Third Sunday of Lent – C

March 6-7, 2010

 

There are many questions in life and one of the hardest to answer is the Question “Why?”  Why are these people suffering? Why was the poor nation of Haiti hit so hard by an earthquake with so much destruction and death? Why was the Chili the most prosperous nation in Latin America hit by a worse earthquake and so many are suffering? Why do people have cancer? Why do children have Aids? Why do nations go through wars and destruction for years at a time? Why do bad things happen to me when I have been trying to be good? Are these people being punished for their sins?  Why is this happening?  Sometimes all we can say is “It is Divine Providence?

 

What is divine providence? It means things in God’s eyes may not be what they seem.  There is the story of a man who was questioning why things happened as they did?  He asked God to help him to understand why things were happening which did which not make sense.  God hears the prayer and sends an angel to him to teach divine providence. The angel appears to him and tells him of his task from God so the man readily agrees to follow the angel on his journey among men as the angel would show him why things are happening. They go on the first day’s journey and in the evening they come upon a poor family who invites them in for a meal and give up their beds so they have a soft place to sleep. The family although they did not have enough to feed themselves had a good breakfast ready for the 2 strangers and sent them on their way.  After they left, the angel snuck back and set the house on fire and it burned to the ground. The man asked “Why did you to that?” The response was “Divine Providence!”  They continued their journey and came upon a man who invited them into his home, he was a wealthy bachelor who lived alone. The angel picked up a silver cup and admired it.  The man said he was proud of that cup, he had just gotten it as a gift from his only nephew and was going to use it for his meal the next day. The man served them a beautiful meal and gave them one of the best beds in the house. They thanked the man in the morning and when he turned his back the angel stole the cup. The man asked the angel “why?” the answer was “Divine Providence.” He did not understand.  They go further on their journey and come to another home. They asked the man if they could stay the night. He told them to sleep in the barn he would not let them into the house. He gave them nothing to eat but left them hungry. In the morning the angel thanked the man profusely for his kindness of giving them shelter in the barn and gave him the silver cup in thanks. The man asked he angel “Why he did this the answer was “Divine Providence.”  Next they came upon a poor family who welcomed them to their home, they had one cow which gave them fresh milk for their meal. They were thankful for the cow. They stayed with the family and in the middle of the night the angel went out and killed the cow. The man asked “Why?” The answer was “Divine Providence.” They then came upon an old fisherman and his son. He was a widower and the son was his only family. This old fisherman was very course and gross, he cussed and swore every 4^th word but he loved his innocent little son. The angel asked directions and the man tried to give them but the angel acted like he could not understand. Finally the angel if they son knew the right way and he said he did. Could his son show them the way. The man refused. This son was all he had, his pride and joy. The angel said he does not have to go with us the whole way,  but only as far as the bridge on the  river to point out the right road to take after that. The man agreed. The son accompanied them and when the got to the river the angel threw the boy in and he drown. The man getting very frustrated asked “Why the child had to die?” and he said “Divine Providence.”  The man said that he had enough he could not take it any more he wanted better answers than just saying “Divine Providence,” so the angel better explain and explain now!

 

The angel asked him if he remember the first poor family who gave them their food and beds out of kindness and he burned down their house? He said he did. The angel said that the previous owner was a wealthy miser who hid his fortune of gold in the walls but he died before using it. When they cleared away the rubble they found the gold among the ashes. The wealthy bachelor who treated with kindness was proud of the silver cup from his only nephew, he didn’t know that the cup was poisoned by the nephew to get his uncle’s estate. By stealing the cup he saved this kind man’s life.  The mean man who had them sleep in the barn and left them hungry was given the cup in thanks to give him the justice he deserved for his meanness to every one. He died from the poison.  Then we stayed with the poor family who was so thankful for the cow that gave them warm milk for their meals, in the middle of the night the angel of death came to take the wife and mother but I gave him the cow instead. The last one is the hardest to understand. The man and the son. The man was so course and gross, he never prayed, every 4^th word was a swear word he was involved in impurities and pornogrpahy. The son was innocent. If the son would have continued to live with the man he would have become just as bad and died and gone to hell. He was still innocent when he drown and went right to heaven. The man will be so shaken by this that he will change his life and will go to heaven too otherwise he was headed for Hell. That is the meaning of “Divine Providence.”

