What Are You Giving Up For Lent?

1st SUNDAY OF LENT

Genesis9, 8-15 / 1Peter 3, 18-22 / Mark 1, 12-15

Growing up in Philadelphia it was a common question among Catholics this time of year: “What are you giving up for Lent?”  The typical answers were: candy, movies, dessert.  Adults would also list: cigarettes, coffee, alcohol.

Some husbands would say with a smile: “my wife’s cooking”.  And the less pious among us would say they’re giving up going to Mass on Sundays.

It is in the readings for our Lenten liturgies that the Church tells us what we should be doing in Lent – what expectations we should have of this season.  So, on this first Sunday of Lent, as we are beginning this season of grace, let us ask ourselves: “What should we be doing in Lent?”  And let’s see how the Church would help us answer that question.

Our first reading from the book of Genesis recalls the story of Noah and the flood.  Specifically we recall that wonderful scene where God points to the rainbow as the sign of the covenant.  The rainbow, spanning heaven and earth, is to remind us how heaven and earth – how God and man are linked together.  The rainbow tells us we are linked – bonded to God, and God is linked – bonded to us.

Christians use the sign and symbol of the rainbow and apply it to Jesus.  Jesus is our rainbow – our sign of the covenant – telling us how we are related and joined to God.  Our reading from the gospel of Mark talks about Jesus being tempted in the desert by Satan.  And that speaks to us about our relationship with God.  Jesus was tempted – so are we.  Our relationship with God will be tempestuous – with ups and downs – with times full of doubts and struggles.  Jesus was tempted – so are we.

Just think and reflect on this.  Just as no doubt, no struggle, no temptation could in any way make Jesus less beloved by the Father – less a Son to the Father, just so with us.  Our doubts, struggles and temptations cannot make us in any way less beloved by God our Father.  In fact, they only call forth his compassion and care for us.

The reading from the first letter of Peter brings together what we heard in Genesis and the Gospel of Mark.  Jesus – our rainbow – Jesus who shows us how we are joined to God and God is joined to us – this Jesus, Peter tells us, descends into hell.

Jesus’ descent into hell.  It is an article of faith in the Apostles’ Creed.  Hell is where God is not.  In his book on the Apostles Creed, Introduction to Christianity, then Cardinal Ratzinger and now Pope Benedict XVI describes hell as that human loneliness where not even love can penetrate.  And what Jesus’ descent into hell wants to tell us is that there is no such loneliness.  There is no human place – no human situation – no human shut-up-ness – no human isolation that Jesus’ love cannot and does not penetrate.

The early Anglo-Saxon Christians spoke of Jesus’ descent into hell as his Harrowing of Hell.  Harrow means to break apart and destroy.  Jesus breaks apart Satan’s special preserve – [that’s] our imagined impenetrability to God’s presence and love.  Jesus destroys and pillages hell; he empties us of our hells.

And that is how it is between God and us.  That is what the rainbow – what Jesus tells us.  There can be no separation between us and God except in our own contorted and twisted imagination.

So, what are you going to give up for Lent?  What should you be doing in Lent?  The Church’s answer is clear:  Give up hell!  Get real and give up hell!

Fr. Pat Earl, SJ

ASH WEDNESDAY

Joel 2, 12-18 / 2Cor 5,20-6,2 /Matthew 6, 1-6, 16-18

We are beginning the season of Lent.  The church calls Lent “the springtime for our spirits”.  It’s a time of freshness – a time for new budding life.  Above all, the church tells us, Lent is a time for surprises – for reversals – for the unexpected to happen.  We symbolize the surprising reversals Lent will bring into our lives by what we do here at this liturgy.  We begin with ashes.  Lent begins with ashes – but will end in Easter fire and flame.  From ashes to flame -- just the opposite of what we expect.

God wants to astonish us – wants to stand us on our heads – wants to turn us and our world topsy turvy – upside down.  I want to suggest two reversals – two surprises God always manages to work in the lives of those who are trying to follow Jesus.

The first reversal is that we learn – to our surprise – that we grow in the life God wants for us – not by adding on but rather by subtracting.  We call it fasting.  But the fasting God wants is that we fast from fear.  The most repeated command in the entire Bible is God’s command: “Have no fear!  Do not be afraid!”  Fear-ful people cannot love.  And a fear-ful church can never be priestly and certainly not prophetic.  We are to fast from fear.  As a church we must fast from fear. 

