A Powerful Savior or Just a Beige Jesus?

 

Deacon Dave · A Powerful Savior or Just a Beige Jesus?

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time, January 28, 2024. Gospel of St. Mark 1:21-28. Theme: A Powerful Savior or Just a Beige Jesus? 

 Believe it or not, Ash Wednesday is just 2 weeks away, so it's a good time for us to begin thinking about what we will do for Lent. And today’s gospel is a good one to help us do this because like the possessed man we each need to be freed from forces that disrupt our relationship with God and one another. Not in the same way as him, of course, for he was actually possessed by demons, but we can still become targets of their temptations. Unclean spirits of greed, lust, and anger, of envy, pride and selfishness can enslave us and prevent us from living the kind of life that we were created to live. And so, like the possessed man, we too stand in need of a Power greater than ourselves, the Power of Jesus Christ, to set us free from the inside out. 

 In the gospel we saw that as soon as Jesus entered the scene, without even saying a word, the demon within the man cried out and began to cringe and weaken. Then at the simple command of Jesus, the hellish forces were utterly destroyed and cast out. This happened simply and solely by the power of His Presence, a power that was able to calm storms, open the eyes of the blind, heal the sick, and expel demons. People rushed to Him from everywhere. They just couldn’t get enough of Him! So, what happened over the centuries that turned this once impossible-to-ignore Messiah into just a “beige Jesus” in the minds of so many people? How did this Savior Whom everyone wanted to see and touch end up becoming Someone Whom people nowadays can so easily dismiss? 

 God’s Word in Hebrews 13:8 says that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” which means that He hasn't changed. He is still, in 2024, a Presence that radiates Divine Power that can bring about miracles and transform lives. And His Presence is still among us in many ways, most especially in the Eucharist that we adore and receive. So what happened? The only answer is that we Christians are the ones who have changed throughout the centuries and as a result we have bequeathed a “Beige Jesus” to the world today. But Lent can be an opportunity for each one of us to turn this around and begin to believe more expectantly in the Power of Jesus to work miracles and transform lives today! 

 You see, back in the time of the Gospels people had deep trust and hopeful expectation in their hearts that Jesus could and would come to their assistance. They truly believed that life-changing miracles could and would happen by turning to the Power of His Presence. And so they risked being with Him and following Him as the Messiah even if it meant rejection by their Jewish peers. And as Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, even under threat of death, Christians were still willing to take a risk on Jesus. They were confident that the Risen Lord would continue to show this Power through His disciples because He said He would. And they believed Him. This wasn’t simply a matter of wishful hoping or the power of positive thinking, They truly believed and completely expected that Jesus would do what He said He would do. It was an expectant faith rooted in a deep personal relationship with Christ and nurtured within the community of a dynamic Christianity. 

 However after the 4th century things began to change. There was no longer any risk in following Jesus because Christianity had become the preferred religion of the Empire. More and more important people became Christians, often as a way of climbing the social ladder and within a relatively short amount of time Christianity became a religion of the status quo, more a matter of culture and convenience than of personal conviction and heartfelt conversion. A personal relationship with Jesus and the willingness to take a risk on Him were no longer the fuel of faith for so many and as a result the bright light of Christ began to flicker, to slowly fade here and there. And this is where we start to see the gradual emergence of a “beige Jesus” and the rise of a cultural Catholicism that is nothing more than a lukewarm Christianity of the status quo. And quite honestly it’s still very much with us today. 

 But the Risen Christ promised that He would be with us always. And so expectant faith in the Power of Jesus expressed in a risk-taking Christianity lived on in those whom we have come to call the saints. They put vibrant color back into Christ and blazing fire back into their Christianity. This is why they get our attention and why their lives are so alluring and fascinating to us. They never stopped trusting, they never stopped believing and they never stopped expecting miracles and life-changing transformations! But there’s a big mistake that we often make about the saints. We too easily think of them as exceptions and not the rule. But the truth is that they were what we all are supposed to be. They only seem extraordinary to us because we ourselves too often settle for the “beige Jesus” of lukewarm Christianity. The saints, however, refused to give in to this attitude. They took risks by daring to be different and by opening up their hearts to the Power of Jesus Christ to still work miracles and still transform lives. And in return Jesus never ever let them down. 

