Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, PhD | blog.theologika.net
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Posted by on Mar 30, 2025

Reconciliation Takes Two

Reconciliation Takes Two

Conflict between people, communities, nations – we are familiar with all of these. We have seen them play out throughout our lives. Sometimes the conflicts are over minor things: who cleaned out the dishwasher last might be the focus of a battle in a family kitchen. Other times they are definitely major issues: who has the right to control access to the resources of an individual or nation, for example.

The way we handle these conflicts, great and small, will largely determine how likely we are to reach a mutually satisfactory resolution. When solutions are imposed top-down from a powerful authority or country, against the will and to the detriment of those on whom they have been imposed, the less powerful will not be happy with the outcome. They will not accept those solutions and they will find ways large and small to resist. On the other hand, when the solution is reached through communication, mutual respect, and a good faith desire to resolve a problem, both sides will be committed to making it work. Both sides will have to sacrifice something and both sides will get something that really works well to address the challenge they have together faced.

As we look at the relationship between God and humans, we might expect a dynamic similar to the first scenario to play out. God makes a demand. Humans try and fail to comply. God punishes. Humans repent. God relents and again blesses the humans. Humans try and fail again. “Lather, rinse, repeat!” Sometimes in reading Scripture and looking at the history of the relationship between God and humans, we get the impression that this is all there is to it. Some might even take that perception and decide they don’t need that kind of vengeful, unforgiving deity and turn away from faith at all.

The understanding of the picture changes dramatically when we realize that the relationship is not equal, but that reconciliation between God and humans is really God’s preferred option. In fact, God is always coming into the conversation with compassion and readiness to work together for the good of all. We may not realize this, however, because we are used to the human way of holding onto past disappointments and hurts and allowing them to color our futures.

Reconciliation does not require two equals in a relationship. It does require at least one who is compassionate and willing to go however far it takes in humility to reach the heart of the other.

When the Hebrew people left Egypt, they traveled around the Sinai Peninsula and the lands east of the Jordan River for forty years. An entire generation passed before they entered the Promised Land, the land west of the Jordan from which Jacob and his sons had traveled to Egypt so many, many years earlier. It’s an amazing story, well worth reading, about how the waters of the Jordan River parted and allowed the people to cross into the new land. The experience reminded the people of the crossing of the Red Sea as their parents and grandparents left Egypt and gained their freedom.

When they arrived in this new land, the people renewed their covenant with the Lord. One of the signs of the Covenant was that men (and boys) were circumcised. They were dedicated to the Lord through this action. It represented a cutting away of impurity and the intent to dedicate the life of this person to the Lord. This practice was set at the beginning of the Lord’s relationship with Abram (whose name came to be Abraham). In Egypt and in the desert, the practice had not been continued, but here as they entered their new land, it was re-established. All men and boys were circumcised as a sign of their acceptance of the covenant.

Once the Covenant had been renewed in this physical way, it was also renewed symbolically and spiritually with the celebration of the Passover. While they were traveling in the desert, celebration of this foundational event was impossible. Now that they were in their new land, it was the first order of business. The Lord had brought them out of Egypt and to a new land. A renewal of the Covenant included remembering the blessings they had received, the freedom they had gained, the new hopes and possibilities for the future. As men and women have remarked for centuries following that time, “Our ancestors crossed the Red Sea and our feet are wet!” This time of reconciliation and rebirth of a people in relationship with the Most High was brought about by the Lord, in response to the pleas of those who were in bondage. (Jos 5:9a, 10-12)

Two parties – one common goal – Reconciliation.

So, does this mean that all was well between God and humans from that day on? Of course not. But did God abandon the relationship? Of course not!

Jesus told a story to his followers about the love of a father. We generally call it the Parable of the Prodigal Son, but really, it’s a story of a father’s tender love.

A father had two sons. One of them, the younger one, wanted to live life to the full, to enjoy a busy social life, travel, see the world, and never have to worry about how to pay for these adventures. So, he asked his father to give him the share of the family wealth that would typically not be his until after his father’s death. This was an extraordinarily bold and genuinely foolish thing to do. Children have been disinherited for less. However, his father loved him and agreed to the splitting of the property. The younger son took off happily to enjoy his life.

The older son stayed on the family farm. He helped with the work of caring for animals and raising the crops to feed them and support the household. He was a model son and his father loved him too.

The younger son, as might be expected, blew through the money quickly. He had to find work. He expected that would be easy, but it wasn’t. Times were hard. Jobs were scarce. Eventually, he ended up taking care of pigs in a foreign country and wishing someone would offer him some of the food that was going to feed the pigs. (Pigs were considered to be “unclean,” ritually impure, and to be avoided in his culture. A huge “Ick!”)

Jesus told his listeners that the young man realized he would be better off as a servant on his father’s farm than where he had ended up on his own and decided to return home. The young man was prepared to beg his father’s forgiveness and ask for a job doing whatever was needed. He had no expectation of ever being welcomed back into the life of the family as more than a servant.

But the father was prodigal in his love. He gave freely of the abundance of that love, watching all the time for the possibility of his son returning. When he saw the boy coming down the road from far away, this father ran down the road to meet his son. He didn’t let the boy get his words of apology and submission out before he embraced him and started pulling him along the road, back to their home.

A great celebration occurred that night, with feasting and sharing joy with family and friends. A new beginning for the lost son, welcomed by his father.

The other son was not so happy. He was angry and resentful. After all, he had worked for years and it seemed no one appreciated his loyal service. He was not able to see any reason for his father to welcome this ungrateful, selfish brother of his.

Jesus tells us the father was saddened by the older son’s reaction. “My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again, he was lost and has been found.” (Lk 15:1-3, 11-32)

The reconciliation between father and son required two people, but one held all the power to welcome and forgive the other in the encounter. The love and forgiveness had to be given freely to repair the relationship, and so they were.

The early followers of Jesus recognized his passion, death, and resurrection as the way God reconciled all of humanity with himself and welcomed us all back into the family home. God became one of us, in Jesus, and lived a fully human life. This wasn’t a case of a charade in which someone pretends to be someone they aren’t. Jesus was as truly human as any other human being. He remains human, even after his resurrection. He is a brother to all of us. And yet, the community came to understand that his coming as the Christ opened the door to reconciliation with our common Father.

St. Paul spoke often of this mystery of reconciliation with the Father through the life and death of Jesus. “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation… All of this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation…” The Father is counting on us to pass on this message, the good news of reconciliation. (2 Cor 5:17-21)

We are not the ones who have to take the first step. The first step, the second step, the ultimate step, all have been taken by our loving Father. He became one of us so that he could totally understand what it is to be human and transform us, breaking down the barriers that divide human from divine, offering himself totally so we can share in His life, the life of Love.

In our very divided world and lives today, how do we respond to such an outreach? How do we respond to unconditional love? How do we reach out to share that news of reconciliation through our own lives?

Are we willing and ready to listen to the hopes, the dreams, the fears, the concerns, the pain and the joy of others? How do we deal with divisions in our own families? How do we protect those who will be hurt unjustly by policy changes that overturn the rules by which they have lived? Will we offer a gentle response to those whose words are insulting or hurtful? If someone makes an honest mistake, will we be willing to give them a second chance to correct it? Will we continue to serve the vulnerable and those who seek protection and safety among us? Will we be true to our calling to welcome all and share with those needing help? Will we be willing and ready to continue doing this at the same time that we work towards reconciliation with those who do not support our actions?

Today let us pray that just as the Father has run out to meet us on the road as we return from our forays into the world of self-serving activities and neglect of others, we may accept and forgive and welcome back those who ask us for forgiveness. May we use this season of Lent mindfully, to look at our own lives and see what areas might need forgiveness or more time to grow and heal. And then reach out in loving service to those in our communities, family, and world who need to know they are loved unconditionally.

Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent – Cycle C

 

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Posted by on Mar 23, 2025

May I Ask Who’s Calling?

May I Ask Who’s Calling?

Long ago, in the olden days when I was a girl, and the dinosaurs were really, really big, if the telephone would ring, there was no way to know who was calling. Call-waiting didn’t exist. No caller ID was available. Only one telephone per household was the general rule. Some households didn’t have phones at all.

In those days, if a caller asked to speak with a particular person in the household or business, the correct and expected response was, “May I ask who’s calling?” or “Who may I say is calling?” The caller would normally respond with a name and the person who answered would respond, “I will tell him/her (them).”

I thought of this when reflecting on the reading from the book of Exodus. As you will recall, Moses had grown up in Egypt, under the protection of one of Pharaoh’s family, though he was an Israelite boy who should have been killed shortly after his birth. As a young man, he had killed a man who was abusing an Israelite slave and had to flee the country. He ended up in the land of Midian, married to the daughter of a priest of the land, and became a simple shepherd.

One day, as he was tending the sheep, he saw an amazing sight. A bush was burning. Bushes burn in dry lands, usually pretty quickly, with potentially disastrous results. This bush, however, was not a danger to the surrounding landscape. The bush was not burning up. It was not being consumed by the flames. It was just sitting there burning.

Moses went closer and a voice came from the bush, calling his name, “Moses! Moses!” Moses responded, “Here I am.” As he prepared to come closer to the bush, the voice told him to wait, to remove his sandals first. This ground was holy, because the God of the fathers of Moses’ people was present there. “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.”

Moses hid his face, knowing that to see God would be dangerous. But the Lord told him why he had come. “I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry of complaint… Therefore, I have come down to rescue them…”

Wait! What? Rescue the Hebrew people from Egypt? OK. How? On whose orders?

So, Moses wondered, “when I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” what do I tell them your name is? (Name in this context refers to power and authority as well as what a person is called.) This is a pretty bold thing to say to God, but the bush was burning and a voice coming from it, so it’s all pretty unusual anyway. “God replied, “I am who am.” But you can simply tell them, “I AM sent me to you.” (Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15)

“Who may I say is calling?”

“I Am … The Lord, the God of your fathers.” He “has sent me to you.”

We remember the story yet today and tell it each year. Our Jewish sisters and brothers also remember it and celebrate the Exodus and all that led to it at Passover. Muslims too revere Moses and remember his encounter with the Lord and all that resulted.

As the Hebrew people went out into the desert on their way to the Promised Land, many surprises awaited them. It was a hard time, with shortage of food and water at times and a longing to return to stability and order, even if that meant hard, forced labor in Egypt. They grumbled. They complained. They despaired and created a Golden Calf to worship. They doubted God’s promises. It took forty years in the desert before their children and grandchildren were allowed to enter the land from which their ancestors had come during the time of the great famine in the days of Jacob and Joseph. The Lord was with them, but earlier, they were not ready as a people to enter the new land and way of living.

St. Paul, in his first letter to the people of Corinth, spoke of those years in the desert. Although all had traveled with the cloud to guide them, crossed through the sea together, eaten the same food from heaven, and received water to drink from the stone, they still grumbled and disobeyed. Their journey and its delays and the consequences of their disbelief and disobedience are an example to us of how NOT to behave. We have seen the coming of the savior. The end times are upon us. The kingdom is here and coming ever more fully into being. Like the Hebrews, when we hear the Lord calling, we must answer. Who’s calling? The Lord, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. We are children of Abraham too. We are also to listen to his call and respond. (1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12)

Sometimes we think that Israel, including the northern area known as Galilee, was a peaceful place in the time of Jesus. After all, the Romans had conquered the area. There were no more wars with neighboring countries. Sure, there were soldiers everywhere who could make unreasonable demands and act like bullies, but there was no war going on…

In reality, rebellions occurred. A group of people in Galilee had rebelled and been killed by Pilate, the Roman official who governed the area. When people told Jesus about this, he responded that it is important to realize that suffering such as that experienced by those killed on Pilate’s orders was not because they were great sinners. Everyone sins. The critical thing is to repent, to recognize that we as humans are not perfect. We all mess up. We all make wrong choices. We all sin.

Jesus told a story about a fig tree. This tree had grown in an orchard and been expected to bear fruit when it reached maturity. But the tree produced no fruit. The owner of the orchard noticed that the tree was old enough, but there were no figs. After three years of fruitless harvest times, the owner told the gardener to cut it down, presumably so another tree could be planted and grow in its place to produce fruit.

But the gardener cared about the tree and begged for a second chance for it. “Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future.” However, this would not go on forever. If the tree remained barren in the coming year, “you can cut it down.” Lk 13:1-9)

In the Gospel of Luke, the story ends there. We don’t hear what happened to the tree. Jesus didn’t tell us, but rather, left us to ponder what that might mean for us, especially in light of his reminders that bad things happen to everyone, whether as consequences of their actions or not. The important thing is to try each time we fail to change our behavior and do better the next time around.

“Who may I say is calling?”

Is ours a strong, demanding, vengeful god who delights in punishing sinners? The Psalmist provides the answer in Psalm 103. “Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger and abounding in kindness.” “He pardons all your iniquities, heals all your ills.” “The Lord secures justice and the rights of all the oppressed.” (Ps 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11)

Who is calling you today? Who is calling me?

This same God, the merciful, the kind, the protector of the “little ones” who need extra care, the one who sends help in time of trial, this God is the one who came to Moses in the burning bush. This God is the one who heard the cries of the poor and sent a messenger to rescue them. This God is the one who gives the fig tree and the sinner another chance. This God is the one who expects those who have blessings of security, power, education, health, and the respect of the peoples of the world to behave with kindness and compassion, sharing the gifts we have received. This God does not condemn those whose ways of living, whose customs, whose sense of themselves are different from those of the dominant culture or the culture of ancient peoples who first met him.

As a people, we must today ask ourselves, if the Lord calls and asks for you or for me, will we respond quickly and faithfully. Will we speak out against abuses of the poor, the immigrant, those whose lands have been invaded by neighbors who wish to control them? Will we work for justice? Will we remember those who work hard but still cannot afford health care or education without help from the larger community? Will we demand that those who wield power in our governments follow the laws that have governed us for two hundred fifty years?

God does not come from the heavens with avenging angels on thunderous clouds. But when peoples and individuals do not remember the source of the gifts received, the freedoms offered, and the importance of sharing them freely, the consequences will fall heavily on all.

I pray that as we enter the third week of Lent, we listen deeply and carefully to the warnings of our ancestors. When the answer to the question, “Who may I say is calling?” is, “The Lord our God,” may we be open to receive his presence and become channels of his love to everyone we meet and with whom we share this beautiful world.

Readings for the Third Sunday of Lent – Cycle C

 

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Posted by on Mar 12, 2025

Geological Time Includes the Present

Geological Time Includes the Present

Darkness had long since fallen as we made our way along a winding road beside a lake. We were on our way home from a wonderful wedding celebration and the driver was watching closely for animals, as well as for rocks that might have fallen onto the road from the steep hills along the road. He remarked as he drove that one of his children had told him of a geology professor who had advised his class always to remember that “Geological time includes the present.”

Reflecting on this insight, I realized that God’s time is like geological time in that respect – or maybe it’s vice versa? It includes the present.

As we begin these weeks of Lent, it’s good to remember that God is in this for the long-haul. We tend to think of times and seasons in our lives as having a beginning, a middle, and an end. But really, our lives are a long story, with parts and themes that weave in and out of the narration. The same is true for the history of God and humanity.

Moses and the Israelites traveled through the desert for forty years. Their release from captivity in Egypt had been totally unexpected. Granted, they had begged the Lord for relief from the forced labor and other conditions that had been imposed on them by the rulers of Egypt, but something as dramatic as the Passover and their release into the Sinai Peninsula was totally unexpected.

