IF CATEPILLERS, WHY NOT WE?

Source(s):      Scriptures:  Ezekiel 37:12-14; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45

                        Living the Word.  Laurie Brink, O.P. and Deacon Frederick Bauerschmidt © 2013.  World Library Publications

                        Naked, and You Clothed Me.  Edited by Deacon Jim Knipper © 2013.  Clear Faith Publishing LLC.  “Untie him and set him free.” by Bill Bausch.

Do you think the caterpillars know?  Do you think caterpillars are told of their impeding resurrection?  How in dying they will be transformed from poor earth crawlers into creatures of the air with beautifully painted wings?  If told, would they believe it?  I imagine the wise old caterpillers shaking their heads at the news of their impending resurrection—no it can’t be; it’s a fantasy.

Yet with two weeks to go before we enter into the liturgy of Jesus’ Passion we are being asked to contemplate the reality of death and resurrection.  We are being asked to contemplate it on two levels of reality, the physical human reality and the spiritual reality.

Our first reading and the Gospel respond to the physical human reality.  Through the prophet Ezekiel God promises, “Thus says the Lord God: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them…”(Ez 37:12) and Jesus, in the Gospel, tries to explain this to his Apostles and Martha, that he is the fulfillment of God’s promise a number of times through the situation with Lazarus.  “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.”(Jn 11:11)  More clearly he states, “Lazarus has died and I am glad for you, that I was not there…”(Jn 11:14-15) and still to Martha he says, “I am the resurrection and the life; … Do you believe this?”(Jn 11:25-26)  Jesus did everything, to include ringing the bell, to let His disciples know how the situation was going to play out and everyone gave him a North and South nod of the head saying, “I believe”… kind of.  The responses he was receiving were like that of the wise old caterpillars, “no it can’t be; it is a fantasy.”  See Thomas thought for sure if Jesus went to Lazarus he would be killed and resolved, “Let us also go to die with him.”(Jn 11:16)  Martha when it came time to remove the stone said, [wait a minute] “…by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.”(Jn 11:39)  You know the rest of this story, but here is the question, Do you believe in the physical resurrection of Lazarus?  If your response is “yes” hold that thought as we consider the spiritual reality of resurrection.

We use the term “rising” for getting out of bed in the morning, and for what we believe will happen to us on the last day.  The Resurrection calls us to other “awakenings” in daily living as well.  In Paul’s letter to the Romans he says, “…although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness.”(Rom 8:10)  One of the images that sticks with me in the Gospel is Lazarus, upon the command by Jesus to come out, makes his way out of the grave, “…tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face…wrapped in a cloth.”(Jn 11:44)  It reminds me of the wise old catepiller in its pupa before it emerges to new life.  Jesus also commands the community to “Untie him and let him go.”(Jn 11:44)

You see the Lenten season and in particular today’s scripture readings are asking us to consider the things in our lives that are binding us up to the point that we lose hope.  Times of hurt & weakness like when we don’t get the promotion we wanted or we lose our job; for our young people it may be the time you didn’t make the team or broke up with your first love.  These are that time we often say “I believe” yet, we do not live like we believe and trust in God’s daily interventions and invitation to resurrection.  Let’s go back to the question, do you believe in the resurrection?  Each Sunday we profess: “I believe in God… I believe in Jesus Christ… I believe in the Holy Spirit… I believe in one Holy Catholic and apostolic Church… (the community who helps lift us up), I believe in the forgiveness of sins… I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.”  We say the words, do we live the words.  Here’s the deal, if we truly live this “I believe” we can live in reckless abandonment because no matter what this world throws at us or tries to beat us down, we know we have a loving God who promised he would open our graves and have us rise from them.  In the context of Lent, we are asked to consider what are the burial wrappings of sin from which Christ comes to raise us, yet we see as a kind of dream, an illusion—no it can’t be; it’s a fantasy.

The story of Lazarus is about Jesus’ victory over bodily death, but also his victory over sin.  The seasons of Lent and Easter display for us the drama of death and resurrection, a drama in which we are full participants, as we pass over from a life of sin into the new life that Jesus offers us. 

Faith asks, “If caterpillars, why not we?”

NAMING & CONSIDERING THE MANY WELLS WE ARE DRINKING

It has been said that anytime someone significant in the Scriptures remains nameless, that person acts as the universal person—standing in for each one of us!  So let’s pull up a rock and join Jesus at Jacob’s Well to experience the insights our Lord has in store for us to discover the wells we have been drinking.

First let’s take the story at face value.  Jesus resting at the well encounters a Samaritan woman who has come to draw her daily sustenance.  Jesus asks her for a drink.  If she simply gives him the drink, the interaction between them would basically be over.  However, like most of our human interactions, there is more to this story when we are willing to consider these interactions more deeply, like Jesus.  There are two elements of the story to help us name the wells we drink from and to consider deepening our discipleship skills.

