Master, I want to see

Homily for Ordinary Time – 30th Sunday Year B 2015

Jeremiah 31:7-9, Hebrews 5:1-6, Mark 10:46-52

Introduction

"What do you want me to do for you?" That's what Jesus asks Bartimaeus, the blind man. If I were Bartimaeus, I might have said: "Lord, why are asking the obvious - of course I want to be healed; I want to get my eyesight back."

But Bartimaeus is more polite; all he says is: "Master, I want to see."

Scripture and Theology

What Bartimaeus wants is something that we who are sighted, take for granted.  He wants to enjoy the beauty of the flowers and paintings, the breath-taking scenery of the lake or mountains, and most of all his pretty wife and sweet children.  Imagine if you and I could not see these things?

But this gospel story is more than just about Bartimaeus and his recovery of sight.  It is also a story about the even more serious blindness of the disciples.  In fact today's gospel story in chapter 10, ends a section of Mark's gospel which began in chapter 8 with the healing of another blind man.  Sandwiched between these healing stories, Mark portrays the disciples as being blind to the message of Jesus.  These are the stories we have been hearing in the gospels of the past few Sundays.

·        Do you remember last Sunday's gospel, when James and John wanted a favour from the Lord?  Jesus asked them virtually the same question he asked Bartimaeus today: "What do you wish me to do for you?"  Do you remember their answer?  It wasn’t, “we want to see,” or “give us wisdom,” or “give us faith”.  No, they asked for power, to sit at his right and at his left in his kingdom.

·        Then two Sundays ago, we heard how the disciples could not see why giving up material things was necessary for entering the Kingdom.  Jesus had to tell them: "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God."

·        Three Sundays ago, Jesus had to rebuke the disciples for stopping the  children from coming to him, just like they try to stop Bartimaeus from asking him for help.  He had to remind them that: “whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.”

·        And finally, four Sundays ago, the disciples were blind to the fact that God's power can work even beyond their small circle.  When they tried to prevent someone from driving out demons in Jesus’ name, because he did not belong to their group, Jesus told them: "Do not prevent him.”

We could go on and on; but it is clear that the disciples, time and again are failing to get the message of Jesus.  They are as blind as Bartimaeus or even worse.  Perhaps they were blinded from seeing what Jesus was teaching them by their previous religious upbringing or their culture.  But unlike Bartimaeus, they were they did not even know that they were blind.

Fortunately for them, in healing Bartimaeus, Jesus kills two birds with one stone.  He restores physical sight to a suffering man; but he also points out the blindness of the disciples that needs healing.  Even without their asking, he begins to heal them of their blindness.  Jesus continues to teach them and to slowly open their eyes to the Good News.

Christian Life

What about us, the disciples of today?  How well do we see the message of Jesus?

Let me suggest that we too could suffer from a spiritual blindness whose symptoms and causes are similar to those of physical blindness.

·        One kind, blurred vision is often caused by cataracts.  People with cataracts often describe their vision as being like looking through a dirty windshield of a car.  Everything they see is clouded and blurred.

·        The other kind of blindness is tunnel vision, often caused by glaucoma.  People with glaucoma start by losing peripheral vision, so that all they see are the objects close to the centre of the field of view.  Such limited vision is also caused by wearing blinders, the kind which horses wear to keep them from being distracted or spooked by the crowds at a race track.

In our society today, we have no shortage of cataracts or dirty windshields to cloud our seeing the full message of Jesus.  We have no shortage of glaucoma or blinders to limit our embracing the full teaching of Jesus.

A common cause of blurred vision and tunnel vision are our political persuasions. Don't we sometimes let our ideological orientations cloud our vision of the gospel?  Don't we sometimes let our worldviews narrow the field through which we receive the gospel?

For example, when Pope Francis reminded us of "our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development," what did we see and what did we understand him to say?

·        If our sight is clouded by right-wing cataracts or blinders, we might fail to see that the Pope was teaching that even the life of the poor and the condemned prisoner, is still worth defending.  Yes it might be life that is not innocent or virtuous; but still it is God-given life, which only he can take.

·        If on the other hand, our poor sight comes from having left-wing cataracts or blinders, then we might fail to see that the Pope was teaching that even the life of the unborn and the elderly is still worth defending.  Such life might be just developing for the unborn or coming to the end of its earthly journey for the elderly; but it is inherently God-given life.

