November 5- Love

30th Sunday: "I want to see"

"Master I want to see"

 Mark 10: 46 – 52

The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102724.cfm

Almighty ever-living God,

increase our faith, hope and charity, 

and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,  who lives and reigns with you in the 

unity of the Holy Spirit,  God, for ever and ever. 

(Collect from Sunday Mass)

For those of us who have always been blessed with sight it may be hard to imagine what the experience of total blindness must be like.  Sight is certainly one of those senses, like hearing or smell that we simply take for granted.  But try to imagine never seeing color.  The words of color such as blue, red, green, and yellow mean nothing to a blind person.  You cannot describe what color is like; it would be a futile task. Even a “color blind” person can distinguish shades of differences but to a blind person it would be meaningless.

In the rare instance where surgery can restore sight to the blind, the ability to now see things is not so easy as we might imagine.  The brain has to “compute” vision, distance, depth perception, color, texture, sunlight and moonlight and movement.  It would all be quite disconcerting for a time to the one who can now see things never seen before, and in three dimensions as well. It would take quite a time and likely the person would need some careful assistance to adjust.  It may even seem chaotic and nonsensical for a period as the person is connection sound with vision.  Was Bartimaeus in the Gospel story today, immediately healed and able to see without any further assistance?  It certainly seems that way.

 But the writers of scripture, John in particular, use blindness, darkness and light to symbolize ignorance, lack of faith, knowledge and understanding.  And in the journey which Jesus had undertaken in the story today, our Lord’s reference is to the disciples, and their “blindness,” or lack of faith and understanding.

In this Sunday’s Gospel of Mark we hear of a blind man.  Unlike many of the miracle stories of Jesus, this man is named: Bartimaeus.  Perhaps he was known in the early Christian community as an active early member. In the story, his continued shouting at Jesus as “Son of David, have pity on me” as an indicator that he correctly identified Jesus as Messiah. Yet, the crowds tried to dismiss and silence him as simply an annoying beggar.

Yet, Bartimaeus gave a determined shout, hoping that Jesus would take notice of him as he addressed him with a messianic title.  He believed Jesus could and likely would have pity and bring him sight for the first time. He did have faith so he could already “see” who Jesus is.

However, there is a more personal desire the man had at this time.  He is brought to Jesus as our Lord acknowledges his pleading voice and he requests: “Master, I want to see.”  Notice, he threw off his cloak, a symbol of the rejection of his old ways and now ready to embrace something new. Physical sight of course is what he is asking for but Jesus offers him far more.

Jesus restores his sight, recognizing the man’s faith but then this man now follows Jesus “on the way.”  Was his newly found sight a moment for chaos, confusion, disorientation having never seen before? It seems Jesus took care of that or at least Mark wanted to make a more fundamental point: the man now took the position of a disciple; a student a follower of Jesus on “the way.” It is a compelling story of conversion and brings into question our own blindness; what we may not see on our walk with the Lord.

I think there is no doubt that one of the saddest things we notice these days is a severe lack of faith and indifference to the holy and sacred.  We saw it displayed at the Opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics; we hear of it in song, we see it in political adds, and certain candidates who place politics above religion, those who tout immorality as the right choice, etec. 

The first reading from Jeremiah speaks of a time of joy and deliverance as God will restore all brokenness and return from exile to wholeness.  It is a reference to the return of the Jews from exile in Babylon but also can be for us a reminder that God will not abandon us but in time will make all things right.  That making right includes our understanding of who Jesus is for humanity: the suffering servant who died and rose for salvation.

This Gospel of the blind Bartimaeus who tags Jesus with a messianic title yet does not know him fully can be seen as reflecting that of Peter who referred to Jesus in the same vein: “You are the Christ!” Or even the other apostles who didn’t quite get the point of Jesus suffering and death yet our Lord, as they continued their journey with him “along the way” patiently opened the eyes of their hearts to understand the fullness of his mission.

