Fish Story

 

3^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Word of God Sunday

The Church has proclaimed today, the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, to be Word of God Sunday. This is a new celebration that Pope Francis instituted only 2 years ago, and the emphasis is on the meaning and importance and celebration of the holy scriptures. Sacred scripture is necessary for our understanding of God and how he has revealed himself to us. St. Paul told Timothy that,

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

It is through scripture that God reveals himself to us in very important and meaningful ways, but the Word of God is not just relegated to the written word. Jesus did not walk around with the scriptures. He studied them and opened his listeners’ hearts and minds to how they applied to him as the Messiah, but he was the scriptures for them, and the word of God lived and preached was the first gospel.

The first books of the New Testament were not written until almost 20 years after Jesus’ ascension into heaven. The first gospel, Mark, wasn’t written until around the year 67, and the other gospels twenty to thirty years after that. Up until that time the word was preached, not read. It was lived by the disciples, and that experience was so deep and effective that the roots of the Church were firmly planted and grew strong. The preaching of Peter that first Pentecost led to over 3000 people being baptized! We hear in the Acts of the Apostles that the apostles dedicated themselves to the preaching of the word and to prayer. According to St. Clement, by the time of the death of the last apostle, the gospel had been preached and churches had been established throughout the entire Roman empire. And the canon of scripture has been handed down to us, unchanged and unbroken, since the 4^th century.

Mark has Jesus starting his public ministry today proclaiming the gospel. The Word of God proclaimed the word of God. The gospel Jesus proclaimed was so compelling and life changing that the apostles left everything, their work, their family, their way of life, to follow him. To them the word of God was not something just captured on a page, it was alive before them. We speak a lot about living the gospel. To the disciples, the gospel was literally living amongst them.

The author of the Letter to the Hebrews says that “Indeed, God’s word is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. It penetrates and divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the reflections and thoughts of the heart.” The word of God is alive. Sacred scripture is not ancient history, it is current reality. It is your reality. It can and should cut you to the bone and reveal your true self to yourself. It should be so compelling that it changes the course of your life. Can you see now how the living word of God, physically present to the apostles, drove them to leave hearth and home and follow him? Has it done the same to you?

I think it is serendipitous that the readings today are about the calling of the apostles. The word of God is always compelling, it always calls us to do something. It always challenges us to change. Jesus didn’t invite Peter, James and John to join a book club. He asked them to follow him in a completely new way of thinking and a new way of life. Jesus’ message was always that the Kingdom of God is at hand, and it was. His was the kingship that was at hand. His message was that God is not just found in some faraway heaven or even just in words on a page. God is found in the most common places, in the most everyday activities, and in the most personally intimate situations.

I do not think it was by accident that Jesus first called fishermen, because the analogy of fishing for men is so perfect for our own call to discipleship. There are many different ways to fish. Sometimes you throw a net to catch as many as you can, and then sort out the good catch from the poor later on. The word of God is broadcast far and wide in many ways, in preaching and teaching, in live gatherings and through mass media, and some people accept it and many do not. It is not up to the fisher to discriminate; it is his or her job to simply spread the net and then let the Holy Spirit haul in the catch of souls.

Sometimes you target a specific fish when fishing. How many here are fly fishers? It is an active activity rather than a passive one. When I bait fish, I cast the line to a place where I think the fish might be and let it sit there a while, hoping to get a bite. I wait for the fish to come to me. Fly fishing is more like hunting. When fly fishing I cast the fly upstream of where I think the fish may be and let the line float back down to that spot. We call it presenting the fly to the fish. I propose the bait to them so that they discover it naturally. I make it their idea, not mine. And if I don’t get a strike immediately, I pull the line and try again. The fish in a stream or lake are constantly moving, searching for food, working in the currents and water temperature changes. Good fishers understand this and go to where the fish are. They understand the everyday life of the fish and constantly correct how they present the fly or the bait.

Effective ministers of the word present the word, as it were, and allow it to flow to where the people are, naturally. And we keep trying, adjusting the message to the everyday life of the people. The word, whether written or spoken, doesn’t change. The gospel is always the gospel, but the way it is presented must remain relevant to each and every recipient. The word of God has little to do with the messenger. It is effective in and of itself. Even the reluctant prophet, such as Jonah today, can change hearts.

