Westminster Tower Ecumenical Service

Luke 1: 39-45

Dc. Larry Brockman

Great Controversy.  Yes, the Gospel we just read led to great controversy.  Because Elizabeth’s words imply that the Baby in Mary’s womb is God.  Listen again to the words:  “How does this happen that the Mother of my Lord should come to me.”  You see, this one line speaks to two beliefs central to Christianity.  First, that Jesus is the Lord, the almighty God.  And second, that Mary is the Mother of God.  Both of these truths were challenged over the first four centuries after Jesus’ birth.  But by about 400 AD, the mainline Church had made some important decisions:  First, that Jesus was indeed the Lord, and that he was both fully human and fully divine; and second, that Mary was indeed the Mother of God.   

Now you might ask:  Yes, but what does that mean to me?  Well, if you really think about it, it should bring you great joy.  You see, God is viewed by most religions, whatever they are, as transcendent, meaning far above us, on another plane entirely from us.  And certainly there is truth to that.  No matter how intelligent one of us may be; no matter how strong or capable one of us may be; no matter how powerful one of us may be, all of that is nothing compared to the wisdom and strength and power of God.  God is so far above all of us that we cannot think or do on the same level as God.  The separation is basically infinite.  That is what it means for God to be transcendent.   

But Christianity doesn’t stop there.  Because Christianity also teaches that Jesus is both God and man.  And that means that God has been made immanent to us.  God sent His only Son, Jesus, a divine person of the trinity, down to earth, born of a woman.  And Jesus became one of us, living amongst us and living as one of us.  He breathed, ate, drank, slept, laughed, walked, ran and played.  He grew up, wanted, worked, got angry, was sad, suffered, and grieved.  He experienced human life as we experience it.  And because He was both God and man, that means that God shared with us how he intended us to live, because he lived as one of us and showed us the pattern of life he desires us to follow.  And so, that’s what we mean when we say that God became immanent to us.   

But only Christians believe that God became man.  All other religions still view their God as strictly transcendent, and they strive in vain to find that transcendent truth.  While many Christian mystics have attempted to find the transcendent God, not all of us have the luxury of living a mystic’s life.  Most of us, like you and I, are thrown into the humdrum of daily life.  And the example that Jesus shows us is much more practical because all of us have the same human limitations that Jesus had as a fully human person.  We have the Gospels that describe part of his life.  They show us how human he was; they show us the way.   

Now one of the most important things we learn from Jesus is the importance of seeking and doing God’s will for us.  The Gospels chronicle the story of how Jesus, once grown up, was baptized by John, and then went off to find who God wanted Him to be.  Jesus sought, and then lived, God’s will for Him.  And then we have the example of Mary.  Mary was confirmed by the early church as the “God Bearer”.  The Church confirmed the belief that Mary was, as Elizabeth is quoted as saying in the Gospel, the Mother of God.  That is important, because a perfect person, Jesus, was born as a human.   

Ask yourself this:  What kind of person would God choose to be His mother in human form?  Would she be a sinner?  I think not.  Wouldn’t she be as close to perfection in God’s eyes as a human person could be?  Our lens for perfection is not the same as God’s, but clearly, God’s is the lens that we need to understand.  And so, Mary serves as a second example of a pleasing human being to God.   

What was the essence of Mary’s perfection?  Well, the angel came to her and told her that she found favor with God.  But that wasn’t enough.  Her efforts to live her own life, but within the rules of the Jewish tradition, were simply not enough because the angel challenged her to do more.  He challenged her to do the will of God.   

Put yourself in Mary’s situation for a moment.  You are young woman engaged to be married.  This, as was the custom at the time, was the primary vocation for a young Jewish girl.  Can you imagine what you would do if someone came to you claiming to be an angel and told you that God wanted you to bear His son?  And even though you complained that you had not been with a man, the angel went on to say that you would become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Wouldn’t you say- who is this guy; what do I tell my parents; what do I tell my fiancée?  What are my friends going to think?  Won’t I be stoned to death as an adulteress?  Would you say yes in the face of all of that?  But Mary did say yes.   

Indeed, as in the case of both Jesus and Mary, the will of God for them was hard to swallow.  But, and here is the critical point: both of them recognized the real message of God’s will for them, and both of them said yes.  They went on to live the lives God had chosen for them; not the lives that they might have chosen for themselves.   

We are in the middle of Advent, a season of the Church year that calls us to reflect on our lives in preparation for the coming of the Lord.  Most of us get drawn into a joyful anticipation of a secular Christmas.  It appears to be focused on the coming of the baby Jesus.  But it is a Christmas filled with gifts and parties and cookies and family celebrations.  But that’s not what Advent really means.  Advent is the time to reflect not just on the coming of the Christ Child, but also on the second coming of Christ.  The second coming will bring with it judgment for what we have done.  And that is what we need to be prepared for- judgment of our lives.  Elizabeth finishes the Gospel today by saying:  “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled”.  Yes, indeed, Mary reflected, believed, and acted on it in her life.  We are being called during Advent to do the same- to reflect on where we are today, and to recognize and believe in the Lord’s will for us, and then to act on it. 

