As preached by Brother Luke
Holy Wisdom Church
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus lived in the 6th century BCE. He is attributed with saying: "the only constant in life is change." Fast forward more than 2,200 years and in 1849 a French writer, Alphonse Karr, wrote: "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" – the more things change, the more they stay the same…" Two different perspectives on the same idea.
Human beings really don't like change, we like routine, it makes us feel in control of our lives. But we really can't control our lives nor can we escape change as Heraclitus noted long ago. But we often fight against it. To put it more bluntly, we fear it. And yet, if we ponder the present condition of our world, a world we might rightly claim is much different than even 50 years ago, not to mention hundreds of years ago, we will notice that the underlying features of human nature have remained unchanged, both the good and the no so good.
Jesus Christ's message is all about change. It's about knocking heads right into the most stubborn aspects of the human condition. When we are in our routine, we tend not to notice the things around us that need to be changed. Sometimes right under our very noses, as with Lazarus and the rich man. We may also flinch from facing that change because it may very well have negative ramifications for our own, shall we say, quite comfortable lives.
Who wants to lose their job and then have to start all over again? Who wants to have their house blown down in a hurricane, or burned up in a fire, and then face all the trials of rebuilding one's home and one's life? And who wants to evacuate their home to make way for a new airport to be built in their neighborhood? Who wants to study hard for a college degree only to discover that there are no jobs in your field? And what couple whats to enter into marriage with the dream of building a family only to discover that their child has a severe health impairment?
In today's gospel message Christ is letting us know that we need to be prepared to face this kind of reversal in our lives. And that reversal can come as a result of something good. After all, in this story Jesus heals a man possessed by demons but the demons are then transferred into a heard of pigs who destroy themselves. When the villagers learn of this event they confront Jesus and ask him to leave their neighborhood. Are we so different? Do we want a prison or a nuclear waste dump to be built in our neighborhood? What happens to our property values?
Jesus' message is a disturbing one. Yes, it includes the promise that we are to have life and have it more abundantly. But what is the cost to arrive at that more abundant life? For us in the monastic life, it is a constant requirement that we re-examine our lives, our pre-conceived notions, our ego-driven desires, our pains, our failures, our annoyances, and even our cherished pleasures!
Jesus left the region of the Gadarenes and crossed over into his own town. They asked him to leave and he left. But what he left behind changed their lives. We have free will to decide to avoid the messages God is sending us, but they will come anyway, and they will impact our lives whether we like it or not. Jesus is letting us know that the best approach is to be prepared for the reversals that will come. He isn't just telling this to the bridesmaids, he is telling us.
Glory be to Jesus Christ!
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