Solemnity of the Annunciation, March 26, 2007
(Luke 1)
A novel describes how a young monk received his vocation by literally a star falling from heaven. Observing the sky one evening, a boy sees a shooting star land near his home. He is what we might call “a good boy” but really not distinguished from others. When the lad investigates, he finds the fallen meteor. Thinking over the incident, he believes that God has sent him a personal message. Not too many years later, he joins the Cistercian monastery outside Alberta.
Luke’s gospel today tells a similar story. Mary has a religious experience. She is a devout girl although the extent of her sanctity is perhaps not evident. Much like a shooting star, an angel of God tells her of her special vocation. She is to be the mother of Jesus Christ. Mary also becomes her son’s leading disciple. No one listens to God’s word and puts it into practice as faithfully as she.
We have all probably had an experience we would call religious. Maybe it was a dream or a conversation with a special person. We probably don’t consider ourselves better than any other person. Yet God seems to have shown us His special favor. Like Mary and like that monk in Alberta, let us not hesitate to follow Him.
Homily for Sunday, March 25, 2007
Sunday, V LENT, Cycle C
(John 8)
It was a regular Sunday morning. People filled the cathedral for mass. After reading the gospel the preacher began his homily. All of a sudden there was a furor in the front of the church. Someone started shouting as he neared the pulpit. Gun in hand, he demanded a hearing. The scene is not much different in the gospel today. The scribes and Pharisees interrupt Jesus’ teaching with what corresponds to a loaded pistol.
Into the midst of the assembly before Jesus the scribes and Pharisees parade a forlorn woman. She has been caught in the act of adultery. The passage does not describe how she looks, but it takes little imagination to see her as partially dressed. In any case, she is likely flush with shame. She has been exposed to a large crowd who look on her with contempt. Even if the people do not see naked flesh, they ridicule her for being caught in sin. We should be able to appreciate the hell the woman is experiencing. Most of us have probably had the nightmare of being exposed in a similar way.
Hopefully, if we were in the Temple area with Jesus that morning, we would have looked away. The scribes and Pharisees, however, take no note of the woman’s feelings. They don’t even care about her sin. They are using her to attack Jesus. They will mount a two step assault. First, they will cite the Scriptures: “...in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.” Then, expecting Jesus to have a contradictory judgment, they will seal his fate with the question: “What do you say?” It is the devil’s strategy of turning Scripture on its head. The Law proposes to form a righteous people. Here its supposed defenders show themselves as anything but righteous as they seek to undermine a just man.
Jesus, however, remains as composed as an iceberg in the Artic winter. In modesty, he bends to the ground and turns his head away. Then he demonstrates how divine mercy tempers justice. He challenges the whole crowd, “Let the one among you who is without sin cast the first stone.”
Significantly, Jesus does not make an excuse for adultery. He does not argue that the woman might need the money if she is a prostitute. Nor does he inquire about her partner in crime as if that would remove her guilt. No, he confronts everyone present – including us – with his or her own sinfulness. When we face our own guilt, we recognize a need for leniency. Pope John Paul II cast a cold eye on the death penalty for this reason. Seeing how abortion has eroded the sanctity of life, he pleaded for an end to capital punishment which calls into question the sanctity of the criminal’s life.
The pope’s declaration twelve years ago has been a moment of illumination for the world. It has enabled pro-choice advocates to see the cruelty of giving a woman the option of killing her own flesh and blood. And it has opened the eyes of pro-life proponents to admit that their field of concern needs stretching. We see this same enlightenment taking place as everyone leaves the Temple area -- scribe, Pharisee, and Jesus listener. Jesus has touched all with his plea for mercy. No one merits the right to cast a stone.
Alone with the woman Jesus can finally look at her. His eyes are void of judgment and filled with compassion. She has committed a grave sin which cannot be ignored. But she has already suffered the stiff punishment of shame in front of the crowd. To be forgiven she must also display what the Church calls firm purpose of amendment. “Go, and from now on do not sin any more,” he gently tells her. She will avoid the sin in the future. After Jesus narrowly saves her from a brutal death, how can she fall again? Unfortunately, we often forget that Christ has similarly rescued us. In confession we likely think of Jesus more as a traffic cop than a savior. He seems to stop us, ticket us, and tell us to speed no more. We depart ready to exceed the speed limit as soon as he is out of sight. But Christ has died a more gruesome death than stoning to save us from the punishment our sins deserve. How can we sin any more? No, we want to avoid sin. More than that, we want to become just and merciful like Jesus.
