The new feast of deliverance

 Homily: 17^th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B

         Friends, this week we step aside from the Gospel of Mark for a few weeks and take up the Gospel of John.  We do this for two reasons: 1) because the Gospel of Mark is the shortest of the Gospels and so it is difficult to fill the 34 weeks of Ordinary Time with readings from his gospel without repeating any parts; and 2) so that we can hear the pivotal chapter six from the Gospel of John, known as the “Bread of Life” discourse.  This year, as we continue our National Eucharistic Revival, we should attend even more diligently to this gospel passage as it reminds us of and invites us to deepen our devotion to the truth that Jesus, the Son of God, is truly present to us in the celebration of the Eucharist and in the species of the Blessed Sacrament.

         This passage opens with the recounting of the multiplication of the loaves and fish (also known as the “feeding of the five thousand”).  This passage is very familiar to us as it is recounted in each of the four gospels.  In the context of our Eucharistic Revival, certainly we should hear this story with a “Eucharistic” sense: that the feeding of the multitude with what appeared to be too little food is a sign that points to the Eucharist, which is multiplied to feed the faithful throughout the world.  This is an enduring interpretation of the sign that Jesus performed.  I would also like to invite us to consider something that might enhance and deepen our understanding of this sign.  And so, let’s take a look at it.

         Near the beginning of this passage, as John is setting the scene, he notes what time of year it was.  He said “The Jewish feast of the Passover was near”.  I believe that this is significant because both the sign that Jesus performs and the teaching that follows it are intended to re-contextualize the ministry of the Messiah for the Jews.  Let me try to explain.

         The Jewish feast of Passover is the feast of deliverance.  We remember from the book of Exodus that the Passover was first celebrated when the Hebrew people were enslaved in Egypt and Moses had been called to lead this people out of slavery to return to the land of their forefathers.  Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, refused to let them go and so God sent a series of plagues (or afflictions) on the Egyptians to demonstrate his power.  After nine of these afflictions, Pharaoh remained obstinate and refused to set the Hebrew people free.  The last affliction would be the death of the first-born son of every family and of all the livestock in Egypt.  The Passover sacrifice and meal was established to set apart the Hebrew people from the Egyptians and save them from this last affliction.  Once this affliction descended on the people, Pharaoh quickly relented and drove the Hebrew people out of Egypt so as to prevent any further affliction.  Thus, the Passover sacrifice and meal was established as the feast of deliverance from slavery into freedom and new life.

         At the time of Jesus’ ministry on earth, the ancestors of those ancient Hebrews, the Jews, looked for a Messiah who would be a great king, like King David, who would destroy all of their enemies and establish them as a proud and royal nation once again.  Jesus came in human flesh, however, not to re-establish an earthly kingdom, which would be the most dominant and prominent on the earth, but rather to establish a new feast of deliverance—a new Passover—which would set all people free not from worldly powers and dominations, but from the spiritual powers of sin and death, caused by sin.

         Therefore, Jesus performs this sign of the multiplication of the loaves and fish while “the Jewish feast of Passover was near” so that, as he prepares to teach this pivotal teaching about salvation—that is, that one must eat his flesh and drink his blood in order to have eternal life—it might be seen in the context of the Passover sacrifice and meal: the sacrifice and meal that led to the deliverance of God’s chosen people from slavery and into new life.  Is this making sense?  I’ll say it again: Jesus performs this sign and gives this teaching at that specific time of the year (that is, near the feast of Passover) in order to show that what he will offer will be a new feast of deliverance—a sacrifice and meal that will lead those who partake in it to pass over from death into new life.  Can you see now why the Church wants to be sure that we hear this passage?  It is one of the most important of the Gospels!

         With all of this in mind, we can then take another look at the miracle of multiplication that Jesus performed.  As I said at the beginning, certainly we should see this miraculous multiplication as a symbol of the Eucharist: God taking what appears to be insufficient (simple bread and wine) and multiplying it to give life to the multitude (the life of Christ by transforming it into his Body and Blood).  In other words, that this miracle is a foreshadowing of the Eucharistic meal that we all share.  In the coming weeks, as we continue to read this passage, we’ll see that there is something missing from this that keeps it from being a “new feast of deliverance”.  In fact, Jesus will name it as he continues with his teaching: saying that the people were coming to him because Jesus gave them “free food”.  The missing piece is the sacrifice.

