The Sound of Silence

No Joke - Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, The Third Scrutiny

          Just the other day, it dawned on me that Easter Sunday falls on April Fools' Day this year.  Now with the way my mind works, I started thinking about what the first Easter would have been like if it had fallen on April 1^st.  Imagine Mary Magdalene telling Peter and John that the tomb is empty; they run to the tomb to see for themselves, and the guards say: “April Fools!”  Imagine how different our Easter traditions would be, hunting for Easter eggs for hours, only to learn that none were hidden in the first place.  “April Fools!”  The possibilities are endless.  Well, fortunately for us, the resurrection is no joke, and that’s the message of today’s readings.

Our readings this morning address the linchpin of our faith:  the Resurrection.  “In the raising of Lazarus, Christ showed not only that he has power to raise the dead to life but also that he himself is the Resurrection and the life.”[1]  By raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus fulfilled God’s promise foretold by the Prophet Ezekiel in our first reading: “I will open your graves and have you rise from them.”  The fact is, “[o]ur hope for resurrection and eternal life hinges entirely on Christ’s Resurrection and his redemption.”[2]  For Christians, then, the Resurrection is no joke.

          From the very first Easter Sunday, whether it fell on April 1^st or not, Christians have believed that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and that through him, with him, and in him, we will be resurrected, too.  “The Christian faith stands or falls with the truth of the testimony that Christ is risen from the dead [because] only if Christ is risen has anything really new occurred that changes the world and the situation of mankind.”[3]  As Saint Paul so bluntly put it, “[i]f Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15: 14).  I’m here to assure you that your faith is not in vain; it’s no joke.

          Very simply put, resurrection is rising from the dead to new life with God.  “It's our human life - yes, still bodily - but now lived at a higher level, spiritualized and glorified.”[4]  Now, we have to make an important distinction here:  Lazarus wasn’t resurrected; Jesus resuscitated Lazarus; he brought Lazarus back to this life, so Lazarus would die again.  Resuscitation happens in Emergency Rooms every day.  A natural event like the resuscitation of a dead man doesn’t change our lives, it’s existentially irrelevant (though, admittedly, a pretty big deal for the dead man).  By contrast, Jesus didn’t return to his normal human life like Lazarus.  He entered a different life, a new, eternal life.  He entered into God’s life, and he brought us with him.  That makes all the difference in the world.  Jesus makes this distinction clear to Martha when he tells her that he is the Resurrection and the life. 

    

          Whether or not we receive this new, resurrected life depends on how we answer the question Jesus posed to Martha:  Do you believe this?  “To believe in Jesus means to accept everything that Jesus said as absolutely true, and to stake our lives upon that in perfect trust.”[5]  That’s a tall order.  In a world obsessed with scientific rationalism and challenged by sin, believing in God and his promise of eternal happiness and peace can be difficult.  Yet, we have every reason to believe. 

Historical and Biblical evidence tell us that in Jesus’ time, there was no shortage of individuals claiming to be the long-awaited Messiah.  All, but one, faded into oblivion.  Only one appeared to more than five hundred witnesses after his death (1 Corinthians 15: 6).  Then look happened?  The disciples, who were so terrified for their own lives after the crucifixion that they went into hiding, emerged three days later proclaiming the Good News of the Resurrection to the world.  “Only a real event of a radically new quality could possibly have given rise to the apostolic preaching.” [6]  The fact that the Apostles were willing to risk and give their lives for the faith can’t be explained by hallucinations, mystical experiences or an elaborate conspiracy to make up a really good story.  Such a story couldn’t have resulted in a radically new religious tradition that would spread throughout the world and endure more than two millennia.

          All of that said, I think the best testimony for the truth of the Resurrection is the very real impact that Jesus has on us today.  Jesus compels us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick, the lonely and the imprisoned.  Jesus moves us to forgive those who hurt us and reconcile with our estranged friends and relatives.  Jesus calls us to love our neighbor and promote peace in our world today.  And if all of that doesn’t convince you, if Christ weren’t alive and working in us today, why in the world would we all get up early on the morning after Saint Patrick’s Day to come to Church?  Saint Paul says it best in our second reading:  when Christ is in you, your Spirit is alive.  The profound inspiration that continues to work in us to change the world for the better can’t be the work of a dead man.  None of this would make sense but for Christ’s Resurrection from the dead and the promised resurrection of those who believe.  Let’s face it, believing all that Jesus taught, especially about the Resurrection, is a lifelong journey.  Whether we’re joining the Church in two weeks, or Cradle Catholics, we have to struggle continually to deepen our faith in Christ, believing that the Resurrection is real; it’s no joke.

