A New Being

Gospel: Matthew 8: 1-4

Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount - a giving of the Beatitudes and an application of them in questions of the Law.  The remainder of the Gospel will now be the practical living out of the Beatitudes in the daily life of Jesus.  Jesus will show us by example the way to live out the Beatitudes in every encounter we have with other people.

In today's reading Jesus comes down the mountain and encounters a leper who asks for his help.  Jesus heals the man and he is a new being inside and out.  This first miracle is a shocking one, as it comes to one who was an utter outcast in ancient society, one no one wanted to be near.  And yet Jesus comes to the man and heals him in every way.  The outcast is brought into our midst and out of the shadows.

The Beatitudes transform our leprous lives of sin into lives of great happiness and joy.  Our materialism is banished by poverty of spirit; our pride and anger washed away by meekness; our lust removed by purity of heart; our vengeance ended by mercy; our war and violence abolished by peace making.  By living the Beatitudes we too can bring healing to a world disfigured by sin, made new again and brought into the kingdom of God by our loving deeds of mercy. 

Those We Admire

Gospel:  Matthew 16: 13-19

Every superhero has their flaw and their inner struggle: Batman struggles with vengeance, Spider-Man with self-image, and Superman has his kryptonite.  Those we admire in real life have their flaws too, and yet they have helped us be better versions of ourselves, more virtuous.  The same is true in our life of faith, and today's feast day patrons reflect that fact.

Everyone is familiar with Peter's vacillations in faith throughout his life, and Paul's vanity is replete throughout his letters.  And yet both are also inspiring figures of our faith, people who are foundational to our tradition and own faith life.  We find much of ourselves in them, and yet God changes both of their names to reflect the fact that, in spite of their faults, Peter and Paul can be worthy vessels of ministry to others.  

Peter's name means rock, and we too are living stones of faith.  When we acknowledge the presence of Christ in others and serve them, our little stone of faith becomes joined to Peter's rock and other living stones that create an assembly of hospitality and welcome, of healing and grace that welcomes all, serves all, and a sacramental witness to the world of the power of faith and love. 

Picking Good Fruit

Gospel: Matthew 7: 15-20

Anyone who regularly shops for fruit knows that first appearances can always be deceptive.  At first glance a piece of fruit may appear very good; its outer appearance looks ripe and fresh.  But upon closer inspection, once the fruit is picked up and inspected more closely it is clear the outer appearance has masked fruit gone soft and mealy.  It is a piece of fruit that cannot nourish us.  

The same is true in the ethical and spiritual lives.  We often give the outward appearance to others of being just and ethical people.  We put on airs of living holy lives by outer expressions of piety or the wearing of religious affectations.  But what are we inside? Is all this exterior adornment just to mask the fact that we are not what we appear to be?

The Beatitudes are a sure way to guarantee that our fruit is indeed good.  The inward dispositions to be poor in spirit, meek, merciful, peacemaking, pure of heart and patient in suffering will animate our entire being and make our outward appearance - our words and deeds - truly good and thereby help others produce good fruit in their lives.   

Baggage Screening

Gospel: Matthew 7: 6: 12-14

In ancient cities narrow gates were the entrances for pilgrims or individual travelers.  They were designed for one carrying few possessions - just the necessities of life.  Any excess baggage would prevent entrance; it had to be left behind.  The kingdom of heaven only has one narrow gate; it was not designed for caravans of huge possessions.  

When we judge other people we carry around a lot of baggage that prevents us from entering the kingdom of heaven.  We have to let it go; the Golden Rule Jesus provides is one tool with which to do that.  Would we want to be judged by other people? No.  Then why do we do so to other people? Considering this point can go a long way toward shedding the excess baggage of judgment against others.

The life of the Beatitudes - a life of poverty of spirit, meekness, mercy, peace making, and bearing persecution with joy - these enable us to not pick up any baggage in the first place.  To be like Jesus who came to Thomas and Peter after they doubted and denied him; who called Judas his friend even at the moment of betrayal; who forgave those who put him to death - this is the Way, the narrow way into the kingdom of heaven. 

