Unless a Grain of Wheat Falls to the Earth and Dies it Remains Just a Grain of Wheat

Fifth Sunday of Lent     Year B            25 March 2012         

Unless the Grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies it remains just a grain of wheat

Today Jesus declares: “Now is the Hour for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Then he says, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies it remains just a grain of wheat.”

A grain of wheat is no good if it is simply kept safe and dry on a shelf. Only when seeds die and break open do the seeds give way to a transfigured life and live again!  

Can you imagine hoarding a harvest? It would become infested with bugs and mice and begin to rot. Seeds were meant to die in order to give life – by being baked as bread or by being planted in order to produce fruit for another harvest.

We cannot hoard our lives or our time, talents, or treasure. We know that we will die. We also know that we have to let go of our security, but we want to hold on.

When we clutch at our wealth or possessions, it prevents us from living an abundant life.

Sure, we may stay safe and avoid the cross, and we may exist and live to a ripe old age, but we will never truly live!

Only by our willingness to let go of one way of life can there be hope for another way of life. Falling to earth and dying is what gives and brings life!

So how do we die to self?

It might be as simple as helping your spouse or mom or dad clean the dirty dishes in the kitchen sink and doing the laundry.

Others of you have the difficult task of caring for a spouse or loved one who is dependent upon you for assistance. This is certainly a dying to self. Or what about those who have lost their independence and control over their lives? They have the burden of being dependent upon others to help them through their days.

One of my classmates from St. Meinrad School of Theology, Fr. Joe Wiegman from Toledo, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis three months before his ordination to the priesthood. When he was first diagnosed with MS, one of the monks at St. Meinrad told him: ‘Joe, you don’t get to choose whether or not you have MS. But you do get to choose what you’re going to do about it.’

When Joe began walking with a cane he said, “Okay, God, I can handle this, but no more.” And each time the disease weakened his body he would say, “Okay, God, I can handle this, but no more.”  

And then with the crutches, “Okay, God, I can handle this, but no more” and then “Okay, God, I can handle the electric scooter, but no more.” Yet each time He found God’s grace strengthened him to go forth.

But let’s be honest; Fr. Joe did not readily accept his cross. At first he was in denial that he was even ill. Then he bargained with God, then he accepted his illness for a while, but then when it got worse, he got angry and depressed. He tells me that he prayed, “Father, take this cup of suffering from me.”

Joe says, “I didn’t surrender to the Father’s will as readily as did Jesus. But I knew that God had not abandoned me. I clung to the hope that with God all things are possible.”

Fr. Joe now lives in a nursing home at the age of 50. He is still coming to terms with not being able to drive or live independently. He writes: “My fellow residents are dealing with the same issues of loss. Loss of control, loss of independence, loss of many simple joys of life.

Fr. Joe wrote: “I have finally chosen to embrace my cross.” Like Jesus, his soul was troubled, but he trusts in God to strengthen him.  

Only by our willingness to let go of one way of life can there be hope for another way of life.

God awaits our choice—we can step out in faith or remain as we are. It is not an easy choice. Many of us live life with a fearful grasping for control. Jesus had a choice to be delivered from his Passion and Death or to go through with it.

His Hour had come! And even though he knew it would come, and he had often spoke of it, he speaks of his soul being troubled as he considers what his Hour means. He is in agony, and yet this is his mission!

But a cross is a cross. 

Jesus agrees to conquer death through the Cross. Jesus humbly obeys out of love for the Father and love for each one of us, and prepares to cast out the devil, the ruler of this world, and crucify all disobedience, deceit, lies, and cruelty.

Jesus chooses to embrace His Hour and go forth with his mission. He isn’t focused on wealth, power, pleasure, or fame – He is focused on the cross.

The Hour of Jesus’ Passion has begun. He is in agony, but he surrenders to the will of the Father. Jesus accepts His Cross and is at peace to be lifted up, for by being lifted up he will lift all of us up. His Hour becomes our Hour when we too can rise to new life!

His death will reveal God’s glory and victory. His Cross will defeat of the Evil one and draw together Jesus' community. 

Satan does not want us to have life, but Christ will drive out the prince of this world! Believers can claim the defeat of Satan at the cross, and they can break free of his hold through union with Christ and as members of his holy Church.

The Greeks said, “We would like to see Jesus.” Seeing Jesus comes at a cost. We must die to our selfish ways. And it may even cost us our lives.

We come to see Jesus and his glorious kingdom as we walk his path, a journey that ends not at the Cross, but in the glory of being lifted up in resurrection.

