TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

26 SEPTEMBER 2021

 

          Today, John speaks alone (without his brother James) to complain to Jesus that he had seen someone driving out demons in the name of Jesus.  He had tried to prevent the exorcist, because that person does not follow us.  It is important to note that John does not argue that he is not following Jesus.  He argues that he is not following US.  He wants to exclude this person, much as Joshua wanted to exclude Eldad and Medad in the first reading.

            Jesus forbids him from preventing this exorcist for three reasons.  First, the person is acting with authentic faith in Jesus Christ, making it impossible for that person to speak ill of him.  Second, Jesus insists that anyone who is not against us is for us.  Most importantly, he argues that even the simplest acts of kindness have redemptive value, if done in the name of Jesus.  While John argues for exclusion, Jesus argues for inclusion in his name.

            In our own day, there are many things that divide us.  We belong to different political ideas.  We argue about how to proceed with this pandemic.  We are divided about whether masks work or not.  We want to exclude those who are not following us.  But Jesus tells us, as he tells John, that we cannot exclude those who disagree with us.  We have much more in common with one another when we proclaim our authentic faith in Jesus Christ, when we are together with him, and when we extend simple acts of kindness to others. 

            But Jesus also warns against the real dangers to us who proclaim our faith in him.  Those dangers dwell in the deadly lure of sin.  Sin can destroy the life which Jesus Christ shares with us.  We cannot put stumbling blocks before others, especially children and the most vulnerable.  Bad behaviors can lead them into separation from God.  Then he also gives three examples of the effects of scandal on oneself.  In the ancient world, amputations were seen as a liberalization of capital punishment.  Thieves lost one of their hands.  Those who walked to do harm to others could lose a foot.  Those who were caught in adultery or any kind of infidelity could lose one or both of their eyes.  Those who were maimed in this way could not participate in public worship, because they were considered unclean.

            Jesus points out that our hands, our feet, and our eyes can lead us into sin.  In his letter, Saint James exposes the sin of the rich who defraud the poor for their own financial gain.  Jesus insists that is better to lose one of these bodily parts than to allow them to form a destructive pattern of sin.  We do not need to take these words literally.  But we need to take whatever action is necessary to protect ourselves from the damaging effects of our own bad choices on others and on ourselves.  Making bad choices is more damaging than ritual impurity.

            When I was growing up, preachers often spoke of the fires of hell.  It seemed that too many religious leaders were trying to frighten me into being good.  I am glad that we do not do this anymore.  However, we cannot ignore the truth of what Jesus is saying about safeguarding others and ourselves from the destructive patterns of sinfulness.  God does not want anyone to be separated from him for eternity.  But, God also respects our choices.  C.S. Lewis wrote:  “There are only two kinds of people in the end:  those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says in the end, “Thy will be done.’”

            In our divided world, the Lord is encouraging us to recognize those elements of faith that bind us together.  He is warning us not to allow the anger and vindictiveness of our political discourse to enter into our faith community.  But he is also telling us to pattern our lives after his and avoid whatever might tear that community of faith.

 

 

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

19 SEPTEMBER 2021

 

          Saint James makes a distinction between wisdom from below and wisdom from above.  He is not talking about wisdom in the sense of knowing things.  Rather, the wisdom he speaks of involves behavior.  As he points out, wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, compliant, and full of mercy and good fruits.  Those who embrace wisdom from above know righteousness.  Not only are their prayers answered, but they enjoy peace.

In contrast, jealousy and selfish ambition are hallmarks of wisdom from below.  Those who embrace this wisdom find themselves in disorder and every foul practice.  They become envious of what other people have.  They tend to take any action to achieve what they want and form warring factions that tear apart the bonds of their community.  Those who pursue wisdom from below are concerned only with their own passions. They cannot receive what they pray for.

            Saint James mentions the name of Jesus Christ only two times in his letter.  But we know that Jesus is the personification of wisdom from above.  As we listen to his Gospel, Saint Mark continues to reveal the mission of this incarnate wisdom from above.  Peter has correctly identified Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One of God.  But Peter cannot accept that the Father has given a mission of sacrificial love to this Messiah.  As they continue to walk the way to Jerusalem, Jesus again tries to explain his mission as the Suffering Servant.  He tells them that he will be handed over in the passion, suffer death on the cross, and be raised on the third day. 

            But the disciples cannot hear this wisdom from on high.  They are too engaged in wisdom from below.  In that wisdom, they see him as a conquering hero, like King David had been.  They envision a mighty court in which the triumphant Messiah has banished the Romans and all their enemies forever.  They are discussing their roles in that court.  We can only imagine their arguments.  Peter brags that he has been named the rock, the guy in charge of everything.  John argues that Jesus loves him more than the others.  Matthew reminds them of his connections with tax collectors.  It does not take much imagination to reconstruct their discussion.

