2009

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.

There is a new movie out, entitled Julie and Julia, about two women with very different backgrounds: Julia Child who changed America’s attitude toward food with her cookbook on French cuisine and Julie Powell, a young blogger who chronicled her yearlong adventure cooking all 500 of Julia Child’s recipes.

Early in the film, there is a heartbreaking moment involving Julie. A would-be writer, she works in a cubicle for the city of New York, answering calls regarding insurance claims for the victims of 9/11.  At lunch with her college friends, she is humiliated to hear of their real estate deals and lucrative writing gigs. Hers is a thankless job of trying to connect thousands of desperate callers with the right bureaucracy.

One caller, who has grown tired of being shuffled back and forth among different offices, asks Julie, “Are you the person to speak to about my insurance form?” She replied, “You can speak to me.”  “Do you have any power?” he asked.  The question catches Julie off guard.  “No,” she stammers. That was an eye opening moment for Julie. What are her education and skills, her passions and life amounting to? Left fumbling her pencil as the caller hangs up, she confronts her powerlessness.

The world is a very different place today because many people have had similar epiphanies, confronting their powerlessness and doing something about it. All they needed was to realize their power to start. At one point in the movie, Julie’s husband tells her, “Remember, Julia Child wasn’t always Julia Child.”

In today’s gospel, we encounter James and John in a similar epiphany, each asking Jesus, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.”  They had just heard Jesus tell the disciples for the third time that he would be put to death, then rise on the third day.  However plainly he had said this, the disciples still did not get the message. The notion of rising again may have prompted the sons of Zebedee instead to believe that a new reign was about to emerge, hence they sought the power and the glory, not realizing that the power they would need for building the kingdom of God was quite different.

Instead of granting the favor they asked of him, Jesus again provides a lesson on how to imitate him. He cannot promise them that they will share in his glory but he assures them that they will share the pain that comes with being one of his disciples. “The cup that I drink, you will drink.”

That same cup which Jesus offered to the sons of Zebedee is offered to us as well.  Jesus calls us to do the disciple’s work of accomplishing great things ourselves. The power linked with being a disciple is not found in the power we define in earthly terms, but in the example of Christ himself. The heart of our Christian lives is to serve, to suffer, and to die. That certainly is not a rosy picture yet that is the lesson Jesus often delivers.

Many Christians leave the church when their faith journey gets too uncomfortable for them. They get angry at God, the pope, the archbishop, their pastor or at other believers. They miss the point of what being a follower of Jesus entails, forgetting that a bed of roses comes with thorns. Others get angry but they stay, knowing that running away is not the solution. Through prayer and spiritual growth they come to understand that Jesus never said that following him would be easy or serene.

I can picture Jesus saying to the apostles, “Gentlemen, if what is motivating you to follow me is the dream of earthly power, then think again. Let me warn you that if greatness is what you seek, then anyone among you who aspires for greatness must serve the rest.”  Discipleship isn’t about raw power; it’s about service and service is about respect for others.

This gospel leaves me wondering, “What motivates us to follow Jesus?”  I presume your motivation is to experience the kingdom of God, which is, believe it or not, something we can do in this lifetime simply by following the example of Christ by serving others.

Ultimately, the apostles were motivated by what they believed despite the risk. The values that governed their lives are the values they passed on to us in the gospels and the epistles. They have provided us with the blueprint for realizing the kingdom of God in our midst.

However we judge the quality of our faith to be, Jesus invites us to continually deepen our relationship with him through prayer and service to others. True faith enables us to put aside our doubts and fears, to get beyond our sense of inadequacy, vulnerability, and “unsaintliness,” and do the work of God, each in our own way. Jesus promises his grace to take on the authority of Christ-like service and embrace the power of compassion. All we need is to realize our own “power” to start.

How fitting that we hear these readings on World Mission Sunday for they invite us to see that we too are called to be missionaries. God is confident that we can make a difference, as many missionaries have done, in building up the kingdom.

