TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

13 SEPTEMBER 2015

          We accept pollsters these days as part of the fabric of our ordinary American life.  Those running for public office rely on their standings in polls to make decisions about their campaigns.  But polls are not new.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus conducts a poll to seek public opinion about him.  Professional pollsters call this “an informal survey.”  His disciples come up with three results: John the Baptist come back to life, Elijah back from heaven, or one of the prophets.  Then Jesus turns the polls on them and asks who they think he is.  Peter, always one to blurt things out, gets the correct answer:  “You are the Christ (Messiah).”

            Jesus knows that his disciples accept the common understanding of the messiah as a hero who would free them from oppression.  Their ancestors had been slaves in Egypt, and then again in Babylon.  As servants of Roman rule, they want the messiah to ransom them from their slavery.  They are keenly fearful of the way the Romans use the cruel and humiliating tool of crucifying those who oppose them as warnings to others not to attempt a revolt.

            Jesus knows that his Father has not called him to be this popular kind of messiah.  Versed in the suffering servant songs of the prophet Isaiah and reinforced by his 40 days in the desert, Jesus has developed an unflinching trust that he can speak the truth about the Kingdom of God, even when the religious authorities oppose him.  God will not fail him.  He has been revealing this mission by his miracles and healings.  Even though the demons understand his true mission, his disciples do not.  So, now he openly tells them that he is the Messiah who will become a slave himself, humbling serving others.  He will endure the humiliation of the cross and pay the ransom for sin and free them from sin and death.

            Peter speaks for the rest of the disciples in telling Jesus that this is crazy!  But Jesus rebukes him in the strongest terms, calling Peter a demon and telling him not to tempt him to abandon his mission.  Peter and the other disciples would eventually learn the truth.  After the resurrection, they would eventually put their faith in Jesus the Christ before their own security.  They would deny themselves and embrace the cross with the same unflinching trust in God.

            Many Christians are living this message in a very literal way.  In the Middle East and in parts of Africa, those who profess their faith in Jesus Christ are losing their lives for the sake of the Gospel.  In areas controlled by the Islamic State, some are taxed heavily, others driven out of their homes, and many put to death.  They face these horrors with the unflinching trust that Jesus keeps his promise.  Those who share in his dying will share in his rising.

            This same message applies to us, who are disciples of the Lord.  Every time we keep our baptismal promises, we die to ourselves and trust that we will share in the Lord’s rising.  Saint James understands this dynamic.  He knows that our salvation is a gratuitous gift from Jesus Christ, who died to pay the ransom for our sins.  He knows that we cannot purchase our way to heaven with good works.  But he also knows that we must do more than talk about our faith.  We must become humble servants, die to ourselves, and respond to those in need.

            When I am done talking, we will profess our faith and recite together the Nicene Creed.  In praying the Creed, we express what we believe in words.  But we must translate those words into action.  We reaffirm our conviction that being humble servants will not destroy us.  Dying to ourselves may be painful and sometimes discouraging.  Carrying the cross of pain, rejection, or suffering may frighten us.  Watching others without faith get ahead may anger us.  But we express our unflinching trust that God will not fail us.  This knowledge is not the result of a pollster seeking our opinion.  It is the result of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

TWENTY THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

6 SEPTEMBER 2015

          Jesus has great compassion for this man.  The poor guy has no sound, no voice, and no hope.  There was always something missing in his life.  He could never enter into conversation.  As a child, other kids probably made fun of him.  As an adult, those who knew him probably are embarrassed for him or because of him.  He is like a stroke victim whose voice has been affected.  He is in his right mind, but is paralyzed in expressing any of his thoughts.

            Saint Mark does not record this miracle so that we can marvel at a first century Helen Keller, as wonderful as coming to hear and speak might be.  Mark records this miracle for a spiritual reason.  Last Sunday, Jesus confronted the religious leaders of his own people to go beyond external observances and look into people’s hearts.  Today, Jesus goes to the Decapolis, the ten cities in pagan territory.  He signals that the Kingdom of God is meant for everyone who is willing to listen.  That is why he heals a man who cannot hear.  Jesus takes the man off by himself, away from the clamor of many voices.  He becomes very physical with the man, acting like many of his contemporary healers.  He puts his finger into the man’s ears, spits, touches his tongue, groans, looks up to heaven, and uses a word which means “be opened.”  Then he orders the people not tell anyone.  Jesus wants this parable of action to speak for itself.

            This parable of action is addressed to us.  The Word of God has great power.  God’s Word brought creation into existence.  God spoke his word to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to form a Chosen People.  God continued to speak through prophets like Isaiah, who assured his people that God would never abandon them, even when they refused to listen to his word.  Now, the Incarnate Word of God speaks to us.  We live in a world filled with many competing voices screaming at us day and night.  The confusing crowd of voices tells us that we can be happy if we own certain objects, or if we exclude this particular group of people, or countless other messages that promise happiness.  Jesus has taken us away from the crowd into this church.  Away from the crowd, he is very physical with us.  He speaks to us in the Word.  He feeds us with his Body and Blood.  He touches us through the Sacramental life of the Church.  He opens our ears and speaks his Word to us, inviting us to listen and reflect on his words.

            Once we can hear the Lord speaking to us, then we can begin to speak.  We often hear of the “New Evangelization,” a phrase used by the last three Popes.  As Catholics, we scratch our heads and ask what this means for us.  The “new” involves modern methods of communicating, especially those methods which are available through so much of social media.  To evangelize is not new.  Once our ears have been opened to hear the authentic Word of God, then we can speak the truth of our experience of God. We can speak of the word received from the Letter of Saint James that wealth and social status have nothing to do with the way God looks at people.  In hearing that Word, we are invited to act on it.  We evangelize not only by sharing our gifts with the poor, but also by welcoming them into our midst.

            During the fall, we are offering a number of opportunities to open our ears to hear a little more clearly.  We are offering two different series on marriage.  There will be a series on the Pope’s recent Encyclical on the Environment.  Take a look at the bulletin and the website for Bible Study sessions, RCIA, and other Adult Education opportunities.  They are designed to draw us away from the crowd, open our ears more attentively to God’s voice, and help us to speak of what we hear, especially to family members, friends, and neighbors.  At every Baptism, we touch the baby’s ears and mouth and say, “Ephphatha,” be opened.  We can open our ears to hear God’s Word, and then accept his grace to loudly proclaim it in a number of creative ways.