Blessed are the ...

In Luke's version of the Sermon on the Mount, Luke offers a series of contrasts.  Blessed are the poor, mourning, and sorrowful.  Woe to those who laugh and enjoy themselves today, because in the Kingdom they will find anguish.  Luke is not suggesting that we avoid enjoyment in life, but on a larger scale, if we are disciples, we have to accept the fact that there will be pain and suffering as we faithfully live a life of faith.  Commitment to Christ is a lifestyle whereas we struggle with Sin and Evil; striving for what is right and good.

The other evening while at our grade school's 'back to school' night, I realized how few of the parents I knew.  For the most part these were strangers to me.  It was really sort of sad that I have never seen these families at church, parish functions, or even at the school's social functions.  A problem that we seem to have today is that faith is defined narrowly by sacramental moments.  It seems to be an understanding that presenting ourselves for the sacraments, occasionally being present for a liturgical or para-liturgical event, is akin to practicing one's faith.

An article in the America magazine suggests that pesons, specifically youth, who find a sense of holiness in works of charity, scripture, and the occasional Mass attendance, even though they struggle with the 'official' Church, are living a life of faith.  I find some truth in that.  I have met folks whose lives are directed towards 'God-like' things, who really want to believe and have a relationship with Jesus.  And while not the poster-child of catholocism, their faith seems more lively than those who treat faith like the local gas station/minimart. 

Mark's Gospel gives such a rich image of the disciples in their wanderings and misunderstandings.  And yet they will ask the question, "To whom shall we  go, you have the words of eternal life."  Discipleship is a process of becoming.  Maybe we need to, like St. Paul advises, be patient with those whose faith is weak.  More so those whio have a strong and deternined faith must make it their aim to be living examples of faithfulness, and challenge those who simply live on the surface.

While we are not called to be mystics, we are called to discipleship.  We are challenged to recognize the Kingdom and make it present in our midst.  It requires a depth and a journey and a vision of where we need to go.

Be Opened

Remember the story of Jesus preaching in the house, and four men, carrying a paralytic, approach, and finding no way to Jesus decide to open up the roof, and let the sick man down in font of the Lord.  That is really determination.  Today is more of the same.  The crowd brings to Jesus a man who is deaf, with a speech impediment.  Jesus takes him away by himself, touches his ears and tongue declaring, 'Ephphatha,' which heals the man of his afflictions.  "Jesus has done all things well."

The commonality of these stories though is their are friends, neighbors, or even a crowd, who direct Jesus to one who is sick or suffering.  That is sort of what w do at church every Sunday.  We pray for the Church, the world, those with special needs, the sick, and our deceased.  People mention to me all of the time that they have a need of a family member or friend that needs prayers.

From the early Christian community, bringing our needs and concerns before Jesus, and thus responding in faith, has been a  priority.  he early disciples healed, drove out demons, forgave sins, and preached good news.  The charisma of the early Church was the continuation of the ministry of the Christ by healing and caring for those in need.  Certainly today through the sacramental and pastoral ministries of the Church the Good News is preached to men and women.  Responding to the brokenness of those around us is the thing that we do.

More so as the Church continues to grow, and the needs and concerns of our world change too, we have to ask ourselves where the lame, blind, deaf, mute, leprous, and possessed are today.  As a community of faith it is so very important to bring attention to the sick and the hurting.  Decades ago our Church would not have had a ministry to the divorced, those with AIDS, or those with addictions.  In the introduction of the Sacrament of Anointing we read a portion from St. James letter, "Send for the priests of the Church."

In our struggle with sickness and brokenness, Sin and Evil, those who are lost or forgotten, we become most like Jesus Christ.  Jesus takes the sick man, from today's Gospel, off by himself, to be with him and to help him grow into a deeper relationship with the Divine Mystery.  Our pastoral care and concern unfolds the Kingdom of God.

Faithful communities bring the sick and hurting to Jesus.  We are attentive to the neediness of the world around us.  In doing so we remain engaged in the mission and ministry of Jesus.

