Create A Clean Heart In Us, O God! (5th Sunday of Lent, Year B)

Believe it or not, there can be a great deal of truth revealed in cartoons. Occasionally, we run across one of these comics that hits the nail on the head and articulates some universal truth, often in a humorous way. One example of this is the cartoon titled, Peanuts. In this particular episode, Linus enters the room to find his older (and perpetually crabby sister) Lucy crying bitterly, as if the world itself were about to come to an end. And the reason for her sobbing? “Mom promised me a birthday party and now she says I can’t have one”, she wails. Now Linus, in his quiet, wise manner, offers this advice: “You’re not using the right strategy. Why not go up to mom and say to her: “I’m so sorry dear mother. I admit that I have been bad. You were right to cancel my party. But from now on I will try to be good.”

Lucy thinks about it; she really does. She even takes the time to prepare a little speech for her mother. Then she thinks about it some more…and some more…and some more. Finally, in the last panel of the cartoon, the stubborn Lucy cries out, “I’d rather die!”


I think we are all familiar with this reaction of Lucy, this inherent tendency within each of us to resist acknowledging our faults and wrongdoing, sometimes even thinking death to be a better, more attractive alternative. There is something about the human heart, after the sin of Adam and Eve, which hates to be wrong, which hates to be obedient, which hates to be conformed and crucified to the gospel. And for good reason. This process of molding our heart to the will of God is difficult and painful. As a matter of fact, it is impossible without the strength of God’s grace. But the pride and stubbornness of the human heart, portrayed in the Peanuts cartoon causes a pain all its own. The effects of sin and selfishness tend to make our hearts into hearts of stone. And even though these hearts of stone can feel familiar and even comfortable at times, they are hard and impenetrable. Their growth is stunted because they are shut off from the grace of God. As a result, we cannot grow in the ways of God’s grace. These hardened hearts, the product of sin, do not allow us to truly live and love as God intended.

It’s for this reason that the psalmist pleads with God in the responsorial psalm to create a clean heart within us. Seeing the damage and pain that a sinful, hardened heart can cause, the writer asks God to create a new heart within him. And we hear of that same thing happening in our first reading. The prophet Jeremiah describes the Lord’s plan, a plan which will write God’s law on the very hearts of his people, a plan which will give them loving hearts in place of stony hearts, a plan whereby all people will come to know the Lord not by what they do but by how they love.



But this kind of love doesn’t come easy. In the second reading, we hear that Christ himself, the Son of God, learned this obedient love through his suffering and death on the cross. 
In our gospel today, Christ makes it quite clear: unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains a single grain and bears no fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Jesus is talking about his imminent passion and death, but he is also telling us that we will also have to make a choice of whether or not we will be the grain of wheat that must die. And if we wish to save our lives for all eternity and bear great fruit for the kingdom of God, then dying to ourselves is really the only choice we have.


The irony of all of this, is that Lucy, in the Peanuts cartoon was on the right path. Her line of “I would rather die” is the same attitude that helped Christ conquer the fears and temptations that would have prevented him from embracing the cross. The important distinction was that Lucy was afraid of dying to herself, to her pride, to her way of doing things while Christ was willing to die to all those things so that we might live. This mindset of “I would rather die” is exactly the mindset that you and I need to have in regards to sin, selfishness, pride, and all the other vices that keep us from drawing closer to Christ. We should be more willing to die in this life than to give in to the type of behaviors that kill the life of grace in our souls and separate us from the source of eternal life and happiness. 


In just a week we will enter into the holiest time of the Church year, those days when we walk with Christ through his passion, death and resurrection. And in this holy time, we have the chance to lay down our lives, each in our own way. If we haven’t been preparing ourselves to die with Christ during these forty days of lent, then we risk missing out on so many graces. If we have been trying to save our earthly lives, our sinful habits, or our self-centered practices instead of drawing closer to Jesus, then it’s possible that we that we have not and will not bear spiritual fruit.

