Tag: God’s will

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Sermon: The Baptism of Our Lord RCL C – “Suffering”

A jet traveling from New York to California was experiencing a severe thunderstorm. As the passengers were being bounced around by the turbulence, a woman turned to the priest sitting next to her and, with a nervous laugh, asked, “Father, you’re a man of God. Can’t you do something about this storm?”

The priest replied, “Sorry, I’m in sales, not management.”

Baptism has been popping up these past several weeks. Sometimes, I plan several sermons around a particular theme or topic, but this was not one of them. Yet, here we are again—The Baptism of Our Lord.

As we understand, we have been baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus and given new life in Him. It is an assurance of God’s love for us, but do you ever think God has a funny way of showing His love for you? If you did feel that way, you wouldn’t be the first.

Teresa of Avila was traveling in bad weather. When she attempted to cross a stream, her carriage suddenly stuck in the mud, and she fell into the water. She complained to Jesus, and He said, “That’s how I treat my friends. ” Teresa replied, “No wonder you have so few friends.”

It would seem that if we were joined with God in our baptism, then everything should be coming up roses. For many, this is their way of thinking, and when things go south, they begin to wonder. Does God love me? Has He forgotten me? Is He angry and punishing me? Or maybe God just likes to mess with us.

The movie Bruce Almighty with Jim Carrey? Very funny and surprisingly accurate. When Bruce experiences a series of unfortunate events, they bring suffering into his life. When he’s had enough, he gets mad at God and says, “God is a mean kid sitting on an anthill with a magnifying glass, and I’m the ant. He could fix my life in five minutes if he wanted to, but he’d rather burn off my feelers and watch me squirm!”

When we think of God’s love and our union with Him through baptism, and things go wrong, we begin to feel that it’s just not right. These kinds of nasty things should not be happening to me. I’m on the team. But thinking in such a way shows that we haven’t been paying attention.

We read that when Jesus was baptized “and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’” Such a declaration from the Father could lead you to believe that nothing would ever come against Jesus, but…

“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

The “men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him.” (Luke 22:63)

“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

The crowd “kept shouting, ‘Crucify, crucify him!’” (Luke 23:21)

“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

The soldiers “flogged [Jesus]. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ and struck him with their hands.” (John 19:1-3)

“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

“They crucified him (Luke 23:33)… mocked him (Luke 23:36)… he breathed his last. (Luke 23:46)”

“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” You are God’s sons and daughters. You are His beloved. With you, He is well pleased. However, from what we know of Jesus’ last day, it is not always easy to be a child of God. Although we have passed through the waters of baptism and participated in the death and resurrection of Jesus, the raging of the seas still pound against us. We have been redeemed, but all creation is still groaning and waiting. 

Archbishop Michael Ramsey writes, “The old world continues with its contradictions and its sufferings, but by the Cross and resurrection these very contradictions and sufferings can be transformed into things fruitful and creative wherein, by faith in the Crucified, the power of God may be found. There is no escaping from the facts of this world. Rather does membership within the world-to-come enable Christians to see the facts of this world with the light of the Cross and resurrection upon them, and to know that their own tasks are but the working out of a victory that Christ has already won.” (Glory: the Spiritual Theology of Michael Ramsey, p.25)

Our faith in God’s will is not a fatalistic acceptance but a faithful one—faith in the Father’s love. Faith when you pray, “Thy will be done,” for this is baptism. We are baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus, but that death we are baptized into is an internal death of the old self—the person of sin that resided in us all. Therefore, our souls experience this new and resurrected life in Christ, but our bodies, like Jesus’, must continue to endure the crushing waves of the world and the suffering that comes with it.

How’s that old song go?

“I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There’s gotta be a little rain sometime.”
(Rose Garden by Lynn Anderson)

In this life, Jesus never promised us a rose garden. St. Peter confirms this. “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:12-13) 

Suffering is going to happen, so what are we, as a Christian people, to do when trials and suffering arrive at our doorstep? Peter answers that one for us as well. “Let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. (1 Peter 4:19)

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:43-45a) In other words, pray to your Father in Heaven and say, “Thy will be done,” then have faith that God’s will is being accomplished regardless of the suffering that is pouring out. You may not feel all that great about it. His will might just be painful at times. In many cases, you will not understand it or know why, but have faith and “pray for your enemies.” That is, continue doing good, for this is also your Father’s will.

The Father says, “You are my child, my beloved; with you I am well pleased.” “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For I am certain,” St. Paul tells us, “that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:18, 38-39)

You are God’s child. He loves you, and regardless of your circumstances (that is a management decision), He is pleased with you. Therefore, stand in faith and perseverance, knowing His will is being fulfilled in your life.

