Sunday, October 28, 2012

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

"What do you want me to do for you?" The story of Bartimaeus is about disappointment, not wish fulfillment. Sure, Jesus cures one blind guy. But how many in that "sizable crowd" wanted a miracle too? Israel expected the deliverance promised by the prophets, but they weren't going to get that from Jesus either. He must have been one bummer of a dude. No wonder they nailed him to a tree. But that's the real Good News, isn't it? The Way is not some fantasy story for the lucky few, but rather the hidden grace of brokenness, fear, and hope that we all experience. The truth is that God already does for us what we need them to do. We just have to open our eyes and see it.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

"You do not know what you are asking." We pray for power and justice according to our terms, but God does not live by our terms. True power is mercy and true justice is sacrifice. The ways of Love appear as foolishness and failure to our eyes, but God can see far beyond our frame of vision. They do not want guardians of truth, nor do they desire servant-leaders for the people. They call us to be slaves to Love. Resist this call if you must, but be wary of the master you choose to serve instead, for her power is quickly exhausted and his justice does not linger long.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

"It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." Jesus is preaching about attachment, not class warfare. We were created to cling to truth, grace, and one another. But we don't, do we? You don't need God's omniscience to know that we are a people obsessed with stuff; just watch an evening's worth of TV commercials. The more we possess, the more we believe we need, and the harder it is to let go of any of it. We have so much, and yet we are so very poor. It's all rather sad.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

We were created to be together as "one flesh," but we let "real" life and all its obligations get in the way. Jesus tells us that we must "accept the kingdom of God like a child," for only a child is fool enough to believe in the power and reality of faith, hope, and love. Children get first kisses and first loves, then are expected to grow up and join the "rat race." Why? Youth knows that marriage is the property of poets, storytellers, and mystics. We adults are the ones who turn it over to the lawyers, politicians, theologians, and scientists. Divorce is simply the natural triumph of our jaded, rational maturity. But it doesn't have to be that way. True love is not a fairy tale; it's part of our Parent's design. And we don't need to be children to believe in it, just a foolish, childlike faith.