Homilies

A theology professor asked her class to take part in a little experiment. She directed them to look around the classroom and focus on one particular color; for example, everything that was red. After a few moments, she then asked them to close their eyes and quietly recall all the red items they saw. Then came the unexpected: with their eyes still closed, the professor asked them to name all the blue things they had seen. Most of them, because they were so focused on the color red, missed anything that was blue or any other color.

The professor explained that this is similar to what we focus on in everyday life. “We focuson the negative and tend to notice all that is going wrong in our world, and we miss God’s grace and presence before us. What we focuson is what we give power to! In focusing on the negative we miss God’s grace.”

In today’s gospel, Jesus restores sight to Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who called out, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me!” On the surface, we focusonly on the miracle of his recovered sight, but Jesus did much more than that. He also gave Bartimaeus the insight to perceive God’s presence in his life, to see and embrace the many signs of God’s grace in the world around him.

Our own vision can use a similar refocus. We can be so attuned to one color, say the color of disappointment, the color of self-centeredness, the color of cynicism, that we are blind to the colors of God surrounding us: compassion, love, mercy, forgiveness, peace to name but a few.

Bartimaeus receives his sight, but Jesus also affirms the vision he already possesses: the ability to see God’s love in his midst, to see the possibilities of God transforming hope and recreating love to heal brokenness in his life, to see his own ability to be means for God’s justice and reconciliation. To see our lives and our world with the eyes of faith is to recognize the many colors of God’s grace radiant in every person, in every place, in every moment.

Bartimaeus gained physical eyesight in this miracle but he also gained the insightsnecessary for being a disciple. His faith is said to have saved him, not only healed him physically but brought him salvation.

It has been noted that Jesus had many admirers but not many followers. No longer blind, no longer compelled to beg for his survival, Bartimaeus chooses to follow Jesus. We are called to do the same but how readily are we doing that? Are our eyes opened to seeing the many ways Jesus is reaching out to us or are we too focusedon our own wants instead?

Discipleship with Jesus means an upside down world where the first will be last and the last will be first, where one forgives one’s enemies seventy times seven times, where the one who loses his life will save it, where one gives his coat when asked to give a shirt, where enemies are to be prayed for and one who wishes to rule over all must be the servant of all. That is a tough mission statement, isn’t it? No wonder the apostles had trouble seeing Jesus and his message at first. Have we gained the insight to appreciate what Jesus is demanding of us as his disciples?

Have we the insightto appreciate the beauty of God’s creation? Or might your eyes be closed to seeing the wisdom behind taking care of our planet? Have we the insight to be compassionate to those who are less fortunate than we are, whether they are refugees escaping violence in their homeland or victims of recent hurricanes, tsunamis and typhoons that have wiped out their homes?
Or might your eyes be closed to seeing the wisdom behind respecting the dignity of every person, regardless of their race or gender, thus choosing instead to not respect, welcome or help those struggling to survive?

Bartimaeus was blind in the physical sense, but he, unlike the apostles, was better able to see what really mattered than those around him who had good vision but lacked insight into all that Jesus had been saying. His humility entitled him to a cure.

Recall, that Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He asked that same question of James and John; they wanted power and they failed to see. Bartimaeus wanted Jesus and he did see.

In this day and age, slick advertising, routine violence, and examples of greed and exploitation blindside us. In due time, we become like the apostles, slow to understand the message of Jesus Christ, slow to see what he sees, what saints, like Mother Theresa, Archbishop Oscar Romero and Pope Paul VI have seen. When we have misunderstood Jesus and his message, that results in spiritual blind spots.

Imagine Jesus asking you the same question. “What do you want me to do for you?” Undoubtedly we can think of a million things but lets focus on what really matters. A more reflective response would be that of Bartimaeus: “Lord, I want to see.”

This gospel is a fitting one for us to ponder on Mission Sunday. The closing line sums up its message well, “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” That sentence is one of the most remarkable sentences in all scripture. Let’s listen to it again: “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Dying on the cross, he did ransom us.