          On April first, we’ll gather together as a community of believers to celebrate Christ’s saving Passion, his wondrous Resurrection and Ascension into heaven like we do every Sunday.  To emphasize the importance of the Resurrection to our faith, Pope Francis has ordered champagne at all Masses on Easter Sunday this year.  April Fools!  Could you imagine how crowded Mass would be if that were true?  No, receiving the promise of Christ’s Resurrection doesn’t require champagne or even fancy clothes.  It requires that we believe.  Historical, Biblical and spiritual evidence give us every reason to believe.  We’d be fools not to. 

Readings: Ezekiel 37: 12-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8: 8-11; John 11: 1-45

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[1] The Didache Bible (San Francisco, Ignatius Press, 2014) note to John 11: 1-44, p. 1432.

[2] Id. at 1433.

[3] Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection (San Francisco, Ignatius Press, 2011) p. 214-242.

[4] Robert Barron, “The Meaning of Resurrection,” Lenten Reflections with Father Robert Barron, Easter Sunday, (April 5, 2015).

[5] William Barclay, The Gospel of John, vol. 2 (Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, 2001) p. 110.

[6] Pope Benedict XVI, p. 275.

A Great Teacher

Click here for an audio-visual version of this homily

          I’ve had a lot of great teachers in my life, but one that especially comes to mind today is Mrs. Straus.  Mrs. Straus was my first French teacher in seventh grade.  She loved French, she loved teaching, and she really loved her students.  I’m sure that my love of languages today goes all the way back to my very first language teacher almost 40 years ago – Mrs. Straus.  One characteristic I saw in Mrs. Straus was shared by all of the great teachers I was so blessed to have:  they were humble.  You see, all of these great teachers loved to learn, and learning takes a lot of humility.  That’s our message from today’s readings.

          In our first reading, the prophet Isaiah calls us to hear, to listen, to cast away our misdeeds, and humbly learn the ways of the Lord.  Jesus, in our Gospel, also calls us to humility by teaching us what not to do, telling us not to follow the bad example of the scribes and Pharisees, who preach and teach for their own glory.  Jesus makes clear that in the end, we’re all just students.  There is but one teacher, who is God.

          Following God these days takes a lot of humility.  Our society’s general view of a successful life focuses on wealth, power, and independence.  By contrast, God’s ways shine forth in poverty, weakness and dependence on God.   We learn and experience God’s ways through humility.  The fact of the matter is that we’re all dependent on God for everything, if we like it or not, or if we realize it or not.  God is creator, and we are creatures.  All we have, all we need, and even our very existence come from God.  That simple fact is the greatest lesson we can ever learn, and it takes a lot of humility.

          Humility has been called the mother of all virtues for good reason:  when we’re humble, we’re good.  Imagine what an impact a little humility can have.  Each one of us interacts with so many people every day, and people learn something about us and from us in every interaction.  We have so many opportunities to be great teachers.  So we have to ask ourselves, what kind of teacher am I?  Am I like the scribes and Pharisees:  Do I preach but not practice?  Do I lay burdens on people’s shoulders without lifting a finger to help them?  Am I proud and egotistical?  Or am I like Jesus – the one great teacher:  gentle, meek and humble of heart?  There’s only one way to be a great teacher:  Be a great student!  Follow Jesus, and humbly learn from him.

Readings:  Isaiah 1:10, 16-20; Psalm 50; Matthew 23: 1-12

A Journey to the Desert: Finding Christ in our Chaos

I'm teaming up with some great people for our parish Lenten Mission on March 21.  You won't want to miss it!

Barfed Up by a Whale, A Lenten Reflection

My friend Eric and I are experimenting with some new approaches to evangelization.  Follow the link, and let us know what you think.

Barfed Up by a Whale on Vimeo

The Better Angels of our Nature - Homily for the First Sunday of Lent, Year B

  I spent a good part of Valentine’s Day in prison.  You can’t say I’m not a fun date!  There are two prisons within the territorial boundaries of our parish, and I was blessed with the opportunity to visit both prisons on Ash Wednesday, which, as you know, fell on Valentine’s Day this year.  I say that I was blessed because I always find wonderful examples of deep faith in prison.  These women and men have faced the darkest of the demons we encounter in this world, in themselves and in others, but they still keep fighting the battle between good and evil, they still cling to “the better angels of [their] nature.”[1]  We all fight that battle.  Our readings teach us the only way to win it.

