Monday Week FourIsaiah 65:17-21John 4:43-54
God Restores Hope
In 1935 Bill W. and Dr. Bob lived on the fringes of society. They were drunks spending their nights and many days drinking away the cares of life. Both men needed someone who could help them to regain their dignity and self-worth. They found that special person in each other. The story of the sobriety and recovery to productivity of these two men is the story of the beginnings of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), an international organization which over the years has certainly saved the lives of millions. This body of men and women profess that their lives are out of control and need the help of God. AA has served in saving the physical lives of many, but its value has been seen more profoundly in restoring to productivity many who were dead inside, although they may have been physically active. The hope which AA has given to so many has been in a true sense a resurrection from the dead.
Today we hear about the hope that only God can restore to those who have lost the way, to those who may be dead inside. The Hebrew people were certainly a group who had to endure many hardships. Because of their faithlessness to God and God's agents, the prophets, the people were sent into exile in Babylon. While there I am sure they had great difficulty keeping their spirits high. They probably thought God had abandoned them. They may have even felt that they deserved it, after all they had not upheld their end of the covenant. Yet, in the end the people were returned to Jerusalem and they began to rebuild their lives. In today's First Reading Isaiah speaks about the new Jerusalem. It will be a place where the past is no longer remembered. The new city will be created to be a delight. People will live very long lives; the cries of former days will not be present. The people will live in the houses they build and eat of the fruit of the vineyards they plant.
The renewal of hope which only God can give is illustrated in the Gospel as well. The royal official believed that Jesus could cure his son. He came from Capernaum specifically to ask Jesus to act. The man not only believed; he had complete trust. When Jesus told him that his boy would live, the man left confident that all would be as Jesus had promised. The man's belief and trust were rewarded with the renewed health of his son. Jesus' action is more than a miracle; it is an act of hope. John says that Jesus realized that the people of Galilee would not esteem him. Yet, the Lord returned to the area of his childhood in order to show the people that the only real hope they need must be in him. Jesus' action on behalf of the royal official's son is a sign for all that the hope for which the people have been waiting is present among them; they need only to open their eyes and believe. The royal official has led the way; others must now follow.
During the season of Lent we seek to renew the Christian hope which is an integral part of our life of faith. At times all of us despair for different reasons. We may have had a tragedy in the family, a business failure, or we simply despair about the state of our world. During this period of preparation, our annual spring training, we need to re-think where our hope must always be located. We at times look in other places, but the ultimate hope for our world can only be found in God. Let us, like the people of Alcoholics Anonymous, like the royal official, place our lives in God's hands. The path which Jesus gives will lead to eternal life.
Tuesday Week FourEzekiel 47:1-9, 12John 5:1-3, 5-16
The Greater Power Of God
Anyone who has had any contact with the sea knows both the power and the life-giving nature of water. When one visits the ocean the power of the sea is easily seen and felt. The surf pounding against the rocks relentlessly pushes against the shore and all that is present on it. People are tossed about like toys as they swim in the surf. On the high seas the power of the sea is even more evident during a storm. Huge waves crash over vessels imperiling the ship and its crew. The ocean with its mighty power can be a frightening place during a storm.
The sea also provides a great deal of life to our world. Many vessels travel over the oceans in bringing goods from one land to another. The waterways as a means of transportation give life to various countries which need the outside support. Island nations such as Japan and Malaysia are totally dependent on the sea for all that comes to them. The ocean also teems with life that we use. Fish provide a great source of food. Plant life, especially kelp, is used in many different applications. The ocean can provide so much for us.
The image of the power and provision of water is brought to mind in today's first reading from the prophet Ezekiel. The Prophet is asked to wade in the water. As it rises he begins to see the power that is present in the stream that becomes a raging river which can only be crossed by swimming. More importantly, the river is a great source of life. The river flows out from the temple of the Lord, the source of life. Wherever the river flows life abounds. The fresh waters of the river provide a place for the fruit trees to blossom on a continuous basis. The fruit of these trees can be used for medicine.
In the Gospel we also hear about the power of water. The Sheep Pool was believed by the Jews to have the ability to heal the sick. The belief was so strong in the community that people flocked there to find relief from their suffering. It is hard to imagine that the man in today's Gospel had been sick for 38 years and yet had never had the opportunity to experience the healing waters of the pool. As John says, Jesus knew that the man had been sick for a long time. Despite the fact that it was the Sabbath, Jesus unhesitatingly cures the man. The waters may be healing but Jesus' power is immediate and greater. The man picks up his mat and walks away, cured of his long-time infirmity.
