYRDOMS.

I WAS PREACHING TO THE CHILDREN LAST SUNDAY. WHEN I PREACH TO CHILDREN I GENERALLY ASK THEM QUESTIONS AND TAKE MY CUES FROM THEIR ANSWERS. ONE LITTLE GUY SEEMS TO HAVE GOTTEN THE MESSAGE. WHEN YOU ASK HIM A QUESTION HIS ANSWER IS USUALLY “JESUS”. HE MAY NOT EVEN UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION, BUT HE KNOWS THE ANSWER.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE APOSTLES PREACHED AFTER THE RESURRECTION? IT'S RIGHT THERE IN THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. THEY PREACHED THAT JESUS HAD COME TO EARTH, TAUGHT, SUFFERED, DIED AND ROSE AGAIN. DO YOU KNOW WHAT PAUL PREACHED? AFTER FAILING TO CONVERT THE ATHENIANS WITH LOGIC, HE SWORE THAT IN THE FUTURE HE WOULD ONLY PREACH CHRIST, AND HIM CRUCIFIED. THE ANSWER IS JESUS, ALWAYS JESUS.

IF YOU AND I HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE CHURCH – AND I DO, AND YOU DO AS WELL, I'M SURE – THE ANSWER IS NOT TO DROP OUT, TO FIND SOMETHING MORE TO OUR TASTE, WHETHER IT IS A DIFFERENT FAITH OR A DIFFERENT PARISH. IF WE ARE DISTURBED BY SCANDALS IN THE CHURCH OUR ANSWER IS NOT TO LEAVE. OUR CHURCH, FOR ALL HER FAULTS, BRINGS US THE BODY AND BLOOD, SOUL AND DIVINITY OF JESUS, THE SON OF GOD. OUR CHURCH FEEDS US WITH IS WORDS. OUR CHURCH, RUN BY HUMAN BEINGS UNFORTUNATELY, STRUGGLES TO HELP US KNOW THIS JESUS, WHO HAS THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE.

THE EVIDENCE BEFORE US IS THAT MOST OF US ARE UNWILLING TO COMMIT. CERTAINLY THOSE WHO DROP OUT OF ACTIVELY PRACTICING THEIR FAITH DON'T WANT TO COMMIT. BUT AMONG MANY OF US WHO ARE HERE AT MASS EVERY WEEKEND AND DO FULFILL THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS WE DEFINE AS “PRACTICING”, AREN'T COMMITTED EITHER. THEY DON'T TRY TO CONFORM THEIR LIVES TO THE TEACHINGS OF THE CHURCH, WHICH ARE INSEPARABLE FROM THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS. THE CHURCH IS SUPPOSED TO BE A SIGN OF CONTRADICTION; WE OPPOSE ABORTION; WE CALL FOR ACTIVE MINISTRY TO THE POOR AND DISADVANTAGED; WE BELIEVE IN THE PERMANENCE OF MARRIAGE AND THAT MARRIAGE CAN ONLY BE CONTRACTED BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN; WE BELIEVE THAT HUMAN LIFE FROM CONCEPTION TO DEATH, IS OF INFINITE VALUE. AND YET WE FIND MANY CATHOLICS WHO WOULD DISAGREE WITH ONE OR MORE OF THESE POSITIONS, BUT HAVE NEVER TRIED TO UNDERSTAND THE CHURCH'S REASONS FOR THEM.

TODAY LET US ASK OURSELVES, ARE WE COMMITTED? CAN WE SAY WITH PETER, “WHERE ELSE CAN WE GO? YOU HAVE THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE”.   

