Duck Now, Ask Questions Later (2nd Sunday of Lent, Year B)

To listen to this homily, click here.

One of my favorite tv shows began in 2003, as reality TV was starting to take hold in mainstream culture. Don’t worry, it’s not The Bachelor, Jersey Shore, or Real Housewives; it is Dirty Jobs, hosted by Mike Rowe. Over the course of nearly 200 episodes, Rowe highlights the many thankless  blue collar jobs that make civilized life possible for the rest of us and serves as a fully involved assistant for a typical work day, trying to complete every task despite discomfort, hazards, and repulsive situations. Over the years, Mike Rowe has become an advocate for the trades, promoting scholarships for a solid work ethic, and reminding others of the value of earning a living with one’s hands. Currently, he continues his commentary and advocacy through a weekly podcast called, “The way I heard it.” I highly recommend it and I look forward to the new episode each week.

During one interview, Mike Rowe was asked for the best piece of advice he received. He replied, “the best practical advice came from my dad when he told me to duck. We were playing horseshoes out back in somebody’s yard and someone threw a horseshoe and it got away from them, and my father was on the little balcony looking down. I recognized his voice, and I didn’t even know who he was talking to, but it didn’t matter, because it was loud and I knew it was him, and so I put my head down and I felt the horseshoe whiz right over my head. And it hit a friend of mine right in the face. He was two feet on the other side of me. Knocked his teeth out, but it just as easily could have knocked my head off. Anyway that was great advice, and when I think back on it, it had everything that all great advice needs to have: it was brief, it was loud, it was familiar, and it was compelling. And I took it, and I’m glad I did.” One other observation about Mike Rowe’s experience of following his dad’s advice; the key was in the timing. Understanding why his father was telling him to do something came later; the need for obedience came first and that obedience was based in the trust he placed in his father who would not tell him to do something if it wasn’t important and in his best interest. If he had instead paused and asked why the need to duck, he would have ended up with a horseshoe to the head.

This underrated quality of trusting obedience is on full display in our first reading. While it seems shocking and wrong for God to ask Abraham to sacrifice his only, beloved son, by this time the Patriarch would have had nearly 70 years of experience trusting and obeying the Lord. He would have known by now that God kept every promise. Abraham had learned, over and over again, that trusting and obeying God came first; understanding why and what God was doing came later with time. God never took something away without replacing it with something even bigger and better. Faced with that evidence, only a fool would question any command from God, even something so extreme as the sacrifice of his son Isaac. 

Some scholars think Abraham believed God would raise his son after the sacrifice. We will never know exactly what he thought but it is clear he knew God would not let him down. He had second-guessed God’s plans enough to realize it never went well. God always came through, even when the situations were absolutely unsolvable with human solutions. 

In our story today, the transformation of Abraham is complete. When he leads Issac up the mountain, he has finally trusted God with his past, his present, and his future. He gives God everything in his life. Even if he does not fully understand the “why” of what God is asking, he knows that whatever he is being told to do will be what is best for him and those he loves.  And now God can return the favor. He provides the victim for sacrifice to spare Isaac, not only on Mount Moriah but also on Calvary which will redeem both the descendants of Abraham and all who trust in God for salvation and protection in the name of Jesus.

Through faith, you and I have been adopted into the family and promises of Abraham. We have the opportunity to receive the blessings given to him but we must live in the same way, trusting God with our past, present, and future and obeying him in whatever he asks, no matter how confusing or mysterious it seems. Obedience comes first; understanding will follow later. If we pause to question God or delay our “yes”, we might not hear his urgent advice to duck and avoid the spiritual horseshoes headed our our way! We cannot do this without the gift of faith. Good intentions are not enough. Using our own wisdom alone, we will always want to hold something back or try to revise God’s plan to fit our own. We should ask Abraham to help us see, as he did, that God never takes something away as a sort of cruel penalty or price. Instead, God asks us to open our hands, to free our grip from the things we hold onto, so he can place something even greater within our grasp. God is utterly trustworthy and we follow him by listening to his beloved Son through the Scriptures and the teachings of the Catholic Church which he instituted.

The book of Genesis goes on to tell us that Abraham died at the age of 175! When he passed, he had everything and more than when he first met God and was invited to go on the journey of faithful obedience. God kept each and every promise! You and I are still reaping the spiritual benefits of Abraham’s faith and God’s generosity to this very day. Take some time this week to reflect on God’s invitation to trust him more deeply and follow his plan more urgently. Be honest about the parts of your past, present, and future that God is not allowed to touch. Consider the teachings of the Church you struggle to obey or understand and approach them with humble openness. God and his truth doesn’t change but we must! He is dependable, he will keep his promises of mercy, blessing, and redemption made in the name of his Son, Jesus. May we open our hands, our hearts, and our lives towards a spirit of obedient trust so God can lead us to a future of joy, peace, and eternal life! 

