August 6th, 2006
Today we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration – Mark tells us of that extraordinary event – Jesus taking his favorite three apostles up the mountain and allowing them a glimpse of His glory – they must have been stunned as they saw Jesus transfigured before their eyes – they saw Jesus as they never saw Him before – they were gifted with a deep insight into Jesus and His oneness with the past – Moses and Elijah representing the Law and the Prophets of which He was the fulfillment – and His relationship with God – this is My Son, the beloved, listen to Him. As Peter recounts it – we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. No wonder Peter blurted out – Lord is it good for us to be here.
In modern terminology Peter, James and John had a ‘religious experience’ – a graced moment in which they came to understand Jesus in a whole new way. Maybe you’ve been blessed with such graced moments – a time when, out of nowhere you sensed how blessed you are by God with health, with family, with faith – or maybe in that blessed moment you knew your sins were truly forgiven and forgotten – maybe in that blessed moment you were given a sense of God’s presence to you – or a sense of what direction your life should take. Such blessed moments come in an instant and are gone in an instant – but in that moment you may have echoed the words of Peter – it is good to be here.
Such moments, such graces are usually given to people to prepare or strengthen them for some future challenge or struggle. I like to think that Martin Luther King’s statement “I’ve been to the mountain, I’ve seen the other side” was such a graced moment, strengthening him to carry on his struggle for human rights, a struggle that cost him his life.
That graced moment on the mountain was meant to prepare Peter, James and John for that time when Jesus would invite them, not up a mountain of glory but into a garden of agony. These were the three who went with Jesus into Gethsemane and in that dark place they saw another side of Jesus – a frightened man pleading for his life – if it is possible let this cup, this ordeal pass me by.
If you remember the Matthew’s gospel account of what we call the ‘agony in the garden’ no one said ‘Lord it is good for us to be here”. Peter, James and John avoided the painful prayer of Jesus by sleeping – they could not watch one hour with him. Jesus was there for them, they were not there for Him. As on the mountain of the transfiguration so in the garden of Gethsemane Jesus was still the Son in Whom the Father was well pleased – for Jesus, it was the Father’s will not His own that was to be done.
Coming down from that mountain Peter, James and John were still dazzled by their experience – but reading on in Mark’s gospel we are told that the first person Jesus met was a distraught father whose son was possessed by a spirit of dumbness from childhood – he begged Jesus to cure his son – and of course He did.
So in a very short period of time Peter, James and John went from a moment of glory right back to the reality of human suffering and need. I think this is the message of today’s gospel – we may have our moments of grace when we know the closeness of God, the love and mercy of God – these moments give us the faith and courage to face harsher realities of life – but most of our lives are in the season the church calls ordinary – the common time of common living when we live through the normal joys and sorrows of life – times when we are called to be there for others – family, friends and strangers – times when we are in need of the support and understanding of others. And then there are times when we are called to enter our own Gethsemanes – times of illness, the loss of a job, the falling out of friendship, the end of a marriage, the death of one we love – in such times we cannot say, Lord it is good for us to be here – hopefully we are graced to say, not my will but Your will be done.
No matter what the reality of our lives – the glory of the mountain, the season of common time or the darkness of our own Gethsemane – Christ is with us – transfigured, healing or supporting – in all these circumstances we trust the promise of Christ – my grace, my presence, my love, my support is sufficient for you. We are never alone.
| Posted in Homily |
July 30th, 2006
We can see this Sunday’s gospel as a continuation of the last two Sundays. We had Jesus sending the Apostles out two by two giving them the authority to preach and heal. Last Sunday, we heard of them coming home filled with enthusiastic stories of all the great things they did – Jesus invites them to come away and rest a while – they’d been so busy they didn’t even had time to eat. They cross the lake to a deserted place only to discover the people had already beaten them to the place so Jesus set aside his plan for rest and began again to teach the people many things.
In his book ‘ When Bad Things Happen to Good People ‘ Rabbi Kurshner tells us that whenever bad things happen to good people – whenever we are faced with a crisis – the first question asked is ‘why’ – why this, why us, why now? He says there’s never an adequate answer to these questions. He maintains the important question should be ‘what’. What am I going to do with this situation, what challenge is offered me in this crisis, this tragedy? How am going to deal with this?