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

JOHN 6:51-58

EVERY WEEK I BRING THE EUCHARIST TO A FEW PEOPLE WHO CAN'T GET TO CHURCH. ONE LADY ALWAYS KNEELS AND BOWS HER HEAD AFTERWARD. FOR SOME OF THEM AFTER THEY RECEIVE THEY RESUME THE CONVERSATION WE WERE HAVING BEFORE; THE EUCHARIST SEEMS TO HAVE HAD MINIMUM IMPACT. AND THERE ARE VARIOUS REACTIONS IN BETWEEN. BUT THERE IS ONE MAN WHO HAS ADVANCED ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. HE DOESN'T TALK MOST OF THE TIME BUT NOW AND THEN GETS A WORD OR TWO OUT. HE SITS IN A RECLINER ALL DAY LONG WATCHING OLD MOVIES ON A 56 INCH FLAT SCREEN TELEVISION. HE HAS FULL TIME CAREGIVERS WHO FEED HIM, MAKE SURE HE CHANGES HIS POSITION NOW AND THEN, AND CLEAN HIM UP. THEY PUT HIM TO BED AND GET HIM UP IN THE MORNING. WHEN YOU LOOK AT HIM YOU GET THE FEELING THAT THERE ISN'T MUCH THERE.

BUT WHEN I BRING HIM COMMUNION, HE'S ATTENTIVE; HE MAKES THE SIGN OF THE CROSS WITH ME, AND AS WE SAY THE LORD'S PRAYER, HIS LIPS ARE MOVING AND NOW AND THEN A WORD COMES OUT. AND HE RECEIVES THE EUCHARIST WITH REVERENCE. MOMENTS LATER HE IS BACK WATCHING TELEVISION AND I AM NO LONGER A PART OF HIS WORLD.

SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS WAS ONCE ASKED, “WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF A FRAGMENT OF THE EUCHARIST FELL TO THE FLOOR AND WAS EATEN BY A MOUSE?” AND THOMAS REPLIED, “NOTHING AT ALL”. BECAUSE IF YOU ARE GOING TO RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE CAPACITY TO BE UNITED TO JESUS. AND IF YOU ARE GOING TO RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST WORTHILY, YOU HAVE TO BE RIGHTLY DISPOSED – THAT MEANS THAT YOU ARE FREE OF SERIOUS SIN, YOU RECOGNIZE THAT THE EUCHARIST IS THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST, AND YOU DESIRE THAT JESUS BECOME ONE WITH YOU AND CONTINUE THE PROCESS OF TRANSFORMING YOU INTO ANOTHER CHRIST, WHICH IS THE GOAL OF BEING A CHRISTIAN.

SO WHAT IS GOING ON WHEN I GIVE THE EUCHARIST TO MY FRIEND WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE? THERE IS SOMETHING IN HIM THAT RECOGNIZES THE EUCHARIST AND THE LORD'S PRAYER – MAYBE BARELY REMEMBERED HABITS THAT HE PICKED UP WHEN HE WAS A CHILD, BECAUSE THEY ARE THE LAST TO GO. BUT DOES HE STILL HAVE THE CAPACITY TO RECEIVE? AND DOES HE BELIEVE? AND IS THERE THE DESIRE TO BECOME ONE WITH JESUS? OR IS GIVING HIM THE EUCHARIST A WASTE OF TIME – HE CERTAINLY ISN'T CAPABLE OF COMMITTING A SIN ANY MORE, AND ANY CHANGE IN HIS LIFE FROM NOW ON WILL ONLY BE MORE AND MORE MOVEMENT TOWARDS THE DARKNESS.

BUT JESUS SAID, “UNLESS YOU EAT THE FLESH AND DRINK THE BLOOD OF THE SON OF MAN, YOU WILL NOT HAVE LIFE IN YOU.”

IT'S INTERESTING THAT THE PASSAGES FROM THE GOSPEL OF JOHN THAT WE ARE READING, KNOWN AS THE “BREAD OF LIFE DISCOURSE” HAVE ALWAYS RAISED CONTROVERSY. JOHN HIMSELF MUST HAVE WRITTEN THESE THINGS DOWN BECAUSE THERE WAS DISSENSION IN THE EARLY CHURCH. THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO SAID, “THIS IS A HARD SAYING, WHO CAN BELIEVE IT?” BUT FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES THE FATHER'S OF THE CHURCH WERE INSISTENT THAT THE BREAD AND WINE BECAME THE BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS. WHAT ELSE COULD JESUS MEAN WHEN HE SAID THOSE STRANGE WORDS?