Who were they now? Where were they going? Who would be in charge? How did the Lord figure into it all? Moses had gone up to the mountain, into the cloud, and spoken with the Lord. His appearance was transformed by that experience. But what did that mean for everyday life?

Moses gathered the people as a group as their time in the desert together was drawing to an end and reminded them of the history of the Lord’s intervention that had led to their freedom. He again spoke to them of the Lord’s instructions for how they were to live. The ancient covenant with Abraham was still in effect. The narrative was ongoing. Their present time was part of God’s time and plan.

As they entered into their new land, planting crops, raising their flocks, they were not to forget the Lord’s care for them. They must remember to give thanks always for his care. So, as the first fruits of the land matured, they must be offered to the Lord as a thanksgiving gift at harvest time. They had received much from the Lord. The story of the Lord’s love and care for them was continuing, in a different setting and with different “props,” but the same Lord was providing for them still and yet.

Now, having set their gifts before the Lord, their God, they were to “bow down in his presence.” The story of their lives continued uninterrupted. (Deut 26:4-10)

Jesus too passed through many phases and seasons of life. His birth was unplanned by his parents. He had lived as a child, grown up revering the Lord, become a good Jewish man, learned a trade, become a regular fellow who was respectable and trusted as an adult. It was a relatively normal life, once he got past the first surprising beginning.

And then something unexpected happened, much like finding a big rock on the road by the lake or having an elk step out onto the road on a dark night. A prophet, who happened to be his cousin, began preaching along the Jordan River. This river stretches from the Sea of Galilee in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. The people had crossed the Jordan River when they first entered their land. It was the eastern border.

Jesus went down to the Jordan along with many other people. He listened to his cousin John speak of the coming of the Anointed One, the one long promised, who would restore the relationship with God and bring a new kingdom into being. Folks expected it to be a kingdom with rulers like those who would be replaced – the hated Roman conquerors.

Many prophets through the years had promised the coming of the Anointed One, the Messiah. Who would he be? When would he come? Would it still be many years in the future or would it be now?

Jesus entered into the water to be baptized and both he and John got a big surprise. The heavens opened, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him like a dove, and a voice said, “This is my beloved Son.”

What a dramatic turn in the life-story of a carpenter from a small town in Galilee! Wisely, Jesus didn’t just head home. Instead, he went out into desert lands to pray, to fast, and to begin to process what that all might have meant.

Forty days, he remained in the desert. He was thirsty and hungry. A voice, a tempter, whispered into his ear, “Command this stone to become bread.” Try it out, see what kind of powers you have now. You’re hungry, maybe you should do something about it…

But Jesus understood that was not the route he was to take. There’s more to life than bread.

Then the tempter offered him power – power over mighty kingdoms. Only one string attached, “I shall give to you all this power and glory … All this will be yours , if you worship me.” Again, Jesus didn’t take the bait, though many a person in history has, even in our days.

Finally, since Jesus kept responding that only God is in charge of such things, the tempter took him to a high point on the temple and suggested that God would protect him if he simply jumped off – angels would catch him. When Jesus again rejected the idea of putting God to the test, the tempter left him “for a time.” Not forever, just for the time-being. (Lk 4:1-13)

Jesus’ life-story took some very unexpected turns. He learned a lot in the process. Yet he remained faithful to the experience of discovering the Father’s love for him and the mission to share that wonderful news.

As the story of God’s presence and care for humanity continued to unfold, many came to hear and believe the good news of that love. They shared the joy and the challenges of sharing the story. The story turned out to be bigger than initially thought. It wasn’t like one rock sliding down a hillside. It was more like a hillside sliding down into the sea, reshaping a coastline.

St. Paul wrote to the people of Rome, reminding them of God’s presence throughout history and the ever-widening ripples of that presence. Not only is the Lord come for the Jews, he has come for all peoples. He is not an earthly ruler. Much more deeply, the Lord, the Word, is very near – in the heart and in the mouth. Words of faith are spoken and works of love are shared. In this we find salvation. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Rom 10:8-13)

We receive this word today as a promise given, received, and on-going. God’s time and Geological time include the present.

How do we live this in our lives today? Where are we called to love? Whom are we to respect and care for? How do we welcome people from other nations, the poor, the sick, the homeless? How do we respect each other and value the talents of each? Where will our legacy be found?

May we remember the Lord’s loving presence, the faithfulness of the One who loves us, and reach out in love to all the peoples of the world as we enter into and move through this season of Lent. God doesn’t love us just because we are perfect or powerful. We are loved at all times. We simply need to remember to be the stones on the hillside which he needs as he shapes and reshapes the world into a Kingdom of Love.

Readings for the First Sunday of Lent – Cycle C

 

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Posted by on Mar 2, 2025

From the Fullness of the Heart

From the Fullness of the Heart

“Think before you speak!”  “You have two ears and one mouth.” “Listen carefully before speaking.” “Out of the mouths of babes …” “Stop, look, and listen.”

We have many expressions that describe the relationship between our thoughts and our words, between what we perceive and the objective reality of what is happening around us. When we blurt out our first response to something unexpected, we often discover that our reaction does not take into account the total reality of the situation. There can be many factors we haven’t noticed that played a part in the way the situation developed and reached its climax.

Wisdom lies in quieting the inner and outer tongues that speak our thoughts, often before we have time to consider them carefully. “Think first, then speak,” is advice well suited to the complexity of our personal and public lives.

Around 200 years before the birth of Jesus, a man named Jesus, ben Eleazar, ben Sirach collected wisdom sayings from his community. Wisdom tales are told around the world, passing on to younger members of the family or village the traditions and common-sense approaches to the challenges of life we have come to understand. We still tell these stories ourselves, because they offer practical examples for dealing with complex realities. For example, “a watched pot never boils” reminds us to be patient as things work their way to a conclusion for which we have every reason to hope. Ben Sirach’s words are remembered today, though their fullest meanings are not always clear to us.

The first verse we hear today speaks of a sieve being shaken, which results in the appearance of husks. This is paired with a reminder that our faults too appear when we speak. What do our words have to do with grain and husks? Not something most of us would suggest, but something obvious in his times. There were no “combines” in those days, the big harvesters which could cut the grain, thresh it, and separate the grains from the chaff as they moved through the fields. In those days, oxen walked across the cut grain, breaking up the heads of wheat or other crops after they had been cut and placed together for threshing. The grain would fall out on the threshing floor. Later, everything on the floor would be scooped up and run through a sieve to separate out the grain from the chaff and excrement of the animals used for threshing the crop. When the time came to complete the harvest, the grain, chaff, and anything else on the threshing floor would be tossed into the air using a sieve. This allowed the smaller grains to pass through and keep the waste from contaminating the harvest.  In many places even today, grain is threshed and prepared for use in this same basic way. Ben Sirach reminds us that “… one’s faults (appear) when one speaks.”

Ben Sirach notes that trees bear fruit when they receive the proper care and offers an important piece of advice for us today too. “Praise no one before he speaks, for it is then that people are tested.”  In other words, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” (Sir 27:4-7)

Jesus offers similar advice as he finishes the Sermon on the Plain. He points out that when “the blind are leading the blind,” both can land in a pit. Through a series of examples, he cautions against judging others, lest we fail to notice our own weakness and sinfulness as we point out that of others. Those who are good will bear good fruit. Their goodness will become apparent through their choices and their actions. “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good…” When the heart is filled with negative emotions, a different scenario emerges and we see evil spreading. Words matter and reflect the beauty or ugliness of the heart when they are spoken. “… From the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Lk 6:39-45)

As we move through life, we find times that are discouraging and hard to get through. Sometimes it seems that evil will triumph. We may feel like everything we try will end in failure. “Life is hard and then you die,” goes the saying today. People in ancient times experienced the same thing. St. Paul explains that a time will come in which the pattern of death and failure will end. “Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory! Where … is your sting?” We have gained the upper hand, the victory, through Jesus. Our response of loving service will not be in vain. (1 Cor 15:54-58)

We are living through a time of great turmoil today. Wars are raging. Leaders of countries are meeting, but not always peacefully or respectfully. The fate of nations is hanging in a balance that is not at all certain to end well for anyone. In our personal lives, we are called to make choices and offer a hand or an ear to others we meet.