May we be like a humble grain of wheat, dropped in the earth, allowing ourselves to die, shedding our outer shell so as to give way to a new way of life, where we will see Jesus!

The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale of Mystery, Death, and Salvation by Jon M. Sweeney

The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale of Mystery, Death, and Salvation

by Jon Sweeney
(Image Books, 2012).

This Medieval Tale is the true story of a 13^th century monk-hermit, Peter Morrone, who became Pope Celestin V, yet quit the papacy. It is full of mystery, death and salvation as the title proclaims. This story is well-researched by the author, Jon Sweeney, and it reads like a novel.

In his brief papacy, Sweeney brings to life the difficulties and struggles of Pope Celestine V. No other pope before and none after have abdicated the papacy.  Was his quitting the papacy an act of cowardice , as many claimed? Or was it the fortuitous act of a holy man? Every reader will come away with his or her own answer. Nevertheless, Pope Celestin V was canonized a saint seven years after his mysterious death.

There is a little bit of everything for everyone in this narrative portrait of Pope Celestin V. Theologians, historians, and anyone who loves a good story will enjoy this read.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the above book for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

At the Heart of the Gospel: Reclaiming the Body for the New Evangelization by Christopher West. Image Books, 2012.

BOOK REVIEW:

At the Heart of the Gospel: Reclaiming the Body for the New Evangelization   by Christopher West. Image Books, 2012.

The Theology of the Body is a response to the sexual revolution, or more appropriately, the sexual disintegration of our culture. Marriage and the family is at great risk today due to the trivialization of sex, the sexual objectification of the human person, the widespread acceptance of pornography as normal-even accepted and promoted—and the gift of human life has become simply another consumer good to be used and discarded at whim.

Christopher West has interpreted the teachings Blessed Pope John Paul II gave during his papacy into a fine work At the Heart of the Gospel. The Covenant nature of the Incarnation is explored in light of baptism, marriage, and the Paschal Mystery.

For those familiar with the Theology of the Body, West’s new book goes beyond his introduction. And for those who have read about the Theology of the Body, this work is a fine theological treatise as the author delves deeper into the mystical union of the covenant of love.

In a culture that is addicted to pleasure and consumerism, where pornography has gone mainstream and is used to sell every kind of material good to human beings who have been reduced to mere consumers of such goods, the theology of the body may well serve as a remedy, an anti-dote to the culture of death.

Sadly, whenever human sexuality is brought up in discussions either there are giggles or comments that sex should not be discussed. In actuality, it is precisely because sex is sacred that it must be discussed and recognized for its great dignity. As it is, sexual expression has been trivialized to just one more consumer good or choice of entertainment, or worse, tawdry bathroom tales.

Granted that while there are critics to the theology of the body who argue that it reduces sex to mere physicality while purportedly repudiating such reduction, the theology of the body still deserves a hearing in the public square, and, as such, it is a prophetic witness to the Incarnation, the beauty and struggles of marriage and family life, the Sacramentality of the Human Body, and the dignity of the Human Person as created in the image of God.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the above book for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith by Robert Barron

My Latest Book Review

Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith
by Robert Barron

(Image Books) ISBN: 978-0-307-72051-1 

e-book: 978-307-72053-5

At 280 pages, I thought this book would be one of those that requires several weeks to digest, a chapter a week. On the contrary, as I began reading I couldn’t stop. Granted, I have seen and heard Fr. Robert Barron on youtube and www.wordonfire.org and knew of his affable personality and gifted homiletic style, but his writing is just as engaging and in-depth.

Now, to be sure, this is not a catechetical presentation of the faith, at least not in the style of a traditional catechism, per se, but Barron’s exploration and explanation of the Catholic faith is refreshing and invigorating. No doubt there will be those who will critique his approach as being too thin or too light, but his intent from the very beginning was to plunge the reader into the mystery of the Incarnation and the heart of the Paschal Mystery.

He begins with: “we are destined for Divinization” for “God descended to enter into flesh so that our flesh might partake of the divine life, that we might participate in the love that holds the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in communion.” This is called “theiosis, transformation into God.”
Throughout the book he illuminates the Catholic worldview that is a way of life and a relationship with God, who is always a Mystery, and with the Church, which is a collection of broken sinners in the hands of a loving God.

He delves into the delightfully holy and subversive nature of the beatitudes, the problem of evil, Mary, the Apostles and Saints, the Church as the Body of Christ, the Mass and the gift of the Eucharist, the Lives of the Saints, the many types of prayer, and the role of the Holy Spirit.