Now all of us are at some stage in our lives.  We cannot change what happened before.  That’s all in the past.  But we can reflect on and change what happens in the future.  We are being called right here and now by God to a certain kind of life from now on.  It may not be the life we want for ourselves, but it is what God has called us to.  Some are called to certain kinds of work; others to bear with limitations and illness; still others to a life of service to others. 

As you reflect on your life, listen to whatever you hear the Lord calling you to be and do, and then accept it.  Then, the joy of knowing that the Lord is coming will be yours- the overwhelming joy of knowing that God loved us so much, that he came amongst us to show the way. 

 

Christ The King

Dan 7: 13-14; Rev 1: 5-8; John 18: 33b-37

Dc. Larry Brockman

“The roots of all violence are found in the hatred of the truth.”  This is a quote from the 2008 Dean Koontz novel “Your Heart Belongs to Me”.  Let me say it again:  “The roots of all violence are found in the hatred of the truth.”  Thinking back, isn’t that what caused the trial and crucifixion of Jesus?  Because the Jewish leaders hated the truth that Jesus professed,  their hearts agitated and stirred to get rid of him any way they could.  Because their laws wouldn’t permit killing him for what he said, they turned him over to the Romans to do it.   And isn’t that what caused the horrible incidents of genocide in our past century?  Because people like Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Pol Pot couldn’t handle the educated or wealthy classes which could challenge them with the truth.  And isn’t that what is behind abortion today?  Because people refuse to recognize the truth that a fetus is a human being, a life worthy of living, just like their own.   

Now in today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about how He is a King, but He is not your typical King.  He clearly testified to Pilate that he was not a king in an earthly sense-  he was not challenging secular powers to be the power that ruled secular society- Oh no.  Rather, He says His Kingdom is not of this World.  Because the emphasis of Jesus Kingdom is not on power; but rather, the emphasis is on truth.  Specifically, Jesus says:  “For this I came into the world, to testify to the truth, everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice”. 

Now right after this Gospel reading, Pilate responds to Jesus with the statement:   “What is truth?”  Indeed, this was a problem in society at Jesus’ time.  The authorities did not agree on the truth.  And it seems to me that the same thing is true today.  Our society no longer agrees on the truth.  The leadership in our society has asked the same question- What is truth?

Certainly, truth is not always simple.  And that’s what our educated secular society tries to tell us.  So let’s talk abut truth for a minute.   

One of my references had an interesting view of truth.  It said that the Truth can be viewed from three different perspectives.  First, there are the facts.    Facts seem to establish the truth-  because facts are what is generally agreed to have happened.  The car was white; his eyes are blue.  At first blush, these details seem to be the facts.  And yet, people can fail to recognize the most important fact  by concentrating on obvious details and not their meaning.  Let me give an example.  When Jesus died on the cross, the fact is that He did it to show his love for us, the point is that the fact of an incident is not so much the sum of all the details that make it up, as it is the meaning behind all the details that make it up.   

Second, truth includes the morality of something.  It is the right way of behaving in a given situation.  It is the “true blue” approach.  Jesus death on the cross bore witness to obedience to what was right and true for Him; it was Jesus obedience to the call of His conscience, not obedience to his physical welfare, or a quest for self indulgence.  The truth, then, is that which brings forth righteousness in our hearts, not in our physical comforts.   

Third, the truth implies trustworthiness and dependence.  When we say that a friend is true, we mean that we can count on them.  They are trustworthy and honest, even when that may seem uncomfortable.  You can depend on the truth; you cannot depend on a lie. 

Now these three perspectives of truth-   The way things really are; the rightness of things; and trustworthiness- these are all totally consistent with the Love Jesus had for us.  And so, Jesus certainly did testify to the truth, to Love in His words and deeds.   

What about us? Do we know the truth for us?  In the past, our society was a mirror of Christian Morality.  What inspired our laws and the interpretation of them was the Christian values which were an integral part of our popular culture.  But I don’t think that is true any more.  American society today has been secularized, just like the Roman World was secularized.  Society is offended by the display of the ten commandments; by marriage being defined as between a man and a woman; and by prayer in the schools.  Society today doesn’t know what truth is.  So, we can no longer trust society to lead us to the truth.  Rather, we have to seek it out.  You can do that in many different ways- by seeking out what the Church does teach on the issues of the day; by reading the Bible and studying it; but most especially, by prayer which leads to direct conversation with God and the graces that flow from it.   

Why do all of us need to seek and understand the truth?  Because we all want to be part of Jesus Kingdom.  Life on this earth ends, but life in Jesus Kingdom is everlasting.  How do we get there?- by testifying to the truth with our lives.  The last line of the Gospel says it well:  Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.   

 

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jer 31: 7-9; Heb 5: 1-6; Mk 10: 46-52

Dc. Larry Brockman

Everyone likes to think they are special.  Everybody likes to be singled out, and called upon. 

I recall an incident last weekend that shows this.  There was an opening for one of the officers on the Deacon’s Council.  The President of the Council said nobody had stepped forward to be a candidate, and so he asked for people to volunteer as a candidate.  But nobody volunteered.  Finally, after awkward moments of silence, someone was nominated and we elected that person.  Later, some of us were discussing the situation at dinner.  Several folks indicated they would have been willing to serve.  But, to a person, they all wanted to be asked to serve.  They didn’t want to volunteer to serve.  They wanted to be chosen, set apart by someone else recognizing them.  Yes, everybody likes to be called.

