For Sunday, March 21, 2010

5th Sunday of Lent
Isaiah 43:16-21
Philippians 3:8-14
John 8:1-11

Or for the Scrutinies:
Ezekiel 37:12-14
Romans 8:8-11
John 11:1-45

"Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery" 1917, Max Beckmann

While most of us were sound asleep last Thanksgiving night, after feasting on turkey and all the fixings, a single vehicle car crash in Orange County, Florida would lead to a string of revelations that would bring Tiger Woods’ carefully crafted public persona crashing down around him. It was early in the morning of November 27 that his accident opened the floodgates of the rumor mill. Extensive journalistic inquiry then described his multiple infidelities as mistress after mistress came forward. Despite Tiger’s efforts to keep a lid on the situation, it quickly surpassed his ability to control it, and even his pleas for privacy were ignored. In the end, Tiger admitted that he needed to deal with his sexual addiction and left for treatment.

Now, four months later, Tiger is back in the news. On his Web site he released a statement Tuesday indicating that he would return to professional golf, playing in the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia in April.  Sports commentators have long anticipated that this would be the tourney to which Tiger would return, many suggesting that the tightly controlled atmosphere at Augusta–where Masters officials have strict control over media passes–will give Tiger the opportunity to play without the distraction of the tabloid press.

Sexual addiction, like alcoholism, and drug or gambling addiction, is a serious issue. And while Tiger’s situation may at first have seemed to be a sensational story about an adulterous relationship with one or two women, what became clear as the story unfolded was that there were deeper problems that needed to be attended to. Through the addiction, Tiger has lost endorsements, trust, his image, and a lot more. He’ll likely recover some of it. Only time will tell how much.

While Tiger’s situation is certainly one of the more sensational, it is by no means unique. One only has to watch a few episodes of “Intervention”, the A&E 2009 Emmy Award winning reality show, to see what is happening to people all over the country who are dealing with addictions and compulsive behavior. As the show sometimes reveals, not everyone makes it.

The woman caught in adultery was also exposed to public judgment. While she may not have had to deal with tabloids and television cameras, she did have to continue to live in Jerusalem. At least it was a big city, and she could hopefully find another district in which to start over. But she didn’t have a Web site or media machine to repair her image either, and in that way she is like so many today who find themselves in the grip of terrible addictions.

Here is challenge for us in these final weeks of Lent. As a community of faith, we’ve done so much good in these past weeks helping earthquake victims, participating in almsgiving, proclaiming a message of life in the health care debate. Now comes the story of the woman caught in adultery, exposed to public ridicule and judgment. It is a Gospel that asks us to examine our own inner motivations, individually, and as a church. And so what do we do for those who are affected by the awful spiral of addiction? How will our community care for them?

Will our building be open for 12-step meetings? Will we make known the resources that are available in our town? Can we support families that are affected by our solicitude? Can we offer talks by competent doctors and counselors to break the silence which may even result in an intervention that can lead to healing?

Jesus, the healer par excellence, said to the woman, “Neither do I condemn you.” Will the afflicted find healing, and not condemnation, in our midst?

Paul Michaels

Prayer

God of mercy,
you do not rejoice in suffering,
and you seek the salvation of all.
Heal those in the grip of evil.
Strengthen all who suffer
that they may be more closely united with your Son.
Forgive the sins of your people,
and give us courage to forgive those who have harmed us.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.

For Sunday, March 14, 2010

4th Sunday of Lent
Joshua 5:9a, 10-12
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Or for the Scrutinies:
Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
Ephesians 5:8-14
John 9:1-41

Every three years we come around to hearing the parable of the forgiving father/prodigal son. And in that third year, we hear it TWICE!–once on the fourth Sunday of Lent and then just a few months later when we get to the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time in September. The story is one of the most familiar of Jesus’ parables to Christians. It is reproduced in stained glass windows and taught in religious formation classes. It is often used as the Scripture reading for celebrations of first penance as a reminder of God’s eternal mercy.

In the parable, reconciliation seems so easy. Even though the younger son had wasted half of the father’s resources, the father welcomes him back. Through the celebration that occurs with the return to the fold of this wastrel, the father expresses his delight. But upon reflection, it is easy to understand why the older son is upset. The father (and older son), who relied on the remaining half of the inheritance, are now using it at a faster rate since the younger son has come back. While the father may be unconcerned, the more practical son is clearly upset that the younger son is once again in a position to share in the family’s wealth.