 And this brings me full circle back to where I started with the topic of Lent because it’s a special time for deepening our faith and transforming our lives. It’s our annual invitation to get reacquainted with the real Jesus and to recommit to a real Christianity in our lives. It’s a time to take seriously our baptismal call to holiness. To help support and encourage you in this spiritual growth, we are offering a very special Lenten program this year called “Lent With The Chosen”. Those who participate will have a small book of short Gospel reflections for daily use and then once a week on Wednesday evenings we’ll all come together in the hall to watch an hour-long episode of The Chosen, which is an award-winning series that is definitely a remedy for banishing the idea of a “beige Jesus”. 

 You can get an idea of what The Chosen is like by coming to our Pasta Dinner on Feb 10 where we will be showing the first episode of the series. At that time I will also explain a bit more about this special Lenten program. The opportunity to sign up to participate will be coming to you via Flocknotes, so if you don’t presently get Flocknotes, be sure to contact me or the parish office to be put on the Flocknotes list.

Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ

 

Deacon Dave · Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ

Homily for Word of God Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024. The Gospel of St. Mark 1:14-204:12-23. Theme: Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ 

 When Pope Francis instituted “Word of God Sunday”, which we are celebrating today, he called our attention to St. Jerome, who was very important in early Christianity. In the 4th century he translated the Bible from its original Hebrew and Greek into the language of the people, but he wasn’t always such a devoted fan of the Bible. As a matter of fact, he was at first only a half-hearted Christian at best. 

 In his early life, Jerome was an academically-gifted but hedonistically-promiscuous college student in Rome. His practice of Catholicism was done mostly out of a sense of guilt particularly after nights of partying. But this began to change after he contracted a life-threatening disease. During his recuperation period he had a dream in which he found himself before the judgment seat of Christ and Heaven was not going to be his destination! Jerome protested that since he was a baptized Christian he ought to be let into Heaven. But Jesus told him that he better think twice about that statement. Christ informed him that simply going through outward religious rituals without them affecting one’s way of life is of little to no value when it comes to one’s eternal destiny! 

 Jesus’ warning shook Jerome out of his spiritual apathy and he experienced what the New Testament calls a “baptism of the Holy Spirit”. This means that he had a personal spiritual revival, a religious re-awakening in his life. Jerome realized that although he was baptized and raised in the Faith he really didn’t know Christ personally. And he concluded that the reason for this was because he didn’t know the Scriptures which is where we get to know about the Lord! From that point on he devoted his life to the study of the Word of God. The most famous quote we have from St. Jerome expresses his conversion experience and goes like this: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ”. 

 Pope Francis hopes that Word of God Sunday will help us to avoid – or get out of - that same kind of ignorance of Christ. He wants us to realize that the Bible must have a vital place in our lives so that, like St. Jerome, we will come to truly encounter Christ up close and personal. But for this to happen, we have to approach the Sacred Scriptures very differently than we do any other writings. Their uniqueness is that they originate in the mind of God Himself Who inspired the various authors of the Bible to write down what we need to know for our salvation. Unlike ordinary human writings, God’s Word is alive and active and has the power to touch the heart, to heal the soul, to enlighten the mind and to strengthen the will to do good and avoid evil. 

 But how can we know that the Scriptures are truly the inspired Word of God? We can’t simply say that the Bible says so! That’s just an empty circular argument. There is only one sure answer and it’s found in the reality of the Resurrection of Jesus. In other words, the Resurrection confirms everything Christ taught because it proves He was Who He said He was: God come in the flesh. And so, the degree to which we accept the Bible as inspired by God is equal to the degree to which we believe that Jesus Christ is truly risen from the dead as Son of God, Lord and Savior. 