I think it’s significant that Jesus asks the same question of Bartimaeus that he asked of James and John in last Sunday’s Gospel: “What do you want me to do for you?”  The brothers were seeking their own advancement, but the blind man was only seeking to see, and Christ gave him far more than physical sight.

As we also encounter the risen Christ, we are like Bartimaeus who is a symbol of us all.  We come to the Lord and ask for understanding, vision, and faith in him.

Our lives can be so packed with activity and with other more immediate priorities that our spiritual life takes a back position.  We pursue so many things that falsely tell us of security, comfort, joy, meaning and purpose that we lose sight of Jesus as the center of our faith.  He seeks a relationship with us and so our Christian faith lends itself to relationship, to conversion, and faith.  But do we see that, and have we arranged our lives accordingly? Do I live by Gospel values always measuring my decisions by the light of faith or do I live in darkness leaping after things that are limited and ultimately unfulfilling?

As in all the stories of healing, whoever the person may be, the Gospel writers challenge us to see ourselves in them.  We are Bartimaeus and we are in need of clear sight to see the things of God and to follow Jesus on the way.

 

 

29th Sunday: Servant Leadership

 

("The charge to Peter" James Tissot)

"Whoever wishes to be great . .  will be your servant"

Mark 10: 35 - 45

The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102024.cfm

Here’s a little Catholic trivia that may come in handy, you never know when. The familiar gesture of the genuflection, traditional before the Blessed Sacrament in our Churches, has been recorded since at least the fourth century and began from a non-Christian source in the court of royalty.

Alexander the Great imposed this requirement of court etiquette on anyone who would enter before the emperor.  They would go down on one knee and usually remain there until told to stand.  It was not only a sign of respect before a higher authority but also a sign of submission on the part of the one engaged in that posture. You were not to look directly at the Emperor but were expected to look down or to indirectly face him.

Since the later Middle Ages this same act of respect and submission has become a part of our Catholic tradition.  We by custom show the same sign of respect as we enter Church before the presence of Christ in the tabernacle, normally as we enter our pew.  My Father, to his own embarrassment and that of the family, once genuflected as he entered the line of seats in a movie theater! Momentary distraction.

The similar gesture of a bow to Christ is essentially the same meaning if you find it easier to allow gravity to take over only to resist when trying to stand. By this silent gesture we are called to submit ourselves to Christ, the higher divine creator and Lord, not in fear but in humble service for others after his example and in his name.

The point of this gesture is a simple illustration of our Gospel this Sunday.  We hear of servant leadership as the mark of a true Christian after the example of Jesus himself.

While all this is a familiar theme for us tied directly to it is that of suffering.  That’s a link we would rather whisper than proclaim loudly.  Jesus speaks openly and certainly not for the first time, of his approaching passion and death.  The sacrifice of Christ on the cross was the link to the deeper meaning of Christian service.  Yet, it is clear that the disciples did not comprehend the connection completely for them personally but rather remain tied to a more earthly understanding of authority and power.  I would certainly rather be the Emperor than the servant.  I would much rather see someone bow before me than bow before them. The pursuit of honor and authority is always a temptation.

So, two brother disciples, James and John, come before Jesus, after he has spoken clearly of his impending physical suffering on the cross, with a bold request. One could certainly understand the reaction of the other ten who were outraged at their presumption: “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and one at your left.” So they ask for two positions of authority to rule with Jesus in his “kingdom.”  Brazen?  Bold? It would seem so.  Misguided and misunderstood?  Possibly.  Selfish and dismissive of others?  Could be. But their desire for two important places of honor is not that unusual considering the culture of the time. Honor was everything in this ancient culture. They seek to be quasi prime ministers in the court of King Jesus.

What does Jesus do with them?  He certainly does not react with anger or a put down as to their misunderstanding of his mission.  Rather, he uses this moment as an opportunity to teach them and the others the deeper meaning of his mission and how they too will share in that, in particular the meaning of sacrifice and suffering for a higher good.  But even more, what it truly means to follow his example of leadership and authority and live as Christian disciples.

