Clerical Envy

 

A pastor tells the story about one of his parishioners returning to the church: "Well," he said, "what brought you to this change of heart?" "It was a sermon," she replied. Sitting back and waiting to be complimented on some eloquent homily he had given, the pastor asked, "Which one?" "A sermon," she answered, "by Billy Graham, on television."

A little crestfallen, he later asked myself why he felt deflated. So when the lady told him that she had decided to return to the practice of the Catholic faith because of a fundamentalist sermon by Billy Graham, his feelings were mixed. he was glad, when one of our sisters or brothers finds the way back to the practice of the faith, but "Billy Graham," he thought. Well, at least it wasn't one of those others!

 

This priest slipped into the age-old sin of "clerical envy." He thought only he could have preached so well as to bring one of his own former parishioners back to her faith. But no, it was Billy Graham.

 

The gospel has a "clerical envy" situation. It seems the apostle John and some of the other apostles had come upon a fellow using Jesus' name to cast out devils. So John thought Jesus might approve of John's telling this fellow to stop, since he didn't belong to Jesus' band.

 

Jesus gave John and the other apostles a lesson on humility and being open to the spirit.  "Do not forbid him. No one who performs a miracle using my name can at once speak ill of me. Anyone who is not against us is with us. Any man gives you a drink of cold water because you belong to Christ will not, I assure you, go without his reward" (Mark 9:38-41).

 

Jesus shows himself as ecumenical.  We might wonder, then, why there are so many different denominations. If all we have to do is give a cup of cold water to a thirsty person to prove ourselves Christians, our narrow-mindedness in judging others is out of place. If we adopted Jesus' broadmindedness, how many problems could be solved. Perhaps the shortage of priests is one. So let me go out on a limb with this story.

 

It is well known that women are excluded from the ordained priesthood in the Catholic Church. The official position is a flat no, and, many add, no hope for the future. What follows here is not dissent but one example of a woman who already serves although not ordained.

 

She is a Catholic nun who visits the sick and brings them communion in the hospitals and nursing homes. On one of her visits she prayed with a very sick person, aware that an old, and very sick woman in the other bed was listening. She went over when she was finished and the woman said to her, "Those prayers were beautiful; tell me are you a minister?" Sister was startled for a moment - she wore a cross, had a badge, seemed "official." It didn't seem a time for distinctions. "Yes, she said," I guess I am." And the woman with a huge smile took her arm and said," I knew they wouldn't hold our sex against us!"

 

It may be that people of the opposite sex simply cannot understand the genuineness and the pain of that remark. Their sex has been held against them - in law, medicine, business, teaching, all the professions, and in society for a long time, in many cultures for many centuries. But for that sick woman, perhaps speaking like a prophet, that time was ending. the experience.

 

In the Old Testament Moses hopes that all the people could be prophets; and Jesus tells his apostles not to forbid someone who is doing good in Jesus' name. Much food for thought in our world where factions and cliques pride themselves on keeping others out. We do well in imitating Jesus in his open-armed embrace of all peoples.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, especially the women who I have the privilege to serve as partners in ministry. They are hospital and college chaplains, parish administrators, social workers, doctors and teachers. Like the apostles may we learn to be open to their calling to serve Our Lord.

 

How Will You Shape the Faith of a Child?

 

Jesus had a deep passion for kids. I mean, think about it. When he needed to feed 5,000 people who helped him out? A little boy with a picnic lunch with some bread and some fish. When Jesus was in the middle of something, what quickly altered his schedule, a sick child or a child that folks thought had even died? Jesus stopped and he took care of children first. That's why gospel readings like the one today are so important. Jesus teaches us yet again how valuable each child is. Think about what these gospel readings teach us. Jesus welcomes children. People bring children to Jesus hoping he'll touch them.

 

The disciples rebuke them and say, "Jesus is busy with the adults. He's got more important things to do." And Jesus says, "Whoa, If you want to be great, welcome a child." For a lot of folks, children are a nuisance, a distraction. But for Jesus, it's just the opposite. He welcomed children. He also warned adults not to harm children. Jesus is very clear that if you harm a child, you will face severe punishment. He says, "In fact, it would be better for you to have a millstone tied around your neck and be thrown into the sea." He's very clear that we're called to care for children. Jesus even gives the kingdom of God to children.

