Business of the Kingdom

Gospel: Matthew 25: 14-30

Earning money requires work.  Even those who make their money investing spend a great deal of time watching the markets, researching companies, and making adjustments to portfolios in order to realize a return on their investments.  They also seek guidance and consult with others in order to make sound investments. So, the two individuals who invested the master's money were not idle all the while.  They were at work in this way.  

The same is true in our spiritual life.  To realize a return, we need to be about the business of the kingdom: healing, delivering, and nourishing others.  We come together to do this work with others.  We gain wisdom in consulting with others, coming to the Lord's table for nourishment, going off to a restful place to be with the Lord. In this way we earn a healthy return for the business of the kingdom.

The lazy servant did not want to be about the business of the king.  He wanted to do his own thing and still think it would all work out fine for himself.  Many in religion have this same attitude.  They do not invest in caring for others, but are in reality about their own concerns.  Today is a day to reflect on how we might best be about the work of the kingdom and what support we need in order to find success in the field.   

The Kingdom is Here!

Gospel: Matthew 25: 1-13

The parable of the virgins often evokes sermons about preparing for the kingdom, having detailed plans, and acquiring all sorts of things to be ready for the coming of the Lord.  Jesus, however, makes the lesson very simple: be alert and open to the presence of God each and every day.  If we are ever mindful of God's presence in the world, we will have no difficulty in discovering the kingdom in our life.

For the reality is that the kingdom of God is here and now in our midst.  God is present in every crevice of the universe.  God dwells within each human being on earth - past, present, and future.  By remaining ever focused on God being among us now we can never lose sight of the kingdom, for it is here.  Our lamps are ever full of oil, for we are continually fueled by the presence of God here and now.  

We have heard enough of the erroneous interpretations of Revelation and apocalyptic literature, the endless predictions of the end times.  All of these musings pervert the Gospel, for in focusing solely on a kingdom to come in some grand fashion we commit vast crimes against many people here and now, and we deny the fundamental truth of the kingdom being present here and now, for God is present here and now - now and always. 

An Unjust Death

Gospel: Mark 6: 17-29

The death of John the Baptist and the death of Jesus have many similarities.  The imperial powers who undertake these executions do so for light and transient causes - a mere whim, to satisfy crowds.  But the underlying issue in both is why the death penalty has existed: to serve as a tool of death for political opponents of the regime, to silence the truth.  It has always primarily served this purpose, one that is utter folly - as if the death of the one who speaks truth will kill truth itself.  

John and Jesus both suffer the death of a martyr, a death many Christians will experience in history.  To be a martyr is ultimately to suffer an injustice rather than commit an injustice.  That so many Christians would be willing to have an unjust death penalty system - to commit injustice against others historically and in our own time - is an affront to the memory of the martyrs.  It is one thing for the Christian to suffer an injustice; it is entirely another when we commit injustice.  

Today's feast day is a day to reflect on our own commitment to truth, our willingness to endure injustice.  At the same time it is a time to reflect on the injustices we have committed and allowed, to turn away from our practice and commitment to these injustices.   

Authority that Matters

Gospel: Matthew 23: 8-12

In the world we are obsessed with titles, position, and the authority that they convey.  They give us power and influence over others, which is exactly why Jesus rejects them.  Very often these titles convey a false authority and influence, one that is not merited by the actions of those who hold the title.  The Pharisees may sit on the chair of Moses, but we are not to follow their example and teaching.  We follow the example and teaching of Jesus alone.

Consider: who is a father to children - one who has provided the biological DNA to someone in order to produce children, or one who cares for children, spends time with them, and loves them even if he did not biologically reproduce? Or who is a teacher of others - one with titles and degrees, or the one who inspires others to learn and acquire wisdom in life? Very often, those who taught us the most were not found in a classroom.

So, the point today is that we seek the actual values behind the titles - loving service to others, mercy, wisdom - and we let go of the titles.   The only authority that matters and that is heeded is moral authority.  If we lack moral authority, no title or position can compensate for it.  The one who has moral authority is father and teacher to many, while those who have titles of authority without possessing moral authority are the creators of spiritual orphans.