A second reversal has to do with faith.  Normally we speak of our growing in faith in God – which is only good and holy.  But God’s surprise for us is that we are to grow in our sense of God’s faith in us.  God trusts us.  So much does God trust us that we are actually God’s ambassadors.  God makes himself present to others in us and through us – but also and most importantly God makes himself present to others as us.  Also, we are God’s children.  We have nothing to prove.  If God puts his trust in us as beloved children, should we not learn to put similar trust in ourselves and one another?

Less fear – more trust in our lives.  God will work mightily in Lent to bring these about.

Le us be ready to be stunned and surprised this Lent.  Our time for spiritual somersaults is beginning.  Let us begin with ashes and await God’s fire and flame.

You Do Belong!

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Leviticus13, 1-2, 44-46 / 1Cor 10, 31-11, 1 / Mark 1, 40-45

In today’s gospel story from Mark Jesus heals a leper. Mark’s gospel tells many stories about Jesus healing people –especially lepers. They are miracle stories.

We miss the point of this gospel story if we read and understand it at face value. In taking the gospel at face value – in taking its meaning to be what is most obvious to us – we will always read the gospel in terms of our own culture. We read this first-century Greek text as if it were written by and for twenty-first century English-speaking Americans. And so we fail to understand what the gospel wants to say to us. We just don’t get it.

That’s a special danger with miracle stories. And that’s not peculiar to us. St. Augustine in his day, which was the latter part of the fourth century, complained about people not understanding miracle stories in the gospels. He said they just looked at the outer word – the outer events of the miracle and failed to get into the inner word – the inner meaning of the miracle story. In our own day we might be satisfied with imagining the healing of the leper much like a Walt Disney movie would portray it – special effects and all!

So let us try to hear and understand this story as Mark, the author, intends to tell us the story. And to do that, some clarifications are needed.

First of all, we are told that a “leper” came to Jesus – a “leper”. All sorts of ugly pictures come to mind – decaying limbs falling off the body. That’s our modern picture of the disease known to us as “leprosy”. Clinically, what we are picturing is called “Hansen’s disease”.

But what the gospel and the first reading from Leviticus is talking about is not Hansen’s disease – but what is called in Hebrew “sara’at”. The Greek translation for “sara’at” is “lepra”. What we’re talking about – “sara’at” or “lepra” – is a patchy skin condition. It’s more like acne, psoriasis or eczema.

In the religious understanding of Jesus’ day and of Jewish culture – having this kind of skin condition – having “sara’at” or “lepra” – being a “leper” – made you unholy and unfit to be a member of the community. Lepers were seen as“unclean” – to be separated out from the other “clean” and “pure” members of the community.

Contact with lepers was feared. The fear came not from fear of contagion. In those days contagion simply did not figure into their cultural understanding of sickness. Rather the fear came from fear of pollution. They feared contact would make them associated or identified with the unclean – with people who are seen as unfit and unholy.

A contemporary example of the same kind of thing might be a fear to go into a gay bar. The fear is not of being infected with homosexuality. Rather the fear comes from being seen in a gay bar and being thought to be gay oneself. As happens so often, our fears have more to do with appearances than with reality.

In the story we are told the leper comes to Jesus and asks to be made clean. “If you choose, you can make me clean.” (Mk 1, 40) Note: he does not ask for a cure. What he wants from Jesus is to be made clean. What he wants Jesus to choose to do – is not to think of him as unfit and unholy. What the leper wants is no longer to be shunned and avoided. Being made clean is moving out of separation – out of isolation and being welcomed back into community.

And that is precisely what Jesus does for the leper. In reaching out and actually touching the leper Jesus moves beyond any cultural or religious fear of pollution. He is not afraid of being associated with those seen as unholy. And he communicates to the leper: “You do belong! You do belong to the holy community! You will always belong!”

When Jesus directs the leper to show himself to the priest and offer what Moses prescribed, he is telling him to do something that could only be done by someone who rightfully belongs to the holy, worshipping community. Jesus is saying to the leper: “You do belong – and now act out of your belonging!”

That is what Mark and the miracle story mean by “healing”. That is how Jesus heals. And that is how Jesus heals us now – from whatever uncleanness we think or imagine we have. And that is how we heal one another. This is what the miracle story wants to communicate to us.

We have the power to heal. If we choose, we can make others clean. We are “the Body of Christ”. We are called to be healers. We have the power –we are called – to make clear to others: “You do belong! You do belong to the holy community! You will always belong!”

Fr. Pat Earl, S.J.

That Authority Thing

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2012

Dt 18, 15-20 / 1Cor7, 32-35 / Mk 1, 21-28

What surprises Jesus’ listeners is that he teaches with authority. Mark describes their reaction: “All were amazed and asked one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.’” [Mk 1, 27]. I think we could all learn a lot by reflecting on this scene and especially on this response of the people in the synagogue to what Jesus does.