         As I said about the Jewish feast of Passover, it was both a sacrifice and a meal.  In order for Jesus’ “new feast of deliverance” to be the same, it has to be more than a meal: it also has to be a sacrifice.  In the first Passover, the sacrifice was an unblemished lamb.  In the new Passover, Jesus is the Unblemished Lamb who will be sacrificed on the cross.  This sacrifice is what makes possible the meal from which we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus that delivers us from sin and death and frees us to enter into the perfect and eternal life of happiness in heaven.  As we will see, the Jews will misunderstand this because they think that the Messiah will be a powerful earthly king, instead of a sacrificial lamb that will make possible the true deliverance of humankind.  We are invited to re-center ourselves on this truth and reflect upon it over these next weeks, so as to renew our devotion to this central truth of our faith and lead others into this saving faith.

         Friends, it’s no accident that our National Eucharistic Revival has been developing over these past years as we approached these pivotal readings, and it’s no accident that the National Eucharistic Congress concluded just last Sunday.  These have been planned to point to the truths that are revealed to us in this passage from the Gospel of John so that we might be renewed in our devotion and inspired to witness to this truth in our lives.  Let us, therefore, boldly embrace these weeks and allow God’s Spirit to inflame our hearts with love for Jesus in the Eucharist once more: so that we might be his fervent witnesses now and receive the fullness of its reward in heaven.

Given in Spanish at St. Joseph Parish: Rochester, IN – July 28^th, 2024

La nueva fiesta de liberación

 Homilía: 17º Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario – Ciclo B

         Hermanos, esta semana nos apartamos del Evangelio de Marcos por unas semanas y retomamos el Evangelio de Juan. Lo hacemos por dos razones: 1) porque el Evangelio de Marcos es el más corto de los Evangelios y por eso es difícil llenar las 34 semanas del Tiempo Ordinario con lecturas de su evangelio sin repetir ninguna parte; y 2) para que podamos escuchar el capítulo seis del Evangelio de Juan, conocido como el discurso del “Pan de Vida”. Este año, mientras continuamos nuestro Avivamiento Eucarístico Nacional, debemos prestar aún más atención a este pasaje del Evangelio, ya que nos recuerda y nos invita a profundizar nuestra devoción a la verdad de que Jesús, el Hijo de Dios, está verdaderamente presente entre nosotros en la celebración de la Eucaristía y en las especies del Santísimo Sacramento.

         Este pasaje comienza con el relato de la multiplicación de los panes y los peces (también conocida como la “alimentación de los cinco mil”). Este pasaje nos resulta muy familiar porque se relata en cada uno de los cuatro evangelios. En el contexto de nuestro Avivamiento Eucarístico, sin duda deberíamos escuchar esta historia con un sentido “eucarístico”: que la alimentación de la multitud con lo que parecía ser muy poco alimento es una señal que apunta a la Eucaristía, que se multiplica para alimentar a los fieles en todo el mundo. Esta es una interpretación duradera de la señal que realizó Jesús. También me gustaría invitarnos a considerar algo que podría mejorar y profundizar nuestra comprensión de esta señal. Así que, echémosle un vistazo.

         Casi al comienzo de este pasaje, cuando Juan está describiendo la escena, señala la época del año en que se encontraba. Dice: “Estaba cerca la Pascua, festividad de los judíos”. Creo que esto es significativo porque tanto la señal que realiza Jesús como la enseñanza que le sigue tienen como objetivo recontextualizar el ministerio del Mesías para los judíos. Permítanme explicarlo.

