Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Lent
(Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95; John 8:31-42)
“Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage,” wrote poet Richard Lovelace in the seventeenth century. On a metaphysical level, at least, Lovelace is correct. True freedom is a condition of the soul more than the body. It is the capacity to tell the truth even when it is difficult like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the first reading. The Jews in today’s gospel, on the other hand, evidently see freedom as absence of physical coercion.
The Jews express their adherence to a physical notion of freedom when they say that they have “never been enslaved to anyone.” They fail to understand what Jesus as well as the prophets has told them about enslavement to sin. They cannot see that in their enmity toward Jesus they demonstrate how much jealousy and pride have manacled them.
Jesus offers to free us from internal binding by sending his Holy Spirit. The Spirit enables us to pursue what is good and to resist what is evil. It is the renewal our hearts readily accept as we complete our Lenten sacrifices.
Homilette for Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Lent
(Numbers 21:4-9; John 8:21-30)
Folksinger Bob Dylan wrote a song where everyone denies responsibility for the death of a prizefighter. In “Who Killed Davey Moore?” Dylan shows how the referee, the fans, the sportswriter, the manager, and the boxer who laid the knocked the victim out all participated in the killing. Yet each of these conspirators excuses himself or themselves from blame.
Although a prizefighter may seem an unlikely figure for Jesus, we can find a comparison between Bob Dylan’s ballad and the gospel today. Just as many share the guilt of Davey Moore’s death but no one cares to admit it so too the whole world should recognize that their sins have caused the death of Jesus when he “is lifted up” on the cross, but few acknowledge their complicity.
Jesus comes to the world as the completely innocent son of God. His mission is to redeem the world of sin. He accomplishes this when he is crucified allowing everyone – ourselves as well as the people who surround him – to recognize that his or her sins have brought about his death. Those who deny involvement remain in sin. Those who admit responsibility, he forgives. There is no escaping this judgment.
(Numbers 21:4-9; John 8:21-30)
Folksinger Bob Dylan wrote a song where everyone denies responsibility for the death of a prizefighter. In “Who Killed Davey Moore?” Dylan shows how the referee, the fans, the sportswriter, the manager, and the boxer who laid the knocked the victim out all participated in the killing. Yet each of these conspirators excuses himself or themselves from blame.
Although a prizefighter may seem an unlikely figure for Jesus, we can find a comparison between Bob Dylan’s ballad and the gospel today. Just as many share the guilt of Davey Moore’s death but no one cares to admit it so too the whole world should recognize that their sins have caused the death of Jesus when he “is lifted up” on the cross, but few acknowledge their complicity.
Jesus comes to the world as the completely innocent son of God. His mission is to redeem the world of sin. He accomplishes this when he is crucified allowing everyone – ourselves as well as the people who surround him – to recognize that his or her sins have brought about his death. Those who deny involvement remain in sin. Those who admit responsibility, he forgives. There is no escaping this judgment.
Homilette for Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday of the Fifth Week in Lent
(Daniel 13:1-9.15-17.19-30.33-62; John 8:1-11)
The terms reformatory and penitentiary were popular in previous eras. They indicated a place where a juvenile delinquent or a criminal would learn how to behave well. Perhaps because of the difficulty of making this transformation, we generally speak of prisons today where criminals are more detained than rehabilitated. Still the purpose of justice is to justify, that is to rehabilitate and not to punish.
In the readings today Jesus proves himself to be a wiser administrator of justice than the sagacious Daniel because he justifies. Daniel is able to ferret out the truth in a case of malicious calumny. He reveals how two elders have lied about Susanna’s alleged adultery so that she was condemned to death. Jesus not only saves the woman caught in the act of adultery from a harsh punishment but also rehabilitates her. His judgment is as firm as it is clement. She must “’not sin any more.’”
Recalling Jesus’ justification of the woman at this late moment in Lent enables us to anticipate his justification of the world on Good Friday. Seeing Jesus as history’s only really innocent human hang on the cross, we are moved to admit complexity in the social web that condemned him. More than that, as recipients in the Eucharist of the blood flowing from Jesus’ wounds, our sins are forgiven and our spirits reinforced so that we may now live virtuously.
(Daniel 13:1-9.15-17.19-30.33-62; John 8:1-11)
The terms reformatory and penitentiary were popular in previous eras. They indicated a place where a juvenile delinquent or a criminal would learn how to behave well. Perhaps because of the difficulty of making this transformation, we generally speak of prisons today where criminals are more detained than rehabilitated. Still the purpose of justice is to justify, that is to rehabilitate and not to punish.
In the readings today Jesus proves himself to be a wiser administrator of justice than the sagacious Daniel because he justifies. Daniel is able to ferret out the truth in a case of malicious calumny. He reveals how two elders have lied about Susanna’s alleged adultery so that she was condemned to death. Jesus not only saves the woman caught in the act of adultery from a harsh punishment but also rehabilitates her. His judgment is as firm as it is clement. She must “’not sin any more.’”
Recalling Jesus’ justification of the woman at this late moment in Lent enables us to anticipate his justification of the world on Good Friday. Seeing Jesus as history’s only really innocent human hang on the cross, we are moved to admit complexity in the social web that condemned him. More than that, as recipients in the Eucharist of the blood flowing from Jesus’ wounds, our sins are forgiven and our spirits reinforced so that we may now live virtuously.