 

Moses in the first reading complains to God about the people being slaves for 300 years. Why does not God hear them? God sends Moses to deliver them when they are at their weakest. They cannot protect themselves, they have no army to revolt. They are defenseless in the face of the Egyptian People with their powerful gods and the impressive temples which they built for them. God then frees them without they lifting a finger to show how God loves everyone even these helpless abused slaves. God sends 10 plagues which show how false and useless are the 10  Egyptian gods. God frees the slaves without an army otherwise they would give the credit to themselves instead of the love of God who chose them. They were in the bitterness of slavery to know what it means to be a slave so when they are free they will be ready to teach the world that freedom does not mean “you can do anything you want” but that you need moral laws of the 10 Commandments to keep from becoming slave drivers and making others slaves, that all people have rights and freedom in the moral kingdom of God.

 

Jesus is asked about the innocent worshipers who were caught up when a riot broke out in the temple and the Roman soldiers killed them where they blood of their animal sacrifices was shed, and what about the people who were crushed from the falling stones when the tower of Siloam fell upon them.  “Were these people greater sinners than others who lived at the time? Were they being punished for their sins?”  “No they weren’t.” Jesus replies. We live in a world with natural disasters from the forces of nature and buildings fall, maybe from bad construction or from earthquake, or strong winds. We live in a world when people are in the wrong place at the wrong time such in drive by shootings between gangs or between forces in wars and innocent people die. But that does not mean they were sinners - it may have been their time in their innocence to get to heaven as they were worshiping God. But Jesus warns of a future event 40 years in the future when people will be slain in the temple because they rejected Christ and God and in punishment the Roman army will come in and destroy Jerusalem and the temple. In 70 A.D. the stones fell and crushed the inhabitants as they city burned and those in the temple were killed where their sacrifices took place in their rebellion against God and Rome .

 

But Jesus gives an image of the fig tree that is not bearing fruit, like the people of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus were not bearing fruits of faith and of goodness for God. He speaks of how God calls us to change, how through the circumstances of life he tries pruning away the things that are bad for us, how He puts manure around us to fertilize us, to challenge and nourish us be good and produce good fruits - of goodness, love and faith -  so we can be taken to Heaven. Or else if we do not change for the better  - we will be cut down like the people of Jerusalem in 70 AD who did not change and became more evil and deserved punishment in the end.  So in this holy season of Lent we are to honestly look at ourselves and the events of our lives and the world, are we good, generous people of faith whom God can bless with his mercy in ways we do not expect as we go through the trials of life. Which often we do not see or  understand until we finally passed through them. Do the disasters help us recognize others as our brothers and sisters who need our love and care and helping hand and help us to grow in love or do we remain unconcerned glad it was not us. When we feel the pruning sheer cutting away and we find life dumps manure at our feet,  Do we take the hint it is time to grow and bear fruit? Or will we be cut down and thrown away because of our lack of faith and love and in punishment for our selfishness and greed.

 

 

Second Sunday of Lent – C

February 27-28, 2010

 

Today we celebrate the second Sunday of Lent. This Sunday traditionally we have the reading of the Gospel of the Transfiguration of Christ, as the glory of His divinity shines through His humanity. 

 

The first Sunday of Lent as we mentioned last week  is always the temptations of Christ and His answer to those temptations which we all also face.  Jesus’ answer to them is to look beyond them, look beyond this world to what God has to offer us and how much better that is.  The temptations are to seek food, material things, pleasures, power, fame, and wealth. This Sunday with the Transfiguration, Jesus shows us what God has planned for us in His glorified body  - as we look beyond this world.

