The Ascension -

Jesus had a grand VISION: to change the world!  Jesus’ disciples are the core of that vision because they would create change in the world.  Today I want to talk about being a community of transformation based on the VISION of mutuality and unconditional love.

Jesus sent disciples into the world not retreat from it, but to get involved in the world:  to proclaim hope in a hopeless situation, love in a loveless situation, healing where there was injury and to pass that VISION down to a new generation of disciples. By living Jesus’ VISION out in the world, the disciples TRANSFORMED the world because they dared to proclaim the Good News. In the Gospel of Mark the Good News was preached through action: curing the possessed, healing the leper and the sick, forgiving the enemy, and embracing the poor. Jesus was the Good News and the crucifixion could not stop the Good News from going out into the world.  Wherever equality and mercy were present, transformation happened. When Jesus said, “Go and proclaim” we should understand that proclaiming wasn’t about shaming people into conversion, but about restoring the world to order through peace and forgiveness.  As Church folk we ought to remember that.

As a rabbi, Jesus was familiar with the Jewish concept of “Tikkan olam,” or “healing the world.” This Hebrew phrase literally means “repairing the world.” Jewish prayers call upon God’s people to serve God and at the same time express the hope that the whole world might be eventually abandon idolatrous patterns and accept God.  Rabbis like Jesus preached that the disciples might be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6) and that they be “light of and to the nations”(Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6). “Tikkan olam" led rabbis like Jesus to promote an activist type of faith where human beings fundamentally share in the responsibility in bringing peace to the world and justice to the oppressed. 

The first generation of Christians had a strong activist faith and their communities were truly communities of Good News. The early community, as described in the Acts of the Apostles, shared their resources with one another and took special care of widows and orphans. The community was diverse and went to great lengths to be sure all voices were heard and incorporated into their activities.  These communities were made possible because new generations of DISCIPLES tried on Jesus’ VISION of transforming the world. Disciples should be strong and unafraid. “… they will drive out demons…pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.”  Disciples should be people of healing: “They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover”  Disciples should be people sensitive to other cultures and points of view: “…they will speak new languages.”

When we embrace those qualities and come from a place of hope and love, we truly are transformed and begin to live an a manner of humility and gentleness, patience and acceptance with others. We form communities - parishes where unity is found in diversity, not conformity. Our love for one another is unconditional and we embrace all people and reject no one. Our community would become a place of mutuality: where all parties come from a place of self-sacrifice not self-preservation. Our love is a love that forgives and heals, it is not not resentful: rather than blame and shame, we look to reconcile and mend.  Disciples of the Good News are drawn to one another, they are more inclined to seek the common good rather than pursue particular greed. Communities of the Good News are born out of Good News, that is a VISION of HOPE.  Jesus is THE NEW HOPE.

Jesus calls forth men and women of faith to faith rise up from the rubble of discord, jealously and violence and become new people held together by mutual respect in which all people’s giftedness are respected and honored and all stories are told, not just the ones with which we’re comfortable or that we find “acceptable” in Christian company. The Acts of the Apostles says that in the ideal community people will assume a number of roles and functions: missionaries, justice advocates, teachers, or those who care for the sick and suffering. Others will be drawn to teaching, others will be gifted in organization.  All works of ministry will be “building up the body of Christ…until we attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God…”

Communities of VISION are strong and courageous. They are bold in calling out death and darkness. They do not fear the tyrant or dictator. They stand up to bullies and hate-mongers.  Communities of love battle ignorance and prejudice with dialog and common understanding. Isn’t this the VISION we want for ourselves? Jesus entrusted this VISION to us, so we must figure out if we are willing to accept the VISION - that is, take ownership of it and run with it, or will we stand paralyzed by indecision or fear of getting involved “looking up at the sky?” When Jesus ascended to God’s right hand, he left the disciples a VISION of a mission. The Feast of the Ascension is Jesus’ promise to pray from God’s right hand for us as we do our work.  Let us embrace that VISION and change the world!

Pentecost 2015

Traditionally we say that Pentecost is the birth of the Church. That is true, but if we accept that belief without any real critical reading, then we miss the entire point of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit was not “making” the Church - the Holy Spirit was not creating an institution with all its rules and structures. The Holy Spirit was gathering a community of disciples together and sending them forth into the world to continue the work that Jesus began: to heal the world. If we were to understand Pentecost from this perspective, we would see that the Holy Spirit at Pentecost gave birth to a MOVEMENT that is dynamic and relevant to all cultures and in different ages.