Like the disciples we need our spiritual eyesight healed.  Only then, can we see the teaching of Jesus in its fullness and in its wideness.

Conclusion

In the first reading Jeremiah prophesied that through the Messiah, God would restore his people to their glory and that the blind would recover their sight.  Jesus fulfils this prophecy in several miracles, including the one of Bartimaeus.  But more importantly Jesus heals the blindness of the disciples by continually opening the Scriptures and teaching them new things.

What happens after Jesus heals the blind?

·        In the case of the disciples, after the resurrection, now that they can see, they believe and become passionate preachers of the gospel.

·        In case of Bartimaeus, after Jesus heals him and sends him away, Bartimaeus follows Jesus on the road to Jerusalem; he is no longer the blind beggar sitting by the roadside, but a follower.

In our case, we too must ask for spiritual healing from the Lord.  And then with clearer spiritual vision, we can follow Jesus to God's Kingdom in heaven.  Once there, as the First Letter of St. John tells us, “we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”  But until then, we must each keep asking: “Lord, I want to see.” "Master, I want to see."  "Jesus, I want to see."

TOP TEN THINGS POPE FRANCIS REMINDED US ON HIS VISIT TO THE USA

Trading fake pearls for genuine ones in heaven

Homily for Ordinary Time – 28th Sunday Year B 2015

Wisdom 7:7-11; Hebrews 4:12-13; Mark 10:17-30

Introduction

"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" That’s what the man in the gospel asks Jesus.

Such questions about achieving results are quite common today in business, physical health and even in school.  For example my students at the Seminary will often ask me: “Teacher, (but they don’t say Good Teacher), what must I do to get an ‘A’ in your course?” Of course I tell them to study hard, to listen attentively in class and also to write me a check with many zeros.

Scripture and Theology

For the man in the gospel, it is not an "A" that he wants; he wants to get into heaven.  But it seems that he has not been listening; for Jesus has already been speaking about eternal life and how to get it.  I would like to group the many answers of Jesus into three categories: belief, sacraments, morality.

First, believing in Jesus is important for gaining admission to the Kingdom.

·        That is what Jesus says as he begins his ministry: "The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mk. 1:15, Mt. 3:2).

·        That is what John’s gospel says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16).

·        That is what Jesus says to the repentant thief crucified with him: “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk. 23:43).

After believing, the second requirement for eternal life is the sacraments

·        In John 3:5, Jesus tells Nicodemus who already believes in him, that he also needs to receive baptism “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.”

·        And in John 6:54, Jesus he speaks about the need for receiving the Eucharist: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.”

Besides belief and the sacraments, the third condition for entering eternal life, is a moral life lived according to the example and teaching of Jesus.  In fact, it is on this third requirement that Jesus spends most of his time teaching.

·        To the disciples Jesus says that if anyone wants eternal life: “he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk. 9:23).

·        To those who want to be among the Blessed in heaven Jesus suggests various ways in what we call the Beatitudes (Mt. 5:3-12).

·        And in Matthew 25, it is to those who have cared for the hungry and thirsty, the sick and prisoner, the naked and the strangers, that the King on the day of Judgement will say: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

And so, if the man had been listening attentively, he would have got his answer: that getting into heaven requires belief, the sacraments and especially good works.  Apparently this man was actually doing quite well.  “Teacher, all of these [ten commandments] I have observed from my youth," he tells Jesus.

But for Jesus just observing the commandments is not enough; he wants more.  And so he tells the man: "You are lacking in one thing.  Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." 

But why this extra requirement?  Is Jesus not moving the goal posts?  Why should the man dispose of his hard-earned wealth?

This action of selling off his possessions and giving the money to the poor opens the door to heaven for the man in two main ways.

First, divesting himself of what he has frees him from dependence on passing things and allows him to depend on God.  Having material things can sometimes stop us from allowing God to work in our lives.  Because we can satisfy all our material needs, we may fail to see our spiritual needs.  A good example of this unhealthy attachment to material things is the Ring in the movie Lord of the Rings.  The Ring is a great obsession and obstruction; all those who try to acquire it and retain it for themselves end up badly.  Similarly clinging to and depending only on our wealth can stop Christians from getting on the path that leads to heaven.  That's why Jesus asks the man to dispose of his wealth.

