"Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Popular culture uses the story of the adulterous woman to promote a vision of tolerance and non-judgmentalism. That may feel good, but is it really what Jesus meant to teach us? Yes he does not "condemn" her, but he also tells her "from now on do not sin any more." Sounds like a judgment to me, and an order to boot. In the fantasy world of pop culture, Jesus waves away her, and our, sin as if it never happened. That is denial, not reality. What Jesus offers to her, and us, is true mercy, not the fantasy version. He gives what God delights in giving: a second chance. "See, I am doing something new!" And he also tells the Pharisees, and us, that if we want the grace of that second chance, we must offer it first to our brothers and sisters. No, this is not the easy road of denial and tolerance, but it is the only road that leads to love. So let us do something new for ourselves, and help our siblings to do the same.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Fourth Sunday of Lent
"Taste and see the goodness of the Lord." When we read the tale of the Prodigal Son, how many of us overlook the elder son? How often is he relegated to a supporting role, whose existence is simply to heighten the drama of the father's actions? And yet, who is the believer more likely to resemble: the humiliated son returning with his tail between his legs, or the self-righteous son furious that he must share his father's grace with one so utterly undeserving? Shouldn't he have to work off his debt first? Shouldn't he have to prove his remorse? Shouldn't the little brat have to do something to earn back the family's love? Does "the message of reconciliation" we preach come from God or from our own very conditional hearts? Our Parent desires union with all of her children, every last one of them. Will we stand outside the banquet hall, stupidly protesting their generosity?
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Third Sunday of Lent
The paradoxes of our God. They are "kind and merciful," but fail to "bear fruit" and it's "cut it down." Should it be any other way? After all, what good are we if we fail to bear fruit? It's certainly a truth we seem fond of, with our "makers vs. takers" ideologies. But is the fruit we value what God desires to eat? Does she have a hankering for our money and power? Or does he prefer something a little more kind and merciful? Is repent or perish a threat to the abused children of a harsh parent, or a warning to the lemmings who stubbornly refuse to see the looming chasm? "Whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall." Yes, indeed. But fall we shall, and fail to bear fruit we will. And when we do, whom will God be: the landowner demanding we be cut down or the gardener pleading for one more year? Perhaps it will depend on which one we were when we dealt with our brothers and sisters. If we're lucky, God keeps asking for one more year until the landowner gives up or dies.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Second Sunday of Lent
Today we shall sing these words, "Your presence, O LORD, I seek. Hide not your face from me." But after we do, how many of us will look around and see that face staring right back at us? Far too few, unfortunately. Some will close their eyes and wait for the miraculous. Others will stare at their shoes and hope that God is not really listening. But a few, far too few, will look and see God right there in our brothers and sisters struggling to love as best they can. We do not need to vacate this planet to become a citizen of heaven. We do not need to wait for the end times to witness God's glory in one another. But we do need to help our family open their eyes and raise their heads.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle
How fortuitous that we should celebrate this feast as the Church prepares to elect a new occupant for said chair. Today's readings remind us that when Jesus gave "the keys to the Kingdom of heaven" to Peter, he was hiring a shepherd, not a doorman. Peter and his successors are tasked with getting us into heaven, not keeping us out. And not just some of us, but every last one of us. So let us pray for a Church and a pope who will eagerly and kindly serve all of God's flock.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
First Sunday of Lent
We are not strangers to this temptation, for all of these scenes are but one temptation, one we have a more difficult time resisting than our brother Jesus: to bend God's will into a fulfillment of our own desires. God's path is too hard, so we do whatever's necessary to make the journey more luxurious. God's path takes too long, so we cut deals with whomever we can to create the true utopia. God's path is too mysterious, so we walk away from her when he won't prove their love to our satisfaction. Oh, we do all this under the flag of goodness and righteousness, but the problem is that neither our luxuries nor our utopias seem to last very long, so inevitably we're left in the dark and cold struggling to find our way back. There are no shortcuts around God's will, no matter how appealing they be.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Ash Wednesday
Today, the Church marks us for all to see. And yet, Jesus tells us in the Gospel that we should not wear our faith on our sleeves, or our foreheads for that matter. The Church picked the readings, so why the double message? Perhaps it is to remind us that these ashes are not for our co-workers, our neighbors, or any of the strangers we meet today. They are for ourselves. They are not meant to be worn on our skin for a few hours. They are supposed to reside in our hearts for the next forty days. So you might as well wash them off quickly, for God knows if they truly stuck.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah. Paul. Peter. Time after time, God chooses the sinner, not the perfect, to be their prophets. Is she a sucker for a good redemption story? Or maybe he just finds them to be more fun to work with? Perhaps they are the only ones who can see grace in all its glory. Whatever the reason, it certainly looks like preference, not coincidence. And that is good news indeed! For if God chose them, then he could choose us as well. "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" Here I am, I say; send me!
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
It's all about love. The prophet's job is to speak the Truth of Love. So why then does the prophet face rejection? Because we don't understand love any better than those who drove Jesus out of Nazareth. Do we believe in the kind of love of which Paul speaks, or the fantasy of butterflies, rainbows, and all things sparkly? When we are injured by another, do we follow the path of revenge or redemption? When we are the ones causing harm, do we seek out denial or atonement? When confronted with evil, do we turn away and engage in happy talk or look it squarely in the eye and place our trust in grace? Do we embrace only the likable or even the ugliest of God's children? Does love mean for a few, or for some, or for many, or for every last one of our brothers and sisters? And when we fail to love, do we accept reality or dare to hope? Yes, "Love never fails," because God never fails.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
"Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." How many of us would be bold enough to utter these words? And yet, did the Spirit not descend upon us as we were anointed in Confirmation of our baptismal vows? Are the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed no longer children of our Parent? Are we under no obligation to bring freedom, vision, and good news to our brothers and sisters? Is it not our duty to shout from the rooftops about the grace all around us that our siblings refuse to acknowledge? I pray that we are as bold as our Brother.
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