Know the Word, Preach the Word

I love this Sunday’s first reading from Jeremiah. It has a lot to do with knowing God’s Word, but also preaching that Word and to do so boldly. Jeremiah took that Word in; he let it stir in his heart and then brought it forth to the People of Israel. Sometimes that Word is accepted by others, but often it is rejected or only accepted partially and the person who pays the consequences is usually the one who is preaching, and not just the priest or deacon, but anyone who preaches the Good Word, anywhere and anytime. Jeremiah himself says, “The Word of the Lord has brought me derision and reproach all the day.” He is clearly saying that not everyone was open to this Word, many have turned against him. Nevertheless there are two great lessons for us here, the first) we must know Sacred Scripture and two) we must preach it.

How do I get to know Scripture? Well, simply read it. So many Catholics are not comfortable with Scripture if not avoiding it altogether. St. Jerome (4^th Century Church Father, Biblical Scholar, and most likely a Croatian – born in what is today called Split) said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” The bible is about Jesus who himself is the Word of God. Often Catholics will ask, “How can I talk to God and how do I know if He is talking back to me?” That is called prayer. We can use Scripture in many ways, but the three most important are to 1) pray the Scripture, i.e. asking God for guidance, to meditate and reflect, 2) to learn about salvation history, and 3) to delve deeper into the Divine mysteries, i.e. the deeper questions concerning God and life. In all of these we hear God’s voice talking back to us.

Knowing is only half of what is required, the second leg which is the other half and maybe the more important aspect is that I must preach what I know. This does not mean we are to smash the bible over peoples’ heads if they are ignorant, mistaken, or have gone astray, no indeed, rather we must preach first and foremost with compassion and by our actions. And yet, sometimes we must be firm and not waver. Remember that Jesus says, “Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26)

Sometimes people will challenge Christian beliefs, often times they themselves usually challenge those beliefs because of some morality issue, some hurt in their own lives, or some complaint against religion and institution. As a Catholic one must be equipped to respond at least on a rudimentary level to people’s questions, complaints, and concerns about our faith. It is not just for the priest, though that is a big part of my job, but the people as well who are on the front lines so-to-speak, i.e. at work, school, with friends, and in many places that the priest cannot be all at once, that is why the work of the Church is shared by all.

The deeper question is, “Why wouldn’t I want to learn as much as I can about God?” He is the one who has given me life, all that I have in it, the one who will take me to Himself when my life here ends. I think those reasons are good enough. But the most important reason is the one Jeremiah has left us with and I will simply close with his words and pray that they touch all our hearts. “… (The Word of the Lord) becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it. (emphasis mine)

Fr. John

Image of St. John the Apostle

image from http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-john-the-apostle-gallery/

Even From the Scraps

This week’s Gospel from St. Matthew is not an easy one to accept. It almost seems that Jesus is calling a non-Jew a dog. On the surface that would seem so, but that is not what Jesus meant or what he was seeking to accomplish. Rather, Jesus was trying to teach us true faith, one that is based on - from front to end and permeated with humility.

The Canaanite woman (a non-Jew) approaches Jesus asking him to heal her sick daughter. Jesus responds that one is not supposed to throw the food of the children of Israel to dogs. He states his mission is to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The woman could have done a few things here. One) she could have simply walked away, dejected and defeated, but she does not. Two) she could have let Jesus have it and respond by saying, “How dare you call me a dog!” Three) Or, as she did, she could humble herself and persist in asking Jesus for his help.

Her response is, “Even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters’ tables.” Her response is honest, humble, and even courageous. We have to remember there are people watching her; the disciples are there, others who were following Jesus and others who may have gathered. So, her response was not done in private, but public – therefore courageous. She admits she is not a Jew, but she admits something even better, she is a woman of faith, for only faith could have led her to humble herself. She is also stating that she is ok with leftovers, because even the leftovers from God are filled with grace, and grace is grace, whether it comes now or later.

Jesus finally responds, “Your faith has saved your daughter.” This story was not just for the woman and her daughter, but also for all the Jews who were present to teach them true faith – faith that is humble and a faith that perseveres. The story is also for us, so that our faith will also be humble and one that perseveres.

Points for our reflection are; do we expect things from God? Do we feel that we deserve anything from God? Does God owe us the first serving so-to-speak? “No,” he does not owe us anything. Pride is the root of all evil, because it gives us a sense of entitlement. The woman had no sense of entitlement; rather she was satisfied to receive grace even when it was falling from the table like leftovers for a pet. How close are we to that kind of faith? Jesus wants our faith to be like that of the Canaanite woman. It is not easy to have that kind of faith, but through prayer, the sacrament of confession, the Eucharist, and our fellowship with one another we can move towards it. We have taken the right step already, since we are here to receive our Lord, and we are content to receive be first or last, be it the best serving or even like the scraps that fall from the Mater’s table.

Fr. John

The Lord's Extended Hand

This week’s Gospel from Matthew chapter fourteen is the famous “Walking on the Water” story in which Peter starts out fine but then begins to sink. An interesting that happens at the end which is easy to overlook, but is crucial to the story at hand is that it was not only Peter who would sink in the raging water, but you and I as well.

After Jesus saves Peter and he is back in the boat the winds finally die down at Jesus’ command. The Apostles are in awe because Jesus also commands the elements of nature, making a violent storm turn calm. They begin to recognize that there is Divinity at work here, and as the passage says, “Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’”

Jesus is patient with his disciples and only reveals who He is and what His mission is over a period of time. They would not have been able to handle the full Truth all at once. Somewhere about half way through Jesus’ three year ministry the Apostles pretty much have a decent grasp that Jesus is Yahweh, though probably still difficult to comprehend since they had a human being in front of their eyes and probably looked to him more in that sense.

The story of Peter sinking in the water was not an isolated event, but reminiscent of all the Apostles, because soon enough all of them sank in the water the night Jesus was arrested. Before the storm they all walked on water, all were on cloud nine, as we say, but when the storm came they grew frightened for the winds were stronger than they could bear, so they ran. And yet, they knew Jesus was Yahweh. They saw Him catch Peter, calm the winds, heal the sick, multiply loaves of bread and fish, they saw much. Still it seems that was all forgotten when the storms of life hit.

We should not be too hard on the Apostles here, because you and I would have sunk as well. Who would have been ready to die with Jesus that night? Who would have been able to endure torture, mockery, and crucifixion? None of us, we would have all run and we would have run at full sprint.

In our own lives we have run from Christ when storms came, we looked for the answers elsewhere. It’s part of our weak human nature, and still Jesus continues to extend his arm to snatch us up from the violent wind and rain and to see us safely back into the boat. Isn’t awesome to know that God infinitely holds out His arm to keep us from sinking? All we have to do is reach up and hold on.

FJ