So let’s reflect on the scene as Mark gives it to us. They’re in Capernaum – the town which Jesus will eventually select to be the center – the home to his ministry and movement. It’s the Sabbath so they go to the synagogue –where Jesus teaches. And the response to him is astonishment. He teaches with authority, they say, and not like the scribes, their traditional religious leaders. Their usual method of teaching was to cite text after text, authority after authority – all in the effort to make their point and convince their listeners. Jesus does not do that. He teaches with authority. And it’s here we need to stop and reflect. What does it mean for Jesus to teach with authority?

Authority. The word itself calls forth from us different reactions depending on how we understand its meaning. In our American culture authority is not seen as an unmixed blessing. Too easily authority can become “authoritarian”. That’s an authority which insists on its own power and competence to make decisions and decide outcomes for others. It aims to control people and events and usually goes to great lengths to protect itself. Yet there is good authority. That’s an authority which does not insist on itself, is not self-focused but serves to promote and protect the common good of society. I think we all have experience of good authority and of authoritarian authority. Perhaps the sex scandals in our church have exposed the authoritarian inclination of some.

There’s another way of approaching authority that is, I think, what Mark is trying to convey to us in this scene in the synagogue. We get a hint of it from the English word itself: authority. That word is not unrelated to another English word: author. To be an author is to create something out of your own resources and experience – to create out of yourself. The author is the origin of what he or she creates. That’s having authority. In this sense we also speak of someone as authentic– being true and faithful to themselves – their self being the real origin of what they say and do.

When we consider the original Greek word Mark uses, we get an even clearer sense for what the English hints at. The Greek word which translates as authorityis exousia[eks-ousia], and that means quite literally “coming out of [eks] one’s own being [ousia]”. For Jesus to speak and act with authority is, according to Mark, for him to speak and act out of his own being – out of his own experience– out of his own self. Rather than being authoritarian – Jesus is authentic– having authority. His acting, doing and speaking are in inner harmony with his deepest self. There is no space, no shadow between what he does and says and who he is. Jesus acts out himself. He speaks out himself. He himself is his own truth.

This is what the people see and sense in Jesus. He truly is who he is. And they see and sense this in his confrontation with the man with an unclean spirit. Being himself – Jesus has to confront – upfront – the unclean spirit. The unclean spirit is what twists the very meaning of God and holiness. It makes God into a stranger [“What have you to do with us?”] and into a destroyer [“Have you come to destroy us?”] And Jesus –being himself – only wants to free the man enslaved by such a spirit. Just being himself – being upfront who he truly is – being upfront the way he truly is – Jesus’ very presence confronts, names and exposes the unclean spirit for what it is: a lying spirit – in Hebrew, a Satan – the Father of Lies– who makes God and man seem distant to one another – even enemies to one another. The unclean spirit makes the man fear and fight God – God’s goodness and God’s presence.

As Catholics we affirm with the deepest faith that Jesus still has real presence, especially in the Eucharist. That is our Resurrection faith. Our whole Catholic life relies on – and revolves around – the reality that Jesus is still very much himself. He still has authority. He still acts out and speaks out himself into our lives. As Risen Lord his very presence still confronts and expels that within us that would make us fear a faraway God who only wants to diminish and destroy us.

We here at this Eucharist need to become like the people in the synagogue. We need to allow ourselves to be truly astonished at Jesus’ authority. Together with Christians everywhere we cry out: Maranatha! Our Lord, come!

Fr. Pat Earl, S.J.

Deciding and Doing

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jonah3, 1-5, 10 / 1Cor 7, 29-31 / Mark 1, 14-20

Some things stand out about all of today’s readings.  First of all, they are all brief readings – not long at all.  Also, each reading is about responding to a call.  So you’ll be happy to know I want to imitate our readings by trying to be brief and direct.  And too, I want to imitate them by talking about our response to God’s call to each of us.

Probably we have all heard the story of Jonah before.  It’s the tale of Jonah, who’s a prophet, getting caught in the belly of a whale.  But what you may not know – but may have suspected – is that it’s a completely made-up story – a comic tale – a biblical comedy intended to make us laugh and cry – basically at ourselves.  It’s a story intended to show us up to ourselves: to show us the lengths we will go to avoid God’s call to us.  So the story goes: Jonah is called by God to convert the people of Nineveh.  He doesn’t want to go.  He hates the people of Nineveh; they’re not Jews.  So he goes in the very opposite direction of where Nineveh sits – eventually gets sucked into the belly of a whale – and then gets spit out onto the shore facing in the right direction toward Nineveh.  So finally Jonah, the unwilling prophet, goes where God has wanted him to go all along.