As we move forward, holding on with all our might to hope in the Lord’s help in the great work of protecting the vulnerable, caring for the young, the very  old, and those who can’t care for themselves, seeking justice for those who face persecution or discrimination, safeguarding the vision of hope and liberty for all which we received from our parents and grandparents, may we remember the wisdom from of old. Wait and hear that what people say or do is wise and just before following their lead or obeying their commands. Be sensitive to our own faults before condemning others. In what ways do we try to correct in others the faults of which we ourselves are more guilty?

May our words be kind and merciful, flowing from a heart that has known forgiveness and acceptance. From the fullness of this experience of being loved and forgiven, may our mouths speak to those we meet each day.

Readings for the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C

 

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Posted by on Feb 23, 2025

The Weight of a Snowflake

The Weight of a Snowflake

Each year a conference takes place in Southern California, for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles which is attended by people from all over the country and the world. Formally known as the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, most folks simply call it LA Congress. This program first started in 1956 in Los Angeles, but quickly grew large enough that it was moved to Anaheim. This year was no exception. Blessedly, the organizers have taken advantage of today’s technology and live streaming has brought the arena sessions to those of us who can’t be there in person.

One of my favorite speakers each year is the Rev. Terry Hershey. Terry writes a regular column, “Sabbath Moment.” His great insight and mission is to share the importance of taking time for reflection and stillness in our busy lives. This year he shared a story near the end of his presentation that expressed a vision of hope for these very difficult times in which we live today.

It seems there was a small bird, a coalmouse or coal tit, that was talking with a dove. Somehow the subject of the weight of a snowflake came up. The dove said that snowflakes were so light that they really make no difference at all in the world. The coalmouse boldly told the dove that in fact the weight of a snowflake matters. One afternoon, the coalmouse had nothing better to do, so he sat on the branch of a tree and began to count the snowflakes that were falling. Finally, the total reached 3,741,952 snowflakes that had fallen on the branch where the coalmouse was sitting. And then, one more snowflake fell on the branch – number 3,741,953. When that snowflake landed on the branch, the branch broke. That last snowflake was too much for the branch. It was too heavy.

There are times when everything going on in the world around seems too much to bear. Everything seems to be crashing. People are losing their livelihoods. Institutions are being broken down. No one knows when it will end. Where will it all end? Has anything like this ever happened before?

In point of fact, turmoil, upheaval, pain, suffering, fear, dismay – so much can and has happened so quickly and more than once in the history of the world. Like one snowflake on the branch of a tree, all can come crashing down.

Long, long ago, when Saul was king of Israel and Samuel was the Lord’s prophet, Saul ceased to follow the will of the Lord. He began to look out for himself and his cronies first, rather than caring for the people he had been selected to lead and care for. David had been anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel. Saul was not happy about this and took an army of 3,000 men out to find and kill David.

One night, while Saul and his men were sleeping, David and a few of his men entered the camp. They found Saul and some of his men in a tent. David’s friend offered to use Saul’s spear to kill the sleeping king, but David refused the offer. “Do not harm him, for who can lay hands on the Lord’s anointed and remain unpunished?”  David and his men left the camp, taking Saul’s spear and water jug with them. From a far hill, David called out to Saul and his army, “Here is the king’s spear. … Today the Lord delivered you into my grasp, I would not harm the Lord’s anointed.” (1 Sam 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23)

Eventually David became king, but it took many years before peace returned to the land.

Jesus lived in a time when his nation had been conquered and people were very aware of who their enemies were. In his teaching, he clearly stated a series of rules for living that were contrary to what humans typically do. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. … Do to others as you would have them do to you. … Love your enemies and do good to them.”

These words of Jesus are not what we hear every day. But they are the fundamental ground rules for our lives as followers of Jesus. He promises, “Forgive and you will be forgiven. … the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” (Lk 6:27-38)

These words speak deeply to anyone who will hear. They offer hope for a future in which we together offer love and help to those who are in need, to those who seek a safe place to live, to those whose bodies don’t reflect their sense of who they are in the depths of their being, to those who simply need a place to call home and a family to love them.

St. Paul spoke of the first Adam and the last Adam. The first “became a living being, the last Adam a life-giving spirit.” Jesus is the last Adam in this teaching. He brought the earthly and heavenly realms together, so that “as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.” (1 Cor 15:45-49)

Terry told another story right after the story of the coalmouse. This story was of a boy on an ocean beach. A bunch of sea stars (aka, starfish) had been washed up onto the beach. The boy was picking them up, one at a time, and tossing them back into the water, so they wouldn’t die on the beach. An old man asked the boy what he was doing and explained to the boy that there were lots of starfish in the ocean. It wouldn’t make a huge difference overall if these on the beach didn’t make it back into the water. The boy picked up another sea star and tossed it into the water, saying, “It made a difference for that one.”

Today we are called to live in hope in the face of upheaval and injustice. We are to act with love and respect both for those whom we seek to help and those who are responsible for causing great harm to others. The weight of one snowflake can cause a branch to break. One action can lead to healing the heart of another person. One action can stop a chain of harm from continuing. One starfish thrown back into the ocean makes a difference.  One snowflake of mercy and compassion, when joined with others, can lead to healing of a nation and a world.

What starfish will we be called to help this week? When will the snowflake of our refusal to go along with orders to harm others begin to bear fruit in changing those orders? How will our light shine into the darkness and give hope?

We live in hope.

Readings for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C

 

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Posted by on Feb 16, 2025

Dreams and Their Consequences

Dreams and Their Consequences

In the early years of television, a show called “Truth or Consequences” was quite popular. Contestants were given a trivia question to answer and if they didn’t get the correct answer in a matter of moments, they had to perform some kind of crazy or embarrassing activity or action. The program continued for several decades and its producers pioneered some of the film and live-broadcast techniques that are basic to video and television productions today.

The show came to mind as I was reflecting on the readings this week. The prophet Jeremiah, writing in the years before the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 587 BCE and the years that followed, begins a prophetic oracle with these words, “Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings.” He contrasts this with a contrasting statement, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.” (Jer 17:5-8)

Each of these statements is followed by descriptions of the behaviors that characterize each type of trust and its ultimate consequences. The words used – cursed/blessed – are easy to misunderstand. Who curses? Who blesses? What does the word mean fundamentally?

For the Hebrew people, the messages proclaimed by the prophets are announced with the words, “Thus says the Lord.” It is the Lord, the Most High of Israel, who is speaking this message to the people through the prophet. We hear the word “cursed” and think of an angry, violent, vengeful, jealous person who doesn’t hesitate to punish and hurt the ones who don’t obey. Similarly, when we hear the word “blessed,” we typically think of a person who loves and rewards conditionally. As long as the person over whom the authority holds power obeys, all will be well and they will prosper.

But is this what the prophecies really mean? Is the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, really an angry, jealous, vengeful deity? Or are we maybe misunderstanding what is meant by the words.

Imagine a child with a new scooter. This child is excited to go out and try it on the hill behind the house. The hill is high and pretty steep at one end, the edge of a higher plateau. There are some shorter parts of the hill. One section is about half as high as the highest one and not as steep. The final section is much lower. A gentle slope that started out steeper than the bottom – it smoothed out to a level sidewalk up to the back door.

