Outer Cloaks

Palm Sunday – Year C

Liturgy of the Palms:
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-20
Luke 19:28-40

Liturgy of the Passion:
Isaiah 50:4-9a                                                  
Psalm 31:9-16                          
Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 22:14-23:56
 
Two themes seem to dominate the liturgy for me today.  The first is the fact that Jesus wanted to make sure people understood that his ministry, his messianic message, was not one of a military conqueror, but a conqueror of the heart. To emphasize this message, he made a "grand entrance" into Jerusalem the last week of his earthly ministry on the back of a donkey, a small colt, and not with a band of soldiers in chariots brandishing weapons.
 
Psalm 118, the processional psalm, stresses over and over that the Kingdom of God is based on love, and not on a vindictive God seeking to punish and torture.  Again and again, the message in this psalm is "God's steadfast love endures forever!"
 
God's love is unconditional and unbroken.  When humanity sinks to its lowest point and gathers together to execute the very Son of God later in this week, even then God's love doesn't falter.  Instead, God embraces the depth of humanity, and conquers death, coming back again on Easter morning to prove that nothing can separate us from the love of God. 
His love is undeniable, and invincible. 
 
The second theme has to do with how we are willing to receive Christ into our lives.  An ancient tradition is to lay down one's outer cloak at the approach of royalty as an act of homage and respect.  As Jesus approached Jerusalem, it was reported that some of his followers "kept spreading their cloaks on the road." 
 
The symbolism of this act can be linked to another of the readings for this day, Paul's letter to the Philippians, where he writes about how Christ "emptied himself," taking on the mind of a servant, and not exploiting his equality with God.  Paul was urging us to do this very same thing, "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus..."
 
In today's terms, this means letting go of what is often called the earthly self, the outer  self, the small self, or the dysfunctional ego.  This is part of the public image we project out to others; it's how we want other people to see us, even if it's not always the truth of who we really are.
 
This outer self creates a shell that resists wisdom and instruction from God.  It's the part that nurtures unhealthy personality traits like prejudice, fear, shame, bias, greed, envy, and the like.  It filters facts to fit want the ego desires, but not what the soul needs.
 
In the presence of God in Christ, we don't need a public image.  Our own soul-self, when projected outward, will do just fine.  Christ accepts us as we are, regardless of our past or current condition.  He only asks that we lay down all the false outer shell so that he can be with us and raise us up in love.
 
That's what the people on the road to Jerusalem were symbolizing.  They took off their outer cloaks, representing their false selves, and laid them at the feet of Jesus.  What remained was the true self, the self that God made, the self that is interconnected with everyone else.  It is the self that can learn about love from God, as Isaiah wrote, "The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious...he wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught..."
 
Reflection Questions
 
1. What was God's entrance into your life like?
 
2. Can you accept that He is a loving God, and not "out to get you"?
 
3. Are you willing to lower your outer shell, to lay down your outer cloak, and let Him into your life?
 
4. Read through the scripture lessons for this Sunday again, and spend some time journaling your thoughts.

Passionate Giving and Receiving

Fifth Sunday in Lent – Year C
 
Isaiah 43:16-21                                                
Psalm 126                                
Philippians 3:4b-14
John 12:1-8
 
It was now only six days before the Passover celebration, and Jesus' earthly ministry was coming to an end.  He knew his time was short, and perhaps he wondered whether or not those around him truly understood what the Kingdom of God was all about.
 
Isaiah understood the Kingdom.  He knew God's presence would bring an end to armies and warriors; God's Kingdom would be a new way of living together; rivers would flow in the desert – even the wild animals would honor Him; and His people would praise Him by becoming who they were made to be – children of God.
 
The goodness and power of the Kingdom even found its way into the writings of the psalmists.  "When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.  Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy..."  As we pass from this earthly life into God's Kingdom, tears and pain will turn into shouts of joy: "[They] shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves."
 
St. Paul knew what it was all about, too.  All his achievements and righteousness in this world compared poorly with what richness Christ brought to him: "I regard all these things as nothing compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord... I regard all these things as rubbish."  Something touched him deep in his heart, bringing to light a soul connection with the love of God.  he recognized the loving truth within.
 
