Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2018

Growth
confusion.

I declare and testify in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; that is not how you learned Christ, assuming that you have heard of him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus, that you should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds

Today, we find ourselves caught among the complainers and those who refuse to grow.

The Israelites were barely across the sea – having complained there that God’s servant, Moses, had led them to their impending deaths. Now, they were complaining about being hungry. Not just complaining, but dramatically complaining. They didn’t think, or intellectualize all that God had done for them. They forgot what God had done faster than we forget many of life’s minor daily details.

It is said that the human mind forgets things because our focus is on understanding, not remembering. For instance, we may go to a baseball game, or picnic, or family event not so much to remember the brands of hotdogs and chips we ate there, but to grow in understanding of times together. We do remember aspects of those events, but only as a byproduct our understanding and growing.

Ah, there’s the problem. The people of Israel forgot, not only the details, but also failed to understand, comprehend, or integrate the things God had done in their journey to freedom. They missed real faith in God. They did not grow.

On the other end are the people following Jesus around. Sure, they thought, but only with their stomachs. They only remembered what Jesus had just done for their physical wellbeing. They did not move beyond that to an understanding, comprehension, or integration of the things Jesus was teaching. As the days progressed, following Jesus around, they missed the spirit – the reality of God’s truth and their call to faith in His truth. They went so far as to say to Jesus: “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?  What can you do?” in spite of everything they had seen Jesus do. Their stomachs grew but otherwise they did not grow.

Paul confronts lack of growth and refusal to get what God does. Don’t live for today or get caught complaining. See what God is doing. We learned of Jesus and were taught in Him. Abandon the futile. Let us be renewed in not just remembering, but in understanding and growing.

Reflection for the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2018

What is wrong
with them?

Jesus came home with his disciples. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

Today we re-enter the post-Pentecost season of Ordinary Time. As with nature around us, green has returned and we are called to growth.

In this season, we re-encounter the teachings of Jesus, His call to us to be different, to be changed, to be rich and abundant in our growth in holiness.

Jesus’ family and the people of His hometown could not believe Him. Who is this man? Where does He get all this from? He must be crazy! Truth be told, if we were to really and honestly live as Jesus demands, our families and friends would say the same of us.

This is not a sermon about what we should do, for I well know that many here live as Jesus demands. Many here follow His call in ways that would make their families and friends say, if they knew the extent of their life in Jesus, ‘They are out of their minds.’

The world really does think that of Christians – that we are mad. The world of sin, greed, conflict, anger, and deceit would like to see us all go away. It is not just the fact that the world is in sin, but because our life in Jesus nags them. It speaks to them of the fearful truth that the world’s sinful ways are weak, temporary, and oh so fleeting. It is tough to look at people and know they will win while you are on the losing side.

Jesus came to tie up the ‘strong man’ of sin. He came to bind that strong man so that we who live in Christ prevail – come out as the winners we are destined to be in the end. When the sinful hear that, they tremble. They call us crazy, misdirect, and use every ruse to try to incapacitate the true victor – Jesus Christ and His followers. Thanks be, they will not win.

As we come out of the joy filled season of Easter, as we recounted the great gift of the Holy Spirit, and reflected on the identity of God and His great gift of Himself in the Holy Eucharist, let us once again take up the mantle of life in Christ. Let us be Jesus crazy before the world. Let the world be astonished and nagged because we live the beatitudes, turn the other cheek, give it all away, and offer up our very selves for our brothers and sisters. Let us pray that our life in Jesus is that evident. Let us hope the world says of us: ‘What’s wrong with them?’ so we may show Jesus all the more.

Reflection for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Hey Dad,
Pass the mustard seed

“It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches”

Sitting around with dad today, we might lay out all the things he loves to eat. Hot dogs, hamburgers, kielbasa – what else? The fixings we love – ketchup, onions, and our theme for today, mustard.

How did that mustard get there?

The Hunter – Angler – Gardener – Cook website notes how easy it is to make mustard. They start by saying: “What do you mean you can make mustard at home?”

“Well… How did you think it was made? By mustard elves under a tree?” They note: “If you
have mustard seed and water, you can make mustard.”

The basic idea behind making mustard is this: Grind seeds and add cool liquid. At its most basic, this is all mustard is. Adding an acid, most often vinegar, stops and sets the reaction in place – this is precisely what happens with horseradish as well. Adding salt not only improves the flavor, but also helps preserve the mustard, too. Finally, let your mustard set in the fridge or in a cool place for at least a day to age and mellow.

Mustard of course comes from that giant bush that grows from the smallest of seeds. That’s what today is all about – growth.

Our dads and those other important men in our lives have been there to guide that growth. We don’t start out finished anymore than the mustard seed starts out as the finished bush or as really yummy mustard. Dad sees that we grow in the right way.

Jesus says: “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it?” It is the story of the mustard seed.

God’s guidance over our growth is absolute. He is our heavenly Father. Just as the cedar and the mustard seed cannot grow without His oversight, we cannot possibly grow the way we should without His guidance and presence in our lives.

Nothing gets to perfection without effort. Certainly dad will tell us that we need study, patience, work hard, and practice. Dad is speaking for God here as well. We cannot get to heaven, to spiritual perfection, to our destiny with God without study, patience, hard work, and practice.

When dad asks for the mustard today, remember that we are all growing, no matter our age. We will get to where we are meant to be – people who fulfill God’s plan for our growth. Trusting in Him like we do in dad, and we will win.