FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT B 2012
First Reading: Jeremiah 31:31–34
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51:3–4, 12–13, 14–15
Second Reading: Hebrews 5:7–9
Gospel: John 12:20–33
If you knew nothing about Jesus, and listened carefully to what I just read, you would most likely think to yourself that something bad is going to happen to this man. And it did. He was nailed to a cross and died on a Friday.
The meaning of this weekend's Bible reading might seem obvious, even to most persons who are not farmers and care little about gardening. Most of us know that you have to plant a seed to get a plant. Today Jesus talks about wheat. The head of the stalk of wheat is made up of many tiny grains of wheat. Each little grain of wheat has a hard outer shell which protects it. Deep inside the grain of wheat, there is the embryo or a plant that is waiting to grow.
Farmers will tell you that seed really has to be dead before it'll grow. If you plant green seed, it'll just rot. The mystery which surrounds the grain of wheat is that unless it is put into the earth, covered with soil, it remains just a grain of wheat. But, if it is placed into the earth, its hard outer shell splits open, and the tiny plant within begins to grow. Given the right conditions, the one grain of wheat can produce another stalk and a head on the stalk with many more grains of wheat. From the death of one grain of wheat comes the life of many grains of wheat.
Each of us are like grains of wheat. Every one of us has a hard outer shell that protects us. Each of us have developed ideas and opinions which we just are afraid to let go. Some of these might be the way we practice our faith--unwilling to change even when we are clearly convinced that we should; the fear of death. All of these and many more are ways we have of viewing and controlling our world. They are outer shells that lock us in, protect us and make us comfortable. But sadly, we will never grow spiritually this way.
In the Gospel today Jesus calls this dying in order to live the mystery that is always with us. It is a mystery that through death we grow. This mystery is only understood by those who have tried it and experienced it as true. We unlock our lives and truly grow. We come to realize that we are never alive until we learn how to die.
We need to allow our faith to be with us each day of the week, not just for the time we are church. We need to reexamine what love means to us. To love means to risk being hurt. If there is no risk, there can be no love. And if there is no love, then there is no life. If we open ourselves up to the possibility of love, we may discover the riches of other people and rise to new life.
We must die to our old ideas in order to come alive. Our first Bible reading for today by Jeremiah calls us to make a life long agreement with God that comes to an end when we will die for the last time. It is an agreement that God has given us, written not on stone tablets like the 10 commandments, but on our hearts where it makes a difference in the way that we live.
At times adults think like children. Think for a moment what might happen if you gave a very young child a few wheat seeds or sunflower seeds. Young children are often eager to cling to things and claim them as their own. They would want to keep their wheat seed safe and in their hands, not put it in the ground. They would want to keep seeing the seed. But you might be able to convince the child to place the seed in the ground by telling them that they will get many more seeds.
As Catholics and followers of Jesus we are invited -- persuaded -- to surrender our way of life according to Jesus' teachings. And if we do we too will have a new life. We must find ways of dying so that we might live. It may mean to rearrange our lives so that God comes first. God must not get the left overs.
This commitment of dying must also include some form of discipline in our life. Discipline means that we do not always give ourselves what we want when we want it. Discipline means that we ask ourselves if we really need something.
Jesus showed us how to die. He is the grain of wheat, which died and grew up out of the earth to become new life. In our first reading we find the prophet Jeremiah telling us that God would plant his law within us so that we would learn how to die and to grow. We are given the most consoling of promises by God: I WILL PLACE MY LAW WITHIN YOU, AND WRITE IT UPON YOU HEART; I WILL BE YOU GOD AND YOU SHALL BE MY PEOPLE, FOR I WILL FORGIVE YOUR EVIL DOING AND REMEMBER YOUR SIN NO MORE.
The message from Jesus today is that we simply must not pretend to die; Jesus calls on us to actually die -- to imitate his own death. Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. For Jesus and us it's the only way to live. It is a blessing to die for a cause, because we can so easily die for nothing. Unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it comes alive.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Homily for the Week of March 25, 2012
FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT B 2012
First Reading: Jeremiah 31:31–34
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51:3–4, 12–13, 14–15
Second Reading: Hebrews 5:7–9
Gospel: John 12:20–33
If you knew nothing about Jesus, and listened carefully to what I just read, you would most likely think to yourself that something bad is going to happen to this man. And it did. He was nailed to a cross and died on a Friday.
The meaning of this weekend's Bible reading might seem obvious, even to most persons who are not farmers and care little about gardening. Most of us know that you have to plant a seed to get a plant. Today Jesus talks about wheat. The head of the stalk of wheat is made up of many tiny grains of wheat. Each little grain of wheat has a hard outer shell which protects it. Deep inside the grain of wheat, there is the embryo or a plant that is waiting to grow.
