32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time @ Ss. Francis and Clare Parish, Birch Run

The election of 1960 was hotly contested.

Republican Vice President Richard M. Nixon only lost the popular vote by 118,524. But if you subtract the six rogue electors from Alabama, who refused to endorse Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy, Nixon would have won the popular vote by 58,000; even though he lost in the electoral college 219 to 303.

In the House and the Senate, Democrats held a very comfortable majority — 262 out of 435; and 64 out of 100.

In his inaugural address given on January 20, 1961, then-president Kennedy near the end spoke these memorable words:

ask not what your country can do for you 
— ask what you can do for your country.

Finally ending with:

With a good conscience our only sure reward, 
with history the final judge of our deeds, 
let us go forth to lead the land we love, 
asking His blessing and His help, 
but knowing that here on earth 
God's work must truly be our own.

Today is the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, and our readings focus on sacrifice.

In both the Old Testament reading and the Gospel we hear of two widows. One who gave what food she had to a stranger, and the other who gave everything that she had.

The word widow is very unique in that it comes out of a single Indo-European root . . . meaning this word, or a variant of this word, has been used for thousands of years and all the languages of the world share a common root dating back to the origins of language.

In both Hebrew and Greek, the languages of the Old and New Testament, the word for widow is related to the word for a chasm or a desolate place.

Yet in both of these Bible stories, the widows give from their need — not from their surplus. The depth of their sacrifice made a noticeable dent in their lives. Or, in other words, they both gave until it hurt.

As we continue our sequential reading through Hebrews, the writer points out the superiority of Jesus’s sacrifice. Where in the Old Law, the priest sacrificed an ox and sprinkled the altar with its blood; Jesus sacrificed Himself for our salvation, in His own Body and with His own Blood. 

Where the Temple was meant to be a model . . . an image . . . and icon of Heaven, Jesus ascended into Heaven at God’s right hand, making “a holy sacrifice” on our behalf in the presence of God the Father.

The offerings of the two widows from their need is a model . . . an image . . . an icon of Christ’s own self-gift . . . His kenosis . . . His total self-emptying sacrifice.

Jesus’s sacrifice is once-for-all, perfect, and complete. And we re-present it here on this altar for the you and your intentions.

I will close with a Danish proverb. Like Kennedy’s famous “ask not” quote, it should leave us with a challenge.

What you are is God’s gift to you.
What you do is your gift to God. 

 As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ; let us ask ourselves — “How shall I make a return to the Lord, for all the good He has done for me.” 

Let us take what we have, and who we are . . . and through our thoughts, words, and deeds . . . make a worthy sacrifice to God, united with Christ Jesus, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Red Mass 2024 @ Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption, Saginaw, MI

Born in 1907, Robert Anson Heinlein was a Naval Officer, and an Aeronautical Engineer. But perhaps his is best known for being an author of science fiction. He is considered the “dean of American science fiction authors,” and is considered a pioneer in what is called “hard” science fiction, which means that his works did their best to depict science as accurately as possible.

He published 32 novels, 59 short stories, and 16 collections during his life; as well as 9 films, 2 television series, an several episodes of a radio series.

His most well-known work was made into the movie “Starship Troopers.” But his magnum opus was “Stranger in a Strange Land,” published in 1962.

The title of this work is taken from Exodus 2:22, from the words of Moses at the birth of his first son.

A summary of the book is that a human child is raised by Martians on Mars after a tragic accident claimed all the humans on the spacecraft.

In the book, that child – now an adult brought back to earth– struggles to understand human culture, human language, and human behavior.

In one situation, he asks his mentor – an attorney – “What is truth,” stating plainly that “If you've got the truth you can demonstrate it. Talking doesn't prove it.”

And in a later situation, speaking with a confidant who had been his nurse on his initial return to Earth he struggles with faith; calling it “a dirty monosyllable . . . that shouldn’t be used in polite company.”