Second, Jesus asks him to give the proceeds to the poor, to write a check with many zeros, not to Jesus like me, but to the poor.  How does this action help him get to heaven?  In giving to the poor, it is like the man is giving them a loan.  But being poor, they will never be able to pay it back.  Fortunately, God, who hears the cry of the poor, has co-signed the loan.  And he will pay back both the principal and a generous interest in the form of eternal life.

Christian Life

Pope Francis has spoken a lot about caring for the poor.  Some of us are disturbed that he speaks so much about this.  But the Pope is doing nothing that Jesus himself did not do.  While Jesus also taught about the need for belief and prayer, most of his teaching was about how we treat each other; he wanted a life detached from worldly goods, that shares these goods with the needy.

I am reminded of story about five-year old Suzy and her pearls.  With her very own money that she saved all year long, she bought her very own plastic pearl necklace. She really loved those pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bath. The pearls weren’t real, being plastic and all, but it didn’t matter to her. She had bought them herself!

Suzy had a very loving father. One day he said, “Sweetheart, do you love me?”

“Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you,” she replied with a beaming smile. 

“Then give me your pearls,” he asked.

“Not my pearls! You can have my toy horse,” Suzy said.

“That’s okay, Honey. Daddy loves you.” And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, Suzy’s father asked again, “Do you love me?”

“Daddy, you know I love you,” she said.

“Then give me your pearls.”

“Not my pearls. You can have my baby doll,” she offered.

“That’s okay. Daddy loves you.” And as always, he gave her a gentle kiss.

This happened over and over again, and Suzy wondered anxiously, “If he loves me, why does he want to take away something I love?”  Eventually one day, Suzy nervously and teary-eyed walked up to her father and held out her fake pearl necklace. “Here, Daddy. This is for you,” she said.

The father reached out with one hand to take the imitation pearl necklace and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to his daughter. He had had them all the time, but was waiting for her to give up the fake pearls she had, so he might give her the genuine thing.

Conclusion

When you and I ask Jesus: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"  What imitation pearls might he ask us to give up so that he might give us the genuine item, eternal life?  Wealth, family, knowledge, power, health, beauty, football?

Marriage is a spousal, complementary, lifelong commitment of equal partners

Homily for Ordinary Time – 27th Sunday Year B 2015

Genesis 2:18-24; Hebrews 2:9-11; Mark 10:2-16

Introduction

The story is told of Hernando Cortés, the Spanish Conquistador, who arrived with his army on the shores of what is now Mexico.  Even though he had more advanced weapons, compared to the Aztecs his army was rather small.

And so, legend has it that after his men got ashore, Cortés told them to burn the ships that brought them from Spain. In doing this, he wanted his men to understand fully that their only options were to win or die – there would be no retreat, no plan B. Knowing that their options were life or death, the Spanish army would fight with more determination and commitment.

Scripture and Theology

Commitment is the message of today's readings, particularly commitment in marriage. 

"It is not good for the man to be alone," God says in Genesis.  "I will make a suitable partner for him."  From the very beginning, God wanted man and woman to be companions committed to each other.  According to God’s plan, the journey of life, with its ups and downs, must be travelled with a lifelong, equal partner.  That is why, as someone put it, woman was created in this way:

The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.

God expects man and woman, therefore, to live in mutual love, caring for and supporting each other as equal companions, in a lifetime commitment.

These two partners, man and woman, are different sexes so that they can complement each other.  That is why Genesis said: "A man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh."  The man and woman don't bring half and half, so as to make one; but in a different kind of mathematics, they each bring 1 plus 1, to make one flesh.  They bring to the table of marriage, the whole of themselves, different but complete and full.

An experience with some married friends recently provided a window into this unique commitment of marriage.  I was at a reception when this lady announced that she had to leave early, to go and give her husband his dinner. I asked her why?  Could he not make dinner for himself?  He has hands and can cook - I know that because I have eaten some of his cooking and it was good.  But she insisted that she had been away from home for most of the day; she just had to go and take care of her husband, that man for whom she left her father and mother and to whom she clings for the rest of her life.

When asked about marriage and divorce in the gospel, Jesus does not have to reinvent the wheel; he simply repeats what we just heard from Genesis. In the very nature of man and woman, God wished them to have a lifetime committed relationship of love.  Jesus says that Moses allowed divorce, only because of the hardness of their hearts; it was a temporary fix for an imperfect situation.  Now that God has revealed himself fully in Jesus Christ, things are different.  “. . . what God has joined together [in marriage], no human being must separate."