This morning’s readings are all about steadfast faith in the face of evil.  In our first reading from Genesis, we hear of God’s irrevocable covenant with Noah.  While God is always faithful to his covenants, we mere mortals aren’t that consistent.  That’s why our Psalm reminds us that God “shows sinners the way” of love and truth through Jesus Christ, who, Saint Peter tells us in our second reading, “suffered so that he might lead [us] to God.”  How does he lead us to God?  By his good example of steadfast faith.  Faced with evil and temptation in our Gospel, Jesus sided with the angels ministering to him; he trusted that God would be faithful to his promises, and he spread the Good News that our Father in Heaven delivers us from every evil.

     

 Since the fall of Adam and Eve, “[t]he human condition has always been . . . haunted by sin and by goodness.”[2]  We’re caught in the middle of a cosmic struggle between good and evil.  Within our very nature, Satan and the demons actively seek to alienate us from God and divide us among ourselves, while Jesus actively seeks to unite us with God and with each other.[3]  These efforts are irreconcilable.  One must win, and one must lose.  We have to choose sides.  Fortunately, we’re not left to fight the battle alone.  Like Jesus in the desert, God is with us, sending his angels to minister to us among the wild beasts.  It’s up to us to cling to the better angels of our nature.   How do we do that?  We repent and believe.

Let’s start with repentance.  Repentance certainly involves acknowledging our faults before God and making amends for them, but the Greek word here translated as repent, metanoeite (µετανοείτε), is deeper than that.  It’s better understood as “be converted”, or “turn around.”  In this sense, repent also means change our ways.  Repentance, or metanoia, begins with taking a good look at ourselves and turning away from everything about us that’s not good.  But “[a]s difficult as it is, turning away by itself does not make the kingdom of God arrive.  Turning away must be complemented by turning toward, by believing in the ‘good news.’”[4]    We must repent and believe.

From the desert, to Calvary, to the tomb, Jesus believed that God would be faithful to his covenants; and God delivered.  Jesus urges us to believe, too.  “To believe in the good news simply means to take Jesus at his word, to believe that God is the kind of God that Jesus . . . told us about, to believe that God so loves the world that he will make any sacrifice to bring us back to himself, to believe that what sounds too good to be true really is.”[5]  The only way to stand against temptation, to cling to the better angels of our nature, and emerge victorious from the battle between good and evil is to repent and believe in the gospel.   I can think of no better time than right now, and not just because it’s the beginning of Lent.

  On Valentine’s Day, a day we dedicate to acts of love and kindness, we again came face to face with unspeakable evil in the form of another school shooting.  I fear that all of the violence in the world today is leading us into a tremendous crisis of faith at a time when we need faith the most.  Many now even claim that our prayers aren’t enough.  I beg to differ.  Prayer is the lifting of the mind and heart to God, an act of faith and spiritual communion with God and with each other.  Through prayer we fill ourselves with God’s eternal love and share it with others.  Through prayer, we repent and believe.  Without prayer, we will never find a lasting solution to this horrific problem.  So if we really want to end the senseless violence in our schools and communities, let’s get down on our knees and pray that we may

-     Repent of our prejudices, fears and ignorance, and believe that the dignity of every person rests in our creation in the image and likeness of God;

-     Repent of pointing fingers at each other, and believe that we love God by loving our neighbors, especially those who are hurt, broken and ill; and

-     Repent of the petty ideological barriers that we allow to divide us, and believe that God’s love, truth and justice will unite us in finding ways to keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous people.  

Why pray?  Because every prayer is an act of faith, hope and love, and love always triumphs over evil.    

Whether in the two prisons within our parish, in a high school in Parkland, Florida, or in the depths of our own hearts, the struggle between good and evil is very real.  It’s time to choose sides.  But before you do, I’ll let you in on a little secret:  through his passion, death and resurrection, Jesus conquered evil; God has already won.  The Kingdom of God is at hand, but it will only be manifested in this world when we side with God, when we repent and believe, when we cling to the better angels of our nature. 

 

Readings:  Genesis 9:8-15; Psalm 25; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1: 12-15

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[1] Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861.

[2] William Barclay, The Gospel of Mark (Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, 2001) p. 28.

[3] John Shea, The Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers: Eating with the Bridegroom, Mark, Year B (Collegeville, Liturgical Press, 2005) p. 80.

[4] Id., p. 81.

[5] Barclay.