Let us pray (a prayer of St. John Paul II):
O God, You are our Creator. You are
good and Your mercy knows no bounds.
To You arises the praise of every creature.
O God, You have given us an inner law
by which we must live. To do Your will
is our task. To follow Your ways is to
know peace of heart. To You we offer
our homage. Guide us on all the paths we travel
upon this earth. Free us from all the evil
tendencies which lead our hearts away
from Your will. Never allow us to stray
from You. Amen

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Sermon: Proper 18 RCL B – “The Father’s Will”

Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash

A little bit of sports trivia for you this morning (not that I’m an expert). Who did the Kansas City Chiefs play at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on September 29, 2014? Answer: New England Patriots. The Chiefs won that game 41-14, but the Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl that season. If that is the case, what is so special about the September 29th game? As it turns out, a world record was set—Arrowhead Stadium officially became the world’s loudest NFL arena, reaching 142.2 decibels. How loud is that? You know those cars that pull up next to you, and they’ve got the stereo volume cranked up so loud you can not only hear it but feel it? Well, turn up that volume even more, and you might reach 142.2 decibels. It is about the equivalent of firing off a high-powered rifle right next to your ear, with no ear protection. It is loud enough to be very painful and damaging.

That’s American football, but when you say “football” to the rest of the world, they think of a different sport—soccer. Soccer fans are almost as loud as our football fans. The loudest soccer field is in Turkey. They reached 131.76 decibels. Still enough to blow out a few ear drums. However, earlier this month, a soccer match was played in the 13,000-seat Eiffel Tower Stadium in Paris. The stadium was filled, and the game was very exciting, but for the most part… well, you might not have been able to hear a pin drop, but you could hear the tinkling of a small bell. Welcome to the sport of blind soccer. Yes. You heard that correctly—blind soccer. The fans are very quiet because the ball has a small bell inside that the players listen for. Through that slight sound and the voices of coaches and teammates, they can play the game. If the fans make noise, the game cannot be played.

We know why sports stadiums get loud—people are excited about the game or ticked off at the referees, but why do rooms full of people get loud? You only have to think of our parish hall during a potluck. At first, it is quiet, but then people begin to talk. I don’t think we’ve ever reached 142 decibels, but it occasionally gets pretty loud. Why is that? The answer was discovered by Étienne Lombard, an otolaryngologist (one who studies the relationship between ears, nose, and throat), and the answer was named after him—the Lombard Effect. Simply put, the louder an environment becomes, the louder our voices become. Not only does it affect humans, but animals as well (which provides no explanation as to why the Queen likes to meow loudly in the middle of the night. It is good to be Queen.)

What does any of this have to do with today?

From our Gospel reading: “Jesus set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there.” And then a little further, after healing a deaf-mute, “Jesus ordered them to tell no one.” Jesus was looking for a quiet place. However, the more Jesus sought quiet places where He could be alone and the more He ordered them to keep quiet, “the more zealously they proclaimed it” and Him. 

In a sense, the Lombard Effect was at play, and the decibels were climbing. He wanted them to remain silent, but once one person started talking about Him, another would, and another, until an uproar surrounded Him. Unfortunately, Jesus was trying to hear the tinkling of the bell. Jesus had a very specific goal in mind. All the attention and people seeking Him out were not necessarily a distraction from fulfilling this goal. Yet, He did not want to come to the attention of the religious leaders and other authorities any more than was necessary until everything was in place.

The first encounter we read about today took place in Tyre. This was on the coast and very much a Gentile region. Jesus had hoped to go unnoticed, perhaps thinking that since Jews and Gentiles weren’t the best of friends, they would be ignored. However, while there, He meets the Syrophoenician woman, who, even though a Gentile, dares to speak to a Jew. 

Having heard of Jesus, she asks Him to heal her daughter of the demon. Jesus responds, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” That sounds like a terribly rude rebuke, but most commentators will agree that Jesus would not have meant it as such when speaking to the woman and that the woman would have known it. They were both playing the game—Jews and Gentiles did not get along, and if you think what Jesus said was rude, well, you should hear how the Gentiles referred to the Jews. They both slipped into their roles, and they both played the game. A bit like two good friends trash-mouthing one another. “Yo mama’s so fat, her picture fell off the wall.” “Well, Yo mama’s so fat, her blood type is marinara sauce.” Things like that. Because of her faith, and in spite of the fact that she was a Gentile, Jesus healed her daughter of the demon. The Scriptures do not indicate it, but do you think she kept quiet when she came home and found her daughter cured? Or do you think decibels increased?