Weightier Matters

Gospel: Matthew 23: 23-26

We are all to familiar with the minute attention given to liturgical rubrics and appointments, the perseveration over placement of the tabernacle and altar rails and other furniture of the church building, and our preoccupation with the lesser matters of church life.  These have come to take priority over the works of justice and mercy - the weightier matters of the law - that occupied Jesus' time and attention in his earthly ministry.  

The critique Jesus offers to the Pharisees and religious leaders of his day is also leveled against those who claim to be his followers in every age.  For we have become like unto them in so many ways, and so little like the Lord Jesus in his priorities of care for the poor, ill, and marginalized in our society.  The woe is upon us yet again.

But we always have the opportunity to change and to become what Jesus asks us to be.  It is ever within our power, and God's grace is ever there to help us achieve this becoming like the Lord.  There are those among us who do indeed carry out this work of love and mercy daily.  We can join ourselves to them, and turn the 'woe' into a 'whoa!'

Woe to Us

Gospel: Matthew 23: 13-22

It is perhaps inevitable in institutional religions that the concept of the chosen or the elect becomes prominent - the idea that God has chosen or called certain people and has excluded others.  Naturally, of course, we see ourselves as chosen and those we dislike as unchosen.  Similarly, ancient people saw slavery as a natural institution to which certain people were fated to be; naturally it would not be me and my kind, but rather some other group we disliked.  

Consequently, religion then becomes more about shutting out others from access to God, and even when a convert comes along we corrupt them so thoroughly with this exclusivism that they become as corrupt as ourselves or walk away from religion altogether.  This latter choice has become the preferred option of the modern person, a phenomenon created and fueled entirely by religion itself.  

Sadly, religion often turns to coercion and the strong man, as it does in our day, in an attempt to save itself rather than following the example of the Lord Jesus who welcomed all and lived in service to all in a ministry of healing, deliverance, and feeding.   The path of coercion only leads to more alienation from religion.  The path of the Lord Jesus leads to life, renewal, and transformation.  

Going or Staying?

Gospel: John 6: 61-66

Disciples leave Jesus at this point.  They came across to the other shore to gain a deeper understanding of Jesus, but they went away to live as they had previously.  The implications of communion with Jesus for their own lives was more than they could accept.  It was fine to repent of their sins and accept baptism as they did with John the Baptist.  But Jesus is expecting us to live as he did - to be merciful to all, to heal others, deliver them from bondage, feed and nourish them, and yes to even lay down our life if need be.

Many of the disciples are perfectly fine with accepting a baptism ritual and even reciting a creedal formula of belief in Jesus.  But to accept baptism and to actually believe entails a new way of living, a way of living like Jesus did.  Once that realization hits people, many struggle and walk away from the faith commitment.  

This scene plays itself out in every time and place.  The challenge to live as Jesus did is ever before us, and we must decide whether to accept the challenge or not.  The statement of faith by Peter will be the statement of faith by Martha at Lazarus' tomb.  May this statement of faith be our daily commitment to live as Jesus did, to love as Jesus did. 

Making Disciples

Gospel: John 1: 45-51

The latest fad in church world is "forming disciples" - getting people to become active disciples in the church.  And naturally we attempt to do this through pricey programs of formation, workshops, classes, and the like - exactly none of which will make someone a disciples but will ensure someone makes money and keep people in jobs that only create ministerial dependency.  

When Jesus calls disciples, as he does in today's Gospel portion, he invites them to come and see, and he invites them to participate in the work he is doing.  That work of Jesus consists in healing others, delivering them from what possesses and binds them, and in nourishing and feeding others.  The disciples are invited to watch Jesus first, then to go and do these deeds of love and mercy.  That's it.  No courses, no workshops.  

If we really want people to be disciples of the Lord, we would do as Jesus did and get them engaged in the work right away.  That we have so few disciples suggests that our way is not working, that we ought to proceed as Jesus did.  So, today is the day: go out and serve others - provide healing, deliver people from distress and grief, nourish and feed people.  And come to church to be renewed to do these things, not to seek permission to do them.