MARTIN LUTHER AND JOHN CALVIN ALSO SAID, “THIS IS A HARD SAYING, WHO CAN BELIEVE IT?” AND OUR PROTESTANT BROTHERS AND SISTERS DESPITE CLAIMING TO BELIEVE SCRIPTURE, DON'T BELIEVE THESE WORDS MEAN WHAT THEY SAY. FOR THEM IT IS JUST A SYMBOL, AND WHEN THEY READ THE CLEAR WORDS OF JESUS, THEY SAY THAT EATING AND DRINKING HIS BODY AND BLOOD WAS A WAY OF SAYING THAT WE NEEDED TO ACCEPT HIS TEACHINGS AND BELIEVE IN HIM AND ALLOW HIM TO BE OUR LORD AND MASTER.

A MOUSE MAY GET NOTHING OUT OF EATING THE FLESH AND DRINKING THE BLOOD OF JESUS. BUT I THINK MY FRIEND WITH ALZHEIMER'S DOES, AND SO DOES MY GRANDCHILD WHO IS MAKING HIS FIRST COMMUNION, AND SO DOES THE MOTHER HOLDING A CRYING BABY AS SHE HURRIEDLY RECEIVES WHILE TRYING TO QUIET THE CHILD DOWN. SO DOES THE MAN WHO IS THINKING ABOUT THE GOLF GAME HE PLANS TO GET TO AS SOON AS MASS IS OVER, AND CAN'T FATHER MOVE ALONG A LITTLE FASTER?

I BELIEVE THAT JESUS REALLY DOES WANT TO FEED US WITH HIS BODY AND BLOOD. HE CARES ABOUT OUR BODIES AND OUR SOULS, WHICH IS TO SAY THAT HE CARES ABOUT YOU AND I, PERSONS WHO ARE RELATED TO CHIMPANZEES AND ALL OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM, BUT ARE ALSO RELATED TO ANGELS. AND WHEN JESUS FEEDS US THE EUCHARIST IS BROKEN DOWN JUST AS ANY FOOD IS, AND PROVIDES US WITH ENERGY AND WITH PROTEIN AND CARBOHYDRATES AND BECOMES PART OF OUR BODY. BUT BECAUSE WHAT WE EAT IS GOD HIMSELF, WE BECOME PART OF HIM, AND SINCE GOD IS ONE, WE ENTER INTO A UNION WITH EACH OTHER.

THIS IS THE INCREDIBLE MIRACLE WHICH OCCURS EVERY TIME WE RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST. THE UNION WITH GOD AND WITH EACH OTHER HAPPENS BECAUSE WE ARE HUMAN; IT HAPPENS AS LONG AS WE DON'T DO ANYTHING TO KEEP IT FROM HAPPENING; IT HAPPENS EVEN WHEN WE ARE THINKING ABOUT HOW TO KEEP THE BABY QUIET OR WHETHER WE WILL MAKE IT TO TEE TIME. IT HAPPENS EVEN IF THERE IS ALMOST NOTHING LEFT OF THE PERSON WE USED TO BE, BECAUSE THAT IS THE KIND OF LOVING CARING GOD WE HAVE.

BUT HOW WONDERFUL WHEN WE USE THIS MOMENT TO LOVE HIM BACK, TO SPEAK TO HIM, TO LISTEN TO HIM, TO CONSCIOUSLY ENTER INTO UNION WITH HIM. BECAUSE THAT IS POSSIBLE AS WELL. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY PEOPLE, EVEN NON-CATHOLICS, WHO HAVE SENSED THE SPECIALNESS OF THE EUCHARIST. WE HAVE A PRIEST IN OUR DIOCESE WHO WAS A MORMON ELDER, BUT ULTIMATELY BECAME A CATHOLIC AND A PRIEST BECAUSE HE SENSED THE REAL PRESENCE.

IF YOU ARE A GREAT CHEF AND TURN OUT MARVELOUS MEALS, YOU WILL SEE THAT SOME PEOPLE GULP DOWN THE FOOD AND OFF THEY GO. OTHERS ARE DISTRACTED BY THE DINNER CONVERSATION AND BARELY NOTICE WHAT THEY ARE PUTTING IN THEIR MOUTHS. BUT THERE ARE A FEW WHO GET WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE, AND DIRECT ALL THEIR ATTENTION TO YOUR CREATIONS. YOU KNOW THAT MANY WILL NOT APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS, BUT YOU STILL MAKE THE EFFORT. YOU MAKE THE EFFORT BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT A FEW PEOPLE WILL RESPOND TO YOUR INVITATION, A FEW PEOPLE WILL SEE FOOD IN A NEW WAY.

