I know who you are Holy One of God

 

 

How in our place and time can we relate to what’s going on in this Gospel?     Talking about evil or demons either is a little out of our experience much less comfort zone. Mark’s account of the exorcism in the temple on the Sabbath in Capernaum (Mark 1:21-28 ), makes us a little uncomfortable and maybe the need to explain what cannot be explained is troubling. Yet there is something about this reading that compels us beyond the narrative. We get a sense of immediacy and a bias for action that characterizes Jesus’ behavior. He is in control and taking charge of business. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Did Jesus purposefully wait for the Sabbath to enter the synagogue to teach? If so, this act alone established his authority. And isn’t it ironic that the one who knows Jesus is the man with the unclean spirit: .

Christmas and the Feast of the Epiphany are behind us and we are waiting for the fast-approaching season of Lent in two weeks, followed by an “early” Easter.  Ordinary time as the Lectionary calls it, is anything but “ordinary” and not just a place-holder. Jesus wasn’t just waiting and checking off the boxes as he went about his ministry. Jesus, we are told, is on fire and came as scripture reminds us “to set the world on fire”; he is taking on the evil of the world that of all places resides in the synagogue, a place of worship. He is shaking up a religion based on rules and proclaiming a faith based on love…he preaches on the Sabbath and heals a man possessed… all of which will “purposely”(?) incur the wrath of those who exploit religion and will someday have him executed. No, ordinary time is a time of transformation an awakening to a new way. 

As I reflect on this past year of imposed seclusion, 2020 was a time of waiting for what we hoped would have been an all-clear signal sounding our return to”life as usual.” At a 30,000 feet, the turning of the calendar pages of 2020 gave every indication that we were dealing with an ordinary year. The pages turned and the seasons passed, oblivious to the goings on in the world. Yet at ground level, just as in the time of Jesus, the days, weeks and months were turbulent and far from “ordinary.” The year 2020 was hardly a place holder for 2021 and based on current events, the turbulence continues… unimpressed by its new “address,” making us wonder how little the calendar has to do with the passage of time in eternity. Of course, the imminent passion, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus in that year remains the sentinel incarnation of our faith and our salvation. But were His times any more turbulent than ours? 

Now back to exorcisms and evil and how this relates to us today in the here and now. Our epiphany calls us to see something in a way we never saw before. It sets the stage for personal transformation, in which our eyes are opened to a new understanding. In Gerald May’s Dark Night of the Soul, he talks about Mystery and Freedom. We become comfortable with things we can’t explain when we are comfortable in the knowledge that we don’t have to explain them and we allow the words to speak to us for what they mean and what they say. Sometimes transformation requires that we enter a dark period, outside our comfort zones before we are able to see things in a new way. We must be rid of those demons that disrupt our journey. We must open our hearts and actively listen. Yes, demons and evil exist and we must wait to hear "Be silent, and come out of him!"

 

Stop What You’re Doing and Follow Me

 

When I entered U.S. Army basic training, I was warned never to volunteer for anything or respond to a request for volunteers. It was common for a drill sergeant to “ask” unwitting recruits for “volunteers” for duties that were “advertised” to be an opportunity to possibly avoid other arduous chores like training in the frigid outdoors. Invariably, these jobs never turned out to be an easy alternative and likely were far worse than usual duties. In time we learned to avoid eye contact with the “inviting” sergeant and stand way in the back of the formation to hide and avoid being “volunteered.” Mark’s account of how Peter, Andrew, James and John immediately responded to Jesus invitation reminded me of my time in basic training. Some rookie soldier always fell for the ploy in hopes that this time it would pay off. I’m always amazed as to how quickly the disciples dropped everything and just followed Jesus. I wonder how I would respond to a request from a stranger who asked me to stop what I was doing and follow him. I think I would have tried to avoid eye contact, and if asked to volunteer, make some excuse or at least ask for some time to think about it. After all, how could I possibly stop what I’m doing right now?

Could we drop everything, leaving our families and communities and follow someone we didn’t even know? Both Matthew and Mark emphasize the word “immediately to describe the new recruits’ snap decision. Snap decisions are not always good, but sometimes they are. I think we all have made snap decision that turned out really well. Don’t we sometimes wonder what prompted those decisions?

And so what does Mark’s Gospel (Mark1:1-14-20) mean to us? Does it mean leaving behind the promise of a steady income in a successful family business? Or, maybe its letting go of things that hold us bound - as symbolized by the fisherman’s nets in our story. It can be any manner of things and will vary from one person to another. While Jesus does not ask everyone to leave everything behind, no one can be a disciple and follow His call to repent without leaving something behind, OR without letting go of the nets that keep us ensnared.

Jesus is calling us to a new way of life and asking us to “repent,” or turn the focus of our lives to being God centered. At its most basic level, discipleship means saying “yes” to Jesus and following him wherever he leads. There are times we try to run away and go back to where we were before but like the young recruit trying to be invisible, we can’t hide in the back out of sight. Jesus is relentless, and as often as we try to run and hide, he will find us.