Today’s scriptures are all about being called.  First, we hear of the remnant of Israel, called back to the promised land after the exile.  Notice that among that number, the blind and the women with children were specially mentioned.  It seems to me that these are folks one would not normally call to a special role- pregnant women and blind people.  But the message was that everybody was being called by God, even the least capable of serving were being called.  This perception is reinforced by the words that talk about gathering folks from all over the world, not just those that were in the place of exile, Babylon.   

Likewise, all of us are being called today.  We are all swept up in the call to be part of the promised land, the Kingdom of God.  But the call is a general call, it is not one that singles us out, one where someone comes up to you and says you have been specially chosen.  And so, many don’t hear that call.   

In the Gospel, we hear about a man being called as well.  Bartimaeus is a blind man who wants to see.  He has been stuck- a victim of his blindness, his entire life.  But, he heard about Jesus, and that gave him hope.  So, he pesters Jesus by calling aloud to him, only to be rebuked by those around Jesus.  What does Jesus do?  He calls him, and cures him, and Bartimaeus follows Jesus thereafter.  In this case, Bartimaeus stepped forward, stepped out of his blindness because he had a desire- a desire to see.  He wasn’t chosen as special to begin with.  Rather, he was chosen for the special gift of sight only after he made the first step. 

Symbolically, all of us who are called, but don’t respond, are just like Bartimaeus.  We are just as stuck, parked on the sidelines of life, and blind to the call we have all received from God.  We don’t recognize the general call talked about in the first reading- that all of us, whatever our situation, whether healthy or sick, rich or poor, busy or not, pregnant or not; we are called by God to come and join his march to the Kingdom.  But we don’t go, and so we remain as we are, stuck.   

Bartimaeus recognized his blindness, and so he called out to the Lord.  It was then that he was able to hear the voice of Jesus who told him to come, and enjoy a special gift from the Lord- the gift of sight.  And In exchange for opening his eyes, Jesus asks the man to follow him.  He will do the same for you and I if we respond.  The key to our admission into the Kingdom is to have our eyes opened into what is really important, to what we have been called to do in our lives and to follow the example of Jesus Christ by living it.  For most, it is probably right in front of us, but we are blind to it.  Rather, we are looking for something that isn’t for us- fancy things, fantasy relationships, special accomplishments- whatever it is that we do see, rather than the simple things that are right in front of us that we just don’t see calling to us- our children, someone who needs our help, or some thankless job that needs to be done, something that we just pass right over without seeing- like someone stuck on the side of the road as we drive by. 

So, my challenge to you is to pray that your eyes may be opened to the reality that God wants for you, the one right in front of you that you cannot see.  Open your eyes, and take it in and follow Jesus along the way. 

 

September 27, 2009

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Num 11:25-29; James 5: 1-6; Mk 9: 38-43, 45, 47-48

Dc. Larry Brockman

Sin is real!  Alive and well in our world.  Personal sin.  It is a central topic in today’s readings. 

First, James paints a picture that makes it sound like the rich are truly doomed, about to be damned for their sins against everybody else.  But, it would be a mistake to think that this reading applies just to the rich, and not to us.  Because James central point is that people hoard out of selfishness, and all of us are guilty of that sin to some extent.  We all have a tendency to jealously guard what we perceive as our own.  Not only that, other sin often accompanies our attempts to guard what is ours.  For example, which of us doesn’t bend the rules in our favor every chance we get, without concern for what it does to others.   

And then Jesus gives advice like this:  “It is better for you to enter life crippled, than with two feet to be thrown into Hell!”  Wow, such strong words.  We are being chastised to be careful of anything that may lead us to sin, our feet, our eyes, and our hands included.  Jesus tells us we would be better off without hands, feet and eyes if they lead us to sin, because, the day of judgment is coming when we will be held accountable for all that we have done. 

In fact, we are at that time in the Church year when we are reminded of judgment because we are getting close to Advent, and the coming of Christ.  And Advent heralds the coming of both the Christ Child, and Christ’s Second Coming at the Last Judgment.  And so, we would do well to reflect on our sins, whatever they are.

 We may think we can hide them from our fellow man, like the hoarding of wealth.  It’s as if we safely tuck away some of our sins in the back of our minds, sins like jealousy, gluttony, lust, and even anger,  Resolving not to express what we think and do in private.   We think we can hide these from almost everyone else.  But, we cannot hide them from God.  And on judgment day, they will be laid out in the brightness of God’s light. 

Now there are a couple of things that are worth mentioning about this type of personal sin.  First, it affects others in ways that we probably cannot see.  We may think that it is personal and internal, but it isn’t.  That’s because things like jealousy, envy, and lust are reflected to others by our personalities. They may not appear as clearly and directly, but they are reflected by the whole person we are  Much like our images are reflected in a mirror.  Other people can see us the way we really are, even when we think we are hiding from them.  They see it in an edge in our attitude, a sarcastic word, or an unkind remark, and even by silence when we should speak up.  So, this type of personal sin does contribute to the culture of the world, and we are responsible for it.  Jesus comments on that in the Gospel when he says that “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to sin” would be better with a milestone tied around them. 

That’s why it is so important to reflect deep down within ourselves, and identify this type of personal sin.   We don’t take the time to do that in our society very often,  and so, we can make today an opportunity to do that.   