We have a wonderful combination of the written and preached word here at Mass, don’t we? The Church has structured the scriptural presentation of the word very deliberately throughout the liturgical year. Every Sunday, every Mass, has specific readings laid out. There are three cycles of readings, A, B, and C, that rotate on a three-year progression. Every three years you will hear the same readings on that specific Sunday. Cycle A focuses on the gospel of Matthew, Cycle B on Mark, and Cycle C on Luke. John is sprinkled throughout each cycle, especially during the Easter season. Three years ago, on the third Sunday in Ordinary Time we had these same readings. But even though we repeat the readings they never get stale or irrelevant.

People have asked me if I every recycle my homilies, and I tell them no, I don’t think I should. Not just because that would be lazy but because while the specific readings haven’t changed, I have. You have. That is one of the amazing geniuses of the Word of God. You can read the same passage today and a year from now and you will get something different out of it each time. It will present to you and continue to call you to conversion where you are in the stream today.

The word is actively alive in your life. How has it changed you?

There is a difference in how we should experience the word here at Mass. I think one of the positives for the changes we’ve had to make due to Covid is the removal of the missalettes from the pews. We really shouldn’t be reading along on our own during the Mass. The word must be proclaimed to the community and received by the community. Reading is a personal internal exercise. Listening is a communal exercise. When you are required to listen to the reading you can be more focused on it and receive it as the gift it truly is.

We oftentimes think that the Mass is only about the Eucharist, but the Liturgy of the Word is just as important. Jesus is truly present in the Mass in four ways – in the Assembly, in the priest, in the Eucharist, and in the Word. Each manifestation of Jesus Christ is necessary and must be present in each and every Mass.

Just as we break the bread and it is given to us, the word is broken open for us to receive as well. Just as we do not take the Eucharist, we receive it, we should not take the word by reading it at Mass but receive it as it is being proclaimed. Jesus did not hand out leaflets, he preached. The apostles received his message, and it was their reception and acceptance of his message that drove them to conversion.

But what truly made the apostles effective ministers of the gospel is that they gave themselves up completely to the mission that Jesus gave them. His first words to him were a call to follow him, to be formed by the living Word of God, to become his friends, to know him and to love him, and to become active partners in the Kingdom of God. They became like him because they shared his life with him, and he with theirs in the most intimate ways. His final words to them upon his ascension were to go and make disciples of all the nations, teaching them everything he had commanded them, presenting the word of God both spoken and written. To guide future generations of believers, us, to also share in the life of Jesus; to know him and to love him and also become active partners in the Kingdom of God. To become living scripture to the world.

 

Mary Did You Know?

 

4^th Sunday of Advent

Cycle B

Mary, did you know?

You’ve probably heard that popular song by Mark Lowry and Michael Green. It pops up on the radio and Pandora this time of year, and it asks questions that sound sensible. Mary, did you know your little boy would walk on water? Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation, would one day rule the nations? Did you know that your baby boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb?

Those questions seem sensible to us because we hear them from our perspective 2000 years after the events of Jesus’ life. We have the benefit of 2000 years of pondering and wrestling with the reality that God became man. Countless thinkers and theologians have given us insight as to who this person Jesus was and is, and we know all the details of his life and purpose through the gospels and Church teaching. We know how the story played out. But Mary couldn’t see the future. She didn’t have the complete picture. The gospels for her were her everyday life. She had no idea how God would choose to fulfill the promise he made to her that day through the angel. She probably had no idea what it meant that her son would be called holy, the Son of God. She was no theologian or rabbi. She didn’t know the particulars, nor could she make the connections. And yet she trusted in the promise. Her cousin Elizabeth greets her later with “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled”.

And she said yes. I don’t believe she could have answered any other way.

The angel’s greeting disturbed her. He described her as being full of grace. A curious description, don’t you think? Have you ever heard anyone else had that attached to their name? It wasn’t “Hail, Mary of Nazareth” or “Hail Mary, Betrothed to Joseph” or “Daughter of Joachim and Anne”. Hail, full of grace. We all have God’s grace in us, because grace is simply the presence of God in our lives. Everything is grace, in a way, but Mary was full of grace. It wasn’t just something she had, it was who she was. The Lord was with her, but in a way different than you and me. It was as if she was invaded by the Holy Spirit from the moment of her conception. The absence of the burden of sin gave her a clarity of understanding and of purpose that no other human being has ever had.

