Go ahead--ask for directions! (Lk 1:39-45)

The Visitation between Mary and Elizabeth is another development in the revelation that really begins with the Annunciation.  Together, these two events reveal how much God loves us, how merciful God is, and how much God wants to be involved in our lives.  Because God is still at work in our lives, this revelation also has important implications for us today.

 

For one, this revelation shows that God does not impose himself on us.  God asks for our cooperation and waits for our response.  That is the true nature of love and mercy.  The Annunciation provides the evidence. The Angel Gabriel’s message to Mary is not an imposition.  After his announcement, Gabriel waits for Mary’s response, for apparently none of what he has said will unfold without her consent.  And, Mary’s immediate response is not yes, but how.  Given her current marital status, she wants to know how this can be.

 

Mary’s question shows us that it’s okay to ask God what’s going on.  We need explanation and we like to have evidence.  That is our human nature.  Although it was clear that Gabriel is a messenger from the Lord, Mary is not afraid to ask what was happening. Her question shows that she is paying attention to God, to his message, and to her own life.  The same is true for us.  When we ask God about what is happening in our lives, we show him that we are not just passively wandering in the wilderness refusing to ask for directions and hoping for the best.  We care about his message and want to understand what he has in store for us.

 

Sensitive to Mary’s misgivings, Gabriel reassures her with news about her cousin Elizabeth having conceived a son in her barren years, for nothing is impossible for God. Only then does Mary accept the Lord’s invitation. Only then does Mary consent with the now familiar reply, “I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done unto me according to your Word.”  Only then does Mary say yes to the Lord.

 

In this way, we also learn from Mary that God will tell us. When she asked how her role in God’s plan was even possible in light of her situation, the Angel did not brush off Mary’s question.  Gabriel explained how things would unfold.  However mysterious that answer might have seemed to Mary, only then did she put her trust in the Lord.  We probably shouldn’t expect an angel to appear with answers to our questions, but we can be sure that God will provide the answer we seek.  Ask and you shall receive.  Seek and you shall find.  Knock and it will be opened. 

 

These are not empty promises.  We just have to listen with our hearts, as Mary and Elizabeth both did. God answers us in many different ways—through Scripture, through his creation, or through his messengers.  And, His messengers are his friends—our friends, our family, our associates and sometimes even a total stranger. The Angel, after all, was a total stranger to Mary and an unlikely messenger. God speaks to us through others, sometimes unlikely others.

 

Even with Gabriel’s explanation, however, Mary’s simple consent does not stem from a complete understanding on her part.  Rather, her consent expresses her profound belief and trust in the Lord that things will work out for the best.  But, the courageous and trusting Mary does not let things rest there.  The first thing she does after her encounter with the Angel is to visit Elizabeth.  It is as though she wants further confirmation of how this revelation will unfold.  Elizabeth provides that confirmation when she tells Mary how the baby in her womb leapt for joy at the sound of Mary’s voice.  Moved by the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth completes the revelation about God’s love and mercy when she says to Mary, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

 

Mary not only finds the assurance she wants in her visit with Elizabeth, Mary in turn confirms the truth of her revelation for the whole human race.  For, her moving encounter with Elizabeth inspires Mary to give voice to the great Magnificat. Through this prayer, Mary expresses her praise and thanks to God for all the great things that he has done for her, his lowly handmaid.  She acknowledges and calls attention to his mercy that is from age to age.  Mary reveals that through her son Jesus, God will put to shame the arrogant, lift up the lowly, and fill the hungry with good things.  She makes it clear that God has done this out of love not only for his servant, Israel, but for all future generations who will find reason enough to call her blessed for her role in God’s plan.  In this way, Mary shows that she understood the heart and soul of the mission Jesus would undertake even before he was born.  Through the Visitation, Mary becomes the first disciple of Jesus, the first evangelizer, and the first Apostle in the truest sense. She is the first genuine witness to the Word of God made flesh.

 

Mary’s witness shows that we too have good reason to tell others about God’s love and mercy for us and about how the Lord is working and abiding in our own lives. Our personal witness in this respect by word and deed can offer others strength in their time of need, especially when they see us relying on the Lord in our own time of need.  This is an important legacy for our family and friends.  The Angel Gabriel revealed to both Mary and Elizabeth how the Lord was going to work in their lives, and they shared that news first with each other and then with others.

 

We have a similar mission to share with others the good news of God’s love and mercy for us.  Mary’s witness shows us that we do not need complete understanding in order to share that good news.  Mary clearly did not get a complete picture from her dialogue with the Angel or from her visit with Elizabeth.  This gap in her understanding, however, did not prevent Mary from accepting the Word of the Lord with courage and trust.  The Lord reciprocated her trust with the gift of the Holy Spirit, who empowered Mary to carry out her role in God’s plan to the fullest.