AND JESUS WILL CONTINUE TO FEED US AND NOURISH US AND LOVE US IN THE HOPES THAT A FEW OF US WILL RECOGNIZE WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR US.

LET US PRAY THAT YOU AND I WILL BE GIVEN THE GRACE TO LOVE HIM BACK THE WAY HE DESERVES TO BE LOVED. 

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

JOHN 6:41-51

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER THREE GOSPELS. IN FACT, THERE ARE ONLY A FEW PLACES WHERE YOU CAN FIND COMMON STORIES – THE STORY OF THE CRUCIFIXION, OF COURSE; THE STORY OF THE FEEDING OF THE 5000, AND A FEW OTHERS. JOHN SPENDS MUCH OF HIS GOSPEL, INCLUDING THE FEW COMMON STORIES, ELABORATING ON CHRIST'S DIVINITY AND HOW THAT RELATES TO US.

TODAY'S GOSPEL IS PART OF A FIVE-PART SELECTION HAVING TO DO WITH I FIND IT QUITE HARD TO GRASP; YOU THINK YOU HAVE IT, THEN YOU FIND THAT YOU DON'T. IN FACT, IT DOESN'T SOUND AT ALL LIKE JESUS IN THE OTHER THREE GOSPELS. WHEN YOU READ MATTHEW, MARK, OR LUKE, JESUS SPEAKS PLAINLY AND SIMPLY. HE HAS PARABLES WHICH SOMETIMES HE INTERPRETS, BUT WHEN HE DOES, THE INTERPRETATION SEEMS OBVIOUS. THE JESUS OF THOSE THREE GOSPELS IS VERY CLEAR. IN JOHN, THOUGH, IT'S AS THOUGH WE HAVE A DIFFERENT JESUS ENTIRELY, AND THIS IS ESPECIALLY THE CASE HERE IN THE PASSAGES HAVING TO DO WITH THE BREAD OF LIFE.

I DON'T WANT TO SOUND LIKE A HERETIC HERE, BUT I THINK THE BEST WAY TO LOOK AT THE GOSPEL OF JOHN IS TO SEE IT AS A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT AT DESCRIBING THE NATURE OF JESUS AND HIS RELATIONSHIP TO US, AND IT IS DONE BY PUTTING WORDS INTO JESUS' MOUTH. HOW COULD MATTHEW, MARK AND LUKE HAVE LEFT OUT WHAT JESUS IS SAYING TODAY? IT ISN'T AS THOUGH IT WAS A SECRET; AFTER ALL, ACCORDING TO JOHN, ALL THE APOSTLES AND THE CROWDS OF JEWS HEARD HIM CALL HIMSELF THE BREAD OF LIFE COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN; WOULD ANYONE WHO WAS WRITING A BIOGRAPHY OF JESUS HAVE NEGLECTED TO MENTION THAT JESUS SAID, “WHO EATS THIS BREAD WILL LIVE FOREVER, AND THE BREAD THAT I WILL GIVE IS MY FLESH FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD.” IT WOULD BE LIKE WRITING A BIOGRAPHY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND TOTALLY NEGLECTING TO MENTION THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS.

SO I THINK THE BEST WAY TO UNDERSTAND JOHN IS TO REMEMBER THAT THE GOSPEL IN THE FORM WE READ IT TODAY WAS FINISHED ALMOST 90 YEARS AFTER JESUS' BIRTH. THE GOSPEL COMES FROM A COMMUNITY WHERE THE EUCHARIST WAS CELEBRATED AND WHERE JESUS' DIVINITY MIGHT HAVE STILL BEEN A CONTROVERSY. AND THERE WAS DISSENSION IN THE COMMUNITY; SINCE MOST EARLY CHRISTIANS WERE JEWISH CONVERTS, THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THERE WAS SOME DISAGREEMENT AMONG THEM; AFTER ALL, THE JEWS WERE STRICT MONOTHEISTS, AND PRAYED, “HEAR, O ISRAEL, THE LORD IS GOD, THE LORD IS ONE”. THEY BELIEVED THAT WHEN THE MESSIAH CAME, HE WOULD FEED HIS PEOPLE WITH A HEAVENLY MANNA JUST AS MOSES HAD DONE WITH THE ISRAELITES WANDERING IN THE DESERT. THEY BELIEVED THAT TO SEE GOD WAS TO DIE, AND THE ONLY PERSON WHO HAD EVER SEEN GOD WAS MOSES, WHO WAS COMPLETELY CHANGED BY THE EXPERIENCE. AND AMONG CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES, THE CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST WAS UNIVERSAL, AND WHENEVER THIS HAPPENED, THOSE WORDS QUOTED BY MATTHEW, MARK AND LUKE, WERE SPOKEN OVER THE BREAD AND WINE – “THIS IS MY BODY … THIS IS MY BLOOD”.