We see the invasion by the Holy Spirit and the presence of God in people’s lives often in the scriptures. Moses with the burning bush. The prophets Elijah, Jeremiah and Isaiah. Jesus himself at his baptism. Each time the grace of God seems to overwhelm them and compels them forth on their mission. The fullness of grace in Mary would naturally direct her decisions. Mary never seems to doubt. Hers is a simple acceptance and a sense of wonder at it all.

What would your life be like if you did not suffer the burden of sin? What different decisions would you make? How much closer to God would you be? How would that affect your own family? Just because Mary was conceived without original sin doesn’t mean she did not have the capacity to sin. She was human, after all. It was the fullness of grace within her and her closeness to the Father that helped her to choose not to sin. That’s really not any different from you and me. We are free to make the same choices she made.

Grace is a gift from God, and Mary had done nothing to merit God’s favor, except just be. She was favored simply because she existed. Like we all are. God doesn’t look at what we have or haven’t accomplished when he smiles upon us. We are all wonderful in his eyes, and worthy of his favor simply because he wants us to be worthy. He makes us worthy. I mean, really, what can we ever offer God in return for what he has given us? Isn’t that the supreme arrogance?

Look at David in the first reading. He was the greatest king of Israel. He had conquered all his enemies and made Israel into a nation to be reckoned with. So naturally David wanted to show his gratitude for what he had been given. But God didn’t want David to do anything for him. In reverse, God wanted to give David his greatest desire, a long dynasty. He wanted to give him more and more and more.

 

When we are faced with the unconditional loving gifts we are offered by God, how do we react? Do we think, well, it’s about time. I’ve been praying for years and years and have lived a holy life. Of course God favors me. Or are we like Mary, completely stunned that God has even noticed us? Perhaps you feel especially worthless this year. Maybe you’ve lost your job or someone close to you has gotten sick or even died. Just because God favors us doesn’t mean life will be easy. Just because Mary was without sin doesn’t mean she would not suffer. Jesus was also without sin yet he still suffered as a result of sin in the world. Both Mary and Jesus made the choice to follow the Father’s will, just as we all do.

 

Mary was full of grace because we are all full of grace. Mary was favored because we are all favored. What made Mary extraordinary was that she was ordinary. She did nothing to deserve this. We can do nothing to deserve what we receive. God did not ask her if she wanted this. He just stated that it would happen. He didn’t even ask her for her reply. She just gave it. God knows what is good for us, he cannot give us anything that is not good, so why would he ask our permission to give us anything? And we are not called to give him our permission, only our acceptance of his many gifts.

 

So, did Mary have full knowledge of what was happening to her and what that meant for the salvation of the world? Who knows? It really doesn’t matter. What matters is that Mary, like us, made a decision to follow the will of God given her particular level of faith and the grace that had been given her. In that way we are just like her.

 

It is interesting that in the week just before we celebrate the fulfillment of God’s promise of salvation in the incarnation we revisit where that promise was first given to a young girl, close to God and full of grace. This was the week that Mary had been anticipating those long nine months. It was all about to come true.

 

Mary said yes, and nothing would ever be the same again. Her life was changed forever, and so was ours. “Blessed are you who believe that what was spoken to Mary by the Lord would be fulfilled”.

 

 

The Divine Right of Kings

 

Feast of Christ the King

Cycle A

Nancy and I have been binge watching monarchies lately, particularly those in Great Britain and France around the reigns of Henry VIII and Louis IV. We love period pieces, and the stories are so well written and made real because they are based on actual events. This was the time of the Divine Right of Kings, the belief that the sovereign derived his mandate and power directly from God, before he was even born, and that the king was accountable to no one but God. To love the king was to love God. To oppose the king was actually a sin against God. That reasoning removed all restraints on the king’s power, and each monarch seemed to draw more and more to himself as each fell deeper and deeper into tyranny. And tyranny, as it always does, was eventually overthrown by violent revolution.

 

What keeps striking us is how the people of those times reacted to the tyranny they experienced. The people seemed to love their king no matter what he did. They rarely attributed the evil he did to him but to his counsellors. No matter what horrible things were done to them they would not blame the king because the king was acting by the will of God. God had chosen him, so he was above blame.

