At a Crossroad

Gospel: Matthew 9: 1-8

Jesus crosses the sea, an indication that what is to come will be a transformative event that leads the reader to a great challenge.  People bring him a paralytic, at which point Jesus tells the man that his sins are forgiven.  This announcement leads some religious leaders to assert that Jesus blasphemes with such a statement.  Who but God has power to forgive sins?  But this is exactly what Jesus tells the man: God has forgiven your sins.  

Jesus then asks them, and us, a challenging question: which is easier to do - announce to someone that God has forgiven their sins, or to heal a man with paralysis?  Do we find it easy to forgive other people?  Very often we do not, and yet this is something that is within everyone's power to do.  Very few, if any of us, have the ability to heal someone of paralysis, and yet we somehow would rather give that a try rather than forgive another person.  

God has forgiven our sins as well, and in so doing asserts that we are now free of our paralysis in showing mercy to others.  If God has forgiven us of our sins, we then must forgive others.  Each and every one of us is given this ability.  We may find it difficult.  We think we are paralyzed and unable to do so, but that paralysis is of our own creation now.  God has forgiven our sins.  We have no excuse not to forgive others and free them and ourselves from the cycle of sin.  Today is a day to reflect on this transformative crossroad and how we might respond to the invitation of Jesus to the ministry of reconciliation.

The Price of Freedom

Gospel: Matthew 8: 28-34

Consider today's Gospel portion: two men have the opportunity to be freed from the demons that oppress them, the opportunity for freedom and a new life.  In order to do so, a herd of swine must be sacrificed so that these men might be free.  Considering that swine are unclean animals in Jewish law, we might find this bargain a good one.  Yet, the townspeople do not think so, and they beg Jesus to leave.   We might find that response shocking until we realize we make the same reply everyday.  

Each and everyday we have the opportunity to help feed someone who is hungry, or clothe someone in need of apparel.  Instead, we hoard our possessions in our suburban homes, and when full in our storage facilities.  We have the opportunity societally to feed people adequately, provide health care for all, and educate everyone effectively.  Instead, we choose to build arenas for our gladiators, luxury hotels and condos for our rich, and wage endless wars across the globe.  

We can choose otherwise.  Rather than continually choosing the swine over the care of others, we can and must choose the healing and liberation of others.  In many different ways both individually and collectively - as civic and religious communities - we must choose to live differently than we do now.  For our present path is one of destruction and ruin for so many.  The path of Jesus is the way of solidarity, of care for others, of care for all.  

The Great Storm

Gospel: Matthew 8: 23-27

This Gospel story is often called the Storm at Sea, and indeed we find such in the story.  The disciples and Jesus are in a boat at night, and a storm of nature comes upon them.  But that's not the real storm.  The real storm is the one that exists within the hearts of Jesus' disciples.  They are frightened and distraught.  They scream and plead for help, all the while Jesus is asleep during both the storm of nature and the storm raging within his disciples.

When Jesus wakes up, he rebukes his disciples, not the storm.  He addresses the real storm in this story:  you all lack faith.  You are troubled by this trifling natural storm, and why? Either you will survive the storm and all will be well, or you will die.  Why are you afraid to die?  If you had authentic faith you would have no such fear, for you would be in union with God continually, a union that casts our all fear and darkness in our lives.  

Jesus then rebukes the natural storm, and the natural storm goes away.  However, this does not dispel the storm that exists within Jesus' disciples.  That storm will die down for now, but that storm still lurks within them - and us.  How often do we lose our perspective and composure.   How little it takes for us to be in the rage of the storm within.  Let us attend to our souls and be at peace with God and with one another, seeking to calm the storm within.