Do. Not. Judge.

Gospel: Matthew 7: 1-7

If we consider the teaching of Jesus on judging others in the light of the Beatitudes, this command makes perfect sense.  A person who seeks to be poor in spirit, meek, merciful, and a peacemaker would not even remotely consider judging another person; such an action would be unthinkable.  The Beatitudes teach us that judgment belongs to God alone.

To be a person who is poor in spirit, meek, merciful, and a peacemaker is to see oneself as the one in need of mercy each day.  This posture then requires the person of the Beatitudes to show mercy to others, not to judge others.  Jesus came not to condemn the world, and it is highly doubtful that we have been given that responsibility in the universe.  Jesus came to offer mercy to the world, and as disciples it is our task to do likewise.

If we make the Beatitudes our primary principles of formation instead of the commandments we will find ourselves to be more merciful and loving toward others.  We will find the mere idea of judging another person to be utterly contrary to the life and example of Jesus, our only model and guide as disciples.   

Acknowledging Jesus

Gospel:  Matthew 10: 16-23

 Whenever we hear this phrase "acknowledging Jesus" why is it that we think it means standing on a street corner yelling at others to believe in Jesus? Why do we think it means that we should be in other people's faces yelling at them to believe in Jesus? Why have we come to equate this passage with various pieces of the culture wars, as if these issues were at the core of being Christian?

Another set of questions: why do we not think of acknowledging Jesus as seeing him in the presence and being of other people? Why do we not see acknowledging Jesus as extending mercy to others in the same way that it has been extended to us? Why have we chosen to be the persecutors instead of being the persecuted? In what Gospel did Jesus act in such a way?

We have spent entirely too long thinking in terms of us possessing the truth when in fact the opposite is true: truth possesses us.  It is folly to think a finite being can possess an infinite object, and yet this is the model of western Christianity that has led to its demise.  If we instead reorient our thinking to us being possessed by the truth, then our entire outlook and way of life changes.  We become mercy and love for others; we recognize our place in the universe as creatures and not creators, redeemed and not redeemers - invited to share in creation and redemption but not their source and origin.

A New Name

Gospel: Luke 1: 57-66, 80

Everyone in the family and in town were shocked when Elizabeth and Zechariah chose the name John for their new son.  This was not a family name! This breaks with tradition!  Yes, that is exactly the point.  When God does something new a new identity is given.  At baptism and confirmation we take a new name to reflect our new identity as a follower of the Lord Jesus, to reflect in an outward way the change that has taken place within us.  We are a new creation.

So we do not adhere to anything in the tradition and our past that is sinful.  We have set it aside to live a new life in Christ.  Each of us, and the Church herself, is always in need of reform, renewal, and conversion.  We are always called to reflect on our life and to reform and change that which needs reform and change.  We are not to cling to anything in a way that replaces God or equates that thing with God.  

John the Baptist was given a new name to reflect a new chapter in salvation history, but also a new identity for himself personally.  We too are called to a new name, a new identity in the Lord Jesus that reflects our attachment to God alone.  John lived in the desert dependent entirely on God.  We too live in this desert of the world relying on God, living a life of mercy offered to all freely as it had been given to us. 

Matters of Concern

Gospel: Matthew 6: 19-23

If we watch the evening news through the eyes of faith we will find something rather striking.  Consider what is reported and what news stories receive the greatest attention: billionaires lost on a submarine, the construction of a new stadium, sports drafts, celebrity/Royal family gossip.  By and large these stories reflect our spending priorities both individually and as a society.  That we prefer to spend public money on sports arenas instead of education and affordable housing means the media generally have our own preferences in mind in choosing what to cover on the news.