With regard to “snap decisions” or responding to what we are inspired to do, John Powell writes There have been quite a few times when I have felt the winds of God’s grace in the sails of my small boat. Sometimes these graces have moved me in pleasant and sunlit directions. At other times the requested acts of love were born in the darkness of struggle and suffering. There have been spring times and there have been long cold winters of struggle for survival. God has come to me at times with the purest kindness, at times with the most affirming encouragement, and at other times with bold frightening challenges. I think that all of us have to watch and pray, to be ready to say “yes” when God’s language is concrete and his request is specific-“yes” in the sunlit spring times and “yes’ in the darkness of winter nights. (John Powell, S.J., The Christian Vision, The Truth That Sets Us Free, p147)

Abide in Me and I in You

 

And so Jesus' ministry begins not with a command to silence a demon, as in Mark; nor with a sermon to the crowds who have gathered on a mountain, as in Matthew, and not with a quotation from Isaiah to proclaim his anointing for the year of God's favor, as in Luke. No, Jesus' ministry in John begins with a question: "What are you looking for?" (John1:35-42). Jesus doesn't mince words when he asks us "What are you looking for?" Our answers require a great deal of introspection and perhaps may change based on where we are on our journey. 

What are we seeking? What motivates us? What is it that we really need, not just on the surface, but down deep in the core of our being? In a way, we have an advantage over the disciples; we know what’s coming and we know how it all will end. Yet, we continue to ask, what are we looking for? 

As if this mind-bending, soul-searching question was not enough, immediately following their “introductions,” the disciples ask another question: "where are you staying?" We know that John is not one to mince words. His words palpably resonate in us beyond their literal meanings. So, asking Jesus where he was “staying” has little to do with making inquiry about his local lodging or accommodations. Rather, it requires that we probe for what the phrase means to us. What word might you select as a synonym for “stay?” Continue, dwell, lodge, sojourn, rest, settle, last, endure, persevere, be steadfast, be in close and settled union and indwell? The list is endless and any of the preceding words might work at any given time. How about "abide?"

Marcus Borg writes in the Heart of Christianity, “that the Christian life is not about believing or a set of beliefs, but it’s about a deepening relationship with the one in whom we live and move and have our being. Paying attention to this relationship transforms us.” So, if we choose to interpret John’s question to mean our asking about an intimate, enduring relationship with God, the word “abide” has particular meaning that fits. We surrender our ego to God as the Word becomes flesh and abides in us, and sows the seed of transformation, and we are born into a new life.

 

You Are My Beloved Son

 

I wonder how many of us celebrate our baptism as we might our birthday or anniversary.  I’m not sure I can even locate my baptismal certificate much less know the month or day it took place. This Sunday we will anticipate the baptism of Jesus according to Mark 1:7-11 and despite the fact that this event in our church calendar was once considered an even more important feast than Christmas, the baptism of Jesus is acknowledged with just a Gospel reading  and a sermon. Yet, along with the Epiphany, it is a celebration of the true nature of the incarnation of God. Perhaps we should wait before we put away our manger scenes.  

I suspect that for many Christians there is a puzzle about baptism. If you ask people why they want their children baptized many would be hard pressed to explain. Do we do it for the grandparents?  Is it a cultural act?  Is it a “ticket to admission” for a particular church or pre-qualification for communion? How many of us were raised believing that it was intended to “wash away” our sins? No, the sacrament instills a sense of God with us and in us that is essential to our very nature and being. While baptism reminds us of our being united as part of the Christian community, we were invested in God’s Kingdom long before any sprinkling of water or liturgical incantation took place.  

When in this Gospel John protests at the notion of having to baptize Jesus, Jesus responds with “for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." In so doing Jesus makes it clear that he aligns himself with all people and not just the followers of Moses, “the chosen.” It is our birth rite.  

So, while we are marked as a member of God’s Kingdom, Baptism enrolls us in this most “inclusive” of all clubs. “In a very profound way we are in fact brothers and sisters to one another. Each of us has already received the first great gift of our spiritual inheritance: the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God resides in each of us as the source of the divine life and the source of all life…The life of God in us means that we are closely bonded to one another. We are more closely united by the living presence of the Spirit in us than we would be by family blood lines. The shared life of God of which we are all temples, make us family in a profoundly personal way. This is the faith vision of the reality which we call Church.” (John Powell, S.J. The Christian Vision, p131) 

Baptism is not about the forgiveness of sins although it is about repentance which in the true sense of the word, inspires us to redirect our lives by “putting on the mind of Christ” in all that we do. As such, our identity by the power of the Holy Spirit, is created through worship and practice, so that we might know and feel the sense of God in one another. This deep experience forms our identity as those who will be known by our love for one another and not defined by any denomination. This is being in “the mind of Christ.”