IV Sunday of Lent, Laetare Sunday

Laetare Sunday 2009

IV Sunday Lent

 Today marks Lent’s mid-point, called Laetare Sunday, and is the reason why in many churches the priest opts for rose vestments rather than violet.  The rose is intended to be a lighter violet, rather than what can sometimes be seen as pink.  The lighter violet, or rose, is a special sign of joy intended to encourage us on our penitential path through Lent, to Holy Week, and eventually Easter, Resurrection Sunday.

 In the readings today, St Paul and St John remind us of our need for faith and good works, which are traditionally two important themes for Lent.

 St. John tells us in his Gospel that Jesus tells Nicodemus that to have eternal life we must believe in him.  Jesus, and faith in him, are our means to our salvation and to eternal happiness with him in heaven. 

When I was 3 years in a protestant middle school, we heard repeatedly during our Wednesday church services that we needed to accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour, or we would go to Hell.  We were also taught that once we were saved, we were always saved.  I was confused, wondering what the Catholic method of salvation is and was afraid to ask.  My siblings and I decided to “accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour,” just in case.  We wanted to have our bases covered!

 Now I look back and laugh a bit at my naïveté, though I also wonder how I didn’t grasp that we Catholics uphold the same idea of faith in Christ our Saviour as an essential element of our salvation, beginning first at baptism, which Our Lord, Himself, says in the gospel is necessary for salvation.  The once saved, always saved idea doesn’t work—even St Paul says in his epistles that he works out his salvation in fear and trembling every day. 

 St James’ epistle adverts us, though, that our faith without good works is dead.  Our Lord tells us in today’s Gospel reading the same thing, essentially.  If we profess belief in Christ, then we claim to live in the light, not in darkness.  As Christians, 0ur works are good (or should be), they evidence our faith, and we are not ashamed to live so that our works can be seen by all.  It is good to remember that we do our works for God, so humility encourages us to work silently, though in the light, not fearing that these works be known by others.

 

It is important for us to remember that our faith is a gift from God, which we return to him as ours.  Likewise, the salvation he offers us is his free gift to us, which we can accept or reject, as we please.  St Paul’s epistle today reminds us that we are created good and for good works.  By our own free will we can choose evil and can choose to do evil.  

At the same time, we can choose to turn from evil and turn toward God.  An important aid for us to turn toward God, to strengthen our faith, and to make our good work more fruitful is to take advantage of the sacrament of confession, an important tool for a fruitful Lent and a great moment of freeing ourselves from our burden of sin and starting anew our relationship with God and the Church community.

 St. Paul starts this second reading telling us that God is rich in mercy because of his great love for us, even when we are in sin.  This assurance should console us and encourage us as we contemplate eternity, place our faith in Jesus as Savior, live our baptismal promises and the sacraments, and fill our life full of good works and virtue. 

 By being God’s adopted sons and daughters in baptism, we can respond to Cain’s question to God: “Yes, we are our brother’s keeper.  We are here to help each other here on Earth to have our needs met as best we can, and especially to help each other reach heaven, or at least purgatory.”

Homily for VII Sunday and Sunday before Ash Wednesday

February 22, 2009

Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time

When this Gospel was written, infirmities were mostly considered a punishment for sin, whether it be personal, ancestral, or collective.  In this case, it seems that the paralyzed man was considered guilty of some terrible personal sin.

When I was in the Holy Land, and particularly in Capernaum, where this healing occurred, I was surprised that the ancient houses, such as the one in this reading, were very small.  The reading says that Jesus was essentially mobbed; it was impossible to get near him.  This meant that they weren’t visiting in the American style—with lots of space between each other and comfortably seated.  The people must have been packed into that house, which wasn’t even the size of the adoration chapel, one pressed up against the other like the Mexico City Metro.  The saying “hanging out the windows” may be an accurate image for us here.

The fellows who carried the man and his litter had faith.  They knew Jesus could help him; they were so confident that they hoisted him up onto the roof and pulled apart the thatching so that he could be lowered into the center of that house.  If I understand correctly how thatching works, that is a particular feat which also requires a good amount of work to repair.  Anyway, the point is these fellows’ faith.  If the paralytic didn’t have full faith, then he surely gained it, thanks to his litter bearers. 

As an aside, we might do well to reflect on our own faith and the testimony our faith gives to others, even if it may not seem so noticeable.

The scribes, or teachers of the faith, who were sitting there with Jesus were surely having an interesting conversation.  The scribes were probably quizzing him, trying to stump him, while he responded perfectly to each question, stumping them in turn.  I sometimes wonder if they were talking about faith, and then Jesus’ response to them was tangibly presented to them with this concrete example, accompanied with his words:

“Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,
'Your sins are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Rise, pick up your mat and walk?'”

Jesus continues his teaching to the scribes and others gathered around him by saying:

“But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth"
"I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home."

I try to imagine myself there listening to those words and seeing the man rise and carry his litter.

At the same time I reflect on the image of the litter, similar to Christ and his cross.  We can see ourselves in this man, carrying his humanity, prone to sin, but called by Christ to perfect union with him, with God.  We are called to unite ourselves with God, to be as Christ taught us through his own life.  St. Paul tells us that Christ became like us so that we could become like him, yet our fallen human nature, thanks to original sin, impedes us.  For this reason Christ came to restore our union with God and we take advantage of this reunion that is offered us every time we seek the sacrament of reconciliation, which is more traditionally called confession or penance. 

Christ proved to the scribes and those gathered in that house, and even to all of us throughout the ages, that he can heal both the body and the soul. He has the power to cure and to forgive sins. 

Now as we approach Ash Wednesday it might be good for us to reflect on what type of sacrifice we will offer God in reparation and also ask God if there is anything in particular to which we should pay special attention.  Sacrifices may be as simple as giving up chocolate (which can be a substantial sacrifice for some), beer, fast food, teasing people too much, road rage, and things like that.  On the other hand it might be good for us to think of this penance in a positive light.  I can take that daily three dollars for that coffee and give it to Padua Place to help support those priests and bishops who are living out their last years after a lifetime of service.  I can visit that family member in the nursing home once a week.  I can befriend and try to help that cranky co-worker to see what it is that gives him his bad attitude.  I can attend daily Mass as often as I can and offer that time with God for my family, my ancestors who may be in purgatory, for those who hate and attack Christ and His Bride, Holy Mother Church, and so forth. 

Christ offers us a great opportunity during this Lent.  He offers us a renewed emphasis on his love for us and our need to repent and return to Him.  He offers us forgiveness for our sins.  Last Sunday our Holy Father, Pope Benedict, reminded us that our sins are what puts us, as individuals, at a distance from God and it is the sacrament of confession that brings the two of us back together, me and God.

The pope reminds us that if our sins are not humbly confessed, trusting in Divine Mercy, then they will finally bring about the death of our soul.  For those of us who may not have been to confession for a couple of years, or even for 10, 20, or even more, maybe this will be enough of a penance and good work to offer for our traditional Lenten sacrifice. 

For all of us: Let’s take time during Lent to reflect on God’s goodness and mercy, examine our consciences, and approach Our Lord in the sacrament of confession in humility, trusting in his love and mercy.  Even though it is a good and holy thing to frequent confession every two weeks or once a month, the minimum should be once a year, and Lent is probably the best time to release to Our Lord that burden of sins.  Let us rejoice to hear Christ say to us, via the priest, “your sins are forgiven.  Take up your mat and walk home.”