Now consider what receives less attention or none at all: hundreds of poor migrants from Pakistan lost at sea; the struggles of the poor to find affordable housing and good schools; the successful bone marrow transplant for a little girl with leukemia; the homeless couple who finally got off the streets through a good job and people who believed in them.  We may have heard feint mention of the first two items, but none about the other.  

That faith based media is no better on this score shows us how far we are from what Jesus asks us to consider in today's Gospel reading.  We have neglected our moral character and blinded our inner eye so that we may be citizens of the country of the blind, but in so doing we have lost our way to the kingdom of heaven.  Happily there is One who can heal us of this self-inflicted blindness and get us back on the Way again.  

The Religion of the Word

Gospel:  Matthew 6: 7-15

It stands to reason that the religion of the Word should have few words in its prayer and teachings, an ironic truth for many of us who have sat through many a long-winded sermon or plodded through many a theological tome.  Yet, that is precisely what Jesus says to us in today's reading, noting the futility and egoism of prayers and liturgies of verbal excess.  The Christian message is fundamentally a simple one, and simple too should be our prayer and teaching.

So Jesus provides us with a simple prayer, and if that were not enough he provides us with the core message of that prayer - the core message that should inform all our prayer and teaching.  That core is one word, the Word - mercy.  We are to beg for God's mercy each day as we are ever in need of God's forgiveness and healing.  And we are to show mercy to other people, having received mercy from God.  That is the core of Christian prayer and teaching.  That is the Christian life.  

If today is the first time we have heard this fact, it is an indictment on what has passed for Christian faith for a very long time.  Yet, the message of Jesus is clear: our only fundamental duty as Christians is to pray for God's mercy and to show mercy to others.  Everything else is either a help to that fundamental duty or a distraction from it.   

Demonstrating Faith

Gospel: Matthew 6: 1-6; 16-18

We hear a great deal about demonstrating our faith in the world.  To some, this means quite literally engaging in demonstration: being out on street corners with signs, religious attire and affectations, yelling various slogans.  For them it means media empires and the never ending culture wars of demonization and condemnation.  This way of demonstration inspires no one to a life of faith; it leads only to greater secularization and repugnance toward religion.  

Then there are people who bring communion to hospital patients each day; people who cook daily at the local soup kitchen; the volunteer who drives an hour one way each week to visit prison inmates; the mom at her rocking chair at 5am quietly praying the Office while everyone is asleep.  These people are unknown to us all.  Christian media empires will never recognize these folks, but it is these who keep faith alive in the world, keep religion relevant in people's lives.  

To live the Beatitudes is to be the second kind of Christian, to provide a demonstration of faith that shows forth meekness, purity of heart, lowliness, peacemaking, hunger for justice.  This second way is the way of the Lord Jesus who served others and avoided exalting crowds.  Jesus only spent one day overturning tables, but a lifetime serving others in quiet humility.   

Loving Our Enemies

Gospel: Matthew 5: 43-48

We would be hard pressed to find in scripture the command to love our countrymen and hate our enemies, but we find it everywhere practiced and rigidly enforced.  We find it in the enmity shown against immigrants, migrants, and foreigners.  We find it in the apologetic against other religious groups and in theocratic agendas that punish others for not being us.  We find it in the death penalty system, the exploitation of the poor, the deliberate disenfranchisement of those deemed lesser that us.  

In all these acts we will find "Biblical" justification offered by "Christian" pastors who help to support all these acts and more.  Again, we won't find the command Jesus cites today in any Biblical text, but we will find many who act as if it is there giving warrant to hatred of others.  We might be inspired by Ted Lasso, but we instead live like the Roy family...

But in the breach is Jesus who stands between the vulnerable person and the mob of religious folks with stones ready to kill her.  We who are enemies of God are loved by God in spite of our enmity.  Jesus went to Peter and Thomas, the denier and doubter; he forgave those who put him to death.  He lived in fullness what he preached today in loving all people - loving them equally, friend and foe.   