He gives us a sampling of diverse saints: Peter Maurin, Dorothy Day, Pope John Paul II, Katherine Drexel, Therese of Lisieux, Edith Stein, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Thomas Merton, St. John of the Cross, and Teresa of Avila.

The false hopes of Wealth, Pleasure, Power and Fame - the four classical addictions - were despised by Christ on the cross, Barron explains. “The crucified Jesus was detached from wealth...stripped naked...detached from pleasure...bereft of power...and completely detached from the esteem of others...hung from an instrument of torture...he endured the ultimate of dishonor.”

“But what did Jesus love on the Cross? He loved the will of the Father.”

In a timely passage of the book, Barron discusses the Path of Nonviolence that was so refreshing to hear from such a prominent Catholic spokesperson for the Church.

Peter Maurin, the cofounder of the Catholic Worker, claimed that the gospel of Christ, especially Matthew 25:31-46, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, is equivalent to “dynamite.” “He wondered what society would look like if those ideals were the foundation of the political and social order.”

Peter Maurin was inspired by the social teachings of the Church, such as Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum novarum  and the line: “Once the demands of necessity and propriety have been met, the rest that one owns belongs to the poor.” The social teachings of the church are not new. Thomas Aquinas wrote: “While the ownership of private property is allowed, the use of private property should always be for the common good.” Maurin and Dorothy Day advocated the Principle of Subsidiarity and it is clear that Barron is inviting his readers to ignite the dynamite of the Church.

There are many surprisingly wonderful sections in this book, but two that I will specifically mention are his excursus on the Real Presence of the Eucharist and his exposition on Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell.

As Robert Barron said of his book: “What I propose to do in this book is to take you on a guided exploration of the Catholic world, but not in the manner of a docent, for I am not interested in showing you the artifacts of Catholicism as though they were dusty objets d’art in a museum of culture. I want to function rather as a mystagogue, conducting you ever deeper into the mystery of the incarnation in the hopes that you might be transformed by its power.”

Barron writes: “I stand with the theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar, who held that the truth of Catholicism is best appreciated from within the confines of the church, just as the windows of a cathedral, drab enough when seen from the outside, shine in all of their splendor when viewed from the inside. I want to take you deep within the cathedral of Catholicism, because I’m convinced that the experience will change and enhance your life.”

Father Robert Barron has delivered on his word.

Father Robert Barron is an acclaimed author, speaker, and theologian. He is the Francis Cardinal George Professor of Faith and Culture at Mundelein Seminary near Chicago and also is the founder of Word On Fire (www.WordOnFire.org).

Fr. Barron is the creator and host of CATHOLICISM, a groundbreaking ten-part documentary series and study program about the Catholic faith. He is a passionate student of art, architecture, music and history, which he calls upon throughout his global travels in the making of the documentary.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the above book for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Christmas Epiphany

CHRISTMAS EPIPHANY

Merry Christmas.

I know, I know, Christmas is like so last year….

Yet here we are, and yet we are still celebrating Christmas. How can this be?

When did Christmas begin for the world? For many it was on Black Friday. And when did Christmas end?

For the world, by the 26^th of December, the holiday was over, tossed out with the dried up Christmas tree, wrapping paper, and assorted debris, dragged to the curb, while the twinkle lights were yanked down and the plastic Santi Claus and Frosty hurled into the basement.

Yet, let us contrast how we began our Christmas Season. The first reading at Midnight Mass was from Isaiah where the prophet proclaimed: The people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light.

So, have we seen the great light? Was our Christmas marked by the sight? Did we experience an Epiphany?

For many of us, there are a lot of other lights that are vying for our attention these days.

And there are still more dark clouds that prevent us from seeing the true light.

Yes, in many ways we are still a people that lives in darkness, clouds of violence fill our cities, and the fog of war hangs over our world everywhere making it a land of gloom .

Like the Holy Innocents killed in Bethlehem, many innocent children are killed today simply because they were untimely conceived or born in parts of the world poisoned with war.

Darkness still covers the earth. The culture of death still thrives on the sale and manufacture of arms and weapons.

Many children are taught to fire weapons before they ever learn to read – if they survive childhood or even make it to school.

Or a wee bit closer to home, we must ask ourselves

what keeps us from loving our neighbor as we should. If Christ died for you, then He also died for your neighbor, even the neighbor you don’t like. For Jesus taught us: “Love your enemy” and “love your neighbor” for he knows they are often the same person.

When people encounter us, do they encounter Jesus Christ?

 Are we truly being the Body of Christ?  What more could we do to show the love of God to others?

