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We had a few glitches in our computer system the other week. And once the company came in to fix the problems - I developed a new problem with my printing capabilities.
Before the fix - I would hit print – and immediately the document started printing. After the fix - I now hit print – and there is about a ten second delay before the document begins to print. 10 seconds isn’t much – but when you’re in a hurry, 10 seconds can seem like 10 minutes. And aren’t we always in a hurry? I need this document to print so I can move on to the next one. . . We need to get through this line we are waiting in so we can move on to the next task we have. We are always in a hurry - to get the gas pumped, the clothes washed, to get the yard work done– and to get through that pesky long light: which we all have SOMEWHERE in our daily travels. . . It’s easy to get in rush and get extremely IMPATIENT with ourselves, with the kids, the neighbors and that person who is on their phone not paying attention to the light – so sits there when it turns green. . . It’s even easy to get impatient with God - especially in our spiritual growth to become more like Christ. We want to be more compassionate now (or at least I hope we do). We want to be more forgiving - now. We want to be more generous - now. We want to be less judgmental - now. All these crazy things that Jesus wants us to be in order to be more like him – we want them NOW – if not in ourselves – certainly in those around us. But when listening to the parables Jesus tells of the Kingdom today – one thing we should take away is that God is always doing the building, and the growing and the molding and theshaping – not us. Even in the natural world, God takes the tiny, insignificant mustard see and OVER TIME God turns it into a plant that becomes a home for the birds of the sky. . . SO God does the planting, God controls the growth - God is in charge we are not – BUT [and this is a big BUT] we are not excused from giving that mustard seed of the divine planted within us the most ideal growing conditions we can – we are responsible for NURTURING the seed of faith we have been given. And so we need to come here - or quietly in our prayer and home - to show our gratitude to God for all God has blessed us with. This allows the seed of faith to grow. And we need to come here and elsewhere to experience the support of other like-minded people to be more bold in our witness of Christ. Who we hang out with – – determines how quickly God can produce the good fruit of the kingdom in our lives. And sometimes we just need a break from the chaos and hectic nature of our lives – needing a little quiet and calm and rest – so that we can listen to where the voice of God wants to lead us. So we come here - or in the quiet of our backyard, or walking in the wonders of nature. But always: we need to come here to be nourished at this table - to allow the seed of the divine to be nurtured and grow – so that we are able to face the challenge of following after Jesus Giving the mustard seed of faith, the spark of the divine nature placed within each one of us – the ideal growing conditions is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. AND [and this is a BIG AND] It means always putting forth our best efforts - sometimes in very small, seemingly insignificant ways: A kind word A compassionate action Generous giving. To at least pray for the grace we need to forgive someone - when we can’t yet bring ourselves to forgive. And always asking ourselves: are we doing better at being Christ-like than we were yesterday? Last month? Or Last year? Then always asking for the grace we need to do even better. So PATIENCE - we must never look at the world, or at the Church, or at our neighbor, or at ourselves - and lose hope. God is in charge we are not. And just as God always has, God will use the most unlikely-seeming, the most insignificant- appearing means to build the kingdom. Jesus took 12 insignificant, often fearful, and doubting men – from insignificant backwater towns of the Roman empire – and built a Church that has now spread throughout the world. And God takes a splash of water over a head, a smudge of oil on a forehead, a bit of bread and a sip of wine, a kind word, or a whispered prayer – and turns us into instruments of holiness and peace. God will use small mustard seeds – like me and you - to continue building the kingdom of God. And that kingdom, which has small, insignificant starts in small insignificant ways everyday – will continue to grow and flourish – and give shade to all those who seek it.
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When Jesus went home to Nazareth, and the crowds gathered around him - his relatives set out to seize him and they said: He is out of his mind.
