Empires of the Golden Calf

Empires of the Golden Calf

The prophet Ezekiel reveals his conversation with God in our first reading. In this conversation it is clear that God has sent the Spirit into the prophet to wake up the people - to stir up in them a sense of HOPE. Ezekiel along with his people was forcefully exiled to Babylon 600 years before Jesus’ birth. Ezekiel knew that liberation would not come in the short run. In fact, liberation for God’s people would take several generations. God wanted him to give the people a DEFIANT HOPE in their religious speech that would eventually bear fruit in personal aspirations and political action.

Jesus’ words and actions are also about DEFIANT HOPE. His preaching, like Ezekiel’s was about “conscientización” the waking up of one’s heart, mind and soul. His prophetic ministry made people aware of the conditions of oppression that they lived in and at the same time inspired them to take responsibility for their own liberation. In today’s passage Jesus is preaching to a skeptical audience. Because the people had become accustomed to accepting the difficult conditions imposed by Rome. Galilee was basically a large labor camp for the workers employed by the Romans and the wealthy political class of Jerusalem. The congregation in the synagogue didn’t want to accept the challenge of freedom. Instead of saying “What do I need to do to be free?” they said, among themselves, “Who is this crazy guy?!”

All wealth and resources from the colonized areas in the Roman Empire flowed to Rome.  Roman citizens were given full rights and privileges and non-Roman citizens were seldom if ever given a pathway to Roman citizenship, therefore keeping people in a permanent state of subjugation and servitude.  How did Rome maintain this inherently unfair system? Through militarization of the Temple Police and the presence of Roman Army. The threat of violence ensured that goods and wealth would always flow to the top. Few if any wanted to challenge this injustice. Because Galilee was considered a “back water” area populated by the underclass and workers, no one saw the poorest of the poor as a threat. And sadly Jesus knew it. “‘A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.’…He was amazed at their lack of faith.”  

Jesus; however, did not have lack of faith. Being in the line of Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry, Jesus belonged to a larger movement in what historians today understand as a time of rising resistance to the Empire. (see http://www.patheos.com/blogs/thepangeablog/articles/unpublished-papers/behind-lukes-gospel-the-roman-empire-during-the-time-of-jesus/ and if you have time, https://heldercarlosdotcom.wordpress.com/2013/07/13/the-socio-political-and-economic-situation-in-the-first-century-c-e-palestine-the-earthly-ministry-of-jesus-and-the-programme-of-renewal-for-the-people-of-israel/)  Jesus’ unique contribution to this movement was the emphasis on making one free on the inside as a way to become free on the outside. Change happens when each of us become the change we want to see in society.  If we want to be free from being subjected to the hate and violence of the Romans, then we ourselves have to become free from being violent and spiteful. If we want to be be shown mercy, then we ourselves must be merciful. Jesus understood that in order for one to be DEFIANTLY HOPEFUL in confronting political and economic oppression, one had to be DEFIANTLY HOPEFUL on the INSIDE. 

Now let’s take the conversation to our time. This weekend we celebrate Independence Day. We’ve talked about the Roman Empire as the context for Jesus’ ministry, let’s see the Scriptures in the context of the British Empire.  A critical reading of American history will show us that the British colonies on the East Coast began as a foothold for British economic expansion in the world. The promise of religious freedom was merely a “marketing strategy” to get people to migrate to the New World. British colonies here and in the Indian sub-continent were merely “cash cows” for the Crown.  Indigenous populations were seen as resources and commodities, not people. When the indigenous populations refused to comply with domination, they were exterminated and replaced with British subjects who were more likely to cooperate with the the Crown’s plan of Empire expansion.

Over time the colonists began to demand having a say in the decisions that affected their daily lives. They wanted representation in Parliament and to trade with other countries.  The British Empire, like the Roman Empire was not built upon the ideals of a participatory democracy. The Crown was the final word and all wealth and resources flowed from the bottom up. Only landed gentry with prior approval by the Crown could participate in making laws. And to ensure that this system stayed in place, the British Empire sent troops to maintain order. When the people pushed back against the Empire, the Crown placed greater restrictions on the people using violent force through increased militarization of the troops, censorship of published materials critical of the Empire and arresting people who spoke out against the Empire.  The “Founding Fathers” created the “Declaration of Independence” stating that the states were declaring a formal separation from the British Empire.  And that is what we as Americans celebrate today: Independence from a tyrannical system of oppression.  But are we really free? (The Declaration had many grievances listed, among them: criticism that resources from the colonies served the Crown and not the people; that the Empire unreasonably restricted immigration and land expansion; the unnecessary presence of a standing army without the consent of the people; that the occupying forces were never punished for murder and harm to the people; and for inciting divisions and insurrections within the states to destabilize the people from organizing local control).

