Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C 2013 St. Mary’s Church / St. John’s Church Evansville, Indiana 30 June 2013

The reading for the day were Galatians 5.1, 13-18 and  Luke 9.51-56

  
Did I just hear what I read?? Seriously. A particular Samaritan village did not welcome Jesus and his disciples, James and John, ask: “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Burn them up. Destroy them. Consume them?

These are the Disciples of Christ. But they make this horrific request. To kill other human beings. 

This gospel should disturb us. 

Jesus turned and rebuked his disciples for making such a request! His disciples had gotten so off track of the message of the kingdom of God that he had to rebuke them for wanting to kill some Samaritans simply because they were lacking in hospitality.

But why did the Samaritans refuse to welcome Jesus and his company? It may have been due to previous negative experiences with other Jewish pilgrims who passed through their village. Perhaps it was because James and John were not very kind to them. We do not know. But for whatever reason, Jesus and his band of followers were not welcome.

Interestingly enough, in all of the gospels, there are no Samaritans that call for Jesus’ death. Many Samaritans DID accept Jesus. Recall the Samaritan Woman? What of Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan?

Yet the disciples in Luke’s gospel have become rather possessive of Jesus, possessive of the kingdom, and very judgmental in their view of who could be worthy of the kingdom of God or even share in the ministry of Christ.

Oh, we can you hear the pride, the self-importance, the arrogance; the elitism.  But the kingdom of God is not a country club for the spiritually or ethnically or nationally elite.



In our own day we are bombarded and consumed daily by those who seek justice for themselves against others. For others their call for justice is often a hidden desire for revenge. Others openly admit that they do not want justice, but revenge. Some even pray that God should destroy others.

But who are we to judge others as unworthy of God’s love?  Who are the Samaritans in our midst that we judge as unworthy of Christ’s love and our love?   

Oh, we may not say it that way, but our demeanor towards certain others speaks volumes.

What about the man who is hungering for love each week as he makes it up the steps of our church, but is often ignored because he is not one of the beautiful people? What about the chronically depressed…the unemployed or the underemployed… What of the teenagers or young adults or the aged who are just waiting to be asked to do something in the name of Christ?

How do we look at others? Or talk about others?  And though we may not ask the Lord to “nuke” others out of existence, how easily do we sometimes render others invisible?  Personae non gratae?

I’ve had people tell me that they feel invisible in many of our parishes – “people see right through me” they say. No one welcomed me to church. No one missed me when I stopped coming to Mass. No one called to check on us. But they did call when they wanted money. Real or imagined, these are genuine hurts.

Many people are consumed with great anxiety and distress. The hurting needing the salve of kindness, the sorrowful looking to be consoled, the doubtful looking for faith, the hungry craving for belonging, the unwelcome longing for an invite to dinner, those thirsting for companionship, the poor seeking comfort –
all of these we can likely find right here in our midst, in these very pews, today – they are not just “out there” in some nebulous mass of humanity.

We touch one another here in a unique way; and we have the opportunity to change other people’s lives for the better through our daily prayer and through our daily acts of charity.
So who are the Samaritans God is calling us to embrace?
You know “Love your neighbor as you love yourself” is not just a nice Christian catchphrase!

Social justice must begin here before we go out there!
Any time then when we fail to recognize the dignity of each human person, we run the risk of being tempted to call down fire from heaven to consume them.

But we cannot live according to the flesh, as St. Paul reminds us. It’s not about our designer clothes, our social status, our shiny cars, sumptuous homes, or even our well-tanned flesh or sleek, slender, sexy well-toned bodies.

Have we become too comfortable, too consumed with ourselves?

We are called to live by the Spirit in freedom. And our freedom is for love. And it must begin here. In these pews. In these aisles. In the foyer. In the parish hall. And especially in the parking lot.
No one who recognizes his neighbor as a fellow member of the body of Christ – or even a potential member of the Body of Christ – would ever seek to harm another person. Instead we will only desire others’ welfare and holiness and health. We will not seek to back-bite or devour one another - not even our enemies.

The good news about James and John is that they who wanted fire to consume their enemies were eventually consumed with the mercy and love of Christ.

James (James 2.13) writes: “For since we are in the freedom of Christ, ‘Judgment is merciless to the one who has not shown mercy; for mercy triumphs over judgment!’”

St. John also wrote extensively: (1 John 3:16) “Let us love one another, for love is of God..” “Everyone who hates his neighbor is a murderer….” (1 john 4 .11) …”and If God so loved us, we also must love one another….”

All of us have the freedom to love and forgive. And when we truly surrender to this freedom, and exercise this freedom, we will make it is easier for others to experience their freedom, blessedness and human dignity.

