DO YO WANT TO SEE JESUS?

[1]A Paramore teen recently walked the 54 miles from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to commemorate when hundreds marched to fight for voting rights in 1965. Jones High School student Smith Charles’ journey comes on the heels of a renewed push for stricter voting laws. Charles and his mentor Brad Mason stopped at all four of the campsites visited during that five-day journey in 1965 when the group finally made it through. Charles said. “Walking on that bridge felt scary because you watch the movie, and people talk about the history. That’s the Bloody Sunday.” Charles continues, “It gives you a feeling of what a lot of people risked their lives for, some even dying for the cause.” He said, “I’m not going to lie right now, I feel like crying, it felt free, it felt good.”[2]

The 1965 campaign in Alabama, progressed with mass arrests but little violence for the first month.  However, that wasn’t the case in February, when police attacks against nonviolent demonstrators increased.  On the night of February 18, 1965 Alabama state troopers joined local police in breaking up an evening march in Marion.  In the ensuing melee, a state trooper fatally shot a 26-year-old church deacon, as he attempted to protect his mother from the trooper’s nightstick.[3] Alabama has its history, Florida has its history as do many other states across the nation.

You’d think, for all the progress we’ve made in race relations this world just does not seem to be any simpler nor just.  Violence dominates the world, national, and local news: racial violence, religious violence, domestic violence, youth violence!  When do we get to see Jesus?

Jesus’ response to the two Greek’s request to see him, is an interesting shift.  Recall when Jesus’ mother requested his aid at the wedding at Cana, his response was, “my hour has not yet come” (Jn 2:4).  When the religious authorities wanted to arrest him, they couldn’t, because His “hour had not yet come” (Jn 7:30).  Today, the response is, “the hour has come for the son of man to be glorified…” (Jn 12:23).  It is time to consummate the new covenant.  A covenant that will be written, not on stone tablets, not on scrolls, or in new laws, but on our hearts.  A covenant so intimate it will demand the rigors of our total commitment, a sort of death to self and an offering of self to the service of God and his people.

Throughout Lent the scriptures have focused on the tools and outlook necessary to make such a total commitment.  Shared were the tools of fasting and prayer; steps in seeking God’s wisdom, the need for self-reflection, and the undertaking of cleansing this living tabernacle in preparation to worthily receive communion.  Scholars commonly refer to Jeremiah’s new covenant oracle as “The Gospel before the Gospel” because it finds its fulfillment in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. It is here, at this table, we most often seek to satisfy our request to see Jesus in the Body and Blood we share. Each time we gather for Mass, the priest, standing in the person of Christ, invites us into the paschal mystery. “For this is my body, which will be given up for you.” “For this is the chalice of my blood … poured out for you and for many.” (GIRM, Eucharistic Prayers)

So, if we want to see Jesus, we not only have to pay attention but join into his life, death, and resurrection.  Let’s just center our focus on the cup he had to drink.  In his book, Can You Drink the Cup, Henri Nouwen poses the question this way.  “Can you drink the cup? Can you empty it to the dregs?  Can you taste all the sorrows and joys?  Can you live your life to the full whatever it will bring?” He noted that he “realized these were our questions.  But why should we drink this cup?  There is so much pain, so much anguish, so much violence.  Why should we drink the cup?  Wouldn’t it be a lot easier to live normal lives with a minimum of pain and a maximum of pleasure?”[4]

Jesus wrestled with this same question, “I am troubled now.  Yet what should I say?  Father save me from this hour?” (Jn 12:27) We know and celebrate, with each Eucharistic feast, how Jesus held the cup, how he lifted the cup to his friends, and drank the cup to its dregs from the cross for us.  “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (Jn 15:13)

Do you want to see Jesus? Look to the persecuted Christians around the world who courageously put their lives on the line for their faith.  They’ve drank the cup to its dregs.

Do you want to see Jesus? Look to our all-volunteer military, our community first responders, the healthcare professionals on the frontline of the pandemic, who willingly hold and lift the cup with the courage, often in harm’s way, yet they are willing to drink the cup to the dregs for our safety.

Do you want to see Jesus?  Look to your parents, family members, and friends who know, all too well, the four cups of the Passover. While we share in this Cup of Salvation, they have often held, lifted and drank the Cup of Sorrow, the Cup of Joy, and the Cup of Blessings, as they sacrificed their own desires and needs for us, for the care of their children and grandchildren, for aging and sick family members, or for other people in need.

Do you want to see Jesus?  Look to the Paramore teen, who walked to remember. Remember a nonviolent protest for justice and equality, to remember the people who risked everything, including their lives, for his rights and the freedoms he enjoys today.

The new covenant, written on our hearts, begs us to pay attention to, to be full participants in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Our worship is an invitation to enter into this paschal mystery. It challenges us to “be” the living image of Christ in midst of our ordinary lives. It invites us to hold, lift, and drink from His chalice, so when others say, “we want to see Jesus” they need to look no further than any one of us, who have offered ourselves completely to God’s  service and the service of all His children.