There are many things in our lives that seem to have both power and the ability to bring us to greater wholeness. We place our trust in the cures and remedies of things and people which bring only temporary relief. Sometimes we seek answers in withdrawal from the world, through chemicals or distance or isolation. The remedies that seem so powerful can do only a limited amount. The world is finite; we cannot ask any more from it. God, however, is infinite, thus all things are possible if we place our trust in the Lord.
The world today is full of temptations which ask us to seek the quick answer to our problems. We look to what is powerful today and hope that this can bring us that which we seek. The truth, however, is that we must seek answers in God, the one who is infinite in our lives. God's solution may not come with the frequency and speed that we desire, but the effect will be fulfilling and permanent. The man at the Sheep Pool did not want to wait to be healed. His situation of forced delay, however, allowed him to experience the permanent healing of body and spirit which is possible with God. Let us today in our reflection and preparation seek the same.
Wednesday Week FourIsaiah 49:8-15John 5:17-30
God Cares For Us
A few years ago I was called to the hospital to visit a woman who had just given birth to a baby boy. The birth was difficult and there was some concern for both mother and child. I had been walking the pregnancy route with this woman so I felt we knew each other well. When I arrived in the room I witnessed a beautiful scene. My friend was holding her little boy tightly to her as she suckled him for the first time. There was an unspoken but nevertheless powerfully communicated act of love being played out before me. The woman was clutching her son and the boy in turn was reaching out with his little hands as if to say, "I am here for you." The mother certainly was the one who would be providing material things for this child, but at this moment both were equally providing love for the other.
To me the whole scene was a miracle. Only two hours earlier this child was in the womb. Now, after the miracle of birth, a little person was before me, clutched in his mother's arms. The miracle of birth was outshone, however, by the miracle of love and caring. The natural bond between mother and child was being manifest in a language of love. At that moment mother and child were one, united in caring and nurturing love for one another.
All of us have witnessed similar scenes between mothers and children. The image is very vivid and this is why Isaiah uses it in today's first reading. The Hebrews in exile needed the reassurance that God was there for them. The prophet says, God will release the prisoners; hunger and thirst will be dispelled. A road will be cut through the mountains; all highways will be made level. It might seem impossible that a mother would forget her child. If she should forget, however, God will never forget Israel.
The oneness that the child and mother experience at the moment of birth is the reality of the relationship between God the Father and Son. Jesus describes the respect and honor that characterize the love of God. As St. John says in his first epistle, "God is love. He who abides in love abides in God and God in him." God is defined as love and thus can be nothing else. God is one, living as a community of Father, Son and Spirit. All that the Father is and possesses is given to the Son.
The love that God shows to us, the care that is our experience of God's presence in our lives, must be shared with others. First we must give back to God the love and caring that is shown to us. The little child cannot do much when compared to the mother, but the reciprocity of feeling and emotion is present. Such must be the way we approach God. We cannot do much compared with God but we can spend time in prayer and reflection with our best friend, the Lord. After we have shown God our love, then we need to pass along that same love to others. We are asked to wipe out the hunger and thirst that others have for God by our attention to them. We are asked to cut through mountains and make highways level. We are asked to care for others as a mother cares for her child, as God has always cared for us.
God is present in what we do and say. Our responsibility to care for others is part of the Christian call to holiness. When we show our solidarity, our oneness with others, in their plight and suffering, we show the face of God to them. The oneness of God which Jesus expresses in the Gospel must be our goal as well, with God and one another. Let us continue the Lenten journey by preparing ourselves to be people of greater care and love. The experience will be fulfilling as we bring the Kingdom to a greater sense of reality in our world.
Thursday Week FourExodus 32:7-14John 5:31-47
Accepting The Lord
The gifts of God are truly innumerable. God has given us the created world and all that is in it. We have the beauty of nature and the usefulness of the world's resources. God has given us one another, for support and love, God has given us our faith and nurtures it along the path of life.