Nativity of the BVM

For some strange reason I had always imagined that the annunciation occurred as Mary is washing the floor.  The scriptures do not hint at this, and most probably there were no floors of that era, but alas the image remains.  Maybe it is because floor washing (and I mean kneeling on the floor with a scrub brush) is hard, dirty, and it can be painful.  Mary is so very much like us.  There was fear and confusion in regards to the call to be the Mother of God.

But Mary was unlike a lot of us in that she was a woman of contemplation and reflection.  While she is human, she is also prepared to be the Theotokos, or God bearer.  She lives in the midst of political oppression and even religious fanaticism, and yet remains a faithful believer in the ways of God.  Perhaps this is why from the earliest days of the Church Mary is seen to be a model of faithfulness, and even today continues to be our advocate and guide.  Her 'Yes' changes human history, but also challenges us to give our 'Yes' in lesser matters.

In today's Gospel we read from the genealogy of Joseph from Matthew's Gospel.  Some of the folks there were very good, while others not so much so.  What is common for all of them though is that they struggled with a faith life.  We are told that Mary keeps things in her heart, and ponders upon them.  Faithful men and women reflect on the what and where God is calling us to do.  In our celebration on this feast of Mary we come to understand that God speaks to humanity through very human instruments.  We too have a place in the story of salvation.

To be sure Mary is not a theologian or religious leader.  She is a woman of deep faith who trusted in God's faithful words; allowing them to be conveyed in her very self.  The really has to be the challenge to us.  That is our very being is called out to proclaim the greatness of God.

Watchman of Faith

In addition to Labor Day, The Church celebrates the feast of Gregory the Great.  Gregory, a Pope and Doctor of the Church, was an outstanding teacher and leader in the Church.  He brought reforms both to monastic life, and to the Liturgy.  Many forms of prayer and some of our rituals, can be traced back to the time of St. Gregory the Great.  At the time he was truly a light for the Church.

In the Office of Readings today, we are given an exert from one of St. Gregory's homilies, on the prophet Ezekiel.  The Prophet is called to be the 'Watchman' for the House of Israel.  Gregory notes that a watchman is placed in a tower, or some other high place, so as to have an overview of that which he is watching.  So the watchman has foresight, knowing what is coming, so as to prepare the people he is responsible for.  Gregory realizes that he has been called to be a watchman, of sorts, but admits that he feels inadequate for the task,

This is not false humility.  St. Gregory had taken his job seriously, knowing that some of his decisions would be unpopular, and might even cause division.  But St Gregory was a man of great faith and a deep spirituality, and so relied on prayer and the Holy Spirit to guide him in his vocation.  Even in the homily, which we read today, Gregory will allude to the fact that he needs to remain faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ in the job that has been entrusted to him.

At baptism we become responsible for our faith, as well as making this faith known to the world.  In a very real way we become watchmen, and women, of the faith entrusted to us.  We have to stay at high places and  posses an overview of the world and our surroundings.  People of faith, like all of the holy men and women throughout the ages, are to take care of the faith we have received.

Like Gregory we might have the same knowing doubts of our abilities or the use of our gifts, but we need to rely on the power of the Spirit so as to be light to those around us.  For too long we thought of 'faith' as a private affair.  It is about  the community and the Kingdom to come.

The Law of God

Once again Jesus has an encounter with the Pharisees, in Mark chapter seven.  Mark describes how the Pharisees and the experts of the law surround Jesus to inquire why his disciples do not wash their hands.  This is for the Pharisees not merely a matter of personal hygiene but following the Mosaic Law.  The only other group that surrounds Jesus are the crowds, who are seeking healing and wholeness.  But this group is not looking for inspiration.

In these themes it would seem that Jesus is suggesting that following the law is not as important as loving each other.  But this is not the case.  The new law that Jesus gives is a matter of reforming our entire selves so as to be imitators of the dignity we have received.  The Paschal Mystery remains for us a powerful symbol of God's love and mercy for the whole world.  But it is also a mystery we are called to imitate by forsaking our needs and concerns and faithfully following the way of Jesus Christ.