The good news is that it is not too late. If we have been a little lax, a little too concerned about our worldly business, there is still time to embrace the season of lent and allow Christ to transform our stony hearts into hearts modeled after his own loving heart. It is never too late to die to sin in our lives; Christ saved the good thief moments before he left this world. As we celebrate this 5th Sunday of Lent, let us ask our Lord to create a new heart within us, a heart that despises sin, a heart that loves God above all things, a heart that loves our neighbor as ourselves. Create a clean heart in us, O Lord, that we might bear great fruit for you in this life and rejoice with you forever in the life to come. 


Live In the Light (4th Sunday of Lent, Cycle B)

To listen to this homily, click here.

Some misunderstandings are funny. Like the case of John, who travelled down to a secluded, rural part of Georgia to visit his 90 year-old grandpa. After spending a great evening talking and catching up, John woke up to a delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast, all prepared with love by his grandfather. The only thing that seemed slightly wrong was a film-like coating on his plate. So John asked his grandpa, “Are these plates clean?”

Grandpa replied, “They are as clean as cold water can get them. Just you go ahead and finish your meal, young man!” For lunch, the old man made thick, juicy hamburgers. Again, John was concerned about the plates since his appeared to have tiny specks around the edge that looked like dried egg. So he asked, “Are you sure these plates are clean?” Without looking up, the old man said, “I told you before Sonny, those dishes are as clean as cold water can get them. Now don’t you worry, I don’t want to hear another word about it!”

Later that afternoon, John was on his way to a nearby town and as he was leaving, his grandfather’s dog started to growl and wouldn’t let him pass. John yelled and said, “Grandpa, your dog won’t let me get to my car.” Without turning his attention away from the football game he was watching on TV, the old man shouted, “Dang it Coldwater, leave that boy alone and go lay down!” 

The humor of this story lies in the misunderstanding, in the delightful confusion of the words and their meaning. The same sort of misunderstanding can be hurtful and tragic when it deals with the Word of God, especially the passage of today’s gospel, John 3:16. This is perhaps one of the best known lines of the entire Bible, certainly one of the most profound and moving, “that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that those who believe in him might not perish but have eternal life.” How odd that many people would know this verse as the scripture to be found on signs throughout sport venues and playoff games. Not quite the appropriate setting for a  scripture so solemn and profound! Even more hurtful and sad are those that simply refer to this passage in order to condemn those different than themselves. Perhaps they should read the rest of the passage that states, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through him.” 

Perhaps worst of all are those who are unaffected by the power of these verses from St. John’s gospel. How can it be that some people are indifferent to those beautiful words of hope and salvation written with the guidance of the Holy Spirit by the pen of John? To ensure we don’t fall into this category, let’s explore two words of John 3:16 and reflect on them in light of the coming dawn of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection.

The first word of the passage that leaps out is composed of only two letters, the simple word “so”. We are loved, our whole world is loved by a God who is neither distant nor disinterested. In fact, he “so” loved us and our world, that even after we had turned our backs on him and thrown away the paradise and perfect relationship we had with him, he did not abandon us. The first reading reminds us that “Early and often did the LORD, the God of their fathers, send his messengers to them, for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place.” Early and often, God tried to raise us out of our sins. But when that wasn’t enough, he so loved us that he sent his only Son, the One who has been with him and the Holy Spirit for all eternity. God spared nothing to save us, to draw us out of sin and back to his redeeming love. This is the power of the divine love found in that simple word “so” of John 3:16.

The second word worth mentioning is “world”. God so loves our world. All of it and everyone in it. It would have been much easier for him to start a new world, to forget about our fickle and sinful hearts, to leave us to our own devices and the consequences of our choices. But he doesn’t; he sticks with us and throughout history, sends us everything we need to come back to him, to be freed from sin and selfishness, and live as children of his glorious light. It should blow our minds that God has this sort of love for our world, for each and every one of us. The One who has everything, who is everything stops at nothing to redeem us and lead us back to him. 

If we appreciate this love, which moved God to send his only-begotten Son, we will run towards the light. A strong theme of John’s Gospel is that of Jesus’ being the “light”. Bad things happen in his Gospel at night or in the “darkness”. Remember, Nicodemus comes to visit with Jesus at night. John uses this symbol to present Jesus as the One Who has come into the darkness of the world to show us how beloved we are. There are those who choose darkness and so remain unaware of their being so loved. These choose the works appropriate to darkness. The real evil is that those who choose darkness choose the evil of not knowing, accepting, and living the truth as loved and saved in Christ. The result of this Gospel is that those who know who they are in the light of Christ will more clearly desire themselves to be shown in the works of “light” which they live. The opposite is true as well. If we do not know, or refuse to accept who we are, then personal darkness will rule us. We will seek hiding and secretly hope our selfishness is never exposed.