 

Likewise, we don’t have to have all the answers before we go forward with trust in the Lord.  For, we have the same assurance from Jesus that the Holy Spirit will overshadow us, guide us in the way of truth, teach us all things, and remain with us until the end of time.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, we too may well feel empowered and brave enough to take on the challenge before us, whatever it may be.  Despite all the remaining gaps in our understanding, with the Holy Spirit on our side, we can be sure that things will work out for the best.  For, God not only invites; he enables us to respond with a confident yes.  

What, be a servant ? No way ! (Mk 10:35-45)

Jesus gives a challenging instruction to his disciples when he tells them that they must be servants to all.  If they want to be first, they must be last.  Today we do not usually aspire to be last, let alone a servant, for we tend to think of such a position as low paid and demeaning.  Being a servant goes too much against the cultural and political grain of today.  And yet, this is the precise role that Jesus calls for in his instruction to the disciples. If we are to follow his counsel, we must make sense of what being a servant means in today’s milieu that emphasizes autonomy and self-determination as the touchstones of independence.

Jesus himself provides the answer when he declares that “the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Jesus is the Divine Word who created the entire universe, and yet, humbled himself to share in our humanity as servant to all.  His guide and measure in his mission of service is love for the children of God.

Isaiah clearly revealed the heart of love as service to others when he says of the Lord, “This…is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly…setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own (Is 58:6-7).  This conduct follows a principle of love that applies to all of us.

Jesus appeals to this same principle of love when he addresses the issue of wealth in many of his parables.  In these parables, Jesus does not condemn the possession of wealth.  Rather, he insists that wealth must be shared with those in need.  Jesus wants us to care about what happens to those around us with real love and support, especially with respect to the poor.

Care for the poor is the central theme of the U.S. Bishops’ pastoral letter, Economic Justice for All.  Although published many years ago in 1986, their appeal remains relevant and just as urgent today.  In their letter, the Bishops present and defend economic standards based on biblical norms and the social justice teaching of the Church.  The bishops rely on that tradition to affirm the moral principle that “all members of society have a special obligation to the poor and vulnerable.”  They note that this “preferential option for the poor” does not mean pitting one group against another, but rather, strengthening the whole community by assisting those who are most vulnerable (EJ n. 16).

The bishops conclude that, “As Christians, we are called to respond to the needs of all our brothers and sisters, but those with the greatest needs require the greatest response” (EJ n. 16). Therefore, the “invisible poor” must not be marginalized in society or in societal consciousness. Neither should a “preferential option for the poor” be invisible in guiding social policy, nor a marginalized principle in the consciousness of Christians.

The Church continues to pursue this goal in a special way today through its missionary work across the world. For this reason, Pope Pius XI instituted World Mission Sunday in 1926 to be celebrated each year on this Sunday.  This designation calls attention to clinics caring for the sick and dying, orphanages providing a place of safety and shelter, and schools offering education from kindergarten through high school. The collection for World Mission Sunday also goes to fund seminaries preparing candidates for the priesthood and support for other religious formation programs. This missionary work takes place in over one thousand dioceses throughout the world, mostly in Africa and Asia.  In these missions, the poor receive education and health care while experiencing the loving heart of our Lord.

This missionary work flows from the instruction that Jesus gave to his disciples long ago.  Today that instruction challenges us to uphold a different vision of life than most would find acceptable.  Jesus outlines the parameters of that vision with his focus on love and service.  For Jesus, a person’s worth is not determined by appearance or income or ethnic background or citizenship status.  Rather, each person is the image and likeness of God and thus has worth as a sacred gift of God.  With many parables about wealth and service, Jesus reminds us that the values of the kingdom—compassion, justice, mercy and care for the least of his beloved—are not arbitrary values agreed upon by politicians and sociologists.  These are holy commands from the One who created us.

Jesus showed us how to fulfill this holy command to love and serve.  And, Paul appeals to this model when he says of Jesus, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So, let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help” (Heb 4:14-16). Paul makes this appeal because he knows that Jesus is anxious to show us how to be servant to all.  Jesus knows what it takes. He simply asks that we follow in his footsteps.

Who am I? (Mk 8:27-35)

         One time as they walk along Jesus asks his disciples two very different questions.  Both seem very ordinary, but the second poses a serious challenge that compels a choice on their part. The first question about who others are saying Jesus is compels very little from the disciples beyond their reporting the known facts, much like reporting the results of a political poll.  Their answer about who others think Jesus is reveals nothing about what the disciples themselves believe about who Jesus is.  Nor does the question require any commitment to Jesus or to his way of life.

         The second question, on the other hand, seems just as ordinary but turns out to be challenging and the disciples’ response revealing. This second question—who do YOU say that I am—is also a bit mysterious because by this time the disciples had a fairly good idea of who Jesus is based on what they saw him do.