Patient Endurance

Gospel: Matthew 5: 38-43

None of the ten commandments remotely relates to the teaching of Jesus on turning the other cheek, accepting with joy an injustice done against us, and suffering persecution with silent happiness.  It is a task that can only be accomplished in the Beatitudes, in the traits of meekness, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, and suffering persecution with joy.  

It is equally important to note that the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount are not mere suggestions; they are commands and exhortations, necessities on the path to holiness.  We are not conscious of this fact because we have preferred the commandments over the Beatitudes.  We prefer to take offense, sue people, and complain about all sorts of things rather than take the Beatitudes and the example of Jesus seriously.

American Christianity has chosen the commandments over the Beatitudes, finding offense in many things real or perceived on the one hand while on the other being a vehicle of persecution and harm to others.  When a person reads the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount they go in search of a people who strive to live these values. Finding none, many abandon the search in sadness, but maybe - just maybe - some will take up the challenge and seek to live the Beatitudes as best they can.   

Promises to the Land

Gospel: Matthew 9: 36 - 10: 8

In ancient times a conquering army would go throughout the vanquished land announcing all the benefits that would come to the region with the new regime, provided everyone obey and stay in line.  Something similar happens in modern political elections: candidates promise all sorts of things to voters if they vote for them.  What happened then and what happens now is that benefits only befall the privileged few in power.  

In proclaiming the arrival of God's kingdom on earth, Jesus ensures that the benefits of the kingdom are bestowed on all, and it is our task to announce similarly.  What is more, those benefits are shown in the healing Jesus provides throughout the land, healing we are to provide to all people without qualification.  Healing is provided for all conditions and for all people without pre-conditions.  

It is the task of the Church to continue this ministry of Jesus in the world: to proclaim that God's kingdom is here for all, and to provide those benefits of healing to all without qualification or pre-conditions as the world does.  Jesus sat at table with tax collectors and prostitutes, scribes and Pharisees, betrayers, deniers, and doubters.  The table of Jesus is the table of healing open to all, for it is in the process of sharing a meal with others before God that healing takes place.  It is the table of the kingdom of God.

A Word on Our Word

Gospel: Matthew 5: 33-37

How often do we make a production out of making an oath or a pledge? We use a variety of props in order to convince people that what we are about to say next is true.  We place our hands on Bibles, swear on our lives, our children, and all sorts of things we deem sacred in a dramatic display of persuasion in the hopes that people will buy what we are saying.  

How often is it that such displays are as empty as our words? What becomes of these props when our words turn out to be untrue? Jesus asks us to just say yes or no.  Just be true to your word whatever it is.  No grand gestures are necessary.  The only assurance we can give is ourselves, and what we say and whether it is true or not will show what sort of a person we are.  We are either trustworthy or false in our word.  We must own our words accordingly.

This is the example Mary provides for us today as well.  When asked to take her part in salvation history Mary simply said yes and then she did it.  No ostentation, no props - just one word of acceptance and then doing what she said she would do.  The Beatitudes again - meekness, purity of heart, a desire for righteousness - ensures that we will not bear false witness, that we are true to our word and to one another. 

An Unfaithful Heart

Gospel: Matthew 5: 27-32

Again we find Jesus continue to provide examples of how the Beatitudes are a far better way to perfection than the commandments of old.  Today's example is adultery.  A person might very well spend their entire life married to one person and never commit the physical act of adultery with another person.  Does this make them a faithful spouse or a virtuous person?  Not at all!

There are many reasons why this person never actually committed the physical act: lack of opportunity, fear of being caught or being rejected, various types of unattractiveness.  But given the right set of circumstances this person probably would do so if they fantasized about it time and again.  Again, the mere fact one never commits the act of adultery physically in no way makes a person a model of virtue.

However, to live the Beatitudes - being meek and pure of heart, striving for righteousness - these virtues of the inner person transform our entire being in our thoughts, words, and deeds.  To possess and live these Beatitudes will in fact mean the absence of adulterous actions is a virtue, for absent also is even the desire or considered fantasy.  To seek the Beatitudes - the positive way of Jesus - is the path to virtue, not the mere observance of the negative command.   