Now a direct question to each of us!  It’s truth time!  People in 12 Step recovery programs remind us that Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.  Are there things – good and worthy things – that each of us feels called upon to try to do?  And yet we avoid them – we deny them – we run away from them?  The call to do the good and worthy thing is clearly of God.  It’s God’s call to us.  Now we might laugh at ourselves and cry too, as the story of Jonah would have us do.  But like Jonah we might also finally give in to God – give in to God’s call.  Let us respond and do what is worthy and noble.  That is God’s call to each of us.

In our second reading Paul tells the Christians in Corinth that time is running out for them.  They made the decision to follow Christ.  And so their world should be changing.  Much of their old world and old way of life should be passing away.  Paul calls on them to actually live out of their baptism.

Another direct question to each of us!  Would an outside observer see a difference in us – a difference in our lives and behavior – due to the fact we call Jesus of Nazareth “Lord”?  What’s our honest answer?  Truth time!  Does what we say as Christians make any difference in what we do as human beings – as Americans – as neighbors – as parishioners?

We come to the reading from the gospel of Mark.  It’s the first gospel to be written down.  At the very beginning of the gospel – at the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry Mark sums up what it all means to respond to the call of Jesus – what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.  The scene shows Jesus calling out to Peter and Andrew, to James and John – just as surely he calls out to us – saying: Change your ways,[and]put your trust in the good news!

Direct question:  Where do I really put my trust?  Do I put my trust in Jesus’ words and wisdom – really?  Do I commit to what he called “the Kingdom of God” – where we give daily bread to one another – where we forgive one another’s sins, forgive when sinned against – where we do not sit in judgment of one another? 

I repeat: Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.  And “Thy Kingdom come” ain’t just words in a prayer.  They are words aching to become our agenda – our hope – our passion.  They’re words that want to get us out of bed in the morning.

It’s all kind of simple.  Jonah, Paul – Jesus – they are all telling us: Give in to God!  Answer his call!  It’s being spoken to each of us deep-down.  Listen for it!  Let our spoken faith really shape our lived life.  Let us answer Jesus’ call to us.  Let us change our ways by entrusting ourselves to Jesus’ ways.  Let us become real disciples.

Fr. Pat Earl, SJ

Epiphany 2012: Conclusion of the Jesuit 25th Anniversary Year

EPIPHANY 2012

Is 60:1-6/Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6/Mt 2:1-12

It may come as a surprise to you – but it is with today’s feast of Epiphany that we come to the very heart of the Christmas season.   Not December 25^th but today gives us the reason for the season.  Epiphany explains Advent and Christmas.

The word Epiphany means “to shine upon”.   It means making clear and plain what had been hidden.   Let me explain a little bit the way the Church understands this season and today’s feast.   On Christmas there’s an explosion of light.   The Eternal Word of God appears in the flesh – in a babe found in a feeding trough.   Epiphany tells us what this explosion of light shines upon – what it reveals and makes clear.   The Magi represent genuine seekers – seekers for the truth from every age and culture.   So what does the Christmas light shine upon so that these seekers can see the truth?   What basic truth or, better, what basic reality becomes clear and plain to them as they see the babe in the feeding trough?

In the words of an early church father [Peter Chrysologus]  the Magi see “man in God and God in man”.   The bright light of Christmas shines on human flesh – on the babe’s in the manger and also on our own human flesh.   What the Christmas light makes clear is that the human – people – people like you and me – people – just people – are the means and medium through which God makes himself present.   To accept the babe – to accept Jesus is also to accept that the human has become holy home for our God.   All of us – people of faith and people full of doubts and unbelief – good people, bad people – friend and foe – all of us are God’s holy home.

It is only fitting then that we conclude our 25^th anniversary celebration of the arrival of the Jesuits to St. Peter’s with this feast of the Epiphany.   Our theme this past year has been MAGIS – a Latin word and a term much loved by Jesuits.   Literally it means “more”. “ever greater”.   For Jesuits it means God – God’s presence is ever greater, ever more, ever deeper than we can imagine.   And that presence is in us!   We bear within us God’s ever greater, ever deeper presence – the living Christ.

Our summons, our vocation as a parish is to bring forth that deeper presence – for others, to bring to bear God’s presence, God’s gracious life into every aspect and circumstance of life.   We are to make God’s presence clear and plain in how we live and work together as a parish.   That is how we live and do the MAGIS.