Christian Life

And yet separation and divorce are part of us today.  Nearly 50% of marriages in general and 30% of Catholic marriages end up in divorce.  These are painful situations for all involved, spouses, children, even friends.  I know this pain, since my parents separated when I was only six years old.  These are some of the themes that the Catholic bishops of the world are discussing in Rome, starting this Sunday at the Synod on the family.

During last year's Synod on the same topic, many of us were disturbed by what we heard on the media.  This year, if we want to understand what is really going on, we must bypass Fox News and MSNBC and go straight to the horse's mouth, the Vatican website or the bishop's website.  We will hear two consistent messages about family and marriage: commitment and care of families.

First, commitment is the cornerstone of marriage and family, as we have just heard in both Genesis and the teaching of Jesus.  Pope Francis spoke so passionately about this commitment during his visit to Philadelphia, to the world meeting of families.  Pope Francis reminds us that such lifelong commitment of a man and woman only when think beyond our own desires and wants and when we bring God into the picture.

But the Pope also warns that such lifelong commitment in marriage struggles to survive in a culture like ours that prefers making provisional, temporary choices. 

·        For example, our throwaway culture does not have keepsakes from childhood or precious heirlooms from grandma; we prefer selfies and the disposable and we just buy more and more.  How can we live lifelong commitment?

·        In a culture that adores only the useful and immediate, we throw away the elderly because we don't see them as useful anymore; we throw away babies in the womb and ignore the poor and vulnerable, because they interfere with our lives.  How can we live lifelong commitment?

Despite these obstacles, Pope Francis asks us not to be afraid to make life commitments, commitments like marriage or the priesthood or religious life, that take up our entire life.  This is the first message that the Synod of Bishops will keep reminding us.

The second message we shall hear from the Bishops is that the Church cares for the sad situation of marriages and families that are in trouble.  That is why the Church has different ways to help these situations.

1.    There are programs before marriage, like the “Day for the Engaged,” and Pre-Cana programs, to help couples to understand the lifetime commitment that marriage is and burn all their other ships before the wedding day.

2.    There are also programs for the marriage itself, like Marriage Encounter, in which couples attempt to discover or re-discover their commitment.

3.    And then in those unfortunate situations of break-up, the Church attempts to deal with each situation accordingly.  In some cases a temporary separation is proposed.  In other cases, we have the process of annulment, which Pope Francis recently streamlined.  This process is not Catholic divorce; it simply tries to find out if the basic elements of marriage, such as freedom where absent from the get-go.  This annulment process does not end a  marriage; it only declares that the marriage commitment was never there in the first place.

And so the Church teaches lifelong commitment as it also cares for disturbed marriages and families.

Conclusion

We are fortunate to have among us many exemplary couples who have been married for 40, 50, even 60 years. One thing that all of them often say is that it was not always easy; there were ups and downs.  But what kept them going was the realization that marriage was a lifelong commitment.

Such couples deserve our admiration and appreciation for their lifelong commitment; but what kind of gift can you give them on their anniversary?  Certainly not more socks or sweaters or mugs - they have enough!  Let me suggest something else.  There is a department in the Vatican called the "Office of Papal Charities."  One of the things they do is issue Papal Blessing parchments.  Why not acquire such a gift and have the Pope bless mum and dad, grandma and grandpa or that older couple that you know? In this way, their example of lifelong commitment will inspire your own commitment, whether it is in marriage or something else.

Is the Pope Catholic?

Homily for Ordinary Time – 26th Sunday Year B 2015

Numbers 11:25-29 James 5:1-6 Mark 9:38-43,45,47-48

Introduction

“Is the Pope Catholic?” That's a dramatic way of saying, "Yes, of course."  If I were to ask you if you are going to see the Saints game today, being the diehard fans you are, most of you would probably say: "Is the Pope Catholic?"

The visit of Pope Francis is certainly a source of joy and pride for many Catholics.  But this joy is not universal.  Some people are really having difficulty with some of the things that Pope Francis is teaching, especially his message of mercy, compassion and inclusion, wondering if he is Catholic.

Scripture and Theology

Like Pope Francis, Jesus was not always universally understood or well received, because of what he taught.  In today’s gospel, for example, John informs Jesus that someone who is not part of their group is out there driving out demons in the name of Jesus.  John even says that they tried to stop this man.

But instead of receiving kudos from Jesus for stopping an impostor, Jesus says: “Do not prevent him.”  According to Jesus God can work even through those who are outside their circle.  “For whoever is not against us is for us,” Jesus says.