May we never forget that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” May we consider these profound words as an invitation to trust him completely, an invitation to thank him for his ongoing patience, and a reminder to repent of the times we have been indifferent to this gift which will provide all we ever need. Let us live in the light of Christ and joyfully invite others to join us!

Zeal For the Family (3rd Sunday of Lent, Year B)

To listen to this homily, click here.

I will freely acknowledge I was a somewhat-unusual child growing up. There were things that bothered me; things most children probably didn’t even notice. One example was the cast iron stack in my family’s house. Nowadays, these pipes, which carry all of the wastewater out of the home, are made from PVC plastic. But until 30 years ago, they were made out of heavy cast iron. The stack in our childhood home was starting to rust all over and it drove me crazy. With my parents’ permission, I took a wire brush and scraped all the rust spots off the pipe and then applied a slick coat of black spray paint. It looked as good as new. For about a month. Then the rust spots reappeared, right through the new paint, again and again, no matter how many coats of paint I put on. I was frustrated until my dad explained that the pipe was rusting from the inside out and could never be fixed from the outside. The water had slowly compromised the inside of the pipe over the past 40 years and that damage was finally starting to show on the outside. Only replacing the pipe would fix the problem.

Two weeks ago, our nation was rocked once again by a mass shooting in Parkland Florida. This was just the latest in an increasing number of violent attacks in places that have been traditionally regarded as safe havens for learning, leisure, and worship. Before Parkland, there was Las Vegas, before that there was Sutherland Springs church in Texas, before that the Orlando nightclub, preceded by San Bernardino which came after the movie theater in Aurora Colorado and Sandy Hook. The sad list goes on and on. Now, more than ever, there is an outcry to make this stop. Punish the NRA. Get rid of semi-automatic weapons, high capacity magazines, and bump stocks. Raise the age to purchase firearms, do more rigorous background checks, do something, pass some sort of law to make it safer for everyone.

These are noble intentions and I think we all agree we want our schools, churches, and public places to be safe. The frustrations and fears that erupt after each occasion of senseless slaughter are understandable. The need for something to change is real. Sadly, the current conversation is woefully insufficient. The answers we seek, the safety we crave, the peace and respect we long for will not be a quick fix and won’t come about simply through the actions of congress or some sort of magic law. That is like me scraping and painting that old pipe in our house. That is trying to fix a problem from outside. It might make us feel better for a while, it might appear to be the answer. But the rottenness is much deeper and very few people seem to be willing to talk about it. But we must if we want to stop hearing about these horrible massacres.

The deeper problem is the moral health of our nation, most especially in the fundamental building block of human society: the family. Our families are under constant attack from many forms of anger, violence, indifference, and selfishness; many children breath this poisonous air, day after day. Over the course of years and generations, this begins to affect the whole fabric of society, whether we like it or not and becomes a sort of incubator for violent acting-out.

Consider some alarming facts and patterns. You and I live in a nation that has, in the last 40 years, sanctioned the deliberate murder of 60 million unborn babies through abortion in what is supposed to be the safest of all places, their mother’s womb. If a society allows its most defenseless members to be dispatched under the pretense of law and freedom, is it so shocking that troubled individuals now feel entitled to snatch that so-called right for themselves as they callously snuff out the lives of others with no seeming regret? 

As our culture continues to push a “me-first” mentality, is it any surprise that more and more children are born into unstable families, uncommitted relationships, and single parent situations? More and more children in America are growing up in broken homes and a culture of toxic stress, disrespect, and domestic violence. Most of these children will never commit a crime. But many will end up living in poverty. Suffering addiction. Feeling emotionally neglected. Being homeless, in insurmountable debt, or chronic unemployment – or a combination of these things – trapped in lives without the opportunities others take for granted.