Farmers will tell you that seed really has to be dead before it'll grow. If you plant green seed, it'll just rot. The mystery which surrounds the grain of wheat is that unless it is put into the earth, covered with soil, it remains just a grain of wheat. But, if it is placed into the earth, its hard outer shell splits open, and the tiny plant within begins to grow. Given the right conditions, the one grain of wheat can produce another stalk and a head on the stalk with many more grains of wheat. From the death of one grain of wheat comes the life of many grains of wheat.
Each of us are like grains of wheat. Every one of us has a hard outer shell that protects us. Each of us have developed ideas and opinions which we just are afraid to let go. Some of these might be the way we practice our faith--unwilling to change even when we are clearly convinced that we should; the fear of death. All of these and many more are ways we have of viewing and controlling our world. They are outer shells that lock us in, protect us and make us comfortable. But sadly, we will never grow spiritually this way.
In the Gospel today Jesus calls this dying in order to live the mystery that is always with us. It is a mystery that through death we grow. This mystery is only understood by those who have tried it and experienced it as true. We unlock our lives and truly grow. We come to realize that we are never alive until we learn how to die.
We need to allow our faith to be with us each day of the week, not just for the time we are church. We need to reexamine what love means to us. To love means to risk being hurt. If there is no risk, there can be no love. And if there is no love, then there is no life. If we open ourselves up to the possibility of love, we may discover the riches of other people and rise to new life.
We must die to our old ideas in order to come alive. Our first Bible reading for today by Jeremiah calls us to make a life long agreement with God that comes to an end when we will die for the last time. It is an agreement that God has given us, written not on stone tablets like the 10 commandments, but on our hearts where it makes a difference in the way that we live.
At times adults think like children. Think for a moment what might happen if you gave a very young child a few wheat seeds or sunflower seeds. Young children are often eager to cling to things and claim them as their own. They would want to keep their wheat seed safe and in their hands, not put it in the ground. They would want to keep seeing the seed. But you might be able to convince the child to place the seed in the ground by telling them that they will get many more seeds.
As Catholics and followers of Jesus we are invited -- persuaded -- to surrender our way of life according to Jesus' teachings. And if we do we too will have a new life. We must find ways of dying so that we might live. It may mean to rearrange our lives so that God comes first. God must not get the left overs.
This commitment of dying must also include some form of discipline in our life. Discipline means that we do not always give ourselves what we want when we want it. Discipline means that we ask ourselves if we really need something.
Jesus showed us how to die. He is the grain of wheat, which died and grew up out of the earth to become new life. In our first reading we find the prophet Jeremiah telling us that God would plant his law within us so that we would learn how to die and to grow. We are given the most consoling of promises by God: I WILL PLACE MY LAW WITHIN YOU, AND WRITE IT UPON YOU HEART; I WILL BE YOU GOD AND YOU SHALL BE MY PEOPLE, FOR I WILL FORGIVE YOUR EVIL DOING AND REMEMBER YOUR SIN NO MORE.
The message from Jesus today is that we simply must not pretend to die; Jesus calls on us to actually die -- to imitate his own death. Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. For Jesus and us it's the only way to live. It is a blessing to die for a cause, because we can so easily die for nothing. Unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it comes alive.
First Reading: Jeremiah 31:31–34
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51:3–4, 12–13, 14–15
Second Reading: Hebrews 5:7–9
Gospel: John 12:20–33
If you knew nothing about Jesus, and listened carefully to what I just read, you would most likely think to yourself that something bad is going to happen to this man. And it did. He was nailed to a cross and died on a Friday.
The meaning of this weekend's Bible reading might seem obvious, even to most persons who are not farmers and care little about gardening. Most of us know that you have to plant a seed to get a plant. Today Jesus talks about wheat. The head of the stalk of wheat is made up of many tiny grains of wheat. Each little grain of wheat has a hard outer shell which protects it. Deep inside the grain of wheat, there is the embryo or a plant that is waiting to grow.
Farmers will tell you that seed really has to be dead before it'll grow. If you plant green seed, it'll just rot. The mystery which surrounds the grain of wheat is that unless it is put into the earth, covered with soil, it remains just a grain of wheat. But, if it is placed into the earth, its hard outer shell splits open, and the tiny plant within begins to grow. Given the right conditions, the one grain of wheat can produce another stalk and a head on the stalk with many more grains of wheat. From the death of one grain of wheat comes the life of many grains of wheat.
Each of us are like grains of wheat. Every one of us has a hard outer shell that protects us. Each of us have developed ideas and opinions which we just are afraid to let go. Some of these might be the way we practice our faith--unwilling to change even when we are clearly convinced that we should; the fear of death. All of these and many more are ways we have of viewing and controlling our world. They are outer shells that lock us in, protect us and make us comfortable. But sadly, we will never grow spiritually this way.
In the Gospel today Jesus calls this dying in order to live the mystery that is always with us. It is a mystery that through death we grow. This mystery is only understood by those who have tried it and experienced it as true. We unlock our lives and truly grow. We come to realize that we are never alive until we learn how to die.