I imagine that is one sentence James and John did not expect to hear from Jesus even though he had often demonstrated service throughout his public ministry. They and the other apostles had heard Jesus foretell of his pending passion three times with its gruesome outcome, yet the dire reality of his forecast had not yet hit home. Instead, these ambitious brothers, being close friends of Jesus along with Peter, had the nerve to ask for positions of honor when he came to power. Their self-centeredness shows that they had not yet grasped the full meaning of Jesus’ prediction.

Like dogs wagging their tales in anticipation of a reward, they were quick to say, “We can,” when Jesus asked if they could drink of the cup that he would drink or be baptized with the baptism with which he would be baptized. Drinking the cup was an expression used then to show acceptance of the destiny assigned by God. Still, they were betting on Jesus to come into glory and liberate their homeland from oppression.

Jesus assured them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized.” He isn’t speaking of the sacraments we often celebrate. He is speaking of sharing his experience. What Jesus offered James and John, he is offering us as well; a share in what he does as savior; and what he does as savior is giving of himself selflessly for the good of others.
Some people leave the Church when their faith journeys get challenging or discomforting. They get angry with God, the pope, the archbishop, their pastor, or other believers whom they have an issue with. Many others get angry too but they stay, knowing that running away would not be a solution for them. Through prayer and spiritual growth, they come to realize that being a disciple of Jesus is no easy undertaking.

To paraphrase Jesus, imagine him saying to this motley group of disciples, “Gentlemen, if what is motivating you to follow me is the dream of earthly power, then think again. Let me warn you that being one of my disciples will not be easy because no close relationship is easy. If greatness is what you are seeking, then anyone among you who aspires to being great must serve the rest.”

Too bad his words continue to fall on deaf ears. The latest scandal in the Church is the abuse of clericalism by bishops who covered up the wrong doing of their priests instead of striving to serve the faithful by upholding the dignity of those who were victimized. The image of leaders lording over others to make their authority felt will always stand in stark contrast to the leadership style of Jesus.

Last Sunday Pope Francis canonized Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador. Years ago, when I first viewed the movie, Romero, I was stunned to learn of his many selfless acts, fighting to uphold the dignity of the poor in his country, often speaking out against the repression they endured at the hands of the country’s military regime. At one point, he risked his life to retrieve the Blessed Sacrament from a tabernacle while under gunfire from a soldier whose battalion had taken over a village church. He didn’t hesitate to drink of the cup that Jesus spoke of. The archbishop was later assassinated while celebrating Mass in the spring of 1980.
This weekend aswe honor missionaries for what they do, selflessly serving peoples in third world countries, we should ask ourselves how willing are we to defend the faith and share the good news, much less give our lives? Would we be willing, as were James and John and Archbishop Romero to drink the cup of suffering that Jesus offers us?

I suspect most of us would say, “No way.” That is a far cry from the mindset of missionaries, past and present. Many sacrificed the usual amenities we take for granted leaving their families behind to serve in distant lands so that others can encounter Jesus and our Catholic faith.

While none of us are likely to be martyrs or missionaries, we can still rise to the challenge Jesus presents here. We can at least strive to diminish our self-centeredness just as James and John did and find our greatness by serving the needs of others. The distinguishing mark of discipleship is an attitude of humble, joyful service to others. It is an attitude that flies in the face of the “what’s in it for me” approach we often take in our dealings with others, an attitude that Jesus says of his followers, “it shall not be so among you.”

Being a servant doesn’t mean allowing others to walk all over us. To serve others means to let God work through our efforts to love, to forgive, to secure justice, to support and to help. A disciple’s faith enables one to experience joy, not in the acclaim we receive for what we do nor in the success we can measure, but in the joy we bring into the lives of others one small act at a time. Like missionaries, we bring the reign of Christ to life in our own small, simple, ordinary acts of kindness, generosity and peace that bring a measure of hope, dignity and healing to others.

This is a great parish because many live this lesson well.