For better or for worse, many people have abandoned faith in God because of the behavior of believers. Right or wrong, people have judged the existence of God based on the lives of believers.  (pause)

Yet the people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.

In the words of Pope Leo the Great, God leapt down from heaven to earth in order to become a helpless, vulnerable infant, like each one of us, in order to teach show us how to live the kingdom of God.

And the strange visitors from the east, the Magi – astrologers – were seeking truth, seeking the God of the universe.

They were not interested in King Herod’s petty political maneuverings.

And to show the importance of their epiphany, the Magi did not return to King Herod.

He was not the true king.

He is not the star of Christmas.

He never was.

So the Magi return to their own country by another route for no one, after truly encountering Christ, can go back the same way they came.

None of us can go back to life as usual after such an epiphany.

After Christmas day some children will often return to the Christmas tree looking for more gifts with the question: “Is that it? Is that all there is?”

On Christmas morning – or perhaps even this morning – we may have awakened asking ourselves, “Is this all there is?”

“Where is this peace the world cannot give?”

Yet the star of Epiphany points us onward.

For the true gift is Christ.

“O Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.”

Amid the darkness covering the earth,
and thick clouds of gloom covering the peoples,

“Lord, You shall rescue the poor when she cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
You shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
and you shall save the lives of the poor.”

For God’s love is greater than any evil; Mercy and Justice will have the last Word.

In the name of love, the Word became flesh so that we might know God's love. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Pope Benedict said: “Christmas is an epiphany – the appearing of God and of his great light in a child that is born for us. Born in a stable in Bethlehem, not in the palaces of kings.

“God became poor. His Son was born in the poverty of the stable. In the child Jesus, God made himself dependent, in need of human love, he put himself in the position of asking for human love – our love.”

“…As a child…he pits himself against all violence and brings a message that is peace. At this hour, when the world is continually threatened by violence in so many places and in so many different ways, when over and over again there are oppressors’ rods and bloodstained cloaks, we cry out to the Lord: O mighty God, you have appeared as a child and you have revealed yourself to us as the One who loves us, the One through whom love will triumph. And you have shown us that we must be peacemakers with you. We love…your powerlessness, but we suffer from the continuing presence of violence in the world, and so we also ask you: show your power, O God. In this time of ours, in this world of ours, cause the oppressors’ rods, the cloaks rolled in blood and the footgear of battle to be burned, so that your peace may triumph.”

In the name of love, He is the one who takes our suffering and raises us to new life.

In the name of love, He is the One who is rejected and yet rises from the dead.

And all who are baptized into Christ Jesus are buried with him, so that as He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

That is the message of Christmas. That each of us, like Christ, will outgrow our cribs and become the Epiphany presence of God in a gloomy world desperately searching for an epiphany of the true light, which is Christ.

The Thankful Samaritan

The Thankful Samaritan  [Luke  17:11-19]

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!"
And when he saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests."
As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?"
Then he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."

Who was this Samaritan leper? How had he come to find himself living among a group of Jewish Lepers?

This Samaritan was a group of ten lepers who had formed a community of the broken and shunned.

And today when the lepers encounter Jesus and cry out: “Jesus! Master! Have pity on us.” Jesus tells them to go show themselves to the priests. The Jewish priests could verify if they were worthy to reenter normal society.

And it was while they were on their way that they were healed. The Jewish members of the group continued on to the Temple to present themselves.

However, our Samaritan leper – now cleansed – does he continue on or do as Jesus said?

Did the Samaritan go to the Temple priests?

We do not know. Maybe he did.

Why is this an issue?

If this Samaritan presented himself to the Jewish priests in Jerusalem, did they welcome him as they did the Jewish lepers who had been cleansed?

Maybe not.

Why?

Perhaps the reason is simple. He was a Samaritan, considered to be foreigner by the Jewish religious leadership and the people, no longer a legitimate heir to the Covenant promises given to the People of Israel.

He would also not be welcome in the Temple, let alone welcome in the territory of Judea, owing to his mixed racial background and heterodox theological beliefs.

But Jesus welcomes him.

Jesus healed him.

The Samaritan returns to Jesus, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.

And Jesus welcomes him into his own community of faith.

Had he recognized in Jesus the true High Priest? Was the Samaritan the only one who had the insight to see in Jesus the fulfillment of the Temple and the Priesthood?

Maybe he did not go to the Temple.

He was a Samaritan. If he did not go to the Temple, then he disregarded Jesus’ words.

Or did he? Did he see in Jesus the new Temple?