Beyond the Letter

Gospel: Matthew 5: 20-26

Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus will show us how the Beatitudes that began this sermon are necessary for holiness that surpasses the mere letter of the law.  In today's lesson he gives the example of the commandment - thou shalt not kill.  Now, most people follow this law to the letter, never having killed someone physically.  Does this make them holy people?  By no means.

There are a number of reasons why people do not physically kill others - lack of opportunity, fear of punishment or getting caught, lack of physical strength.  But if those impediments were removed, what then?  The angry thoughts we harbor against others, the bad names and words we say about others in private - do these not kill the spirit of a person, and do these not indicate that given the right circumstances we too might physically kill another human being in cold blood?

The ten commandments are not enough to achieve holiness; they only proscribe our external actions and are negative commands.  The Beatitudes encompass the whole person - body, mind, and spirit - and that alone can make us holy.  So, to be pure of heart, meek, and merciful are much greater than merely not killing someone physically.  The Beatitudes are our way to wholeness, to holiness. 

Which Law?

Gospel: Matthew 5: 17-19

Jesus instructs us today to follow every minute detail of the law until all things are fulfilled.  When will that be? Some argue it was the death and resurrection of Jesus so now we are no longer obliged.  But others suggest all will not be fulfilled until the second coming of Jesus, but yet we still no longer follow the old law.  And even Jesus himself in the Gospels will find himself in trouble with religious authorities for not following the law.  So, how are we to read this passage?

There are some things all of us have to follow that are the same, i.e. the moral law.  These aspects are essential for every human being.  At the same time each one of us has their own life to follow - our particular vocation and calling in life that are binding for us and those called to a similar profession, but not binding on all.  This law we must follow in our lives as well.  

So in each life we have a two-fold law for us to follow in our lives - one that is binding equally on each person, and another that is personal and individual for each human being.  To follow this law requires ongoing discernment and constant listening to the voice of God within the silence of our hearts.  Jesus will spend entire nights alone in silent prayer with God in his following of God's call.  We must find our own times each day where we discern and listen to the voice of God within.   

The Lamp of Wisdom

Gospel: Matthew 5: 13-16

In the wisdom literature of the Old Testament a lamp is consistently used as an image of wisdom.  It is the light of wisdom that leads us through the darkness of ignorance in the world.  It enables us to see rightly so that we may direct our actions to good deeds and ends.  Wisdom is the divine illumination that provides warmth and light to a cold, dark world.  

Today Jesus urges us to light our lamp and let it shine forth in the world.  This light already exists within us as images of God and temples of the Holy Spirit.  We have only to bring out that light through our outward actions to show forth this wisdom in the world.  We do this by living the Beatitudes: being poor in spirit, merciful, pure of heart, meek, peacemakers, thirstful for justice, joyful in accepting persecution.

The Beatitudes are the summit of the Christian virtues and the outward expression of the wisdom that exists within us.  By living these virtues we provide illumination to the word - we provide warmth and light to a world in need of the warmth of love and the light of wise living.  Let our light shine before all people, that they may see our good deeds and give glory to God in heaven.

The Interior Domain

Gospel: Mathew 5: 1-12

The first teaching Jesus provides to the world is the Beatitudes, the central points of the entire Christian life.  These ideals will form the basis of all the other teaching Jesus will provide, and they will be the aspects of moral character Jesus will model for us in his life.  It is these attitudes of being, not the commandments, that are the foundation of discipleship.  

There is a temptation in reflecting on the Beatitudes to perseverate on one that sounds nice to our ears.  That voice is pulling us away from one other Beatitude that is more difficult for us to hear, the one that is challenging us in the moment.  We would like to hide from that one and set it aside and so we run to another that sounds nice to our ears.  But we are called to live all these Beatitudes, and the one we want to run away from is the one we probably should face now.  

