Feast of the Annunciation: Luke 1:26-38

+ Lent 2^nd Sunday: The Woman with the Flow of Blood: Mark 5:25-44

Homily by Sr. Rebecca

                                                                                                                                   

            Today we celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation. Also we celebrate the healing of the Woman with the Flow of Blood from the Gospel of Mark, which is usually taken today, the 2^nd Sunday of Lent. Those present at the services yesterday may have noticed that several hymns were peppered among those of the Annunciation that recounted and commented on this woman’s faith-driven heroic action.

            Pondering these two events coming together today has moved me to offer some insights about these two extraordinary women: the Virgin Mary and this unnamed woman. What strikes me as common in both of these Gospel stories are two women of enlightened faith.  And they act upon their inner power at a time when women were denied any personal power in deciding the course of their lives in society at large. 

            In the story of the Annunciation, God takes the initiative: Mary is invited by God to accept to be the recipient and her womb to be the vessel of a stupendous, an unheard-of virginal pregnancy with the longed-for Messiah. She is deeply disturbed, she pauses, she considers and ponders, and only then does she engage her reason: she inquires. “How can this come about, since I am a virgin?” No doubt she realizes that by accepting this invitation she puts her very life at stake.  The social consequence of such a pregnancy could mean a loss of moral reputation, accused of adultery and guilty of death.

            The angel tells her, “The Holy Spirit will cover you with its shadow, and the child will be holy and will be called Son of God..…and nothing is impossible with God.”  The angel assures her in her fears: “The Lord is with you.”  That is all it takes for her to step out in faith and open herself to this incredible role of mother of God’s son, the future Messiah.  She is attuned to the word.  She moves to a different inner space:  to one of trust, a place where she claims her own innermost power to be open, ready to receive. She is enabled to utter her fiat: “Be it done according to your word.”  Mary is receptive, not passive – God does not impose power upon her.  God invites her to own her own innermost power – a gift of autonomous free choice, consent.  She can say yes or no.

            I turn now to this other woman: the one in all three Gospels, with the stigma of a flow of blood.* Unlike Mary, this woman was already ostracized by society.  She was deemed unclean by the religious authorities.  The Gospel text says that when she had to identity herself as the one who touched Jesus, she came forward in fear and trembling.  She knew that having touched Jesus’ hem she had also made him unclean.  Can we stretch our imagination to her state of mind and the thoughts of those around her?  She had for 18 years internalized society’s rejection of her as filthy, abhorrent, unfit to be seen, let alone to be touching anyone.

            It is against this social stigma that this audacious woman acted.  What gave her this incredible courage? She is willing to struggle because she calls forth from the depth of her being her own God-given power of choice.   She has that positive inner sense of self: who she really is, not what is mirrored by others.  She dis-identifies with what others think of her. She embraced her own power and acted in faith on it.  And in the intentional touching the hem of Jesus’ cloak this woman released Jesus’ power, and she was healed, made whole. Amazing grace: the power of faith to draw the very Power of God into our lives!!

            Today we contemplate the extraordinary faith of these two women: models of Christian discipleship: “they who believed,” who trusted God’s word to them: Mary the one who accepts to bear in her womb the Savior of the world, and this same Savior, Jesus, 30 years later, saves the woman with the flow of blood, who by her faith is made whole – she, God’s beloved child, one whom society rejects, one whose womb was considered abominable.  Her own womb, symbolically, now bears the seed of the Divine within her; she now is called to bring forth the Christ subsequently in her own life. 

            May these two women be the source of our meditation today.  At times we might think it would be better if decisions were made for us, if someone would tell us the answers, to inspire us to do this or not do that.  But as part of our being made in the image and likeness of God, we need to embody our own power; we need to take our own responsibility for what we believe, for what we feel called to from the depth of our being and go forward trusting in God’s word to each of us: “Do not be afraid!”  Throughout the Bible when there are annunciation experiences, the messenger of God says, “Do not be afraid!”  Well, this always means that from a human level, we are afraid and have every reason to be afraid!”  It implies that we cannot go on our own steam, our own brain and willpower.  It calls for silence and an empty space within to listen deeply from our unencumbered hearts.  From this space we are enabled to hear and trust Jesus’ utterance to us: “I am with you always!”

*Added Note:

All three Synoptic Gospel writers have included this story of the woman with the flow of blood.  It signifies that in each of writer’s early Christian communities it was considered important.  We can understand this in the light of early Christian marginalization by both the Jewish and Roman authorities. 