Jesus told His disciples, “They know us here, so let’s head inland to the Decapolis (another Gentile region) and see if we fare any better.” They did not. The people immediately recognize Jesus and bring him to the deaf-mute. Jesus takes the man to a private place so that others will not witness the miracle, but to no avail; the decibels increase. “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

The irony of that second healing is apparent. Jesus wants them to remain silent, but He heals a deaf-mute, so there is one more individual who can hear and proclaim. However, now, Jesus is not only a great teacher and miracle worker, but He is also fulfilling prophecy, and the people know it. We read from the Prophet Isaiah,

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.”

And the decibels increase, yet Jesus is focused. Like one of the blind soccer players, Jesus is listening for one thing. He has one goal—the Father’s Will. What is the Will for the Father? Jesus said, “This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” What did the Father give to Jesus? Everything and Everyone. The Will of the Father was that Jesus redeem all of Creation, and he couldn’t do that, healing one demon-possessed girl at a time or one deaf-mute at a time. In addition, these types of healing only heal the body. Jesus’ goal was to heal the soul. To heal the broken relationship between us and God. Jesus was to say, “Ephphatha,” “be open,” not just so that the ears of the deaf could be opened. He was to say “Ephphatha” so that the souls of all humankind could be opened, and this could only occur through His death and resurrection. For as Jesus said, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:31-32)

During the last years of Jesus’ life, much noise surrounded Him, yet he needed to lower the decibels until this work was complete. You and I are now free to shout Jesus’ goal from the mountain tops, but like Jesus, there are times when we need to lower the decibels of our own lives so that, like Jesus, we can listen for the “tinkling of the bell.” So that we can discover and hear the will of the Father in our lives. 

The author of the Book of Ecclesiastes tells us there is “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” (Ecclesiastes 3:7b) How might Jesus speak the word “Ephphatha… be opened” to the ears of your soul so that you may hear the voice of the Father? How might you make opportunities to provide the quiet that is necessary to hear above all the noise of your life? 

My friend, St. Josemaría Escrivá, writes, “Silence is the door-keeper of the interior life.” (The Way #281) Take the necessary time to find a place to lower the decibels and then listen. In doing so, like Jesus, you can discover the Will of the Father. Then, like Jesus, live your life fulfilling that Will without allowing the noise to distract you from it.

Let us pray: From all eternity, O Lord, You planned our very existence and our destiny. You wrapped us in Your love in baptism and gave us the Faith to lead us to eternal life and happiness with You. Now we ask for the light we so earnestly need that we may find the way of life in which lies the best fulfillment of Your will so on the last day, we may find our reward in union with You forever and ever. Amen.

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Sermon: Proper 17 RCL A – “You are Here”

Photo by Fallon Michael on Unsplash

Mr. Moore was teaching map reading in his earth sciences class at Delacroix High School. After explaining latitude, longitude, degrees, and minutes, the teacher asked, “Suppose I asked you to meet me for lunch at 23 degrees, 4 minutes north latitude and 45 degrees, 15 minutes east longitude…?”

After a moment of silence, T Boudreaux volunteered, “I suppose you’d be eating alone.”

T Boudreaux is one of those who would look at a wayfaring map with a “You are here” arrow and ask, “How do it know?”

“Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering… be killed, and on the third day be raised.” Peter likely heard that last bit but did not understand it, so he said to Jesus, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

How easy it would be to criticize Peter. “Who are you to question God? Why are you being so thick about all this? You have failed again.” Read the right way; we can hear all those things in Jesus’ voice, but that ‘voice’ we can imagine does not reflect the character of Jesus we know. 

Jesus, who knew the hearts and minds of so many, would also have known the heart of Peter. He would know that Peter was saying these things because Peter was distraught at the thought of losing his Lord. The one who said, “Love one another,” would not lash out in such a manner we can imagine. If anything, I think Jesus’ voice was one of love and compassion but also firm. He didn’t want Peter, or any of the others, deceiving themselves at this point. What was coming was going to happen. No question. 

If Jesus had shown Peter a map, there would be a single road. A road that led to Jerusalem and onto Golgotha—the hill on which Jesus was crucified. There would be one of those arrows that said, “You are here,” implying that you are going there, and there’s no changing it. 