Let’s image the apostles ‘had it’ with this demanding crowd. It’s getting late in the day and they begin to question – why are these people still hanging around – why don’t they go home – what do they think is going to happen next?
Jesus knew it was one thing to feed the soul but it was another to feed the body – again, moved by compassion, Jesus asks Philip ‘where can we buy food for these good people’. Philip must have thought Jesus was out of his mind. It would cost a fortune – Andrew lets Jesus know – but, there’s a kid here with five loaves of bread and two fish – not much help there.
We know the rest of the story – Jesus has the people sit down – takes what the boy has to offer – and begins to share it with this mass of people. And all are fed and there is much left over.
That boy was probably with his parents. Being sensible people they knew they had to bring something to eat with them as they went out to hear what Jesus had to say. So did everyone else in that crowd. But they were all thinking of themselves – they were not about to share. Whatever Jesus spoke to them about that day needed a practical application – that’s why He took the five loaves and two fish and began to share it with the people next to Him. Like a wave, like a tsunami – His example of generosity spread thru the crowd – til everyone was sharing with someone else.
This is the miracle of that day – people were challenged out of their selfishness and shared with total strangers. If we read today’s gospel literally then all those people left that place unchanged, unchallenged – but that’s not the way Jesus did things. He didn’t ask ‘ why’ are these people still hanging around – ‘why don’t they go home’ – He asked ‘what’ can I do to make these people think of someone other than themselves – what can I do to help them more sensitive to the needs of others? So He gave them a good example – the flesh and blood example of sharing the little He had with others.
The life and teaching of Jesus – the good example of good people are offered to us to help us face our own lack of sensitivity to the needs of others – our own stinginess with sharing our time and attention with those who need us. The teaching and example of Jesus and the good example of others challenge us to take the gifts with which we have been blessed – even if we see them as insignificant as five loaves and two fish – and share them with others who may have more or may have less then we have. So often we forget the simple message of the prayer of St. Francis – it is in giving that we receive – or the message of the song The Rose – it’s the one who won’t be taken who cannot learn to give.
As we continue this Mass we can pray for ourselves and for each other that we take to heart the message of today’s gospel – that we not ask ‘ why’ but we ask ‘what’ – what can I bring to this hurt, this challenge, this crisis, this need of others – to change and transform not only the situation but also myself and in this simple way come to live a life worthy of the vocation to which we have all been called – to be the voice, the eyes, the ears, the hands, the feet, the heart of Christ to all those people we meet in the ordinary living of our ordinary lives.
July 23rd, 2006
Just picture the scene in today’s gospel. Last Sunday we heard of how Jesus sent the Apostles out two by two to preach the good news of God’s kingdom – he gave them power over unclean spirits and the power to heal the sick.
Today we hear of the excited return – they couldn’t wait to tell Jesus and one another all the wonderful things that happened on their first missionary journey. They were probably into ‘one up man ship’ – each trying to out tell the other with their success stories. Remember how your children came home from their first day of school, or from their first venture at a summer camp – they were just bursting with things to tell you.
Jesus was happy with all this news – he knew they been hard at work, traveling from town to town – preaching and healing. They’d been so busy they didn’t even have time to eat. So Jesus suggests they take some time out – time to relax, time to pray and time to reflect in a deeper way on what went on during the past weeks – all summed up in the invitation -‘ come away to a deserted place where there will be no distractions, no interruptions – and rest a while.’
But the best laid plans of even the son of God can go astray. By time they got to where they thought they would have some peace and quiet people were already there – wanting to hear more, see more. Seeing the crowds Jesus had compassion on them – he knew they were a searching people, people anxious to hear what he had to say about God’s love for them – words that lifted their spirits and gave them hope – so he put aside his plans for r and r and began to teach them many things.
The image of the shepherd is very present in today’s reading. Jeremiah excoriates the unfaithful spiritual shepherds of his time – those men who should have been giving good leadership to the people – but men who abused and exploited their position among the people. Jeremiah promises a time when true shepherds will lead the people to green pastures and still waters – who would be with them in the valley of the shadow of death. Jesus was conscious of the constant image of shepherd in scripture and calls himself the good shepherd – the shepherd who would lay down his life for his sheep.