If you are a fan of science fiction, it is a wild ride of intrigue, politics, and social exploration . . . not to mention linguistics and culture clash.

Today, we are gathered in this Cathedral to celebrate the Mass of the Holy Spirit – nominally the “Red Mass” – to pray for the opening of, what would have been in Olde England, the Michaelmas court term. 

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. While the fruits of the Holy Spirit are: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity.

Our readings are taken from the Thursday of the 27th Week of Ordinary time, and we’ve hit the third chapter of St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians, where he spouts off: “O stupid Galatians! Who has bewitched you?”

The Greek word translated here as “stupid” is a negation of the verb meaning to consider, to perceive, to think, to understand. And the word rendered as “bewitched” can also mean to slander, to curse, or to charm . . . to ruin a person’s reputation.

And what else is Paul ranting about? 

A struggle between the law and the spirit.

Now, law is a slippery word. Some people might even consider it to be a “dirty monosyllable . . . that shouldn’t be used in polite company.” 

And law is, indeed, slippery. There are all sorts of law. Church Law, or Canon Law. Criminal Law, Civil Law. Common Law, Contracts Law. Natural Law, Tribal Law, and even Divine Law; among many others.

The law that St. Paul is talking about here is the Law of Moses. And he’s losing his cool because after preaching the Gospel to the Galatians, they have thrown the transmission of their spiritual race car into reverse at high speed because they aren’t satisfied with living out the fullness of their Christian life. They think they’ve found a way to be super-duper pseudo-Jewish uber-Christians.

In today’s short reading, Paul points out that they have already perceived Christ Jesus, received the Holy Spirit, and experienced miracles from God the Father. 

But for some strange reason, all of that wasn’t enough for them. 

And someone, somehow, has convince them to jump with both feet into the Mosaic Law to try to live out the 613 mitzvah.

And Paul isn’t having any of this.

Our Gospel reading from St. Luke is the third and fourth pericopes of two others that precede it.

Two days ago we heard of Martha and Mary; and how Jesus points out the “one thing,” and the “better part.” 

Yesterday we heard the giving of the Lord’s Prayer — consisting of seven petitions (according to the Catechism) — and considered by some to be a perfect summary of the Gospel.

And today, we hear a parable about waking up your neighbors in the middle of the night; and snakes and fish, and scorpions and eggs.

What is going on here?

The story of Martha and Mary shows us the primacy of prayer. Mary sits at the feet of Jesus while her sister is busy busy busy.

Prayer is the “one thing.” Prayer is “the better part.”

The giving of the Lord’s prayer provides us with a pattern of prayer: a prayer that is confident, rightly ordered, devout and humble.

The neighbor gets his way through perseverance, a model for not giving up when we pray. Too often we may need to pray and pray and pray … not to change God’s mind, but to conform our own will more closely to God’s will. Persistent prayer is meant to change us, not God.

And finally, we hear of the promises of prayer — namely that we have a God who loves us and wants to give us all good things. And we must understand that God is generous and never disappoints.

And so, let’s tie this all together. 

We are judges and lawyers, agents of the court, who administer the law, according to the spirit of the law. 

This is hard, and sometimes we find ourselves asking: “What is truth?” And other times we may find ourselves losing our faith in the system.

But, with the power of prayer and the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, we can rise above the fray allow the gifts of our Baptism – Faith, Hope, and Love – direct us and guide us . . . So that we might ask and receive, seek and find through perseverance and focus.

As we continue with this liturgy of prayer, we will soon renew our Lawyer’s Oath, and lift up prayers of petition and thanksgiving. 

Let us through prayer, word, and sacrament, allow ourselves to be transformed by the Father’s grace into the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through the power and the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Ecumenical Soup Supper - Hope At The Cross,

1. HOPE AT THE CROSS

In Law School, my professors encouraged me, early on, to re-arrange my classes out of the usual order, so that I could take all of my Criminal Law classes as early as possible. So I crammed in Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Constitutional Law, and Evidence all at once during my second year. 