         They saw the large crowds gather as he went around teaching.  They were there when Jesus fed the people with a few loaves of bread. They witnessed his challenge to the overbearing authority and hypocrisy of the Pharisees.  They saw how deeply Jesus cared for the poor and the oppressed and went out of his way to include sinners and outcasts in his inner circle of friends. So, why on earth did Jesus ask them such a question?   

         Jesus knows that his time with the disciples is nearing an end and thus they must decide who they believe Jesus is once and for all.  The question therefore prods some level of commitment from the disciples right then and there. From this point on, the disciples can no longer remain aloof.  They must decide what they personally believe about who Jesus is, and their answer will establish who they are in relation to Jesus. The question thus calls for a commitment to Jesus and a determination of a relationship with him. 

         Had the disciples remained aloof, they would have answered his question based only on what Jesus did.  But, they knew because Jesus had shown them that a person is always more than the sum of what he or she does.  Parents are more than bread winners, grass cutters, house cleaners, cooks, chauffeurs, and disciplinarians.  Children are more than students, sports players, budding musicians, and consumers of parental resources.  We are always more than “Do-er’s;  We are “Be-ers”.

         Likewise, Jesus is more than the sum of what He does.  That’s why he asks:  Who do you say that I AM?  When Peter says, “you are the Christ,” he is saying from his heart: You are the Anointed One of God.  In this way, Peter affirms that Jesus is in relationship with God, and that this relationship is the essence of who Jesus is; the essence of his being.  If Jesus is in relationship with God, then so are the disciples.

         This mutual relationship is what motivates Jesus to teach the disciples to begin their prayer with the words, “Our Father.”  This greeting shows the disciples that they too are in relationship with the Father and with each other, just as Jesus is in relationship with the Father and with them.  Thus, the disciples are also in relationship with Jesus as brothers and sisters.

         The same applies to us as well.  We too are in relationship with God our Father and with each other, and in relationship with Jesus, our brother, and he with us.  This is who we are; this relationship is the essence of our being. Thus, when we answer the question Jesus asks—who do you say I am?—we also answer the question—who am I?  Our answer reveals who we are in relation to Jesus and in relation to each other.

         Jesus asks the disciples these questions while times are good to prepare them for the bad times ahead.  Later, the disciples will have no time for reflection.  In this sense, Jesus tries to convey the urgency of Isaiah’s warning to “Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near” (Is 55:6).  Jesus knows that his disciples will need to rely on more than what others say about Him in order to get through the tough times ahead.   The disciples will need their own personal commitment to Jesus and faith in him and in each other to overcome the challenges and threats that are about to unfold.

         Jesus asks the same two questions of us for the same reason.  The answer to the first question may be easy enough as it was for the disciples.  Our answer to the second question is likewise as revealing for us as it was for the early disciples.  Our answer reveals who we believe Jesus is and who we believe we are in relation to him and to each other.  It is a question that we cannot avoid however we choose to answer. 

Hitting the mark (Mk 6:7-13)

The choice is theirs. Mark’s Gospel does not provide many details about the journey taken by the Twelve at the instruction of Jesus.  We only know that he gives them authority over unclean spirits and sends them on their way with instructions about what to pack and where to stay—or not, depending on the hospitality they receive.  The specifics of what they are to do on their journey Jesus apparently leaves up to them.  The choice is theirs.

By their own account, the Twelve choose to follow the example of Jesus.  They bring healing to others in spirit and in body.  They preach repentance.  They drive out demons.  They cure the sick.  These are the chief means of Jesus and how the Twelve heal others and restore them to life, both spiritually and physically.  Healing is the mission of Jesus himself.  Jesus came to call sinners to repentance (Lk 5:32), so that we may have life and have it abundantly (Jn 10:10).  Jesus thus calls attention to the joy in heaven over one sinner who repents (Lk 15:7).

Repentance involves the renunciation of sin.  The Greek word for sin in the New Testament is amartia, which means “to miss the mark.”  We miss the mark when we imitate false gods rather than the true God of Love.  In this sense, sin is not a matter of breaking rules.  Rather, sin is an orientation in one direction as opposed to another.  Sin is a turning away from God to a reliance on things, a false god. There are many false gods.

Repentance is the very opposite.  Repentance is a reorientation, a turning away from sin and turning back to God.  In this sense, repentance is a two-step process.  The first step is to turn away from our false god, while the second step is to turn back to the true God, the real God.  Because the goal of repentance is forgiveness, it is not enough to say, “I’m sorry.”  Genuine repentance requires both steps.  If our regret motivates us to turn back to God, we can be sure that God’s forgiveness follows.