 So the best thing we can do is to investigate the Resurrection because our faith quite literally either rises or falls on this one central truth. And this investigation is quite easy and possible to do because our faith is based on eyewitness testimony and historically reliable documents. But most people never bother to do this. They either just accept the Easter story because they are expected to do so, or they reject it outright because it sounds too impossible to be true. 

 Over a span of 2,000 years there have only been 5 main reactions to the story of an Empty Tomb and a Risen Lord. The first four are objections to the Resurrection and are easily dismissed on grounds of the historical evidence of known facts and they are: that Jesus didn't really die, that His corpse was stolen and not risen, that the earthquake recorded on Good Friday swallowed His body, and that the emotionally distraught disciples were hallucinating a Risen Messiah. But the 5th response is not so easy to dismiss if a person has undertaken a truly open-minded study of the Resurrection and it is this: that the evidence is undeniable and the eye-witness testimony is credible. This leads to just one reasonable conclusion: Jesus Christ is the Son of God, present and active among us today as our Risen Lord and Savior!

Come and See for Yourself!

 

Deacon Dave · Come and See for Yourself!

Homily for the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 14, 2024. The Gospel of St. John 1:35-42. Theme: Come and See for Yourself! 

 In today’s Gospel, the evangelist St. John takes us with him on a trip down memory lane. We’re going back in time to that unforgettable day when he, together with his friend and fishing partner, St. Andrew first met Jesus of Nazareth. The text leaves Andrew’s companion in this story unnamed, but tradition tells us that it was John himself. And this key moment was obviously such a vivid memory in his life because, although he is writing about it nearly 70 years after it happened, he remembers the little detail that it was around 4 o’clock in the afternoon when it all began. 

 They were on the bank of the Jordan River when Jesus came walking by. St. John the Baptist drew their attention to a man in the crowd by calling Him the Lamb of God. Now, both John and Andrew knew that this meant that this stranger from Nazareth was somehow connected with the prophecy of the Messiah, and so desiring to know more about Him, they started following behind Jesus as he walked past them. Suddenly, the Lamb of God, knowing full well that He was being followed, turned around and faced them, asking, “What are you looking for?” The two men made their intentions known and I can imagine them feeling a rush of adrenaline when Christ responded positively, inviting them to “come and see”! The story ends by telling us that the two disciples spent the rest of that day in the home of Jesus, talking with Him, observing Him, and listening to Him. 

But at this point we need to realize that John isn’t just sharing a cherished memory with us. He’s encouraging us to “come and see” for ourselves just Who Jesus of Nazareth is and what He can mean in our lives. He wants us to experience what He and Andrew experienced. While we do not have the historical possibility of doing this in the flesh as they did, it is still extremely possible for us to encounter Jesus personally, to be with Him and speak with Him. His Resurrection has made this possible, freeing Him from the boundaries of space and time and enabling Him to be present to us in the Eucharist, in the Gospels, in the community gathered in His Name, and in the persons of the suffering poor. 

 We can encounter Christ first and foremost in the Real and Abiding Presence of the Blessed Sacrament. This is made possible by the power of the Spirit, Who transforms the bread and wine of the Eucharist into the Living Body and Blood of Christ. And this miraculous change is not a temporary one, meant to last only during Mass and Holy Communion. Jesus remains with us always in the tabernacles of our parish churches and going there to pray can be very much like Andrew and John going to Jesus’ house. We will find Christ always at home there, and through the Abiding Presence of the Eucharist He can reach out to us, inviting us to “come and see” by spending time with Him in conversational prayer. 