         La fiesta judía de la Pascua es la fiesta de la liberación. Recordamos del libro del Éxodo que la Pascua se celebró por primera vez cuando el pueblo hebreo estaba esclavizado en Egipto y Moisés había sido llamado para sacar a este pueblo de la esclavitud y regresar a la tierra de sus antepasados. El Faraón, el rey de Egipto, se negó a dejarlos ir y entonces Dios envió una serie de plagas (o aflicciones) sobre los egipcios para demostrar su poder. Después de nueve de estas aflicciones, el Faraón permaneció obstinado y se negó a liberar al pueblo hebreo. La última aflicción sería la muerte del primogénito de cada familia y de todo el ganado de Egipto. El sacrificio y la cena de Pascua fueron establecidos para separar al pueblo hebreo de los egipcios y salvarlos de esta última aflicción. Una vez que esta aflicción descendió sobre el pueblo, el Faraón rápidamente cedió y expulsó al pueblo hebreo de Egipto para evitar cualquier otra aflicción. De esta manera, el sacrificio y la cena de Pascua fueron establecidos como la fiesta de la liberación de la esclavitud hacia la libertad y la nueva vida.

         En el tiempo del ministerio de Jesús en la tierra, los antepasados ​​de aquellos antiguos hebreos, los judíos, esperaban un Mesías que sería un gran rey, como el rey David, que destruiría a todos sus enemigos y los establecería como una nación orgullosa y real una vez más. Sin embargo, Jesús vino en carne humana, no para restablecer un reino terrenal, que sería el más dominante y prominente en la tierra, sino más bien para establecer una nueva fiesta de liberación, una nueva Pascua, que liberaría a todas las personas, no de los poderes y dominaciones mundanos, sino de los poderes espirituales del pecado y la muerte, causado ​​por el pecado.

         Por lo tanto, Jesús realiza esta señal de la multiplicación de los panes y los peces mientras “estaba cerca la Pascua, festividad de los judíos” para que, mientras se prepara para enseñar esta enseñanza fundamental sobre la salvación, es decir, que uno debe comer su carne y beber su sangre para tener vida eterna, pudiera verse en el contexto del sacrificio y la comida de Pascua: el sacrificio y la comida que llevaron a la liberación del pueblo elegido de Dios de la esclavitud y a una nueva vida. ¿Esto se hace sentido? Lo diré nuevamente: Jesús realiza esta señal y da esta enseñanza en ese momento específico del año (es decir, cerca de la Pascua) para mostrar que lo que ofrecerá será una nueva fiesta de liberación: un sacrificio y una comida que llevará a quienes participen en ella a pasar de la muerte a una nueva vida. ¿Pueden ver ahora por qué la Iglesia quiere estar segura de que escuchemos este pasaje? ¡Es uno de los más importantes de los Evangelios!

         Con todo esto en mente, podemos entonces echar otra mirada al milagro de la multiplicación que Jesús realizó. Como dije al principio, ciertamente debemos ver esta multiplicación milagrosa como un símbolo de la Eucaristía: Dios tomando lo que parece ser insuficiente (sencillo pan y vino) y multiplicándolo para dar vida a la multitud (la vida de Cristo, transformándola en su Cuerpo y Sangre). En otras palabras, que este milagro es una prefiguración de la comida eucarística que todos compartimos. En las próximas semanas, a medida que sigamos leyendo este pasaje, veremos que hay algo que falta en esta señal que impide que sea una “nueva fiesta de liberación”. De hecho, Jesús lo nombrará mientras continúa con su enseñanza: diciendo que la gente venía a él porque Jesús les dio “comida gratis”. La pieza que falta es el sacrificio.

         Como dije acerca de la fiesta judía de la Pascua, era a la vez un sacrificio y una comida. Para que la “nueva fiesta de liberación” de Jesús sea la misma, tiene que ser más que una comida: también tiene que ser un sacrificio. En la primera Pascua, el sacrificio fue un cordero sin defecto. En la nueva Pascua, Jesús es el Cordero sin defecto que será sacrificado en la cruz. Este sacrificio es lo que hace posible la comida de la que recibimos el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Jesús que nos libera del pecado y de la muerte y nos libera para entrar en la vida perfecta y eterna de felicidad en el cielo. Como veremos, los judíos malinterpretarán esto porque piensan que el Mesías será un poderoso rey terrenal, en lugar de un cordero sacrificial que hará posible la verdadera liberación de la humanidad. Estamos invitados a centrarnos nuevamente en esta verdad y reflexionar sobre ella durante las próximas semanas, para renovar nuestra devoción a esta verdad central de nuestra fe y guiar a otros a esta fe salvadora.