We need to allow our faith to be with us each day of the week, not just for the time we are church. We need to reexamine what love means to us. To love means to risk being hurt. If there is no risk, there can be no love. And if there is no love, then there is no life. If we open ourselves up to the possibility of love, we may discover the riches of other people and rise to new life.
We must die to our old ideas in order to come alive. Our first Bible reading for today by Jeremiah calls us to make a life long agreement with God that comes to an end when we will die for the last time. It is an agreement that God has given us, written not on stone tablets like the 10 commandments, but on our hearts where it makes a difference in the way that we live.
At times adults think like children. Think for a moment what might happen if you gave a very young child a few wheat seeds or sunflower seeds. Young children are often eager to cling to things and claim them as their own. They would want to keep their wheat seed safe and in their hands, not put it in the ground. They would want to keep seeing the seed. But you might be able to convince the child to place the seed in the ground by telling them that they will get many more seeds.
As Catholics and followers of Jesus we are invited -- persuaded -- to surrender our way of life according to Jesus' teachings. And if we do we too will have a new life. We must find ways of dying so that we might live. It may mean to rearrange our lives so that God comes first. God must not get the left overs.
This commitment of dying must also include some form of discipline in our life. Discipline means that we do not always give ourselves what we want when we want it. Discipline means that we ask ourselves if we really need something.
Jesus showed us how to die. He is the grain of wheat, which died and grew up out of the earth to become new life. In our first reading we find the prophet Jeremiah telling us that God would plant his law within us so that we would learn how to die and to grow. We are given the most consoling of promises by God: I WILL PLACE MY LAW WITHIN YOU, AND WRITE IT UPON YOU HEART; I WILL BE YOU GOD AND YOU SHALL BE MY PEOPLE, FOR I WILL FORGIVE YOUR EVIL DOING AND REMEMBER YOUR SIN NO MORE.
The message from Jesus today is that we simply must not pretend to die; Jesus calls on us to actually die -- to imitate his own death. Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. For Jesus and us it's the only way to live. It is a blessing to die for a cause, because we can so easily die for nothing. Unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it comes alive.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Homily for the Week of March 18, 2012
Fourth Sunday of Lent / Laetare Sunday 2012
2 Chr 36:14-16,19-23 • Eph 2:4-10 • Jn 3:14-21
One of the verses in this Gospel reading which I just read for you has been used by one of the National Football League quarterbacks. He is Tim Tebow. quarterback of the Denver Broncos. He always printed in white on top of his eye black the numbers 3:16 until the National Football League barred all such personal messages. In a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers he passed 316 yards and set an NFL playoff record with 31.6 yards per completion. The verse which he quoted was For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. Tebow says he has tried to praise the Lord through football in high school, college and the NFL. I just want to thank my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. He’s done so much in my life,"
We not only see John 3:16 displayed by Tebow but we often see the Bible verse displayed by people at political rallies, and at just about any event covered by television news cameras. It is said that this is the most popular verse of Bible. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
These words are certainly beautiful and comforting, but if all we do is isolate this verse by itself, we miss the deeper message of the entire Bible passage we use for this weekend Gospel reading. Yes, God so loved the world that he gave his Son, but for this to matter we must actively respond to this reality. Otherwise, its truth can have no meaning for us and the reality of God’s immense love cannot save us.
Today Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a member of The Great Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the supreme religious body in Israel during the time of Jesus. It was composed of 71 teachers who met daily in the Temple. It was the final authority on Jewish law and religious matters. Nicodemus was one of the members of this Sanhedrin and thus very important.
For quite some time Jesus has been teaching and talking about the fact that those who believe in him are going to have everlasting life. Jesus was misunderstood. So along comes Nicodemus. Nicodemus was not one of Jesus’ followers but had seen some of the miracles and heard many things about him which made him curious. So he wants to talk to Jesus to find out what kind of guy he was. Clearly having great respect for Jesus and great interest in His teaching, Nicodemus sought Jesus out, but he did so under the cover of darkness so he would not be found out by his fellow council members.
Just prior to the passage in our readings today, Nicodemus had taken literally Jesus’ statement that we must be born again in order to go to heaven. Jesus had said to be born again, but born spiritually. Nicodemus did not understand this teaching, perhaps could not understand it, because of his deep Jewish belief that physical birth was the path to heaven. You could only get into heaven if you were a Jew and a blood descendent of Abraham.
Jesus had been teaching about three years. So Christians had come to believe that belief in Jesus, not being a descendent of Abraham, was the requirement for salvation. They understood that, rather than being born in Abraham’s line, one must be born in the Holy Spirit. You and I were born in the Holy Spirit on the day we were baptized. Thus you can see the great importance of Baptism.