And then once we catch fire with Christ’s passion we won’t want to consume others with our prejudice; and we won’t have time to make excuses for delaying our response to Christ and our neighbor; but we will cast caution to the wind and freely take up our cross, allowing ourselves to be consumed in the fire of God’s love, burning bright, set free to love, to heal, and to secure justice for all the oppressed.

THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

Jesus is not safe. And he doesn't want us to stay safe. 

Following Christ is dangerous business. 

He wants us to die to ourselves and share our lives!

All Eucharistic celebration – and adoration – must lead to service.

In today’s Gospel the disciples are genuinely concerned for the 5000 men – not including women and children – who are likely very hungry and in the middle of nowhere. The disciples want Jesus to dismiss the crowds so they can go to the nearest village and buy food, but Jesus insists “Give them food yourselves.”  Really? They are in the middle of nowhere. It’s as if Jesus had intentionally gathered together people from all walks of life and then led them out into this wilderness.

In John’s account it is Andrew who brings a young boy to Jesus who is willing to share his five barely barley loaves and two skinny scrawny sardines, but what good are these for so many? But never let anyone ridicule you for your five loaves and two fish. It is enough.

Jesus immediately tells the disciples to have the people sit down in groups of fifty. Groups of fifty. Sounds like he was encouraging community.

Then Jesus miraculously multiplies the loaves and fish to provide a veritable banquet for the people out of seemingly nothing – and in the middle of nowhere. Five loaves and two fish? Really? Yes, the Lord can take our small offering and multiply it beyond our imaginings. Never let anyone ridicule you for your five loaves and two fish. It is enough. The Lord will provide good and plenty.

                                                                                                                                                                       

This wonderful feast day gives us an opportunity to ponder the gift of the Eucharist. This sacrificial meal of thanksgiving is THE Sacrifice which sums up all of the sacrifices ever offered. And in Jesus’ one act, He restores us to right relationship with God, and be the Prince of Peace and bring us peace.

Jesus is the king of Israel as he gathers His people and then feeds them, tends them as a shepherd. Can we imagine the table fellowship! Jesus welcomes all! He literally goes out to the hedgerows and the margins of society to feed us! This is Christ the King feeding the gathered people. We commune with the priest-king and enter into sacrifice together with each other.

The Eucharist is what makes the Church the Church. The Church comes from the Eucharist. We long for the bread of life. We long for the wine of compassion. We all long for inclusion, for belonging, for unity, for meaning, for love.

It is right and just to give God thanks and praise ; by Participating in the Mass, we too offer our five barely barley loaves and two skinny scrawny sardine fish upon the paten, but Christ will multiply our meager offering beyond our imaginings.

Christ offers us the bread and wine that is his very body and true blood, our food for the journey that lay ahead for each of us: in this life and beyond. Christ is ever present. We see and experience Christ in the Eucharist. And when we break this bread and share this cup, we commune with each other as well as with those here on earth, those in Purgatory, and those in Heaven.                

There can be a tendency for some people to want a very clean and tidy Catholic, Christian faith where it is just me and Jesus in a nice adoration chapel with Jesus safe within the tabernacle or monstrance.

But Jesus is not safe. And he doesn't want us to stay safe. Following Christ is dangerous business. He wants us to die to ourselves and share our lives! In fact, as we go out of our way, we may well suffer, and our own body might become bloody, and thereby resemble that of our Lord Jesus. Discipleship is a fearful thing.

Please do not misunderstand me: prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is incredibly powerful; I am fortunate to have grown up with this practice. Many days after work I would walk or ride my bike to kneel in the silence before Jesus; in college many nights from 11 to 12 I kept vigil with Christ for an hour; then when my wife and I were dating we went to daily Mass and after we were married every Monday night from 7-8 pm we kept vigil with Jesus at a local adoration chapel; later when the children were young I took the 11-12 pm hour at our parish. And still now here I continue to spend time with Christ, but it can never end there. Prayer must change us.

Prayer cannot end at the tabernacle! Christ sends us out from prayer to seek our lonely neighbor, to visit those in hospital or nursing home, to reconcile with our estranged children or relatives, to feed the hungry, to comfort the sorrowful, to clothe the naked, welcome the immigrant, and visit the imprisoned.  

  

Mother Teresa's Sisters spend an hour in adoration of the Eucharist BEFORE they spend the rest of the day walking among the poorest of the poor, seeing Christ and serving Christ in the least of these.

All Eucharistic celebration – and adoration – MUST lead to service. Jesus IS present in the Eucharist – but we must see and love Christ in the stranger, in the poor, in the least among us – and yes, even in our own family members.

So whether it is volunteering with the Vincent de Paul, or working a Soup Kitchen, tutoring a child, helping a neighbor, visiting a lonely widow –  or loving your spouse or child when he or she is not particularly loveable, the Eucharist is about dying to self and rising to new life.