         Hermanos, no es casualidad que nuestro Avivamiento Eucarístico Nacional se haya ido desarrollando durante estos últimos años a medida que nos acercábamos a estas lecturas fundamentales, y no es casualidad que el Congreso Eucarístico Nacional concluyera el domingo pasado. Estos se han planificado para señalar las verdades que se nos revelan en este pasaje del Evangelio de Juan, para que podamos renovar nuestra devoción e inspirarnos para dar testimonio de esta verdad en nuestras vidas. Abracemos, pues, con valentía estas semanas y permitamos que el Espíritu de Dios inflame nuestros corazones con amor por Jesús en la Eucaristía una vez más: para que podamos ser sus fervientes testigos ahora y recibir la plenitud de su recompensa en el cielo.

Dado en la parroquia de San Jose: Rochester, IN – 28 de julio, 2024

La misericordia y el mensaje

Homilía: 15º Domingo en el Tiempo Ordinario – Ciclo B

         Bueno, para todas las personas menores de 40 años, voy a envejecerme aquí, así que por favor intenta suspender su juicio. No soy un “nativo digital” (lo que significa que crecí en una época anterior a que todo se hiciera en plataformas digitales). Esto significa que tuve que “entrar” en el mundo digital desde afuera, en lugar de crecer con él como parte mi vida cotidiana. Por lo tanto, siempre he sido escéptico o reacio a unirme a las redes sociales, empezando por Facebook y las otras plataformas que han proliferado desde entonces.

         En la universidad, me uní a la revolución del correo electrónico y pensé que era una forma bastante eficaz de comunicarme con amigos y estar al tanto de lo que pasaba en sus vidas. Conocí Facebook en el seminario y rápidamente decidí que no lo necesitaba porque simplemente sonaba como otra forma de comunicación y, como me gustaba usar el correo electrónico, no sentí que necesitara otra cosa que “verificar” regularmente.

         Sin embargo, como ministro ordenado en el mundo moderno, descubrí rápidamente que sería necesario tener conocimiento e incluso presencia en varias plataformas de redes sociales para poder comunicarme con un número de personas más grandes. Así, abrí cuentas de Facebook e Instagram. Desde entonces, he llegado a apreciar sus aspectos positivos (una forma de conectarme con amigos con los que hacía tiempo que había perdido el contacto y una forma más fácil de compartir información con personas que comparten mis intereses). Me he lamentado, sin embargo, de cómo también se han convertido en parte del sistema que nos ha llevado a perder el arte del diálogo en la plaza pública.

         Como muchos de los medios más tradicionales (como la televisión y la radio), las plataformas de redes sociales como Facebook se han convertido en un lugar donde el debate se ha centrado en "quién puede discutir más fuerte y por el tiempo más largo" y, por tanto, donde la opinión mayoritaria ahoga rápidamente las voces de quienes disienten de ella. Y así vemos que, en Facebook, como en otras formas de medios de comunicación, los mensajes que van en contra de las opiniones populares son cada vez más marginados: es decir, expulsados ​​de la plaza pública por los “matones” de la mayoría. Esto, sin embargo, no es nada nuevo.

         En la primera lectura de la Misa de hoy, escuchamos cómo el sumo sacerdote Amasías estaba tratando de intimidar al profeta Amós para que llevara su mensaje fuera de la plaza pública y lo regresara a su ciudad natal. En otras palabras, el hombre con alto poder político estaba tratando de intimidar al hombre sin ningún poder que presentó un mensaje impopular para que se retirara a los márgenes, silenciando así su mensaje. “Vuelve a casa y predica a tu coro”, parece decir, “y déjanos en paz”.