We are not told whether Nicodemus came to believe in Jesus, but Nicodemus’ works suggest that he did see the light. When the Sanhedrin sought to condemn Jesus, Nicodemus hoped that a trial would help. Later, after Jesus died, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, took Jesus’ body and gave Him a proper burial.
The Gospel today presents Jesus as tough, difficult and unswerving in His teachings, and Jesus’ tough teaching with Nicodemus is revealed again in our passage today. Jesus was born and came in human existence at a time of crisis in the Jewish religion and spirituality. People had been wandering away from the 10 commandments and the caring for one another. The crisis presented to Nicodemus was the need to make an absolute decision: believe in Jesus or not. There is no middle ground. To choose Jesus is to choose eternal life.
Jesus also emphasizes to Nicodemus that there it is important to decide now. Decide now! Light or Darkness. The sense of Jesus’ words implies that once we have heard His word, we must make a choice, and that, if we drag our feet, the door will be closed and there will be no opportunity for a change of heart.
It should be noted that the word “believe” appears in St. John’s Gospel more than in any other place in the Bible. Further, it must be noted that the word “faith” never appears in John. He always uses a verb “believe” to describe our connection with Jesus. A decision for Jesus means doing something. Accepting Jesus means continual action on behalf of God.
Each of us must decide for Christ or against Christ. Our actions will reveal our choice. Consider your life as you are living it right now. In what ways do you prefer darkness, and in what ways do you prefer light? Do you feel genuinely happy when something good happens to someone else? This week, pay attention to the chooses you make, asking Jesus to help you choose to live in his light. You don’ have to be a football player to believe Jesus when he says to us: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
2 Chr 36:14-16,19-23 • Eph 2:4-10 • Jn 3:14-21
One of the verses in this Gospel reading which I just read for you has been used by one of the National Football League quarterbacks. He is Tim Tebow. quarterback of the Denver Broncos. He always printed in white on top of his eye black the numbers 3:16 until the National Football League barred all such personal messages. In a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers he passed 316 yards and set an NFL playoff record with 31.6 yards per completion. The verse which he quoted was For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. Tebow says he has tried to praise the Lord through football in high school, college and the NFL. I just want to thank my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. He’s done so much in my life,"
We not only see John 3:16 displayed by Tebow but we often see the Bible verse displayed by people at political rallies, and at just about any event covered by television news cameras. It is said that this is the most popular verse of Bible. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
These words are certainly beautiful and comforting, but if all we do is isolate this verse by itself, we miss the deeper message of the entire Bible passage we use for this weekend Gospel reading. Yes, God so loved the world that he gave his Son, but for this to matter we must actively respond to this reality. Otherwise, its truth can have no meaning for us and the reality of God’s immense love cannot save us.
Today Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a member of The Great Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the supreme religious body in Israel during the time of Jesus. It was composed of 71 teachers who met daily in the Temple. It was the final authority on Jewish law and religious matters. Nicodemus was one of the members of this Sanhedrin and thus very important.
For quite some time Jesus has been teaching and talking about the fact that those who believe in him are going to have everlasting life. Jesus was misunderstood. So along comes Nicodemus. Nicodemus was not one of Jesus’ followers but had seen some of the miracles and heard many things about him which made him curious. So he wants to talk to Jesus to find out what kind of guy he was. Clearly having great respect for Jesus and great interest in His teaching, Nicodemus sought Jesus out, but he did so under the cover of darkness so he would not be found out by his fellow council members.
Just prior to the passage in our readings today, Nicodemus had taken literally Jesus’ statement that we must be born again in order to go to heaven. Jesus had said to be born again, but born spiritually. Nicodemus did not understand this teaching, perhaps could not understand it, because of his deep Jewish belief that physical birth was the path to heaven. You could only get into heaven if you were a Jew and a blood descendent of Abraham.
Jesus had been teaching about three years. So Christians had come to believe that belief in Jesus, not being a descendent of Abraham, was the requirement for salvation. They understood that, rather than being born in Abraham’s line, one must be born in the Holy Spirit. You and I were born in the Holy Spirit on the day we were baptized. Thus you can see the great importance of Baptism.
We are not told whether Nicodemus came to believe in Jesus, but Nicodemus’ works suggest that he did see the light. When the Sanhedrin sought to condemn Jesus, Nicodemus hoped that a trial would help. Later, after Jesus died, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, took Jesus’ body and gave Him a proper burial.
The Gospel today presents Jesus as tough, difficult and unswerving in His teachings, and Jesus’ tough teaching with Nicodemus is revealed again in our passage today. Jesus was born and came in human existence at a time of crisis in the Jewish religion and spirituality. People had been wandering away from the 10 commandments and the caring for one another. The crisis presented to Nicodemus was the need to make an absolute decision: believe in Jesus or not. There is no middle ground. To choose Jesus is to choose eternal life.