Like Jonah we will not be able to run away from that which we are meant to face anyway.  Perhaps that is why we prefer the ten commandments to the eight Beatitudes.  The commandments don't challenge us to change deep within us; they don't challenge who we fundamentally are in our moral character.  The Beatitudes represent a total change of life starting in our inner depths and moving outward to a life that reflects these inner attitudes.   

Not Bread Alone

Gospel: John 6: 51-58

Human beings need food in order to survive physically; this was the reality and experience of the Israelites in their journey through the desert to the Promised Land.  God provided them with food and drink along the way: the daily manna, quail, and water from the rock.  These provided for the basic necessities of all along the journey.  

But human beings do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.  What does this mean? Human beings are social beings; we need fellowship and sociability in order to thrive and flourish as human beings.  The communion table of the Lord provides us all with the food we need for our physical and spiritual needs, but it also provides us with communion with the Lord, with one another, and with the communion of saints.  

In this banquet the bread of life becomes the body of Christ not merely in the elements of bread and wine but in a deeper sense in us becoming the body of Christ in our unity with one another around the table of the Lord.  So today's feast of Corpus Christi is not merely about the elements of the Eucharist, but also about the Church herself, the body of Christ come together around the banquet table of the Lord. 

A Life to Imitate

Gospel: Mark 12: 38-44

The Christian life is one based primarily on virtue ethics, i.e. imitating the example of good people, primarily that of the Lord Jesus.  It is not one based primarily on following a long list of rules.  So today we have Jesus showing us two real life examples - one to avoid, another one to follow, in seeking to be holy in our lives.  

Jesus invites us to imitate the example of the widow - to identify ourselves with the poor and those on the margins, to live a life of poverty, simplicity, and humility, and giving all in service to others.  By contrast, we are to avoid the life of the scribes - a life of outward show of religious finery, cavorting with the rich and powerful, making large but meaningless gestures of generosity.  

In our own day we can find examples of each for consideration.  There are many simple, humble folk whose lives of simplicity, poverty, humility, and total service to others that reflect the example of the Lord Jesus.  They are harder to find because they are not looking for attention and avoid the limelight.  But these are the lives to imitate, not the ones we see in the limelight - those in religious regalia who consort with the rich and powerful.  

The One Thing Necessary

Gospel: Mark 12: 35-38

Today's reading reminds us that our understanding of things like scripture, tradition, and truth are all provisional and limited.  It had been the unquestioned understanding of tradition that the Messiah was the son of David, and yet Jesus questions that tradition by his own appeal to scripture and the tradition.  That which had formerly been unquestioned is now questioned.

Similarly, it had been the unchanging law of dietary restrictions that formed the core and identity of belief in the one God, laws that people would rather die than violate - and yet those laws are no longer held to be binding.  The Temple had been the center of religious life, and yet religious life for Jews and Christians continues onward.  

So often we create idols out of that which is in reality provisional and unnecessary, things that are designed to bring us to the one thing necessary - God alone, and a life of loving-kindness extended outward to all.  We can make idols out of people, our own interpretation of things, buildings, rituals, and so many other things.  But be prepared for Jesus to come along and question it and move us toward the one thing necessary - God alone. 

Show Your Work

Mark 12: 28-34

When we were students in math class it was never enough to just provide the correct answer to the problem or question.  The teacher always required that we show our work, to demonstrate how we arrived at the correct answer.  If we only provided the answer we only received partial credit; in order to receive full credit we had to have the correct answer and to show our work.

That is the dynamic at work in today's Gospel reading.  A scribe asks Jesus what the greatest commandment of the law is, to which Jesus gave the law of love - love God, love neighbor.  The scribe too arrives at that same answer, at which point Jesus tells him: you are not far from the kingdom of heaven.  But to fully arrive at the kingdom of heaven we have to live the law of love, to show our work.

The final judgment is not a test of knowledge; it is a test of deeds.  We will not be asked what the greatest law is; we will be asked if we provided food and drink to the hungry and thirsty; if we provided care for the sick and imprisoned; if we provided shelter and clothing to the homeless and naked; if we provided hospitality to the stranger and alien.  We have to show our work. 