         No debería sorprender a nadie decir que la plenitud de nuestro mensaje cristiano está siendo cada vez más marginada. Sin decirlo directamente, como lo hizo el antiguo sumo sacerdote Amasías, los poderes políticos de nuestros días están promulgando leyes y políticas que esencialmente nos dicen que saquemos nuestro mensaje de la plaza pública, porque allí no es bienvenido, y por lo tanto para mantenerlo en casa, dentro de los muros de nuestras iglesias, marginando así nuestro mensaje junto con quienes lo proclamamos. ¿Entonces qué hacemos al respecto?

         Algunos dirían que deberíamos retirarnos, sacudiéndonos el polvo de los pies en testimonio contra ellos, como Jesús ordenó que hicieran sus apóstoles cuando los envió a predicar. Pero no estoy tan seguro de que éste sea el enfoque correcto. Jesús estaba pensando en ciudades y pueblos individuales, no en el panorama general del poder político. Estaba pensando en el diálogo con individuos y grupos de individuos, no en un rechazo total por parte de la mayoría. Por eso, creo que para saber qué debemos hacer, primero debemos recordar nuestra misión.

         En la lectura del Evangelio escuchamos que Jesús envió a sus apóstoles a predicar el reino de Dios y les dio autoridad sobre los espíritus inmundos. Más tarde escuchamos que los apóstoles salieron y predicaron el arrepentimiento y expulsaron demonios y sanaron a muchas personas que estaban enfermas. En otras palabras, predicaron el arrepentimiento en preparación para el reino venidero de Dios y demostraron su cercanía mediante actos de gran poder y misericordia.

         Mis hermanos y hermanas, nuestra misión es la misma. Por lo tanto, si participamos en la plaza pública, no podemos hacerlo con el único propósito de ganar debates y hacernos valer sobre los demás porque nuestro mensaje es el más poderoso. Más bien, debemos participar en esto para los propósitos de Dios: predicar el arrepentimiento en preparación para la venida del reino de Dios y llevar misericordia a aquellos que la necesitan desesperadamente.

         Para enfatizar que no quería que sus discípulos intentaran ganar poder o influencia política, Jesús los envió primero a pueblos y aldeas pequeñas, en lugar de a Jerusalén donde podrían enfrentarse a los que tenían gran influencia política; y los envió sin provisiones para que recordaran que eran misioneros de Dios, confiando únicamente en Su providencia, en lugar de tratar de ganar influencia por aumentar su riqueza e influencia política.

         Y por eso, Jesús nos envía hoy, indicándonos que no traigamos ayuda mundana con nosotros—es decir, nada que pueda ayudarnos a ganar poder político. Más bien, solo debemos llevar su mensaje (arrepiéntanse, porque el reino de Dios está cerca) y la autoridad que él nos ha dado como sus apóstoles para hacer obras de misericordia.

         Parte del desafío que enfrentamos hoy es que el mensaje ha perdido su credibilidad porque se ha separado cada vez más de las obras de misericordia. Por eso el Papa Francisco ha tenido un efecto tan grande en la gente. El Papa Francisco nos ha instado a poner las obras de misericordia en primer plano para que podamos reconstruir nuestra credibilidad y así lograr que nuestro mensaje sea escuchado. Nos ha mostrado que retirarnos de la plaza pública porque nuestro mensaje ha sido rechazado sería fracasar en nuestra misión. Más bien, quiere que veamos que primero debemos manifestar el reino de Dios haciendo obras de misericordia y que, al hacerlo, conseguiremos que se escuche nuestro mensaje. Esto se debe a que sabe que, en una cultura empapada de cinismo y desconfianza, primero debemos construir un puente de confianza con aquellos a quienes esperamos llegar con nuestro mensaje: lo que hacemos cuando realizamos las obras de misericordia.

         Hermanos y hermanas, este es un trabajo incómodo, sin duda. Requiere no sólo que salgamos de nuestra zona de confort (tal vez relacionarnos con alguien fuera de nuestros círculos normales), sino que también exige sacrificios de nuestra parte (renunciar, tal vez, a esas vacaciones o comprar ese carro nuevo, o sofá nuevo o par de jeans nuevo)—para que la misericordia de Dios pueda obrar a través de nosotros; ¡y esto sin garantía de que nuestro mensaje será escuchado y aceptado!