Jesus also emphasizes to Nicodemus that there it is important to decide now. Decide now! Light or Darkness. The sense of Jesus’ words implies that once we have heard His word, we must make a choice, and that, if we drag our feet, the door will be closed and there will be no opportunity for a change of heart.
It should be noted that the word “believe” appears in St. John’s Gospel more than in any other place in the Bible. Further, it must be noted that the word “faith” never appears in John. He always uses a verb “believe” to describe our connection with Jesus. A decision for Jesus means doing something. Accepting Jesus means continual action on behalf of God.
Each of us must decide for Christ or against Christ. Our actions will reveal our choice. Consider your life as you are living it right now. In what ways do you prefer darkness, and in what ways do you prefer light? Do you feel genuinely happy when something good happens to someone else? This week, pay attention to the chooses you make, asking Jesus to help you choose to live in his light. You don’ have to be a football player to believe Jesus when he says to us: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Homily for the Week of March 11, 2012
3rd Sunday of Lent, Year B, 2012
First Reading: Exodus 20:1-17 [1-3, 7-8, 12-17]
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:22-25
Gospel: John 2:13-25
Have you ever thought about how many decisions you make during the day? Fortunately most of our decisions are habits that come easily and don’t require much thought. But if we had to analyze every decision we make during the day we would not get much done. But every decision we make has a right or wrong value attached to it, even if we rarely think of it that way. That is what we call morality or the goodness or evil of an action. It is a tough topic. Who decides what is moral? Is it our religion, our government, our family, our friends? Some people say that morality is just a matter of personal opinion. When we choose to do wrong instead of doing good we hurt our relationships with ourselves, with others and with God.
Living in a society with lots of freedoms can shape our decision making. But each one of us is created by God with a free will. So how do we live the right way? How does God want me to live?
Fortunately we have the Bible and our Catholic faith to guide us. These do not give us easy and precise answers to every situation but they include guidelines and rules that bring us thousand of years of human experience.
The foundation of these guidelines comes from the very first book of the Bible where we learn that God created each of us in his own image and likeness. So from the moment of our conception we were created good. So when we choose to do the right thing we feel happy. But this happiness may not be what we see on TV or in magazines or even what the government may tell us is right. It is based on the teachings of Jesus and on the Ten Commandments as given to us in our first Bible reading today.
The Ten Commandments of Sinai may seem a little strange. We are a people given to exceptions and excuses. It is no wonder, then, that commandments that seem to disregard our pleasure and instead offer us imperatives seem cranky. You will have no false gods before me; . . . do not kill; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness ... all seem negative. But in fact they are supremely positive. Moving beyond the evil they name, they point the way to the law of love. Jesus summarize these 10 commandments into the commandment of love: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. . . Love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus teaches that the way of love is to follow the commandments.
For example God does not advise us not to kill. God commands us not to kill. This command is not based upon whether we are happy or productive, or whether we are dealing with our friends, with good Americans, or with the innocent. Each of the commandments is not some command from a God in outer space. Rather, each commandment is an expression of the truth God has made in us. For example, if we worship idols or worship our work, if we desire persons or property, if we dishonor those who have given us life, we not only reject the law of God, but we destroy what we are. For the duty imposed on us by God is not a function of a human law. It is the duty to be true to each of us created in God’s image.
God created us in His own image in order for us to do good and to avoid evil. But because of Original sin it is easy for us to choose to do the wrong thing. And so often we can convince our conscience to go along with the bad action.
The image of the Jesus you just heard in the Gospel today is foreign to our typical understanding of Jesus as calm and understanding, always loving and compassionate. We have a tendency to think of Jesus as a NICE GUY. But today Jesus is tough, aggressive, absolutely demanding, never allowing any wiggle room. Jesus decides to do some spring cleaning in the temple. Instead of a place for prayer and worship it had become a place buying and selling. He makes a whip, he spills coins and overturns tables. He says strange things that even his closest friends cannot understand. Jesus shows himself to be very real. The actions of Jesus are shocking, even violent.
Why did Jesus get so disturbed? Because those buying and selling in the temple lost sight of why they were there. They did not have the right attitude of mind and heart. Jesus had to challenge their viewpoint. For the faithful Jew, the Temple was the dwelling place of God on earth. What Jesus made clear by His action was that, while good people fulfilled the ritual requirements of the Law, and while the presence of the Temple made doing this possible, what had been forgotten was the purpose for the Temple.
Lent is about spending some time by ourselves in order to face ourselves and our temptations. It is a time for us to get back to the basics. It is a time when we confront ourselves by looking at what we have done and what we might have done and what we have not yet done. It means coming eye to eye with God in prayer and in confession. The ten commandments can be a check list for us.