 Jesus is also present in the Scriptures and especially the Gospels which contain His words. It’s different from the Eucharist but nonetheless a very real presence As a matter of fact, the great theologian St. Augustine used to encourage Christians to show reverence towards the Word of God, just as they show reverence towards the Eucharist, for both are vehicles of the Lord's Presence. When we read the Gospels with faith, Jesus jumps off the page, so to speak, to interact with us and grab our attention. We can sense His Presence near us as He speaks to our hearts. It’s best to ponder the Word of God in an atmosphere of inner and outer silence because it's hard to hear the voice of the Lord when noise is all around us and within us. 

 Jesus also declared that He would be present through His disciples for He said, “Where two or three are gathered in my Name, there I am in the midst of them.” (Mt. 18:20) Thus the importance of remembering that we are the Mystical Body of Christ gathered in HIs Name. This means we are, indeed, a form of His presence. I know of people who say they sensed this presence of Jesus and were drawn to get to know Him because of the friendliness and hospitality they experienced in a parish. This reminds me that we may very well be the best opportunity a person gets to interact with a Catholic Christian up close and personal. Are we going to lead them to Jesus by our actions? Do we smile at others, engage in conversation or welcome someone we have never seen before? Being a positive member of the Christian community can be a powerful way of imaging Jesus for others and inviting them to “come and see” what He is all about. 

 And lastly, Christ made Himself mystically present through all who experience any form of suffering and need when He said, “whatsoever you do to the least of these, you do to Me.” There are countless true stories of those who at first had no faith or very little faith, but who encountered the Presence of the Risen Lord and experienced a conversion because of their active involvement in works of mercy. The lives of the saints are full of such stories, so much so that I would almost venture to say that it was the norm more than the exception! This is because when we practice charity, even if it's from a selfish motive at first, it puts us into direct contact with God Who is Love. And if our hearts are in the right place then our original motives gradually become purified and selfishness begins to melt away as we see and touch and serve the Risen Christ in the persons of the poor and suffering. This can be so powerfully life-changing! 

 So, there’s no need for us to wish we lived back in the days of Andrew and John when we could walk the dusty roads of Palestine with Jesus and spend personal quality time with Him. The truth is that we actually have it better than they did! For they could only experience Jesus from the outside, so to speak. But we, because of the Resurrection and the various ways He has chosen to remain with us, can know Him from the inside out as He lives both with us and within us in ways that those first disciples could only hope for and imagine.

Epiphany: Bringing Our Own Magi Gifts to the Lord

 

Deacon Dave · Bringing Our Own Magi Gifts to the Lord

Homily for the Solemnity of the Epiphany, January 7, 2024. Gospel of St. Matthew 2:1-12. Theme: Bringing Our Own Magi Gifts to the Lord 

 Today’s ancient feast of the Epiphany commemorates the homage given to the Holy Child Jesus by the Magi and has been celebrated in the Church since at least the year 315 AD. It has alternative popular names in different countries such as Three Kings Day or Little Christmas. And in those places where Epiphany is always celebrated on January 6, it brings to a conclusion the traditional 12 Days of Christmas. But no matter what it’s called or on what January date it’s celebrated, it proclaims the biblical truth that Jesus Christ is the Messiah-Savior for all people and not just for Israel. 

 Epiphany is a Greek word meaning “manifestation” or “revelation”. It refers to an enlightenment, an illumination of truth, an experience of having an insight into the utter reality about something or someone. And so today’s Gospel tells us how the Magi, astrologers from foreign lands, were given an epiphany, an enlightenment, an illumination, an insight into the reality of who and what the Infant Jesus really was. 

 Having observed a new royal star appearing in the constellation of the skies, the Magi searched ancient writings to discover its possible meaning. They must have stumbled upon the words of the prophet Balaam in the Hebrew Scriptures which says, “I look into the future and I see that in Israel a king, like a bright star, will arise…Like a comet he will come out from Israel.” (Numbers 24:17) And so they began a long westward journey to pay homage to this newborn son of the Royal Family of Israel. The Holy Spirit must have inspired them in selecting the gifts that they would bring because their choices so perfectly reveal His true identity: gold for royalty; incense for divinity; and myrrh for anointing, which was a kind of premonition about the importance of this Child’s future death. 