The parents will assess the age and strength of the child when deciding to allow the child to go try out the scooter. The high plateau end is going to be too high for the child, even for an older child. Heavens, it’s too high even for an experienced adult to slide down safely! The admonition not to go there will be much stronger about that steep hill. “Don’t even think about it. You’ll break your neck!”

The intermediate size hill may be safe for an older child. The parents will say, “Be careful. Watch what you’re doing. Don’t get going too fast.”

A younger child will be able to enjoy the scooter on the lower hill. The instructions may well sound like those given to the older child on the intermediate hill. But the parents will be watching much more closely and maybe running down the hill alongside the child on the scooter, to help keep both child and scooter safe.

Perhaps the words of the Lord given by the prophet are more in the style of the words of these parents of the child with a new scooter.

“Cursed are those who …” might mean the same thing as “Things could go very badly in the end for those who …”

The images Jeremiah uses are those that the people of his time will understand – “A barren bush in the desert, … a lava waste, a salt and empty earth.” On the other hand, for those who listen to the advice of the Lord, he speaks of “a tree planted beside the waters that stretches its root to the stream … in the year of drought … still bears fruit.” The results for this person will be positive in the long run.

Jesus used a similar style in speaking with a large crowd of people who gathered to hear his words. “Blessed are you …” describes people who do not hurt others in order to live their lives. For those whose behavior was not kind and loving, his words were “Woe to you who …” (Lk 6:17, 20-26)

Was Jesus condemning those whose behavior seemed to indicate divine blessing? People who were financially rich, never hungry, welcomed as an honored, well-loved guest, or praised by all who knew them – is he condemning them? Or was he offering a warning that those in power can so easily find the tables turned and themselves disgraced, imprisoned or out of work?

And those who were in need? Was it because of something they had done? Were they lazy or unwilling to try to help themselves? What about that old saying, “God helps those who help themselves?” But Jesus says, those who help others are blessed. Those who don’t worry about having approval from the rest of the world are the ones who are pleasing to God.

Consequences don’t have to be unpleasant. They don’t have to be embarrassing. They come along as a result of decisions we make and actions we take. Those who have great wealth don’t always feel secure. They can lose it very quickly. Those who put all their money into homes or possessions can lose everything in a fire, flood, or tornado. But those who put their energy and resources into supporting and helping other people will find help and love from those they have helped when they themselves are in need. “Asbestos checks” don’t necessarily help those who die with great riches but little history of having cared for or shared with others. But the help and love we share with others grows and flows out into the world, growing ever broader and stronger.

Truth or consequences. Do we believe the truth spoken by Jeremiah and Jesus? Which consequences do we want to see in our lives? Do we trust in money, fame, lands, power to save us from loss and suffering? Or do we trust in mutual support, help for those in need of an extra hand, comfort offered to those who have experienced great losses, and decide to continue to do so despite the opposition of those who find their power threatened by this freedom?

Which will lead to everlasting blessing? Which joins us to the life of Christ?

In the days to come, may we trust that our Lord is good and loving, caring for all of us, and hoping we will join in helping and supporting each other, no matter where we have come from or where we live now. We are the Lord’s hands and voice here and now. May we speak the truth and share in the blessings promised.

Readings for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C

 

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Posted by on Feb 9, 2025

Somebody Oughta Do Somethin’ About It

Somebody Oughta Do Somethin’ About It

If you or I had a nickel for every time we heard the phrase, “somebody oughta do somethin’ about it,” I think we would have enough cash for a special treat, if not a fine vacation. As people, we are social beings. We get together and share our thoughts and experiences, whether within our family circles or in our larger communities of work, school, church, clubs, gyms, etc. Since life is not perfect, there always seems to be something about which someone can and will complain. Wages are too low, the work is too hard, there aren’t enough safety measures, there are too many restrictions, too much homework, too many new people are moving into town, housing costs too much … And have you seen the price of eggs lately?

These sentiments are heard even in relatively good times economically, socially, and politically. Life is not perfect, despite our wish it could be so – and what is good for me is not necessarily good for you or the neighbor down the street.

In our world today, it sometimes feels like everything has been tossed willy nilly into a big pot and stirred with the proverbial dirty stick. As Goofy might say, “Sumpin’ wrong here!” Things we should be able to count on are no longer steady and predictable. Will I have a job tomorrow? Is my Social Security deposit going to happen? Who has access to my health information? Is any data secure anymore? We simply don’t know.

“Somebody oughta do somethin’ about it!” But who and what? And is this something that has never happened in the world before our time? No, not really. We have gotten used to a system here that was designed to help keep things stable and predictable, governed by laws and branches of government that balanced each other out. It’s been a very special time and place where we have lived.

When we look at the experience of the Hebrew people through the centuries, there have been many times of upheaval and change. Invading armies carried people off into exile. Other nations conquered the conquerors and the people were allowed to return to their own land. Sometimes good kings served as rulers. Sometimes not. The land we call the Middle East today has witnessed thousands of years of turbulence.

The prophet Isaiah began his public career sometime around 742 BCE. This was a time when the king of Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel. Ahaz, was the ruler of Judah in the south at the time. Despite the conquest of the northern kingdom and Samaria, Judah was not harmed. But later, under King Hezakiah, the Assyrian king did invade Judah and was miraculously defeated.

Isaiah tells the history early in the book that bears his name of how he became a prophet. “In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple.” He goes on to describe the scene further and the praise that shook the doorframe and filled the house with smoke. At this, he realized that there was no way he should be there and have any expectation of survival. “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips … yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Isaiah was saved from doom when one of the angels, a seraphim, flew over to him with an ember from the altar. The seraphim touched Isaiah’s lips with the ember, removing his “wickedness.”

The Lord then called out, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” Isaiah volunteered, “Here I am … send me!” (Is 6:1-2a, 3-8)

Somebody oughta do somethin’. “Here I am, send me,” was Isaiah’s response as he set out into his vocation as a prophet in his homeland. Sometimes it went well. Sometimes not so well. But he was faithful. When he heard the call, he answered.

St. Luke described the call of the first followers of Jesus, those who became his closest friends. Jesus had already been teaching near Lake Gennesaret in Galilee. Although Luke doesn’t mention it as this point in his writing, Jesus spent a lot of time in Capernaum and nearby communities by the lake.

Jesus was at the lakeshore and people were crowding around him. Two boats had just come in from a night of fishing and the fishermen were cleaning up their nets before going home to sleep. Jesus got into one of the boats and asked the fisherman, Simon, to take him out into the water a bit, so he could teach from the boat without getting overwhelmed by the press of the crowd.

He sat in the boat and taught for a while. Then he told Simon to go back out into the deep water and drop the nets again. Simon protested. This was crazy. They had fished all night without catching anything. Fish didn’t get caught during the day. What a waste of time and energy. And with a newly cleaned net? Double work in having to clean it again!

But Simon agreed to lower the nets, against his better judgement. What a surprise when the nets were suddenly filled to overflowing. There were so many fish, they had to get their partners in the other boat to come help bring in the catch.

Simon immediately knew he was beyond his depth when it came to this prophet who had asked him for a place to sit and teach. “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”

But Jesus had other plans for him. “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And Simon and his partners left their boats and nets and followed him that very day. (Lk 5:1-11)

Somebody oughta do somethin’. That somethin’ for Simon and his partners was to follow the one who called them from their everyday lives into a new way of living and sharing in the mission of their Lord.

Paul was called by Jesus much later than Peter and company. He was a persecutor of the followers of Jesus, until he met the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. His life was turned around completely by that encounter. Sent out to preach and share the Good News outside Israel, Paul traveled through Asia Minor and Greece for many years. His letters to members of the communities that grew up in those lands remain with us today.