 

As Jesus in preparing for His upcoming passion and death, He takes Peter, James and John up the high mountain of Mt. Tabor to give them a vision of things to come to give them the strength to get through the upcoming events of His passion which seem to end in hopelessness and despair.

 

They go up Mt. Tabor, a high mountain from which you can see the world below, you can see below the countries of Israel, the sea of Galilee, the lands of Moab and Edom and the Decapolis from this height in all its beauty. This is a wonderful vantage point for viewing the neighboring territory  - as was the high mountain that Satan took Jesus to view the kingdoms of the world with all their wealth and power when Satan wanted Jesus to worship him to get the world for Himself.

 

Jesus is transfigured on this site, that is He allows the His divinity, which He always has with Him as He is God and Man, to shine through His humanity. How the view changes.  His face changes in appearance like light, even His clothing becomes dazzling white.  He is full of Light, full of joy and love, not the dark blackness of sin, selfishness and the sadness and despair which comes from sin -  which is all the wealth of the kingdoms of this world can offer.  He is surrounded by the Saints of Heaven who live in God’s Presence:  Moses who during his life - because God spoke to him face to face, his own face glowed with reflected light from God - so much so that he had to cover his face when talking to the Israelite People. And we also have Elijah, the faithful prophet who was taken up into Heaven itself in a chariot of fire, a chariot of light.  Peter John and James are dazzled by the beauty of the light of God coming from Christ and the reflected light of God in the Saints in Heaven in Moses and Elijah.  This is why saints are pictured with halos, with light radiating out of them, not because they are gods but because they reflect the glory of God and his brilliance in their lives.  We have met, I am sure, some people who radiate love and joy to all around, the love and joy they have found in God in their lives. The apostles are over awed by the sight which makes the kingdoms of the world and all they offers look so plain and trivial in comparison.

 

When it appears that Moses and Elijah are going to leave, Peter speaks up, “Master, it is good that we are here!” Peter wants to intervene because he does not want this vision of Heaven to end. He offers that the apostles build 3 shelters one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Maybe if they can keep the 3 of them together, maybe the vision will not fade, it is so much more wonderful than all this world has to offer.

 

 

 

 

They are then overshadowed by a cloud of light. Usually we think of clouds making things dark, of shadowing everything below in darkness and shade as do the clouds of earth, but this is the shining cloud of God’s presence in Heaven which brings light to all below.  When Moses met God on Mt. Sinai it was in a light a burning bush. When God led the freed Hebrew slaves it was a cloud of fire. When the tabernacle tent was set up in the desert and later the temple in Jerusalem , they were filled with this same light of God, this is shining cloud to showed God is present. When the shining cloud was present no one would dare enter into God’s glory for fear of dying from the splendor. Now that same cloud of the Father’s presence overshadows the apostles and as they enter into the cloud He speaks to them as He did to Moses. “This is my chosen Son, listen to Him!” How overwhelmed they are at being in God’s presence. They are overwhelmed by the beauty of the divinity of Christ and the joys of the Saints in Heaven. How little this world has to offer in comparison.

 

This is also a foreshadowing of the truth of who we are. They see Jesus in his Glorified Body, they see the divinity of God’s life shining through His human body. They see the glory of the saints, of Moses and Elijah as the glory of God shines through these children of God, made in God’s image and likeness.  So we also are made in God’s image and likeness, we are made to reflect the beauty and love of God. We too are children of God by Baptism, we are filled by the sacraments with Sanctifying Grace, which is the very life of God  - as we are part of the very glorified Body of Christ the Church . We too are called to reflect the glory of God as saints in this world and in the shining cloud of God’s presence in heaven, of which as Peter says “Master it is good that we are here!”  How paltry in comparison are the wealthy and glory of the world and worldly fame and fortune. It is like rusted iron in comparison to shining gold. But how often we are attracted by the allure of this world, its pleasures and our humanity.