I doubt that this teaching was well received by John and his fellow disciples, who probably thought that only they, the inner circle, could do God’s work.

We can surely relate with how the disciples felt.  When I was in grade school, my sister and I used to compete at doing well in school.  One year, when I was top of my class, to my great delight she did not do too well.  But when we brought home our report cards, mum gave gifts to both of us for doing well.  Like the elder brother of the Prodigal son, I was dismayed and thought, "How unfair!"

As I grew older I came to understand my mother's lesson which is also Jesus' lesson: none of us has exclusive rights to God’s grace and love.

Moses, in today's first reading has a similar lesson for Joshua.  Joshua wants to stop two men, who had not officially received the Spirit of God, from prophesying.  But like Jesus, Moses does not presume to limit God’s power.  In fact he wishes that all the people had God’s spirit so that they would speak in God’s name.

And so, Pope Francis is in very good company.  The Pope continues in the great tradition of Moses and Jesus, when he teaches that God’s love and grace are at work even beyond our small inner circle.

Christian Life

I know that American Catholics have a robust tradition of being independent-minded.  How should we handle what is for some of us a difficult situation?

We might be tempted to reject and abandon the Pope, like the disciples who left Jesus when he taught about the Eucharist.  We might be tempted to be like the Catholic congressman who boycotted the Pope's address to Congress.  We might be tempted to write off the Pope, so that if he were to cross Lake Pontchartrain by walking on water, we would say "The pope can't swim."

As faithful sons and daughters of Christ's Church, this cannot be our attitude.  Rejecting the vicar of Christ and his message is not an option.  Rather we must make every effort to wrestle with and try to understand even what sometimes seems like a tough message from the new sheriff in town.  Let me offer three suggestions that might help us to do this.

My first suggestion is that we get the Pope's teaching directly from the horse's mouth.  When we get it second hand through the secular news media, it is almost always already distorted.  If you have been listening to the news pundits, you would think that Pope Francis is a registered Democrat, while Pope Benedict is a member of the Tea-party movement.  And after Pope Francis spoke to Congress, he was claimed and criticised by both sides.  The left painted him as breaking with Catholic teaching on abortion, clearly ignoring what he actually said: “The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development”?  The right on the other hand said that the Pope was against business, even though the Pope actually said: “Business is a noble vocation, directed to producing wealth and improving the world.”

In this age when we have Catholic TV and radio, the Vatican website, we have no excuse for receiving the Pope’ teaching regurgitated for us by MSNBC or Fox News, the Huffington Post or the Drudge Report, who do not share our faith.  With a little effort on our part, we can find the authentic teaching of the Pope, a teaching that is truly Catholic, and has been taught by Popes for 2000 years.

My second suggestion is that we read and hear the Pope's teaching without ideological blinders.  We are first Catholic, before we are Republican or Democrat, Conservative or Progressive, Black or White, American or Ugandan.  When we read and hear his message through these ideological prisms, we get only part of the picture.  But if we read and hear the Pope with Catholic eyes and ears, we see that what the Pope teaches is not really new.  Perhaps some things were not always emphasised with the same passion or highlighted by the media in the same way; but everything he teaches is right there in the Bible and in the Catechism.

Let me give three examples:

1.    His teaching on welcoming immigrants, helping the poor and serving the most vulnerable has earned Pope Francis the name of socialist, even communist.  But  the Pope is only teaching a theme that is repeated over and over again in both the Old and New Testaments.  How could he not teach what Jesus says so clearly in Matthew 25? "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me."

2.    The Pope has also come in for some harsh criticism for his plea that we care for the environment.  But he is only teaching the message of Genesis, which calls for a responsible stewardship of the earth’s resources, a use which only cultivates but also preserves.  Moreover, he is concerned for the poor countries who are already facing the effects of bad stewardship. 

3.    The Pope has also been accused of being too cosy with Muslims and people of other religions.  But like Jesus in today's gospel, he makes the distinction between those who are against us and those who are not.  He rightly condemns Islamic extremism and terrorism, without making the common mistake of assuming that all Muslims are terrorists.

We must not see the Pope's teaching in terms of the "either . . . or" mentality of ideologies, but rather in the venerable Catholic tradition of "both . . . and."