 In light of James and John’s apparent ambition, our Lord explains: “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man (Messiah) did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” We can only imagine the changed expression on the face of the two misguided disciples and the reaction of the twelve.

In ancient culture, with its clear divisions between the powerful and the poor; influential and lowly; Jew and gentile; men and women; leaders and servants and slaves these words of Jesus must have had an initial dousing affect.  Like water thrown on the fires of ambition his words of submission and slavery could not have been more unexpected.

These twelve have made great sacrifices to follow him know he says they must put aside hopes of reward and submit, genuflect as it were, to the lowest. He illustrated this at the last supper as he washed their feet in the action of a slave and further expanded its meaning ultimately on the cross and in the sharing of the Eucharist. God went below the lowest to raise us up with him.

The first reading from Isaiah the prophet uses words like: “crush,” “afflicted,” “suffering” to describe this servant of God.  We hear this reading on Good Friday so the Christian community has seen in it a fore shadow of Jesus’ own suffering in this great prophet of Israel.  But it is not suffering without merit for it has a quality of expiation – of salvation and freedom given to it; a freedom for us and not for the personal benefit of the one who suffers. This act of pouring out can only be explained by one great word – Love. In the end God loves us not because of what we have done but because of who he is and who he has created us to be.

Today’s world of rampant individualism; of seeking what is best for me and my own advancement and position and this age of subjective morality which acknowledges no absolute truth for the common good of all and sees power and influence as a sign of authority needs to hear this lesson. This Christian alternative way of viewing life and its purpose is essential.  While there is nothing wrong with a desire to advance in one’s career and to seek respect from others to do so as a measure of earthly success is to miss the mark.

For a Christian to add the deeper counter cultural dimension of servant leadership by example is essential.  We have academic and professional degrees.  We’ve worked hard and achieved a certain level of responsibility but the danger of that is to think that all depends on us alone.  

You may not need to look very far:  your marriage and family, your place of work, your neighbors and friends; your parish community and wherever we may see an opportunity to serve and not be served in the name of Jesus. My life as priest and pastor must have no less examination. We all share in the same call to servant leadership. Our Catholic faith is not a private or personal devotion but a call to live as Christ Jesus and after his example for others. We then become like the food we consume at the Eucharist.

 

28th Sunday: "The One thing"

 

"How hard for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God"

Mark 10: 2-16

The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101324.cfm

May your grace, O Lord, we pray

at all times go before us and follow after

and make us always determined to carry out good works.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God

for ever and ever. 

(Opening Collect)

Just imagine a camel trying to crouch down and force itself headfirst through a needle’s eye.  The image is comical and weird in its own way not to mention that something is seriously wrong with that camel.

But the point of Jesus’ analogy in our Gospel is not to make some sort of outlandish joke but rather, in his rabbinical style just as we have heard these last few Sundays, to make a point so clear that the image drives it home to us.  In this case he speaks with a word of sadness undoubtedly to the sincere young man’s desire to gain eternal life.  “You are lacking in one thing” Jesus says to the man who defends his upright Jewish life of faithfulness to the commandments.  That "one thing" is to let go of the grasp of wealth.

 Note how the Gospel passage from Mark begins: “As Jesus was setting out on a journey a man ran up . . .” Mark frames this event as our Lord begins to set out on a “journey.” As he sets out a wealthy man eagerly approaches Jesus with great honor, he kneels before him. The wealthy man is eager but feels a nagging sense that although obedient to the commandments and living an upright life, there must be something more to gain eternal reward that he hasn’t done yet, so he awaits Jesus’ response. You can imagine the hope on his face and so does Jesus as he looks at him with love reading his sincerity.