 

St. Paul in the second reading feels saddened by people who don’t know what they are called to. “For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves  as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their “shame.” Their minds of occupied with earthly things.”   How like today we seek material things, we seek pleasures, we don’t eat to live, we live to eat. Our God is our belly. We overeat, we get drunk, we over indulge to get pleasures.  Our glory is our shame. How may find their beauty in their sexual attraction, in their sexual body parts which are enhanced medically and by the clothing worn, how popular is pornography in seeing others as objects.  How we are occupied with earthly things, with getting things, getting the latest things, with concern for money and wealth and we miss what the Apostles found of Mt. Tabor the true beauty of God’s light, life and love reflected in our lives and shining through us. This is where true beauty lies in being children of God and heirs of heaven, in living in God’s image and likeness.  St. Paul tells us what to treasure and find value in. “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables Him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.

 

Jesus in His Transfiguration allows the glory of God to shine through Him, He shows us the light of God which dispels the darkness and shows us the glory of Heaven won by His upcoming passion and cross. A light shared with those who carry their crosses too from the temptations of Lent to the joy of Easter. We are God’s children, let us realize our great calling, to bathe in the light of God’s glory and to reflect the love of Christ in our lives to others around us.

 

 

First Sunday of Lent – C

February 20-21, 2010

 

In our Gospel we have the 3 temptations of Christ. This is the usual Gospel we have on the First Sunday of Lent. Why do we begin Lent every year with the temptations of Christ?  Because the purpose of Lent is to do what was said to us when we received ashes on Ash Wednesday, we are to turn from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.  We are to turn from sin. All sin begins with temptations. If we know how to handle temptations when they come we will not fall into sin. So we have Jesus facing 3 temptations and see how he handled them. This lets us know what we need to do when we face temptations to sin.

 

Jesus faces 3 kinds of temptations and shows us how to deal with them. The first is the temptation to eat food. Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and needless to say he was hungry. Food is one of the most basic necessities of life. When a person is near starvation anything reminds of food. The rocks in this area around Jericho are brown smooth stones which look like buns and bread. Satan reminds Jesus that Jesus claims He is God. If He is God then he has the power to do anything. Can it be so wrong to turn stones into bread - a basic food for life. You cannot get more basic a need and temptation than food. But Jesus instead of agreeing He was hungry, which He was, instead of saying physical life depends on food to feed Himself to take care of His personal needs; He instead looks beyond it to the real purpose of life, to the creator of life, here is our most basic need, not food for out bodies  - gotten any way possible to continue to live  - but food for our souls to nourish eternal life which already have.  We need to get our strength for living not just from physical food  - but from God the source of life and strength. “You shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” 

 

People in Nazi prison camps would do anything possible, to even stealing from those others who were also starving to get a bite of food. They were purposely starved to make  to make them less than human, to make them go back to animal instincts, to give up human dignity.  But in those same circumstances were others who found their strength to live not first of all in food  - but in God. They would even share some of their bread with others who were hungry because they did not see their fellow prisoners as animals scavenging food  - but as images of God and children of God with great dignity who deserved love and care. Even when hungry themselves - they were willing to share the little they had  - and instead of degrading themselves as animals  - they became their full potential of Children of God.  How often times we too are bothered by the basic needs of life. How we can focus on them and how to get them. We are reminded to look beyond they material things to their Creator for our meaning in life and it can change our lives to be like God in His care.

 

I know of a priest who lived in Communist Czechoslovakia. He was ordained before WWII. He was put in a Nazi concentration camp for his faith. The Russians freed the prisoners. He again became a parish priest but was shortly later arrested by the Communists and put into prison for being a priest. After serving his term in prison he was released and put in one of the poorest jobs in a factory, given one of the worst places to live in with the least amount of food as were the others priests, religious and ministers who were released from prison. Who were also forbidden to return to their public ministry. The other workers in the factory did not know they were clergy and religious only fellow workers. The other regular workers under communism also were not well paid, although better than the former clergy, and they tried to do what they could or needed to do to get a little extra food for their families even to stealing and cheating and lying. They were always complaining about their conditions. The clergy and religious who were unknown to them instead of constantly complaining as they did patiently listened to them. Even though the former clergy themselves had less to live on -  they were willing to share the little they had. Instead of acting like animals they showed charity to others.  When in 1968 the strict Communist government changed for more a more liberal one - the workers were told they could elect their supervisors. Whom did they elect? They elected the priests, the sisters and the ministers - whom they did not know their pasts as they were forbidden to minister publicly. These were the ones who showed them dignity and value by their kindness, patience and sharing even when they had less and gave them hope. “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  In temptations for the basics of life and the desire for material things are in your life. Look beyond them to God and show His love and care by sharing your blessings - no matter how small by almsgiving  - and you will find true value in life.