I have done a fair number of weddings; I don’t recall many, but one came to mind as I reflected on the mindset of the Pharisees in this gospel passage. In my first parish, after their rehearsal, the groom asked, “Father, aren’t you going to ask, ‘Who gives this bride away?’” They were disappointed when I said, “No, that question isn’t asked in a Catholic ceremony because the bride is not property being given away but is an equal in the sight of God alongside you.”

Alas, the Pharisees did not accord such dignity to their spouses. In Jewish law, a woman was regarded as a thing. Jesus rebukes them for allowing divorce because of thehardness of their hearts. They defended their practice, claiming that Moses permitted husbands to divorce their wives and dismiss them, which sometimes they did, for rather trivial reasons. They viewed their wives as being disposable if they did not live up to their expectations.

In Jesus’ society, women rarely, if ever, owned property, and few had any means of livelihood unless they were married or supported by their children. For their sake and the sake of their children, marriages had to be stable. As one who cared deeply about the weak and defenseless, Jesus in effect was saying to the Pharisees, “Don’t even think of divorcing your wives!” He was speaking words of compassion, telling his critics not to cast their wives and children off into poverty.

Is his message still relevant today? Then and now, divorce was pervasive and permissive. We still have many divorces and it’s a touchy subject. We live in a world where people make and break promises, where they find it hard to keep commitments and where for any number of reasons they find it necessary to end their marriage and get a divorce. Despite its stigma, they viewed divorce as their only option.

Yet, even they know that Jesus is fundamentally right in proclaiming the sanctity of marriage. Blessed are the couple who endeavor daily to minister this sacrament to each other in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, for richer and poorer until death do they part. Jesus speaks of marriage as the joining of two hearts into one by God, a single heart that loves, that lifts up, that mends other broken hearts, including each other’s when necessary. That is the mystery and wonder of the marriage covenant.

Still, the ideal falters for some couples. Statistics reveal that nearly half of all first marriages end in divorce due to causes ranging from poor preparation and/or poor communication to selfishness and as Jesus said, hardness of heart. We live in a highly pornographic and secular society, which mocks the sacredness of marriage, encourages infidelity and views sex more as a means of recreation than as a sign of one’s total commitment to his or her spouse.

True marriages falter if the mindset of one or both spouses is “What’s in it for me?” The consequence of that often is verbal, physical, and/or emotional abuse. None of which God has in mind when a couple initially exchange their vows. Rather, God’s hope and mine is that every couple enters into marriage, knowing that they are not in this bond for themselves alone, but rather they have bonded with each other to combine their growing love into the service of others: children, the poor, the future, God, and the betterment of society. A dedicated commitment to something or someone greater than themselves is often the glue that keeps couples together and makes them holy in the process.

Contrary to what some people think, anyone who divorces is still a good Catholic in good standing. Divorce in itself is not a sin. Many marriages fail because couples lacked what was needed to make their marriage a sacramental one and for some divorce may be their better option. Until proven otherwise by an annulment, however, they are still in the eyes of God married to one another. If they remarry without getting an annulment, they would be considered living in sin and should not receive Holy Communion.

The Church still holds fast to the ideal of a lifelong faithful marriage as being good for both children and society. To assist couples in making their good marriages even better, they could take a marriage encounter weekend, which provides them with tools for making their marriage even better. If however their marriage is tearing them apart, there is an alternative weekend program known as Retrouvaille, which could prove to be a lifesaving event for them.

We cannot soften Jesus’ words. Divorce is a failure but keep in mind we all fail at times to live up to the ideal of Christian life as found in the Beatitudes. How many of us live by them day after day? How many of us live by the ideal of non-violence and always turn the other cheek? How many of us will give away a coat when someone asks for our shirt? How many of us have never looked at another person with lust or called someone a name in anger? The fact is we all fail one way or another, yet we all believe in God’s mercy and forgiveness and we continue to live as members in good standing in the Christian community, endeavoring to respect all life from conception thru death. Why then should the issue of divorce and remarriage be treated any differently?