The connection between the breakdown of the family and the serious social issues that plague us is well-researched and well-established. But many people don’t want to talk about it or confront it because it means confronting something that is very personal to each of us: how we choose to live our lives and what our priorities are.

The elephant in the room is marriage. Would it surprise you to know that, on average, children who are raised in stable homes with both parents do better? Children from divorced parents, or whose parents never married in the first place, do worse – whether that’s in terms of lower levels of social mobility or higher levels of poverty. Of course, averages have exceptions. The sacrifices of so many single parents are heroic and selfless. Many children from broken homes do well. Some of my dearest friends and family are examples of this. But that shouldn’t blind us to the overall picture. A few decades ago, over 90 percent of children were born to married parents. Today it’s less than half. No matter what your political or religious leanings are, we should all agree that it would be better for our society if our families were healthier and whole, if each person were challenged to think about others before themselves, and begin taking personal responsibility for their actions. Strong families —— and individuals with virtue and integrity are the foundation of a strong and prosperous society.

As always, our faith gives us hope. Following Christ each day gives us the strength to challenge the parts of our culture that have become selfish, dangerous, and hostile to life and human dignity. The example of Jesus in the temple from today’s gospel, reminds us that we cannot sit by and just throw up our hands in despair. Zeal for God’s plan of salvation, zeal for the dignity of every human person, zeal for the flourishing of our human families must consume us and move us to action. 

No one should ever be afraid to go to school, see a movie, worship at church, or attend a concert. That safety can never be guaranteed by simply passing more laws or taking things away from others. It only happens when human beings share mutual respect for each other and value the life and rights of their neighbors as much as they do their own. This lesson begins in the home and is strengthened by faith. Take this week to prayerfully reflect on your own family. Make it a place of virtue, generosity, service, and respect. Make it clear that each person in your home is appreciated and loved. Be accountable to others and take responsibility for your actions. This is the way of peace. This is how we stop the cycle of violence and bloodshed in our world.  

Let God Lead! (2nd Sunday of Lent, Cycle B)

To listen to this homily, click here.

There are few stories more intriguing, more confusing, or downright disturbing as the one in our first reading. This account of Abraham and Isaac hiking up Mount Moriah is enough to make us wonder what sort of God this is, who would ask a father to sacrifice his son. This is especially true, if we understand how special Isaac was to Abraham. For the longest time, Abraham and his wife Sarah were unable to have children. But then, when all hope seemed lost, when both Abraham and Sarah were quite old, God blessed them with a child of their own. God displayed his goodness and power by enabling Sarah to give birth to a healthy son, even though scripture tells us she was 90 years old!! This child grew up and was sacred to Abraham and Sarah; he was the embodiment of God's promise to them. He was the one who would carry on Abraham's lineage to the next generation. Few fathers loved their sons as much as Abraham loved Isaac. And fewer still realized what a gift and blessing they had in their sons.

            God puts Abraham to the test in order to see the depth of his faith; He asks Abraham to prove his faith, love, and devotion by sacrificing Isaac, his only, beloved son. Parents, could you imagine hearing this from God? Can you imagine the turmoil and struggle? This certainly seems like a no-win situation for Abraham; satisfy God by sacrificing your son or keep your son and fail God's test. Abraham chooses to follow God's command and takes Isaac to the land of Moriah to be sacrificed. As he raised the knife to slaughter his son, God steps in and says, "wait!!" Now I see how devoted you are to me. Because of your faith and willingness to give everything to me, even your only son…. I will bless you." And how does God bless Abraham? He blesses him abundantly, beyond his wildest dreams. The Lord tells Abraham, an old man with only one son, that he will multiply his descendants until they become as numerous as the sands of the sea and as countless as the stars in the sky. And those descendents will be blessed with many good things all because Abraham had faith in God and was not afraid to give up the one thing that was most important to him, the one person who was nearest and dearest to his heart.