The Holy Spirit descended upon the believers for them to fully engage in the “JESUS MOVEMENT”: That is a movement centered around love and forgiveness.This movement was born in a society that was torn apart by violence. At the time of Jesus, all the resources of the known world were funneled to the top, that is, everything went upwards to benefit Cesar. When people refused or even resisted giving their alliance to Cesar, swift punishment followed. People were forced to comply with the system. When people didn’t “go along” surrogate enforcers were integrated into the society to force compliance. Social systems were compromised to weed out “rebels” and religious systems were compromised to ensure a passive population that allowed themselves to be preoccupied with the details of ritual purity rather than asking the big questions about injustice and exploitation.

Jesus initiated a movement to QUESTION the legitimacy of such a system. His message was simple: love and forgive. “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Loving and forgiving pay attention to those who were left out and left behind. Loving and forgiving bid us to pay more attention to the suffering of the neighbor more than searching out heretics or maintaining purity for ritual sacrifice. Love makes us bold enough to ask the question, “Why ISN’T love enough?” Love makes us focus on the situation at hand, not an abstract law. “What does love demand of us in THIS situation?”  Love makes the choice clear: to love my neighbor, to support my neighbor, to mend divisions between myself and my neighbor…or to not care for my neighbor and let the division grow.

The JESUS MOVEMENT was set in motion the moment Jesus rose from the baptismal waters and preached Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free…” The MOVEMENT was proven indestructible - Jesus ROSE from the dead.  The MOVEMENT was given to all generations and all humankind: PENTECOST. So let’s look at the origins of Pentecost.

Pentecost originates in the Jewish feast, “Shavuot.”  Shavuot celebrates the reception of the Torah. The festival is connected to Passover - that celebrated the liberation of the slaves from Egypt and Shavuot reminds the Jewish community that liberation is completed only when we work to liberate others.  The giving of the Law reminds the Jewish community the simple phrase, "All that the LORD says we will do.”  The gift of the Christian meaning of the celebration of Pentecost is derived from our Jewish roots.  For Christians, the law given to us is the LAW OF LOVE. “‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” And again, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”  The Jewish admonition still applies, “All that the Lord says, we will do.”

So now, let’s look at the beatification of Monsignor Oscar Romero. The beatification of Oscar Romero taking place on Pentecost signals to the entire Catholic world that the work and mission of the CHURCH is in fact to walk with and advocate for the poor. This beatification also signals a radical departure from being a Church that was more concerned about compliance with our teaching, adherence to prescribed liturgical rubrics, obedience to authority, and working politely behind the scenes to help the poor, (but not at the expense of the rich). 

Brothers, how I wish I burn in the hearts of everyone this great idea: Christianity is not simply a collection of truths in which we are obligated to believe, or laws that must obey or a list of prohibitions! Such a concept of Christianity is rather repugnant. Christianity is above all things, about a person, one who loved me so much that in return, demands my love. The Christian faith is the person of Jesus Christ.  (November 6, 1977)

Now let’s return to Pentecost’s admonition, “All that the Lord says, we will do…”. Does this not demand that we address the issues of injustice not simply with words, but with our LIVES? Is it enough that we wring our hands in frustration with the condition of the poor? No! Is it enough that proclaim absolution over the penitent, and yet not lift a finger to help our sister or brother deal with the conditions that led them to sin? No! Is a handshake sufficient in demonstrating our solidarity with our brother and sister? No! Pentecost demands so much more than a silent prayer, a feeling of frustration over injustice, a proclamation of forgiveness or a handshake. We cannot remain blind and deaf to the realities of those who suffer; Pentecost demands that we get involved in the movement of liberation. We forgive sins by welcoming everyone to the table, Pentecost is the spirit of liberation, it is the spirit of a MOVEMENT in which all people must be made free. Our part in this movement is to participate in God’s plan of liberation.

I want to close our reflection with the prayer attributed to Oscar Romero.

It helps, now and then, to step back

and take the long view.

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,

it is beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of

the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.

