TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

20 OCTOBER 2024

 

            Along with Simon Peter, James and John form the inner circle of the disciples of Jesus. They had gone into the house with him when he raised a dead girl to life.  They were at the Transfiguration, where they caught a glimpse of the Lord’s true glory.  After the Last Supper, Jesus would take them into the Garden of Gethsemane with him.  These two members of the inner circle dare to ask an outrageous question: “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” They want him to sit at his right and his left when he comes into his glory.

            They have delusions of power, honor, and prestige.  What makes their request even worse is that Jesus had just clarified his mission.  As Messiah, he would not win a glorious victory over their enemies.  Instead, the Father had sent him to be the suffering servant of the Prophet Isaiah.  He would be crushed in infirmity, crucified on a cross.  The cup he will drink will be the cup of betrayal, false accusations, and a humiliating death.  In his baptism, he will drown in the floodwaters of pain, torture, and death.  Only after drinking this cup and undergoing this baptism will he be raised from the dead.  He asks them if they can drink this cup and undergo this baptism.  Without knowing what they are saying, they agree.

            Jesus makes it clear to his inner circle that leadership is not about power, honor, or prestige.  Leadership is about humble service, which includes dying to self and carrying the cross of being a humble servant, a slave.  Jesus speaks these words today to all who form the inner circle of leadership, especially in the Church.  Pope Francis has the Cardinals in his inner circle to serve the universal Church.  Father Andrew has his inner circle of advisors to serve this parish.  Those in the inner circle of leadership cannot lord their positions over those they serve.  They must drink the cup of dying to self and be immersed in the baptism of carrying heavy crosses for the sake of those whom they serve.

            When the other ten hear this request, they become indignant.  They are not upset with the sons of thunder because they made this outrageous request.  They are upset because James and John had beaten them to ask what they wanted.  So, Jesus addresses all of them.  He addresses all of us.  Whether we are in an inner circle or not, disciples must drink the cup of self-denial and be immersed in the baptism of putting ourselves last.  As James and John will eventually learn, authentic disciples cannot share in the rising of Jesus Christ unless we share in his dying.

            As we hear this Gospel, we have an advantage which the original apostles did not have.  We know the end of the story.  We know that drinking the painful cup and being drowned in the baptism of death was not the end for Jesus.  But, we must listen carefully to his words.  We may want to have really good seats in the Kingdom of Heaven.  But, we too have to drink of the cup of suffering and be drowned in the waters of death on a daily basis.  Each of us must share in the cross of Christ in our own way.  At this time of heightened division in both our country and in our Church, perhaps there is a common call for all of us.  The Lord challenges us to drink the cup of humility and recognize his presence in everyone, especially in those with whom we disagree the most or those who rub us the wrong way.  We don’t have to agree or give up our convictions.  But we can treat them with respect and courtesy.  We can die to our dependence on social media, which tends to further divide and encourage hate and anger.  As much as we may disagree with one another, we must remember our original baptism.  We were drowned in the waters of baptism and raised to new life in Christ and in communion with his Church.  At this Eucharist, we share much more than what may divide us.  We share the cross, and the hope of resurrection.

 

TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

6 OCTOBER 2024

 

            The Pharisees ask Jesus a loaded question, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?”  They know the answer to that question.  Moses allowed a husband to divorce his wife.  However, they want to draw Jesus into the current argument:  What constitutes the reasons for a husband’s decision to divorce his wife.  The stricter rabbis insist that a husband could file for a divorce only on the strictest grounds, such as infidelity.  However, the more lenient ones argue that any reason would suffice.  A man can divorce his wife if he does not like her cooking, or if he cannot get along with her family.

            Jesus avoids that trap.  He knows that a wife has absolutely no recourse in a divorce proceeding.  She can do nothing to defend herself and no option other than to accept the husband’s decision and moving on to a very uncertain future.  Divorced women are driven into poverty and the shame of being an outcast without a family.  As always, Jesus has compassion for the poor and the vulnerable.  So, he argues that Moses allowed divorce because of the hardness of people’s hearts.  He refuses to be drawn into the arguments of the day and responds by going to the heart of what God intends for marriage.  He quotes the second chapter of Genesis and insists that God created marriage as a permanent institution.  He argues that when a man and a woman become one flesh, that union cannot be separated.  What God has joined together, no human being can separate.  According to Genesis, which the Pharisees would understand as Moses speaking, God instituted marriage as a mutual love and harmony that cannot be broken.

            His disciples have difficulty with this radical teaching.  Even though they accept Jesus as the Messiah, they have not yet realized what he means by the kingdom of God.  That kingdom, won by his death and resurrection, will restore humanity to the original intimacy and love of Genesis.  That is why Jesus wants children to come to him.  Children have a remarkable ability to embrace the present moment without question.  The disciples musty learn that same lesson.  They will need to embrace his message of love and permanence with simplicity and trust.

            Jesus invites us to embrace this very difficult teaching about marriage with simplicity and trust.  As Catholics, we accept his teaching that marriage is a permanent institution that can be ended only in death.  We are part of the kingdom of God begun with his death and resurrection.  As all of you who married couples know, marriage is not an easy vocation.  It is very demanding.  I argue that married couples face greater challenges than we who live the Sacrament of Holy Orders.  The Church has clearly defined what constitutes a valid bond of marriage that can only end in death.  We embrace the teaching of Jesus and know that civil divorce does not end a valid bond of marriage.  That is why we have a Marriage Tribunal in our Diocese.  Those whose marriages have ended in divorce can approach the Tribunal to decide about the truth of that bond.  Most Catholics do not understand what an annulment means.  If you find yourself in this difficult situation, do not hesitate to approach Father Andrew.

Married couples need to do everything possible to cooperate with the grace given by the Sacrament to be faithful to their commitment.  When you experience difficulties, do not hesitate to seek professional help.  There are other movements today which support married couples.  The Bible begins with a wedding in Genesis.  It ends with a marriage feast in the Book of Revelation.  We are painfully aware that we do not live in a world of perfect love and intimacy.  But in a world of sin and division, we are invited to embrace the Kingdom of God like little children.  That means that married couples in a valid bond of marriage need the faith to enter into the dying of Jesus Christ, trusting that together, they can share in his rising.