 

He says, "Let the little children come to me. The kingdom of God belongs to them." Children are special to Jesus maybe because we have so much to learn from them, maybe because children speak the truth. I think Jesus probably likes that. Little Nancy wrote, "God, I bet it's very hard for you to love all of everybody in the world. There are only four people in my family and I can never do it." It just may be that the kingdom belongs to kids because they understand God better than we adults do. And Jesus blesses children. he takes the children in his arms, he lays his hands on them, and he blesses them.

 

Consider the basic facts of how you and I develop as human beings. We're made in the image of God. Your moral and spiritual development begins at age two. You begin learning right from wrong at age two. And then, you progress rapidly from there. By age nine, your moral foundation is set. By age 12, your spiritual identity is largely set. What you believe about God largely in place. In other words, at 12, the greatest predictor for who you will be morally and spiritually as an adult is set. Pretty plain, isn't it? What you create early on in the life of a child is the greatest determiner for how that child will behave as an adult. If you want to help shape the church and the world, the best thing you can do, the most important thing you can do, is provide deep, robust, spiritual experiences for children ages 2 through 12.

 

An 80 something Sonshine Friend shared a true story when his parish priest in Baldswinville asked him to teach religious instruction to a group of teenage boys. He was asked to prepare these young men for their Confirmation. However, he learned that these kids were on probation. He asked the boys what did they do to get in trouble with the law. The young men reported that they had robbed a store but nobody got hurt. My friend built a trust and earned their respect as he shared his faith in Jesus. He taught them that God forgives and the need to express sorrow when we hurt others. Part of their lesson was to go back to the owner of that store and apology for their offense. This group of young men on probation spent a weekend on retreat and were excited to receive Confirmation. My friend spent two years listening to them, talking to them about Jesus, laughing about their exploits and slowly helping them build a friendship with Jesus. So let me just ask you a simple question. How will you shape the faith of a child in your life?

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who model the love of Jesus for their students, children, grandchildren and nieces and nephews. Last Sunday, Spinach and I had a great opportunity to let the children know how much Jesus loves them. May we follow the example of our Lord and shape the faith of those children placed in our hands.

 

 

Who Is Jesus?

 

I’m pretty excited and more than a little intimidated as I prepare this reflection because this Sunday I have been invited to my former parish Holy Family in North Java to preach to the children at the church outdoor picnic about the gospel that asked the disciples: “Who is Jesus?

 

Renee their teacher warned me that she has a dozen kids ages 8 to 14. who get excited about coming to her religion class. So I will bring my special puppet Spinach and we ask the children this question: “Who is Jesus?”

 

What would your response be? Do you ever get the urge to go beyond the churchy language and really wrestle with what your faith in Jesus means and why it’s important to you? Certainly, some will say they call upon Jesus in time of need and find him a comforter and a helper. Others might say they look to Jesus as the model of the Godly life. I like that last part, but our gospel lesson shows us he’s a petty weird model to follow—a model who tells us he’s going to be rejected and killed and then urges us to deny ourselves and take up our cross in order to be his followers.

 

What is it, exactly, that Jesus models? What tells us about who he is? He’s certainly rather modest. He doesn’t want his identity to be made known. He lowers himself to wash the feet of his disciples like a slave would do. He looks silly riding into Jerusalem on a baby donkey. He clearly has empathy for others. He breaks society’s rules and hangs out with the “wrong” crowd and accepts unacceptable people. He tells people they’re forgiven. He preaches non-violence and love for the poor and for enemies. He reminds us that everyone is our neighbor. And he talks back to authority.

 

In the gospel reading Peter identifies Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus doesn’t deny this, but he doesn’t want this bit of news to be spread around. I always figured that Jesus knows people will misinterpret that title. For Peter, the anointed one of God would be a political leader and a real badass warrior who would vanquish the enemies of the nation.

 

It seems that for a lot of folks living in America today, that is exactly how they see Jesus. As Christianity slips out of the mainstream of American life a breed of Christian jihadists has sprung up to fight what they perceive are the forces of Satan. They will rescue unborn babies, revoke LGBTQ+ rights, ban books, dictate curriculum to teachers, put the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms, eliminate inclusive language, and champion a whole truckload of their other cultural priorities—and do it with a screaming zeal that would seem excessive from the Taliban.

