Life Finds a Way

 

16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cycle A

 

Here we are in mid-summer, and since we’re in the Cycle A readings from the Gospel of Matthew, that means parables, lots of parables. I don’t know if it’s intentional or not, but since most of Jesus’ parables are around agricultural themes, summer is the perfect time for them since everything has been planted and is growing nicely around us. Last week we heard the parable of the sower planting the seeds. This week we see the seeds growing up leading to the harvest. And all is not good in the garden.

 

It’s funny that I was just quoting this parable to Nancy the other day, which I sometimes do, and which annoys her to no end. We have this young tree in our yard that we bought and planted a couple years ago, and it didn’t survive this last winter. It was obviously dead, and we were planning to dig it up and put something else in its place. But suddenly a small shoot sprang up at the base of the trunk that looked like it was from the tree itself. Then another and a third started growing, and it was coming from the root ball of the tree, even though the rest of the tree seemed dead.

 

Nancy asked if we should cut down the dead tree to allow the shoots to grow better, and I said I didn’t know if that would help the shoots or kill them also, and well, that’s when I quoted this parable, not knowing that it would be the readings for today. That’s when the eyes started to roll. Like in the parable, we decided to continue to water and fertilize it and let the entire thing grow together and perhaps in the fall it would become more apparent what to do. And you know, those little shoots have been growing like crazy. In just a few weeks they are already half the height of the tree itself!  It seems that what was apparently dead had hidden life within it, just beneath the surface, and given the chance has burst forth with great vigor. Remember that quote from Jurassic Park, “Life finds a way”?

 

This parable addresses a basic understanding of who we Christians see ourselves to be and how we are to engage with the world. How are the wheat and the weeds to live together, when they seem to be always struggling for life? Christians have always lived a dual life. We have been given such a strong hope in eternal life, in the good news of Jesus Christ. We know that we are not destined just for this world alone, that we are to live in the world but be not of it. We are people of life, but the reality of life is that wheat and weeds are all planted here together.

 

There are so many weeds in the world that try to choke out our life. Our inherent defense mechanisms often make us want to either attack them or withdraw to a safe place, to defend what we have and separate ourselves from the pain and the hurt. We should do neither if we are to be true tenders of the garden. We are called to engage the world and truly transform it through the love of Christ, just as he did. We must affect change from within, one human heart at a time.

 

I guess it was a thing back in Jesus’ day for someone to sow tares amongst an enemy’s wheat crop, and that it was really hard to tell them apart. That’s what made it so dangerous. It’s that way in life sometimes, too. It’s often hard to tell the wheat from the weeds. Sometimes what we think are weeds are actually wheat, and vice versa. It’s funny that we are the ones who usually identify with the wheat in this parable. We’re not the weeds. We’re the good folks who need to be protected, and I think we are for the most part. But maybe we play it too safe sometimes. We usually focus on the danger of the weeds choking out the wheat but what if the opposite happens? If we leave them to grow together perhaps the wheat will influence and change the weeds into wheat. There’s always hope that things will change. No one’s state is fixed forever in this life. We all can make choices for God up until the very end.

 

That small mustard seed of faith and that measure of yeast starts off in each individual long before it can affect anyone else. We need to take the time and effort to nurture our own fragile faith before we can ever influence others. We are ultimately responsible for our own salvation, but we are also called to be faithful stewards of the kingdom here on earth. Just as we pray for the grace and strength to persevere ourselves, we are called to go and make disciples of all nations. We are to till the field, nurture what seed has been planted, and never give up on anyone, including ourselves.

 

Remember the parable of the sower last week? The sower isn’t picky about where he throws the seed. He just spreads it everywhere and it falls where it may. Some falls on rocky or hard ground that rejects it and some falls on good soil where it has a chance to take root and grow. The outcome is not up to the sower, but with the ground. The seed is planted in everyone, and the measure of whether it grows into wheat or weed is the fruit it bears. We are the deciders of that. The seed is the Word of God, which is unchanging and the same for everyone. How we choose to respond to that word, how we choose to nurture it, tend it, spread it and cause it to grow and change us and the world is how we will be measured ourselves. No one is created a weed. We choose to be one or the other.

