Homily March 327, 2022

 As preached by Sister Cecelia

Holy Wisdom Church

Isaiah 49:1-7, 1 Peter 2:21B-25, Luke 9:18-27

The last sentence in this morning’s gospel has puzzled many through the ages. “There are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.” Surely Jesus was not mistaken, so what could it mean? One way of interpreting these words is this: “Before this generation passes away you will see signs that the kingdom of God is on the way.”  Like leaven in dough, something came into the world which began to change it. The disciples saw the kingdom of God changing them and changing others.

It seems like our consciousness is still changing, but we have a long way to go.  At the time of Christ, no one thought anything of the slavery of one human to another. But look at how many centuries it took for slavery to be abolished in our country. And it still exists in some places. One country warring to take over another country was not unusual then. Today, only a portion of the nations of this earth truly abhor the invasion of the Ukraine. Is the kingdom of God in our midst the cause of thinking that this takeover is not right?

 Is it love of God that causes our attitudes to change? For many, yes, it is. For some others, self-gain or self-protection seems to be the motivation, rather than love of God and neighbor. Our consciousness of what is right and what is wrong on a cultural level has changed. The whole gamut of the world’s standards must be changed to the standards of the kingdom of God. The questions are not “What can I get?” but “What can I give?” Not “What is the safe thing to do” but “What is the right thing to do?” As Christians, we need to realize we have been given life, not to keep it for ourselves but to spend it for others.

Jesus was asking his disciples what the crowds were saying about him: who he was. Then he turned to his disciples: “Who do YOU say I am?” What answer do we give?

 It is not enough to know what has been written or passed on about Jesus. A person can read everything ever written about Jesus—which is well and good—but to be truly Jesus’ disciple a person has to come to a personal discovery of who Jesus is.

The temptations Jesus endured in his 40 days in the desert help us realize that he was human, as we are. When we are tempted, we need to know what is right and what is wrong. We must know the difference between good and evil, and seek the good. Living with evil is not the same as sanctioning its presence or condoning its consequences. It means that we must struggle to avoid evil’s many faces when possible and to confront evil when it cannot be avoided. It means resisting evil’s dehumanizing effects when we find ourselves its victims. Evil is in control if we ignore its presence. We limit evil’s destructive power when we become aware of its presence. We must take responsibility for our actions if we do wrong, and trust God’s forgiveness.

Coping with pain and suffering requires courage to discern the good and evil that comes from daily living. We learn new life lessons. In order to be responsible and accountable to one another in an interdependent world, we must be able to respond to the situations we find ourselves in, both personally and communally. We need to resist oppression and injustice, abuse and violence, for what they can do to us. Pain, loneliness, loss, grief, and death can shatter our sense of safety and of self. We do not need to experience these fears in isolation from God or from one another. As we commemorate the feast of the Cross today, let us accept our crosses that are an integral part of our life. The Spirit of our Lord encourages us to hold fast to God’s words to us.

Fear not!

Glory be to Jesus Christ!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Annunciation Sermon March 25, 2022

As Preached By Brother Luke

Holy Wisdom Church

Luke 1:26-38, Hebrews 2:11-18, Isaiah 52:7-10

 

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit!

            There was a time when writing letters was a sign of intimacy with another person. Since letters were hand written, one felt almost in touch with the other person, even to the point of judging their well-being by the state of the calligraphy. If the correspondence was between sweethearts or lovers, the letter might even be scented. In the more distant past, letters would often be hand delivered. Waiting for replies with expectation invested the correspondence with even more power and emotion. And what a delight when that unexpected letter from a seemingly long lost friend arrived! Letters were the basis of many biographies as well as a resource for other historical research. For many personalities of note, letters were edited and published.

            Fast forward to the 21st century. Writing letters seems to have become a lost art. Hand writing has all but vanished. Electronic correspondence is the norm. Email, texts, Twitter, and other platforms—not to mention cell phones, iPhones, Zoom, FaceTime, and other forms of image communication—have arisen. Communication is quick and often is in short sound bites. The pace of life has speeded up, and contacting people with messages can take seconds instead of days, weeks, or months. It is very efficient. But maybe something has been lost. Maybe we are tempted to go so fast that rather than living life we run right past it and miss it altogether.

            In the monastery, the expectation is that life is not about hurrying up but slowing down. This slowing down is not about indolence, but rather about introspection and contemplation. It is not about inaction but about refocusing on something deeper. It is about trying to open our hearts more fully to God. Seeking God's presence, entering into communion with God so that the lives we live are expressions of God's love for us and all humanity.

            Amidst the whirling activity of 21st-century life we may have lost the capacity to wait, to listen, to expect, to even notice when God is beckoning us to come closer to him. Do we even recognize messages from God?

            Tradition and scripture tell us that Mary was brought up in the Temple of God. The temple image intends to show us that she was brought up to experience the presence of God in her life. So when the message from God came to her delivered by the angel Gabriel, she was not overwhelmed by that message, overwhelming though it was. A lesson for us from her story is that she was prepared for the message from God, even though she was stunned by it. And her response was to accept the service to humanity that she was being asked to undertake. Disturbing though it was, she accepted it.

            So, for us, Mary gives us an example of how to respond to the word of God. Open and willing was her response. What might ours be? And how might we know that God is sending us a message at all?

            The human condition often leads us to place our will before that of God. If we want to go along with the message we will, but if it disturbs our plans, we fight it. To be open to respond in affirmation is our challenge.

            And in this fast-paced world of ours, slowing down to sift through the deluge of daily messages is the first step. Noticing what is really coming our way, and being willing to respond positively, particularly when we are being asked, or reminded, that loving God means loving neighbor and responding to the needs of others when that is in our power to do. Mary's yes to God was for the salvation of all humankind. It wasn't for her convenience. It was for others. Maybe that is a good measure to use when discerning from among all the incoming messages we receive from our world of overactive stimuli what might really be the message from God. Is it about us or others? Is it pricking my conscience? Is it prompting me to be more conscious of the needs around me? Our Lenten journey is a good time to sharpen our attentiveness to the needs of others. It takes time. Slow down, and give it the time it needs.

Glory be to Jesus Christ