What the story reveals is that reconciliation is not an easy task. True reconciliation does not happen instantly. While celebrating the sacrament of penance may only take a short time (or maybe an hour if part of a communal service), the process of reconciliation can take much, much longer. And it is exactly that: a process.

Consider two sets of headlines in the past day.

On Sunday, a skeptical Palestinian government agreed to renewed talks with Israel, ending a 14-month breakdown of the Middle East peace process (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/world/middleeast/08mideast.html). But on Tuesday, while Vice President Biden was visiting, the Israeli Interior Ministry announced new construction to be undertaken in East Jerusalem (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/world/middleeast/10biden.html?ref=world). Palestinians reacted with horror and disgust. Mr. Biden offered harsh criticism saying, “Unilateral action taken by either party cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations on permanent status issues.” Reconciliation in the Middle East is proving to be difficult.

In Northern Ireland on Tuesday, the peace process initiated by the Good Friday accords in 1998 continued to move forward. The Northern Ireland Assembly voted to devolve the justice and policing powers. After 38 years, the government of Northern Ireland will once again take charge of these powers rather than have them controlled by London. But not everyone was in agreement. Members of the Ulster Unionist Party voted against devolution, believing that it was not yet time for this to take place (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8558466.stm). Of course, there are also radical partisans on the other side who have employed violence in the last decade to try to stop the accords. Reconciliation in Northern Ireland is also proving difficult.

In our own lives we know how difficult it can be to be reconciled. Even small transgressions can be difficult to let go of. Paul’s imperative to the Corinthians, “Be reconciled to God,” may actually be the easier part of the process. In the parable, it didn’t take too much for the father and son to be reconciled. The more difficult work was to bring about the reconciliation of the two brothers. The parable is silent on the eventual outcome of that task. But it was precisely what the father desired.

As this weekend’s parable highlights, the conversion of heart that needs to take place during the season of Lent is not only a return to the Lord. It is also a return to our brother or sister who may have wronged us or who we may have wronged. We won’t necessarily be done with that work by the time Easter comes. But it will have been a good Lent if we will have begun the process of reconciliation in earnest.

Paul Michaels

Prayer

Loving and forgiving God,
your Son welcomed the sinner
and healed those in the grip of evil.
Grant us your forgiveness and your mercy.
Open our hearts to the greatness of your love
that we may forgive those who have harmed us,
and be reconciled to those whom we have sinned against.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

3rd Sunday of Lent
Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15
1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12
Luke 13:1-9

Or for the Scrutinies:
Exodus 17:3-7
Romans 5:1-2, 5-8
John 4:5-42

With just a month until Easter, we have moved into the depths of Lent. The first of the Scrutinies will be celebrated this weekend with the Elect who have been chosen for baptism. In a few short weeks we will be at Palm Sunday, progressing through Holy Week, celebrating the great days of the Triduum that culminate with the Easter feast. Vespers (evening prayer) on Easter night bring the Three Days to a close even as we extend the Easter feasting through a week of weeks, that is, fifty days to Pentecost. These Lenten days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving will soon give way to the joy of Easter, in which we celebrate the glory of the resurrection.

Such is the liturgist’s dream.

In reality, Easter vespers this year will shatter that liturgical vision while pleasing a multitude. The devotion of millions will be turned at the end of Easter day to a different venue. Candles will give way to bright lights, and the smell of incense will be replaced by the unmistakable scent of red hots. The Yankees and the Red Sox will clash at Fenway Park on Easter night in a battle that will rival the harrowing of hell. (Your own team loyalty will determine which team is the evil other!)

This year Easter is opening day for baseball, though most teams won’t play until Monday, April 5, while Baltimore and Tampa Bay are left to complete the sequence a day late on Tuesday, April 6 (http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/schedule/#date=04/04/2010).

The games of spring training began this week with the Grapefruit League commencing play in Florida on Tuesday, while the Cactus League in Arizona starts Wednesday.

As much as Lent and the joy of Easter point to renewed life for so many believers, spring training and opening day signal a true restoration for the avid baseball fan. The signs that one’s team may prevail this year are divined in these next four weeks of exhibition play before the real games begin. Baseball has been described as a religion, and for some it is.