Nothing we do is complete,

which is another way of saying

that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.

No prayer fully expresses our faith.

No confession brings perfection.

No pastoral visit brings wholeness.

No program accomplishes the church’s mission.

No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about:

We plant seeds that one day will grow.

We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.

We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything

and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something,

and to do it very well.

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,

an opportunity for God’s grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results,

but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders,

ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own. Amen.

Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

God the Father created us out of a divine act of love and with the intention that we be brother and sister to one another. God called Moses to lead his people out of slavery, the most brutal system of exploitation, and guide them into the Promised Land. God raised Israel up to be an enduring sign of resistance against enslavement in any time and any place.  In the course of history, God gave us his son Jesus the Christ, the INCARNATE WORD of the FATHER. Jesus the Christ died for all creation thereby restoring the human family once and for all to God’s original intent: equality and community.  From the Father and Son, we were given the Spirit, so that future generations of disciples would maintain the struggle for liberation with courage and steadfastness, wisdom and strength, prudence and spiritual sensitivity. This is the Trinity.  The power of the Triune God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is like a mighty river of Justice washing away the structures of exploitation and inequality. Jesus calls his disciples to go forth and let water flow into the desert, “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”  This is the evangelization of the nations - to proclaim the Good News.

Making disciples and baptizing them, means…

•      We proclaim FREEDOM: We open doors for those held in captivity, that we make a way where there is no way.  We confront the exclusion and bust open the doors of injustice that keep people in darkness, in isolation and in fear.

•      We proclaim VISION: Jesus gives us a vision so that we can see the possibilities that cooperation, forgiveness, self-sacrifice are ultimately more rewarding than acquiring things for ourselves.   

•      We create a COMMUNITY of disciples by welcoming people to the table! Our evangelical task is to find ways for people to share in the harvest and not feel shame and guilt so that they excuse themselves from participating fully in the banquet of love. Rather than insisting on conformity and uniformity, we would focus on inclusion and making space for a diversity and dialog.

Jesus was not initiating a massive membership drive to “sign people up” to be members of the Church. He was calling his disciples to change the world.  A world in which the blind can see. That those who live in conditions of darkness, would finally seen the dawn of a new day. In a changed world the mute speak for themselves and the deaf hear. In a world transformed by Jesus, those who were controlled by debt and poverty are given a reprieve, a “forgiveness of debt” as it were, and they can begin to live for a future that they can control.

In a society transformed by freedom, vision and community, the millions of people held in prisons, detention centers and secret holding facilities would finally have a chance of securing a strong defense and access to a fair jury trial. Those in bondage because of human trafficking and forced labor would be freed from their captors and the homeless man, the refugee, and the immigrant family would all have a chance to live without the fear of arrest, deportation or exploitation. In a transformed world, the emotionally isolated and physically incapacitated are connected to a caring and nurturing community.

When we baptize, we dismantle the fundamental structures of exclusion in the world. We confront the system of economic disparity where the owner is disproportionately rewarded from the toil of the worker, where racism masquerades itself in “law and order”, where creeping fascism becomes evident in the militarization and brutality of law enforcement, where people’s civil liberties and due process are ignored in our court and immigration system. Let’s step back and think about this.  Are we ready to shift our thinking about what it means to evangelize the nations? Can we be a Church that stands with those who yearn for freedom, that is guided by a vision where all are welcome? Can we be a Church that is BOLD?  

If we want to be bold, we cannot replace the Good News with rules and demands of obedience and our relationship with God cannot be expressed only on Sundays.  Remember our reading from Romans: we received the Spirit of freedom so that we no longer are enslaved by fear. We are the adopted sons and daughters of God and have been graced with a relationship with God, that we can call him “Abba/Father” and thus are co-heirs to eternal life with Christ.  If we believe these simple statements, then what do we have to fear in being a bold Church? 

A bold faith with high aspirations demands a faith response: to follow Christ, to imitate Christ - even to the point of giving our lives. If we do our job right we will probably suffer.  We will face opposition as we advocate for greater freedom and participation and there will be people trying to keep us down.  Opposition may be strong and at times and even overwhelming, but let us take our strength from this meal where we are nourished enough to  continue the Lucha, the Mission: to free captives, give sight to the blind and proclaim the Good News to the poor.