One beloved missionary, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, offers good advice for those who feel powerless in doing their share. “We can’t do the big things, you and I.” she said, “We’re not capable of them. But do the little things faithfully.” And what might they be? Be committed to the little things, the smile smiled, the courtesy rendered, the meal prepared, the handshake offered, the birthday remembered, the flowers sent, the compliment given. In a nutshell, respect and reverence all life.  That is something we are all given the power to do by the grace of God.
 

Sharing in God’s Compassion

We have a most difficult and challenging Gospel tonight (this morning). Jesus encounters a rich man who is willing to follow religious regulation but not willing to give up everything he had to follow Jesus.

This reading is so challenging because, well, who among us is willing to do this?  Priests and nuns, particularly of the cloistered and mendicant variety, have done so, and we can only stand back and be grateful for their wonderful sacrifice. But this still begs the question: what about us?

Fortunately, I don’t think Jesus had this particular kind of sacrifice in mind for all of us. After all, even Jesus had his wealthy benefactors. We believe that Mary Magdalene, and the so-called women of Jerusalem Jesus encounters during his Passion, were wealthy themselves. Jesus did not tell them to give up everything and follow Him. He needed their financial and logistical support. Jesus also had wealthy friends with whom he dined and with whom He kept friendships. And of course, who bought Jesus’ burial plot? None other than Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy member of the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin.

So perhaps at this point you might be breathing a sigh of relief. Whew! I guess I don’t have to give up all my prized possessions. Well, don’t get too comfortable yet. For the challenge of our Gospel is still great. It still should, as the author of the letter to the Hebrews says in our second reading, pierce more sharply than a two-edged sword.       

The Christian faith manifests itself in two ways. One is in the building of the Kingdom of God in the world in which we live. This is called exteriority and includes our advocacy for efforts to build human dignity, human decency, stewardship of God’s creation, the dignity of work and workers, the sharing of possessions, and the building of a more peaceful world.

Then there is interiority. Part of interiority is what we are doing tonight: prayer, sacrament and Scripture. The other is individual service. Service is at the essence of all love and loving God and loving one another are the two greatest commandments.  Here is where Jesus’ call in our Gospel to reject our possessions comes into play for all of us.        

When Jesus came to this earth, He fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that a Messiah would come that would be called Immanuel, God-with-us. You remember that in Advent, the song, “O Come, O Come Immanuel”, reminds us of this. There is great significance to the term Immanuel. For Jesus was a Messiah who enters into the lives of humans in the deepest of ways. And he calls all of us to that intimacy.

For the Christian God is a God of compassion. And it is an intimate compassion that we are called to share. All of us are called to be instruments of God’s mercy, even to those we do not like or maybe even know. We do not always do that, as shown by the story of the rich man. But sometimes we do. So what are the means that we can be share God’s intimate compassion?

First, during his public life, in moments of pain and suffering, Jesus was there.  Even if there often not much we can do for the suffering, we can be present. We can show we care. When we ignore the call to be present, we ignore our faith. For being present is a radical call, a call that should penetrate to the roots of the way we live our lives. And God will always be there when we are there, entering into others and us in our problems, confusions, and questions. We enter into God’s intimate love. By our being present to others in times of trouble, we see God present as our refuge, our stronghold, our wisdom, and our shepherd. Jesus was often moved to compassion by the suffering around Him. And so must we be.

Second, Jesus, in total freedom, chose to suffer fully our pains and sorrows. It was an expression of a God who calls us to understand that our sinful selves can be overcome by the divine expression of compassion that Jesus shares with us. For us, Jesus’ life transforms our broken human condition from one of despair to hope because his suffering for others was freely chosen, and we can so choose sacrifice for others as well. Jesus healed many in his public life not to impress, to prove, to convince. And we are called to heal not to impress, to prove or convince but to relieve and share suffering.