And this past year we have lived and done the MAGIS.   Our banners, our hymns, prayers and liturgies, our suppers and celebrations, and, above all, our hours of service have proclaimed and shouted God has made his home among us here in this parish and here in this city of Charlotte.   We have seen the living Christ here among us.   We have been the living Christ here for one another – and for our city.   The poor – the poor of whatever material kind or spiritual stripe – the poor have been cared for here at St. Peter’s.   God’s grandeur has clearly seized us.

Let us conclude this anniversary year with an attitude St. Ignatius of Loyola recommends to all who sincerely pursue the MAGIS.   That is “an attitude of gratitude.”   Gratitude presumes we have recognized goodness present in our lives.   And to be a grateful person – to have an attitude of gratitude – means that we allow ourselves to live habitually in the presence of goodness.   As members of this parish we have every reason to take on an attitude of gratitude.   God’s goodness flares out among us “like shook foil”, as Hopkins, the Jesuit poet, writes.   And God’s grandeur clearly charges our life as a parish.   We need only to take the time to look, to look more searchingly, more deeply at the life being lived around us.   Like the Magi, we will see the star hovering and its light will make us overjoyed.

We conclude this anniversary year with Eucharist – in the Church’s great act of grateful thanksgiving for the communion we have with our God.   The Lord is with us.  And we at St. Peter’s are with the Lord!  Thanks be to God!

Fr. Pat Earl, SJ

Happy New Year!

Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God

Nm 6: 22-27/Gal 4:4-7/Lk 2:16-21

Jesus’ life begins with Mary.  It is only fitting therefore that we begin our new year with this solemn feast of Mary, the Mother of God.   I am sure we all begin the new year with hopes and prayers.   There’s a wonderful prayer given us by Dag Hammerskjoeld.   He was the UN Secretary General in the 1950’s.   He always began his new year with this prayer:  For all that has been – thanks!  To all that shall be – yes!   There’s also a prayer from all the churches in Great Britain – Roman Catholic, Anglican and Protestant.   It was composed to greet the new millennium and is now used to greet the new year.   Our British brothers and sisters pray this prayer: Let there be / respect for the earth / peace for its people / love in our lives / delight in the good / forgiveness for past wrongs / and from now on / a new start.

I’ve developed my own New Year custom that I’d like to share with you.   I read a reflection from a fellow Jesuit.   His name is Father Rodney Kissinger and he lives in New Orleans.   He maintains a blog called Seasoned Spirituality which I would recommend to you.   It contains lots of reflections on Jesuit spirituality.   But there’s something else you should know.   Rodney is ninety-six years old.   He entered the Jesuits in 1942.   That’s the year I was born!  For the last seventy years he has worked in the area of retreats and spiritual direction in Texas, Missouri and Louisiana.   Presently he lives in a Jesuit community in New Orleans while working as a chaplain to a retirement community of religious sisters.

So you can appreciate that Rodney comes with a heap of experience and a lot of wisdom too.  That’s why I’d like to share with you something of his wisdom, as we begin the new year.  Please listen carefully to this Jesuit’s reflection.

There is only one love – God’s own love.   We are not creators, we are only receivers and transmitters of God’s own love.   We simply accept this love of God poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us.   We let this love permeate our being, radiate from us and overflow to others.   This love of God working on us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.

And now I ask that we reflect on what Rodney is saying.   What if what he says is true?   What if the actual love we find in our hearts is God’s own love – God’s own love really present and at work in us?   What would that say to us about who we are?   And what would that say about all the people whose love for us we know for sure?   If what Rodney says is true, then those feelings we feel within us and sense in others – they are God’s own feelings.  They are God’s real presence in us and among us.

How then should we live our lives?   That’s always a good question for us to ask, especially as we begin the new year.   And Rodney has something to say to us, especially as we come to recognize there is only one love – God’s own love – which is already in us.   This is what he says.

Whether we live a long life or a short one, whether we are sickly or healthy, whether we are rich or poor, learned or uneducated, whether we accomplish much or little in this world, is only incidental.   What is important is that I make the love of God visible in me, that I give the love of God credibility so that others may believe, hope and love – and be happy to be themselves.

How then are we to live in the coming year?   First of all, we are not to sweat the incidentals of life.   Jesus tells us not to worry about what we are to wear or to eat.   Rather than worrying, we are to focus on what is absolutely certain and important: making God’s own love visible in us – making God’s own love touchable through us.

We are to say Yes!  Yes! - to the love we find already present in our hearts.   Not to be afraid of where that love will take us.   If we follow love’s lead – which is God’s own lead – then we will be happy to be ourselves.   And then – blessing of all blessings – we will help others be happy to be themselves!

What a year awaits us!   Have a Happy New Year!

Fr. Pat Earl, SJ