 

What should I tell these children about Who Jesus Is?  Spinach will have their attention and I will share these thoughts. Jesus is someone who will never scold you. He will always will be with you when you are having a bad day. When you cry because someone was a bully and called you a nasty name, Jesus will wipe your tears and tell you He loves you. Like on the cross when he said, Father, forgive them they know not what they do.” Who is Jesus? He is kind, gentle, humble, forgiving and accepts us just as we are, tatoos, wrinkles and rings in our ears and nose. I want these kids to confirm a living faith, not just conform to an institutional church.

 

Who do you say Jesus is? What do your actions, your words, and the way you live your life say about you and Jesus? What are we telling your kids and grandkids about who Jesus is?

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we take time to have a little talk with Jesus. May we pray in our hearts that our actions and words model Who Jesus Is.

 

 

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Going Out of Our Way

 

A FedEx package arrived at my home that was labelled for my next door neighbor. When I delivered it to Maggie, she asked me to open and inside was a replacement for her emergency alert button. The vendor forwarded an alert replacement so that she could wear around her neck to call in case of an emergency. Sadly, the instructions were not user friendly. Maggie had no clue how to activate the new alarm system. So I stayed to review the manuel and just as confused, called customer service for help to activate her new emergency alarm.

 

Going out of your way. Think about when that happens, when someone goes out of their way for you – the effect that can have.  When a nurse is overly caring and attentive to the person suffering an illness when they are patient – we see that as “going out of their way” and it can change our perception of the medical profession. When a teacher takes the time to help a student understand the math problem or a resident care staff goes out of their way to help a physically challenged adult resident get comfortable in their home. 

 

Going out of your way. How often do we think that God does that for us? Do we perceive that? Or do we see him as distant, removed from us? The reality is our God is a God who constantly goes out of His way for each of us. But so often we miss it or don’t recognize it.

 

Like in this Gospel we read this Sunday. Another cool Jesus miracle story. It’s nice Jesus took care of this deaf and mute guy. Not being biblical scholars we might have missed a little nugget that St. Mark threw in there.  At the very beginning of the passage we hear Jesus left Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee.   A friend who, unlike me is a biblical scholar and who has visited the Holy Land numerous times had mentioned that this journey was completely out of the way. It was an indirect route that would have meant Jesus would have had to travel for weeks (possibly months) just to reach this place.

 

We don’t know for certain why Jesus goes out of His way to this next stop on His journey.  But for the apostles and disciples who witnessed all of this first hand and recounted it, what was obvious was that after that lengthy trip, what Jesus does.  He cures this man’s affliction. But not in any ordinary miraculous way. Jesus puts his fingers in the guy’s ears and spitting, touching his tongue as He restores the man’s hearing and speech. Why was that? We heard stories of Jesus feeding over 5000 with a few loaves and fishes – water being turned into wine – people being brought back from the dead simply with Jesus’ words being spoken. So it’s not like Jesus had to perform this miracle in this way.

 

But maybe Jesus was going out of his way to reach out to this man through His gentle touch this poor soul who couldn’t hear or speak how God thinks about you, God sees you, God knows the pains, the weaknesses, the brokenness you’re suffering from. God loves you. 

 

God went out of his way on the Cross to say that to all humanity.  The sad reality is that this is a message that many don’t feel, don’t recognize, or maybe don’t even really believe in.

 

Maybe you’re going through a really rough time right now that makes it hard to believe, to remember or perceive these things about God. 

 

Jesus is counting on those of us whose hearing and speech he has already touched to go out of our way for those who are suffering, who are skeptical, who are troubled by doubts. The miracle he performs reminds us that discipleship calls each of us to go out of our way and to listen and to speak out. 

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who go out of their way for others to listen to people’s pain, to listen to their fears, to listen to their doubts, to listen to their cries.  To listen to our own.  To listen to Jesus… To listen to Him in prayer… To listen to Him with the ears of our hearts so that we can then speak…Speak words of acceptance. Speak words of comfort. Speak words of forgiveness, of healing… of God’s eternal, unwavering, selfless, unconditional love.