Shepherds never took vacations – shepherds didn’t work 9 – 5, they never had a 40 hour week. Theirs was a 24/7 reality. Theirs was a life of vigilance, companionship, guidance, and protection to those in their care – the attitude and lifestyle of the shepherd had to be one of absolute availability – the modern farmer, for all the technology involved in farming today – still is pretty well tied down to the farm. I have a nephew in Sussex who runs a dairy farm – they milk over a hundred cows – all done by automation – but he seldom if ever gets away for a few days. Anything could go wrong -he’s got to be there.
Parents of new born children have a 24/7 reality – they have to be present to that child all the time – the same with young children – availability is the name of the game. Same thing with those caring for aging parents – there are times when you know you just have to be there. There’s no getting away.
But our life style today is really placing too many people in this 24/7 mode. The cell phone, the blackberry seem to be running peoples lives. People can’t seem to turn off the cell phone – have some peace and quiet. I’m expecting an important call, there might be an emergency. It can get to be an addiction. It can be a means of avoiding silence – Jesus had a plan – he wanted to get the apostles away by themselves, take time to eat, relax, share experiences and to pray – to get in touch with God and open their busy lives to God’s power and presence. He backed off this plan when he came across all these needy people. He put his plan on hold. Eventually they did get away to a quiet place. Availability is one of the messages of today – but taking time out is the other. Even Jesus couldn’t be available 24/7 – I love that song Mary Magdalene sings to Jesus in the musical ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ – let the world spin without you tonight.
There was a saying in a book written years ago on ministry and the caution of the author to those in church ministry was – try not to lose the God of good works in the good works of God. Life is so hectic, so demanding on people today – how often have you seen a person coming home from a long day’s work, talking on the cell phone and carry a lap top – the message is, my works not finished. Because life is so hectic and frantic, because it is so 24/7 – we need to take the time and accept the invitation – that even our common sense offers us – come away and rest a while – chill out – get in touch with what is going on in our lives – In the course of a busy day – take ten minutes to be still – place before God the stress you are under, the concerns you have, the joys you have – make these our prayer of need and thanksgiving.
As we continue this Mass we can pray for ourselves and for each other that we be graced with the insight we need to accept the invitation of Jesus in today’s gospel – come away and rest a while – an invitation to care for our physical and spiritual well being – and as I’ve mentioned before – it helps keep things in perspective when we remember – cemeteries are filled with indispensable people – try to not make yourself one of them.
July 16th, 2006
You know we begin each Mass calling to mind the blessing with which we’ve been blessed – this is meant to keep us in an attitude of gratitude. Our second reading reminds us of that blessing that is the basis of all our other blessings – our reading starts with an act of thanksgiving – blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ – why? Because, before the world began God chose us in Christ – – God destined us for adoption to be his sons and daughters. All this – before the world began.
It’s difficult to get our heads around such a wonder –
I tell this story at every baptism – I was having coffee with some friends one morning. This woman had just come back from a trip to Rome and was loaded down with photos – she was showing us pictures of St. Peter’s – then she stopped and said – isn’t this amazing – I’m Anglican, Paul you’re Catholic, Lowell you’re Jewish – and then she said to the fourth member of our group – Jack what are you? – and Jack answered – I’m nothing – that answer hung in the air for a bit and then we went back to the photos. The next day the reading for the morning Mass was from this letter to the Ephesians – and I thought of that conversation from the day before – and Jack’s response “I’m nothing” Jack meant he had no religious affiliation – but so often too many people think for whatever reason – they are nothing – they have no worth, no value. Maybe they’ve been told they are a disappointment, they haven’t measured up to a mother or a father’s expectations of them – maybe they feel they are nothing because they have disappointed themselves, maybe they feel they haven’t lived up to their own possibilities – they blew it.
One of the hardest death watches I ever had was with a man who was convinced til his last breath that the world would have been a better place if he had never been born. For whatever reason he was convinced his life was a total waste.
None of us can say “I’m nothing” Not if we keep in touch with that amazing grace – this original blessing – before the world began God chose us in Christ to be his adopted sons and daughters.
I visited a family recently and one of the daughters and her husband had just returned from China where they went and adopted a little girl. They chose her and offered her a love and a life and a future that would never have been hers in China. Hopefully this beautiful little girl will always be grateful for having been chosen to live in a new land – hopefully she will take advantage of all the opportunities that will be hers.