 

It can be hard to remain focused on our salvation. Sometimes the seed is dormant, like in the winter, and it’s hard for us to have hope. Sometimes we feel like my tree, dead on the outside, but deep down the root is still there, just waiting for the spring to come to burst forth. And oftentimes we just need a caring, kind person to gently tend us, even prune us, so that we can grow into our potential and bear fruit.

And we are called to nurture others just as we need nurturing ourselves.

 

Just as there is a sower there is also a reaper. God expects a return on his investment. We hear that all the time in Jesus’ parables. Jesus always offers hope but he also warns of the consequences of our decisions and actions. Wheat is wheat and weeds are weeds, and the two in the end cannot both be in the barn, because wheat is life and weeds choke that life. But it’s not our job to judge between them ourselves. Remember that it may not be apparent which is wheat and which is weed until the end. Our job is not to sow but to tend both the wheat and the weeds together.

 

Wait and see. You never know what might spring up. There’s always hope for a weed. Don’t rush to condemn, root out and destroy. Patiently tend to the field and let God sort it out in the end.

 

 

The Courage of Your Convictions

 

12^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cycle A

I find these readings today to be especially disturbing and challenging. It has a call to action that is very uncomfortable for me, because it is causing me to dig deep into what I believe and what I am being called to profess and defend. Whoever denies me before others I will deny before my Heavenly Father. How horrifying if that were the case.

As I’ve been following Justin Hibbard’s podcast, Why Catholic, which, by the way, I highly recommend, where he so clearly and articulately explains why he became a Catholic and also various Church teachings and beliefs, I have tried to discern for myself why I remain a Catholic. I mean, it’s not easy. I guess what it’s all boiled down to, it is here that I find the truth, and the answers to the most fundamental questions humanity faces. Who am I, why am I here, what is my purpose in life, how am I to live best with other people, and what is my future? I assume we all face those questions from time to time in our lives. At least I hope we do. I think it’s really important to find the truth, to know the truth, and to live the truth. Wouldn’t that be the definition of living my true self? Nobody wants to be living a lie. The truth is that God-shaped hole in ourselves that can be filled with nothing else.

But is there such a thing as truth? We hear people say all the time today that they want to live “their truth”, which supposes that truth is subjective, changeable, fluid. What does that mean? Can there be more than one truth? Is truth unchanging or is it just a matter of what you believe it to be? There is the saying that perception is reality, and that how we see things through the lens of our experience is how they really are, but that’s really just interpretation, not necessarily the truth. And when it comes to Jesus, does he change because our perceptions and experience of him may be different? Is he a different Lord to you than he is to me, just because we believe him to be different? That might be true if he is just a man, but not if he is God. God never changes, and neither do his commandments.

 If two people hold diametrically opposed beliefs on the truth of something, either one is right and the other is wrong, or they are both wrong. They can’t both be true.

Some things are what they are. Isn’t truth reality, and reality truth?  Your belief about them does not change their reality. If it can then we are standing on shifting sand, and we are living in confusion and fear. Relativism like that leads to chaos and upheaval and ultimately violence.

What is truth? That is what Pontius Pilate asked Jesus at his trial. It was in response to Jesus’ claim that he had come into the world to testify to the truth. And if I am a Catholic because I am seeking the truth, then I must be a disciple of Jesus whose purpose and mission was to testify to the truth. The supreme truth we profess is that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died for our sins and has opened heaven to us. The supreme truth we believe is our hope in eternal life. Jesus did not say he is a way, a truth, and a life. He did not say it was his way, or his truth, or his life. He said he is the way, the truth, and the life. There is no gray area there. He didn’t say we are to live our own truth, but his truth. And if I claim to have my own truth, isn’t that setting myself up as God? Either he is truth or he is a liar. If there is one God, and that God is truth, then there is one truth. And that is why I must follow him. That truth is the most powerful truth in all of history, and the most wonderful thing for all of humanity, and we are called as disciples to not only shout that from the rooftops but to defend it to the death, if necessary.

 It seems like Christianity, and particularly Catholicism, is under heavier attack these days in Western civilization than any other time in my lifetime. It is not just an undercurrent of bias and bigotry, it is now out in the open, brazen, and widespread. There have been waves of persecution throughout the ages, but this time it feels different. It is prevalent in the common wisdom, and has now become common practice in places and amongst large groups. It seems that truth itself is purposely under attack.