Homilette for Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday of the Fourth Week in Lent
(Wisdom 2:1a.12-22; John 7:1-2.10.25-30)
Few Americans have distinguished themselves more than George C. Marshall. As Army Chief of Staff during World War II, he oversaw the Army’s build-up that saved the world from Nazi and radical Japanese tyranny. Later as Secretary of State, he introduced the foreign aid plan that rebuilt the European economy and assured American prosperity. In recognition of these efforts Marshall received the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet Senator Joe McCarthy attacked Marshall as feeble, stupid, and responsible for China turning Communist!
Today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom soberly assures us that even the most righteous of people like George Marshall suffer persecution. Certainly the Gospel of John portrays Jesus as being so persecuted. By healing the hopelessly infirm, Jesus shows himself to be sent from God. By performing such acts on the Sabbath, he further reveals that the age of the Law, prohibiting all Sabbath work, has ended. The Messiah or Christ, God’s anointed Son, has arrived in his person. Believing in him, not following the Law, leads to salvation. The gospel today pictures Jewish rulers, threatened by their loss of authority to Jesus, plotting to kill him.
When we pursue what is good, we will sometimes find our efforts criticized and our intentions misconstrued. It happened to Jesus, and as his followers, we can expect it to happen to us. But suffering persecution is no reason to give up doing what is right. We might check our work and question our motives to assure that they are properly ordered. If they are, then there is reason to stay the course. After all, Jesus promises the Kingdom of heaven to those who suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness.
(Wisdom 2:1a.12-22; John 7:1-2.10.25-30)
Few Americans have distinguished themselves more than George C. Marshall. As Army Chief of Staff during World War II, he oversaw the Army’s build-up that saved the world from Nazi and radical Japanese tyranny. Later as Secretary of State, he introduced the foreign aid plan that rebuilt the European economy and assured American prosperity. In recognition of these efforts Marshall received the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet Senator Joe McCarthy attacked Marshall as feeble, stupid, and responsible for China turning Communist!
Today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom soberly assures us that even the most righteous of people like George Marshall suffer persecution. Certainly the Gospel of John portrays Jesus as being so persecuted. By healing the hopelessly infirm, Jesus shows himself to be sent from God. By performing such acts on the Sabbath, he further reveals that the age of the Law, prohibiting all Sabbath work, has ended. The Messiah or Christ, God’s anointed Son, has arrived in his person. Believing in him, not following the Law, leads to salvation. The gospel today pictures Jewish rulers, threatened by their loss of authority to Jesus, plotting to kill him.
When we pursue what is good, we will sometimes find our efforts criticized and our intentions misconstrued. It happened to Jesus, and as his followers, we can expect it to happen to us. But suffering persecution is no reason to give up doing what is right. We might check our work and question our motives to assure that they are properly ordered. If they are, then there is reason to stay the course. After all, Jesus promises the Kingdom of heaven to those who suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness.
Homilette for Thursday, March 26, 2009
Thursday of the Fourth Week in Lent
(Exodus 32:7-14; John 5:31-47)
“The world is too much with us,” the poet William Wordsworth lamented two hundred years ago. If anything, the presence of the mundane has increased in the interim. Because of its inherent goodness, the world has been glorified and idolized. Many people make gods out of its characteristic representatives -- money, sex, and power.
Of course, the condition is much more than two centuries old. It befalls the Israelites in the desert as the reading from Exodus today indicates. The golden calf stands at once for God and a pagan deity. Its representation of power and glory is supposed to convey the idea of the awesomeness of God. But defying God’s prohibition of craven images, the calf becomes a testament to the human will’s tendency to chuck God aside in order to pursue its own desires.
As Moses pleads with God for mercy toward the stiff-necked people, Jesus argues with the people to accept the testimony of their invisible God. In a significant albeit gentle way Jesus has demonstrated that he is from God. His words contain wisdom and his deeds bring relief to the poor. But the people, forever seeking demonstrations of dominance, fail to recognize his prophecy. We must not be so blinded by the glitter of the world. We must let go of inordinate desire for money, sex, and power. We must seek Jesus’ wisdom and goodness.
(Exodus 32:7-14; John 5:31-47)
“The world is too much with us,” the poet William Wordsworth lamented two hundred years ago. If anything, the presence of the mundane has increased in the interim. Because of its inherent goodness, the world has been glorified and idolized. Many people make gods out of its characteristic representatives -- money, sex, and power.
Of course, the condition is much more than two centuries old. It befalls the Israelites in the desert as the reading from Exodus today indicates. The golden calf stands at once for God and a pagan deity. Its representation of power and glory is supposed to convey the idea of the awesomeness of God. But defying God’s prohibition of craven images, the calf becomes a testament to the human will’s tendency to chuck God aside in order to pursue its own desires.
As Moses pleads with God for mercy toward the stiff-necked people, Jesus argues with the people to accept the testimony of their invisible God. In a significant albeit gentle way Jesus has demonstrated that he is from God. His words contain wisdom and his deeds bring relief to the poor. But the people, forever seeking demonstrations of dominance, fail to recognize his prophecy. We must not be so blinded by the glitter of the world. We must let go of inordinate desire for money, sex, and power. We must seek Jesus’ wisdom and goodness.
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