Secondly, this type of sin can be forgiven.  We need to confess it to Our Lord, and make a real act of contrition.  For us who are Catholic, we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  That makes it straightforward for us to get the burden off of ourselves and feel God’s grace in the sacrament of Reconciliation.  Now these kinds of sins, especially when not confessed, make us feel guilty deep down.  But once forgiven, we need not feel guilt any more.  We are freed from guilt by the mercy that God shows us.  We just need to resolve to avoid that sin in the future and then, we need not fear that coming judgment.   

Buried in today’s scripture is a really hopeful lesson about the Last Judgment because Jesus also says that “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, will surely not lose his reward”.  And so, as somber as the Last Judgment may seem, because we fear the wrath of God regarding our sin, the fact is that Judgment can, and will be a time of great rejoicing for those who believe. 

For those who have demonstrated their Faith with works, works as simple as offering a cup of water to a brother in Christ, the last Judgment will be a time of great joy!

  August 30, 2009

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dt 4: 1-2, 6-8; James 1: 17-18, 21b-22, 27; Mk 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Dc. Larry Brockman

Have you looked inside your heart recently?  What do you see there?  Do you see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?   These qualities are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.  They are the virtues that all of us need  to live life as Jesus intended for us to live it.  They are the virtues that we should see in the people that we look up to.  People who live their lives with these virtues should be our role models.  They are the people, as St. James put it, who are “doers of the word not just hearers of it”.

Now in the Gospel, Jesus confronts the Pharisees with some pretty harsh language.  And yet, the Pharisees were considered the cream of the crop at that time.  They knew God’s law better than anyone else.  That’s why they were called Pharisees, because they studied the scriptures and knew “by heart” the wonderful and just set of laws that Moses speaks of in the first reading.  Not only that, they were renowned for keeping those laws.  And indeed, these Pharisees did as they preached for the most part.  Otherwise they would have had no following.  For example, they observed the laws of cleanliness mentioned in the Gospel  down to the last dot on the “i” and cross on the “t”.  So, why chastise them so soundly.  

I think it is for two reasons:  First, because you cannot depend on external appearances to tell what is really going on in someone’s heart.  And so, for that matter, others cannot really tell by your external appearance, what is going on in your heart.  We hear news stories frequently that demonstrate this.  Someone is caught for a terrible crime, like the Kansas serial killer, who appeared to be a pillar of the community and his church; but that is clearly not what was in his heart.  So, judging others by appearances can be deceptive.  And what is so wrong about this judging of others is that it is a means of deflecting attention from the responsibility we have for ourselves.  That’s where our attention ought to be.   

Second, he chastised the Pharisees because God’s law had become too literal, too rigid,  too much a matter of meeting the letter of the requirement and not the spirit of it.  Following the law became a matter of black and white rather than a motivation in the heart to be a doer of the word.  And so, they had lost sight of what it is to live in the spirit of the God who they worshiped.  Going through the motions was more important than the God.   

Indeed, the Gospel tells how the Pharisees did something that shows both of these flaws.  First, they judged the Apostles on the basis of external appearances; violations of details of the dietary laws that they, the Pharisees, appeared to follow carefully.  In this way, the Pharisees deflected attention from the responsibility they had for their sins by focusing attention on the sins of someone else.  Second, the Pharisees had made these dietary laws the issue, not the intent of the dietary laws.  And so, Jesus reacted in anger at their hypocrisy.  Jesus could see inside of these people and, though they appeared to be pious,   he tells them they were paying lip service to the law because they were not motivated from within.   

Now the things that Jesus says produce evil from within are:  Evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, blasphemy, envy, arrogance, and folly.  These are just the opposite of the fruits of the spirit.  For, whereas the fruits lead us to denial of self out of love, the bad qualities that Jesus mentions motivate based on love of self.   

This message is not limited to the Pharisees.  It applies just as well to us here today.  People go faithfully to Church and these kinds of services; they take Communion each time; they put their children into religious education, and they participate in some Parish Groups.  They appear to be Catholics in good standing.  And all of that is good, in the same sense that the Pharisees were good and most of the Pharisees were good.  But, has your devotion to your faith become something you do out of habit, so that obeying the rules is what it is about instead living the intent of the rules?  Are you looking over your shoulders at your neighbors who don’t do all these things you do and justifying your piety on the basis of the lack of observed piety of your neighbor just like the Pharisees did?  You see, that deflects your attention from what is really important for you.  And what is it that is really important for you?  First, that the motivation from within your heart is based on the fruits of the Holy Spirit; that you take on the loving spirit of God, as much as you can, and practice virtues like peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in your relations with others; second, that you participate in the Church and in services because it is a way to nurture and grow in your Faith.  It is a way for you to grow into the Kingdom of God.   

Look into your heart today.  Purge yourselves of any of those evil inclinations and awaken the fruits of the Spirit.  Be a doer, and not just a hearer of the Word! 