In Corinth, there were disputes about many things, including the details of the faith he had taught them. He wrote to the community, restating the basics of Christian belief and concluding with an account of his credentials as an apostle. Christ appeared to many people after the Resurrection, “Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me.” Jesus needed someone like Paul and chose him personally, turning his life around completely. (1 Cor 15:1-11)

Somebody oughta do somethin’.

The Lord continues to call people to do the somethin’ that is needed right here and now. We don’t typically meet him in a great flash that knocks us to the ground as Paul did. He doesn’t usually come and ask to borrow our boats or cars or stages so he can personally teach our communities. But he does call. It’s a quiet, often subtle call. We notice something that is a surprise. Someone invites us to come to a gathering for prayer. Someone introduces us to a visitor who tells us about a need in their home community. Someone goes off to the missions and writes home with a request for help to get supplies needed by the people there.

As we move through the coming weeks and months, we too are called to pay attention to those around us. Keep our ears open to hear the Lord’s call. Who needs our help and how can I personally help? How can you help?

Somebody oughta do somethin’ today. What is it for you to do? What is it for me? The Lord needs our hands, our eyes, our feet, our hearts, and our willingness to go out into the unknown, out on a limb and saw madly if needed, to help those who are in danger, those who have come seeking help, safety, and a new life, those who have special needs, those who have been the victims of discrimination, and those whose lives have been “stirred around with a dirty stick.”

We are called to be people of peace, kindness, love, gentleness, and firm faith in the call to serve and protect all of the Lord’s children, from the wealthiest to the very poorest. All are children of God. All are our sisters and brothers. All are welcome. All have gifts to share with us.

We move forward now in faith. We share our hopes and dreams. We share the struggles. We share the joy. And one day, we will share the stories of how the Lord called, we answered, lives were saved, and our communities were enriched by the gifts brought to us by those we helped along the way.

Readings for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C

 

 

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Posted by on Feb 2, 2025

A Refiner’s Fire – Purify and Prepare

A Refiner’s Fire – Purify and Prepare

Aluminum foil is one of those products that has come to be so commonly used that no one thinks much about where it comes from and how it’s made. But that wasn’t always the way it was.

Here’s a bit of background. Aluminum is the twelfth most common element in the universe. It reacts well with oxygen, and when they combine on the surface, aluminum shines like polished silver. It is soft, easy to shape, and non-magnetic. Many cooking pots used today are made of aluminum, which heats easily. (This poses a challenge for those seeking to use induction stoves! They won’t heat, because induction is based on magnetic force.)

Aluminum is found in the crust of the earth, mixed into a kind of rock known as bauxite. This mineral is lighter than iron or steel, so has historically been extensively used in aviation – for building airplanes. It has to be separated from the rock in order to be used. It must be refined.

When I grew up, most of the men in my area of town worked either for the railroad or for Kaiser Aluminum, refining aluminum from bauxite. The pot lines were located just outside the town immediately to the north of our community. Once the ore was liquid, it was trucked to another plant east of town. There it was poured and shaped into huge rolls of solid aluminum. Those rolls were then shipped to plants elsewhere, rolled increasingly thinner, and formed into the metal we use today for airplanes, cars, cooking pots, and aluminum foil!

The pot lines were extraordinarily hot places. There were sixteen buildings with potlines. If a bit of metal fell on the ground, everyone knew not to touch it. It would be burning hot. When the lines were open so families and friends of the workers could visit and see, we were all told never to touch anything shiny or metal on the ground. The potlines were heated and the metal was liquid. It was stiflingly hot inside the buildings. Over 100 million pounds of aluminum were produced there in the first year alone.

The plant has since closed, as has the railroad yard. A lot of clean-up work has been required to rid the area of toxins produced by both. Some toxins are still in the soil and protective layers have been added to keep them where they are rather than letting them get out into the waterways again. And life has gone on …

Reading from the book of the Prophet Malachi today, I was reminded of these potlines and the refiners’ fires, the fuller’s lye. (Fuller’s lye is also known as potash – potassium hydroxide. It’s very caustic. Sodium hydroxide is another very common form of lye, known as soda lye. Don’t even think of drinking it! Both are used to make soaps.) Processing of the bauxite includes use of lye to break apart its components and separate out the aluminum ore.

Malachi speaks of the messenger of the Lord who will come ahead of the messenger of the covenant. The first messenger is to prepare the way of the Lord, so the messenger of the covenant can enter. This one will come with power – like the refiner’s fire – and will patiently refine and purify the Levites, the priestly class. Why purify them? So they can offer sacrifices on behalf of the people that will be pleasing to the Lord. (Mal 3:1-4)

The words of Malachi were recorded around 500 years before the birth of Jesus. Yet they are part of a transition in the long story of reconciliation between God and humanity. The purification of which the prophet speaks will result in a renewal of the Lord’s joy in the offerings and love of the community.

And then, the long wait continued.

Jesus’ birth marked another transition in this history, as he began his life as a child of the Covenant. The Feast of the Presentation celebrates an event required by the Covenant in the life of Jewish baby boys. When the first boy was born to a family, tradition said the child belonged to God. The parents of the family offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving for the birth of the child and in return, received the right from God to keep him as their own. They didn’t have to give him to the Temple to be raised there, apart from his family.

Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple to offer this sacrifice on his behalf. This was not the time of his circumcision. That was a different custom and timeframe. They expected to offer the sacrifice and leave, as any other couple would expect. Additionally, it was forty days after his birth, so a sacrifice was to be offered to allow Mary to re-enter the life of the community, to “purify” her after her pregnancy. Accordingly, this day we remember as the Feast of the Purification of Mary was a doubly important day in their lives.

Joseph and Mary got a surprise that day in the Temple. An old man, Simeon, met them at the Temple. He had been promised by the Lord that he would not die before seeing the Christ of the Lord – the anointed one who was to come. When he saw Joseph and Mary, he knew this child was the one he was sent to meet. He took Jesus in his arms and gave thanks. “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace … for my eyes have seen your salvation.” More than just the salvation of Israel, Simeon proclaimed that this child would be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory for your people, Israel.”

Wow. Not just Israel, but all the peoples of the world!

Simeon was not a fool, however. He spoke directly to Mary of the trials that would come to her personally because of the identity of her child. Her child’s life would be a source of contradiction and of conflict among peoples – those who believed in his origin and mission and those who did not. She would suffer personally as she watched this come to pass – as would any mother watching her own child go through all Jesus would.

Another woman was also in the Temple that day. Anna was a prophetess. She heard the Lord’s word and had spent most of her life serving and praying in the Temple after the death of her husband. She too recognized Jesus and gave thanks for his birth. She thanked God and told all those she met afterwards about the coming of this child at last.

Following that amazing day, St. Luke tells us that Jesus and his family returned to Nazareth. Jesus grew up there as an ordinary child in an ordinary family, becoming strong and wise. The Lord God was pleased with him and his growth. (Lk 2:22-40)

Now, you may ask, where does aluminum fit into all of this?

As an adult, Jesus’ life followed a pretty normal path until his cousin John began baptizing people in the Jordan River and speaking of the coming of the Messiah. Following Jesus’ own baptism, when the Holy Spirit came upon him and he began to understand his role in the coming of the Kingdom of God, he traveled a path that eventually led to his self-sacrifice at Calvary.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews explains that in order for God to reach out in reconciliation with all of humanity and take away the power of death, it was necessary to become one of us and experience and conquer death. Rather than sacrifice animals, as the traditional priests in the temple did, Jesus gave himself as an offering. In doing this, God himself came to experience human suffering in a very personal way. Jesus, as human and divine, is able to help those who are suffering too. He understands and is present with them. He can’t necessarily prevent them from suffering. But they will not be alone. He will be with them through the entire process of purification and refining of faith and faithfulness to the Kingdom’s call. (Heb 2:14-18)

This promise has sustained millions of people through the centuries as they have had to stand on their own two feet and say Yes or No to what is happening in their families and communities.