Conversation Starters

Gospel: Mark 12: 18-27

In reading the Gospels there emerges a variety of different ways in which people approach Jesus and how they initiate conversation with him.  Today and yesterday we find groups of people who bring questions to Jesus, but they are not looking for truth in asking the questions.  They are looking to trap Jesus so that they might bring charges against him to religious and civil authorities.  

In other Gospel stories we find people approaching Jesus with questions in an attempt to justify their own positions or because they want some favor from Jesus.  These are merely transactional encounters where again no deep relationship is sought, nor is any real truth desired.  But then there are people who do approach Jesus - or he approaches them - and they possess great openness to him and the message of truth they hope to find.  

So today is a good time to reflect on our own approaches to God: what is our own posture and intention in coming to the Lord?  Are we like certain groups who want to trap Jesus; are we transactional and self-interested; or are we before the Lord with complete openness to a full relationship of love with God and others?   

God and Caesar

Gospel: Mark 12: 13-17

Two rival factions conspire in an attempt to trap Jesus with a question on paying taxes.  Both groups use religion to to justify their political positions but arrive at opposite conclusions.  Each group seeks to gain the support of Jesus and his followers, though such a choice would lead to dire consequences in opposition from the rival party.  Such a trap is set in every time and place for followers of Jesus...

Jesus is rather indifferent to the question.  His answer is enigmatic: each party can find it both as an endorsement and a rebuke to their position.  But Jesus' answer cannot be comprehended by either group using their dualistic categories.  For they only see two possible postures before the state: total acceptance or total opposition.  In a culture where religion was the embodiment of the state this thinking is understandable.  But Jesus is providing a third alternative.

The Church does not exist to serve the state, nor does it exist as a perpetual revolutionary movement.  The Church exists to be the Church, the sacrament of salvation offering mercy to all people of all times and places.  It serves as the place of discernment, reflection, and dialogue for people to make decisions on how to extend mercy in practical ways to all.  It is neither the anointer of realms and leaders nor arms dealer to rebels. To be the Church, to be Christ on earth is to stand up for the life and dignity of all, not just a few based on acquiescing to a political faction.  The test Jesus faces today is ours in every time and place.    

On Borrowed Time

Gospel: Mark 12: 1-12

We have been conditioned to look upon the parable of the tenant farmers as a triumphalistic tale wherein God's kingdom is taken away from the Jewish people due to their lack of faithfulness and given to the new Israel, the Church.  This story has much deeper applications that apply to all people of all times and places and is not primarily a polemic between two groups.

Throughout scripture the vineyard is an image of one's soul, a place God has created and cultivated as a dwelling place for himself.  This vineyard has been entrusted to us so that we might cultivate it and make it fruitful.  Instead, we have neglected it, ignored the counsel and visitations of God through other people, and even that of the Lord Jesus himself as we seek to blame others for the disrepair of our vineyard.  Seen in this light, the parable gives us much to ponder about our own lives.

But if we insist on seeing this from an institutional perspective, the church has much to ponder on its own stewardship of the vineyard.  Has it helped others to be more merciful and loving in their lives, or has the vineyard become a place of bitter grapes where power, influence, and wealth are the measures of success?  The parable is not a polemic against others but rather a call to reflect on our own stewardship as tenants leasing what is not our own.

A Thing Worthy of Belief

Gospel: John 3: 16-18

Ancient religions were dominated by a collection of deities often set within some family structure, though these beings were always at war with one another, beset by jealousies and power.  Their interaction with humans was equally worse, using humans for their own internal feuds or their own pleasures.  Socrates, in defending himself against the charge of being an atheist in ancient Greece, argued that he believed in the gods; he just did not believe in the stories we tell about them.  He argued that if we are to have stories about the gods that they be ones that inspire humans to virtue and nobility.  