What matters is that we uphold the dignity of all peoples, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, race, faith or age. Many have been wounded because we have failed to do so. Today’s psalm tells us, “Blessed are you who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways!” For when you do, no one is wounded.

 

Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” This is perhaps the most important question posed in the gospels. Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Christ.” Then Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.Perhaps you are wondering why Jesus told them to keep this a secret but he had good reason for asking this favor of them.

Peter’s notion of the Christ was not what Jesus had in mind. Moments later Jesus shared with the disciples for the first time his fate that he would be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes and be killed and rise after three days. Peter protested. The notion of Jesus enduring such suffering was unthinkable. Mark doesn’t tell us what Peter said, but whatever he said prompted Jesus in turn to harshly rebuke him. “Get behind me Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

What did Peter have in mind when he called Jesus the Christ? From Jewish tradition, he anticipated that the Christ, also called the Messiah, would be the great king who would restore the powerful Israel of old. His homeland was under Roman occupation so he and the apostles imagined that as the Christ, Jesus would liberate their country from the Romans and establish a new kingdom. He expected the long awaited Messiah would defeat Israel’s enemies and restore their nation’s prestige, ushering in an era of “good times.” Despite all that Jesus had said to them during his public ministry, they had not yet begun to think as God does.

Have we? What does Jesus as the Christ mean to you? We have an advantage over Peter and the disciples. We know about the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, so we understand what Jesus meant when he predicted his fate. We understandthat even though he rode a donkey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to shouts of “Hosanna, hosanna blessings on the king!” that Jesus never intended to be an earthly monarch. No, his kingdom would be universal, transcending earthly kingdoms and nations. He is there to rule us no matter where we are in the world.

As the Christ, Jesus rules us in ways unlike any earthly ruler would or ever has. As the Christ, Jesus rules his subjects with love and calls on them to love one another as he loves them. When we do that, we are thinking as God does. God created us in his image. But for their love to be real, God gave his subjects free will. With that freedom, regrettably, sin, suffering and death entered into the created order.

Given the freedom to rebel, we have all chosen to sin from time to time and oftentimes sin has led to much suffering. All of us have suffered because someone has sinned. Many people have died because someone has sinned. Alas, too many still choose to think as human beings do and as a result, the world continues to suffer.

Our Church is suffering enormously because some of her ordained have chosen to sin and forget that they were ordained “in persona Christi,” that is, ordained in the person of Christ. They were ordained to act as Christ would. They failed their victims, as well as you and me. As a priest, I am sorry that they failed to think as God does when they were tempted to act so wrongly and abusively. I am sorry for the times when I may have failed you and not think as God does before doing or saying something that may have hurt you.

As his disciples, as people willing to follow Jesus, we are urged to think as God does. And how might that be? Consider the advice Jesus gives. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.” We are to live for others, following the example of Jesus who came to serve, not to be served. As James points out, our faith means nothing unless we do serve others.

It doesn’t take a genius to see the lesson here. More than ever we need to realize that real love requires dying to self if we are to live for others and that suffering is the blood, sweat and tears of life. However, we live in a world that does all it can to avoid the reality and value of suffering. Many refuse to face their problems and attempt instead to distract themselves with overwork or hobbies. Some medicate their problems with alcohol and drugs. They spend much effort to avoid feeling the hurt of life.

We have all witnessed suffering up close and distantly on the news. But how do we react to that suffering? Do we think as God does, asking how we might respond with love or do we think humanly, ignoring someone else’s plight so that we are not discomforted? Trusting in the divine will, Isaiah’s good man did not turn back from life’s difficulties. Neither did Jesus. Neither should we.

Today, Jesus teaches us the need to take up our cross, not literally but the cross of facing up to the issues, difficulties, and sufferings of our life. He will give us the courage, wisdom and grace needed to deal with what comes our way.

Peter learned his lesson. Fortified by the Holy Spirit, he faced the persecution that is essential to following Christ. He led the early Church with great wisdom and gave his life as testimony to his love of Christ. Countless others have done the same since, learning to think as God does. Jesus has given them and he gives us the power to endure sufferings that come our way, promising to walk with us to the end.