Have we traded one Empire for another?  Are we still playing the same game, but merely changed the game-pieces? Pope Francis writes, “The worship of the ancient golden calf (cf. Ex 32:1-35) has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose. The worldwide crisis affecting finance and the economy lays bare their imbalances and, above all, their lack of real concern for human beings; man is reduced to one of his needs alone: consumption.” (E.G. 55). The Empire of the Golden Calf’s “…thirst for power and possessions (that) knows no limits.” says Pope Francis. The Empire “…tends to devour everything which stands in the way of increased profits, whatever is fragile, like the environment, is defenseless before the interests of a deified market, which become the only rule.” (E.G. 56) 

In the explosive public document on the environment the Holy Father shows that our economic system is the culprit behind ecological degradation. The top 1% believe that they have the right “…to consume in a way which can never be universalized.”… Echoing the words of John Paul II, Pope Francis says, “God gave the earth to the whole human race for the sustenance of all its members, without excluding or favoring anyone.” (LS 92) Roman Empire. British Empire and now, the Empire of the Golden Calf. Again I ask, are we actually free?

The Declaration was written in a spirit of DEFIANT HOPE that these former colonies would eventually build a better society.  In our 239th year after the Declaration was signed, our so-called independence is sustained by increased personal surveillance, the suspension of privacy, and suppression of due process under the “Patriot Act;” with increased militarization of local police trained in suppression rather than conflict resolution leaving poor communities in a state of constant anxiety; and the creation of a permanent caste of people with no pathway to liberty and participation in democracy because the lieutenants of the Empire refuse to pass immigration reform. And a third time I ask, are we truly free?

How far have we strayed! The Empire has been born again under a different name and the fruit of its loin is income disparity and a less democratic America. Special interests with deep pockets have influenced election outcomes and public policy.  Poor people and minorities are less likely to participate in elections. (see http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/01/why-are-the-poor-and-minorities-less-likely-to-vote/282896/)  Billionaire industrialists led by the Koch brothers have pushed through voter suppression laws limiting poor people’s access to participate in democracy.  (http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/11/11117/koch-funded-alec-agenda-works-deny-voting-rights-brave-new-film-highlights-voter-) The income gap has shrunk the middle class by reducing wealth and increasing debt. (http://www.demos.org/publication/running-place-where-middle-class-and-poor-meet, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-tyson/us-income-inequality-costs_b_6249904.html, and http://equitablegrowth.org/research/exploding-wealth-inequality-united-states/).  As if the lack of political access, disappearing wealth, and increased debt is not enough, the reach of the Empire has penetrated our very souls. A study from Harvard University’s School of Public Health shows that women who live in areas areas with large income gaps are much more likely to suffer depression than those who live in areas with a more equal income distribution. (http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/10/31/2868811/income-inequality-women-depression/) When the spiritual heads of our households are hurting, imagine how hard it would be just to get ourselves motivated enough just to get out of bed to go to a job that doesn’t pay enough to provide the most basic necessities of our life. Whether you call it the Roman Empire, British Empire or the Empire of the Golden Calf our freedom, our independence still eludes us. Has the time come to declare our true independence? To be be truly free?

As people of faith we must be DEFIANTLY HOPEFUL. We must take up the cross and truly be free men and women. So come then to this table, a Table that reminds us that there is LIFE in the face of DEATH and that with God, all things are possible, especially a true, authentic and enduring freedom.

As I close, LET US CONSIDER THESE WORDS…

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Freedom is coming, Freedom is coming, Freedom is coming oh, yes I know.

Freedom is coming, Freedom is coming, Freedom is coming oh, yes I know.

oh, yes I know. oh, yes I know. oh, yes I know. oh, yes I know.

oh, yes I know. oh, yes I know. oh, yes I know. oh, yes I know.

OH, FREEDOM, OH FREEDOM. OH, FREEDOM - FREEDOM IS COMING OH YES I KNOW.

OH YES I KNOW, OH YES I KNOW. OH YES I KNOW, OH YES I KNOW.

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.  

“Repent…and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.”