NB:  In the writing of this homily, I gleaned some insights from an adapted article, “She Who Believed,” from one of Elizabeth Fiorenza’s books, and I would like to express my gratitude.

Catacomb:  Woman touching hem of Jesus’ Garment

Annunciation: The woman at Dura-Europos has secrets to reveal.

As Peppard explains, the third-century Dura Annunciation is based not on the Biblical Annunciation on the Gospel of James (a.k.a. the Protevangelium of James), a second-century apocryphal gospel that narrates the life of Mary up to and including the birth of Jesus. According to the Gospel of James, Mary “took the pitcher and went forth to fill it with water and lo! a voice saying, ‘Hail thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women.’ And she looked around on the right and on the left to see from where this voice could have come.”

If Peppard’s interpretation is correct, this would make the portrait at the Dura-Europos church the earliest image of the Virgin Mary.

Forgiveness Sunday Homily

As preached by Brother Marc
Holy Wisdom Church

C. S. Lewis remarked that “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea—until they have something to forgive.”

Things can get tricky when we feel we’ve been wronged. We know a person can be so hurt and angry, they want “to kill.” Then resentment, bitterness, and anger eat away at us if we allow them to simmer inside..

The great preacher Frederick Buechner said that the impulse to lick our wounds, smack our lips over grievances… roll over the tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, savor the last morsel…of pain you are given…or giving back…is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback: What you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton left after the feast is you. Later, I have a better menu I can share with you.

If time heals all wounds, there wouldn’t be so many people feeling hurt, sad, or bitter for so long, or who retaliate or act like the living dead looking for relief. Nations and nationalities would not be at enmity with one another for ages on end.

Not time, but forgiving and being forgiven, is what heals all wounds and gives life. Italian psychiatrist Robert Assagioili said that “Without forgiveness, life is governed by an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation.” Nelson Mandela said, “As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.”

Confronting hurt and resentment are fundamental to our relationship with God. Jesus came to set captives free, both the unforgiven and the unforgiving, and to bring us life in abundance. He said “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” They were not being forced: They knew very well what they were doing to him–but from the viewpoint of living spirit and humanity, they did not have a clue.

We know, as religious and spiritual, loving and growth-minded people, that we “should” forgive. We like to emphasize this when we’re the ones hoping to be forgiven! Because we can pretty much guarantee we will be hurtful to someone at some point or another.

If we are still in the habit of committing the offense, we can’t expect forgiveness. Those offended have an excuse to continue their hostility.

A life characterized by forgiveness is a complex, emotional, and mindful process and journey. It is more difficult depending on how serious an offence is and how it is perceived on both sides. “Decisional forgiveness” is when we choose our response and behavior, and where we intend to address our relationships in healthy and mature ways. Even if my feelings do not match up with my desire to forgive, the act begins here and now with a choice. Anne Lamott says, “Forgiveness means it finally becomes unimportant that you hit back.”

This is essential to long-term relationships, living in community, and peaceful co-existence in the world.

Practicing forgiveness is also a way to help stop our minds replaying transgressions repeatedly over time, which can lead to distress, physical disease, and emotional and psychological disorders. It allows us to untangle and release our distressful thoughts and uncomfortable feelings.

When we forgive, we allow ourselves to engage more deeply in life by healing and decreasing our suffering. We no longer give our time and energy to thoughts and feelings of anger, hurt, and justification. We open up our time and energy for more pleasant and creative options.

For survivors of indelible traumatic injury and abuse, the #MeToo movement sparked the freedom to speak up and find healing. It points out the need to upgrade destructive and false definitions of forgiveness, justice, silence, and forced reconciliation. Forgiveness in this case is a long process of releasing resentment and finding support, change, and a new aliveness. “Life becomes easier when you learn to accept an apology you never got.” The author of Short Thoughts for the Long Haul says, “If you can’t forgive and forget, pick one.”

Here is today’s recipe: Start your day free by focusing on your own care: meditate, and avoid the distress of emails and old ruminations.

When you are hurt, consider the source. Is the other lashing out?

Grow from criticism if a grain of truth is there. Their criticism defines them, not me.

If upset, feel it for five, then bye-bye. It’s like stubbing a toe: take on the physical sensation fully, yell “ouch” without mental drama and interpretations. It moves out fast. Feel it for five, then bye-bye.

Sensitivity is a gift: don’t toughen up, but smarten up! Keep heart and mind healthy and pure.

“If you can’t forgive and forget, pick one.”