There continue to be times when people are called to pass through a time of refining, of becoming again faithful to their call, of speaking and acting on behalf of the Kingdom. It happens in families. It can happen in communities. It can happen in nations.

As we enter into this very difficult time in our nation’s history, with so many unknowns, so many precedents being discarded, so many vulnerable people being hurt, may we too remember and pray for the courage to speak and work for the Kingdom of love in practical ways. It’s not a theoretical, sometime-after-I-die kind of thing. It’s right here and now.

How do we support the migrants? How do we speak for children who will be left hungry without community support through the government? How do we protect travelers? How do we keep roads and bridges safe? How do we prevent wealthy thieves from stealing the funds we have all put together to support our institutions and families?

This is a time we have not seen before in our lifetimes. Pray with me that we will have the courage to speak up, to reach out, to help those who we may not even know are at risk, so that all may continue to live and work and thrive in this place that has been so rich in resources and community.

It’s not a time to give up. It’s not a time to panic. It is a time to speak and act concretely. Reach out. Offer your time and help to groups that are trying to protect the poor, the migrants, the visitors, the disabled, the minorities, the elderly, the children. Work together. We must not stop caring. We must not stop hoping. We must carry on in faith.

Aluminum gets very hot as it is separated from bauxite. But it shines when the process is over. May our lives, our traditions, our nation, our way of being be purified and sustained through this time of upheaval and danger.

Our traditions and beliefs do not point to the elevation of one race or one set of beliefs. Our outreach is to all peoples and we find God in all cultures. All are our sisters and brothers. All are to be protected and loved.

At this Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, may we remember our call to recognize and shine forth the Light for Revelation whom Simeon first recognized so long ago in the Temple: the Love and blessing of the Lord God for all, living now within each of us.

Readings for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord – Cycle C

 

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Posted by on Jan 26, 2025

Fulfilled in Your Hearing

Fulfilled in Your Hearing

The gift of hearing is one most of us don’t truly appreciate. We are born able to hear and part of our growing and maturing is to begin to make sense of the sounds we hear. We copy the sounds of our world without really understanding their meaning. Often the tones and rhythms are repeated accurately long before the actual words are spoken and used in communication. Waiting in line in the grocery store, for example, one day a little child in a stroller looked up at me and in absolutely perfect rhythm and tones the asked, “ow ah oo.” I responded, “I’m fine, thank you. How are you?” The child beamed. His friendly question had been understood. His mother looked at me like I had two heads. She hadn’t realized he was speaking in tones. I recognized that he was asking a question only because my mother had once pointed out to me the way children first communicate with tones and sounds rather than words.

As we get older, hearing can begin to fail. We don’t hear what others say to us and wonder why their feelings get hurt when we continue to walk away rather than turn and respond to their words. We don’t notice the lack of sound and get used to the peace and quiet. When our families or friends point out that we are losing our hearing, it can be an upsetting thing to hear. “What do you mean, I can’t hear? I hear just fine!” But really, communication begins to fail. And eventually, if not treated, the nerve pathways for hearing get reprogrammed to do other things. There is convincing evidence that hearing loss can contribute to the development of dementia.

What does all of this have to do with the readings for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time? Hearing, understanding and remembering are all activities that can be lost or forgotten. Sometimes, we need to be reminded to open our ears and minds and hear what is being communicated.

A People Reminded of their Calling

At the end of the exile of the Jewish people in Babylon, King Cyrus of Persia sent them back to Jerusalem, to the land from which they had been taken. He sent Nehemiah, one of his trusted officials, along to help them rebuild their city, the temple, and their community. Ezra was a priest who worked with Nehemiah in the enterprise.

During the time in exile, most of the people had lost their connection to the ancient covenant with God that was established at the time of the Exodus. The people at the time of the Exodus had traveled through the Sinai peninsula and surrounding lands for forty years before entering the land to the west of the Jordan River where they settled, the land that came to be known as Israel. As part of the renewal of their community, Ezra gathered together all those returning from Babylon to re-introduce the Law.

Standing on a platform higher than the gathered people, he opened the scroll of the Law and began to read at dawn to all the people, including the children old enough to understand. As he began, he offered a prayer of blessing, a kind of thanksgiving prayer, to the Lord. In response all the people raised their hands in a great acclamation – “Amen, Amen!” They bowed down, prostrate on the ground in honor of the scroll and the law they would hear.

Ezra read from the scroll, the book of the law of God, and explained what was meant by its words.  Many no longer understood their own ancient language, the language in which the scroll was written. As he read, the people began to cry, but Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Levites who were teaching the people all explained that the words were ones of encouragement and hope. It was a time to celebrate. “Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those had nothing prepared; for today is holy to the Lord.” Furthermore, they proclaimed, “…rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength.” (Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10)

Hearing for the first time the words of the covenant with the Lord was a time for rejoicing. A new beginning. A reminder of the ancient words calling them to a life of faith, of caring for each other, of welcoming strangers (foreigners) who would come to live among them, of justice and peace.

In addition to the Law, the people of Israel had the traditional teachings of the prophets who had guided the nation for centuries. Again and again, the prophets reminded the people and their leaders of the Lord’s demand that they care for widows and orphans, welcome peoples of other nations who came to live among them, not cheat others in business dealings, forgive debts, free captives who were being held unjustly, and share their belongings freely. The prophets also spoke of the One who would come and re-establish the relationship between God and the people, ruling the nation with justice.

Through the centuries, sometimes Israel was a free nation. Sometimes it was a conquered colony of another people. Their land was part of an extensive set of trade routes from China and India to Egypt and lands farther west. Whoever was the strongest warrior always felt a need to control their land. Through it all, the people held on to their faith in the Lord and trust that, one day, their God would send a person, a savior, to lead all to freedom.

A Prophecy Recognized and Received

St. Luke begins his narration of the life of Jesus with a formal note to a person named Theophilus – Lover of God. He assures Theophilus that the information he will be recording has been verified by many and he can be assured that what he will be reading is true. With this introduction, we skip over to the time after Jesus’ baptism when he has begun to preach and teach in Galilee.

One day, Jesus returned to his hometown, Nazareth. As was normal for him, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath. There he was welcomed and invited to read from the Scriptures. This was not unusual, particularly since he was already developing a reputation for preaching and teaching. He opened the scroll to a passage from the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah was one of the major prophets and spoke in many different times of the one who was to come, the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Son of Man.

The passage Jesus selected was memorable, powerful, and not generally expected to refer to anyone who had grown up in their town. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor … liberty to captives … recovery of sight to the blind … to let the oppressed go free … to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”

It’s a marvelous passage, filled with hope and joy in the great promise of salvation. People would have heard it regularly. But not what followed. Jesus sat down after reading the passage and returning the scroll to the attendant. As all watched him, waiting to hear what he might say about the prophecy, he said quite simply and unexpectedly, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21)

Wait, what? What did he say? Is he saying he is the one who is to come? Who does he think he is?

We don’t actually hear these words in the section of the Gospel we read today, but that was the reaction of those who heard his words.

What do we hear today? Do we hear clearly what he is saying? Sight to the blind? Liberty to captives? Help for the poor? Freedom from oppression (whether from outside or inside the culture)? When does this happen? He said it is “fulfilled in your hearing.” That means it has already begun. It is a reality. It is for all of us, here and now too. We too have been anointed for this mission.

All of us? Those born here? Those who have come here from other places? Those who might not have legal documentation? Those who need special help? Those who are older or who have limited incomes? Those who have lost their jobs or can’t find work that pays enough for them to have a simple home? Help and healing and support for all people?

Who is Called to Respond?