The first reading and the Gospel for this week each have signs in them that occur in everyday life. Moses is working. He is tending the flock when he sees the burning bush. Jesus is asked about the Galileans that were executed and the disaster that befell construction workers at a tower at Siloam. People wanted him to interpret what the events meant. They wanted him to read the signs of the day. The faith in which the Elect will be baptized is a faith that lives in the world. And everyday ordinary events can point us on the way to God if we look for God’s presence.

Baseball fans are on a march to opening day. They are going to pay attention to what is happening in the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues. They’ll try to figure out what a win here or a loss there means for the prospects of their team. And the truly hard-core fans are going to check the Web sites, follow the players, crunch the numbers, and maybe even fantasize about a World Series win. After all, no matter where your loyalty is, for the next thirty days your team is still undefeated!

We Christians are on a march to opening day as well. For these remaining days of Lent, we’re marching in the light of God to what will be the opening of the tomb, a tomb that will be empty because of the power of the risen Lord. It is a game that will never be sold out, because there is always room at the baptismal font. Our team is always a contender, because we’re working to renounce evil. And the signs all point to a victory, not because we’ve got the best pitcher or the strongest batter, but because the Lord is there to save us even as we train hard these Lenten days by prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Paul Michaels

Prayer

Loving God,
you revealed yourself to Moses
as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
As you rescued our forbears from the power of sin,
now stretch out your hand to save us
in our struggle against evil and the powers of death.
Give us new life and renew us with your Spirit,
that we may come to share the fullness of Easter joy.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.

For Sunday, February 28, 2010

2nd Sunday of Lent
Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
Philippians 3:17-4:1
Luke 9:28b-36

Euphrates River seen from the city of Abukamal

The measure of God’s covenant with Abram is bounded by water. The story in Genesis 15, recounted mostly by the Yahwist source with some Elohist verses added in, reflects the largest reach of the Davidic kingdom which extended from Wadi el-Arish in the Sinai all the way to the Euphrates in the Assyrian hill country. The water courses became the markers for God’s promise to his chosen one, Abram, and the descendants that would be as numerous as the stars of the sky.

These days, water is a hotly contested commodity in the Middle East. Numerous articles, reports, and conferences have pointed to a dwindling resource, even as the population grows. Last week, HRH Prince Hassan of Jordan opened a conference in Montreaux, Switzerland on “Water Security in the Middle East.” He said, “There is an urgent need for developed countries to provide technical assistance and support to water poor countries to reach a better level of water safety” (http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=24133). The conference was supported by the governments of Switzerland and Sweden and brought together representatives from throughout a region in which possession of water means economic advancement as well as the pure sustenance of life.

Clean water is the objective of Richard Boni and the Silver Filter Company in Yemen. NPR broadcast a story about him and his work on Tuesday evening, which described the process of creating inexpensive clay filters that provide potable water for many years. You can read an intriguing story about the process of making these simple yet extremely effective water filters in Yemen Today Magazine at http://www.yemen-today.com/go/development/3376.html.

In Bolivia–this week’s Operation Rice Bowl country–Catholic Relief Services sponsors an agricultural program that helps farmers who have migrated from the mountains produce the best crops as well as learn irrigation techniques on the warm plain. (Read more at: http://crs.org/bolivia/).

It seems that everyone is looking for water. But maybe no one more so than those who are seeking to be baptized at the Easter Vigil. These new Elect in our midst will be plunged into the life giving waters that gave those of us who are already baptized new life in Christ. Baptism will transfigure them, making them a chosen son or daughter of God.

The Gospel that all of us hear this Sunday about the transfiguration of Jesus up on the mountain is meant to remind those of us who are baptized who we really are. In our baptism we put on Christ, we became a new creation, transfigured and renewed. Maybe, to our shame, the new life of Christ does not shine as brightly as the Transfigured One himself.

Quite possibly in these forty days of Lent we need a little irrigation, a flushing out of sin. We may need some filtering, letting our confession be a purification in our lives. And we need the assistance of others, by prayer and example, because we cannot do this work on our own. It is the whole community that shares this Lent together.

The measure of God’s covenant with us is still bounded by water. But it is no longer the Wadi of Egypt or the great river Euphrates. Now it is the waters of baptism, the great river of new life in Christ, that binds the covenant that has made us God’s very own children.

Paul  Michaels

Prayer

God of all life,
your Son was transfigured
and made radiant in the sight of his disciples.
Heal us from our sins
and make us radiant in your love
that we may be faithful to the vows of our baptism
and profess you as the one true God,
and so lead others to faith in you.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.