Lent is almost half over, Thursday of this week is the midpoint of Lent - twenty days down and twenty days to go. If any of us have not yet taken Lent seriously, today is a good time to get a new start and pitch out all the selfish stuff that clutters up and clogs our hearts and heads. During this third week of Lent let each of us look into our hearts and minds to see the signs of how we have or have not followed the commandments. Make the commandments the checklist for goodness in your life. Try not to see them as negatives, but as the positive road to spiritual perfection. Let Jesus enter your life so that you can make a good spring cleaning!
First Reading: Exodus 20:1-17 [1-3, 7-8, 12-17]
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:22-25
Gospel: John 2:13-25
Have you ever thought about how many decisions you make during the day? Fortunately most of our decisions are habits that come easily and don’t require much thought. But if we had to analyze every decision we make during the day we would not get much done. But every decision we make has a right or wrong value attached to it, even if we rarely think of it that way. That is what we call morality or the goodness or evil of an action. It is a tough topic. Who decides what is moral? Is it our religion, our government, our family, our friends? Some people say that morality is just a matter of personal opinion. When we choose to do wrong instead of doing good we hurt our relationships with ourselves, with others and with God.
Living in a society with lots of freedoms can shape our decision making. But each one of us is created by God with a free will. So how do we live the right way? How does God want me to live?
Fortunately we have the Bible and our Catholic faith to guide us. These do not give us easy and precise answers to every situation but they include guidelines and rules that bring us thousand of years of human experience.
The foundation of these guidelines comes from the very first book of the Bible where we learn that God created each of us in his own image and likeness. So from the moment of our conception we were created good. So when we choose to do the right thing we feel happy. But this happiness may not be what we see on TV or in magazines or even what the government may tell us is right. It is based on the teachings of Jesus and on the Ten Commandments as given to us in our first Bible reading today.
The Ten Commandments of Sinai may seem a little strange. We are a people given to exceptions and excuses. It is no wonder, then, that commandments that seem to disregard our pleasure and instead offer us imperatives seem cranky. You will have no false gods before me; . . . do not kill; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness ... all seem negative. But in fact they are supremely positive. Moving beyond the evil they name, they point the way to the law of love. Jesus summarize these 10 commandments into the commandment of love: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. . . Love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus teaches that the way of love is to follow the commandments.
For example God does not advise us not to kill. God commands us not to kill. This command is not based upon whether we are happy or productive, or whether we are dealing with our friends, with good Americans, or with the innocent. Each of the commandments is not some command from a God in outer space. Rather, each commandment is an expression of the truth God has made in us. For example, if we worship idols or worship our work, if we desire persons or property, if we dishonor those who have given us life, we not only reject the law of God, but we destroy what we are. For the duty imposed on us by God is not a function of a human law. It is the duty to be true to each of us created in God’s image.
God created us in His own image in order for us to do good and to avoid evil. But because of Original sin it is easy for us to choose to do the wrong thing. And so often we can convince our conscience to go along with the bad action.
The image of the Jesus you just heard in the Gospel today is foreign to our typical understanding of Jesus as calm and understanding, always loving and compassionate. We have a tendency to think of Jesus as a NICE GUY. But today Jesus is tough, aggressive, absolutely demanding, never allowing any wiggle room. Jesus decides to do some spring cleaning in the temple. Instead of a place for prayer and worship it had become a place buying and selling. He makes a whip, he spills coins and overturns tables. He says strange things that even his closest friends cannot understand. Jesus shows himself to be very real. The actions of Jesus are shocking, even violent.
Why did Jesus get so disturbed? Because those buying and selling in the temple lost sight of why they were there. They did not have the right attitude of mind and heart. Jesus had to challenge their viewpoint. For the faithful Jew, the Temple was the dwelling place of God on earth. What Jesus made clear by His action was that, while good people fulfilled the ritual requirements of the Law, and while the presence of the Temple made doing this possible, what had been forgotten was the purpose for the Temple.
Lent is about spending some time by ourselves in order to face ourselves and our temptations. It is a time for us to get back to the basics. It is a time when we confront ourselves by looking at what we have done and what we might have done and what we have not yet done. It means coming eye to eye with God in prayer and in confession. The ten commandments can be a check list for us.
Lent is almost half over, Thursday of this week is the midpoint of Lent - twenty days down and twenty days to go. If any of us have not yet taken Lent seriously, today is a good time to get a new start and pitch out all the selfish stuff that clutters up and clogs our hearts and heads. During this third week of Lent let each of us look into our hearts and minds to see the signs of how we have or have not followed the commandments. Make the commandments the checklist for goodness in your life. Try not to see them as negatives, but as the positive road to spiritual perfection. Let Jesus enter your life so that you can make a good spring cleaning!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Homily for the Week of March 3, 2012
Second Sunday of Lent, 2012
Genesis 11: 1-18 PS 116: 10-18
Romans 8:31-34 Mk 9:2-10
Mk 9:2-10
This weekend's Bible readings can be summarized in just three words: listen to him. These words were spoken by a voice that came from the cloud when Peter, James and John had gone to a mountain with Jesus. As a general rule in the Bible dramatic things happen on mountaintops. There are about 500 references in the Bible to mountains and hills. Sometimes mountains are described as places of hiding and refuge; sometimes they are presented as desolate and barren, hostile to the living. They are depicted as places of false pagan worship; they are also celebrated as sites of authentic worship of the true God.