A striking incident occurs only in the Passion according to Luke which we will read at Mass next Sunday. Just after Jesus dies on the cross, “all the people...return(ed) home beating their breasts” (Lk 23:48). Scribes, Pharisees, and Jesus listeners show remorse for Jesus’ death. Just so, we face our guilt at Mass by striking our breasts at the Confiteor. We must cast a cold eye on our sins. They undermine our righteousness. They merit for us a brutal death. Now is the time to plead that mercy temper justice. Now is the time to plead for mercy.
(John 8)
It was a regular Sunday morning. People filled the cathedral for mass. After reading the gospel the preacher began his homily. All of a sudden there was a furor in the front of the church. Someone started shouting as he neared the pulpit. Gun in hand, he demanded a hearing. The scene is not much different in the gospel today. The scribes and Pharisees interrupt Jesus’ teaching with what corresponds to a loaded pistol.
Into the midst of the assembly before Jesus the scribes and Pharisees parade a forlorn woman. She has been caught in the act of adultery. The passage does not describe how she looks, but it takes little imagination to see her as partially dressed. In any case, she is likely flush with shame. She has been exposed to a large crowd who look on her with contempt. Even if the people do not see naked flesh, they ridicule her for being caught in sin. We should be able to appreciate the hell the woman is experiencing. Most of us have probably had the nightmare of being exposed in a similar way.
Hopefully, if we were in the Temple area with Jesus that morning, we would have looked away. The scribes and Pharisees, however, take no note of the woman’s feelings. They don’t even care about her sin. They are using her to attack Jesus. They will mount a two step assault. First, they will cite the Scriptures: “...in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.” Then, expecting Jesus to have a contradictory judgment, they will seal his fate with the question: “What do you say?” It is the devil’s strategy of turning Scripture on its head. The Law proposes to form a righteous people. Here its supposed defenders show themselves as anything but righteous as they seek to undermine a just man.
Jesus, however, remains as composed as an iceberg in the Artic winter. In modesty, he bends to the ground and turns his head away. Then he demonstrates how divine mercy tempers justice. He challenges the whole crowd, “Let the one among you who is without sin cast the first stone.”
Significantly, Jesus does not make an excuse for adultery. He does not argue that the woman might need the money if she is a prostitute. Nor does he inquire about her partner in crime as if that would remove her guilt. No, he confronts everyone present – including us – with his or her own sinfulness. When we face our own guilt, we recognize a need for leniency. Pope John Paul II cast a cold eye on the death penalty for this reason. Seeing how abortion has eroded the sanctity of life, he pleaded for an end to capital punishment which calls into question the sanctity of the criminal’s life.
The pope’s declaration twelve years ago has been a moment of illumination for the world. It has enabled pro-choice advocates to see the cruelty of giving a woman the option of killing her own flesh and blood. And it has opened the eyes of pro-life proponents to admit that their field of concern needs stretching. We see this same enlightenment taking place as everyone leaves the Temple area -- scribe, Pharisee, and Jesus listener. Jesus has touched all with his plea for mercy. No one merits the right to cast a stone.
Alone with the woman Jesus can finally look at her. His eyes are void of judgment and filled with compassion. She has committed a grave sin which cannot be ignored. But she has already suffered the stiff punishment of shame in front of the crowd. To be forgiven she must also display what the Church calls firm purpose of amendment. “Go, and from now on do not sin any more,” he gently tells her. She will avoid the sin in the future. After Jesus narrowly saves her from a brutal death, how can she fall again? Unfortunately, we often forget that Christ has similarly rescued us. In confession we likely think of Jesus more as a traffic cop than a savior. He seems to stop us, ticket us, and tell us to speed no more. We depart ready to exceed the speed limit as soon as he is out of sight. But Christ has died a more gruesome death than stoning to save us from the punishment our sins deserve. How can we sin any more? No, we want to avoid sin. More than that, we want to become just and merciful like Jesus.
A striking incident occurs only in the Passion according to Luke which we will read at Mass next Sunday. Just after Jesus dies on the cross, “all the people...return(ed) home beating their breasts” (Lk 23:48). Scribes, Pharisees, and Jesus listeners show remorse for Jesus’ death. Just so, we face our guilt at Mass by striking our breasts at the Confiteor. We must cast a cold eye on our sins. They undermine our righteousness. They merit for us a brutal death. Now is the time to plead that mercy temper justice. Now is the time to plead for mercy.
