By the Pool of Bethsaida

 As preached by Sister Cecelia

Holy Wisdom Church

1 Peter 1:1-13, Acts 8:26-40, John 5:1-15

Have you ever wondered what occupied the mind of the man who had been lying in one of the 5 porticoes of the pool of Bethzatha? During all that time—nearly 40 years—he still kept the hope of being cured of whatever illness he had. Perhaps he had memorized some psalms and prayed them over and over while he lay there.  When Jesus approached him and asked him if he wanted to be healed, his answer, immediately, was YES. When Jesus spoke to him, he did not hesitate to pick up his mat and start walking. When Jesus later revealed his name, we might wonder why the man went immediately to the authorities. The stringent Sabbath rules indicated that a person breaking them by carrying a burden was to be stoned. The poor man evidently felt he had to explain his behavior to the authorities to avoid death.   

Whether this man was praying the psalms or not, in our daily praying the psalms, I notice how often we plead for help.  At times, it can seem that really sincere prayer comes only when we are dealing with really dire conditions. When things go awry, we remember God and call for help. When all is well, we are inclined to manage on our own and not even think about God. Often, though, we do ask for God’s help when nothing extraordinary is threatening, and we also offer praise and thanksgiving to God.  

We abandon the illusion of total self-sufficiency when we call for help and remember to pray. The relationship between helper and helped is strengthened among us mere mortals when we call for help. How much more is this true with our God.   

The help given by God comes in different forms. Sometimes it seems by chance, sometimes by the good will of others. Sometimes God seems to inspire us to draw what is needed from within ourselves. It may be by triggering memories that motivate us to apply ourselves with greater determination. Sometimes it is sincere encouragement and approval from others that boost our flagging energies. God can help us in many ways to do what seems impossible. The effectiveness of such interventions is our willingness to accept help, and this willingness is best indicated by asking for help.

In this morning’s second reading, Peter is telling the crowd that they are to love as God loves. To the extent that we realize that living in accordance with this directive is a challenge, we often find ourselves asking God for assistance in following this path. This endeavor is inspired and prompted by God’s word, but it is beyond our meager resources. So we pray—pray that God will enlighten and strengthen us to do what God has commanded.

To have caught sight of the reality of the spiritual world, even if only for a moment, makes what happens in this world of space and time no longer the most absolute value. A profound desire that has its object in something beyond the world of space and time is not uncommon. All reality has an aura of mystery. We can perceive a portion of reality that impinges on our senses, but not what is beyond our sight and hearing.

If our notion of religion or spirituality is limited to its organizational aspect—beliefs, values, rituals, and social structures—something is missing. Expressions of faith are important and essential, but they are not everything. Desire to be more fully in the transcendent reality of God is at the heart of all spirituality. We benefit by seeking a more explicit awareness of the desire for God.  Louder and more mundane ambitions can block out this desire. The patient long-suffering hope shown by the sick man by the pool of Bethzatha is a lesson for us to not give up.

 In our own experience, what started us on the road of spiritual searching? We can bring that initial experience into line with our present circumstances and give it a voice in our choices. Let this psalm be not only on our lips, but also of our  hearts.

 “Lord let your hand be my help, for I have chosen your precepts” (Psalm 119:173).

This endeavor is not only a source of comfort; it contains also a note of challenge, demanding that we abandon narrow fixed perspectives and routines and venture into new territory. We praise God best by growing beyond narrow confines and allowing ourselves to be constantly reformed by the ever-creative word of divine self-revelation.

Christ is Risen!

Sermon 197 May 19, 2024 Mk 15:42-16:8; Acts 5:12-20; 1 Jn 4:16-21 Myrrhbearing Women

As preached by Brother Luke
Holy Wisdom Church

Christ is Risen [Truly Risen][3 times]

 
    When I am absolutely certain of something, convinced beyond any shadow of a doubt, and then run into the reality that I am wrong. What do I do? Run away? Try to make the new conditions fit into my old understanding? Shut my eyes and hope that when I open them again all will be as it should be? Doesn't work, does it? And even more frustrating is when the new reality is so much better than what I was expecting, and I still can't accept it!

    Welcome to the post burial and resurrection world of the friends of Christ; his disciples, apostles, and yes, the myrrhbearing women. But it's not just their world, it's our world too. We, maybe even more than our first century forebears, are conditioned mentally, physically, intellectually and spiritually, to have all the pieces of the puzzle fit together as expected. When they don't: it's trouble! We want to know that what we can touch and see and recognize is all there is to reality. Even our yearning for deeper meaning is too easily crushed by our environmental conditioning.

    The myrrhbearing women prepared for the wrong event. They thought they were preparing for the right event, but they found the unexpected. An empty tomb. But what did that mean? They didn't know and couldn't process it so they fled. There could have been a theft. That was one theory. What was the reality?

    After the empty tomb, Jesus then proceeds to appear to many of his friends in various places and over an extended period of time. If they won't believe the empty tomb, then personal appearances were necessary. Why? Because his physical presence on earth had to end, but his work had to continue. And that work was for those he left behind. He needed to energize them for the work still to be done. So they had to see and believe that the Good News was for real, that he did indeed rise from the dead. As St Paul says elsewhere: If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, then we Christians are the most pitiable of people. But he did rise! And many people saw him after his resurrection. The myrrhbearers' fear was turned to joy. And those witnesses were so certain of what they saw and experienced that they were willing to proclaim the Good News, even to the point of dying for it.

    As the angel said: "Why seek the living among the dead? Why weep for one beyond corruption? Go! Proclaim the news to all who love him!"

    The work those first bearers of the Good News undertook is an on-going process. And that includes us. Just like them we have to overcome the skepticism of our minds and be open to the reality that is beyond the boundaries of our physical senses. And once that new "reality" sinks in, then, like the myrrhbearers, the joy they experienced and spread, also opens up for us a new life in Christ. And living that life with fidelity can be the opening to others.

    To do this is to live out the admonition we just heard in the reading from the first letter of St. John. If you don't love the neighbor you can see how can you say you love the God you cannot see. So as we often say, and can never say too often, the God of love, who is love, not only wants our love but wants us to share that love with others.

    Christ rose from the dead to bring us that joy of knowing that God's love for us is so great that it is both why were were created but also why God wants us to be with him forever. It begins here, and never ends.

Christ is Risen!