The Key to Discernment

Gospel: Matthew 22: 34-40

In a law based ethical system it often happens that competing duties and laws will exist in a given situation.  So, the challenge is in knowing what to do: how to prioritize these competing duties and laws.  This is the impetus behind the question posed to Jesus in today's Gospel portion: which is the greatest of the commandments - which one has the greatest priority over all the others.  Jesus not only gives a particular law, but also provides us with an entire method of ethical and spiritual discernment.

Jesus tells us that loving God and loving neighbor are the two great commandments, which are in reality only one.  For we only love God by loving other people.  We do not love God in building shrines or in attending novenas.  We love God by loving others in the way God has loved us.  Jesus went about healing others, delivering people from what binds them, and nourishing them in body and soul.  That is what we are meant to do in our life as well.

So, as we go about our daily lives we take to mind this method of discernment.  How is God calling me to love others today? In this situation and decision before me, what is the option where I love my neighbor most effectively? This is how to keep the law; this is how to discern ethically and spiritually in our lives. 

Attending a Royal Wedding

Gospel: Matthew 22: 1-14

On the surface level, we find today's parable somewhat difficult to understand: people are being invited to a royal wedding and no one wants to attend! We in our day are fascinated by royal weddings and would jump at the opportunity to attend such an event if invited.  Even the lowest commoner in modern society dreams of attending such a regal affair, even though the odds of being invited are rather low.

Perhaps that is why no one wants to attend this wedding in the parable: everyone is invited.  If everyone is invited it's not all that special in people's eyes, but that is the point of the story.  Everyone is special in God's eyes.  Everyone is invited to the banquet of God's kingdom.  You need not be of aristocratic blood or wealthy status.  You need not be a particular race or gender.  The celebration is open to all.  

In our own time, however, people do not accept the invitation not because they lack interest in God but because they have lost interest in religion.  They find religion just as corrupt, hypocritical, and elitist as any other institution in society, so what is the point of trying to belong if it is not there to help us be better persons? When we make religion a place of encounter with God, a place of healing and growth, people will come. 

Day Laborers

Gospel: Matthew 20: 1-16

Day laborers are common throughout the world, even here in the United States.  They are a very vulnerable population, for they are often given low wages or sometimes not paid at all.  They work in the hopes of salary for themselves and their families, but they are often exploited and abused by those who would profit handsomely from their labor.  Jesus tells this parable to teach us how to treat day laborers as God would - with dignity and respect, providing for them and their families.

At this point someone will object: is this story not about finding God at different times in our lives and finding salvation regardless?  Yes, but we find God in the poor and exploited day laborer and others.  Our salvation is not in attending novenas but in the care we give to those who are poor and abused as these men in the story.  As we will discover in a few chapters of the Gospel, our salvation is utterly dependent on our deeds of mercy alone, mercy to those like these poor day laborers.

It is curious to see someone object to treating the poor with dignity in this story.  Why such an objection? It is perhaps because our entire history and economy has been predicated on the exploitation of cheap labor and the degradation of the poor, that we are convicted by that reality when confronted with it in this story.  Today is a good day to do something about it.  Today is a good day to do deeds of justice and mercy.

Signs of Favor

Gospel: Matthew 19: 23-30

It was customary in ancient times - and in our own - to look for material signs of God's favor on a person.  Very often God's blessing was equated with good health and riches, while God's disfavor was thought to be signaled by poverty and illness.  Hence, the story of Job portrayed both in exactly these ways, and we see such prevalent in the encounters between Jesus and various people throughout the Gospels.  However, Jesus rejects such thinking consistently, as is evident in today's Gospel portion.

Goodness and holiness have qualities all their own.  To seek signs of such things is foolish and fallacious.  Consider the fact that very often riches are acquired in this world through dishonest means and at the expense of other people's well-being, not exactly good and holy things.  It is for this reason that Jesus repeatedly encourages us to a life of simplicity and sharing our things with the poor. Such sharing is an act of justice, not charity, for we have more than what is our due and providing it to those who have been deprived of their due.