In the Trinity we have an entirely new story about God.  Here we have a family of persons so united in love of one another that they form one single deity.  Each person is one in mind and heart with the others, and each exists for love.  This love extends outward to human beings and all creation: the Father creating, the Son redeeming, the Spirit inspiring and making holy.  Here is a God that is solely and completely love both inward and outward facing.

Finally, we have a God worth believing in, a God who inspires the best in human beings.  The greatest blasphemy against this God is using this God for hateful, violent purposes to serve our own power and pleasures - in making this God no better than the ancient deities we set aside for their lack of virtue and respect for humans.  Today is a day to recommit to the God of love and strive again to be in communion of thought and action to this love. 

By What Authority?

Gospel: Mark 11: 27-33

The opponents of Jesus want to know by what authority he does the things he does and teaches the things he teaches.  What rabbinic school, what council of elders, what decree from the empire has authorized Jesus to do what he does?  None exist, and so the only move is to assert divine authority, but Jesus does not do that either, knowing the problems that exist in verification and warrant in such an assertion.  

Throughout Jesus' trials before the religious and secular authorities of his day, he will appeal to two sources of warrant: the goodness of his deeds, and the truth of his words.  These two things alone are the evidence that someone acts and speaks with divine sanction.  It is not dependent upon an office or degree or dictate of any government, religion, or institution.  Authority comes from goodness and truth alone.

Many people have the authority of religious, governmental, and educational institutions but these are no guarantee that the deeds performed are good or the words spoken are true.  Sadly we have seen all too often that the opposite is the case.  But if we pattern our deeds and words on those of Jesus, seeking to insure that our deeds are good and our words true, then we can be sure we are following the Way of God in our own lives. 

Barren Trees and Empty Temples

Gospel: Mark 11: 11-26 

Jesus comes into Jerusalem and goes directly to the Temple area which he finds empty.  So he decides to go to Bethany and along the way he spots a fig tree with lots of foliage, but upon closer inspection it has no fruit at all.  At seeing the fruitless tree, Jesus curses the tree and it dies.  While this seems harsh, there is a deeper point at work here.

Both the Temple and the tree give the appearance of greatness.  The Temple is ornate, massive, and adorned with precious gems.  It is an architectural masterpiece, and yet it is barren.  It bears no fruit but instead it exists to exploit people financially.  Similarly, the fig trees looks quite impressive from a distance with its beautiful foliage, but as one gets closer to it we find the tree is without fruit at all.  Its outward beauty is deceptive.  

So it is in the life of faith.  Many people are impressed with outward expressions of piety, ornate buildings, and lavish vestments.  But where is the fruit on the tree - in our lives, and in faith communities?  This fruit is a life of mercy extended outward to others as the text states.  A fruitful life accepts the mercy of God for oneself and then offers mercy to others in all sorts of ways.  Today we reflect on whether our own lives as individuals and communities are working toward bearing such fruit.

Oh The Things You'll See

Gospel: Mark 10: 46-52

The very first experience of people having their eyes opened didn't go too well.  It was Adam and Eve after eating the forbidden fruit.  They saw what they really did not want to see, and in a way they really became blind, unable to see the original goodness of God and creation.  But is there a cure for this malady that we all have, this blindness to God's goodness?

In today's Gospel the blind Bartimaeus begs Jesus to heal him of his blindness.  This encounter will be the final one before Jesus heads for Jerusalem to face arrest, trial, torture, and death.  This is what Bartimaeus will see if Jesus performs this good deed for him, so Jesus wants to make sure this is what he really wants:  what do you want me to do for you?  Do you really want to see all this?

The voices of the world seek to prevent this from happening, but Jesus and Bartimaeus ignore them.  For we do indeed want to see this path of Jesus, for through it the entire world will be healed of this blindness.  Through the death and resurrection of Jesus our sight of Eden will be restored; we will see the goodness of God and creation once again.  So we say with Bartimaeus: Lord, I want to see.