3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B 2012
Gospel of Mark 1:14-20, January 22, 2012
Homily by Deacon Joe Stackhouse
The story of Jesus calling Peter and his companions in today’s gospel is a rather dramatic story that Mark sums up in just a few lines. The pattern is similar to the other gospel accounts of this encounter. Jesus suddenly shows up in ordinary circumstances, apparently as a stranger, and initiates a conversation with the disciples. Without much fanfare and quite unexpectedly, Jesus invites them to follow him, to take a different path in life.
Jesus provides no details and no hint as to what this might mean for the disciples. The goodness and love of Jesus are so magnetic, however, that the disciples immediately stop what they are doing and do as Jesus says. They begin to follow him. They show no hesitation in placing their trust and confidence in Jesus. Were this to happen today, we would consider their response in such circumstances downright irrational.
And yet, Jesus extends exactly this invitation to us today in much the same way, except that Jesus is no stranger to us. We know more about Jesus than his first disciples knew. Even so, Jesus calls everyone to follow him when he says, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it” (Lk 9:23-24). Jesus’ challenge reflects an ancient call to conversion based on fidelity to God as the foundational principle and structure of our lives (cf. 1 Sm 12:14).
Often our response, however, is to choose the lesser god, just as the rich man chose to keep his possessions rather than sell them all, give to the poor, and follow Jesus (Mt 19:21-22). Thus, we have a persistent need for conversion. As Jesus demonstrates with the call of the first disciples, God always takes the initiative. He does not wait for us to look for him; he comes looking for us in the ordinary circumstances of our lives. Following Christ begins with this personal encounter with Jesus, a personal call from God. The encounter compels a response from us. The way we get up and live our lives is in fact our response to this divine call.
In practice, conversion is a life-long journey to manifest the image of God in our lives. Conversion is a central theme in Scripture and key to a biblical understanding of human nature. From a biblical perspective, the mystery of humankind cannot be understood apart from the mystery of God (Congar). This is what motivates St. Paul to claim that, because Christ himself is the perfect image of God (2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3), we must conform ourselves to him (Rom 8:29). According to Paul, our conversion comes about through the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:23). And, Jesus guarantees the outcome in defining himself as the way, the truth, and the life (Jn 14:6).
Following the way of Jesus is a choice and commitment that we deliberately fulfill through our love for others that stems from, and is determined by, our love of God. Love is the overarching moral principle and measure of all human action. Christ emphasized the preeminence of this principle when he said that the greatest commandment is to love God with one’s whole heart and soul and one’s neighbor as oneself (Mk 12:28-34; Mt 22:37-40).
Christ did more than simply call attention to a similar commandment found in Deuteronomy (cf.Dt 6:4-6). Christ made love of God and neighbor his own commandment and enriched it with a new meaning. He did so by equating Himself with each of us as the object of love when He said, “As long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for me” (Mt 25:40). In this way, Christ “bound the whole human race to Himself as a family through a supernatural solidarity” (Congar). From this standpoint, he established charity as the chief mark of His disciples, saying, ‘By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another’” (Jn 13:35).
Love binds us to each other and to God in a dynamic, interconnected relationship. The result is that whatever we do for the “least of his children” we do to and for Christ himself (Mt 25:35). Jesus’ teaching clearly shows that God abides in each human being, and thus whatever we do for the “Other”, we do for God. Likewise, whatever we do to the “Other”, we do to God.
Jesus’ teaching about love of God and neighbor is profound and often challenging because it requires us to see others with the eyes of the soul. With secular eyes, many of the “least” don’t look as we imagine God. Many of the least may look to us, at worst, as demons, and at best, as unproductive and lazy. The least may frighten us, be different from us, or seem undeserving. Serving the least from the perspective of Christ is counter-cultural. Lobbying for the least also may be viewed as unpatriotic.
By contrast, Jesus shows us that we are all equals in our need for love and concern (Lk 10:30-37). In this sense, we are all the least of his brethren. Jesus invites us to do as he does by showing love and compassion for our companion sojourners, however difficult and costly, for this is the true nature of his love. When we follow Jesus, we pattern our spiritual lives after the example of Jesus. We put on the mind of Christ, as St. Paul says. Then we are able to see things as Jesus sees them, with the eyes of love, and be the kind of person Jesus is.
The one major goal of Jesus on earth was to do the will of his heavenly Father. Following Jesus means doing the same thing. We can do the will of God by believing in Jesus and imitating his actions and values in our own lives. Our call is to verify the image and likeness of God in our lives by loving God and loving others as ourselves.