To be sure the Pharisee type truly believe that they are doing God's will by doing religious acts.  The difficulty is that these actions are not converting their hearts.  They are not following through in caring for the widows and orphans, seeking justice for the anawim, or offering compassion towards the sick and grieving.  Or faith response is one of justice and peace is we are truly following the law of Jesus Christ.

Certainly this is more than the "kissy-face" love that we might witness on television or in the movies.  It is the kind of love that challenges us to seek goodness for others, to recognize each other as sacred, and to strive for holiness.  Our life becomes one of conversion and transformation.  We noursih and nurture one another so that there might be true growth and goodness in the name of the Lord.

More so we do not allow room in our lives for the wickedness of Sin and Evil.  Not only do we respond to the Evil which we see around us, but that which hides in the darkness of our lives.If we have been made children of the light, then we need to act like it.  True 'orthodoxy' is fulfilling the law of the Lord in our lives and by our lifestyle.  We cannot keep a count and amount, but look for ways to serve God by serving one another.  It really is what comes out of us that matters.

Tearing Garments and Rending Hearts

In the Office of Readings this morning there is an excerpt from St Jerome on the prophet Joel.  Now I think that the only time we ever hear from Joel is on Ash Wednesday.  Joel admonishes the peoples, especially the religious leadership to rend their hearts, and not their garments.  St. Jerome does a little catechesis here, offering that the action of rending, or tearing one's garment, was an exaggerated expression of angst, and deep sorrow, especially in regards to sin and sinfulness.  The prophet Joel makes the point that interior change and transformation should arise from such exterior actions.

St. Jerome would of course concur with this, adding that penance leads us to conversion and drawing closer to a life with God.  Eons ago the Church detracted the 'sin' of eating meat on Fridays.  Many were distressed by this, especially after many years of eating fish.  But what many failed to grasp is that the Church continues to strongly recommend regular fast and abstinence as a practice of penance.  The responsibility is on us to lead a virtuous life, receive the sacraments worthily, and avoid Sin and Evil.

I like telling the story of my little brother who came home from work late one Friday night during Lent.  He popped a pepperoni in the oven, and twenty minutes later was having a fine meal of a frozen pizza.  Suddenly realizing it was Friday, he didn't know whether to throw the pizza out, or what to do.  But the real question is whether that Friday had been an occasion of grace for him.  Had he engaged in some sort of prayer, charity, and most importantly making necessary changes in his life.

St. Jerome makes the distinction today between Evil and the absence of virtue.  Evil as that brokenness that afflicts the human condition requires a faith response, and a commitment to doing what is right and good.  We avoid Sin and the affects of Evil when there is an ongoing conversion and discipleship that is occurring in our lives.  Just doing holy things does not make us holy, but the decision to do good and to avoid evil changes our interior posture.  This is vastly more important than simply doing 'things.'

Fire or Ice

I had read an essay the other day comparing the 'theology' of Huxley and Bradbury.  Both proposed a frightening vision of the future.  In both interpretations men and women would be little more than cogs in a machine.  The ideals and meaning of humanity would be diminished.  While Bradbury saw a place where government would be in total control of the person, Huxley viewed a world whereas human concerns would center on the trivial and mundane.

I am reminded of the passage from, I belief it is, in Luke's Gospel whereby Jesus chastises his hearers for being lukewarm.  We can in our faith life rally our emotions around actions or attitudes that add little to our faith or relation with God or others.  But we forget about matters of charity, chastity, peace-making, and reconciliation.  This past week we celebrated the beheading of John the Baptist.  John's challenge to Herod was not in regards to matters which were minor, nor did he soften his approach.  His speaking faithfully cost him his life, but it advanced the dignity of the faith entrusted to him.

Our faith needs to be approached with a sense of passion.  Years ago I had jokingly made a comment about the Chicago Bears, to which a gentlemen took great offense.  We really need to be offended and even disturbed at poverty, injury, the lose of human dignity, and the degradation of our faith.  Too often we allow for others to make moral decisions for us, or to direct our consciences.  We are made in the image and likeness of God and need to act like it.

Last week in the Gospel some of Jesus' disciples left because his teachings were 'hard.'  But if there is going to be growth or direction they need to be hard.