We Are All Fixer-Uppers

From the Catholic Liturgy for the 5^th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Feb. 4, 2018. Gospel: Mark 1:29-39.  Theme: We’re All Fixer-Uppers.  I have to confess that I am an ardent Home and Garden TV viewer. I especially like the fixer-upper shows and it amazes me how someone can look beyond the mess and destruction of a run-down house and see its possibilities. I enjoy watching the various stages of renovation – demolition day, re-wiring, laying new floors, brightening up with new paint…and suddenly you see what is basically the same building, but totally renewed and restored to what it was originally meant to be.

It seems to me that the restoration of fixer-uppers is a good way to understand the mission of Jesus that we see beginning in today’s Gospel, because we are all fixer-uppers, every single one of us. Some of us might be like houses that only have the cement foundation going for them, because everything else has been so terribly mistreated and broken down. Others of us might only need a few cosmetic touches, but all of us without exception need some work to be done so that we can be made new from the inside out.  And God, I think, is like those HGTV stars. He can look beyond the mess and even destruction we may have made in our lives and see the possibilities and He has a burning desire to restore us to what we were always meant to be: his holy and happy sons and daughters. That’s why he sent his only Son into our world as one of us: to heal what is sick, to drive evil out, and to fix what is broken. We call this work of restoration, salvation.

So, the big question is:  How do we let Jesus be that Savior, that Master Carpenter of our lives, and cooperate with Him in this task of our personal restoration?  Well, like any fixer-upper job we need two fundamental things: a plan or blueprint to follow, and the resources to get the job done! And the good news is that Jesus has provided both of these for us.

We find the blueprint, the model of what we are meant to be in the person of Jesus. His words, his actions, his relationships…these all show us what it means to live a fully renewed and restored human life.  This is why frequent reflective reading of the gospels is so vital. This is why Pope Francis never tires of giving this daily gospel-reading advice in so many of his talks.

But head knowledge is not enough to effect a change in us. No matter how many times a contractor looks at a blueprint, the house is going to remain in its dilapidated state until he gets going and starts the actual work. The same is true for us. We need to get busy living the gospel in our daily lives and practicing charity towards those with whom we live, work and socialize. But we can only do this consistently and effectively by God’s grace, His supernatural power, which he gives to us through the sacraments, especially Confession and Holy Eucharist.

In Confession, we haul away the junk and debris that have accumulated in us. We receive the power to stand strong against temptations and evil is cast out of our lives. And through intimate contact with the Risen Lord Jesus in Holy Communion we become one with him. He truly lives within us and His power flows through us. When we keep up this Eucharistic relationship week after week – even daily for those who can – the work of our renewal and restoration kicks into high-speed and its success is guaranteed.

So, let’s bring to Jesus in our prayer, in our conversations with Him, whatever it is that is keeping us back, whatever is holding us down, whatever is oppressing us. Let’s take up the blueprint of the Gospel and follow its plan. Let’s invest in the resources of the Sacraments so that Jesus can touch us, heal us and cast evil out of our lives.  Let’s allow God to restore us fixer-uppers into what we were originally meant to be: his holy sons and daughters who spread His Kingdom of love, mercy and compassion on planet Earth.