Deacon Larry Jesmer

Although this is not the last Sunday of the liturgical year, which is Christ the King next Sunday, the scripture passages today give a very descriptive picture of the end times, when this world will cease to exist  and good will prevail over evil. This is known as the apocalypse.

The events that will usher in and will take place during this time are apocalyptic in nature. This view claims, that regardless of the scope and intensity of the devastation that will take place during the last days, good will ultimately triumph. For this reason, believers are compelled to trust in God.

In the last days Michael, the angelic warrior of God, will rise up and Christ is pictured seated triumphantly at the right hand of God with his enemies under his feet, a sign of conquest. And finally, the Son of Man, the mysterious figure from apocalyptic literature, comes in the clouds with great power and glory. All of these images are apocalyptic, and each of them brings hope.

I loom back at what brings me hope and instantly I remember the times that I strolled in my back yard at night, whether winter, spring, summer, or fall, looking upward and feeling nothing but awe at what God has created for us., the moon , the stars.

I remember walking with my wife, down at the Palisades retreat center in Federal Way, on a clear sunny day, feeling the warmth of the suns rays on my cheeks, looking at the brightness of my wife’ eyes in the sunlight and the beauty of Puget Sound as the backdrop: Again looking at God’s Majestic creations, the sun, Puget Sound and especially my wife.

It is hard not to imagine this land centuries ago, even if just for moment, until through the trees you see that 4 lane hwy and a land with many buildings and artificial lights, a reminder of the development that took over the land. And still there, hanging over our heads, over it all, the sun, the moon, the stars.

The grasses had grown, died, regenerated. The leaves on the trees had changed with each passing year. Things grew and died, came and went, were torn down and built up, but the same old sun, moon and stars never changing, always hanging over the happenings of this earth. Can you imagine this earth when  it was covered with water, when it was filled with plenty of non-extinct creatures, when humanity was mostly located on the other side of the planet—

Watching when the first explorers encountered the natives who lived there; there in the sky, silent witness to the relentless growth which now illuminated a land, a land lit-up with artificial lights which once had only the moon and stars at night to show its inhabitants the way. God’s majesty in creation. WOW!

In today’s gospel, Jesus says: “in those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and then powers in heaven will be shaken.”

If, in the end, the sun and the moon and stars, which have been there over our world since the very beginning, will not be in the new life to come, can we imagine that the things which we have created- the cars, the tv’s, the mansions, the monetary wealth, the play-stations, our beloved dell and apple computers, will be of any great importance, will be important at all?

All these things in the physical realm will have outlived their usefulness, and so they shall not be, any more. And for those who invested all their happiness in these things, their will be no future happiness and for those who have placed all their hopes and dreams in the things of this world, there will be no hope.

Jesus says for us to learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. The lesson of the fig tree is that these things of which Jesus speaks of are near, not that the sun, the moon will be darkened and the stars will fall from the sky tomorrow, next month, or even next year, we know not when, but their uselessness is on the way.

This uselessness is near because Jesus has come, and he has put into motion his plan for our salvation and his works have already started. What he speaks of is in motion. His plan for us will come to fruition, whether we are prepared for their culmination, or not.

We must put the last things first in our lives and not make this worlds stuff more important than the journey to heaven and He gives us his body and blood in the Eucharist to give us the nourishment that gives us the strength to do so.

The end of the world is a terrifying thought for many people and is terrifying for a couple of reasons: Most of us do have a fear of the unknown, even if the unknown is something which looks to be better.

We like to know what’s coming upon us. But there’s also a fear that we’re not quite ready for Jesus’ return, that we would do things differently if either the sun suddenly blew out or the stars started falling from the sky.

The prophet Daniel wrote: Some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace. But the wise shall shine brightly, like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.”

In the end, we will have much to rejoice in if we are wise now and use this time on earth to show God how deep is our desire for heaven. God’s heavenly Kingdom! Can we even imagine how wow it will be?