Hopefully we will always be grateful for having been chosen by God before the world began, to be His own. In one of his letters St. John writes – this is the wonder, not that we love God but that God first loved us and sent his son to be our savior. – How can be best show our gratitude for such a gift – we best show it in our daily awareness of our giftedness – we best show it by our daily trying to put on Christ – to be a Christ like person and rid ourselves of all those un Christ like ways of living and thinking and relating to family, friend and stranger – its not easy but it is possible because we know that the God who began this good work in us – before the world began – will bring that work to completion.
We can continue the Mass praying for ourselves and for each other that we always be mindful and grateful for our original blessing – before the world began God chose us in Christ to be his sons and daughters.
July 9th, 2006
Just a few words on the second reading for today’s Mass. As you know St. Paul was a powerful figure in the beginnings of the church. He started out as a persecutor of the Christian community, witnessing and approving of the killing of Stephen, the first martyr of the church. He saw this new community of believers as being apostates from their Jewish faith – something he could not abide. Paul was on his way to Damascus to arrest men and women who followed this new way. Christ had other plans for Paul. Thru a deep religious experience Christ turned Paul’s life around. Because of the personal encounter with Christ, Paul would say of himself – I know nothing else but Jesus Christ and Him crucified – for me to live is Christ. We know of his great missionary journeys – the Christian communities he established – the persecutions he faced. Paul’s is a dramatic story.
In the short reading we just heard taken from his letter to the Christian community at Corinth, Paul reveals an awful lot about his personal life. He wrote of the great spiritual experiences he had – intense visions and insights into the mystery of God. But as we heard today – lest all these great gifts buff him up, make him too proud, too self assured, Paul lets us know about his famous “thorn in the flesh”. He never tells us what his thorn, his torment was. There have been all kinds of speculation about it – a physical disability, a chronic illness that limited his ability to work, a moral weakness, his inability to put up with those who opposed his preaching. No one really knows, in a way it’s not important.
We had this senior priest who enjoyed poor health for years. His favorite saying was ‘If I only had my health, the things I’d do for the Lord.” He died of bed sores. Paul was saying much the same thing – if I could only get rid of this thorn, the disability, this thing that torments me – I could get so much more work done, I could preach the gospel in so many more places. Maybe Paul had a ‘god complex’. He tells us he pleaded with the Lord three times – that’s another way of saying he pestered the Lord – to rid him of this thorn, this torment, this weakness that was such an embarrassment. The response was – my grace is sufficient for you – for power is made perfect in weakness. So Paul learned to deal with his thorn, his torment, his weakness – he handed himself over to his higher power. Gladly will I glory in my infirmity that the strength of Christ may dwell in me. Paul came to realize that any strength he had, any ability for doing good, came not from his own abilities but from the power of God that was alive and at work within him, in spite of this ‘thorn’. Paul came to know that his thorn, his torment was like a magnet drawing to him the power and grace of God. The Lord decided not to take away Paul’s thorn so that Paul could come to understand that it was the struggle that was important, his willingness to deal with his weakness that was important – God would use Paul’s weakness to accomplish His own designs. Paul came to understand that his weakness was the perfect setting in and thru which the works of God would be accomplished – God grace was enough for him.
We all gave our thorn in the flesh – some trait of character, some mind set, some struggle that seems to keep us from being the person we would wish to be, keeps us feeling we are not as close to God as we should be. Our thorn could be a struggle with bouts of depression, doubting our self worth, questioning our abilities as parents, spouses – our thorn might be our inability to let go of painful memories of past hurts – our inability to forgive ourselves for past wrongs – our thorn might be our incapacity to trust the truth that we are unconditionally loved by God and that when God forgives, God forgets. Like St. Paul we can imagine that if we were free of our thorn – if this equation was removed from our lives – we would live better, holier, more useful lives.
Like St. Paul we are invited – by the Lord – to rejoice, even boast of the thorn that reveals our weakness, our neediness. For when we admit we need help that’s when God’s grace can act more powerfully in our lives.
In the Mass Christ says to us – take – this is my body, this is my blood – this is my life – take. When we hear these words – conscious of our own thorn, our own weakness – we can respond to Christ – take – this my body, this is my blood, this is my life, this is my thorn – take – we offer ourselves as we are – we trust the truth – God’s grace is enough for us – thru our weakness God’s power can do wonderful things.
As we continue this Mass we can pray for ourselves and for each other that we be able to say with St. Paul – gladly will I glory in my infirmity that the strength of Christ may dwell in me.
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