Jesus time and again warns us against riches and wealth, for the desire of these things leads to gross injustices and crimes that harm many people.  If it is goodness and holiness we genuinely seek, we find it only in the example of the Lord Jesus himself who lived a life of simplicity, mercy, and love toward others.   

On Posting Commandments

Gospel: Matthew 19: 16-22

How many walk away from the Lord sad like this rich man in today's Gospel portion! How many of us are so wedded to what we possess - small or large - that we are unwilling to help someone in need! How many have a derisive attitude toward the poor, suggesting they are unworthy of help, or that it is somehow unjust to use tax dollars to help the poor! That care for the poor was a command to the nation is clear in the Jewish Law...

We cannot in any way claim to be keeping the commandments when we willfully neglect the care of the poor.  We cannot claim to not kill another when we allow the poor to die of starvation, exposure to the elements, or lack of access to health care.  We cannot claim to not steal when we hoard the goods of the earth for ourselves and not provide a coat to one without when we have so many for ourselves.  

So, it might be better for us to actually live the commandments rather than insisting on their outward display.  It would be better for us to care for the needs of the poor as it is the way of actually keeping these commands than have monuments to them for mere ostentation.  All too many people in the rich man's place would not walk away from Jesus sad, but rather proud, haughty, smug, and self-satisfied.   

Seeking the Grail

Gospel: John 6: 51-58

Over the centuries a fascination regarding the Holy Grail - the cup Jesus used at the Last Supper - has existed among Christians.  Even in our post-religious age a number of movies exist regarding the search for this holy relic.  In fact, a number of claims already exist alleging that this specific cup is the actual cup Jesus used at the first Eucharist.  

Leaving aside the fact that since the Last Supper was a Passover Seder meal and multiple cups were used, we might well ask ourselves whether it matters whether we have the actual cup Jesus used.  Is it not more important to embody and live out what the cup means and the ritual action of the Eucharist involves? The possession of a relic is a fine thing, but it has no value if we do not live what it signifies for us. To be present at the Eucharist is important too, but if we do not practice what it imparts then it has no meaning.

The Eucharist is our imperative to initiate and invite others to table fellowship, to communion with one another at the table.  To partake of communion is to become the Lord Jesus, to give oneself in loving service to others - to commit oneself to healing, liberating, and nourishing others through deeds of mercy.  To be a Eucharistic people is to be merciful, meek, pure of heart, peacemakers. It is to embody the Beatitudes and live as the Lord Jesus himself lived.

Let Them Come

Gospel: Matthew 19: 13-15

Today's Gospel portion finds the disciples engaged in their favorite pastime - attempting to keep people away from Jesus.  In past scenes they have attempted to keep away foreigners, women, and those deemed to be unclean.  Today it is children they deem unfit to be in the presence of the Lord.  As in all other scenes where they attempt this shunning, Jesus rebukes them and encourages them to have a relationship with him.

This scene could also be the history of Christianity writ large: the various and sundry ways in which Christians have kept people away from the Lord Jesus, the vast categories of the unworthy we invent to keep God all to ourselves.  Can we really wonder why so many different denominations exist, why secularism exists, and why the lack of interest in religion in general grows? 

Today is opposite day - the day we begin to do the opposite of what we normally do.  It is a day to be conscious of how we might deter people from seeing Jesus and stopping that  behavior.  It is a day to commit to finding ways of caring for others in love and mercy, in getting out of the way so that others might encounter God as well.  

Divorce Double Standard

Gospel: Matthew 19: 3-12

The conversation in today's Gospel portion on divorce is one-sided and reflects the culture of those times.  Only men could initiate divorce, and as we see implicitly in this passage most of the time divorce was initiated for light and transient causes by men.  Meanwhile, women were forced to endure abusive relationships without any recourse to law.  What is more, a divorced woman faced vulnerability, and divorce would create poverty and prostitution since marrying a divorced woman was frowned upon.  