What a way to say: Welcome Home! Why would his relatives say he is out of his mind? Sure, Jesus was probably saying things a bit differently than many other people they knew. . . but is that what made them think he was crazy? Sure, by that time they had probably heard about some things he had done that were hard to explain: like telling a paralyzed man to get up and walk – and restoring the use of a man’s hand that was withered. . . is this what caused them to think Jesus was out of his mind? Sure, he told some stories, parables, that had unexpected endings and which left his listeners a bit confused - is that what made them think he was crazy? And oh yes, he talked with a certain amount of authority and wisdom that did not seem to match his upbringing or social standing. Does this mean he had lost his mind? As modern hearers of this passage from St. Mark’s Gospel – we probably wonder: okay, people - what’s the big deal?? What was Jesus really guilty of: -pointing out injustices? -inspiring people with his words? -awing people with his actions? -forgiving people? -accepting people for who they were and not judging them? Is all of this what made them think he was out of his mind?? And yet, maybe they were on to something. Because even though we may never say it, we have probably thought it at one time or another: Jesus is asking the impossible of us – and therefore must be crazy. . . And if our reaction is to quickly disagree, let me provide you with a few examples. In faith, we believe that Jesus wants us to forgive everyone who has wronged us. And not just sort of forgive them – but really forgive them, completely. And not just for the small stuff. . . but for the really big stuff. Jesus even wants us to truly forgive our enemies! I don’t know about you, but that just sounds a little crazy to me. And Jesus wants us to turn the other cheek: that is never respond to violence with violence. He wants us to never react just by our human nature – to seek revenge, or to wrong people who have wronged us. Carry grudges? There is no place for them in the kingdom Jesus wants to build. Sounds just a bit crazy. . . And Jesus wants us to give generously from all the blessings God has bestowed upon us. That means we can’t simply give a little from our excess - but rather we’re called to dig down deep and give much from whatever we have - because we have been given much. Feeling that we never have enough is not an option in Jesus’ sheepfold. Is Jesus out of his mind or what? Doesn’t he realize there is a certain status we have to achieve and maintain in our society?? At the very least we have to be appear better off than the next door neighbors — so we can’t just be giving stuff away to the poor and needy – can we?? And Jesus wants us to be kind and merciful and compassionate and understanding and non-judgemental – talk about being crazy. . . Does Jesus realize who we have to work with and live with and interact with at Church and in the neighborhood?? He must be out of his mind to have such expectations for us. . . So maybe Jesus’ relatives were on to something. Maybe they had it right all along: Jesus is out of his mind!! One of the greatest challenges of Christianity – and perhaps the most challenging: is to completely buy into what Jesus is teaching. Because it is much easier to simply ignore a lot of what we hear Jesus saying. Or it’s much easier to simply think Jesus really could not mean what he said. Or it’s much easier to believe that Jesus is inviting us to live in a way that is completely unreasonable, ridiculous, or even impossible - and therefore we can just ignore him. To put it another way, it’s easier to simply think that Jesus really is out of his mind - at least when it comes to the challenges today in our day-to day lives — then to completely buy in to the demands of the kingdom he is trying to build. After all, we live in the “real world” we might think. Jesus lived somewhere - but definitely not in a world that has the same problems we face. But that’s the challenge – and we have to ask ourselves a truly important question: “well, then, what does it mean to be a follower of Jesus – a disciple - one who tries to model their lives after their teacher?? And this question should make us a bit uncomfortable – for it is at the heart of our faith in Jesus Christ. . . For why should we consider ourselves followers of Jesus if we don’t really have any intention to follow where he leads? Why should we read and listen to the Gospels if Jesus’ words are going to fall on our deaf ears? Why admire Jesus’ compassion and kindness and mercy if we have no desire to pour out these same things on others? And why would we bear witness to Jesus’ selflessly giving his life to others – if we know we really won’t do the same?? Do we think Jesus is crazy or is He just getting us to stretch the divine nature we carry within us - and do better than our mere humanity ? After all, throughout our lifetimes – we are called through the grace of God to become more and more like Christ. . . So sometimes we need to come to this place on Sunday to show our gratitude. And sometimes we need to come to experience the support of other like-minded people to be more bold in our witness of Christ. And sometimes we just need a break from the chaos and hectic nature of our lives – needing a little quiet and calm and rest. But always: we need to be nourished at this table - to be able to face the challenge of following after Jesus. And we need to leave here asking some pretty big questions: LIKE: what does it mean to be a disciple? OR What is Jesus really calling us do? And maybe the biggest question of all: just how committed are we to allow the mustard seed of faith planted within us to grow – so that we can follow Jesus with ALL our minds, ALL our hearts, and ALL of our souls? All questions we will deal with as we move through this long period of Ordinary Time. . . May God bless our journey! |
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September 2024
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