Homilette for Thursday, March 22, 2007
Thursday, IV Lent
(John 5)
As Holy Week approaches, we Christians should review our attitudes toward Jews. All the gospels relate that Jewish people had a role in Jesus’ passion and death. The Romans actually executed Jesus, but each gospel points out that they did so at the instigation of the Jewish people. The gospels of Matthew and John are especially harsh in their consideration of Jewish responsibility. Matthew locates blame for the crucifixion not only on the Jews in Jerusalem on the first Good Friday but also on Jews of all time. The crowds respond to Pilate, “(Jesus’) blood be upon us and upon our children.” Throughout the Gospel according to John, as we see in the passage today, Jesus is in a bitter debate with not only the scribes and Pharisees and other Jewish leaders but more generically with “the Jews.”
However, we must be very careful about assigning guilt. It is universally recognized that the Gospels do not only tell the story of Jesus’ life and death but that they also reflect the conditions of apostolic times. During the latter half of the first century when the Gospels were being composed there was bitter opposition between Christians and Jews. For a while Christianity was considered a sect of Judaism. Christians worshipped with Jews in the Temple in Jerusalem until it was destroyed in 70 A.D. as well as in synagogues wherever there were Jews. With the destruction of the Temple Jewish leaders tried to put their house in order. They saw the need to expel from the synagogues the Christians who were worshipping Jesus as Messiah. As Jesus makes clear in the gospel today, Jews and Christians read the Scriptures differently.
Because they were almost literally thrown out on their ears, Christians responded with a rather harsh description of Jewish involvement for Jesus’ death in the gospels. The Vatican Council has helped us clarify what actually happened the fateful day on which Jesus was crucified. The members of the governing council were responsible for giving Jesus over to the Romans for execution. Some of these men no doubt sincerely believed that Jesus had violated the Mosaic blasphemy laws and deserved death. Others probably acted out of jealousy and hatred. In any case it is wrong for Christians to blame all Jews at the time for Jesus’ death and an outrage to call Jews today “Christ killers.” Jesus was a Jew, and many Jews became Christians. There are many reasons for us to love Jews, not the least of which is Jesus’ command to love our neighbor as our self.
(John 5)
As Holy Week approaches, we Christians should review our attitudes toward Jews. All the gospels relate that Jewish people had a role in Jesus’ passion and death. The Romans actually executed Jesus, but each gospel points out that they did so at the instigation of the Jewish people. The gospels of Matthew and John are especially harsh in their consideration of Jewish responsibility. Matthew locates blame for the crucifixion not only on the Jews in Jerusalem on the first Good Friday but also on Jews of all time. The crowds respond to Pilate, “(Jesus’) blood be upon us and upon our children.” Throughout the Gospel according to John, as we see in the passage today, Jesus is in a bitter debate with not only the scribes and Pharisees and other Jewish leaders but more generically with “the Jews.”
However, we must be very careful about assigning guilt. It is universally recognized that the Gospels do not only tell the story of Jesus’ life and death but that they also reflect the conditions of apostolic times. During the latter half of the first century when the Gospels were being composed there was bitter opposition between Christians and Jews. For a while Christianity was considered a sect of Judaism. Christians worshipped with Jews in the Temple in Jerusalem until it was destroyed in 70 A.D. as well as in synagogues wherever there were Jews. With the destruction of the Temple Jewish leaders tried to put their house in order. They saw the need to expel from the synagogues the Christians who were worshipping Jesus as Messiah. As Jesus makes clear in the gospel today, Jews and Christians read the Scriptures differently.
Because they were almost literally thrown out on their ears, Christians responded with a rather harsh description of Jewish involvement for Jesus’ death in the gospels. The Vatican Council has helped us clarify what actually happened the fateful day on which Jesus was crucified. The members of the governing council were responsible for giving Jesus over to the Romans for execution. Some of these men no doubt sincerely believed that Jesus had violated the Mosaic blasphemy laws and deserved death. Others probably acted out of jealousy and hatred. In any case it is wrong for Christians to blame all Jews at the time for Jesus’ death and an outrage to call Jews today “Christ killers.” Jesus was a Jew, and many Jews became Christians. There are many reasons for us to love Jews, not the least of which is Jesus’ command to love our neighbor as our self.