So, the disciples think celibacy is the solution.  Our experience of that practice suggests otherwise.  For it has created two groups of clerics: those who are not faithful to celibacy and philander freely, and those who are celibate but cover for those who are not.   Secret families with children are maintained as people speak of the inestimable gift of celibacy while deriding the divorced and remarried mercilessly.  The double standards are legion...

Jesus presents to us an ideal by which to live.  He also offers us forgiveness and mercy when we fail to do so.  The Samaritan woman married five times over was not condemned but instead became a means for many others to have a relationship with Jesus. If we are to allow professed celibates to not be so, we can find pathways for the divorced and remarried pathways to communion as well.

Reversal of Priorities

Gospel: Luke 1: 39-56

The kingdom of God is in every way an exact reversal of the kingdoms of this world.  In this world the proud, rich, and powerful prevail, exploiting the resources of the world and other people for their own gain.  It is a world where men predominate and women are placed in roles of inferiority.  The means the world uses for its ends are violence and lies.  

However, in God's kingdom the priority is always for the needs of the poor and vulnerable.  Here, the resources of the world are shared so that all may benefit.  Here, women and the faith they exhibit are the shining beacons in the midst of men who continually fall short.  The Gospels make these points clear: Jesus gave priority to the needs of the poor and vulnerable; the women of the Gospels exhibit faith far superior to those of men.  

Today's feast is a recognition of that reality.  Mary's faith is greater than that of Abraham.  Her vulnerability and poverty were given priority, and she found protection in others God inspired to help her in her earthly journey and beyond.  It is the task of the Christian to live the values of the kingdom of God - to give priority to the poor and vulnerable, to emulate the faith of the women of the Gospels - so that we might follow Mary in her path to God's kingdom. 

Grievance and Outrage

Gospel: Matthew 18: 15-20

In our age of perpetual grievance and outrage - where every slight and complaint has its own well-funded cottage industry of online warriors ready to do battle - today's Gospel portion goes unnoticed and ignored.  Many innocent bystanders lose their good names, and infinitely more walk away from religion altogether when the vitriol of church life is no better and often worse than in secular politics.

At the same time, the fact that the Church has historically ignored massive scandals and sought to actively cover them up under the pretense of today's Gospel portion is itself a scandal to be pondered.  When the Church fails to properly discipline her members, we cannot be surprised when people turn to other outlets to find the justice that is their due.  

The fundamental mission of Jesus, and by extension the Church, is that of reconciliation.  This involves seeking forgiveness, but it is also involves forgiving others.  Both of these are immense challenges to our personal and collective egos.  Both are also great gifts to us in remaining ever humble in our service to others in the world.

Saying and Doing

Gospel: Matthew 18: 1-5, 10, 12-14

"Lord, who is greatest in the kingdom?" This one sentence contains the entire history of Christianity, the never ending debate over this one question.  Along the way the admonition of Jesus regarding children and the little ones goes unheeded, or at best given lip service, or serving as a talking point to whatever our pet political issue happens to be.  But the overarching priority of male dominated clerical hierarchies is the preservation of power at the expense of others.

Today's Gospel portion stands as an everlasting indictment against all the crimes against children perpetrated, covered up, and ignored by the Church.  Seeing the idea of children of God in an even wider context, the crimes against God's children is ever wider.  The single cause of secularization and the loss of religious practice is the behavior of the Church itself, the utter scandal it causes generation after generation.  

The Church grows ever smaller not by divine plan but by human activity.  The Church will only grow again when it gives up all striving for power, influence, and wealth. She will rise again when her people live in humble service to others with no thought or pretense to advantage for oneself as individual or institution.  She will once again be attractive to others when we actually treat all people with dignity and respect and not merely speak pious words about it.  

Death and Taxes

Matthew 17: 22-27

There are two ways the payment of the Temple tax is related to the death of Jesus later in the Gospels.  As noted in the Gospel portion today, only foreigners paid taxes in Roman times as it was a penalty or punishment for being a non-citizen.  Jesus, being a citizen, pays the tax on our behalf - just as he will do in dying on the cross.  