In the time of Jesus, a name was not just a label to identify with a person. A name expressed the personality or destiny of a person. So what does the name Bartimaeus in today’s gospel mean? Literally, it comes from the Aramaic and means “son or person of defilement”. This could therefore be, a nickname given to him because he was a blind beggar. Popular theology among the Hebrews held blindness to be a punishment from God for sin or defilement.

But the Greek version of the name could also be understood as a son or person of honor. This would indicate the man’s inner nature and destiny. By giving us the name Bartimaeus with its double meaning, Mark could be telling us that here is a man who is supposed to be a person of honor and dignity living in a state of dishonor and shame.

What Jesus did for him was not simply restoring his physical sight but, over and beyond that, restoring the man’s God-given human dignity.

Jesus comes to bring to fulfillment the prophecy of Jeremiah which we heard this morning in the first reading, the prophecy of the return of the exiled Jews from Babylon back to their homeland. The passage from Jeremiah is a hymn of praise and rejoicing because of what God is going to do for his people to include the sick, the lame, the blind.

In part the Lord says; “I will gather them from the ends of the world with the blind and the lame in their midst. And again he says: “I will lead them to brooks of water on a level road, so that none shall stumble”—Sounds like what Jesus has come to do for God’s people to include a blind beggar on the side of a road and also each one of us, gaining for us our dignity as sons and daughters of God.

The blind beggar, Bartinaeus, knows who Jesus is. He calls out “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me”. The title he gives Jesus, “Son of David” indicates that he, a blind beggar, actually sees who Jesus is more clearly than the disciples and the crowd who have been with Jesus all along. He knows Jesus comes from the royal lineage from where the savior would come. Bartimaeus does not pass up the opportunity to call out to Jesus as he is walking by.

How many times have we passed up our own opportunities to call out to Jesus? How many times have we passed up an opportunity to help a stranded motorist along side of the road, or to help feed the hungry by volunteering at our local food bank, or to give clothing for the poor on the streets of Seattle and our local communities?

Why are there so many that do not get involved in the march in Olympia in protest to those laws that do not hold to the dignity owed for those little ones still in the womb or to stand up and be heard for those who have to fight for their human dignity because of social injustices?

We all need to ask ourselves these questions daily. What would Jesus do, that should be our guide for answers to these questions. We need to daily call out to Him for strength. As Bartimaeus calls out again; “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me” , he is asking for the inner strength that Jesus offers through the Spirit, not just his physical healing.

No matter the situation we find ourselves in, Jesus will be there for us. The problem is that too often we have fixed ideas as to where we are likely to see him or the forms under which he will appear. Maybe in the faces of the homeless, the hungry, the stranded motorist, the volunteers at the food bank, the patrons themselves, or even in the faces of our youth.

It is easy to find Jesus in the tabernacle but less easy in a person we do not like or those who think differently than us. But Jesus comes in any form and in any person or situation, even the most unlikely.

Bartimaeus is now encouraged to get up and go to Jesus by the same people who were telling him to be quiet. These people are now saying; “Cheer up! Rise-up. He is calling you! Of course, they did this through Jesus’ prompting.

Bartimaeus jumps up, throws off his cloak. For a beggar, his cloak was also his sleeping mat and his only possession. He now approaches Jesus with nothing but himself. This is like the catechumen who throws off the old clothes, steps into the baptismal pool, come out to be clothed in a white garment, receiving a share in the new life of Jesus.

So Bartimaeus comes to Jesus with confidence, in freedom, with nothing.  Not like the well-dressed rich man we heard about in the gospel two weeks ago

who could not follow Jesus because he identified wealth with money, or like James and John last week who seemed to be selfish in what they were asking of Jesus, that is to sit one on his right and the other on the left in glory.

We now find Bartimaeus face to face with Jesus. Jesus asks, “what can I do for you?” Here, we have Jesus, the high priest described in the second reading from Hebrews someone who is sharing our human nature, has a deep understanding of our needs. As we heard in the reading “Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins”.