         Sin embargo, no debemos permitir que el miedo al rechazo nos impida ir, porque tenemos el poder y la autoridad de Jesús y hemos recibido una comisión de él; ¡Ay de nosotros, pues, si no vamos! ¿Y qué excusa tenemos para tener miedo, pues él ha prometido estar con nosotros en cada paso del camino? ¡La procesión eucarística que pasó por aquí es un gran testimonio de esta verdad de que Dios quiere que llevemos su mensaje a la calle! Por eso, hermanos y hermanas, vayamos con valentía a llevar misericordia al pueblo de Dios para que ellos también puedan escuchar y aceptar el llamado de Dios al arrepentimiento y así unirse a nosotros en esta mesa de la misericordia de Dios: el banquete eucarístico que es un anticipo de la felicidad eterna que todos anhelamos.

Dado en la parroquia de San Jose: Rochester, IN – 14 de julio, 2024

Mercy and the message

 Homily: 15^th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Cycle B

         Now, for all of the people younger than 40, I’m going to age myself here, so please try to suspend your judgment.  I am not a “digital native” (meaning that I grew up in the age prior to everything being done on digital platforms).  This means that I had to “step into” the digital world from the outside, instead of growing up with it as part of the “furniture” of my daily life.  Thus, I have always been skeptical of/reluctant to join social media, starting with Facebook and the other platforms that have proliferated since.

         In college, I had joined the e-mail revolution and thought that it was a pretty efficient way to communicate with friends and to keep up with what was going on in their lives.  I came to know of Facebook in the seminary and I quickly decided that I didn’t need it because it just sounded like another form of communication and, since I was happy using e-mail, I didn’t feel like I needed another thing to “check” on a regular basis.

         As an ordained minister in the modern world, however, I quickly discovered that it would be necessary to have an awareness of, and even a presence on, various social media platforms so as to communicate with a much larger number of people.  Thus, I opened Facebook and Instagram accounts.  Since then I’ve come to appreciate their positive aspects (a way to connect with friends with whom I had long since lost touch and as an easier way to share information with people who share my interests).  I have lamented, however, about how they have also become part of the system that has led us to lose the art of dialogue in the public square.

         Like much of the more traditional media (like TV and radio), social media platforms like Facebook have become a place where debate has devolved into “who can argue the loudest, longest”, and thus where the majority opinion quickly drowns out the voices of those who dissent from it.  And so we see that, in Facebook as in other forms of media, messages that run contrary to popular opinions are increasingly marginalized: that is, pushed out of the public square by the “bullies” in the majority.  This, however, is nothing new.

         In the first reading for today’s Mass, we heard of how the high priest Amaziah was trying to bully the prophet Amos to take his message out of the public square and back to his home town.  In other words, the man in high political power was trying to bully the man without any power who brought forth an unpopular message into retreating back to the margins, thus silencing his message.  “Go back home and preach to your choir”, he seems to say, “and leave us alone.”

         It should be a surprise to no one when I say that the fullness of our Christian message is being increasingly pushed to the margins.  Without directly saying it, like the ancient high priest Amaziah did, the political powers of our day are enacting laws and policies that essentially are telling us to take our message out of the public square, because it isn’t welcome there, and so to keep it at home, inside the walls of our churches, thus marginalizing our message along with those of us who proclaim it.  So what do we do about it?

         Some would say that we should retreat, shaking the dust off our feet in testimony against them, as Jesus instructed his apostles to do when he sent them out to preach.  I’m not so sure, however, that this is the correct approach.  Jesus was thinking about individual towns and villages, not the overall landscape of political power.  He was thinking of dialogue with individuals and groups of individuals, not wholesale rejection by the majority.  Therefore, I think that in order to know what we must do, we must first remember our mission.