But sometimes that whole “forgive and forget” thing doesn’t quite add up when there’s a pattern of transgressions. And something deep within you suspects that just “wiping the slate clean” is not the wisest or safest path ahead—emotionally, spiritually, financially or physically.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you really need to forgive and forget, this episode may give you a fresh perspective to consider.

Distrust and resentment: forgiving doesn’t mean you’ll trust or condone or tolerate further… and don’t have to befriend.

Struggling to forgive one who has wronged us is usually a multistep affair and often takes a significant amount of time.

Receiving comfort, understanding the truth, and reaching the freedom of forgiveness are seldom simple, one-moment endeavors. A long time may be needed to completely follow and experience Jesus’ model of forgiveness.

Forgiving does not mean that we forget what they did to us. Whoever told us that we can “forgive and forget” was quite misguided. The pain of some things is so intense that we will never forget them. Nevertheless, by God’s grace we can forgive them even though we may never forget what they did to us.

Abstract forgiveness is a character strength and process that, when practiced, is associated with improved psychological well-being, physical health outcomes, and longevity. Forgiveness can serve as a protective factor that buffers against poor health and psychological consequences. Common misconceptions about forgiveness can serve as barriers to the desire to cultivate this protective strength, as forgiveness is often conflated with permissiveness and is perceived as permission for a transgressor to engage in hurtful conduct. The benefits of forgiveness, however, are most significant for the individual who has been transgressed, rather than the transgressor. Failing to forgive, or unforgiveness, is the practice of engaging in ruminative thoughts of anger, vengeance, hate, and resentment that have unproductive outcomes for the ruminator, such as increased anxiety, depression, elevated blood pressure, vascular resistance, decreased immune response, and worse outcomes in coronary artery disease. Practicing forgiveness enables the transgressed individual to reduce their engagement in rumination, thus reducing their experience of anger, resentment, and hate. Forgiveness, then, is a pathway to psychological well-being and health outcomes.

Think positive, but not too much, and think negative when you need to.

Of course, thinking positive has its benefits. But thinking positive isn't always the best response. Negative thoughts sometimes have benefits too.

When we are sad or grieving, thinking negative thoughts and showing the emotions that these thoughts create helps us communicate to others that we need their support and kindness. When we are treated unfairly and we get angry, our thoughts can help motivate us to take action, make changes in our lives, and change the world. Casually pushing these negative emotions aside without seriously considering their origins can have negative consequences. So when you focus on the negative, ask yourself: Is this negative emotion resulting in action that improves your life? If so, then keep it. If not, then work on changing it.  

Forgiveness: hurt versus trauma. Unconditional forgiveness comes at great cost. The person who has been abused in childhood has already paid an enormous cost. It is not always possible then for them to come and face the enormity of the problem, sometimes seeing it clearly for the first time, and then be able to outlay another cost at that point. Forgiveness of an abuser most often comes after a long process of coming to terms with a lifetime of effects. We can support survivors in forgiving in their own way, in their own time, without ever having to reconcile or condone.

On the Sunday just before the first day of Great Lent, it was established that, in accordance with that Gospel reading, on that day, we should observe the pious custom of asking one another to forgive us our sins, whether committed in knowledge or in ignorance, and of taking all possible measures to reconcile ourselves with those who are at odds with us. That is the first step on the way to Great Lent. Accordingly, that Sunday is customarily referred to as Forgiveness Sunday.

In those brief exchanges, we are not able to work out all of the sins and slights that may have built up over the year, and we are not able to test the sincerity of the other’s plea. Is it possible to just go through the motions? Yes. Has all truly been forgiven and made right? Maybe not. Nonetheless, it is an important and visceral step toward the other: an invitation to and entering in of God’s grace. It is remarkable just how much is communicated in that awkward, emotional, and hope-filled receiving line. Holding a gaze with your fellow church members for those brief seconds, there is a searing sensation. You remember back to the exact moment (or moments) over the past 12 months when you were short-tempered or selfish or uncaring—forgetting to inquire after an ill parishioner’s health, interpreting a turned head as judgment of my unruly 5-year-old’s noisemaking.

A theologian in the 1960s wrote: “The early Church’s practice of forgiveness can be honored again. As pastors, we must help our churches discover how, or our churches will be dead. As Christians, theology will begin from that forgiveness which is the heart of the gospel, or the Christian faith will be irrelevant to the crisis of this age. That irrelevance will say nothing about what the faith is, but it will highlight its betrayal by us.”