 

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

2 Kgs 4: 42-44; Eph 4: 1-6; Jn 6: 1-15

Dc. Larry Brockman

Put yourself in the shoes of the boy in today’s Gospel.  You see, you have 5 small barley loaves and two fish that your mother packed for lunch.  They were just meant for you.  Then, you see some men around you discussing how to feed 5000 people in the crowd.  So, you, a small boy who has been following Jesus, offer your lunch up.  The people of this world would think of you as a fool.  They would be shocked, angry, and skeptical that Jesus would take a meager lunch from the boy as well.  After all, Jesus disciples even said “But what are these among so many”.  But you offered them up with generosity, hoping and trusting that Jesus would make a difference.  And Jesus did make a difference.  We know that from the meager assets that this one small boy had, God provided for his people with plenty left over.   

It was the same in the story about Elisha.  In the midst of a famine in Elisha’s town, someone arrives with a few barley loaves.  Now barley loaves were typically small, and simply would not go very far.  But, trusting in God, Elisha feeds 100 people with them.   

So, both the Gospel and the Old Testament story about Elisha make a similar point.  The gifts we are given are not just for our benefit, but rather, we are entrusted with them as stewards.  They are meant to be used for the greater glory of God at the right time and place as chosen by God, and we need to trust in God’s providence that things will work out even when it seems unlikely.   

So, the question that comes to mind is this:  Which loaves and fish is God asking you to entrust to his care today, right now?  What do you have that you are being called to share with others for the greater glory of God?  Is it your time?  Maybe God has been whispering to you for a while, asking you to spend some more time with him each day in prayer, or in reading a good spiritual book, or in reflecting on the Bible.  You may be busy with the cares of life, so you feel you don’t have the time!  But God can work wonders with whatever little bit of time you do give him. 

On the other hand, maybe it’s some special talent you have.  Maybe God has put a desire in your heart to do something for him or for your neighbor, to start something new, to reach out to those in need.  But you have been afraid of trying, or are afraid of failing.  Rest assured though, God can multiply whatever little talent you have, if you just put it sincerely and obediently into his hands. 

Maybe it’s a gift to you which is as simple as the ability to provide a little talk.  Possibly there is someone in your life that you need to speak to – to speak a word of forgiveness, or an apology, or possibly an invite back to the Church.  Or maybe they just need a word of encouragement to walk away from some destructive behavior.  God could help you to know the right thing to say, to turn your words into seeds of grace, if only you place them in his hands, and take a chance.  Whatever it is, God can work miracles with whatever you have that you place in his trust.  It happens at the most unexpected times, and in the most unexpected circumstances.  Like the small boy whose lunch feeds 5000 people, or the man who offers a gift of the first fruits to a prophet, and it breaks a terrible famine for the prophet’s people.   

And it happens in our day and age too.  There was once an old Christian Chinese man named Yo-San.  He worked in the rice fields and lived alone in poverty in a boat on a river.  He came to the missionary one day and said, “Father, wouldn’t it be good if we could have a real church instead of the wooden hut?”  “Indeed it would,” the priest answered, “but it will take us a long time to raise the money.”  “Father,” said Yo-San, “I would like to pay for the building of a new church.”  Yo-San then produced the actual amount of cash needed to build the Church.  The priest was astounded, and so Yo-San explained.  Years ago, when he was a young man just receiving his first instruction in the faith, he had heard the priest that the purpose of our life is to give glory to God.  Hearing this, he conceived the desire to someday build a temple to God’s name.  So, for forty years, living with no family and no house, he had managed to lay aside most of his scanty wages, which he now offered to the priest.  The priest objected to the gift, seeing that Yo-San was old and would soon need the money to support himself.  But Yo San said that God would take care of him, and begged the Father to grant his life-long desire.  The priest finally consented.  The church was built and it was standing-room-only when the first Mass was celebrated there.  After the Mass, Yo-San stayed kneeling in the beautiful little church for a long time.  That afternoon he was found lifeless, still kneeling – his heart broken with joy and gratitude.  Indeed, Yo-San was a man who understood the real value of offering our poor efforts to God. 

   

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wis 1: 13-15, 2: 23-24; 2 Cor 8: 7, 9, 13-15; Mark 5: 21-43

Dc. Larry Brockman

What do you suppose the hemorrhaging woman and the Synagogue official Jairus had in common?  Was it sincerity, dire need, and desperation- to be sure.  But others surely shared the desire for a miracle born out of these emotions,  And yet, with all these people that were following Jesus, these are the two that experienced the miracle, not the others. 

Now these two people were as different as night and day.  One, the woman, was an outcast, considered unclean.  She was shunned by the people in the crowd, literally an “untouchable”.  The other, Jairus, was a respected leader of the Jewish society.  He was very popular with the people in the crowd.  So, why combine these two stories together?  Is there a lesson to be learned from what else is common in them? 

Perhaps it was to teach us about the combined virtues of Faith and Humility.  Jesus proclaimed that their Faith had saved both of them.  The woman was so faithful that she believed it was only necessary to just touch Jesus cloak.  And Jairus humiliated himself in front of those he led, the people, by prostrating himself to Jesus, because he believed Jesus was the only one who could help him.  His faith was so strong that nothing else mattered.  Indeed, what is also clear from the Gospel text is the degree of humility that these two very different people had.  You see, both of them approached Jesus with respect and with humility.  That’s what they had in common.  Neither was bold and forceful.  Rather, they opened themselves up completely to Jesus no matter what the consequences.

 I think there’s a reason for the need to be humble, and it has to do with intimacy.  When we are humble with those with whom we interact, that fosters a spirit of intimacy in the relationship.  And it is from that intimacy that the relationship blossoms.  From that intimacy, energy flows both ways and makes things happen. 