And in some of the most significant events presented in Bible, mountains are where people encounter God in transforming, stunning fashion. In such instances, their faith is tested. God gave Moses the 10 commandments on Mount Sinai. Our readings today give us two mountaintop experiences: one of Abraham and another of Jesus and his close friends.
Today's Old Testament reading is one of those incredible mountaintop encounters. It is also one of the most perplexing and baffling stories in the Old Testament. Thousands of years ago people thought that they lived on after death only through their children. To die childless meant that at death a person simply ceased all existence. Abraham and Sarah had only one child which they named Isaac. Isaac was God's gift to Abraham and Sarah -- their guarantee of living on after death. One day God talks to Abraham and asked him to kill his son Isaac. God is not only asking Abraham for his only child, but He also is asking Abraham for his very existence. How could a good and loving God ask Abraham to sacrifice his own son? The point of this story is that Abraham had his faith in God tested in a way that almost no one else is ever tested. Abraham passed the test. He was willing to be so loyal to God that not only would he willingly offer God his only son, he was also willing to offer God his very existence. Was Abraham perfect? By no means, but God knew the depth of Abraham's loyalty. Abraham chose to listen to God.
This brings us to today's Gospel. This weekend we hear of an event in the life of Jesus unlike any other human event, and yet this event has been the center of our faith in Jesus Christ. It is called the Transfiguration of Jesus or the changing in the appearance of Jesus Christ. Thousands of artists have painted this event, the most famous of which is the one done by the artist Raphael. Thousands of Catholic and Protestant churches have been named in honor of the Transfiguration. So what is this event and what does it mean to us here today?
Three of the four Gospel writers tell us that this event in the life of Jesus took place on a high mountain, most likely Mount Tabor. Just a week before Jesus had been up front with his followers and told them that he would soon suffer terribly and be killed by the religious authorities of the day.
But the apostles did not understand what Jesus was talking about. Jesus felt that his closest friends were confused. They had spent several miserable days worrying about what might happen. They felt dejected. After all, the person for whom they had given up everything told them that he was about to leave them. They seemed to doubt that Jesus was really savior and redeemer. Jesus was having a hard time trying to get his friends to understand what he had been saying and doing during the past three years. Seeing their doubts, Jesus decided to go to the mountain to pray and to show them his true glory. He wanted to relieve them of their sadness and worry, and prepare them for what would happen in just a week in the Garden of Gethsame. Jesus decides to take only three of them.
When they got to the top of the mountain they suddenly saw the face of Jesus highlighted brilliantly and his clothes appeared to be dazzlingly white. For a short time the old testament prophet Elijah and the patriarch Moses appeared with him. And afterwards, they only saw Jesus. Jesus allowed them to see this so that they could enjoy, for a short time, the happiness that is reserved in heaven for those who love him. In a sense Jesus wanted to help his friends believe that he was truly the Son of God, and that his terrible sufferings and death by crucifixion would be followed by happiness in heaven. Death was not the end to his life. Jesus was listening to God.
Saint Paul, in the Second Reading, asks us to be joyful and confident. He tells us that if God is with us we can do anything, that when we have problems, when the difficulties of life seem to overcome us, we should think of the glory that awaits those who carry their cross patiently, as Our Lord carried his Cross for us.
Like Peter, James and John sometimes we also have problems understanding the whys and wherefore of daily life. We don’t know how we are going to resolve the problems that confront us on a daily basis. At times like this, the Lord asks us to have faith in him.
Lent is the perfect time to show our faith in Christ, to show him that we are ready and willing to listen to him and to follow him. During these days of Lent, we, in this community, should prepare ourselves, through penance and fasting, for the celebration of the glorious Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. The Lord reminds us about what he told the apostles, that before we experience the glory, we have to go through the Calvary of daily life.
When you and I were baptized the priest said: The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and those who could not speak, speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father. At the same time he touched our and our mouth.
Jesus himself has shown us that life and love are often tested through our pains, disappointments and sufferings. If we let Jesus hold our hands or even carry us, we will always find a new life transfigured or changed by love. The glorious image of God resides in each one of us, but very often we can't see it because e keep our goodness hidden. Like dull, old silver, the image has lost its luster. It has been tarnished by neglect, by sins and human failings. Prayer polishes us and then we can see our inner beauty. We too can be transfigured. Begin today to simply think, to speak and to act as Jesus did.