Homilette for Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Wednesday, IV Lent
(Isaiah 49)
Lent is generally associated with the Hebrews’ Exodus from Egypt. Our forty days of struggle against sinful tendencies correspond to the forty years of purification that the Hebrews underwent in the desert. There are other Bible stories, however, which also give meaning to our Lenten experience. The first reading today presents one of these.
In the sixth century before Christ the Babylonians conquered the Kingdom of Judah and carried many of its people into exile. It was a terrible experience of subjugation, humiliation, and mortification. The prophets wrote of it as a punishment for the excesses of the people during the period of kings. Many rich people squandered fortunes in idolatrous living and ignored the plight of the poor. But Isaiah pronounces enough is enough. The people have learned their lesson. God is at hand to bring them back to their own land.
We would do well to hear the voice of Isaiah as a wake up call. God has noticed our sacrifices and is coming to rescue us from our sins. We have to hold the line for two and a half more weeks. But just as sure as the daylight now exceeds nighttime so can we count on God liberating us through Christ’s Easter victory. He shall crown our efforts of charity, prayer, and fasting to make us God-like in generosity, wisdom, and self-control.
(Isaiah 49)
Lent is generally associated with the Hebrews’ Exodus from Egypt. Our forty days of struggle against sinful tendencies correspond to the forty years of purification that the Hebrews underwent in the desert. There are other Bible stories, however, which also give meaning to our Lenten experience. The first reading today presents one of these.
In the sixth century before Christ the Babylonians conquered the Kingdom of Judah and carried many of its people into exile. It was a terrible experience of subjugation, humiliation, and mortification. The prophets wrote of it as a punishment for the excesses of the people during the period of kings. Many rich people squandered fortunes in idolatrous living and ignored the plight of the poor. But Isaiah pronounces enough is enough. The people have learned their lesson. God is at hand to bring them back to their own land.
We would do well to hear the voice of Isaiah as a wake up call. God has noticed our sacrifices and is coming to rescue us from our sins. We have to hold the line for two and a half more weeks. But just as sure as the daylight now exceeds nighttime so can we count on God liberating us through Christ’s Easter victory. He shall crown our efforts of charity, prayer, and fasting to make us God-like in generosity, wisdom, and self-control.
Homilette for March 20, 2007
Tuesday, IV Lent
Ezekiel 47 and John 5)
Both the readings today illustrate the restorative power of water. In Ezekiel the water flows from the Temple to saturate the ground so that it may produce abundant life. The water is seen as a kind of grace that provides healing and nutritive benefits for the people. In John the crippled man cannot avail himself of the Temple waters so Jesus intervenes to heal the man directly. He becomes a more dependable source of grace than the Temple whose waters stir only intermittently and whose effectiveness is limited.
Jesus can come to us in ten thousand ways. But the channels that he has established are the seven sacraments. In Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Healing, Marriage and Orders he both heals us and empowers us.
“Crops grow where water flows.” That’s the message on a road sign that the agricultural lobby puts on highways. The lobby wants to remind citizens that water cannot be taken for granted. It may fall from the sky but it has to be preserved and channeled by often costly government actions. So we should not take for granted the sacraments. To keep the waters of grace flowing we need to come to Penance services and, of course, Mass. It may take some effort but the benefits enhance our life.
Ezekiel 47 and John 5)
Both the readings today illustrate the restorative power of water. In Ezekiel the water flows from the Temple to saturate the ground so that it may produce abundant life. The water is seen as a kind of grace that provides healing and nutritive benefits for the people. In John the crippled man cannot avail himself of the Temple waters so Jesus intervenes to heal the man directly. He becomes a more dependable source of grace than the Temple whose waters stir only intermittently and whose effectiveness is limited.
Jesus can come to us in ten thousand ways. But the channels that he has established are the seven sacraments. In Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Healing, Marriage and Orders he both heals us and empowers us.
“Crops grow where water flows.” That’s the message on a road sign that the agricultural lobby puts on highways. The lobby wants to remind citizens that water cannot be taken for granted. It may fall from the sky but it has to be preserved and channeled by often costly government actions. So we should not take for granted the sacraments. To keep the waters of grace flowing we need to come to Penance services and, of course, Mass. It may take some effort but the benefits enhance our life.
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