Certainly that is true between a husband and wife.  They are willing to share their real selves with each other, both a physical and a spiritual nakedness.  It takes humility in both of those areas for a marriage to be long lasting, doesn’t it.  After the honeymoon period in a marriage, there’s a long period of reality that settles in where the physical and spiritual flaws of the two people in the marriage become obvious to each other.  And yet, the two people learn to love and accept each other despite these flaws, and maybe even, because of them, if the marriage is to last.  That takes true humility and love between the two people.  And it results in incredible intimacy- the kind of intimacy that allows unselfish giving and lasting trust between the two people.  And from that intimacy flows many blessings- children, motivation, creativity, determination, and a host of other benefits. 

In this Gospel, we see the intimacy in the touching- a forbidden touch between the woman and Jesus; and Jairus prostrating himself at the feet of Jesus, and Jesus touching the girl to bring her back to life.  Well, the Lord wants that intimacy between you and himself.  That intimacy is established first of all, by your prayer.  But in the midst of that prayer, complete honesty and humility are essential if you are to become intimate with the Lord- the kind of intimacy that you need so that God’s grace will enable you- whether it is to weather a storm in your life; accept His will in whatever illness or infirmity you have; renew your efforts to be creative and productive; or whatever else it is that you need for yourself or another.  Faith in the Lord, and the kind of humility that allows you to establish an intimate relationship with Him, that’s what helps bring joy and comfort to you, as the ultimate answer to your prayer. 

Pentecost

Acts 2: 1-11; 1 Cor 12: 3b-7, 12-13; John 15: 26-27; 16: 12-15

Dc. Larry Brockman

How exciting and dramatic the first Pentecost must have been with the sound of a strong rushing wind; and tongues as of fire resting on the Apostles; and people from all over the world heard their own languages because of the inspiration the Apostles received from the Holy Spirit.  The Apostles were filled with enthusiasm and energy as they proclaimed the good news of Christ and the resurrection. 

Is that the way all of us encounter the Spirit, with a strong unmistakable presence that all but knocks us over, and motivates us to do great things, sending us out to proclaim the Good News to the whole world as God’s priests?  Probably not. 

As an example, I recall my confirmation, and although it was a joyful day and one in which I had a spiritual high, I don’t remember anything like tongues of fire or strong rushing winds and a strong feeling of change at the instant the Bishop laid hands on me.  It was the same way when I was ordained a Deacon.  I experienced a spiritual high that day, and felt very close to God.  But, I did not feel that direct connection with the spirit as symbolized by strong rushing wind or tongues of fire at the instant the Bishop laid hands on me. 

Of course, everyone is different, and some of you might have had dramatic experiences with the Spirit, but I’m betting that most of you haven’t.  So, does that mean that if we haven’t experienced God’s spirit the way an Apostle received it, there’s something wrong? 

First of all, not all of us are called to be Apostles dedicated to spreading God’s word as priests and religious.  Rather, we are the Body of Christ, with many members, each having its own function.  Each function is important to the whole body, so that engineers and doctors and politicians and stay at home moms are all important functions like the priestly function.  Secondly, I think that God’s spirit comes to us quietly, almost stealthily, most of the time, not in some flash.  When we receive a sacrament, that quiet feeling builds up to a Spiritual high as we prepare for it.  And so, if we are properly prepared and of the right mind, we experience a spiritual high and the presence of the Lord.  But we probably won’t experience the same kind of instant conversion that the Apostles described. 

And yet, we do walk away from that sacrament renewed in spirit, and prepared for whatever is ahead of us.  We are prepared for our mission in life, as we are sent forth from Confirmation; we are prepared for the challenges of Marriage, for those who get married; we are prepared to deal with our illnesses and infirmities for those who receive the sacrament of the sick; and we are prepared for ministerial life for those who receive Holy Orders.  Each sacrament confers the presence of God’s Spirit to us and we are filled with His grace in a special way to help us with the specific challenges in life that we will face that have to do with that Sacrament. 

But we must unlock the graces that come to us and we do that by continuing to listen to God every day.  You see, God’s Spirit is available to us all the time- but most of the time he talks to us quietly, when the distractions of life are put to the side, and it is then that his plan for us unfolds a little at a time, necessitating our trust in the face of uncertainty, the uncertainty that often accompanies us as we struggle to make meaning out of our lives, particularly meaning in terms of what God wants us to do with our lives. 

Now St. Paul tells us that “to each individual, the manifestation of the spirit is given for some benefit”.  So really, that’s what we need to find out, isn’t it.  What service are we destined to perform that God has given us special talents to do  So that we bear fruit that benefits others.  In that regard,  One spiritual writer has recommended that every Christian learn to deal their “holy discontents”.  As Christians, we know that there are lots of things wrong in the world, and in our lives-.   But not all the wrongs in the world touch our hearts with the same intensity.  For each of us, particular things resonate more than the others; these are our “holy discontents”.  When we get away from the distractions of life for just a little while, some of these things keep coming up, and along with them, God’s spirit is prompting us, nudging us, ever so gently to do something.  It may be the homeless, or the injustice of abortion, or the lack of solid religious education in our children, or the weak Christian presence in politics.  Maybe God has given us a special sensitivity in one of these areas because he is calling us to shine his light there.  If each of us made the commitment to brighten up just one such dark corner with Christ’s light this year, think how much brighter the world would be next year! 

