Sermons

March 19, 2017

Every biblical author has unique characteristics in his or her writings which distinguish them from other writers; traits which surface even when their compositions are intermingled with other writings. Today's Exodus passage provides a classic example. The Bible's first five books – called the Torah - are made up of at least four distinct sources. But even as "amateurs" we can pick out the work of one specific writer: when we read passages, which describe the forty-year wilderness experience of the people of Israel, then we read a text written by the so called “Yahwistic writer” – because he or she uses the word “Yahweh” when he or she speaks of God. He or she… - yes, it seems that some biblical scholars think that the author might have been a woman. The recently freed Hebrew slaves are griping, complaining, or grumbling about the mess they find themselves in in the wilderness – they are really in a difficult situation in the middle of the desert. When we hear the people of Israel described like this, we know the story is from the Yahwistic source. This author often addressed a problem with which many of us can identify today. What is this problem? Given a choice, we would perhaps prefer living during a different, more significant period of history – and not live in this often monotonous and sometimes boring time we experience today. Especially if we are people of faith, we would perhaps like to have participated in such events as the Exodus. Or maybe we would like to have been one of those fortunate individuals sitting at Jesus' Last Supper table or those on the way from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Having this wish, we pretend: “Yes, our faith would certainly be stronger and more committed if we would actually experience such "saving" events like the Exodus and experience someone like Jesus.” This desire to experience outstanding events with God seems to be behind the Yahwistic author's frequent mention of Israelite griping, complaining and grumbling during the Exodus. The author tried to show one thing: it takes just as much faith to notice God present and working in the lives of the Exodus community as it does to notice and experience God in our present lives. God could be experienced in the 13th century before Christ at the time of the historical exodus. God could be experienced in the 10th century before Christ when the author wrote about the Exodus and God can be experienced now, in the 21st century. In the Yahwistic author's community in the 10th century BC, there were certainly people who began to excuse their lack of faith on time and place. Then we can imagine that the author of our Exodus text would look them in the eye and reply: "Let me tell you about some things that happened during the Exodus three hundred years ago." Today’s passage is particular: it is significant that what people are complaining about - water - is actually as close as the rocks that are all around them. The very thing hiding the water, the rocks, contain the water. Yahweh was just as much in the midst of 10th century BC Jews when the author wrote the text, as Yahweh was in the midst of the complaining 13th century Jews in the desert when the Exodus happened. In both situations, God's presence could only be brought to the surface by people of faith. In many ways, John's Jesus is working on the same level as the writer of our Old Testament story, whom we call the “Yahwistic theologian”. The very thing the Samaritan woman is willing to spend time and effort to acquire, Jesus offers for free. "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him and her a spring of water welling up to eternal life". No wonder the somewhat confused woman responds: "Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water." The evangelist is teaching his community that what we most desire - life, symbolized by water - Jesus freely offers us. It is right in front of us, but we never notice it; just like the water Moses made come out from the rock. As usual, Paul provides some of the best insights on the subject. We not only find it difficult to notice God around us, we don't even notice God in us. Listen again to those well-known words: “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us – God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful”. Obviously, Jesus saw something in us that we rarely see in ourselves: God's presence. Even in our sinful selves, that presence makes us more than worthy to be "died for." The "biblical trick" is not to pray that God enter our lives, but to pray that we discover how, when, and where God is already in our lives. We priests are supposed to say "God be with you!" during the Eucharist. This is biblically incorrect - it should be "God is with you!" – if we priests would say “God is with you” more often, maybe there would be a lot less griping, complaining and grumbling in the Church. cf. http://www.dignityusa.org/breath/march-27-2011-third-sunday-lent

Fr Wolfgang Felber, SJ

March 5, 2017

Lenten season is the forty-day period before Easter. It begins with Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday. This is to give special preference to the Triduum (mass of the Lord's Supper, Good Friday and Easter Virgil). The Easter Virgil this year will be a special celebration for us in the English-Speaking Mission because we shall baptize our seven catechumens who have been preparing assiduously to receive the Sacrament of baptism. Two among them attend Mass and other programs regularly in our community, All Saints. May we continue to pray for them. One of the practices in Lent is Fasting. Both the Bible and the unbroken tradition of Christian living testify that fasting is a great help to avoid sin and all that leads to it. Fasting is not a recent invention. St Basil says it is as old as humanity itself. He says the law of fasting was prescribed in Paradise. It was the first commandment that Adam received: “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat”. Through the words, “you shall not eat” St. Basil says the law of fasting and abstinence is laid down. The story of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden was presented to us in the first reading. We see how dramatic and catastrophic the encounter with the devil in the Garden was. The name devil, “diabolos”, reveals him and his ways and what he stands for: Muddling up everything, causing disorder and havoc, twister and master of fake-news or architect of alternative facts. The simple antidote against his wiles was obedience to the instruction: “Of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat”. The disobedience of this simple instruction led to the fall of man. It is fascinating to see how paradigmatic the account of the fall in Genesis is to every actual sin that we human beings commit. The effect is that we lose the relationship we have with God, a relationship that is based on trust and simple obedience. Fasting especially during Lent is a very effective instrument to restore our relationship with God and our obedience to his commandments. The gospel reading presents us with the temptations of Jesus. The location of this temptation is the desert. Already the ancient people of Israel made the experience that the road to the Promised Land led through the desert, a frightening experience. But trust and obedience were demanded of them. It was surely not by chance that the Spirit led Jesus into the desert before he should begin his public ministry. Pope Benedict XVI pointed out something common to all three temptations of Christ in the desert. At the heart of all the temptations he said is the act of pushing God aside because we perceive him as secondary, if not actually superfluous and annoying, in comparison with all the apparently far more urgent matters that fill our lives. In place of God, bread, power, pride, insatiable desire for possessions take the position of more serious matters. Archbishop Koch explains: “Man the Maker’ is the common creed of our culture” That means man becomes the maker and the architect of happiness and good. Often he says we want to achieve by ourselves what only the Almighty can do. Instead of committing ourselves to the task of cooperating with his Spirit in this world, we endeavor to put ourselves in his place. Through fasting and abstinence, we seek to reconcile again with God. Fasting is not limited to food. Rather, it is about giving God the primary place that he deserves in our lives. It is about submitting to his will and obeying his commands. It is also about recognizing that only God is the sumum bonum - the ultimate good, as St. Thomas Aquinas will call him. What are you giving up for Lent? This is a question many of us may have received since Ash Wednesday. Pope Francis reacts to this question thus: "If you want to change your body, perhaps alcohol and candy is the way to go. But if you want to change your heart, a harder fast is needed. This narrow road is gritty, but it isn't sterile. It will make room in ourselves to experience a love that can make us whole and set us free." This Love is beyond all material pleasures.

Fr Sylvester Ajunwa