 

Pope Francis has been continually telling us through his living public witness that we must go out of our way, out of ourselves, willing to leave our self-contained, secure worlds, to venture to the margins of society, to that other part of town, in order to bring Christ to others just as Jesus went out to the crowds. The Eucharist and the Holy Spirit will give us the strength to do this. – Only then will we truly become the Body of Christ.

Yes the Holy Eucharist – the Body and Blood of Christ – is that which brings us together, and, in fact, the Eucharist forms us as The People of God. We are nourished from this altar.

And after receiving the bread of life and the chalice of salvation, we pray that we may truly become the very body and blood of Christ to the World, bringing salvation to all those around us; and may each of us pray as did Saint Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ Jesus who lives in me.”

                                   

By Christ's Ascension He Take Our Humanity to Heaven

“God has raised us up with Him and enthroned us with Him in heaven. And though by right the honor of being seated at the Father’s right hand is reserved for Christ Jesus alone,” since Jesus Christ became fully human, he also is seated there “as one who is in all respects like ourselves…and in a great and mysterious way he passes this honor on to us.” 

- St. Cyril of Alexandria

Around this time of year many students are graduating. Others are looking for jobs. There is uncertainty in the air.

Some of us know the uncertainty surrounding the dying man or woman who assures his or her family that all shall be well. He or she has all of his or her affairs in order and when the time comes when he or she dies, all the family will have to do is follow the directives that are contained in a manila folder on his or her desk.

It can be very difficult to transition to the undergraduate world to college or university or to the workaday world of 9-5, just as it is difficult to move on after the death of a loved one.

In a way, this is where we find ourselves this evening/morning with Jesus’ disciples as He leaves them.

 On this feast of the Ascension of Christ, all of us can think of a time or two when we have been at similar crossroads as were the first disciples and asked: “Now what?”

This must have been how the disciples have felt after Jesus Ascended into heaven to return to the right hand of his and our Father.

Yet Jesus assures his disciples that he will be with us, that all shall be well.

Jesus had tried to prepare his disciples for his earthly departure, but instead they are rather clueless with their question, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Jesus told us last week that “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father….”

But today two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?”

Isn’t that like us, to be so dumbfounded we would stare in the sky instead of getting to work at doing what he commanded us to do?

Maybe that’s where we are right now: Looking up into heaven unsure about what to do next.

But let us not misunderstand this feast or its meaning. It is not really about Jesus going “up there.” When we think of heaven we tend to think of a place, but it is more than a place; it is a state of being in the presence of God—God who exists everywhere, not just “up there.”

When Jesus ascended INTO heaven, he makes himself available to us without limits of space and time.

There are those who wish they could have walked and talked with Jesus when he lived on earth, but we cannot get lost in this kind of thinking. 

Jesus is present to us now and we can walk and talk with him in an extraordinary way, we receive him in His Word and the Eucharist, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we begin to see all things new and through his eyes.

In a way I can see why the disciples might have been stuck. We know that they did eventually return to Jerusalem…and all of them devoted themselves to prayer, together with some women, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. From there, well, the rest is history. The Holy Spirit blew away all their old fears, gave them the fiery passion for the gospel and enabled them to boldly speak the words of faith wherever and to whomever and do the works of grace.

But let’s face it, coming down the mountain after experiencing Christ’s Ascension was hard work, and living the faith, day in, day out, is going to be hard for us as well.

Jesus Christ, ascended to the Father is now unbounded by time and space,  seated on the throne of Grace, in heaven, he has not abandoned us, but he intercedes for us hour by hour, seated at the right hand of the Father, receiving our prayer, showering us with mercy.

And in his Ascension, Jesus goes to prepare a place for us in heaven.

Jesus says in John’s gospel: “In my father’s house there are many, many rooms and I go to prepare a place for you….”

By Jesus being human, he has taken our human nature into heaven. And so Jesus has opened heaven for us in a special way because He is the Word of God enfleshed as a member of the human race, and like us, he now sits at the right Hand of the Father, and as a member of the human race, he shares with us the glory of being children of God.

As St. Cyril of Alexandria wrote, “For since Christ became man it is as one of us that he sits at the right hand of God the Father,” while at the same time being “God from God, light from light,” consubstantial with the Father. And on our behalf He enables us to once again see the Father’s face.

“God has raised us up with Him and enthroned us with Him in heaven. And though by right the honor of being seated at the Father’s right hand is reserved for Christ Jesus alone,” since Jesus Christ became fully human, he also is seated there “as one who is in all respects like ourselves…and in a great and mysterious way he passes this honor on to us.”

His Ascension reminds us that our rightful home is in Heaven; we live in hope that we may one day follow him there after our work here on earth is done.

May we live our earthly lives as citizens of Heaven.