         In the Gospel reading, we heard that Jesus sent out his apostles to preach the kingdom of God and gave them authority over unclean spirits.  Later we hear that the apostles went out and preached repentance and both drove out demons and healed many people who were sick.  In other words, they preached repentance in preparation for the coming kingdom of God and demonstrated its nearness by doing acts of great power and mercy.

         My brothers and sisters, our mission is the same.  Thus, if we are engaging in the public square, we cannot be in it for the sole purpose of winning debates and asserting ourselves over others because our message is the most powerful.  Rather, we must be in it for God’s purposes: to preach repentance in preparation for the coming of God’s kingdom and to bring mercy to those who are desperately in need of it.

         To emphasize that he didn’t want his disciples trying to gain political power or influence, Jesus sent them first to small towns and villages, instead of to Jerusalem to engage the ones with great political influence; and he sent them without provisions so that they would remember that they were God’s missionaries, relying solely on His providence, instead of trying to build clout by growing their wealth and political influence.

         And so, Jesus sends us today, instructing us to bring no worldly help along with us—that is, nothing that can help us gain political power.  Rather, we are only to bring his message (repent for the kingdom of God is at hand) and the authority that he has given us as his apostles to do works of mercy.

         Part of the challenge we face today is that the message has lost its credibility because it has increasingly become separated from works of mercy.  This is why Pope Francis has had such a great effect on people.  Pope Francis has urged us to put works of mercy in the forefront so that we might rebuild our credibility and thus gain a hearing for our message.  He has shown us that to retreat from the public square because our message has been rejected would be to fail in our mission.  Rather, he wants us to see that we must first manifest the kingdom of God by doing works of mercy and that, in doing so, we will gain a hearing for our message.  This is because he knows that, in a culture soaked in cynicism and distrust, we must first build a bridge of trust with those whom we hope to reach with our message: which we do when we enact the works of mercy.

         My brothers and sisters, this is uncomfortable work, to be sure.  It requires us not only to go outside of our comfort zones—engaging, perhaps, with someone outside of our normal circles—but it also demands sacrifices of us—forgoing, perhaps, that vacation or purchasing that new car or new couch or new pair of jeans—so that God’s mercy can be worked through us; and this with no guarantee that our message will be heard and accepted!

         We must not let the fear of rejection keep us from going, however, because we have the power and authority of Jesus and have been given a commission by him; woe to us, therefore, if we do not go.  And what excuse do we have to be afraid, for he has promised to be with us every step of the way?  The Eucharistic procession that passed through here is a great witness of this truth that God wants us to take his message into the street!  And so, my brothers and sisters, let us go boldly to bring mercy to God’s people so that they, too, might hear and accept God’s call to repentance and thus be joined with us at this table of God’s mercy: the Eucharistic banquet which is a foretaste of eternal happiness for which we all long.

Given at St. Patrick Parish: Kokomo, IN – July 14^th, 2024

Consoling the Heart of Jesus by acts of faith

 Homily: 14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B

         Friends, today we hear again this familiar account of Jesus returning home to Nazareth after he had begun his public ministry, and of how the townspeople reject him as a teacher/prophet.  At the end of this account, Saint Mark writes that Jesus “was amazed at their lack of faith”.  Jesus was “amazed” at their lack of faith.  Let’s take a moment to try to unpack what that means.

         First, let’s remember the definition of faith given to us in the Letter to the Hebrews: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and evidence of things unseen.”  Okay, so if the people of Nazareth lacked faith, they lacked surety: but surety of what?  Certainly, they lacked surety in what was unseen in Jesus, namely his divinity.  Perhaps many of them also lacked surety that God would send them a Messiah and so were skeptical of anyone making overt signs that he might be the Messiah (especially someone from their small, unimportant town).  Either way, their lack of surety of things unseen is evident by the way that they respond to Jesus: “Who is this guy?  Really?!?!  The carpenter’s son is going to teach us something?  C’mon.  Just look at his disciples.  Fishermen and the like.”  Their lack of faith is… well… evident.