Certain gifts of God separate us from all other living beings. The presence of our soul is the primary gift that only humans possess. Our souls are immortal and thus allow us to live in eternal life with God. God has given us two other gifts which separate us from the rest of God's creation. We have the ability to think and we have free will. Unlike all other animals, humans can think, process ideas, and make decisions. Some decisions are easy, like what clothes we will wear today. Others are more difficult, such as what occupation we will pursue in our lives. Part of this thought process is our free will. We have the ability to say yes or no to all things on any given day. Our yes and no applies in our work and our relationships with others -- it also applies to our relationship with God.
Our readings today center on the choice which each human has in relationship with God. The Hebrew people made a choice to build a molten calf. As we remember they went to Aaron and asked him to help them with this project. The Hebrews used their free will to opt for idolatry over God. They knew God; they had just witnessed God's powerful action in their escape from the tyranny of their Egyptian oppressors. Nevertheless, they chose to say no to God. Had not Moses been able to curb God's wrath, the punishment for the people would have been the loss of their chosen-people status.
In the Gospel Jesus speaks of his rejection by the people. Jesus claims that people do not have God in their hearts because they have failed to recognize the Son. He says further that people will accept praise from one another, but they will not believe in nor accept the glory that comes from God. The people have chosen to say no to God's invitation, an invitation to life. Others who come in God's name have been accepted, but not Jesus.
The gift of free will is special. It can be used for many positive purposes. If we wish, society can benefit greatly by what we do. People will profit by our choice, if it is our desire. The power of the gift, however, can be misused as well. As always the choice is ours. Many times the decisions we make are an option for or against God. We are asked to make a choice which means we can accept or reject God, the one who is the source of all good. At other times, as in the First Reading, we make decisions which create false gods. When we opt for power, wealth or prestige at the expense of God, then we have created false gods in our lives. The temptation in our society is great. The common and acceptable thing to do these days is to opt for that which is not of God. We are considered in the mainstream when we go the normative path of society.
Free will allows us to choose the path we will follow. We have the opportunity each day to accept God more fully in our lives. It may be difficult, it may be less acceptable by peers, but to use our free choice to accept God and God's message will, in the end, prove not only courageous but the way that brings us to fulfillment. Let us think this day about how God has called us to use well the gifts we have been given. Let us choose God so that all we do may flower and blossom on Easter morn.
Friday Week FourWisdom 2:1, 12-22John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30
The Challenge Of Jesus
Challenges enter our lives in many ways. One of the primary ways we are challenged is with our setting of goals. When we are young we set a goal to attend a particular college and thus we encounter the challenge of getting good grades and participating in sufficient extra-curricular activities so that we will be accepted. Athletes many times set goals that create great challenges. One person may set the goal of making a sports team; another may set the higher goal of reaching the Olympics. Each of these goals requires much work and creates challenges.
For me the greatest challenge comes not in goals that we set for ourselves but challenges that come from the outside. When we challenge ourselves it is something we generally want to accomplish; there is a significant amount of motivation on our part to meet the challenge because a reward we desire will be ours. When people on the outside challenge us, however, it generally means that we must change or do something that may not be to our liking. It may even be distasteful.
We are many times challenged by the words and ideals of others. In the 1930s and '40s Mohandas Gandhi challenged the British government to allow home rule in the land of India. Gandhi's ideas and his non-violent method were not popular with many, both in and outside of India. Gandhi's challenge was too great for many. In the 1960s Martin Luther King, Jr., challenged all Americans to truly profess the precepts of the Declaration of Independence, that all people are created equal. Dr. King was controversial; he challenged the sensibilities and moral attitudes of a nation. As with Gandhi, many found Martin Luther King, Jr., too much to handle. In the late 1970s Archbishop Oscar Romero in El Salvador challenged the prevailing attitudes toward the poor and helpless of society. Romero had come from the aristoc_esermonsracy; he was thought by all to be one who would not challenge the system. Yet, the injustice around him was too great; he was forced to speak out. As we know in the cases of all three of these men, the end was an untimely death. The challenges that they provided to the people with whom they had contact were, in the end, too great. For many it is easier to eliminate the source of challenge, rather than subject themselves to change.
Like Gandhi, King and Romero, Jesus was one who challenged the system and the peoples of his day. The First Reading from the Book of Wisdom foreshadows the reaction of people to the life and work of Jesus. Jesus was all too much for the people of his day. He challenged the system and the beliefs of the people to such an extent that he was thought to be obnoxious. As the author of Wisdom says, Jesus, as foreshadowed in Scripture, criticized the people for their actions toward others. Jesus pursued a different path than the people of his day. He was a challenge that the people were not willing to endure. Thus, they speak of besetting the just one, of condemning him to a shameful death. These people knew not the councils of God; they could not discern the innocent soul's reward.