Keep in mind that many in Jesus’ time might well have encountered him, but they were not healed in a physical sense. Jesus did not, and does not, always take physical pain away but our God is so compassionate that he shared suffering with us. God is not a distant god, a god to be feared and avoided, a God of revenge, but a God who is moved by our pains and participates in the fullness of the human struggle. And so must we be moved by others pain and our human struggle and the struggle of others. The miracles were real, just as miracles are every day. But their source is the consolation and comfort of a compassionate God.

Third, possessions must never dominate us even if we have many of them. Instead, compassion for others should dominate our lives. This often means rejecting the life of endless competition, the life of greed, the life of esteem and credit, entering instead into the life of God himself. It means emptying ourselves so as to receive new, compassionate relationships with God and each other. By accepting our identities from the one who is the giver of all life, we can be with each other without distance or fear. We can move beyond sympathy for others to empathy for others. We can move from offering charity to seeking justice. We can not only be aware of the poor, but put them in our Rolodex.

Jesus showed us a whole new way of living, a way of living like the Apostles and the saints who were witnesses to Christ. We can take on God’s compassion for others, a compassion that is so deep and full that it cannot help but bear fruit. This compassion, the interiority of faith can take many forms. It may be simply praying for others if we are too weak or infirmed to do anything else. We can consider tithing of income and investments to provide both direct service and empowerment of the poor. We can be aware of and participate in the outreach ministries of our parish. We can go to the poor and afraid, as many of our parishioners do with single pregnant women, the hungry, and the sick.

So this evening, (morning), brothers and sisters let us pray that the God of deep and inexhaustible compassion enter into our lives and that we accept that compassion. May we be a compassionate people, a people that shares each others suffering, and never lets possessions dominate us.  Let us be instruments of God’s mercy rather than instruments of fear. Let us empty ourselves in compassion, entering into the new way of life to which Jesus called us.
 

Despite what Jesus said, that people must not separate what God has joined together, many spouses have gone their separate ways for any number of reasons. Nearly half of the first marriages in this country end in divorce, either because the marital bond was severed or was never forged. Perhaps that is why many couples avoid marriage altogether and simply live together. I estimate that more than half the couples whose marriages I have witnessed were living together beforehand even though I caution them that a trial run is no assurance of a lasting marriage.

My younger sister, Linda, married her college sweetheart in 1973. When she and Art celebrated their 25th anniversary, she downplayed the significance of that milestone.  I commended her, citing the fact that divorce is all too common.  In today’s throw-away society, commitment is not so highly valued, which may be why many see divorce as an easy option out of a difficult situation.

In biblical times, marriages were usually arranged, a common practice until modern times in many societies. Understandably, not all marriages then and now succeeded in the manner that God had in mind when we are told, “the two of them become one flesh.”  Adam perceived his relationship with Eve as being interdependent. Alas, that has not always been the case. In some marriages one spouse has dominated the relationship, thus diminishing the dignity of the other spouse.  God did not intend for abuse of any kind to enter the scene.

When a couple stands before me to exchange their vows, I have them repeat the words. I tell them that these are the most important words that they will ever say to one another.  “I take you for my lawful spouse, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”   Anything and everything could happen from that point onward, but the two of them have just told me that they will cling to each other regardless of what happens. These words speak eloquently of the bond God has in mind when a couple fully commit themselves to one another in this awesome sacrament, which they promise to minister to one another all the days of their lives.

Unfortunately, not every spouse enters into marriage with the intent or the capacity to carry out the vows that are said.  Many a marriage exists wherein one spouse is doing little or nothing to create or sustain the relationship so that the two can become one flesh. Despite the efforts of the other spouse, there really isn’t a marriage unless both actively seek to nurture their bond. They may live under the same roof but missing is the intimacy, the companionship, the affirmation, and the love that enables a marriage to thrive.