So Bartimaeus answers “Lord, that I may see!” Bartimaeus is asking for much more than his physical sight. His prayer is one we all need to make continually. The secret of life is to be able to see, to see life’s real meaning and direction, to be a people of vision to know where God is to be found, where real truth and goodness and beauty are to be found, and where are human dignity is to be found.

It is a prayer that is certain to be answered as it was here. “Go”, Jesus says, your faith, your trust in me, has saved you, healed you, made you whole”. Immediately the man was able to see.

The lesson for us is this: On our own we are blind and poor with nothing of our own. As Christians, we have our eyes opened to the meaning of life, we are constantly undergoing a spiritual battle between good and evil, calling out to Jesus along the way to help us through all those times where we become lost and frightened.

We find our human dignity through our faith in the words of Jesus, scripture, our tradition, and we join as one dignified body by receiving the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist.

By calling out to him, we receive a new direction to all we are and do. We become able to walk with him on the way to Jerusalem with a clear vision, with true freedom, in true dignity. Let us not miss Jesus passing by. Call out to Him and he will answer.

Today’s readings are a powerful reminder of how we, as individuals, as a nation, as a society, as a Church, relate to those around us and how we treat one another by what is in our hearts, minds, and souls.

A good example of what can happen to this relationship took place about two weeks ago. One morning I got up very early, like 4:30 A.M. I was going out to hook into and hopefully land that elusive but majestic Pink Salmon. Well, when I reached my fishing destination, it was still dark but I could see the sky beginning to get bright. I knew I was in God’s country.

All of a sudden the sun came up lighting up the beach and the water. I began to fish. I thought to myself, O.K. God, I got up very early. Show me the fish. After about 30 minutes or so, the beach where I was fishing began to overflow with other fishermen. Most seemed very courteous and friendly except the one who decided to fish just a couple of feet from me.

You see, he saw me hook and lose a fish so he moved right in. That was O.K. I still was in God’s country. I said good morning, without a response back. This man then proceeded to fix his pole for that first cast. I was really hoping he would catch a fish. I was in God’s country with company. Here comes the first cast right over my line. I thought what would happen if, at that point I hooked into the big one.

All of a sudden, I was not in God’s country anymore. Someone was trying to lead me astray. The devil, I would imagine. I was getting so mad that, instead of saying something awful to the man, I picked up all my gear and left.

Now, that was not so bad. I held my temper, or did I? My heart was becoming hardened. I did not have what I should have had in my heart. As Jesus reminds us in this morning’s gospel, it is what comes from within that defiles.

It wasn’t the fact that he was in my space, it’s what I was feeling inside that was the cause of my anger toward him. I was only worried about myself. The right thing to do would have been to help that man or at least offer, for he sure could have used it.

In the gospel we hear about dirt under the nails. Having dirt or mud under ones nails comes from doing something outside the body. The deeds of evil come from within and are not erased by washing hands. The list of interior attitudes is quite extensive and encompassing. Jesus did not mince words or leave much to legal interpretation. Worship of God comes from the heart, but the heart hears other calls as well that can infiltrate and defile.

If our minds and hearts are full of God’s love, then we are living through his words and truly we are the children of God, living in his image and likeness through Jesus Christ. If I was living this way at that point in time I probably would have reacted differently. I would have heard the right call. As we hear in today’s gospel, if our hearts are full of this worlds temptations, evil thoughts: un-chastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, hatred, (The list goes on and on) we are not living our lives the way God had intended.

It would be untrue to imagine that the Scribes and the Pharisees in today’s gospel really understood the laws that they, by their position, were to uphold. They let the law get in the way of the heart, which is the backbone of the law.

The law was given to enhance their relationship with God.

There are still those, and sad to say, even in our tradition today, whom religion is still a matter of blind obedience to the external rule and forgetting the matter of the heart, from which flows love and compassion. There are still those who disregard that serving God is to be found in total living, living from not only the mind but also the heart. Without the heart we cannot live and it is so with our spiritual lives as well.