            Even though I have heard this story many times, it never loses its power. And while I am confident none of us will ever be asked to sacrifice a child to the Lord, (even though some of you with teenagers might have entertained the thought), this story of Abraham's testing has something profound to teach us. First of all, it help us appreciate Abraham's faith? Here was a man, willing to entrust the life of his only son to the will of God. Abraham was able to look beyond the very logical and reasonable fears that would have said "no" to God's test and somehow trust that God would make things right. And God did. Abraham is our father in faith and he serves as a beautiful example of what we should strive for in our own relationship with God, even when the Lord's commands seem too much, too hard, or simply don't make sense.           

            Haven't we all been in a spiritually-confusing situation before? That place where God asks us to give him something or someone near and dear to our hearts. In each of our lives, God has, God is, and God will call us to make sacrifices that involve the things most precious to us. He does this to test our faith; he does this to test our love; he does this so that he can bless us abundantly, beyond our wildest dreams.

            In my own life, I have experienced this "Abraham moment" whenever the Archbishop has asked me to move to another parish. For whatever reason, I have never stayed in one place for more than a few years. I have been very happy in the different parishes I have served but I have always tried to be generous and trust that when the Archbishop asks me to move, it is the voice of God inviting me to give up one good thing so I can experience something even better! And I have been so blessed each time I have trusted God and moved forward with faith!

This Lenten season is a time for sacrifice, a time of testing. What is God asking you to offer back to him? Most of us Americans have an obsession with control. Could it be that he is asking you to let go and trust him in taking a different job or being open to another child? Perhaps this sacrifice might be seen in God nudging you to commit a more significant amount of time, talent, and money to those who are less fortunate. Is it possible that he is asking to let go of the gadgets and the busyness that so often keep us from deepening our relationship with God and others? Could it be that God is even calling some to leave everything behind and follow him as a priest or consecrated religious?

            Or maybe God is asking you to offer someone back to him, just like he did with Abraham. Is there a good friend or a beloved family member that Christ is asking you to share with others or offer up in prayer? Is there someone whom we are putting above God right now? Is there a person we can't let go of, even though we know it is the right thing for us and for them? Is there someone dear to us who needs to be challenged or brought closer to God? These examples are just some of the ways that God might be testing our faith, asking us to give back to him our greatest blessing so that he can bless us even more.

            Perhaps this seems too tough or far-fetched. Indeed it might have been, if God hadn't done it himself. You see, God so loved the world; God so loved us, that he gave his only-begotten Son, to suffer and die on the cross so we might be reunited to him and enjoy eternal life. God has shown us how to give up what is most precious to us and demonstrates the blessings that come from such a complete sacrifice. The story of Abraham and Isaac should give us courage in our own journey of faith, especially during this Lenten season. God is asking us to make sacrifices, to offer our greatest blessings back to him so that he can bless us even further with a generosity that defies our imaginations and expectations. Let us not be afraid to let go and offer whatever that might be so we can share in the glory God has prepared for us. We have nothing to lose; we have everything to gain.

The Sin of Racism (1st Sunday of Lent)

To listen to this homily, click here.

Every so often, after prayer and discernment, the Archbishop asks his priests to preach on a single topic on a certain weekend to provoke an Archdiocesan-wide reflection on a pressing issue of our times. On this first Sunday of Lent, Archbishop Carlson has asked us to preach on the topic of racism but has given latitude for how each priest does that. 

To be honest, I wasn’t real excited to undertake this task. Not because I am so naive to think that racism doesn’t exist in our city, in our Church, and even in our parish; I know that it does, in both blatant and subtle forms. The reluctance comes from knowing how politicized, manipulated, and convoluted this topic has become in our society. It is very difficult to have a rational, honest, respectful discussion about racism and its possible causes and remedies without it devolving into labels, judgements, and self-righteous indignation which perpetuate the “us-versus-them” mentality. As a result, I think many of us go into our shell and avoid talking about the issue all together, almost hoping it will just go away. But of course it won’t. My reflection today will focus on the spiritual component of the sin of racism. Specific topics like the historical, socio-economic factors that contribute to this evil are more complex and contentious and probably best left for discussion outside of Mass. 