Genesis 11: 1-18 PS 116: 10-18
Romans 8:31-34 Mk 9:2-10
Mk 9:2-10
This weekend's Bible readings can be summarized in just three words: listen to him. These words were spoken by a voice that came from the cloud when Peter, James and John had gone to a mountain with Jesus. As a general rule in the Bible dramatic things happen on mountaintops. There are about 500 references in the Bible to mountains and hills. Sometimes mountains are described as places of hiding and refuge; sometimes they are presented as desolate and barren, hostile to the living. They are depicted as places of false pagan worship; they are also celebrated as sites of authentic worship of the true God.
And in some of the most significant events presented in Bible, mountains are where people encounter God in transforming, stunning fashion. In such instances, their faith is tested. God gave Moses the 10 commandments on Mount Sinai. Our readings today give us two mountaintop experiences: one of Abraham and another of Jesus and his close friends.
Today's Old Testament reading is one of those incredible mountaintop encounters. It is also one of the most perplexing and baffling stories in the Old Testament. Thousands of years ago people thought that they lived on after death only through their children. To die childless meant that at death a person simply ceased all existence. Abraham and Sarah had only one child which they named Isaac. Isaac was God's gift to Abraham and Sarah -- their guarantee of living on after death. One day God talks to Abraham and asked him to kill his son Isaac. God is not only asking Abraham for his only child, but He also is asking Abraham for his very existence. How could a good and loving God ask Abraham to sacrifice his own son? The point of this story is that Abraham had his faith in God tested in a way that almost no one else is ever tested. Abraham passed the test. He was willing to be so loyal to God that not only would he willingly offer God his only son, he was also willing to offer God his very existence. Was Abraham perfect? By no means, but God knew the depth of Abraham's loyalty. Abraham chose to listen to God.
This brings us to today's Gospel. This weekend we hear of an event in the life of Jesus unlike any other human event, and yet this event has been the center of our faith in Jesus Christ. It is called the Transfiguration of Jesus or the changing in the appearance of Jesus Christ. Thousands of artists have painted this event, the most famous of which is the one done by the artist Raphael. Thousands of Catholic and Protestant churches have been named in honor of the Transfiguration. So what is this event and what does it mean to us here today?
Three of the four Gospel writers tell us that this event in the life of Jesus took place on a high mountain, most likely Mount Tabor. Just a week before Jesus had been up front with his followers and told them that he would soon suffer terribly and be killed by the religious authorities of the day.
But the apostles did not understand what Jesus was talking about. Jesus felt that his closest friends were confused. They had spent several miserable days worrying about what might happen. They felt dejected. After all, the person for whom they had given up everything told them that he was about to leave them. They seemed to doubt that Jesus was really savior and redeemer. Jesus was having a hard time trying to get his friends to understand what he had been saying and doing during the past three years. Seeing their doubts, Jesus decided to go to the mountain to pray and to show them his true glory. He wanted to relieve them of their sadness and worry, and prepare them for what would happen in just a week in the Garden of Gethsame. Jesus decides to take only three of them.
When they got to the top of the mountain they suddenly saw the face of Jesus highlighted brilliantly and his clothes appeared to be dazzlingly white. For a short time the old testament prophet Elijah and the patriarch Moses appeared with him. And afterwards, they only saw Jesus. Jesus allowed them to see this so that they could enjoy, for a short time, the happiness that is reserved in heaven for those who love him. In a sense Jesus wanted to help his friends believe that he was truly the Son of God, and that his terrible sufferings and death by crucifixion would be followed by happiness in heaven. Death was not the end to his life. Jesus was listening to God.
Saint Paul, in the Second Reading, asks us to be joyful and confident. He tells us that if God is with us we can do anything, that when we have problems, when the difficulties of life seem to overcome us, we should think of the glory that awaits those who carry their cross patiently, as Our Lord carried his Cross for us.
Like Peter, James and John sometimes we also have problems understanding the whys and wherefore of daily life. We don’t know how we are going to resolve the problems that confront us on a daily basis. At times like this, the Lord asks us to have faith in him.
Lent is the perfect time to show our faith in Christ, to show him that we are ready and willing to listen to him and to follow him. During these days of Lent, we, in this community, should prepare ourselves, through penance and fasting, for the celebration of the glorious Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. The Lord reminds us about what he told the apostles, that before we experience the glory, we have to go through the Calvary of daily life.
When you and I were baptized the priest said: The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and those who could not speak, speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father. At the same time he touched our and our mouth.
Jesus himself has shown us that life and love are often tested through our pains, disappointments and sufferings. If we let Jesus hold our hands or even carry us, we will always find a new life transfigured or changed by love. The glorious image of God resides in each one of us, but very often we can't see it because e keep our goodness hidden. Like dull, old silver, the image has lost its luster. It has been tarnished by neglect, by sins and human failings. Prayer polishes us and then we can see our inner beauty. We too can be transfigured. Begin today to simply think, to speak and to act as Jesus did.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)