To live the way God intended is not to add or subtract from that which makes us Christian, that which makes us Catholic. Those who attempt to reduce or change it to fit their own agenda their own needs, are doing just that. There is to be found an abundance of love and grace in keeping true to scripture, our tradition, our Church, by allowing our hearts to be transformed by God’s love.

How do we do that? To be an effective Catholic in the world today requires that we do much more than just go to Sunday Mass and avoiding major sins. We are charged at the end of Sunday Mass to go out to love and serve the Lord. This is the call to evangelize by living our lives not in self-indulgence, but in the love and compassion for others that comes from the heart, receiving strength to do so by the sacrifice we come here to accept through the Eucharist.

Today’s reading from St. James puts it all into context in a very understandable way. He says: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” Sounds like our charge at the end of Mass!! Have we been accepting this charge, this call?

In our human nature, we break things apart so that we can come to a deeper understanding. Jesus is telling us to do just that. Let his words enter into not only our minds but in our hearts. This is where we will receive the full affect of what he is telling us. This is where the “rubber meets the road.”

In retrospect, I now think back to that morning of fishing and see that maybe that fisherman, who moved next to me, also felt he was in God’s country.

Last night at the 5 P.M. Mass, those present had the pleasure of witnessing the baptism of baby Cruz Patrick Hezel. The parents and godparents took an oath with God to raise baby Cruz in the faith. As a part of the body of Christ, we too take on the responsibility of being the example and teacher of the faith for baby Cruz and all who enter into and are a part of this body. We do this by living in God’s love, treating everyone with this love even those who seem to put us on edge.

My sisters and brothers in Christ; let us hear what God’s words are telling us in Holy Scripture. Let us live by the infusion of God’s love in our minds and hearts ands souls sharing this love with others around us. Let us also be the example of faith lived not just faith spoken. Let us be the example to baby Cruz and others of the love of our savior, Jesus Christ.

So let us pray with dirty hands and cleaner hearts to extend those dirty hands in praise of the God who dirtied himself by walking in our mud.
 

There are so many ideas, visions of the Assumption of Mary. The images of her Assumption into heaven that most see are from paintings, pictures of Mary rising up through the clouds surrounded by flocks of angels.

Even though these pictures stir the imagination and get us all to think about Mary’s Assumption into heaven, one thing is clear, our relationship with Mary our Mother and how her Assumption into heaven is part of the salvation of us all. After all, we are on a journey to our salvation.

The actual belief, the dogma, associated with today’s feast is that our Lady, at the end of her life, was taken into God’s company, body and soul. In our case, when we die, there will be a gap between our entering God’s presence and the final resurrection of our bodies that we profess in the creed as we say “ we look for the resurrection of the dead and life of the world to come.

With our Lady, there was no gap. She’s already in that state of Glory, which Christ himself is, and which we hopefully will be at the end of time. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians. What I am saying is with God’s grace, we will follow.

We should understand Mary in light of the mystery of the Church. Vatican II’s Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, tells us that Mary is a symbol or icon of the Church, of all Christians. She is a model of the Church, and the Assumption of Mary points to a profound gift to all believers, the resurrection of the body!

The preface for today’s feast reads: “She was taken up to heaven as the beginning and the pattern of the Church in its perfection, and a sign of hope and comfort for your people on their pilgrim way.”

Mary’s Assumption is a symbol of the resurrection of all believers, of what the Church, as the mystical body of Christ and the Bride of Christ will experience at the end of history.

Christ is our model, of course. But Mary was a human person, like you and I except for one thing. She was free from sin. Through her son’s Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, she was then freed from death and brought into the heavenly kingdom by God.

The dogma of the Assumption means that the Virgin Mary now experiences in heaven that union of glorified body and soul, which her son enjoys. Well, enough about the dogma but we need to understand the basics to see our own participation in what is to come at the end of our lives.