I have never served on a jury but its premise is simple. The accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. That certainly isn’t a flawless method. Statistically, for example, one out of every ten men on death row in this country is innocent. Recently a southern state reversed the verdict against a teenager it had wrongly executed when evidence emerged proving his innocence.

Years ago, I saw the movie, 12 Angry Men. Early in their deliberations, eleven jurors were convinced that the accused was guilty but the twelfth juror found him innocent. The angerthat ensued as these jurors argued with him was fierce but eventually the eleven sided with that stoic juror and agreed that the accused was innocent.

The initial conduct of those eleven jurors raises a relevant question. How often do we jump to conclusions and pass judgment on someone without knowing all the facts? Sadly, the gossip mill is always kept busy spreading misinformation and false perceptions, prompting us to render judgments that may not send a person to death row but could damage a person’s reputation beyond repair.

Because of my hearing loss, I am always touched by this gospel passage, the only miracle of Jesus healing a deaf man. But, since the lesson of any gospel is universal, for those of us who are not deaf, what is Jesus getting at here?

Think back to what he said to the deaf man after putting his fingers into that man’s ears. He groaned, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” Yes, Be open to hearing the whole story before passing judgment is a timely lesson for us to heed any time, certainly in the midst of this crisis that has many people convinced that most bishops are not holding themselves accountable.

In his letter, St. James raises another relevant question after describing how an assembly treated two men differently, one rich and the other poor, thus failing to be impartial. “Have you,” he asked, “not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?”

Ever since the grand jury report indicting six bishops for not responsibly handling the sexual abuse of minors in their dioceses, the rumor mill has been working overtime. In addition, a former papal nuncio is urging the Pope to resign for failing in his opinion to act appropriately. I haven’t been able to keep up with the volume of articles generated by these scandals. Like many others, I am angry and sad for I had hoped by now that all the bishops in this country were acting responsibly but not so. Yes, many shepherds have failed their flocks, but are we allowing our anger and hurt to suck us into judging them with evil designs?

I imagine every American Catholic is angry and rightly so but the attitude of some to demand the resignation of every bishop along with Pope Francis doesn’t strike me as a solution to this debacle for that would be like passing a guilty verdict on many innocent bishops, including ours. Before rushing to judgment, we need to act like those 12 angry men and discern as much of the story as we can from credible sources, not gossip mills.

All this anger may seem like an un-Christian scourge seeking to tear the church apart, but anger is good and healthy when handled rightly. Jesus was often angry with people in power for mistreating people without power. So, anger was an important part of his ministry. Likewise, anger should be part of the Catholic life with Jesus as our guide.

Much of the current anger is directed at the institutional church but there is more to the Church than that. In 1976, Avery Dulles wrote a still popular book entitled, Models of the Church. In addition to describing the Church as an institution complete with its bishops and the curia, he described the Church as herald, mystical communion, sacrament, and servant. He summarized it all with the expression, “the Church as disciple.”

The disciple church endeavors to follow Jesus today just as his disciples did when he ventured along the Sea of Galilee. So what lesson can he give us? Jesus’ anger is always a righteous anger, never on behalf of himself with evil designs, but in reaction to how he sees others being treated. Even on the cross, he did not get angry with the soldiers who had crucified him, choosing instead to pray for them. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Jesus’ anger is unselfish and constructive, intent on doing something to effect change for the better.

So what can we do? The pain is real but so too is the healing power of love and reconciliation. Listen to your anger and let it move you to act Christ like. The Second Vatican Council said, “by reason of the knowledge, competence or understanding ability which they may enjoy, the laity are permitted and sometimes even obligated to express their opinion on these things which concern the good of the Church.” So, listen to the Holy Spirit directing you how to act. Perhaps you can write to Archbishop Sartain, or the current papal nuncio, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, or Cardinal DiNardo, who heads the USCCB. But if you do, do so without any “evil design” or malice. Above all, pray that our Church will weather these storms just as it has done in the past with Christ at the helm leading the way.