SO IN A SENSE, JOHN SETS UP THE CONFRONTATION BETWEEN “THE JEWS” – A DESIGNATION FOR THOSE CONVERTS WHO SEE JESUS AS JUST ANOTHER PROPHET AND TEACHER – AND JESUS HIMSELF, WHO CLAIMS THAT, LIKE MOSES, HE HAS SEEN GOD; THAT HE HAD A HEAVENLY ORIGIN RATHER THAN AN EARTHLY ONE; AND THAT LIKE MOSES, HE DID BRING MANNA TO FEED GOD'S PEOPLE – THE EUCHARIST. HIS MANNA WAS MORE THAN EARTHLY FOOD, THOUGH; IT WAS CAPABLE OF GIVING ETERNAL LIFE. AND THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION SAID BY THE PRIEST , STANDING IN FOR JESUS, OVER THE BREAD AND WINE AT THE EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION WERE STATEMENTS OF FACT, NOT MERELY MEANT TO BE SYMBOLIC.

AS WE WILL SEE AS THIS GOSPEL CONTINUES TO BE READ, THERE IS A MOMENT WHEN THE MAJORITY OF JESUS' HEARERS TURN AWAY, SAYING, “THIS IS A HARD SAYING, WHO CAN ACCEPT IT?”

IT IS HARD TO ACCEPT. MANY CATHOLICS DON'T BELIEVE IN THE REAL PRESENCE OF JESUS IN THE EUCHARIST. OTHERS DO BELIEVE, INTELLECTUALLY, BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THEIR LIVES. SOME PEOPLE RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST AS THOUGH IT WERE SOMETHING MAGIC; AND OF COURSE MANY RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST WITHOUT MUCH THOUGHT AT ALL.

JOHN REMINDS US THAT THE EUCHARIST MEANS EVERYTHING; IT IS THE ONLY WAY WE HAVE TO BECOME PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY UNITED TO JESUS. IT IS THE WAY THE LINES SEPARATING HIM FROM OURSELVES IS BROKEN DOWN A LITTLE BIT. IT IS THE NATURAL, THE ORDINARY WAY THAT JESUS CONTINUES TO LIVE AMONG US. WHEN WE ALLOW HIM TO FEED US AND TRANSFORM US INTO HIMSELF, WE OPEN OURSELVES TO ETERNAL LIFE, BECAUSE HE IS ETERNAL LIFE.

IF THE BREAD AND WINE WHICH IS NOW JESUS WERE TO SIT IN A VAULT, WE WOULD STILL BELIEVE THAT JESUS WAS PRESENT UNDER THE FORM OF BREAD AND WINE. BUT IT WOULD DO NO GOOD. THE RELIGIOUS DIMENSION OF THE EUCHARIST REQUIRES THAT IT BE EATEN AND DRUNK BY YOU AND I. IF JESUS MEANS TO SAVE ALL OF US, NOT JUST OUR SOULS, THEN IT FOLLOWS THAT HE FEED US WITH FOOD THAT WILL GIVE US ETERNAL LIFE. ELIJAH WAS FED ONCE, AND HAD THE ENERGY TO WALK FOR FORTY DAYS. AS WE RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST LET US ASK THE LORD TO LIVE IN US AND TRANSFORM US SO THAT WE HAVE WHAT IS NECESSARY TO BE ONE WITH HIIM FOREVER.