Every year when we encounter this gospel reading on this Feast, I am struck that Mary is on a journey. The passage from Luke begins and ends with her traveling, embarking, really, on the greatest adventure in human history. Pope Benedict has described this moment, the Visitation, as the first Eucharistic procession, with Mary carrying Christ out into the world in her womb.

One of the documents of the Second Vatican Council even describes us as “the pilgrim people of God.” We are on a journey, guided by faith, sustained by hope, with the gospel as our guide. This gospel reading today reminds us of something we can easily forget: we are all pilgrims, on our journeys and as the gospel reminds us of another pilgrim on that journey- a trip that transcends time and place- is Mary.

Her earthly pilgrimage took her to places she never imagined; From Nazareth to Calvary. Hers was a life like no other in history. She lived the will of God.

Her Assumption was not the end of her journey, for her journey lives in each of us. She is praying for us and her journey, like ours, will find completeness when Jesus comes again at the end of time to bring her children home to the Father.

So we ask her on this feast to join us on our own mission, our own pilgrimage through life- to uplift us, to encourage us, to walk with us. This most Blessed of all women knows our struggles, our sufferings, our limitations. She lived with them herself. Yes, she was holy, but she was also human.

And like us, Mary was in a hurry. She set out in haste to Judah. In a few minutes, if I ever stop talking, and end this homily, we will be rushing out the door, getting into our cars, going to a late breakfast at our favorite restaurant, rushing to get in line for the ferry to get to the other side of the world, or to just go home.

But before we do that, we will stop and pray. We pray to our heavenly mother for her intercession with our Heavenly Father, as we ready ourselves to accept her sons sacrifice through his body and blood in the Eucharist. We pray for Mary’s companionship and support as we ourselves set out in haste to all the places we need to be.

We turn our hearts to this woman “full of Grace” imploring her to “pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.” So let us see the picture of this woman’ Full of Grace” that is so vividly portrayed in the reading this morning from Revelation. Let this picture enliven our hearts to reach out to The Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Divine Mother as a child reaches out to their mother.

I leave you with these words from a homily given by Pope John Paul II on 15 August, 2001, The Feast of the Assumption:

“Today the children of the Church on earth are joyfully celebrating the virgin’s passing to the celestial city, the Heavenly Jerusalem. This is what the Armenian liturgy sings today. I make these words my own, thinking of my apostolic pilgrimage to Kazakhstan and Armenia in which, please God, I shall be setting out in just over a month.

To you Mary, I entrust the success of this new stage in my service to the Church and to the world. I ask you to help believers to be watchmen of

the hope that does not disappoint and never to stop proclaiming that Christ is victorious over evil and death. Faithful Woman, enlighten the humanity of our time so that it may understand that every human life is not extinguished in a handful of dust, but is called to a destiny of eternal

happiness. Mary, who are the joy of heaven and earth, may you watch over and pray for us, and for the whole world, now and forever, AMEN”.
 

“Good Shepherd Sunday”

Commitment Sunday for the Annual Catholic Appeal 

 In biblical times in the Holy Land, it was common for the shepherd to live with the sheep. The shepherd would lead his sheep to good grazing and water. At night, the animals were led to a safe enclosure, often made of stone or brambles. The shepherd would stand at the opening of the enclosure as the sheep entered, checking for any injured or missing sheep.

Once all were in the safety of the pen, the shepherd would lay down in the opening literally becoming the gate and the protector of the sheep. He was there to protect them from the wolves that would come in the night to snatch one away. The shepherd was their guardian, watching and caring for them, providing for their needs.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is known as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” In the gospel today, Jesus adds a new characteristic to the image of a shepherd, “The Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is contrasted with the thief who comes to kill or destroy and the hired hand that runs away when danger comes. Jesus is like the shepherd who owned and cared for his sheep.

Jesus says; “I know my own, and my own know me.”  Familiarity, intimacy, and care are characteristics of the relationship, not like the thief who comes to kill or destroy. The thief takes the life of the sheep. The Good Shepherd gives life on their behalf.

