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.”

 

Are we looking or just waiting

 

The Mystery of Christmas includes the feasts of the Nativity and the Epiphany. In the Nativity we commemorate God’s humble entrance into human life, incarnated in Jesus. In the Epiphany we celebrate Jesus as God’s gift to the world and openly expresses our longing for intimacy with God. (Matthew 2: 1-12)

The Good News of Christmas and Epiphany is "Emmanuel", "God-with-us!" We, like the Magi need only the light of strong, unwavering faith to see Him, to find Him, to serve Him in the people around us: in the circumstances of our everyday living. We need only to trust in and know as did the Magi, God's love for us…then we will recognize His presence and His power in “sunrise and sunset, in storm and calm, in the faces of children and wisdom of the elderly, in moments of elation and heart-break. We will see His radiance and warmth behind every cloud of sorrow or failure that darkens our days.” (Dan Clendenin, The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself)

The Magi went to extraordinary lengths to look for the Christ Child. They serve to remind us that there are those who wait for the coming of the Jesus with those who make the effort to find Him. Like the magi, our search goes on - but so does Epiphany…Are we actively looking or merely waiting… and what gifts do we bring?

It doesn't take a village

 

While the Gospels speak little of Jesus’ life or The Holy Family, before Jesus’ public ministry, historical accounts point out that Jesus was born into a turbulent, dangerous world of political and social upheaval. Serenity and peace were at a premium.  This week our liturgical calendar celebrates The Presentation of Jesus in the temple Luke2:22-40 . Despite the many hardships and challenges, I’m struck by how diligent Mary and Joseph were in discharging their parental duties, as they faithfully adhered to the tenets and practices of their religion.

And so, here we have in Luke’s account of Jesus’ presentation, the ceremonial “brit milah” performed on the eight day following his birth.  Along with Jesus’ parents, there are two other attendants, Simeon and Anna, who upon seeing Jesus, praise and give thanks to God for granting them the opportunity to witness the arrival of the child whom they “recognize” as the fulfillment of the prophecy and the One for whom they waited.  

This story of Jesus’ first religious ritual prompts memories of our own parents’ involvement in the practices of our faith, and although our early memory is lost to our infancy, many of us still cherish the pictures and artifacts that call these rituals to mind, if only second-hand. These memories pay tribute to the personal commitments our parents and caregivers made with regard to our religious development. Like the child Jesus, our religious lineage began with the faithful hopes and practices of our parents and others who may have been responsible for our care.   

As with most of us, my mother and father were responsible for my attending weekly church services and as with most, I often resisted the call; after all, it was Sunday and I could sleep late or go out and play with those friends, who somehow were “excused” from Sunday services. As for the Church, except for worship, there was little in the way of social activities to keep me coming or hold me. We just went to Church and we returned home. Yes, there were choir practices and altar boy calls and during Lent we attended seasonal services, but it was my parents who established the practices, and saw to it that I followed their lead. I had no choice. So, we went, we listened, we learned and eventually patterns were established as requisite attendance became ingrained. 

The decline of the family unit has been linked to a myriad of economic and social problems in our country. It is a fact that our children suffer most from this decline and while we look for help from outside agencies, I often wonder if we are too quick to relegate the care of these precious lives to external resources. There’s a fine line between delegation and abdication. It seems that as the problems grow more severe, additional resources are proposed to expand support for childhood development, and to entrust the educational, social and even religious development of our children to institutions. While help is invaluable and with regard to education, essential, I do not believe that it takes a village to raise a child. Luke’s Gospel reminds me that Jesus didn’t just leap from the manger and begin performing miracles and preaching God’s love. Yes, the focus is on Jesus, but it reminds us of the role Mary and Joseph played in Jesus formative years. Sure times have changed but parental duties in the rearing of children, despite challenges and obstacles, still fall to the loving family unit.

Faith Knows; Belief Explains

 

The Gospel celebrate those events in the life of Christ that serve as models for us to follow and live. Over time many of our original scriptural interpretations that we were taught to believe were often challenged, leaving a void in which literal meanings no longer had  meaning. A sense of  knowing replaced the literal as the Words became flesh in us. The insights that evolved were clearer, simpler, and more beautiful. I’ve come to realize that I am comfortable with mystery and don't feel the need to explain what cannot be explained in words.  

Somehow, the mistrust of mystery and the need to explain mystery has led to a failure of the imagination, evidenced by the childishly comfortable language that we used  to explain it away. Our prayers become a self-centered recitations in which we purport to “confess” our weaknesses by citing our strength. These prayers are anything but the lifting of our hearts and minds to God. How can we listen if we are so busy talking? 

Gerald May writes in The Dark Night of the Soul that “It is the same for all important things in life; there is a mystery within them that our definitions and understandings cannot grasp. Definitions and understandings are images and concepts created by our brains to symbolize what is real. Our thoughts about something are never the thing itself. Further, when we think logically about something, our thoughts come in a logical sequence – one after another. Reality is not confined to such linearity; it keeps happening all at once in each instant. The best our thoughts can do is try to keep a little running commentary in rapid, breathless sequence.”

Now in  the fourth week of Advent we focus on the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38), a mystery of epic proportions that defies rational explanation. It stuns us to hear some attempt to reduce the virgin birth to a mere story of an unwed pregnant teenager. Have we come to a time when anything that did not stand up to reason or that we couldn’t explain, should be characterized as primitive and infantile? Why do we think that we can confine an almighty spiritual being to man’s intellect and his ability to communicate? Do we not see how metaphor and poetry reveal meaning, not explanation, on a much deeper and intimate level? 

A few years ago we had an opportunity to travel through Eastern Europe, making our way from the Black Sea to Amsterdam. I was taken aback by the devastation in human lives caused by the failure of the “great social experiment,” that created societies whose wealth was shared but only among those at the top. So great buildings were erected for the personal aggrandizement of the elite while sacrificing the welfare of the people who were desperate for food and who desired a modicum of personal enrichment. On the other hand, I was impressed with the number of churches and cathedrals that were reopened after decades of being forced to close. These were flourishing, and while they served as much to support tourism as worship, they were a major presence.

Looking at the beautiful classical paintings and art in these churches, made me wonder what it was that inspired the artists to create poetic images and visual metaphors depicting the “mysteries” of Christianity. It occurred to me that their art was conveyed in a language all its own and derived its source from spiritual inspiration and not the intellect or prescribed  religious interpretation, and while the cynic might deride the image of the Angel Gabriel appearing to Mary, the artist understood it completely.

Art and music are languages of the soul that bypass our senses and speak to us at a level, in a place we cannot explain or know but do we really need explanation for something we feel "way down deep?" 

When we allow God’s love to break through our consciousness as we contemplate the Mysteries of the Annunciation and Virgin birth, do we run from it? Do we ask it to explain what it cannot? Or are we “virgin” enough to surrender to our deepest self and allow it to penetrate our being? We cannot ask it to explain what it cannot.