Temptations Make Terrible Pets (1st Sunday of Lent, Year B)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

One of the formative moments of any childhood is when one finds a wild animal, usually a baby bird or rabbit or something similar that has met with the misfortune of injury or abandonment and the inspiration hits, “I will raise this little critter as my pet!” Who wouldn’t love to have a pet bird, scampering squirrel, or fluffy rabbit to keep you company? As you quickly learn, it’s really tough to get the little things to eat and they often return to God in a couple days! Amazingly, my sisters managed to raise a litter of wild bunnies from babies to the equivalent of teenagers (They even gave them good Christian names like Lil Runt, Marco Polo, Eli, Jack, and Martin). It was pure craziness in the months that followed as these wild hares hopped shoulder-high through the house, making a mess everywhere, screeching and scratching and biting anyone who tried to get near them. It was a tough lesson for the Schroeder nature society that wild animals make terrible pets and they don’t really care how much love you try to show them; they just want to be free and live outside where other wild animals can eat them! Eventually we gave them what they wanted because of their ingratitude.

In the early 2000’s, a man named Antoine Yates was arrested for trying something far more extreme in New York City. Antoine lived in a multistoried, public housing apartment building and decided to bring home a two-month-old tiger cub and later, a young alligator. It’s not clear where he found them or how he cared for them but soon he was dragging 20 lbs of chicken thighs up to his apartment each day to keep these beasts happy. These large wild animals were with him for two years in his apartment. What started as a little tiger cub grew to a 400+ pound Bengal tiger, and the little alligator to a frightening monster. 

One day, the police got a distress call from Yates about a “dog” bite and when they got to the 19-story building, they discovered Yates in the lobby with significant injuries to his right arm and leg. Someone alerted the police to the possibility of a “wild animal” in his apartment. Out of an abundance of caution, the first responders drilled a hole into the wall of Yates’ apartment and saw the huge cat prowling around the room. To make a long story short, it took an army of officers at the door, and the use of a tranquilizer gun to bring the tiger under control. When they finally entered the apartment, they found the big cat lying unconscious and a big alligator nearby, guarding his unconscious friend. Both animals were trapped and relocated to shelters. His own wild pets tried to kill Yates despite his years of care. For his part, Mr. Yates never regretted his choices; he just saw it as the price of having wild animals as companions. 

Thankfully, I have yet to stumble upon a hidden tiger or crouching alligator when I visit the homes of parishioners. It seems the people of Incarnate Word have taken to heart the lesson that the tiger man never quite understood; some animals shouldn’t be pets because you can never be sure they won’t wake up one day and want you for a snack!

So while these stories are interesting to hear, how do they relate to the 1st Sunday of lent? I’m so glad you asked!! It’s really a simple connection, at least in my head! Even though most of us would never think about wrangling a lion, tiger, or alligator into our living rooms as our next four-legged companion, we seem to lose some of our sanity when we invite their spiritual equivalents every time we tolerate and cultivate temptations and occasions of sins in our lives. Habits of sins and situations of temptation are the spiritual predators that can never be tamed, something we allow into our lives and even feed for many years. But in the blink of an eye, or sometimes slowly over time, they lash out and hurt their hosts with a ferocity that often catches us by surprise.

In the first reading, we hear God’s promise to Noah after the Great Flood that wiped everyone and everything off the face of the earth, except the lucky creatures in the ark. God says he will never repeat such a thing but implicit in his promise is a warning that mankind should never give in to evil so completely again. St. Peter reminds us that Jesus suffered for our sins, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous so that we could be delivered from our sinful choices that deserved condemnation. And then finally the gospel tells us that Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert where he struggled against Satan’s temptation and the danger of wild beasts. 

The point is that sin exacted its price, it’s pound of flesh. Evil can be given no quarter or it will attack, whether that be the sinner or the innocent, embodied in the righteousness of Christ. There is no way for us to tame sin, temptation, or evil as a sort of pet that we keep in our lives. While it might seem possible to pacify or ignore it, sooner or later it will lash out and maul the unsuspecting fool that lets it in! At the very least, we will be lulled into a false sense of security, that we have things under control, all the while losing ourselves trying to pacify sinfulness and tame temptation.

The reminder of the lenten season is that we must tighten up our defenses again sin, temptation, and evil. If we have allowed any spiritual wild beasts into our lives, we need to accept the grace of conversion and repentance which will drive them safely out. If we continue to tolerate these dangerous guests, we are playing with fire and forces we are unable to truly control.