What is more, the imposition of the tax itself upon a citizen is an act of injustice against Jesus by the religious authorities of his day.  The accusations against Jesus and his ultimate execution will all be injustices foisted upon Jesus by both the religious and civil world.  But as in the case of paying the tax, Jesus will die without complaint or grievance.  He will instead forgive everyone involved and suffer the injustice rather than commit one.

This text provides much for us to ponder in our age of perpetual grievance and outrage.  How many injustices do we commit in our grievance and outrage! How many people do we turn off from religion by our incessant whining and unjust deeds! The death of Jesus was not merely a vicarious event for our benefit.  It was an example for us to follow and imitate in our lives. 

We Know Him

Gospel: John 6: 41-51

How many times throughout the Gospels do people make the claim that they know Jesus? Today's Gospel portion has the people of Capernaum, Jesus's second home, making the same claim.  They are shocked at discovering something new about Jesus, something he had not revealed previously about himself, and they find it difficult to accept.  They fall back on what they had previously known about him, the safety of old knowledge that protects them from accepting what is new.

But once we learn something new we cannot go back to the way things were previously.  What becomes known cannot be unknown.  We discover new things about people we claim to have known; we discover new things about ourselves as well.  People are dynamic and evolving, not static and stationary.  We never truly know another person or ourselves fully, let alone Jesus.  We can always know more, and that is a great adventure in itself.

We can come to know Jesus more and more in so many ways: reflection on the daily Mass readings and participation in the Eucharist; meditation during adoration; encountering other people; performing the works of mercy to those whom Jesus helped in his life.   Not only will we come to know Jesus better in these encounters, but also we will come to know ourselves and others better as well.

The Universal Fear

Gospel: John 12: 24-26

People have particular fears: snakes, spiders, clowns, heights, the dark.  What all of these fears has in common is the fact that there is a deeper fear underlying them, one that is common to every human being - and that fear is death.  Death is the one topic never discussed, the one topic energetically avoided.   Death is also the one thing we will all experience; it is the one unavoidable appointment in our life.

Before our own deaths we all experience the death of many people in our lives - family members, friends, co-workers.  All of these deaths affect us in greater or lesser degrees.  They force us to consider our own mortality, to face death directly for ourselves.  The Christian who pays heed to the death of the martyrs and other saints continually confronts death and the meaning of one's own life - that death is the ultimate foregoing of one's ego, self-interest, and our notions of self.  

Authentic religion and spirituality invites us to forego our ego, self-interest, and self on a daily basis - to die spiritually long before we die physically.  This spiritual death leads to an inward rebirth into a new identity and understanding, one that prefigures the new life after physical death that is the hope of our faith life.  The ancient slogan "Memento mori!" must once again be ours each day in our spiritual journey to death and beyond.

The Foundation of Faith

Gospel: Matthew 16: 24-28

The greatest failure of modern Christianity is its insistence that it is all about us.  We have made Christianity into a self-interested pursuit of our own interests - our own salvation, the storing up of merit, and the equation of material success with divine favor.  The preoccupation with institutional power and self-interest has led to the financial and sexual scandals of the modern church, not to mention the immense hypocrisy it shows to the world.  

Today's Gospel portion and the witness of the ancient church speaks of disinterested love as the foundation of Christian faith.  God is love and first loved us.  God has no needs and gains nothing from our existence.  It is a free act of love that God created and redeemed us at all, and it is this love to which we are called in our lives. To accept the Christian ministry is not to receive dignities and airs; it is to accept the great burden of the cross in serving God's people, in taking their needs as one's own.  

As modern Christians enter the political arena to press for their self-interests and power, further contributing to secularism and the loss of religion, it is well for others to take a different road, the way of the Lord Jesus - the way of selfless love and service to others; the way of healing, deliverance, and nourishment; the way of the cross. 

One to Imitate

Gospel: Matthew 16: 13-23

All of us have heroes and people we admire in our lives.  These are people who have inspired us in our professional and personal lives, as well as in our spiritual lives.  To the extent that it makes us a better person, these admirations are good things for us.  When, however, we become blind apologists for everything the person ever said or did, this phenomenon becomes unhealthy.  That is the lesson in today's Gospel portion.