         Perhaps this isn’t what Jesus experienced growing up in Nazareth.  Perhaps he grew up hearing the townspeople express hope in the promised Messiah and trust that God would send him to liberate their people and establish God’s kingdom again.  Perhaps, therefore, Jesus had great expectations when, after he had been out teaching and performing miracles and building up a buzz about who he was, he could return home to his beloved townspeople.  “Finally,” I can imagine him thinking, “I can finally show them who I am!”

         What he discovers, however, is that their hearts were closed—that they lacked faith, in spite of what they had professed previously—and so Jesus is “amazed”.  And so, what is Jesus’ “amazement”?

         Jesus’ amazement could be disgust.  It could be that, upon seen the lack of faith from his townspeople, Jesus thought, “I can’t believe you people! What is wrong with you?”  Perhaps we might not think this right away, but remember that, in Mark’s Gospel specifically, Jesus shows a wide range of emotion: showing evident frustration with his disciples on multiple occasions.  In the other Gospels, Jesus is shown to be more “even-keel”.  Mark, however, leaves open the possibility that Jesus might respond with raw disgust.  And so, it’s believable that Jesus’ “amazement” might be disgust at their lack of faith.

         Jesus’ amazement could also be “shocked disappointment”.  It could be that his response to their lack of faith was something like, “Wait.  Why are you rejecting me?  This is the message you said you hoped for.  I… I can’t believe it.  I thought I knew you all.”  In this case, he was amazed because they had completely failed to live up to his expectations and so experienced immense disappointment.

         Perhaps there are many of you who have been amazed in this way at some point in your life.  Maybe you’ve experienced family and friends who have disappointed you immensely by their lack of faith.  Perhaps you’ve experienced those same people who have rejected you because of your faith.  This, of course, can be hurtful.  People look to their family and friends to reflect back to them who they are and to feel, therefore, a sense of validation.  If any one of us comes to them holding beliefs that call into question some core values/truths about themselves that they hold, they may reject us: not because of who we are, per se, but rather because the faith we present calls them to question who they believe themselves to be.  Thus, they reject us in order to protect their sense of self.

         This, I think, is what Jesus experienced.  The townspeople of Nazareth rejected him because he challenged them to see him as more than they had known him to be.  In doing so, they felt challenged to rethink who they knew themselves to be.  Unready and unwilling to do that, they responded with comments that strove to put Jesus “back in his place”: “Isn’t he just the carpenter’s son?  Isn’t his mother plain old Mary?  Aren’t these regular folks his relatives?”  Jesus’ assertion made them uncomfortable; and instead of walking into the discomfort of belief, they rejected it so that they could return to their more comfortable understanding.  In doing so, they manifested their lack of faith.  Jesus was amazed at this, just as we are amazed whenever it happens to us. ///

         So, what do we do with this today?  I’m going to suggest that we respond to this by seeking to console the heart of Jesus.  So often today Jesus receives the same response from people that he received from his townspeople in Nazareth that day: rejection because of their lack of faith.  And because of this, Jesus isn’t able to do great works among the people.  But wait, as the Gospel relates, there were a few people in Nazareth who Jesus did miracles with, right?  These few must have manifested faith in him in spite of what the other townspeople were saying.  These few must have consoled Jesus’ disappointed heart greatly.

         Perhaps today we are being called to manifest faith in Jesus so as to console his heart for the great lack of faith that he encounters in the world.  Jesus’ heart literally aches because it is so full of merciful love and yet it does not find outlets into which he can pour it.  Our acts of faith in him open us to be vessels into which Jesus can pour his love, just like those few sick persons in Nazareth.  Jesus doesn’t need this, of course, but it is a great joy to him when he can do it.  As those who have faith in him, let us make it part of our discipleship this week to do this.

         Perhaps today, as we come forward to receive him in Holy Communion, we can make this act of faith in his merciful love and ask that he pour his love that has been rejected by others into our hearts, thus consoling him and deepening our bond with him.  This is no small thing to do, and so let us boldly do it!  May our humble thanksgiving today in this Eucharist also console him.  Finally, may his merciful love strengthen us as we as we go forth from here, so that we might courageously give witness to our faith in our lives.

Given at St. Patrick Parish: Kokomo, IN – July 6^th & 7^th, 2024