The first element of the story is the “heavy jar” and “time” this encounter happened; “Jesus…sat down at the well.  It was about noon.” (Jn 4:6)  It was very unusual to carry the heavy water jar to the well during the heat of the noon time sun.  Why then would this Samaritan woman expose herself to the scorching rays?  Shame!  We learn from their dialog that Jesus knew she was drinking from other “wells”.  “For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband.” (Jn 4:18)  See, she was carrying much more than just the burden of the heavy water jar in the scorching sun, she was carrying relationship burdens that were keeping her on the fringes of her community.  The second element is what I call the cultural divide.  Jesus’ simple request for a drink turns into a question shot back, “… How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?…” (Jn 4:9)  It is no secret in scripture of the cultural divide between the Jews and Samaritans.  Today’s gospel takes even this to the extreme—dialog between a Jewish prophet and a Samaritan woman!  Yet Jesus invites her to share in the “living water” to be in relationship with him and the God who sent him.  She left her water jar, returned to her community a disciple & evangelist of the coming kingdom.

So, the nameless woman is standing in for us.  This begs the question, from what wells do we drink?  The Mass is one well!  Do we not carry our water jar here, full of the burdens from the week?  To accept Jesus’ invitation to share in renewing our baptismal call, to be nourished by His Body and Blood so that we can return to our different communities (family, work, neighborhood) freed from the burdens we left at this well.  Unfortunately, many of us have trouble letting go of what’s in the heavy water jar.  So instead of leaving the burdens here, we keep them and go to other wells to try to find daily satisfaction.  Do we drink from the “well of self-pity” unable to see the big picture, living from our own reference points only.  Drinking from this well can lead us to grumble as the Israel people did against Moses in the first reading.  Often in our grumbling we turn to additive behaviors in an effort to satisfy unmet needs, often leading to feelings of shame.  Perhaps we drink from the “well of self-absorption”, so lost in ourselves we fail to see the lost, oppressed, marginalized, and ostracized people around us.  Paul tells us “… God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8)  Are we not commanded to be and “…make disciples of all the nations.” (Mt 28:19)  It’s hard to do this if we think only of ourselves.  Pope Francis, at his first Chrism Mass as Pope said, “The ministers need to smell like the sheep.”  I interpret this to mean, we need to meet God’s people at all the wells they choose to drink and offer them the living water Jesus offers to us.

We have a very real opportunity to meet the Samaritan woman at this well, the Easter Mass.  Hundreds of Catholics, who may not be regular Mass attendees, will bring their “heavy water jars” seeking some form of satisfaction in their life.  Jesus met the woman at the well, crossed the cultural divide and offered her “living water”, freed her to be a disciple, free to return to life in community. 

Here’s a Lenten challenge.  Spend some time considering the burdens you carry.  Bring these burdens here, seek the Sacrament of Reconciliation and leave those burdens with Jesus, accepting the living water he offers us.  Name the wells from which you are drinking that never fully satisfy your needs.  If they are death-dealing wells, like the well of self-pity or self-absorption, recognize where you’re at and if there are others at the well with you, be Jesus inviting them to share in His living water.  Lastly, prayerfully consider your response to meeting the Easter pilgrims who will come to this well seeking Jesus.  Will they find Him is us?

Source(s):      Scriptures:  Ezekiel 37:12-14; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45

                        Naked, and You Clothed Me.  Edited by Deacon Jim Knipper © 2013.  Clear Faith Publishing LLC

It's About A Relationship

I have many friends wrestling with illnesses that will take their lives sooner than later.  While every fiber of my being wants to begin mourning the situation, their spirits scream hope, compassion for others, and an intimate understanding of where they are going; knowing where their true home is, where the journey of this life concludes.

For some of these friends their relationship with God and Jesus has been evident way before the illness settled into their bodies.  For others it was in part the illness that helped them discover/re-discover the greater relationship.  Yet it is in all cases that their earthly community, especially church community and family, that makes the pain and suffering somewhat endurable.

I recognize in my own identity that I most often prefer to suffer alone.  While there are times when this may be appropriate, my friends suffering has brought to light the importance of the community relationships that have been forged in my life.  How these relationships, if allowed to enter close, can lift me beyond what I attempt to deal with alone.  I am often reminded of this when my wife goes in for surgery, no matter how minor.  When she is rolled away the emptiness and helplessness I feel.  Nothing else matters in this world except her and how I can help her heal, YET there is little I can do.

What I can do, rely on my relationship with the Lord, the Master Healer.  I gain great comfort placing my wife and all my friends who are ill in the constant care of my Lord and Savior.  I believe this is why Judy and I have devoted ourselves to praying the Divine Mercy and Healing the Family Tree chaplets before the exposed Eucharist.

It's about a relationship for our suffering selves, our community, our nation, and the whole world.