 But St. Matthew is doing more than simply sharing a story with us. He wants this Gospel to bring us to our own personal epiphany of the Lord by reflecting on the Magi and following in their footsteps. He is hoping that we will truly see and acknowledge Christ’s true and full identity. He is hoping that we will follow their example and bow down in humble adoration to Christ as King, God and Savior of our lives. And he wants us to offer Jesus our own gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, so to speak, but in ways and forms that are expressions of our unique personal relationships with Him. 

 The first gift of the Magi was gold, a precious treasure of great worth that people hold on to for security because of its enduring value. So, what kind of gold can we give to Christ? What is of immense value to us, something that we hold onto and do not so easily give away? I think it’s our hearts, our innermost self, that which we keep so carefully guarded. We only open up our hearts to someone who has proven their love for us, someone we can trust to not reject us. Jesus is indeed this very Person for you and for me. He has put aside the power and glory of His divinity to become a little Child destined to offer himself in sacrifice as proof of His immense love. By doing so He has earned our trust and so we can safely and confidently give Him the gift of our hearts, of our innermost selves, as our version of the Magi gift of precious gold. 

 The second gift of the Magi was frankincense. Incense is used in every culture for prayer and the worship of divinity. The ascending smoke along with its pleasant aroma symbolizes the rising up of our prayers to God, from whom all good things come. The Wisemen recognized that in some mysterious way that Christ was God-come-in-the-flesh and so they bowed down before Him in adoration. For us today, this reality of God-come-in-the-flesh is found in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. With the reverence of the Magi we can offer Christ the frankincense of our worship, the rising up of our prayers, especially when we come before Him at Mass. Just as the Magi fell prostrate before the Holy Child on Mary’s lap, so we can kneel before Him present on the altar and in the tabernacle. Our Eucharistic adoration of God-in-the-flesh through this sacrament, can be our spiritual frankincense which we present to him with the Magi. 

 Lastly, we come to the third gift of myrrh, a spiced-oil used for anointing the deceased. The name “Jesus” means Savior and it points to His redeeming death. And His title of “Christ” means the Anointed One. So this third gift foretells that the healing of the human heart from sin begins with the wondrous birth of this Holy Child. Through our faith in HIm, we, too, are also anointed by God. As a matter of fact we are called “Christians” precisely because this name means “the anointed ones”. We were anointed with holy oil at Baptism and then again at Confirmation. And both times we were asked to reject Satan, sin and darkness so as to live more deeply in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And so faithful discipleship can be our third Magi gift to the Holy Child, a gift which is more precious to Him than the myrrh which was given to honor His birth. 

 So you see, it’s possible for us to enter into the story of the Magi and give it life by making it a part of our own story with Christ. Like them, we should seek Jesus with all our hearts and invest whatever time and energy it takes to experience an epiphany of the Lord in our own lives. With their same reverence and homage, we should bow down before Him to offer the gold of our hearts, the frankincense of our worship and the myrrh of our discipleship. And then like the Magi, who Matthew tells us changed plans and took a different route home to protect the Holy Child, we too should take whatever steps are necessary to protect the faith we have in Jesus as King, God and Anointed Savior of our lives. 

 The Bible doesn’t tell us anything more about the Magi after Epiphany. But it was said that they were deeply affected by their encounter with Jesus and after returning to their homeland, they spread the word about the Newborn Messiah-King. Legends say that each of them later converted to Christianity upon hearing the Gospel preached in their native lands and they were so committed to Christ that all three died as martyrs. And so, we are also called to be like the Magi after they left Bethlehem. Our devotion to Christ should show itself by spreading the word about Him and his Gospel to others so that they, too, might receive grace and become the anointed of God. And we, too, should be willing to go to any length to maintain our love for and loyalty to Christ, no matter what the cost.