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[1] Scriptures, New American Bible, Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 5:7-9; John 12:20-33

[2] https://www.wftv.com/news/local/, “‘I don’t give up’: Orlando teen retraces history walking 54 miles from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama” by Karen Parks, March 15, 2021.

[3] Web page : http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_selma_to_montgomery_march/ 

[4] Can You Drink the Cup?. Henri J.M. Nouwen © 1996, 2006.  Ava Maria Press

MANHOOD

When someone is described as “not a man,” we unmistakably know two things about the person: He is a male and he is woefully short on some basic character qualities of masculinity.

Manhood is not so much about anatomy and age as it is about a particular type of character. If we did not all have a general idea that manhood is a definite and distinct thing, the statement, “He is not a man,” would have little meaning. But it has immediate meaning, and we take it as a strong rebuke upon the person.

So, what are the character qualities that mark healthy manhood? To be genuine, these qualities marking manhood must apply generally to men across diverse cultures, not just our own. Thus, revealing what God has placed in humanity and what God has made the man to “be”. As we seek to bring young men into healthy and authentic manhood, we must ask, “What are we shooting for, and what does manhood look like when done successfully?”[1]

This is where the silence of St. Joseph’s life in scripture becomes deafening. What do I mean? How many lines does Joseph speak in scripture? NONE! Yet his presence speaks louder than any words ever could concerning the characteristics of his manhood.

Today’s Gospel gives us great insight to the character qualities of manhood:

“Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man…” He was faithful, God choose him, a quiet and humble man, who availed himself to the laws and precepts of his faith, and “yet [he was] unwilling to expose [Mary] to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.” (Mt 1:19) Even before they lived together, he was her protector. In his respect for her and the dignity of her calling he refused to subject her to further shame.

“…the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David’” (Mt 1:20) Joseph is reminded of his identity. His self-identity, his identity in relationship to his wife, community, Judaism (as a culture & religion), The Law, and to God’s will and plan.

The angel continues: “do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.” (Mt 1:20) We lift Mary up for her faithfulness, trust, and courage for her yes, Joseph’s yes is equal in faith, trust, and courage.

“When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded and took his wife into his home.” (Mt 1:24) Joseph’s obedience is always immediate and without question, recognizing he is under the authority of another, God. He learned this from his father, and Joseph will teach this to his son, Jesus. Jesus whose obedience led him to accept even death, death on a cross.

We find a key factor for the development of a man’s character in the second reading, as Paul recalls the story of Abraham, an old man with a barren wife. “It depends on faith, so that it may be a gift, and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham.” (Rom 4:16)

Honoring Joseph today gives us an opportunity to identify the Josephs we have known. The men, who put their fears and uncertainty aside to respond with courage and compassion, who live their manhood out in action, and does so conspicuously in the community. St. Joseph, head of the Holy Family, pray for us.

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[1] Focus on the Family. “The Universal Qualities of a Man” by Glenn T. Stanton, July 18 2019.

TAKE THE INITIATIVE

The spirit and values which guides Hope CommUnity Center, in Apopka, are gospel mandates. Love, hospitality, solidarity, and service are at the core of Catholic social justice teachings and as people of faith require us to offer a concrete response to the people who are suffering and to uncover the root causes of their life-threatening distress. Hope CommUnity Center is committed to the deeper and difficult discussion about the root causes of this migration and the need to address the push/pull factors which influence the desperate decision of poor suffering people, especially children, to make this risk-filled journey. Hope’s spirit and values are reflected in all of our services with a vision of community transformation.[1]

The prophet Ezekiel’s powerful vision features water, a necessity people require every day, especially in a land sometimes plagued by drought (1 Kgs 17:1), where water is a sign of life. The water flowing from every side of the temple, God’s own house, highlights that it is a source of life for the people. The water flowing from the temple “empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh” (Ez 47:8) suggesting that Israel is being given a new opportunity to live faithfully.

The Gospel, also, speaks of water, the waters at Bethesda as a source of healing—or at least rejuvenation. This story of the man, ill for 38 years, demonstrates how isolating illness can be, especially if a person lacks family support and has no one to assist him.[2] Jesus knowing asks, “Do you want to be well?” “I have no one to [help] me.” Jesus heals him, with the command: “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” (Jn 5:6-8)

This healing is an incredible lesson for us to never lose hope and always trust in God. These powerful words enabled the man to take the initiative to reclaim his life.  They also remind us that along with our own initiative, we must trust in God’s will to lead us where we are meant to go, and just like the man at the pool, we may need to acknowledge we can’t always do it alone.[3]

There’s a couple more weeks to Lent. It’s the ideal time to take the initiative to allow the living waters of our Baptism, so often polluted by sin, to be refreshed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Trusting in God’s mercy. It’s also a time to discern, who and how can I offer myself to aid someone, some organization, that provides a helping hand up to people in need. Going deeper, like the mission of the Hope CommUnity Center, to provide concrete action to support the healing of a person in need, thus enabling them to take the initiative to reclaim their life

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[1] https://www.hcc-offm.org/, “Our Values”

[2] Weekday HomilyHelps, Exegesis by Sarah Kohles, OSF, PhD

[3] Ibid, Homily Suggestion by Eileen Connelly, OSU