Peter has great moments in the Gospels, and today we see one where he shares his insight about who Jesus is.  For this insight he is rewarded.  At the same time and almost in the same breath, we also see Peter's limitations, for which he receives a painful rebuke from the Lord.  We can acknowledge simultaneously both Peter's great moments as well as his great failures, and we can do this because he is not our ultimate model of faith anyway.  It is the Lord Jesus.

The Gospels were written so that we might follow the teaching and example of the Lord Jesus in our lives, not anyone else.  The disciples in the Gospel stories are designed to be mirrors through which we see ourselves: people attempting to follow the Lord - sometimes having great moments, sometimes failing very badly.  But all the while our focus and our model is Jesus alone.    

Welcoming the Stranger

Gospel: Matthew 15: 21-28

Once again we find the disciples attempting to deter Jesus from caring about another person.  This time it is a woman and a foreigner.  They urge Jesus to ignore her and send her away.  But as in every other instance, Jesus rejects the disciples in their attempt to keep him from an encounter with another person.  What is more, Jesus will use this encounter to reveal something dramatic.  

The woman shows a remarkable insight in her conversation with Jesus, causing Jesus to remark that he has not seen such faith in all of Israel.  Now consider: this foreign woman has a greater faith than all the men of Israel, more than Jesus' own disciples!  This is not the first encounter in the Gospels where a foreigner or a woman has demonstrated greater faith than citizens, men, and disciples.  

We might well reflect on this point as we examine our own attitudes and behaviors toward other people.  How often do we look down on those of other genders or races? How often do we think God is only for my group or clique? God is at work in every person, in every human life, and God reveals remarkable things in each life to all willing to see.   

Responding to Grace

Gospel: Mark 9: 2-10

Peter, James, and John experience a magnificent theophany on Mount Tabor, and yet as in so many other instances Jesus tells them not to tell anyone.  That seems almost impossible.  It is our natural inclination to share good news and remarkable events in our lives with others, and yet Jesus time and again tells us not to do so.  How, then, are we to respond to such events of grace in our lives?

In the Synoptic Gospels, the very first miracle Jesus performs was to Simon Peter's mother-in-law.  Her response was to get up from her sick bed and serve others.  At the end of this Transfiguration experience, Jesus will lead his disciples down the mountain where they will resume the work of healing people of their maladies, delivering them from what possesses them, and providing food for them in their hunger.  That is the response of the disciple to grace.

In the age of the touchdown dance this response is countercultural. But recall that Peter wanted to build three booths in remembrance of this event.  On Mount Tabor today there are three monasteries - Roman, Greek, and Russian - that represent the hubris and divisions of Christians across millennia to the present day.  Those buildings stand as a warning against the touchdown dance, and an incentive to just go about and serve others in humility and love. 

A Three-Fold Path

Gospel: Matthew 14: 13-21

The Gospel of Matthew provides us with an important context for the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes.  Today's Gospel portion notes that upon hearing of the death of John the Baptist, Jesus suddenly gets a large crowd following him - the followers of John.  They are in need of a new leader, a shepherd to guide them now that John has passed.  John's followers were indeed many.  From John they had experienced repentance and the washing away of sin, but they desired more.

Jesus finds them and sees that many are in need of healing, so he provides healing.  As they follow him into a deserted place, he provides them with food.   Their moment of repentance and desire to change is now continually sustained with ongoing healing and nourishment from Jesus.  What is more, they are now invited to extend that mercy of healing and nourishing to others.

Our own lives have this same three-fold experience.  We have our moment of repentance and turning away from sin; we are washed and forgiven.  We also recognize the need for ongoing healing and nourishment in our lives that we receive from the Lord Jesus.  We are also invited to participate in this ministry - to be the healing of God on earth as Jesus was. What begins with John is completed in Jesus.  