When one spouse chooses to be self-centered, a sacramental marriage cannot exist.  Focused on oneself, that spouse is unable or unwilling to reach out to the other spouse. Recall the imagery of the body used in these readings. “Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh,” Adam said as he described his bride. Think of how interwoven the parts of the body are. Without all its parts, the body is limited in its fullest potential. Without certain parts, the body even ceases to live. The same is true for any relationship, as well as a viable, sacramental marriage.

Not all of us are married, but we are all engaged in relationships, hence the message of the gospel applies to all of us. Healthy relationships are what keep us alive.  According to an ancient Islamic tale, when God created the world, the earth was as smooth and even as a fine plate. The devil was jealous of the beautiful earth God created so while the earth was still damp and soft, he scratched the face of the earth with his claws as deeply as he could. The devil’s scars created deep rivers and ravines that divided one place from another, keeping people apart, preventing them from traveling on the earth God had given them as a garden for their food and support.

Saddened by what the evil one had done, God sent angels into the world to make things work as God had hoped. The angels saw how people, unable to pass over ravines, could only look on in vain at one another.  To enable them to cross from one side to the other, they spread their wings across the ravines. God’s people learned from the angels how to build bridges across the ravines created by the evil one. To this day, the greatest blessing is to build a bridge and the greatest sin is to interfere.

Like the angels in this tale, we are called upon to be bridge builders. We are called to bridge the chasms of mistrust and envy with trust and compassion, to heal the wounds that divide spouses, families, and communities with understanding, generosity, and forgiveness.

Forgiveness, a necessary tool for building bridges in our lives, really costs us nothing.  If we are to build bridges, we need to forgive and to seek forgiveness. If we were more willing to forgive, our relationships would survive the test of time.

That Islamic tale offers us good wisdom. Unfortunately, we don’t always strive to build bridges. Instead, we create turmoil and conflict that leads to broken hearts, which leads to broken homes and broken lives. That certainly isn’t what God had in mind when Adam met Eve.

A good marriage isn’t so much about finding the right partner as being the right person, knowing that little things do matter, like speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. Like any relationship that is to thrive, marriage is about building bridges every day of our lives.
 

Good morning, I am Brian Maddux and this is my wife Patty.

I was asked to share our thoughts about stewardship.

Just to let you know, I am not a public speaker. As a matter of fact, I don’t really want to be standing up here… but we know just how important this is.

I know some of you are waiting for us to talk about money, and how much you should give this year, perhaps show a chart with a formula showing how to compute your gift. A few short years ago, this is what I would have expected, and would have tuned the speaker out or even skipped Mass during stewardship month.

Actually, this is a talk about stewardship, but not necessarily about money. It’s about sharing the love of Christ with our brothers and sisters as disciples. It was a journey of faith that has helped us understand the real meaning of stewardship.

As some of you know, I am a convert. I grew up Methodist and attended a Methodist university. It was here that I met Patty. As early as 1990, I started going to Mass with Patty. In my mind, the Catholic Church was just another Christian denomination. For the next 14 years, Patty patiently waited for the Holy Spirit to move me to become a member of His true church.

We’ve all heard the idea that God creates a specific spouse for each of us. Well, Patty and I each knew we had found our spouse the first day we met.

But it took us 2 years to admit it to each other!

We come from very different backgrounds. I am from a very small family that lived in the country. Patty is from a huge family and lived in the city. I was a Methodist and Patty is a cradle Catholic. Somehow, we both ended up at Ohio Northern University where we met.

That’s not so unusual, as many couple meet in college. What is unusual is how we ended up there.

For me, I was supposed to go to ONU, but it wasn’t my first choice. I actually transferred to ONU after my freshman year because I just wasn’t happy with my first choic3. My admissions counselor predicted it when I decided not to go there originally. She said I’d be back… Oh, and did I mention that I lived on Ohio Northern Drive?