My third suggestion is that we allow ourselves to be taught by the Pope, whom the Spirit uses to teach us in both old and new ways.  The saying goes that if you are green you can still grow; but if you are ripe, you can only rot.  Like the prophets of old, each of whom had a unique message from God, all our popes have had special messages for us, as does Pope Francis.  For example:

·        He has taught us that being pro-life requires that we fight against abortion, but also against all other dangers to life: euthanasia, suicide, the death penalty, unjust war and even poverty.

·        Pope Francis has also passionately taught us that while family and marriage are indispensable to society, we must like Jesus seek out and find ways to help those who are in difficult situations: those whose marriages have broken down, single-parent families, people with same-sex attraction.  Like Jesus, the Pope wants the Church to be, not only a Teacher and Judge, but also a Mother and Physician.

Can we allow the Pope, to teach us something new?

Conclusion

Last Thursday, as I watched the Pope address Congress, like Speaker Boehner, I could not stop tearing up and was really proud to be a Catholic.  For there I saw my papá, my father (that is what Pope means) standing before the world's most powerful people.  And despite his heavy accent, despite his unfamiliarity with the English language, he confidently preached the gospel in its fullness and breadth!

I believe that I was able to wrestle with and yet understand the message of Pope Francis, because I followed the three suggestions that I have just offered you.  First, getting his message directly from the horse's mouth, second doing so without ideological filters, and third and perhaps most important of all, listening to him with the ears of a child listening to and learning from his papá.

That's how I know, that like Pope Benedict, Pope John Paul II and others before each in their own way, Pope Francis is Catholic!

Who is Jesus to us and who are we to him?

Homily for Ordinary Time – 24th Sunday Year B 2015

Isaiah 50:5-9; James 2:14-18; Mark 8:27-35

Introduction

“Who do people say that I am?”  That's what Jesus asks his disciples.

There's a story about a priest, who had just taken up an assignment as pastor and he wanted to know what the parishioners thought about him.  One day, while at the neighbourhood convenience store, he saw some parishioners.  He asked them to tell him honestly how he was doing as their pastor.  One of the ladies then gave it to him straight: that he was impatient, unavailable, gave long boring homilies and did not have the best altar-side manners.  Naturally, the priest was quite disappointed to hear that this what people were thinking about him.

But as he was leaving, another parishioner who had overheard the whole conversation, pulled him aside and tried to console him saying: "Father, don't pay attention to that woman; she doesn't know what she is saying.  She only repeats what she hears other people saying."

Scripture and Theology

Fortunately for Jesus, when he asks what people say about him, the answers are quite flattering.  Some thought that he was John the Baptist, others that he was Elijah, and others still thought that he was one of the Old Testament prophets.  To be compared with the prophets was quite an honour; for prophets were held in high regard.

And yet as flattering as calling Jesus a prophet is, this answer is not accurate.  Yes, he teaches the Word of God like the prophets did; he condemns sinful life like the prophets Amos and Hosea did; and he gives hope for the future like the prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah did.  Even Islam, for example, also honours Jesus with his mother Mary.  In fact, with Abraham and Moses, Jesus is considered to be one of the prophets who preceded Mohammed, the last prophet.

Jesus is far more than a prophet.  That is why he turns to the disciples, who should know him better, and asks: "But who do you say that I am?" Peter gives a much better answer when he says: "You are the Christ.”  Jesus is not simply a prophet; he is the Christ, who comes to save human beings from eternal death.

But even the Twelve disciples don't fully understand what it means that Jesus is the Christ.  They are excited to learn that their Master was not just another rabbi; he was the Messiah, the Saviour of the world!  And as part of his inner circle, perhaps they would now be moving into a palace, getting important jobs, power and wealth.  What a great future awaited them!

But then Jesus pours cold water on these hopes.  He explains that as the Christ, he "must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days."  This is too much for Peter to stomach.  A suffering Christ does not fit his perception of the Messiah.  So he tries to persuade Jesus to abandon this path of suffering.  That is why Jesus is rather stern with Peter and in front of everybody tells him off: “Get behind me, Satan.  You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”  And so even though Peter's answer, that Jesus is the Christ, improved upon the idea that Jesus was a prophet, he still does not understand fully who Jesus really is. 

Christian Life

Now before we turn up our noses at Peter and the others for not understanding fully who Jesus was, we must think about what answer we would give, if Jesus asked us: "But you, you Catholics of today, who do you say that I am?"