Most of us tend to think of repentance and forgiveness as a single moment in time, rather than as a process.  We express sorrow for the wrong we have done, and then act as though feeling sorry is enough.  We expect forgiveness to follow.  But repentance is not just about feeling sorry.  The essence of repentance is transformation.  To repent means to turn away from sin and turn back to God.  Repentance begins with an individual choice but it is a process that in some cases takes time.

Seeking human forgiveness can also be a process that takes time.  This includes the process of forgiving ourselves.  Once we express sorrow, especially to the one we have wronged, we expect to be forgiven by that person.  We act as though our expression of sorrow somehow entitles us to forgiveness.  Yet, the reality is that forgiveness is not automatic because it is not just an individual choice.  Human forgiveness is a mutual process that involves at least two persons—the one who does the wrong and seeks forgiveness, and the one wronged who is asked to forgive.

As a result, forgiveness can take time for both the one who does wrong and for the one who forgives because transformation—the second step—can take time.  This is true because forgiveness often requires genuine sorrow as well as a track record to show that such sorrow is in fact sincere.  We cannot fool ourselves or others with words alone.  At times we must demonstrate that our repentance has indeed led to genuine transformation.  And that often takes time.  Thus, forgiveness does not necessarily happen all at once as an automatic response to our expression of sorrow and asking for forgiveness.  Rather, forgiveness is a mutual process that more often happens over time.

Mark’s Gospel does not provide any details about how the healing that comes from repentance and forgiveness takes place.  Such lack of details perhaps illustrates that Scripture is not a narrative about rules and formulas, but a story that invites participation in the healing mission of Jesus. As participants in the healing mission of Jesus, sometimes we seek healing and sometimes we offer healing. The good news of Jesus is the possibility that our lives might become an expression of his love and mercy. The Holy Spirit reveals to us that our real humanity—the person we are called to be—can reflect the true humanity of Christ.

When this happens, we can experience faith as a process of transformation, a journey of healing.  We often do not know beforehand the details of how and when that healing will take place.  But like the Twelve sent by Jesus, we can be sure that healing will occur if we but imitate Jesus.  The choice is ours.    

A wife and the big picture (Mk 12:18-27)

          The Sadducees did not believe in resurrection because they did not believe in an afterlife.  From their perspective, the idea of resurrection is contrary to Scripture and leads to irrational, absurd consequences.  They were also aware that Jesus did believe in both resurrection and an afterlife.  For that reason, they looked for an opportunity to engage Jesus in a discussion.  Their aim was to expose him as a false teacher by proving that resurrection is an untenable belief.  Mark’s gospel records one such encounter.

          The strategy of the Sadducees is to pose a question based on a passage found in the Book of Deuteronomy.  That passage specifies a man’s duty to the wife of his deceased brother (Dt 25:5).  If the doctrine of the resurrection is true, then the woman having seven husbands at the resurrection is contrary to Scripture.  Or else, having to choose which of the seven would be her husband leads to absurd and irrational consequences.  This dilemma suggests that the doctrine is therefore false.  Thus, the question the Sadducees pose is meant to put Jesus in an embarrassing position. 

          If he denies the necessity of the practice called for in the Book of Deuteronomy, he avoids the absurd consequences suggested by the question, but in effect denies the truth of Scripture.  This would undermine his credibility and authority to teach the reality of the resurrection, and thus undermine the doctrine itself.  On the other hand, if Jesus denies that there is indeed a future state where such absurd consequences occur, then he denies resurrection outright.  Either way, the Sadducees prove their point that resurrection is an untenable and false doctrine.

          Once again, however, Jesus turns the table on his interrogators.  He points out that their question relies on a false premise.  Their question assumes that resurrection means a return to a state much like the present one with similar circumstances.  For Jesus, this amounts to comparing apples to oranges.  Instead, Jesus makes it clear that life in the spiritual realm is not like life in the physical realm.  In the spiritual realm, there is no need for marriage. 

          As a result, the Sadducees’ use of one passage from the Book of Deuteronomy to disprove resurrection was a misuse of Scripture.  Relying on one passage to prove a point often leads to a distortion of Scripture.  This was the tactic used by Satan who quoted from Scripture for his own purpose when he tempted Jesus in the desert.  At the very least, selecting one passage to prove a point reflects an uncritical approach to Scripture and a failure to understand its purpose.  It is in this respect that the Sadducees were greatly misled.  When it comes to reading Scripture, they failed to get the big picture. 

          The Sadducees failed to understand that Scripture reveals and explains the relationship between God and his people.  The purpose is to inspire and lead us to the truth about God and his plan for our salvation.  As the Apostle John puts it, ultimately the purpose of Scripture is that we come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief we may have life in his name (Jn 20:31).  That was true for the Sadducees long ago as much as it is true for us today.