St. Patrick once had a dream.  He dreamt that Jesus called him over to the edge of a hilltop overlooking a fertile valley at night time.  St. Patrick looked down and saw many people, each holding a candle, such that the whole valley was illuminated.  Jesus told him that these were the people that he had influenced through his ministry.  St. Patrick smiled, but then his smile waned as he saw most of the lights go out.  He asked Jesus if that meant his people would abandon their faith.  Jesus pointed again to the valley, and St. Patrick noticed one candle was still lit, and then another, and another, and another, as the lights spread like wildfire.  That’s what we are called to do by the Spirit.  To constantly rekindle the light of Christ amongst his people in whatever way we are called as individuals to do it. 

  April 15, 2009

Second Sunday of Easter

Jn 20: 19-31

Westminster Tower

Dc. Larry Brockman

The great English Poet Alfred Lord Tennyson once wrote:  “There lives more faith in honest doubt, believe me, ten in half the creeds”.  And yet, every time we hear this Gospel, we usually jump to the conclusion that Thomas’ faith was weak because he doubted.  So how can Tennyson be right? 

One thing that generally unites us Christians is our Creed.  No matter whether you are Presbyterian, Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopalian, or any of most other Christian denominations, you believe in the Nicene Creed.  That’s because it summarizes our belief in the Trinity, Jesus’ Incarnation as true God and True Man, and the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.  So, how could Tennyson possibly be right?  How can a doubting Thomas have more faith than people who profess the Creed? 

Well, first of all, sometimes we just recite the Creed without really thinking about it.  It becomes second nature, repetitive- in other words, It looses it’s life, its meaning.  We can recite the Creed, but do we say Amen to it, and really mean that word?  Contrary to popular belief, Amen doesn’t mean “the end”.  No, Amen means- Yes, Absolutely. Certainly, I do believe with all my heart.  When you recite your Creed, is that the way you believe, with a big “Amen”? 

Now the Gospel we just heard is something that occurred on the first Easter Sunday.  Put yourselves into the scene as one of the Apostles.  You are huddled in fear, locked in a room, waiting for the danger to pass.  You see, your hero, Jesus, who had spoken so long and often about the coming Kingdom of God, and his role as the Son of God, had been snatched like a thief, treated like a common and dangerous criminal, and hung on a Cross.  You didn’t see any miracles when they tried and convicted your hero; when the flogged him, and led him away; and when they crucified him.  Nothing- but you expected miracles because you had seen the water turned to wine, blind and sick people cured, and even dead people rising from the dead.  So, what happened?  He was gone in a flash, that’s what happened, fulfilling His father’s will. And He had left them all in a state of disarray.  It all happened so quickly, and the crowd and authorities were so angry.  Could it happen to you?  Would it happen to you, as an apostle?  Would the authorities come and round up the rest of the Jesus crowd.  After all, Jesus was the ring leader, but there were still those other guys- the Apostles out there.  So- they all hid, locked in an upper room, waiting and hoping for the danger to pass. 

All that is, except for Thomas.  He wasn’t there.  Now Thomas, it seems, had the reputation of being a pessimist.  But if you look behind the surface, it wasn’t that he was negative, or that he didn’t love Jesus.  It was that Thomas had vision.  Let me explain.  When Jesus said he was going to Jerusalem for the Passover, the Apostles expressed fear- they were afraid that the Jews would come after Jesus.  And it was then that Thomas said, sarcastically, “Let us go that we may die also”.  Pessimistic, yes; but at the same time, Thomas is just showing that he thinks things through.  He tries to see and think like a chess player, making sure he sees all the moves coming, never to be surprised.  And he did see the whole terrible scene coming- that was true.  But he loved Jesus enough to follow after Him even when he expected the coming disaster. 

I can relate to well to Thomas.  I was an engineer for 35 years before I retired and became a Deacon.  People used to think I was a pessimist, too.  But part of it was just the ability to see things coming.  It was that analytic mind that God gifted me with.  And frequently the disasters I dreaded happened too.  “If only others had listened”, I would think.  I’ll bet lots of you think that way also.  Likewise, Thomas doesn’t just blindly accept things on Faith, either.  He had to think things through to be convinced. 

So, maybe Thomas wasn’t with the rest of the Apostles because he was doing just that.  He needed to be alone, and think things through.  And when you think things through, one of the things that plagues you, is doubt- real doubt.  It’s kind of like when you decide to get married, as I think about it.  If you didn’t go through a period of doubt before you got married, then you didn’t think very hard about it.  Be honest about it- when you thought about getting married, you had to work through the doubt, didn’t you. 

Now I say all this because it is important to understand that there is, in fact, more belief in doubt than in half the Creeds.  Tennyson was right.  Because there is a big difference between really believing by saying “Amen” in the true sense of the word, and just reciting the Creed.  In fact, we can’t say “Amen” to our Creed truthfully unless we work through the doubt. 