Repenting and fighting against temptations and evil is a lifetime’s task. Jesus did not overcome Satan in the wilderness after one battle; he achieved that only in his death. Lent reminds us that we have to take up the fight each day against the evil within us and around us, and never give up, never grow complacent, never give in to discouragement. Jesus has given the assurance that the Holy Spirit is with us always, empowering us, protecting us, and leading us to that final victory in Jesus Christ. And so our task and our victory is to wake up each day and start again. May you and I never grow comfortable with evil in our lives nor invite sin into our homes. And if something unholy and untamed already lives within, may we be use this lenten season to cast it out, far from us and those we love! 

The Price of Love, The Cost of Redemption (6th Sunday, Year B)

To listen to this homily, click here.

Until about 4 years ago, I am not sure today’s readings would have hit me the same way they do now. Before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and everything that went along with it, I understood intellectually how leprosy caused not only bodily death but also the slow strangulation of the social, religious, and emotional connections of its victims. As is so often the case, it is one thing to read about something, it is another thing to live through it. Who can forget the terrible experience of the Covid lockdowns? Remember the fear, uncertainty, and powerlessness that ruled over so many as this mysterious sickness spread? It separated families and friends, communities and congregations and in many cases, it seems that the isolation and loneliness of lockdowns were more destructive than the disease itself. To this day, we are still dealing with the fallout and it will take years to undo the effects of being separated and cut off from each other.

The response to Covid-19 is not unique in human history. Throughout the centuries, humankind has been beset by many illnesses, some of which have altered the course of history. For example, in 1348 the so-called Black Death or Bubonic plague first reached Europe from the East. By 1350, more than half the population of the continent had died. Over the next 20 years, the plague reduced the population of the civilized world by 75 percent! In 1918 an epidemic of influenza claimed more than 20,000,000 people worldwide: with more than 548,000 succumbing in the U.S. alone. When these and so many other fearful diseases strike, one of the first reactions is to quarantine the sick so as to protect the healthy. Separated from rest of society, those held in quarantine suffer doubly, first from their illness and its terrors, and then from the isolation. In the ancient world, victims of leprosy knew this double-dose of suffering all too well. And now, you and I can, to some extent, sympathize as well. Which also helps up appreciate the gift that Jesus gives to the leper by curing his illness. It is not just a physical restoration, it is a reunion with so many of the people and things that define us as human beings.

But this miracle comes with a price. While the leper rejoins society and is able to enjoy renewed relationships with friends, family and temple worship, Jesus becomes the outcast. Up until this point, Jesus has been able to move in and out of towns openly and do as he pleases. After he heals the leper, he exchanges places, staying in deserted places, unable to move about freely. Jesus demonstrates the price of sacrificial love; the fact that caring for another sometimes demands something profound before our beloved can be be restored and made whole. 

There is a little detail right after Jesus reaches out and touches the leper, taking away his disease. He tells the cured man to go to the temple and offer the sacrifice that Moses prescribed. It’s easy to gloss over that note but the particulars of the sacrifice are significant. In order to complete the cleansing and be restored to the community, the leper would offer two turtledoves in the temple. This is, by the way, the same sacrifice that was offered by Joseph and Mary when they presented Jesus in the temple. One turtledove would be sacrificed while the other one was set free. A powerful symbol that redemption came at a price. 

Of course Jesus paid the price so this leper could be set free. This particular miracle was a preview of what Jesus would soon do so all of us could be free from the death sentence and isolation that sin imposes. Jesus’ love for the leper and his love for each and every one of us is a reminder of what true love costs. However, we are not naturally attracted to sacrifice! We tend to love God and others until it starts to hurt and cost us dearly, then we try to pull back. This is why we often shy away from loving God and others to the degree that we are called. We would rather avoid the pain, sacrifice, vulnerability and price that it demands. But Jesus goes first to show us the way. And he calls us to imitate him in loving God and those around us. There is no other path if we hope to bring the good news to the world and experience the gift of eternal life. Sin is the ongoing disease, the ever-present pandemic that threatens humankind. It will continue to threaten us with isolation, decay, loneliness, and death. Only Christ-like love can undo its effects. 

We need the grace of the sacraments, the strength of daily prayer, the encouragement of good people and the guidance of God’s Church in order to live sacrificial love. We cannot summon it on our own. While the cost of sacrificial love is high, the alternative of quarantining our hearts is far worse. There will always be a price and risk for loving as Jesus did but to seek a love without sacrifice will lessen our humanity and separate us from the warmth and light of God and others.

C.S. Lewis said it best in his book called, The Four Loves. He writes, “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”

May we accept the invitation to love as Christ does when he reaches out to the leper. Who knows how God will use our vulnerability and sacrifice to foster healing in the lives of others?! 

