Your Zeal for your house consumes me

 

 

In Matthew, Mark, and Luke the temple scene occurs following Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem; however, in John’s Gospel (John 2:13-25)  the episode is placed immediately following Jesus’ first “sign” (miracle) in his ministry, the wedding at Cana. 

 

The temple skirmish functions in the Synoptic Gospels as the final public act whereby the authorities make the decision to arrest and kill Jesus. We know that the raising of Lazarus serves as the final act that leads to his arrest. Restoring someone to life after having been dead frightens and challenges the Chief priests and Roman authorities and requires that he be removed in order that they stop Jesus movement and silence his followers.   

 

The incarnation of God in the world in Jesus underscores our shared intimacy with Jesus’ death, resurrection and our salvation. So what does this have to do with Jesus’ visceral reaction to the traffickers in the temple? We know from our readings of John that his overall mission is to reinforce our shared divinity with God through Christ and His and our resurrections. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14. So, the commercial desecration of the temple while an important event in itself is for John, a metaphorical reference to the real Temple God. 

 
For Christians, the idea of God becoming accessible through the resurrected Jesus is empowering.  God's presence is pervasive and public. A hallowed temple is unnecessary to see him, know him or feel his presence. God's promises and our hopes aren't located in a specific site. Jesus, who now dwells among his people (and beyond), makes God accessible and extends God's presence into all aspects of our lives. Everything therefore has potential to be "sacred;" every dimension of daily living may become a place for encountering God. 

 

A Church or temple is a mere touch point that enables communities to congregate and share His Word and God’s presence with each other. It’s a place to “commune” in God. When Peter suggested that tabernacles be erected to memorialize the event of the transfiguration, a voice from the heavens, interrupted him and said…just Listen to Him. 

This is My Beloved…Listen to Him

 

 

I wonder how many of us know when we have heard and responded to God's voice. While reference to "a calling" is commonly associated with clergy, we don’t often consider that we’re “called” to a career or a secular vocation or even volunteering. But, why not? I pose this question because the story of the Transfiguration Mark (Mark 9:2-10) reminds us to listen to and look for God’s will for us in all we do. And just as the spectacular events of the transfiguration blinded Peter, James and John, we too can easily be distracted by the “noise.”

The scene as all things in Mark, moves very quickly as Peter in his excitement is eager to memorialize and do something to capture this transformative event… even before he even knows what he has seen or has transpired. We feel like saying to Peter "Please be quiet and just listen before you do anything!"  While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 

Maybe everything started to become clear and make sense to Peter when he listened and heard the word of God, but as we know too well, it didn't last very long.  How many times did Jesus remind Peter of his destiny? Peter may hear but is he really listening?   

Peter's transformation comes about when he repeatedly fails, falls, and is lifted up again. We too try our best and sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail. We, too, have moments of insight and moments of denial. We too, fall down in fear and are raised up again and move ahead in confidence. This is a pattern that shapes all our lives on this spiritual journey. We all must face times of wilderness in our lives that ultimately lead to spiritual transformation and growth. This story is as much about us as it is about Peter and Jesus as we are asked to listen and to hear his voice and know God’s will for us. 

 In these past weeks Mark has called our attention to Jesus’ humanity in which we share a common bond. In this gospel Jesus' divinity is revealed in no uncertain terms: “This is my beloved Son…listen to Him.”. And as we share in Jesus’ humanity, we also share in his divinity. We must listen as we are called if we are to be transformed and become disciples of Jesus and the people of God. 

“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)

Our Time in the Desert

 

Lent is an important part of our journey. Each step we take has been walked at one time in the gospels. We know that this our spiritual journey begins in the desert and leads us to the cross and to a tomb and “ends” with Easter, where our journey to God begins again. In our readings for the first Sunday in Lent, Mark 1:12-15, we are told that “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.”

I have been fortunate to have been able to travel fairly extensively in my life, both for business and pleasure. Admittedly travelling is one of my passions, although in recent years I have been more selective about travel and carefully assess my reasons, desire and need before heading out. Over the years I have observed that there are two types of journeymen. I would categorize these as being either tourists or travelers. The tourist travels through his journey in comfort, ensuring that his experiences are familiar and safe. He makes sure that he takes “his stuff” from back home with him. There are many vendors along the way who, for a price, would be willing to accommodate the tourist’s expectations and satisfy his needs, most of which are likely superficial and soon forgotten when he returns home armed with photos, souvenirs, and pleasant memories.

On the other hand, a traveler is one whose goal is to enjoy the journey as part of a total experience in which the destination is just a part of a continuum. He travels to open his mind and spirit to new experiences and perhaps delve into the unknown in the hope that something new will learned and be revealed. The difference between the traveler and the tourist is that the traveler becomes the experience while the tourist rides on the outside and looks in.