Jesus calls us to this kind of conversion because he wants us to be like God. Jesus continually calls us to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect by following in his steps and imitating him (Mt 5:48).
Friday, January 20, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
I mean this for you
Feast of Epiphany Year B 2012
Mass for Deacon Aspirants January 8, 2012
Homily By Deacon Joe Stackhouse
The feast of Epiphany has a special meaning for me. Many years ago, I was at a low point in my life. In June of 1979, I had no job and no immediate prospects of finding another one. I had very little money in the bank and no assets, except for my car. I was not married at the time and not involved in a serious relationship. My friends and immediate family were close, but I felt alone, depressed and without much hope. As the months dragged on and I did not find another job, my worry and anxiety only increased.
Then, on Epiphany Sunday in January 1980, things began to change. As the lector at Mass on that Sunday, I read the first reading from Isaiah. As soon as I read the words—for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you—the Lord said to me, “I mean this for you.” As I am standing there reading, I am also arguing with the Lord. I think to myself, you must be kidding; this can’t be for me. I have just lost everything. You can’t mean this for me. But there it was—nothing else—just the simple, unexplained but clear message “I mean this for you.” I finished reading, sat down, and never mentioned this event to anyone. That was January 1980.
Fast forward three years to Epiphany 1983. By this time, I have found another job in a Catholic hospital and very much enjoy my work. I have met and married my wonderful wife of 30 years, Mary Ann. We have one child and live in our first home. In January 1983, we travel to another state for a visit with Mary Ann’s parents. Her father was a deacon in the Catholic Church, by the way, a member of the first deacon class in this country. During this visit, we all go to Mass on Epiphany Sunday.
As I sit in the pew listening to the same readings from three years before, I have completely forgotten about my previous encounter with the Lord. Then all of a sudden, I hear the same words in the reading from Isaiah—for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you. As soon as I hear these words, the Lord said to me, “See what I mean?” Talk about a joyful bolt of lightning!! All of a sudden, I remembered what the Lord had said three years before and I did indeed see what he meant but left unexplained when he said, “I mean this for you.”
From Epiphany 1980 to Epiphany 1983, he led me from feeling sad and lonely to happily married, from being unemployed to enjoyable work, from a sense of poverty to rich in all the important ways. Jesus had literally laid the riches of the world at my feet, just as he had said he would. At that moment, I felt joyful gratitude for all the good the Lord had done for me. That good continues to the present day, and so does my gratitude. This is a major reason why I became a deacon.
Since that Epiphany in 1983, I have come to realize that this story is not only mine. Each of us could tell a similar story because it is a story about Jesus finding us, not about us finding Jesus. It is a story about the hound of heaven, the true Star of Bethlehem, who continually shines his light to show us the way. Each of us has had an unexpected and spontaneous encounter with Jesus that changed our lives. Any encounter with Jesus is life-changing.
Jesus always begins with a gentle call, urging us, imploring us, nagging us, to take a different path. This is often that nagging feeling we have that we should go in a different direction, take another path in life. But Jesus does not lay out all the details with his call. We do not always know where the path will take us, but we follow his call with trust and confidence. We pray that we have made the right decision, but we don’t look back. We go forward with a delightful sense of curiosity about the future, tinged perhaps with the trepidation that always accompanies the unknown. But follow his call we do, and I dare say that none of us has ever regretted it. For, the Lord Jesus always makes good on his end and provides more than we could hope for or even expect. We can trust the Lord.
This is really what the Epiphany story is all about—faith and trust in Jesus who shows us the way. This is what the magi had done. They believed and trusted that the star would show them the way to the newborn king. Although they did not know all the details of the journey beforehand, they went forward with faith and confidence. They never looked back, but surely they felt some trepidation over the unknown. For, they would have to travel far through harsh lands and among people who were not always hospitable to strangers. In the end, the light of the star did not disappoint. The magi safely found their way to the baby Jesus and were elated when they finally saw him with Mary and Joseph. The Holy Spirit then showed them in a dream to go another way home, to follow another path in life to peace and happiness.
In a sense, Epiphany has a special meaning for you at this time in your lives. You are at a crossroads, discerning where Jesus is calling you, in which direction he wants you to go. You may not know which path to take or where it will lead, and you surely do not know all the details of the journey. But, you are going forward with trust and faith in Jesus. At this point, the end of your journey may not be all that clear, but there is no reason to look back. You can trust Jesus to show you the way. His light never fails. For this reason, you can rest assured about the outcome.