What is Your Perspective? (5th Sunday, Year B)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

     Our readings this weekend demonstrate the power of perspective and how our view of the world determines how we process the challenges of life. A story that drives this home involves an elderly man who said to his wife, “You know, Sarah, you’ve always been with me – through the good and the bad. Like the time I lost my job – you were at my side. And when the war came, and I enlisted – you became a nurse so that you could be near me. Then I was wounded, and you were there, Sarah, right by my side. Then the Depression hit, and we had nothing – but you were there. And now here I am, old and sick, and, as always, you’re right beside me. You know something, Sarah — you always bring me bad luck!” Of course poor Sarah had nothing to do with his misfortunes but his perspective led him to that conclusion, to view his greatest blessing with suspicion and blame.

Today's Scripture readings offer us several different perspectives in response to hardship and blessing. Poor Job says that life is nothing but drudgery: When I lie down at night, I toss and turn and wonder when morning will come. But when I get up, I am tired and I ask how long until I can get back to bed!

Most of us can identify with Job during our darkest days. But St. Paul takes a different approach. Few worked as hard as he did or went through as many sufferings during his two decades of preaching. Yet he says: "I do so willingly...I have been entrusted with a stewardship.”

Our Gospel presents a fascinating perspective of stewardship and service in the person of St. Peter's mother-in-law. She was in bed, sick, when her son-in-law brought unexpected guests. One of them, Jesus, went to her bedside, took her hand - and she sat up. The fever subsided and immediately, "she waited on them.”

Some think she would have preferred to stay in bed. However, that viewpoint says more about us that it does about that wonderful woman. For people in ancient times, hospitality was their most precious gift. It was the glue that held society together and the primary way of displaying one’s honor and virtue. For Peter's mother-in-law, hospitality was a sacred duty. But there is something more. The text says, "She waited on them." The word for "wait on them" is "diaconia" - the root of our word "deacon." Jesus had healed her. To serve him in return would be pure joy, a beautiful honor, not a burden or humiliation.

When I think of the happiest moments of my life, they are not the times when I was sitting around with tons of time on my hands nor were they moments when I was the center of attention. The most joy-filled times are the days when I fall into bed exhausted, when my calendar is full of doing priestly things, serving others, bringing the presence of Jesus to those who are hungry, lonely, discouraged, confused, and seeking holiness. Being God’s servant to you brings the most meaning and happiness to my heart. That same deep satisfaction and contentment will not be found in boundless free time, self-indulgence, increasing personal comfort, or a bigger bank account. You and I will always be happiest when we are living lives of intentional and joyful service.  

St. Paul illustrates this fact. With no fanfare, he says he is free… and few have had greater inner freedom than Paul. Nevertheless, he says, I have become a slave to all. Paul knew that freedom is not doing whatever one feels like. Real freedom is the ability to serve; letting go of personal preferences and putting others first.

One of the greatest sources of scandal comes from people misusing their vocation of service to enrich or take care of themselves. How many children suffer because their parents choose to live selfish and self-indulgent lives? How deeply has our Church been wounded and discredited because some priests and bishops put their own comfort and advancement in front of complete service to their flock? How many people have lost confidence in politicians because many have forsaken their role to be public servants, choosing instead to use their power and authority to benefit themselves.

The key to ensuring our lives provide inspiration, healing, happiness, and holiness is personal sacrifice. Most of us spend a lot of time and energy trying to avoid the "S" word because it is not easy. However, as Christians, we cannot avoid sacrifice if we hope to be happy and live meaningful lives. We cannot simply tolerate hardship and sacrifice; we have to embrace them. The great irony is that the more we embrace it, the less painful and frightening it is. Jesus and St. Paul offer us the perspective that our time, our abilities, our resources, all of it, do not belong to us. They come from God – and he will require an accounting – a stewardship. For that reason, we do not give ourselves and what we have grudgingly because there is actually more joy and fulfillment in giving than in receiving.

To continue as effective and joyful apostles of Jesus we need both the vision which comes from prayer and the humble patience to accept routine work.

In Jesus we see the right balance. After he had spent his day helping those who were troubled, he rose before dawn and went off to a quiet place to pray. The sick, the hurting, and all those who need us will still be there tomorrow. We will never get everything done if we are living lives of service! But the opportunity to connect and be strengthened by God in prayer must not be put off or cancelled, even to do more good things. The strength to love and serve comes from the Lord and without a regular time of prayer, we become like a spinning top. We might look impressive for a while, but we eventually fall down. If quiet prayer was something Jesus needed, why do we think we can live without it? 

Once Jesus prayed, then he returned to the task of teaching, serving, healing, feeding, and loving. His perspective of service and prayer is what we are called to adopt as well, each in the ways that are proper to our vocations…..

May we be joyful servants of God, always guided and strengthened by prayer!