 

The people looked to the king to be the instrument of God’s mercy and God’s punishment. They saw him as a benevolent father figure who gave and took away like the God of the Old Testament had. They expected the king to provide for the common good. It was his responsibility to see that they were fed, housed, and had the basic necessities of life. If they did not have these things it was the king’s fault. If they did it was because of the king’s bounty. Their own personal responsibility was taken away. It was not theirs to be their brother’s keeper, but the king’s. The king was the final judge and arbiter, and oftentimes that judgement seemed completely arbitrary. Loyalty to the king was the most important thing to them. Any hint of disloyalty was met with cruel retribution.

 

And the absolute monarchs were isolated from their people. They stayed within their own courts and never really had contact with the common people. They dismissed the suffering of their people because they never saw it firsthand nor experienced any want or need themselves. They never saw the hungry, thirsty, naked, homeless, sick or prisoners. They had no compassion for them outside of their need to believe they were loved by their people. They lived in manufactured bubbles. I think very much like many of our secular and religious leaders today.

 

Each year we have different readings for the Feast of Christ the King, and this year we hear the famous passage from St. Matthew’s gospel about the final judgement. Matthew 25 is one of my favorite passages. We hear of how the king will judge everyone at the end of the age. Judgement is reserved to the king, and this king is truly the absolute monarch, but his judgement is different from the absolute monarchs of Western civilization. Whereas the kings of the Middle Ages judged arbitrarily according to loyalty to the crown, our king puts judgement squarely our interactions with other people. The kings of old were seen as the providers of good to the people. Our king sees us as having that responsibility also.

 

The differences between our king, Jesus Christ, and the kings of old are many. Our king did not live in a bubble, surrounded by courtiers and sycophants and removed from the people. Rather, he lived and moved amongst them, living as they did, simply and poorly. His courtiers were not aristocrats and wealthy noblemen but simple people, tax collectors and prostitutes. He experienced hunger and thirst, sickness and nakedness. He was a prisoner himself. The image we have of our king is the good shepherd, not the autocrat, and our king truly did smell like his sheep.

 

And whenever he encountered someone who was suffering, he first healed them, then redeemed them. He took care of their physical needs first; then he showed them the way to eternal life. By lifting them up out of their misery he freed them to be able to accept him as their Lord and savior. He never imposed his will upon them, even though he had the power and authority to do so, he simply called them to discipleship. To our king, absolute power manifests itself in compassion and mercy. That is the example he left us, and it is by that example we will ultimately be judged.

 

It’s easy for us to make excuses for our responsibility to our fellow human beings. It is easy to delegate it to the state, or to someone else but ourselves. We too often live in our own bubbles, concerned mostly about ourselves, or our immediate families and group of friends. What has always bothered me about this gospel passage is that the people whom the king judges harshly are not bad people. They are not going out and oppressing people to cause their hunger or thirst, nakedness or imprisonment. And it doesn’t even matter that they are unaware of their neglect. In fact, that makes it worse. It is the sins of omission that are judged the most harshly. Ignorance is not an excuse. Apathy is the worst sin. To our king and judge in this passage, your intent and motivation is not important. Did you help others or not?

 

In these days of pandemic we are becoming even more and more isolated from one another. We are living in artificial bubbles, some of our own creation and some imposed upon us. At times like these it is easy and natural to focus on our own situations and not upon those of others. If we don’t see it on the news or on the internet or social media it isn’t real to us. We jump from crisis to crisis and so are unaware or ignore the fact that so many people are hurting and need our compassion, prayers, and assistance. And so many times it is we ourselves who require that. Yes, we are all hurting, but we must not allow that to be an excuse or reason to not reach out to others. Jesus didn’t give any exemptions to loving our neighbor as ourselves, he just said to do it.

 

The monarchs of the Middle Ages claimed the Divine Right of Kings from God, and their absolute power led to horrible suffering for their people. Jesus actually is the Divine King, and his absolute power has freed us from sin and eternal death. He has absolute power and authority, yet he submitted his will to that of his Father. He asks us to do the same. He asks us to show compassion and mercy to everyone we meet, just as he does. He holds us up to the same standard that he held himself to. And just as his submission to the will of God led to his glorification, so will our submission lead to ours.