The man’s question elicits a response from Jesus who then lists six of the Ten Commandments.  These commandments concern our relationship with one another and that concerning the possessions of others; the things of this world and our human relationships which he obviously enjoys and lives them out as the Bible intends. Jesus senses his respect for God but also sees where the attachment lies, in the people and possessions that are such a focus of wealth in his life. He must make a radical choice, he must let go. Yet, not realizing this one more thing he proudly states that he has been a serious minded Jew – “. . . all of these I have observed from my youth.” Does he see his wealth and advantage as a kind of entitlement? He likely, as the apostles as well, view his earthly abundance as a blessing from God. So I must be on the right track!

In Jesus response to the man, he asks a central question that all who want to truly be a disciple of Jesus must answer, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor . . . then come, follow me.”  To set out in journey with Jesus means to pay the full price of what God asks of us – singular and central love of God and then all others come into proper perspective. What or who do I love more than God or where are my real riches? Can I embrace the radical choice of letting go?

Obviously, the man is shocked by Jesus fuller demand to let go of what the man deems power, influence, advantage, and most of all a blessing from God.  Let go of it, give it away, then we can unhindered follow in the way of Christ. The young man’s whole demeanour changes to which Jesus comments on the power of possessions and misplaced wealth.in the camel and the needle’s eye analogy. It is not only difficult for people possessed by their possessions or by the pursuit of earthly values, but near impossible to enter the kingdom of God

Clearly to follow the Lord is to lay aside that which holds us back; that which possess us. To lose a certain security and to seek trust and a wise choice.

Our first reading from Wisdom beautifully illustrates this in which the author pleads for “wisdom.” To the ancient Jews the pursuit of wisdom meant practical advice on how to manage one’s life and possessions.  That’s a worthy desire of course but more deeply how to order one’s life in relationship with God is the fuller question; the rest of the demand to Christian discipleship. To seek wisdom is to desire to know what God asks of us and to willingly embrace that; to order my life with wisdom (God) at the center.

After the dejected man leaves Jesus company, he comments about the difficulty that a well-meaning but misguided priority of our life will lead us down the wrong path: “How hard it is to enter he kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Assuming wealth is a sign of God’s favor the disciples are shocked at the explanation Jesus gives.  But he assures them that if we place our main priority on God we can have confidence on his journey: “With God all things are possible.” It is not impossible for the rich to attain salvation but it is harder due to their greater attachments.

We don’t earn our salvation as if it were a reward or an entitlement such as an inheritance. Although right behavior is of course beneficial, ultimately it is God’s grace in our lives.  It is the pursuit of the Spirit (wisdom) and only with him will the gift of salvation be received.  It is not what we do or what we have but rather what God has done for us in his Son.

If we prioritize our lives where God is the center, if we are willing to sacrifice for a higher good even that of our own lives for the Gospel values ultimately then an even greater wealth awaits us in heaven. That’s the high road of a deeper spiritual life that is possible only through sacrifice. To live with a central place for God in our lives and to pursue the wisdom of the spirit above all other attachments and pleasures is to order things rightly. But that demands that we can’t have it all; we must learn to say “no,” in order to say “yes” to Christ.

Our Lord’s response is reassuring about the riches that will come to Peter and to others who have done what Jesus advises: “. . . a hundred times more now and in this present life . . .” The what’s in it for me question seems natural yet still a bit off the mark.  Jesus essentially lays the grounds for discipleship.

Each week we gather at Mass around the table of the Lord.  Not to be spectators but to fully and actively participate. The pews are not filled with inanimate objects but with human beings beloved by God who seeks a relationship with us.

We come to give thanks that we receive the gift God offers to us – that of his own Son.  At the same time, we are there to recognize our true wealth in Christ. Whatever we are holding on to or holds on to us we must let go. It isn’t only material wealth that holds us: bad habits, unhealthy relationships, unforgiveness, prejudice and racism our own personal sin. 

I recently read what I felt was a wonderful insight about the power of secular culture today: “We give a nod to God and then go and do what we want.” If we seek wisdom above all, Christ Jesus himself above all, then all else will take its rightful place.