Young couples say, “We have true love.” They rightly focus on the happiness and a future together. When there is mutual reciprocation, the couple continue down the road together… sometimes for many years…until there’s a “trouble” or sadly the discovery of a “trouble.”  For many couples, “trouble” is a conflict that is rooted in some kind of deceit.

A deceit is discoverable.  We cannot hold onto a lie for so long without thinking that the truth might surface. I supposed that many people can go only so far pretending that things are okay when they’re not. We cannot keep up the illusion of love. Once a lie is disclosed, the deceit must be dealt with by honesty and frankness. The relationship either gets stronger or it ends. Now let me give a caveat here: confessing something is not the same as talking something out. Confession is just letting the cat out of the bag.  A relationship requires is dialog, that is, a mutual commitment to stay at the table and work it out.  The Acts of the Apostles says, “Repent…and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.” Repentance requires both parties staying at the table - facing trouble head on.  When we expose and confront deceit then we can move on to make a decision whether or not we can move forward. 

Now, let’s look at denial. When our “trouble” is denial, we have a much more difficult situation.  Denial makes us think that we’re in love, when we’re not. Denial gives us the illusion that things are great, when they’re not. Denial covers things up rather than allowing us to see what’s really there.  That’s why I feel that denial in the long run is more damaging than lying.  Ask yourself, have you ever thought that you were in love but after talking it out, you discovered you weren’t in love? It seems to me that we have to put ourselves out on the line, reveal our in-most thoughts and feelings and then see where the chips fall.  If we’re going to say we found “true love” then we have to trust that dialog is the way.

Dialog goes beyond the warm and fuzzy and the comfortable. Dialog allows us to bring things up and not avoid the hard conversation. Dialog opens us up to realize that we all have choices and that we are free to choose love. True love is not about living for ourselves or for the moment, or for the pleasure.  True love is about making a choice to live for an Other and not only for ourselves just as Jesus did  for us. When we live our lives as if we are living for an Other, we are released from being possessed by an Other. We no longer feel controlled or the need to control an Other. We don’t feel like we’re crushed nor do we feel a need to dominate an Other. True love is an openness to a never-ending process of freedom and discovery. True love is the Resurrected Christ. 

Today’s reading picks up after the disciples’ discussion about what happened to Jesus. They were at first disillusioned with they thought was a complete loss. They had given up and were walking away from Jerusalem until they encountered Jesus on the road. They were caught up in denial - they heard that the tomb was empty, but they refused to look at that empty tomb might mean TO THEM. The disciples’s denial of dealing with the tomb was a denial of Jesus the Resurrected. When Jesus walked with them and then went to the other disciples and stood in their midst saying,  “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts?” Jesus the Resurrected One made an overture of love.  He called out the Disciple’s unbelief.  Rather than trying to prove that he is the Christ, he made himself vulnerable to them. He showed them his wounds, his brokenness. In short, he showed them his humanity. “Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.”

True love is about being real, it isn’t something built upon a foundation of falsehoods and denial.  True love is built upon people who are willing and able to embrace their own wounds and accept their partner’s wounds. Let’s go back to Jesus, he showed them his hands and his feet and then he broke bread with them.  The meal of “fish” (the ICTHYS) is a literary hint that Risen Christ was in fact in their midst in the meal. (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/asktheexpert/oct26.html) Jesus true self was fully disclosed in the breaking of the bread. After Jesus revealed his true self to them, he opened up the Scriptures to them and so the dialog went deeper. Rather than leaving the disciples for their cowardice, he stayed and told them, “…the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”  True love forgives and releases. The dialog led them to understand that true love will result in healing and the forgiveness of one another’s sins. In some cases, particularly in my own life, I have seen friends and even myself forgive and release in the name of love. It’s not easy and it doesn’t always end with everyone living the same was that they were as in the past. Sometimes in love, we forgive, release and move forward, but not necessarily together. Dialog and sitting together at table requires that the only thing we serve is love.

This Easter Season is about the Emmaus Journey.  We should talk to Jesus about where we are with our faith and not be afraid. We should talk about how we feel about Church and our sisters and brothers…after all “Jesus-the-Resurrection” (Cristo Resucitado) discloses himself in strangers and in the unknown, not in the familiar and comfortable. If we trust this LOVE that God has for US, then this will, like true love, change us. We will be better persons and we will be better disciples. And, like Jesus, we will touch one another’s wounds and gather at table and share in a meal that signifies that Risen One is indeed among us.