Many times, people in communities begin to compare themselves to each other. Hierarchies of respect and privilege begin to appear. It was no different in the city of Corinth in the years after the resurrection. St. Paul took the news of Jesus’ coming and the coming of the kingdom to the people of Corinth. A community of people grew up, sharing in a life of faith together. But over time they began to argue about which of them had gifts that were more important to the community and therefore more worthy of respect and privilege. This development harmed the community and the witness of their lives to those who had not yet come to believe in Jesus and the Resurrection.

St. Paul famously explained the importance of each person in the community by comparing the gifts of the Holy Spirit and those who received each of them to the parts of the body. Some are more acceptable and presentable than others, but all are important. He reminds us all that we give greatest honor and protection to the parts of our bodies that we consider least presentable publicly. So therefore, we need to remember that all gifts are important and some that we think are among the least notable may actually be the most important. (1 Cor 12:12-30)

We all have important gifts from the Spirit to nurture and share. Some are called to speak. Some are called to help others heal. Some are good at administration. Others are great at coming up with bright ideas that need someone else to make them actually work. Each of us has gifts to share.

How do we hear these words? How do the words of Jesus continue to be fulfilled in our midst?

These questions are particularly important at this point in time in our land and our world. How do we love, respect, and support those with whom we live? How do we protect those who have come here from other lands in search of protection from gangs who have taken their land? How do we welcome those whose gender identity would lead to their murder in their own lands? How do we share the riches of our land with those around the world who don’t have the same resources or opportunities? How do we work for international peace? How do we help our own children to be able to learn by making sure they can have enough to eat each day and get healthcare when they need it?

We have come through many years of increasing anger and distrust that has damaged our ability to talk with each other and find solutions to the challenges we all face. How do we begin to break down those barriers when those in power prefer to keep us divided? If we don’t find a way, we will all pay a steep price.

How do we begin again to hear? What kind of hearing aids do we need? Can we begin to hear communication that is not in easily understood words? “Ow ah oo?”

“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

May we open our ears and hearts to hear and respond.

Readings for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C

 

 

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Posted by on Jan 19, 2025

Marriage Feasts – Celebrating Together

Marriage Feasts – Celebrating Together

“We only seem to get together for marry’ns and bury’ns.” (Spelling?) This comment was often heard  as I was growing up when a wedding or funeral drew our large, extended family together. It was generally spoken towards the end of a gathering, accompanied by the sentiment that we really ought to get together more frequently, when we might have a bit more time to visit.

While the weddings were typically happy occasions, we had a great time at funerals too. It was sad to have lost someone, but so good to see family, tell stories, share favorite foods, play games, and get caught up on all that had happened since our last gathering.

Many families in industrialized countries do not live in the same town as others of their relatives. As a result, the times they gather are different than gatherings among people who see each other often and frequently get together. They can feel very hurried and way too short.

The type of family structure also affects the nature of such gatherings. In patrilineal or matrilineal families, for example, the only ones who are seen as family are those related through the father’s line or the mother’s line. The bride or groom marries into the spouse’s family, but the spouse does not become part of their family of origin. In Western societies, we typically trace our lineage through both mother’s and father’s lines. When we marry, both bride and groom enter a second family – each other’s.

The wedding feast Jesus, his mother, and his followers attended at Cana in Galilee was a family affair that included many guests. The bride was joining her husband’s family. It was a new beginning and important to show abundant hospitality to the guests – a matter of honor for the groom’s family to offer joyful feasting with plenty of everything to eat and drink. To run out of anything was a serious source of shame for his family, particularly since the bride’s family would be witnesses of the shortfall.

Unfortunately, the wine was running out. Wine was added to water to make the water safe to drink. The amount the wine was watered down might vary, but it was essential to have the wine. It wouldn’t do to have nothing to offer guests to drink.

Jesus’ mother noticed the problem. She told him about it, then instructed the servants to do whatever her son told them to do. What a leap of faith! Jesus didn’t think it was time for him to do anything yet. It was not his time. But Mary set the stage and he acted.

Water jugs for washing the feet of guests were not what one would expect to find used for wine. But Jesus instructed the servants to fill the jugs with water – just regular water. Then, he told them to serve it to the headwaiter for approval. The servants must have been very nervous about those instructions. The headwaiter was not going to be happy about receiving water from the washing-water jugs to drink! But somehow they accepted Mary’s vouching for her son’s ability to help and they filled the jugs with water, gave them to the headwaiter, and I suspect they were more astounded than the headwaiter to learn that the plain, old, everyday water had become fine wine.

“You have kept the good wine until now,” he said to the bridegroom with amazement. This observation sets the stage for Jesus’ mission. In fact, St. John says this was the first of the signs Jesus gave that revealed his glory – who he truly was and is. His disciples began to believe in him when they saw this sign. (Jn 2:1-11)

Why would this sign at a wedding signal the glory of the Lord present in a city in Galilee?

There is a history of weddings and the relationship between men and women, husbands and wives, in Hebrew religious tradition that points to the relationship God wants to have with humans. The prophet Isaiah speaks of this to the people who have returned from captivity in Babylon. The people who have returned to Jerusalem will rebuild the city and the temple. Their trust in God through their long exile will be vindicated, as God’s protection shines forth over the city like dawn breaking after a long night. Jerusalem’s victory is compared to a burning torch, shining brightly.

The people themselves, loved and freed by their God, will no longer be seen as forsaken and their land desolate.  God has rescued them and takes them as his bride, the one loved and protected as by a husband. It’s a new beginning. A time for great joy. An example and blessing of human love and marriage. (Is 62:1-5)

And so, when Jesus begins his ministry of teaching and healing at a wedding, we see a new beginning for humanity again. Just as the bride and groom begin their new lives together, so humans and the Lord begin a new relationship as children of God, heirs of the kingdom. The messenger has arrived. The best wine is ready to serve. The story begins.

We have many new beginnings in our lives as individuals and communities. Sometimes the new beginnings go smoothly. Other times they are more bumpy. Sometimes people are happy with the change. Other times they have their doubts about it. Sometimes people get along with each other. Other times they find all sorts of things about which to disagree and argue.

The people of Corinth got to arguing about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Which one was best? Who got the best gifts? Why did one person get a highly valued gift and another get one that was seen as humdrum and common? St. Paul reminded them that the gifts received from the Spirit were not a reward of any sort for good behavior. The gifts were from the Holy Spirit of God, given to each person in order to be used to help build up the community. One person might be called to offer wisdom. Another might be gifted with the ability to heal or to understand what the spirit is calling someone else to do. The gifts given to each person were only good insofar as they were used for the community as a whole. (1 Cor 12:4-11) Such controversies are not at all uncommon among people who live together and must find their way to agreement on what to do in any given situation. We look at a challenge and bring our own gifts to the effort to address it.

We are at a time in the world with many new challenges to address. Leadership of many countries is changing. The approach to solving common challenges facing communities and nations can vary widely. But it’s important to remember that we humans are loved like a bride by our God – all of us. As a result, we are called to love in return.

Part of that requirement of love is to listen to each other and honestly try to find ways to work together to solve common problems. How do we help those who have come to our homelands seeking protection? How do we help those who simply need work to support their families? How do we assure our fellow women and men that they and their children can get healthcare when they need it? How do we grow, harvest, and distribute food so that all can eat and grow to a healthy adulthood and old age? How do we find affordable housing for all? How do we educate and support our children, helping them grow to be loving, competent adults?

Just as at the wedding feast at Cana, Jesus is present when we invite him into these conversations. How will water be turned into wine in our lives? Will we trust him enough to put the water into the jars and take it out to those who will judge its quality and pass it on? Which gifts of the Spirit are we sent to bring to the conversation? Will we have the courage to speak based on insights we have received through the gifts we have received?

We are not just guests at a wedding this time. We are the Bride of our God, sisters and brothers of Jesus, children of the Father. May we always remember this and work to bring others into our family of love and support. The wedding feast has begun. It’s time to celebrate that love and take it into our world.

Readings for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time – Cycle C

 

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