Jesus was saying to Peter, ‘I am exactly where I am supposed to be. This cannot be changed. I must be obedient to the Father and not to my emotions or desires.’ Could Jesus have fought it? Could he have turned and forged a new road, a new direction for His life? Yes. Jesus had as much free will as you and I. Did Jesus have every reason to complain bitterly? To pitch a fit about how unfair His life was? To take out His anger and frustrations on those around Him? Absolutely, He could have. ‘This is so unfair! I deserve better than this! I am entitled!’ Jesus could have done and said whatever he liked, but He chose to submit to the will of the Father and be obedient. 

With that in mind, Jesus said to Peter and the other disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Jesus said, ‘You are here—at this place and at this time. This is—right now—your life. Take up your cross. You also, be obedient and take up this life the Father has given you, and follow Me.’ You are here regardless of the circumstances—good, bad, or indifferent, so submit and be obedient to the will of the Father. That is a message for us as well.

As we seek to follow the will of God, our path will not be as clear as the one that Jesus was following. There are days if we know the next step, we are doing good, but what doesn’t change is the fact that at this very moment, “You are here.” Where you are is not random. In addition, you may not be happy with where you are, but you are not outside of God’s will for your life. Trust me. You don’t have that kind of power.

The Psalmist writes,
O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether….
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them. (Psalm 139:1-4, 16b)

If you believe those words, then you believe that God knew your every step, every choice, every breath before you were even created. Therefore, if “You are here,” God ordained that you be here. You are here. This is your life; therefore, the call on your life—at this very moment—is to take up your cross and follow Jesus. That is easy to say, yet amid life’s circumstances, we can sometimes experience the same emotions as Peter and say, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen! This is unfair! I deserve more! I am entitled to more!” There can be weeping and gnashing of teeth. We can strike out in anger and frustration at others and ourselves, but God persists, “You are here.” If we persist in our rantings to God, I suppose He might eventually come back on us the same way He did Job,

“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Dress for action like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.” (Job 38:2-4)

God said to Job, ‘You, sir, are out of order. It is not your place to question why certain things happen.’

So, consider this: if God ordains that you be here—with the circumstances good, bad, or indifferent—could it be that “You are here,” and “here” is exactly where you are supposed to be, just as Jesus was exactly where He was supposed to be? Is that fatalistic? No. It’s just the opposite. If we are where we are supposed to be, then God is here with us. Instead of being frustrated and angry, we should be rejoicing that we are not alone. It doesn’t mean life won’t be difficult and we are supposed to do the happy dance for everything that comes our way, but it does mean we can calm our souls and be at peace, taking up our cross and following Jesus. But what about those times when it all becomes too much? Hans Urs von Balthasar was a Roman Catholic theologian. In one of his books, he was writing specifically for priests, but what he wrote applies to all. “The weight of pastoral Office becomes heavier than any man even in official position can bear. Therefore it is no longer the man who bears the cross, but the cross which bears the man.” (Source, p.124) The weight of our life, our cross, can become too much to bear, so in those circumstances, it is no longer us that carry our cross; the cross—Jesus, carries us.

Rainer Maria Rilke (d.1926) was an Austrian poet. Some of his poems were mystical and spoke of his search for understanding God. His poem, Extinguish My Eyes, speaks to this idea of encountering God, even in loss.

Extinguish my eyes, I still can see you,
Close my ears, I can hear your footsteps fall,
And without feet I still can follow you,
And without voice I still can to you call.
Break off my arms, and I can embrace you,
Enfold you with my heart as with a hand.
Hold my heart, my brain will take fire of you
As flax ignites from a lit fire-brand—
And flame will sweep in a swift rushing flood
Through all the singing currents of my blood.

Regardless of our circumstances or our state—without eyes, ears, feet, and all—we can still grasp Christ and be grasped by Him. Still burn with the joy of our cross, the life we have been blessed with.

My friend Thomas à Kempis understood the joy of the cross that Christ offers us, so he wrote, “Why, then, do you fear to take up the cross when through it you can win a kingdom? In the cross is salvation, in the cross is life, in the cross is protection from enemies, in the cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness, in the cross is strength of mind, in the cross is joy of spirit, in the cross is highest virtue, in the cross is perfect holiness. There is no salvation of soul nor hope of everlasting life but in the cross.” (Source: TAK IOC Bk 2, Ch 12)

You are here. With joy and peace, take up your cross and follow Jesus.

Let us pray:
Eternal Father,
May we see Your Son, Jesus, clearly
Pouring out love
Pouring out mercy
Pouring out peace
May we kneel before him in humble adoration
May we take up our cross and follow
And walk with Christ into the ways of life.
Amen.

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