Crossing the Lake

John 6: 24-35

To cross over to another shore is to seek enlightenment, understanding, diving illumination.  It is to move from one level of knowledge to another.  This story begins on one shore where Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed hungry people in a literal sense, a necessary act of mercy.  In today's portion of the story we are on the other shore beginning a new level of understanding about Jesus and about ourselves.

The deeper hunger of the human person is within our hearts.  The bread we seek is enlightenment, understanding, illumination.  Jesus states that he is the bread of life.  By our communion with him we come to be like him, the Enlightened One, Divine Illumination itself.  Only by imitating the example of Jesus in our own lives - in giving of ourselves to others, in being the mercy of God on earth - can we become enlightened and illuminated.

It is not enough for us to simply "believe" in some abstract intellectual sense or in reciting some words.  It is not even enough to receive communion, the bread of life and body of Christ.  For if we do not become like the Lord Jesus in our entire life and self these have no meaning.  To believe, to receive communion is a pledge to become what we believe and consume in all our daily actions.  Only then will enlightenment and illumination come.  Only then will that hunger be satisfied.

Lethal Injustice

Gospel: Matthew 14: 1-12

The story of the death of John the Baptist is inserted into the Gospel narrative to provide a foreshadowing and an analogy to the death of Jesus.  John is imprisoned for threatening the power of Herodias, who would be dispossessed of her wealth and power as Herod's wife if John's message is heeded.  Herodias uses her daughter as a pawn in order to have John executed unjustly.  

In a similar way, Jesus is arrested by the religious authorities for threatening their power.  If people followed the message of Jesus, the entire Temple system and Law would be upended, and the religious leaders would lose their power and wealth.  They will use the power of the Roman Empire to execute Jesus, though Pilate uses Jesus as a pawn himself in order to secure a loyalty pledge from the religious leaders to the Roman Empire.  

In every age and place the death penalty system has been an unjust and arbitrary system used primarily to keep civil and religious leaders secure in their power.  It is bitterly ironic that Christians would continue to support such an unjust system to the present day.  It is one thing to be a victim of such a system as a martyr of faith; it is entirely another to be its driving engine in unjustly executing others. 

Destroyers of Faith

Gospel: Matthew 13: 54-59

Today's Gospel portion notes that Jesus was unable to perform many miracles in his home town because of their lack of faith.  Familiarity often breeds contempt, or indifference.  We often take for granted things in our life that we have ready access to, and only when they are gone do we come to appreciate the special gift, the miracle that had been in our presence all along.  That phenomenon is part of today's lesson.

But there is more.  The people of Nazareth state that they know Jesus, in which case - what need have they of faith? And if faith be not needed, then there is no room for the miraculous.  For knowledge produces certitude, leaving no room for doubt.  Yet, faith exists only when doubt is both possible and present.  It is the presence of doubt itself that makes faith possible.  

For too long we have promoted an apologetics that seeks absolute certitude, attempting to remove all doubts about all known subjects.  In the process we have destroyed faith, making it an impossibility by the very criteria we have erected.  If we seek a cause for atheism and secularism in our world, we might find our very selves as the primary cause in more ways than one.

Treasures from the Sea

Gospel: Matthew 13: 47-53

One of the great discoveries of human ingenuity and creativity has been our ability to find value and worth in things we once thought to be useless and trash.  We pull things out of the sea - an old tire, plastics, and all sorts of things.  We make tree swings out of old tires and recycle old tires to make new ones.  We do the same with plastics and even burn garbage to create electricity.  We have discovered that everything has value and use.

We say that we believe in the intrinsic worth and dignity of the human person. We say every person has value and great potential, and yet our actions do not correspond to these stated beliefs.  We continue to execute people, malign and marginalize refugees, immigrants, the mentally ill, and the poor.  We perpetuate two-tiered education systems to maintain power and wealth among the privileged. We write off many people as beyond hope.  

If we are looking for a reason for lack of belief in God in religion and for the rise of nones, it is found in this massive gap in what we claim to believe and how we actually treat other people.  We have found ways to recycle and find value in all sorts of inanimate objects.  We can do so with human beings as well.  Restorative and transformative justice has shown us this fact. We need only do so and be true to what we claim to believe.