In the Gospel we hear again about the rejection of Jesus. Jesus challenges the authorities who think they know his origins. Jesus' origins are from God, but the people are not willing to accept this. Rather they want to seize him, but as we are told Jesus' hour had not yet come.
How does Jesus challenge us? In what ways are we asked to change so as to find the Lord this day? The challenges of God, like the challenges of life, come to us in many ways. Maybe we are being challenged to move in a different direction in life. Doors seem to be opening but we are hesitant to investigate let alone enter. Possibly the challenge of God is felt in our need to modify our attitudes and beliefs toward certain issues or toward groups of people. God's challenge may come in the invitation to greater involvement in the local community including the Church.
What is the reaction we give to the challenge of God? Do we ignore the challenge or worse yet become angry and do all we can to rid ourselves of that which asks us to change? This was the reaction of those who secured the death of the Lord. Hopefully our response is more positive. We may not be able today to dive head first into any and every challenge that comes our way. An open attitude, however, is important so that we can grow and in the process find God in ever more great and wonderful ways.
Of all the seasons of the year Lent is the perfect time to attempt to stretch ourselves. We will not be able to do all things, but we can make efforts to broaden who we are. Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Oscar Romero all accepted challenges to broaden themselves and then had the courage to challenge others. Let us, as our spring training continues, be open to change and to challenge. Let the special presence of God, in its many forms, transform us this day.
Saturday Week FourJeremiah 11:18-20John 7:40-53
Seek The Truth
We have all heard the expression, "they live on the other side of the tracks." Sometimes in various towns this expression describes a reality, a physical division of the city. In all cases, however, the words "the other side of the tracks" bring to mind certain images. Isolation is one idea. Those who live on the other side of the tracks are isolated; it is best to stay away from these people. The other side of the tracks generally means the bad side; one does not want to be caught on that side. What would people think? A stereotype comes to mind when we think of those on the other side of the tracks. People who live there are poor, many times unruly. They are certainly not of the ilk with whom we choose to associate. Contact with such people will only lead to problems for us.
In his lifetime Jesus was cast in a similar stereotype. In today's Gospel we hear about Jesus as being from Galilee. For Jews of that period, Galilee was the other side of the tracks. Galilee was in the northern half of the country; it had produced nothing of importance for Israel. The Messiah was to come from Bethlehem in Judea, the land of kings and royalty, the land of power and the law.
Yet the people are confused. Jesus seems to come from the wrong area of the country to be a person of any value. The works he accomplishes, however, signify something special about him. His words as well are attractive. Still, Jesus comes from the wrong area; thus he is labeled as one who is unworthy. This person from the other side of the tracks is causing problems for the elite of Judea. Thus, the ruling powers drum up a plot to eliminate him from their midst. Jesus and his message are not to be tolerated.
Jeremiah also knew the rejection of those who could not handle his prophetic message. Jeremiah prophesied to the people of Judah. His message was one of reform so that God's disappointment with the people would not grow worse. Jeremiah decried the injustice done to people by those in charge. The "other side of the tracks" mentality even existed within the confines of Judah itself. As with Jesus the people will not listen; thus they hatch a plot to rid themselves of the voice which challenges their power and way of life. The truth is painful; this makes it unacceptable.
In our contemporary society we stereotype people all the time. We stereotype by ethnicity, race, gender, religion, age and appearance. Certain people, either individuals or groups, become unacceptable to us. Differences in attitude, ways of thought, methods of action are all threatening -- they challenge our sensibility. We feel we must rid ourselves of these "thorns in our side." We do all that we can to keep ourselves isolated from the "undesirable element" of life. We sometimes keep people down by destroying their self esteem. We eliminate in so many words those we cannot handle by ignoring their ideas and presence.
Jesus was not a conformist who met the standards and qualifications of those who ran Jewish society. He was outspoken; he was defiant. Jesus was a rebel in many ways. Yet, Jesus professed the truth in all that he said and did.
We can learn from those we consider undesirable or unworthy just as Christ, the one who was not accepted, taught the people of his time. Those resistant to learning new things will miss the opportunity; those open to new possibilities will gain abundantly. Let us reject the prejudice of "the other side of the tracks" mentality which dominates our world. Let us seek the truth and the truth will set us free.