            Jesus dismisses this wisdom from below.  He has already served the sick, the possessed, the poor, the lepers, and all who have come to him for help.  Now he takes the position of a teacher by sitting down and instructing the twelve about their share in his mission.  Instead of grasping for positions of power and prestige, they must do what he is doing.  They cannot assume the regal positions of those in authority.  Instead, they must be humble servants, willing to give their lives away.  To make his point, he takes a child and places the child in their midst.  Children in the ancient world had not status and no rights.  As Apostles, as those in leadership positions, they must receive insignificant people in the same way that the Father has sent him.

            Jesus is speaking directly to us.  If we claim to be his disciples, we must be humble servants.  We must receive the most insignificant among us as we would receive him.  We cannot embrace wisdom from below.  If we dig in our heels and refuse to listen to those in legitimate authority, we are erecting barriers that harm our community.  If we seek prestige or power, we put our community at risk of conflicts and divisions.  If we look for recognition or praise, we miss the wisdom of humble service.  If we close ourselves off to those who are different from us, we risk closing ourselves to Christ himself.  Jesus is present to us in Word and Sacrament, giving us strength to embrace wisdom from above.  We can be instruments of his saving presence, bringing to our parish the peace that only God can give.

 

 

TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

12 SEPTEMBER 2021

 

          Jesus walks with his disciples on their way to Caesarea Philippi.  In those surrounding villages, he is seeking a higher ground known today as the Golan Heights, much as I seek the higher ground of Colorado for rest every January.  He stops and asks them what the gossip about his identity is.  They give a few responses:  John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets.  Because they have heard his teaching, marveled at his wisdom, and seen his miracles, he asks them who they say that he is.  Peter gives the correct answer and identifies him as the Christ, the Anointed One of God.  Warning them not to tell anyone this truth, he reveals to them the mission assigned to him by his Father.  He will suffer greatly, as the suffering servant in the first reading had suffered.  He will be rejected by the authorities, killed, and then be raised from the dead.

            This mission makes no sense to Peter, who expects the long awaited Messiah to be a conquering hero; much like King David was centuries before.  He takes Jesus aside and rebukes him, telling him to follow a much more sensible path of saving God’s Chosen People.  Jesus then rebukes Peter.  In the desert, Jesus had told Satan to get behind him for temping him to think as humans do.  Now he tells Peter to get behind him and trust in the Father’s way of thinking.

            Then he clarifies to his disciples what it will mean for them to continue to walk with him on the way to Jerusalem.  They must choose the way of sacrificial love.  His disciples must deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow him.  He tells them that they must lose their lives if they want the Messiah to save them.  In following him, they will have legitimate concerns about their own safety, their own health, and their own wellbeing.  But those concerns cannot be the ultimate ones for those who choose to be his disciples.  They must perish.  They must be ruined when the time comes for them to make the decision to continue to walk with him.

            Jesus is speaking directly to us, his disciples who have chosen to walk the way with him as intentional disciples today.  We too have legitimate concerns for our own safety, our own health, and our own wellbeing.  But, there are times when we must put those concerns aside to walk with him through sacrificial love.  Mothers understand those times, especially when they carry infants in their wombs and endure the pain of childbirth.  Parents understand those times when they dedicate quality time to spend with their children instead of committing hours to climb the ladders of success.  Young people understand those times when they walk the way of the crucified Jesus and befriend someone unpopular at risk of becoming unpopular themselves.  During this pandemic, intentional disciples have learned to put the common good ahead of our own individual freedoms and opinions.  None of these examples involves nails and wood.  But each of them demands sacrificial love.

            Saint James understands these times well when he insists that we must express our faith by good works.  James is not contradicting Saint Paul’s words to the Romans that faith alone in Jesus Christ saves us.  But, it is critical to express our faith by our actions.  We cannot profess an authentic faith and ignore the needs of the poor around us.  That is why our parish sets aside 8 ½ % of our income to respond to the needs of those less fortunate than we are.  That is why we will respond to the requests of Father Larry Kanyike when he visits us next month to ask for our help for his impoverished parish.  That is why the work of our Saint Vincent de Paul Society is so critical.  That is why we respect the unborn, care for the sick, and tend to the dying.

            In our legitimate concern for health and wellbeing, we can trust the words of Jesus that our suffering will not destroy us, any more than his passion did not destroy him.  The Lord walks with us in good times and in bad and saves as we carry our crosses with sacrificial love.