 Have you noticed anything like that? Maybe you have experienced that yourself in your interactions with people you work with, on social media, in your family? What are we as Catholics to do in response, especially in the public square? If we are living in a post-Christian, almost pagan society, it’s sort of like returning to the earliest days of the Church, and so Jesus’ message to his disciples is especially meaningful to us today.

How are we to react and respond, and defend the gospel these days? Sometimes the good that was done in secret comes to light, but not often. I think one of the problems we have as a church is that the good we do is often not brought to light. The darkness so easily obscures the light. Evil seems so overpowering. How do we build up the image of the Church in our own community? The good news of the gospel is that eventually the good will come to light, justice and peace will prevail. There is always hope.

Whoever denies me before others I will deny before my heavenly Father. We know the story of St. Peter, who denied Jesus three times. His denial was that he didn’t even know Jesus. He didn’t denounce Jesus or join in on the shouts for his condemnation that day during the trial. He simply denied that he even knew him. But the other apostles also denied Jesus by running away.

I can fully understand and relate to the apostles predicament. It is easy to be a disciple when you are in the presence daily of Jesus, witnessing his miracles, hearing his teaching, and basking in the light of his love. But when confronted by opposition, especially with mob violence, it is much harder to have the courage of your convictions. I think for us today it is easy to hold our beliefs to ourselves, to not rock the boat, to not be confrontational when we see our faith and our Lord being attacked.

How do we deny we know Jesus? I guess the first question should be, do we really know Jesus? Do we truly have a relationship with him through prayer? Do we get to know him through scripture? Do we fully participate in the holy sacrifice of the Mass and receive him worthily, body, soul and divinity, in the eucharist each and every week. Have we recognized his deep presence in our everyday lives, or is he on the periphery? We can’t defend what we do not know.

And then I guess we need to not be part of the problem. How often do we ourselves join in the chorus of criticism of the Church and not shout the goodness and joy of the gospel from the rooftops? Or, even worse, we are so apathetic and unaware that we don’t notice or even care? Is our denial the belief that there is not even anything to defend?

We also deny Jesus when we say nothing when he is blasphemed and belittled and attacked by society, by the mob. We deny Jesus when we allow his name to be dragged through the mud of popular opinion. Our Lord said we would suffer persecution for his sake, and that we are to take joy in that. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of slander against you because of me. And we have and we do.

But we are also called to defend our Lord. We can turn the other cheek personally ourselves and not return like for like, but we are not to deny our Lord. We can take our blows silently as he did, but we are not to say we do not even know him. The name of the Lord is sacred. Hallowed be your name, we pray. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, we are commanded. The same St. Peter who denied Jesus’ name wrote that there is no other name by which we are saved. If we do not defend that name, we in effect are denying Jesus to others. Take it personally. Defend your Lord as you would defend your children if they were being bullied.

And the best way to defend our Lord and confront our enemies is to pray for them. It has been great to see how some of our leaders and large groups of laity have responded to recent attacks. Through peaceful protests and prayer. Jesus said to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Some people think that is too passive and ineffective, and it is truly powerful. Jesus even prayed on the cross for forgiveness for those who were crucifying him. So keep praying, keep persevering in doing good and living your life as a true disciple. Don’t give up on the truth. Know it, understand it, and proclaim it from the rooftops.

It takes courage to defend what we believe. It is often a lonely path we take, and like Jeremiah the attacks can be overwhelming. Jesus tells his disciples today, “Fear Not”; have courage in the face of the opposition they will encounter when the preach and live the gospel. I tell my RCIA classes that when they make the decision to become Catholic and live as disciples, they are taking a risk. But it has really become real for me seeing what Justin Hibbard has been experiencing as he courageously states his beliefs in the public square. He has taken some hard hits from some of his closest friends and has actually lost some who could not understand nor accept his conversion.

Why are you Catholic? What do you believe to be the truth? How important is that truth to you, to your family, to your community, to the world, and to what ends will you go to defend it? It will take the courage of your convictions, and you may lose a lot, but you have so much more to gain. The flip side of Jesus’ admonition to us today is that if we defend him to the world he will also defend us to his Heavenly Father. It’s a two-way street.

But then, I am amazed that Jesus would acknowledge me at all. How wonderful an advocate I have in Jesus. I am so valued that he will stand up before the throne of the Father and plead my case. Why wouldn’t I be one of his messengers here on earth? I know that I am an imperfect disciple. I know that I fail spectacularly in living the gospel. I also know who is on my side.