The Jews looked to their history in the Old Testament, to understand who Jesus was; that is why they said that he was a prophet.  Today, we might fall back on the figures of our culture, to understand who Jesus is.

• Who do people today say that Jesus is?  Reading some of the secular media today, you would think that Jesus was just a superhero like Superman or Batman or Spiderman.  After all, don't the gospels speak about him as working miracles and fighting against the Evil one?  He brings people back to life; he heals the sick and he feeds crowds with free food.

• Who do people today say that Jesus is?  When you hear what some people about Jesus on Television and radio, you would think that he was just another wise teacher like Ghandi or Confucius or any of our celebrity TV presenters today such as Dr. Phil.

• Who do people today say that Jesus is?  Unfortunately some people still think that Jesus is the bogeyman, the one who is coming to condemn them and punish them for every wrong they have done.

These answers are not entirely wrong; they contain some truth about Jesus.

·        Yes, Jesus is a kind of superhero.  After all he is not just a human being; he is also God, who cares for and protects the world.

·        Yes, Jesus is a great teacher.  Consider all his great parables, his sermons and his parting words at the Last Supper!

·        Yes, Jesus like the bogeyman must be respected, even feared.  When we reject his teaching, such as when we fail to care for others or when we scandalize the little ones in their faith, he promises that his punishment will be as swift as it will be sure.

But we cannot reduce Jesus to any one of these answers.  All of them fail to give us the whole picture.

It is like the story of the six blind men who came upon an elephant and tried to figure out what this animal was.

• The FIRST blind man happened to touch the elephant's broad side; he concluded that the Elephant is like a wall!

• The SECOND, felt the round, smooth and sharp tusk; he concluded that the Elephant is like a spear!

• The THIRD blind man happened to touch the long trunk; he concluded that the Elephant is like a snake!

• The FOURTH blind man felt the knee and said: "the Elephant is like a tree!”

• The FIFTH, who chanced to touch the ear cried out: "the Elephant is like a fan!"

• The SIXTH blind man happened to seize the swinging tail and said: “the Elephant is like a rope!”

Unfortunately, because they each had only a limited angle of the animal, none of them really described what an elephant truly is.

Conclusion

Who do we say that Jesus is?  A superhero?  A great teacher?  The bogeyman?

We have to realize that whatever answers we give, like the six blind men, like the crowds who followed Jesus, even like Peter, they don't truly describe Jesus.  We must turn to the answer Jesus himself gave us in the gospel and one we shall profess shortly in the Creed.  He is the Christ, sent from God, born of a virgin, rejected by the religious leaders; he is one who suffered, died on the cross, rose on the third day and ascended to heaven, where he sits at the right hand of the Father for eternity.  He is what stands between us and eternal hell.

And yet, as important as saying who Jesus is, perhaps equally important is the question: "Who does Jesus say that I am?"  And for this second question, Jesus also suggests an answer.  He says: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me."

Is that who Jesus is to us? Is that who we are to Jesus?

Speak Lord, your servant is listening

Homily for Ordinary Time – 23^rd Sunday Year B 2015

Isaiah 35:4-7; James 2:1-5; Mark 7:31-37

Introduction

How do Catholics with hearing and speech impediments go to confession?  Without being able to speak, how do they express their sorrow?  Without being able to hear how do they understand that God has forgiven them?

It goes without saying, that not having use of any of our senses causes very practical difficulties not just in our daily life but also in our spiritual lives.

Scripture and Theology

That is why in the Bible, curing the blind, the deaf, the mute was always a great sign of God's favour.

In our first reading from the Prophet Isaiah, he is writing to the Jewish people who are in exile.  They have given up hope because what God had promised them, that they would be a prosperous nation, has been withdrawn; they are now an enslaved people.  Isaiah tries to lift up their spirits, to give them a message of hope, that their liberation is around the corner.  And how will they know that their liberation has arrived?  Isaiah says at that time: ". . . the eyes of the blind [will] be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, the tongue of the mute will sing."

These images made sense for them.  They understood that people who cannot hear and speak, are often cut off from basic forms of communication and conversation, which help to form relationships and friendships.  Even worse, they are often wrongly assumed to be less intelligent, since they are not able to show their intelligence in the usual ways.  And so they could certainly imagine the joy of a blind woman who sees the beautiful flowers for the first time, or a deaf mother hearing the first sounds from her baby and a mute husband saying "I love you" to his wife for the very first time. 