A few years ago, we took a trip to the Galapagos Islands. It had long been a desired destination for me. Our primary goal was to be immersed in the experience which as an expedition required our total involvement as our circumstances would permit. There were no cell phones, internet or TV and while our accommodations were relatively sparse, they were satisfactory. While this hardly could be called a luxurious vacation, it was one of the most exhilarating trips I’ve ever taken as we were living in the experience, absorbed by the journey… as an expedition, completely focused on the experience and unencumbered by distractions. The trip was one of personal transformation in which new perspectives on life and interests were born. These still linger, not just as memories but as building blocks for what might lie ahead.

Jesus’ time in the desert somehow relates to our journey as travelers, not just tourists. He leaves his comfort zone to prepare himself for what was to come, resisting anything that would get in the way of his quest. So, as we prepare for Lent we are reminded that the purpose of our existence is to walk with Jesus on his journey and live in his experience and know the presence of God in our lives.There is a seed of desire in each of us, a fundamental motivation, a basic longing for the fulfillment of that purpose.

“Augustine tells us that ‘Thou has made us for thyself and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.’ Accordingly, we are not only born with God at our center, but we are born with a heart filled with desire for God. This yearning is our fundamental motive force; it is the human spirit. It is the energy behind everything we seek and aspire to. And if indeed we are in intimate union with God in the center, then the soul’s desire is God’s desire. The soul’s love for God is God’s love for the soul.” (Gerald May, Dark Night of the Soul)

This is who God wants me to be

 

I mean no disrespect but in reading this story about Simon’s mother in law, I am reminded of a scene in the classic 1987 movie, Moonstruck in which Loretta’s (Cher) fiancé, Johnny, was summoned to Sicily to be with his dying mother. Johnny, played by Danny Aiello, telephones Loretta in tears, as he and the wailing women of the village keep vigil; “it’s just a matter of time,” he says. Then “miraculously”, out of the blue, Johnny’s mother is suddenly cured of her burning fever and jumps out of the bed and begins to prepare an elaborate dinner for all the “future mourners.” “It’s a miracle Johnny proclaims; my mother lives. It’s a sign and being superstitious, tells Loretta that he cannot marry her. To me, like Simon’s mother-in-law, the real miracle is that the old woman begins to cook and serves all the assembled guests.

While the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law is a classic healing story in Jesus’ ministry (Mark1:29-39), there is something a little disturbing about this story that  goes beyond healing. “Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.” Doesn’t that strike us as being a little strange? Can you see why I am reminded of Johnny’s mother in Moonstruck? Virtually everyone I know who has had the flu and now I’m not talking about Covid 19, the scourge of our current lives. I’m referring to the “typical” SARS flu whose season begins in October and usually ends in April. No, the idea of popping out of bed and doing anything at all, much less serving guests a 5 course meal, is beyond inconceivable. I, after giving thanks to Jesus, would have asked the assembled supporters to help themselves to tea and month-old fruit cake in the kitchen and leave my home so that I could get some more rest.

I realize that in that time and in a time not so long ago, the matriarch’s role as keeper of the house was to serve her family and guests. In my own experience I clearly remember times when my mother, despite being unwell, still went about her chores and daily activities. But, if you are brought back from the edge of death, or from the brink of whatever you thought your life was all about, shouldn't there be something else for you, perhaps a higher calling to a new vocation, a new career, and a new identity? And yet for Simon’s mother it was business as usual and she served them? Wasn’t that what she was expected to do?

 

But, what if the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law gave her a new lease on life and a new purpose, beyond her traditional role as mother and house keeper? And what if in being brought back to who she was, she became a disciple, called to minister,
Jesus lifted her up. What if resurrection means being raised up to be the person you were always meant to be? Being raised up is not just some sort of spiritual future; it is your present reality, here and now an opportunity to live as the real you…in mind, body and spirit, everything that you were destined to be. The story of Simon’s mother-in-law reminds us that God does not call us to be something we are not but rather he is in the business of restoring us to who we really are.

Of course, most of the time it’s easier to live in the shadows of your false self and surround yourself with people and performances that allow you to pretend that this is you. This enables you to avoid the feelings and frustrations and fears that come with acknowledging what really is important in your life. I think a lot of us spend a good part of our lives living on the periphery of ourselves.

 God called Jesus to be who he was. That’s what the incarnation is all about. God, in Jesus, committed God’s self to be human and to show us how to live. Being who we really are is what God wants us to be. He brings us back from the shadows, from despair, from disease and desperation. God decided to become one of us so that we would know that He needs us to be a of  His almighty plan.