Later in the gospel, Jesus identifies such self-sacrifice as the greatest love that can be shown to others. He then embodies this characteristic of the Good Shepherd as he gives his life on the cross.

What does all this mean for us? Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who cares and loves his sheep, yes-you and me, is calling us to be like him, to shepherd to one another. Must we lay down our lives to do so? Must we physically die? No! Jesus is asking us to die to our old ways, the ways of this world.

In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard about Peter and John, held for questioning for proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. Peter and John came to the defense of Jesus and made sure that those questioning them heard that they were responsible for Jesus’ crucifixion and that Jesus is the cornerstone upon which the Church is built on.

Imagine if Peter and John were preoccupied with life’s luxuries. Would they have had the wisdom and strength to defend all that was good? Probably not! They left their old ways behind to follow Jesus and to learn from him, the Good Shepherd, so that they could shepherd to others in Jesus’ name.

We need to die to our old ways of greed and envy. We need to die to our pursuit of material possessions that lead us to look the other way when we hear the cry of the poor. We need to die to a pursuit of stature and position that manipulates others. We need to die to our old ways so that we make room to live for and in God’s love. We must die to sin.

That means leaving behind our selfish ways and our need to hold on to things. We cannot be shepherds of God’s love if these things get in our way to the point that we do not share the blessings God has given us.

When I was very young, I had this favorite toy, a stuffed dog that I named Weiner Dog. It was a dachshund. I really loved this toy dog so much, that it almost seemed alive. In no way would I share this stuffed dog with my brothers or sisters or even my friends. It was mine and mine alone.

Did you have a favorite toy, one that gave you a lot of joy and happiness when you played with it? Did you have a toy like the one I had when you were young? You did not deny your brother, sister or friend that same joy and happiness playing with that toy, did you? I hope not. I remember how I felt when I would not let anyone play with mine, not very good!

As adults we run into the same trap as I did when I was young, the same selfish way with our possessions: that new LCD HD TV with 1080 resolution, that cell phone with the screen where you see the person you’re talking with, or it could be something as simple as a family recipe.

In order to be shepherds to one another, we need to leave behind our selfish ways. How can love abide in us if we have the world’s goods and see a brother or sister in need, and yet refuse them help?

How can we be shepherds of this love from God?

Yes, we are called as followers of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, to shepherd to one another. We can shepherd by visiting the sick,   volunteering at our Good Cheer food bank or volunteering for the Red Flyer Reading Program which helps children learn to read. Maybe volunteering at senior services is what you like or volunteering for Hearts and Hammers, which was held this Saturday.

We shepherd by protecting the life of the unborn and speaking out against those who do not dignify life with acts of social injustice.

We contribute to charities that feed starving children abroad and charities that provide those who are in need of life’s basic necessities.

This weekend is also Commitment Sunday for the Annual Catholic Appeal. With our contributions, we can be shepherds to those who are studying to become priests or deacons. Without your past contributions, I might not be standing up here today as your deacon. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The Annual Catholic Appeal supports programs for the youth of our Archdiocese as well as Catholic schools and the medical and pension plans for our priests. You can see that by contributing to the Appeal we all can be shepherds in our Church in Western Washington.

I hope you took time this past week to consider through prayer your contribution, as Father Rick suggested last Sunday. Our goal this year is $41,266.00. Just imagine what lives you can touch by your generosity.

Through our faith, we are called to be Jesus in a world that so drastically needs him. Are we to run and hide like the hireling, when times get tough or will we protect the life and dignity of those around us? The choice is ours.

My sisters and brothers, every time we come to this sacrificial table to receive Jesus, we bring ourselves, with all our faults, with all our imperfections to offer ourselves to God. We receive Jesus to gain the strength to be the shepherds in this world. This is our mission in a world that needs God’s love and care and we will respond making the right choice.

This is our challenge and our mission and we take on this mission every time we hear the priest or deacon say; “The mass has ended, go in peace to love and serve the Lord,” and we respond in a loud voice; “Thanks be to God.”