 

Jesus is taken to a high mountain and shown all the kingdoms of the world and all their splendors, wealth and power. Satan knows that Jesus came to redeem the world for God. Why go through all the work of ministry and the suffering and death on the cross to get them. The temptation is to do it the easy way. Satan tells Jesus by the original sin of Adam and Eve who were in charge of the world and everything in it  - and who put themselves under Satan’s rule by their sin, that he, Satan, is now the prince of this world. Just worship Satan and Satan will give you the world without all the work of ministry and Jesus’ passion and death.  Jesus again says to look beyond this world. Don’t worship Satan to get this world - when worshipping God the creator of the world - will get you the blessings of this world and will give you heaven besides  which is a million times better.  How many dictators took Satan up on his deal, they worshipped Satan by their totalitarian regiemes, by their persecutions, by their oppression, by their wars, but taking away freedoms. They all fell. Their countries were destroyed, they were not loved and respected but hated by their people - and they all in the end returned back to dust but worst of all they lost heaven.  When tempted to be the king of the hill, to be the top dog, to be the boss over others and play God over them controlling their lives,  and have them serve you and have the wealth and comforts of the world  -  instead worship God by prayer and you will have Jesus who redeemed the world and who will give us Heaven besides.

 

Jesus is taken to the parapet of the temple, the highest part of the supporting wall of the temple platform over the Kidron valley below. Satan tells Jesus to jump. If you want to be famous show off, be daring, do a miracle. Let everyone know how important you are by the angels catching you before you kill yourself on the rocks below. You will WOW the crowd and then you do not have to convert them one by one. Show your power as God and how can they NOT follow you. Jesus says “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”  How often people try to be daring, hoping that if they show off people will know and respect them and they will be famous  - hoping God will protect them from their foolishness so they will not be killed  - just to be famous and well know. Think for example of bungee jumpers, those who jump over a row of cars on motorcycles, those who do dangerous stunts with airplanes, and so forth. There are others who may not be show offs doing dangerous physical things to be famous but who like dare devils do not avoid spiritual temptations and places of sin hoping that before they get too involved in drugs or sex or pornography or gambling or stealing, God will step in and rescue them before they become addicted. Like Adam and Eve they try to see how close to the forbidden fruit they can get before they fall into sin. If Adam and Eve would not have tempted God by going near the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil and stayed a block away, we would still be living in paradise.  Jesus answer is to fast, to fast from sin and the temptations that lead up to them and if we do then we will be safe - instead of daring God to rescue us at the last minute - from something we have chosen to do.

 

Jesus on Ash Wednesday told us to do 3 things: Prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These are really the answers to the three temptations.  When tempted by material things and the basics of life so much so that it brings out our animal instincts to get them - we need to share by almsgiving to bring out our divine instincts as Children of God.  When tempted by the beauty, wealth and power of the world instead of worshipping Satan by playing god over others to get them as a tyrant or dictator -  instead we need to  worship God, the creator of the whole world who can give us heaven besides, worship Him by prayer and you get it all. When tempted by pride and recklessness and fame hoping that God will save you at the last minute or when tempted to go near occasions and places of sin hoping God will deliver you, instead you need to fast from those occasions and if you keep away from them you will not fall into them.

Jesus was tempted; He overcame the temptations by prayer, fasting, and almsgiving and redeemed the world. We too can be delivered from our sins if we do the same.