But the Prophet Isaiah was only making a promise.  Jesus fulfils that promise.  Throughout the gospels we hear Jesus healing people of their blindness, deafness and muteness.  In today's gospel we have Jesus heal "a deaf man who had a speech impediment."  We heard that the man begun to speak plainly immediately.  We can imagine the joy of this man, when he went back home to his family and heard their voices for the first time and spoke to them for the very first time.  And so, this miracle must have meant a lot for this man and his family.

Without taking away from the joy of this man, we have to realize that his miracle is not really about him.  In Matthew Chapter 12 Jesus says that his miracles are signs that the Kingdom of God is at hand, just like Isaiah had prophesied.  Also, at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, when John the Baptist sends messengers to ask Jesus if he is the Messiah, this is how Jesus responds: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them” (Lk. 7:22).

And so, the healing of the deaf man with the speech impediment is part of this wider plan of God.  God is revealing his love and power to men and women in this very miracle of Jesus.  Beyond its physical meaning, the miracle also has a spiritual meaning, for those who saw it and for us read about it.

Like this man has had his hearing and speech restored, Jesus has come to restore spiritual hearing and speech to us.  Before becoming Christians, we are deaf and dumb.  When we become Christians in baptism, our inner hearing and speech is restored.  In fact there is an optional part of the Rite of Baptism that signifies this new hearing and speaking of the baptized person.  It is called the ephphetha rite, the word Jesus used in the gospel to open the man’s ears and speech.  In this rite, the priest touches the ears and mouth of the child or adult being baptized and prays that the Lord will touch "your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father."

Christian Life

As baptised people, you and I not only have full use of our physical hearing and speech, but we also our spiritual hearing and speech faculties.  Unfortunately, sometimes we don't hear well what God has to say to us, much less are able to speak it.  The nature of our hearing deficit is different for each of us.  I have three friends with some varying degrees of hearing impairment.

The first one, a seventy-five old lady, has lost much of her hearing and so she uses a hearing aid.  This device has various settings, one for the phone, one for ordinary conversation, and the lowest volume, she reserves that for her husband.

How do you and I use the hearing aids that God has given us in Word and Sacraments?  These hearing aids are there for the taking; it is up to us to use them well and calibrate them according to our needs.  For example, we come to Mass to maintain our communion with God and with his Church; when we break that communion by sin, we can use the aid of confession to restore it; when we are sick, we can be strengthened and healed by the the Sacrament of the Sick, and in God's Word, he has something to say just about every aspect of our lives.

My second friend is an older gentleman, who has lost some hearing in one ear.  But like a stubborn mule, he refuses to get a hearing aid.  So when they go out to dinner, his wife often sits on the side of the good ear, if they are to have any meaningful conversation.  But I have occasionally also observed her sitting on the side of the bad ear, when she wants some quiet.

Don't we sometimes like my friend refuse to approach some of the sacraments, because we are happy with the half that we already have?  Yes, you come to Church on Sunday and you say your private prayers, but when is the last time you made an examination of conscience and went to confession?  Yes you have a good family life, but have you explored getting an annulment so that you can have your marriage blessed by the Sacrament of Matrimony?

My third friend is a teenager.  Her hearing works just fine.  But often she will tell her mother, "Mom, I hear you, but I am not listening."

Like this teenager, there is nothing stopping us from hearing and listening to what God has to say.  And there is plenty that he has to say to us, especially in the world that we live in today.

·        We hear about all the violence in the world, wars in the many countries, violent crime in our cities, and the recent spate of unprovoked attacks against police officers; but are we listening to God's message of peace, reconciliation and non-violence?

·        This past week we have heard Pope Francis reminding us to take advantage of God's mercy, even widening the possibilities for those who have committed the sin of abortion to be forgiven?  But are we listening?

Conclusion

There is a special ministry to the deaf and mute Catholics at Blessed Seelos Parish (not the Shrine) in the Bywater area of New Orleans.  Not only do they have Mass with the homily translated to them using sign language, but they also join in the prayers and the singing using sign language.  And for confession, when they come to a priest like me who does not use sign language, they will usually come with a list of sins written on a piece of paper or they will check off from a list of commandments, the sins that they have committed.  After they have signed the act of contrition, the priest will read the formula of absolution from a piece of paper as the penitent follows along.

Not even their physical deafness and muteness will stop these Catholics from approaching the sacraments to take care of their spiritual needs.  What about us who have full hearing and speech, what is stopping us?