Now, there’s a curious thing about Jesus way of dealing with people.  Jesus was very patient with Thomas.  Jesus just very lovingly asks Thomas to do what Thomas requested in his own words.  Contrast that with Jesus attitude about hypocrites; or when Peter admonished Jesus not to talk about dying on a Cross, or when Jesus encountered moneychangers in the Temple.  Jesus got angry in all three of these cases.  Yes, Jesus said that those who did not see, and believed, were blessed.  But, Jesus was patient with Thomas.  Thomas stood before Him undoubtedly waiting for the scathing words and a tongue lashing for his unbelief.   But, they never came.   Rather, Jesus was patient with Thomas, and just gave him the facts   And Jesus is patient with us.  He gives us a lifetime to put it all together; to gather the facts, and to resolve our doubts.  Once Thomas believed, he made the clearest statement of recognition of Jesus as God in the Gospels.  Without touching, as Thomas had requested, Thomas said “My Lord and My God”.  Thomas said “Amen” in the true sense of the word. 

Unlike the Apostles locked up in that room, who knew Jesus first hand, and lived the events of the First Easter, actually seeing the resurrected Christ, we have the dilemma that Thomas had.  We are challenged to work through our doubts, and to believe, with a great “Amen”, that Jesus did rise from the dead without seeing Him.  To do that, we will experience doubt- recurring doubt. 

In today’s world, there are many who try to explain away the significance of the resurrection; many who don’t really believe it happened.  They refuse to believe- they believe only what they can see; only what science can “prove”.  They don’t go through a cycle of doubt and resolution, but rather, they just choose not to believe.  In the end, Faith is believing without seeing.  Real faith and belief is based on the revelation of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior to us.  It’s saying “Amen” to all the things we believe in our Creed.  It is fine honed by recurring cycles of doubt, resolved by that inner voice inside of us, God validating his Presence over and over again. 

We are in the peak of the Easter season.  If you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that he died for you, was resurrected from the Dead, and that you will be saved, then rejoice, and say after me: Jesus Christ is risen; He is indeed!- “Amen”. 

  March 1, 2009

1st Sunday of Lent

Gen 9:8-15: 1 Pet 3:18-22; Mk 1:12-15

Dc. Larry Brockman

This is the time of fulfillment!  That’s what Jesus said as he emerged from the desert after 40 days.  My prayer is that you and I can do the same- that we can emerge from our Lenten desert experience with joy and the sure knowledge that we are in the age of fulfillment.  But, that will only happen if you take Lent seriously, and use it as a time to reflect on what is important for you to do with the rest of your life, so that you can feel that you have reached the time of fulfillment.  And, we have the full forty days of Lent to do that.   

Just what is the significance of the number 40?  Well, recall that Noah endured a flood which lasted 40 days and 40 nights.  That flood purified the earth of the evil that had angered the Lord.  Noah and his family emerged after that 40 days with the first of God’s Covenants with man.  The gift God gave was a new chance for his people to start anew once the evil that had plagued the world before the flood was washed away forever.  That is what we are being called to do during Lent- to be purified of whatever evils plague us in our lives and respond anew to God’s love with our lives.   

The evils that we need to purge can be many things- things like complacency that dulls our sense of what God’s will is for us; attachments that interfere with our spiritual journey to grow closer to God; or fear about taking a step in a new direction that would help us to grow in our relationship with God.  These are just three things, but in all these cases, we are being challenged to a change of heart because it is the evil in our hearts that must be purified if we are to make significant changes in our lives.   

Now the Church advises that we use three tools during Lent to help us to deal with a change of heart.  They are fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.   

What about fasting?  Fasting can be any form of self denial; it doesn’t have to be food.  You could give up TV, give up beer, give up playing cards.  Fasting is giving up something that gratifies you.  Why should you do it?  Because when you fast, you learn to appreciate the hunger that so many people experience in this world.  Fasting gives you a sense of compassion for the suffering of others because the new sacrifice you make helps you to identify with the suffering of others.  And in this way, fasting can open up your hearts to the needs of others that God wants you to act on.   

The second tool is prayer.  You first need to enter the equivalent of the desert to pray.  That means you need to get away from things and people so you can spend some quiet time praying.  You need an environment that is devoid of distractions so that when you pray, you can hear God speak to you.  And, you need some time for the dialogue that follows, so that you can respond from the heart.  And so, by following Jesus into a type of desert during these 40 days, your prayers can be much more meaningful.   

The third tool is almsgiving.  Now, if almsgiving means dropping a few extra coins in the collection basket or sending a check to your favorite charity, then you’ve missed the point.  Almsgiving is intended to prepare you for your response to the calling you hear in your prayers.  Almsgiving is a sacrifice you make to help someone else.  If you give something freely out of your hearts in almsgiving, then it will be that much easier to give of yourselves in the response  God is calling you to make in your prayer.   

The Gospel tells us that Jesus was tempted over the forty days.  Indeed, all of you will be tempted as well.  All of you will find the road to abandon your desert experience of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, as wide and well defined as a six lane freeway.  But the road through the desert will be ill defined and difficult.  The thing to remember is that end game.  You see Jesus emerged from his desert with great enthusiasm and happiness, proclaiming that the time of fulfillment was now, and that the Kingdom of God was at hand.  Jesus did that knowing what his mission was going to be. 

None of us would want the pain and suffering of Jesus mission.  None of us, fortunately, will have to endure that kind of suffering.  But, when you emerge from the Lenten desert knowing what God wants for you.  You will experience real joy, no matter what the consequences.