Jesus asks: "Ten were cleansed, were they not?

Where are the other nine?”

“Where are the other nine?” Had Jesus expected all ten lepers once cleansed, to return to him?

He then asks: “Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”

Again Jesus praises the foreigner, the outcast, as an example of faith.

Jesus says: “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

The Samaritan recognized the true source of all his blessings.

Where are the other nine?

May we have the eyes and faith of the Samaritan.

The Shepherd King and The Surprise of the Righteous Sheep and the Clueless Goats

The Shepherd King

and

The Surprise of the Righteous Sheep and the Clueless Goats

The last Feast of the Liturgical Year is the Solemnity of the Feast of Christ the King.

This past week one of my students asked, quite sincerely, “What is Christ the King?” The student was asking, “Why do we call Christ a King? All of his actions, deeds, words, and demeanor, and even in the manner of his death, he does not appear as a king at al according to worldly standards. It was an excellent question and is worth our time to ponder.

In the reading from the Prophet Ezekiel that the Church proposes for our consideration on today’s feast, the prophet proclaims: Thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so will I tend my sheep. I will rescue them, I will seek out the lost and forsaken, I will bring back the strays, bind up the injured and heal the sick.

In the familiar Psalm, we sang, The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose.
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
He anoints my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.

So, what will determine whether we dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come?

Well, for the answer to that, all we need do is look at the gospel today. In fact, this is the very last parable Jesus tells from Matthews’s Gospel. And interestingly it is about the Second Coming of the Son of Man. Also take note that there is no mention of a Rapture. When Christ comers again, he will come again. He won’t come once only to take a few to heaven, but he will come here and usher in his kingdom, where he will come once to judge the living and the dead.

So we have work to do. And instead of looking for the Anti-Christ, we need to be looking for Christ. But where do we see Christ? Certainly we Hear Christ in the Word of God, especially the Gospels. He is also present in the person of the Priest or Deacon when he celebrates Mass and the other Sacraments, Certainly, in a very unique way, Christ is present in the Eucharist. And, yet, if we can see and recognize Christ’s presence in the Scripture, Sacraments, and ministers, we must also be able to recognize his presence in those most in need of mercy, those most unworthy of our love. For it was to all of us, including these least ones, that Christ came!

Saint John assures us that if we claim that we love God, but fail to love our neighbor we are deceiving ourselves. He writes: If we cannot love the neighbor we do see, then how can we say we love God whom we cannot see? If we fail to love our neighbor then we fail to love God. It’s pretty simple.

Or is it?

He is a good shepherd – The Good Shepherd! But a shepherd’s job is a thankless and dirty job. Poor shepherds have to tromp around in sheep dung all day. It’s not the most glamorous job – let alone vocation.

Yet Christ Jesus has humbled himself to be our shepherd. He endures all of our dung and ornery ways. So we must learn to be like the good shepherd. And this shepherd is a king in disguise!

We too must be kings and queens, princes and princesses in disguise as poor shepherds, willing to search out the lost andforsaken and carry the poor, blind, lame, soiled, and cold lambs upon our shoulders and restore them to the fold of the Good Shepherd, which is His Church.

He doesn’t even ask us to do things perfectly or in a heroic way, but to do simple things in a charitable way: Things that we all can do in our ordinary life. Who among us cannot do some of these things, “you welcomed me, you visited me, you gave me food and drink” or other similar things?

‘I needed to talk and you listened to me. I was worried and you comforted me. I was frazzled and you calmed me down. I was blind, and you helped me. I was poor and you stood up for me. I could not understand and you shared your knowledge with me. The list goes on….

All we need is to become sensitive to the needs of those whom God has sent into our lives. This is the real challenge of our own personal life and of our society. Simple gifts of hospitality! Seeking Christ in the face of the poor and unwanted.

But here’s the catch: those who were considered righteous or holy were surprised to discover that the deeds of mercy that they performed for the poor, hungry, thirsty, naked, homeless, sick, or imprisoned were actually being done for the Son of Man! And they are dubly surprised that they have received eternal life! And the goats, those who did not tend to the needs of others, were surprised to discover that they neglected Christ in need.

As Saint Paul wrote, many, while ministering to the needy, have unknowingly been ministering to angels in disguise.

We are subjects of a Great Shepherd King who is the God of Surprise. God sneaks up on us in people we least expect. Be ready, for you know neither the day nor the hour when our Lord will surprise us.

[May we be known as his loyal sheep who heed the Shepherd’s voice by loving our neighbor. In doing this we will follow Him into the pasture of Eternal Life. Amen.]