 

Tender Mercies - Patty Stark Funeral Homily

 

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.

Patty, being how she was, gave some explicit instructions for her funeral, and she asked that I preach specifically on mercy and hope. At the end of her life Patty thought a lot about mercy. She was so aware of the mercy she had been shown by her caregivers and family and friends, and she hoped and relied upon the mercy she believed would be shown her by God.

It is significant that Patty died only two hours after Divine Mercy Sunday. She received her final holy communion that day, her food for the journey. The message of The Divine Mercy is simple. It is that God loves us – all of us. And he wants us to recognize that his mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon him with trust, receive his mercy, and let it flow through us to others.

The message of mercy is hope. Mercy is giving us something we probably don’t deserve and definitely do not earn. It is a gift freely given with nothing expected in return. We can never earn God’s love or eternal life. He offers it to us freely just because we are so valuable in his eyes. And we show our love for him and appreciation of the gift simply by accepting it. We are all given that choice and all we have to do is say yes. God desperately wants us to say yes. He has gone to such great lengths to show his love for us and to give us that hope.

We Christians are people of hope. Here we are in the middle of the Easter season, where we remember and celebrate the greatest sign of hope in all of human history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who told his disciples that he was going to prepare a place for us, so that where he is we also should be. In the resurrection we see our future, and that future was purchased at a great price paid through Jesus’ suffering and death.

Jesus said that if we are to be his disciples we need to take up our cross daily and follow him. We all have our crosses to bear, and we have to take them up whether we like it or not. But we also know that the evil reality of suffering can be turned to good, because the evil of Jesus’ suffering was turned to the ultimate good of our redemption. I think Patty understood that, and she sought to offer her own sufferings up for the good of others. Just like Jesus, she did not run away from her cross, but offered it up as a prayer, a very powerful prayer. It was a way to find the mercy and the promise behind the suffering.

Most of us do not do mighty deeds, we do small things out of love. And we experience God’s mercy most in our lives through the little mercies we give to others and receive from others. Those tender mercies shown through kindness.

The mercy shown by a husband who watches over his wife for years and years, patiently protecting her, caring for her smallest needs, being a foundation of stability in the midst of chaos.

The mercy shown by a daughter who is always there, who reordered her life to be there for her mother, especially at the end. Who is a source of great strength to her father.

The mercy shown by a team of doctors who truly care and show compassion, who became true friends.

The mercy shown by friends who send little notes, bring food, and pray so fervently for a cure and for peace.

The mercy shown by the afflicted to their caregivers, allowing people to love them, to help them, to forgive them and reconcile with them.

It is those simple mercies that give us simple hope and help us get through each day. Hope that this treatment will work and when it fails, that the next one will. Hope that I will feel better today than yesterday. And even in the face of disappointment hope does not falter because of our ultimate hope. Death is a reality for us all, and we all know that no matter what we do to delay it, in the end we will lose that battle, but we take comfort in our belief that there is something more, something good and holy and peaceful, where we can take our rest after our struggles. We believe that Jesus’ death redeemed us and made an end to death itself for us all.

Patty talked a lot about unfinished business, of reconciliation and redemption, of healing, not just physically but of relationships. She prayed so hard for that. She prayed for each and every one of you in this church today, just as so many of you prayed for her.

I think the most powerful and meaningful way we show mercy to one another is through forgiveness. Forgiving someone, especially when they don’t deserve it or even don’t want it, is the highest form of mercy. And so many times it is so difficult to do so because the hurt can run so deep. And the way we best experience God’s love is through the forgiveness we receive from those we have hurt.

Patty trusted in God’s mercy. She had to. In the end, that’s all she had. That’s all we will have. Every human being has a desire for immortality. We all want to leave a legacy behind. Even if we profess no belief in God, we want everlasting life in the memories of those we have touched and influenced in our lives. Two days before she died, I asked Patty how she wanted to be remembered, and she said as being a person of hope. She said that was her final wish for each one of you, also. She wanted you to have what she had; hope based upon faith.

We all run the race. We all start from different places, and some have a harder race than others. It doesn’t matter if we veer off course during the race. What matters is how we finish. Patty ran the race and finished well, as an example to us all.

That may be the tenderest mercy.