Racism, and for that matter, any “ism” like sexism and ageism, are products of original sin. Before Adam and Eve turned against God in their pride, they could see the world and each other with God’s eyes. In other words, they wanted what God wanted. Selfishness, hatred, and using another person was unthinkable. But with the introduction of sin, every terrible thing became possible. Adam and Eve became afraid of each other and of God. They lost trust in each other and covered themselves. They hid from God. Within one generation, their children murder each other. The original unity and kindness God intended vanishes quickly when sin enters the human heart. After the introduction of sin, human beings tend to use each other for profit and pleasure. A person is judged by appearance or in terms of what they can do for me rather than accepted as a reflection of God and a brother or sister in Christ. For these reasons and more, racism, in both its subtle and blatant forms, is sinful and cannot be compatible with our beliefs or the portrait of God described in the first reading. 

It is hard to give a perfect definition of racism but a good start would be “the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another and that a person's social and moral traits are predetermined by his or her inborn biological characteristics”. It is not racist to observe that people look, think, believe, and act in very different ways. Racism happens when a person or a whole group of people is judged and condemned based on the color of their skin.

Because racism is a spiritual problem and a moral evil, it’s remedy will be the same as other sins we struggle with. We cannot fix it by human efforts alone! We have to do our part but without God’s grace our initiatives will always fall short and disappoint. We need, as Christians, to make God part of the solution. Faith has to guide our thoughts, words, and actions.

Think again of our first reading today with Noah and the Ark. After the flood, God reaches out to the whole human race through Noah; not just that small group of survivors but every single human that will ever live! God doesn’t just shake hands with Noah, he enters into something called a covenant with humanity. So, what is a covenant?

A covenant is more than a legal contract or serious promise or even a solemn oath. A covenant is a living relationship where one person or party binds themselves to another person or party in a unique relationship. In a covenant, the two people or parties become family, intertwined in the most intimate way. To break a covenant is to tear away from the family and destroy the bond of kinship. An example would be marriage. In marriage two people enter into a union and form a family. Even their extended families are drawn together by this bond. A good marriage is beautiful thing in the life it fosters and the way it brings people unity, comfort, healing, and strength. When a marriage goes bad, when that covenant is disrespected or destroyed, it is incredibly destructive, divisive, and hurtful.

God wants humanity to be his family. He takes the initiative and reaches out to Noah as soon as dry land appears. His language is very beautiful and clear. Never again will the earth be destroyed by a flood. Not only that, but every time the clouds fill the sky, when rains falls to earth, and a rainbow appears, each and every time, God thinks of that covenant and remembers his love for each and every creature he made. 

God is a loving father, patient savior, merciful judge, interested listener, loyal spouse, dedicated brother, compassionate friend, and tireless advocate. Any words, beliefs or behaviors that contradicts these qualities and divides the human race doesn’t come from God!

This loving invite from God to Noah was not simply a neat moment in history; it is a living relationship. The Lord is still inviting people into this covenant, not simply as a group, not just as anonymous members of the human race, but as individuals. God is constantly seeking a personal, unique, one on one covenant with you and me that is different than the one he has with any other person. He will not get discouraged, disgusted, or give up. He doesn’t love me more than you or anyone else. He doesn’t give preference to one race over another. Each and every person is a member of his family who was worth the sacrifice of His Only-Begotten Son. We enjoy that dignity regardless of what country we were born in, our income, social status, education, or any other metric society imposes. But just as we enjoy that divine dignity, we also realize we owe it to every single person. We have no right to take it away or refuse it to another. 

Lent is a special, focused time to let go of anything that separates us from God or divides the worldwide family He unconditionally loves. It is an opportunity to invite God deeper into every aspect of our thinking and acting so that He can heal the wounds of sin in our hearts and in the world. May God bless these holy days and may we all accept the invitation to be a part of His family, treating each other with respect, charity, and fairness without exception!  

 

Do You Want to be Clean? (6th Sunday, Cycle B)

To listen to this homily, click here.

I really struggled to come up with a homily this weekend. It didn’t help that we have readings which focus on the gruesome disease of leprosy. And every time I hear them, I have to share an awful joke about the leper colony, you know, the one where I ask: “do you know why lepers can’t play hockey? Because there would always be a face off in the corner! But above all, it’s been difficult to write a homily for these readings because they seem so simple, straightforward, and obvious. What more is there to add to the first reading? It is very clear on the matter. If anyone thinks that he has signs of leprosy, he must present himself to the priest for inspection. If he has the dreaded disease, the unlucky leper shall keep his garments torn and his head bare, and shall cry out, 'Unclean, unclean!' and live apart from everyone else, keeping himself in strict quarantine. 