Mass for Deacon Aspirants January 8, 2012
Homily By Deacon Joe Stackhouse
The feast of Epiphany has a special meaning for me. Many years ago, I was at a low point in my life. In June of 1979, I had no job and no immediate prospects of finding another one. I had very little money in the bank and no assets, except for my car. I was not married at the time and not involved in a serious relationship. My friends and immediate family were close, but I felt alone, depressed and without much hope. As the months dragged on and I did not find another job, my worry and anxiety only increased.
Then, on Epiphany Sunday in January 1980, things began to change. As the lector at Mass on that Sunday, I read the first reading from Isaiah. As soon as I read the words—for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you—the Lord said to me, “I mean this for you.” As I am standing there reading, I am also arguing with the Lord. I think to myself, you must be kidding; this can’t be for me. I have just lost everything. You can’t mean this for me. But there it was—nothing else—just the simple, unexplained but clear message “I mean this for you.” I finished reading, sat down, and never mentioned this event to anyone. That was January 1980.
Fast forward three years to Epiphany 1983. By this time, I have found another job in a Catholic hospital and very much enjoy my work. I have met and married my wonderful wife of 30 years, Mary Ann. We have one child and live in our first home. In January 1983, we travel to another state for a visit with Mary Ann’s parents. Her father was a deacon in the Catholic Church, by the way, a member of the first deacon class in this country. During this visit, we all go to Mass on Epiphany Sunday.
As I sit in the pew listening to the same readings from three years before, I have completely forgotten about my previous encounter with the Lord. Then all of a sudden, I hear the same words in the reading from Isaiah—for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you. As soon as I hear these words, the Lord said to me, “See what I mean?” Talk about a joyful bolt of lightning!! All of a sudden, I remembered what the Lord had said three years before and I did indeed see what he meant but left unexplained when he said, “I mean this for you.”
From Epiphany 1980 to Epiphany 1983, he led me from feeling sad and lonely to happily married, from being unemployed to enjoyable work, from a sense of poverty to rich in all the important ways. Jesus had literally laid the riches of the world at my feet, just as he had said he would. At that moment, I felt joyful gratitude for all the good the Lord had done for me. That good continues to the present day, and so does my gratitude. This is a major reason why I became a deacon.
Since that Epiphany in 1983, I have come to realize that this story is not only mine. Each of us could tell a similar story because it is a story about Jesus finding us, not about us finding Jesus. It is a story about the hound of heaven, the true Star of Bethlehem, who continually shines his light to show us the way. Each of us has had an unexpected and spontaneous encounter with Jesus that changed our lives. Any encounter with Jesus is life-changing.
Jesus always begins with a gentle call, urging us, imploring us, nagging us, to take a different path. This is often that nagging feeling we have that we should go in a different direction, take another path in life. But Jesus does not lay out all the details with his call. We do not always know where the path will take us, but we follow his call with trust and confidence. We pray that we have made the right decision, but we don’t look back. We go forward with a delightful sense of curiosity about the future, tinged perhaps with the trepidation that always accompanies the unknown. But follow his call we do, and I dare say that none of us has ever regretted it. For, the Lord Jesus always makes good on his end and provides more than we could hope for or even expect. We can trust the Lord.
This is really what the Epiphany story is all about—faith and trust in Jesus who shows us the way. This is what the magi had done. They believed and trusted that the star would show them the way to the newborn king. Although they did not know all the details of the journey beforehand, they went forward with faith and confidence. They never looked back, but surely they felt some trepidation over the unknown. For, they would have to travel far through harsh lands and among people who were not always hospitable to strangers. In the end, the light of the star did not disappoint. The magi safely found their way to the baby Jesus and were elated when they finally saw him with Mary and Joseph. The Holy Spirit then showed them in a dream to go another way home, to follow another path in life to peace and happiness.
In a sense, Epiphany has a special meaning for you at this time in your lives. You are at a crossroads, discerning where Jesus is calling you, in which direction he wants you to go. You may not know which path to take or where it will lead, and you surely do not know all the details of the journey. But, you are going forward with trust and faith in Jesus. At this point, the end of your journey may not be all that clear, but there is no reason to look back. You can trust Jesus to show you the way. His light never fails. For this reason, you can rest assured about the outcome.
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