Why? You might ask was this? 

They wanted me to enroll in a Public Defender Clinic, because they thought this would be formative for me to get this under my belt. 

For the record, anyone who’s watched a movie with a courtroom scene has heard, “Objection! Hearsay.” That is, if you aren’t a witness to something, you may have heard about it, but that’s not good enough. 

Although there are exceptions. Rules 803, and 804 of the Federal Rules of Evidence provide roughly 30 exceptions to the Rule Against Hearsay, and Rule 805 provides that even when there’s hearsay within hearsay – that is, for those of you who remember the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, that immortal line:

My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious. 

could possibly be allowed in courtroom testimony “if each part of the combined statements conforms with an exception to the rule.”

Anyway, for us as Christians, our hope is in Christ, and in Him crucified. And so the first pericope provided for our reflection speaks of the two thieves on either side of Jesus at the Crucifixion; and provides a stunning comparison and contrast between hope and despair.

In the First Letter to Saint Timothy, Paul admonishes us to “put all our hope in the living God.” In the Letter to the Romans, Paul tells us that we are saved in hope, but that “hope that is seen is not hope.” And in the First Letter of Saint Peter, we hear that “we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

This is what I like to call “supernatural” hope, what Catholics call the “Theological Virtues,” with virtue meaning a strength or power.

We can hope that it might not rain tomorrow, but if we were facing imminent death, would we be able to hope? Or would we struggle with despair? The graces of God provides us with a hope that goes well beyond our own ability to hope. A powerful hope, that continues to hope, even when there is no light at the end of the tunnel. 

2. CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST

N. T. Wright speaks quite a bit about what he calls the Resurrection Movement within the early Christian community. For both Jews and Gentiles, the idea that Jesus was risen from the dead was mind-blowing. 

For the Sadducees, resurrection was heresy. It was some new-fangled idea that wasn’t in their Scriptures. The Pharisees, on the other hand, embraced the idea of a resurrection, but more as an end-of-time concept. The prophecy of Ezekiel in chapter 37 – the dry bones in the desert. 

But the resurrection of Jesus was ridiculous. The Sadducees didn’t have time for it. And the Pharisees weren’t ready for any resurrection before the end of time. What’s a Jew to do?

For the Greeks, maybe there was a transmigration of souls – a re-incarnation of sort. But for the Romans, life one one-and-done. Live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse. 

For us as twenty-first century Christians, we might take the resurrection for granted. Missing the point that this should be mind blowing for us just as it was mind blowing 2,000 some years ago. The Resurrection of Christ Jesus should be for us more than an idea. It should be a paradigm shift, that takes us out of this world and into the next. 

We don’t live our lives like the rest of the world. Not because of a rule-book; but rather because we know that the world as we know it is passing away. And that we will be united with Christ in a bodily resurrection.

As the Apostle’s Creed says it: “I believe in . . . the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.”

In the season of Lent, we seek to deepen our faith in this hope. To live our lives in a better way. More prayer. Less worldliness. More charity. 

These three pillars of our Lenten practice are meant to help us grow, not only in Hope, but in Faith, and in Love. Making us better sons and daughters of God, siblings of Christ Jesus, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

The hope that we express in the resurrection should spur us on the emulate the generosity of God in what we say and what we do. Too often, we can get stuck – where our beliefs become something in our minds, leaving us ruminating without much action. Our Hope in Christ’s Resurrection should lead us to act on what we believe, so that our Faith becomes action – not for the sake of acting, but out of Love. Emulating the generosity of God, from Whom we have received everything that we have, as well as everything that we are.

This is what sets Christians apart in the world-at-large. Our relationship with God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And as we take our faith out into the world, our acts of charity and love provide opportunities for us to show the Love of God to a world lacking in Hope and in missing out on Faith. 

I want to thank you for hosting us tonight at the Burt Methodist Church. Let’s stand and sing the hymn on the back of your programs.