And what of the gospel, where Jesus is approached by a leper? We know how the story goes, Jesus allows the man to come to him and he has pity on him. Jesus heals the leper of his horrible illness and tells him to go quietly to receive a clean bill of health from the priest. The moral lesson of the miracle is pretty clear; we are all spiritual lepers, outcasts because of our sinfulness and we need to approach Jesus to be cleansed of our sinfulness. But, as always, Scripture has much more to teach us than we first realize.

Leprosy was one of the most feared diseases in ancient times. The skin infection started small, almost imperceptibly, but soon spread throughout the victim’s body. Slowly, the leper’s body would rot and give off a disgusting smell. As explained in today's First Reading, lepers were excluded from society and left to die a slow, painful, humiliating death in order to protect the rest of society. To come into contact with a leper would also make one unclean, since their disease was believed to be a sign of God's punishment.

Theologians and spiritual writers have always seen in this Old Testament conception of leprosy a symbol of sin. Sin is a kind of spiritual leprosy. It slowly disfigures our souls and spreads into every corner of our lives. It destroys us and our ability to love other people. It cuts us off from the purpose of our life and our role in human society. Just as leprosy starts small but spreads and grows, so one sin, one betrayal of our conscience or one disobedience of Church teaching can easily become something that overtakes us and begins to rot our entire soul.

Therefore, when Jesus reaches out and touches this leper, and heals him, it is much more than just another miracle. It is a revelation of Christ's entire mission. He is the Redeemer, the Savior; he is the one who comes into this fallen, sin-infected world and, with the power of his mercy and grace, cleanses it and gives it a new start. And he does the same thing with each one of our lives, as often as we need it, especially in the sacraments and teachings of the Church he founded to save us.

St. Mark points out a subtle detail in this encounter we should not overlook. Jesus cured the leper by touching him. Think about that for a moment. Jesus was the all-powerful Son of God. He didn't have to touch this leper; in fact, it was against Jewish law to make contact. A word or a wave of his hand would have done the trick, fulfilled the law, and been a lot more pleasant that touching the rotting flesh of this nasty, smelly, leper.

And yet, Jesus does touch him. As a matter of fact, he makes a point of touching him. Jesus goes beyond what is strictly necessary, because he wants to show us that his love is super-abundant. Jesus touched the leper for our benefit, just as he suffered the scourging, the crowning with thorns, the way of the cross, and his long, painful crucifixion. He knows that it is hard for us to trust him, to come to him with our wounds, sins, weaknesses, and failures. He knows it's hard for us, and so he makes it easier, by showing us he is much bigger than all of that. He longs to forgive us, to save us, to give us a fresh start, as often as we need it, if only we give him the chance. None of our hidden leprosies surprise or repel him; he knows us too well; he loves us unconditionally.

But there is one last detail about this miracle that we should not overlook. St. Mark tells us that the leper "came to Jesus," close enough to kneel in front of him. This was something that was absolutely forbidden. Normally, if a leper tried to approach a healthy person, he would be met with a barrage of stones to keep him away. Why would he approach when everyone knew the law required him to keep his distance? Something about Jesus must have inspired confidence. The leper must have sensed that Jesus would not be afraid or disgusted by him. And the leper was right. Jesus does not run away or yell for him to keep his distance but simply says "I do will it (be made clean) and heals him - something no one else could or would do.

Is this how we think of Christ? Do we have that same confidence in Our Lord? Jesus has chosen to stay as close to us as he was to that leper, by touching us in the Eucharist. In every Catholic Church, Jesus is truly present in the Tabernacle, body, blood, soul, and divinity. When we drive by a Catholic Church, Jesus is reaching out to us just as he did to this leper. He is inviting us to come up close to him, to kneel down in front of him, and pour out all our miseries, hardships, confusions, and needs. He wants us to pray the same beautiful prayer of the leper today: "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”

Perhaps the only question left to ask ourselves, do we really want to be made clean?