Patty went to ONU which, as I mentioned is a Methodist university, site unseen. Additionally, its not a cheap school and she was paying for college herself. She had the opportunity to attend a Catholic university on a full scholarship. To this day, she can’t tell you why she decided to go to Ohio Northern.

We’ve determined, in hindsight, that there is only one reasonable answer… God had a plan.

While in school, we were active in the ecumenical Christian activities on campus and living as disciples was important to us. However, we did not have a full understanding of what that meant. We claimed our Christianity and thought that was enough.

Finally, we got married, moved from Ohio to Washington, got caught up in our careers and were eventually gifted with children, Michael and Ian.

Finally, after 14 years, I became a Catholic at the Easter Vigil in 2005.

However, because of my Protestant background, I continued to have a rather relaxed view of my new faith. The only absolute was whether Jesus was my personal Lord and Savior.

As we know, the Catholic Church, as founded by Jesus Christ, asks more of us than our Protestant brothers and sisters would claim.

Four years ago, Patty and I attended the Seattle Archdiocese Youth Convention as chaperones. It was at this event that the Holy Spirit, through the speakers and music, opened my eyes to the greater truths of the Church. The reality that Jesus and his Church ask more of us than just claiming the title of Catholic. He has more to offer us than an ordinary life.

As I started researching and learning more, I realized that our Faith is not about the rules, the rituals and the obligations of being a good Catholic. These are important ways of teaching us to live a faithful life, but not the why. Faith is about relationship. Our relationship with Jesus Christ lived out through our relationship with each other.

Let me repeat that, because it is important.

Faith is about relationship. Our relationship with Jesus Christ lived out through our relationship with each other.

Since that convention, we purposefully engaged in a variety of activities, events and ministries within the parish. At first, our reason was to simply make friends with people who share the same thoughts and views. As our faith was ignited and grew, we wanted the fuel to keep the flames burning. As the weeks turned to months, and the months to years, the reasons for our involvement became much deeper. These weren’t simply activities on the calendar, but a way of life. The relationship grew from being a member of the parish, to being a participant in parish life.

We believe that relationship and stewardship go hand in hand, each feeds the other. The more relationship you have, the more stewardship you give. The more stewardship you give, the deeper relationship you have. The deeper relationship you have, the more stewardship you want to give. And it keeps growing.

For us, the best way to explain relationship and stewardship is how we use it in our own family. First, love is the most important thing, but it is not the only thing. We are not just members of a family making our way through life. We are family members who are responsible for each other. Stewardship is what helps us to thrive, grow and achieve our potential as individuals and a family. We make it a point to server each other first, before we serve ourselves. Our family and our relationships require us to give so that we can receive.

As just one example, as a father, I understand that love is crucial for my boys. But they will not come to trust in our Father if they can’t trust me. As they grow, they will come to understand relationship by watching me work towards meeting the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of our family. In return, I will have the privilege of seeing them do the same for their families. All around us, we can see evidence of families and relationships crumbling because 1, 2, or all 3 aspects aren’t being met.

Similarly, our parish family needs more than just members to thrive. It needs relationship because it too has physical, emotional and spiritual needs. The baskets need to overflow on Sunday to keep the building and her program running. We can’t settle on filling the basket with what’s left over at the end of the week. The rooms need to be bulging with people during our events and socials so we can continue to build a string community of faith filled people. And all our faith formation and ministry programs need your participation, both as leaders and those searching to know more about their Catholic faith.

Our parish provides, but it also has needs. And through we are a generous parish, we cannot settle for what we are already doing. But we need to strive to reach the potential for all the wonderful work yet to be done.

I challenge you to grow as a disciple and live in stewardship, and help us make St. Huberts the beacon of Christ’s love here on South Whidbey.

In summary, I would like to close with a quote from each of my boys.

Michael says “stewardship is helping others when they need it, even if you don’t want to.”

And Ian says “sharing makes you happy.”

Thank You.