Saying Yes to the Right Things (5th Sunday of OT)

To listen to this homily, click here.

A handful of years ago, when I was stationed way out west in St. Charles, Chik-Fil-A decided to open one their first standalone restaurants right down the road from the parish. I had heard of this brand before. In fact, you could get Chik-Fil-A at the Busch student center and I often did in between classes when I was a student at SLU. But I was taken aback by the devotion and excitement people had for this new location. I would hear people talking about it, about how they drove by the construction and “boy, they are really moving on that new Chik-Fil-A building!” Some people even knew the scheduled completion date and how many days remained until the grand opening; if you didn’t know any better you might think they were discussing the due date for their new baby! But that wasn’t the end of it. In the days leading up the grand opening, people began camping outside the restaurant for a chance to be one of the first handful of customers who would win a free chicken sandwich every day for a year. I was more than willing to spend a few bucks for my sandwich and sleep in my own bed. But this love for free food and really for free anything is as old as the human race. 

We see this over and over again in the gospels. Jesus multiplies the loaves and fishes and a crowd of thousands pursue him looking for more. In today’s passage, Jesus stops by the home of his apostles Peter and Andrew. They tell him that Peter’s mother-in-law is ill with a fever. Apparently St. Peter liked his mother in law because instead of asking the Lord to finish her off, he requests healing. Jesus obliges and instantly she is better. Immediately the word gets out that a miracle man is healing people, for free, instantly! St. Mark says the whole town was gathered at the door and they brought all who were suffering spiritually and physically. Now, suddenly, Jesus has become a one-man hospital. The Gospel says that Jesus healed many of them.

If the whole city was at Peter’s house that evening, then Jesus was probably healing well into the night. The Gospel says that Jesus left the house long before dawn and went into a secluded place to pray. He was so besieged by those who wanted healing that he could’t pray in the house.

When his disciples finally realized he was gone, they went looking for him. When they locate the Lord, they say, “Hey, everybody is looking for you! There are still sick people waiting” They seem to think that his urgent-care clinic should be open at all hours.

Now, of course, it is a good work to heal the sick. And, of course, those with loved ones who are suffering are right to want them healed.

And yet how absurd it is to suppose that prayer should take second-place to work, no matter what the work is! And how sadly and understandably absurd it is to suppose that the mission of Jesus is to be a “Doctor Without Borders.”

Each healing Jesus does is a good thing. Sickness, suffering and death were not part of God’s plan for us or the world He created. But believe it or not, good things can actually get in the way of serving God properly. To serve God well, a person cannot just do any and all the good things others ask of him. He has to do those good things that God has called him to do. It takes prayer to figure out which good things to turn down and which ones are part of God’s plan for our life and our day.

The disciples feel that Jesus needs to hurry back to Peter’s village to keep practicing medicine and take away every sick person’s ailment. What Jesus tells them, after his sacred time of prayer, is that he is leaving Peter’s village to continue his ministry—not of medicine but of preaching in other towns. Preaching is the purpose for which he came. Salvation of the human race is His sole focus of Jesus’ time here on earth. Miracles and healings, as wonderful as they are, are simply signs of his power and authority to save us.

What does this mean for us, as disciples of the One and Only Savior? 

What is needed to serve God well is not doing endless good things that other people ask from us. We will not impress God by simply signing up to do more and more things. What is needed for the Lord’s service is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, manifested in a regular habit of prayer. From that time with God comes the wisdom and clarity to know what things we are called to commit to, how we ought to use our personal gifts and talents, and what relationships will lead us closer to God. This approach is not just for the areas that relate directly to God, this parish, or your spiritual life. We should bring everything to prayer. For example: how many sports should my children be signed up for? Running them around to practices and going on trips for tournaments have real impacts on finances and family time together and ought to be prayed about. Volunteering is another area where there are so many opportunities for doing good but there is only one of me and so much need in the world. Am I asking God to help me pick where to help or am I just choosing blindly…if I am choosing anything at all. Thinking about our lives, all of us can think of many instances where we have to choose between different good causes. Let God help with these decisions! Prayerful decision-making will make us faithful to the good things which fulfill us while keeping focussed on the most important thing of all: the salvation of our soul, our family, and our world.