And that brings us to Mary, who, caught up in the exuberance and passion of this Good News, pours out some costly perfume unto Jesus' feet, and wipes them with her hair, filling the house with the fragrance of her act.  The righteousness of economics, however, cries out indignantly, "Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii and the money given to the poor?"  Others present at the meal agreed – it seemed to be a more sensible thing to do.
 
Jesus defended what Mary did.  He instructed those present at the meal by saying, "Leave her alone...you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."  Jesus was not saying to stop giving to the poor – because this is, in fact, something that must be done. But he was trying to draw attention to something very important happening in this moment – he was trying to affirm and emphasize the very thing that keeps the reason for giving alive.
 
Mary was passionate about what she knew of God's Kingdom.  Like Isaiah, the psalmists, and St. Paul, she knew that there was nothing that equaled its love and goodness.  Jesus knew that Mary's affectionate heart was full of thankfulness, and she gave of what she had without thinking of its cost.  Jesus said, "She has done a beautiful thing." (Matthew 26:10)
 
It's the passion we have for God's Kingdom that will lead us to give without measure (not only of our treasures, but also of our time and talents!)  Oh, that Mary's gratitude infected the world!  Jesus knew that without this passion, reason may prevail and diminish the desire to give of ourselves.  God has given to us passionately, and this sets an example for us.
 
You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

Through the hands of such as these God speaks,
and from behind their eyes He smiles upon the earth.
 
You often say, "I would give, but only to the deserving."
The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture.
They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish.
                                                                - from Kahlil Gibran's, The Prophet
 
Reflection Questions
 
1. When you give something to others, do you know why you do it?
 
2. Are you able to receive gifts graciously, so that you affirm the power of giving in others?

3. What do you understand the Kingdom of God to be?
 
4. Read through the scripture lessons for this Sunday again, and spend some time journaling your thoughts.

Lost and Found – Two Prodigal Sons

Joshua 5:9-12                                                   
Psalm 32                                  
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

prod·i·gal  [ próddig'l ]

1. extravagantly wasteful: spendthrift or extravagant to a degree bordering on recklessness

2. producing generous amounts: giving or producing something in large amounts

3. wasting parental money: spending parental money wastefully, but returning home to a warm welcome

 

Synonyms: wasteful, reckless, dissolute, profligate, extravagant, uncontrolled

 
Psalm 32 does well in summarizing the all-familiar story of the Prodigal Son: "Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit."
 
This well-known story draws attention to a young son who squanders his inheritance in dissolute living. Having lost everything, and now in great need, he finds himself in a worse position than when he was back home, back under his father's wing.  The text goes on to say that eventually "he came to himself," which best means that he came to full realization of what he had done, and was now truly repentant.
 
Returning home, he planned to make a confession in hopes that he could salvage something of his previous place in the family.  But as he approached his home, his father ran to him, and brushed aside the son's confession, just being filled with joy that his son had returned to him.  A celebration ensued, and the younger son was honored.
 
While we are glad that there was this family reunion, we may feel a bit cheated that this prodigal son, who wasted an inheritance, was honored instead of punished for his misdeeds.  "Where is the justice in this?" we may ask.  He was wasteful and reckless, and yet he was honored!
 
But if we look more closely, we see that the instant forgiveness of the father his huge merit.  Did the son really go unpunished?  First of all, he lost all his inheritance.  This would impact his future for quite some time.  Next, he was shamed into doing things that he would normally not have done.  He also feared that his family ties were destroyed; he was out of contact with his family, and didn't know if this could be restored. 

Finally, there was the pain of awakening.  To finally come to the realization that others were harmed, who shouldn't have been, will cut deep into one's soul.  This is a burden on the shoulders that has to be dealt with in some way, or it will never leave.
 
People who do things that hurt others are often suffering and in trouble themselves.  They may have already been punished greatly in ways that we can't see. No, of course, that doesn’t give them the right to hurt others (and it doesn't mean that there should be no restitution, either),  but it does provide a basis for understanding the entirety of the situation.  Knowing what the other person went through might open the door for the possibility of forgiveness.  The father of the prodigal son, like Our Father who made us, could see into the pain and suffering of each person, and is ready to receive anyone who truly wants to come back home.
 
The young prodigal may have been disobedient, but he restored the heart connection to his father.  This was most important to the father, as it is to Our father. The second half of the story deals with the opposite situation, where the older son was strictly obedient to his father's rules and wishes, but never was able to make the heart-to-heart connection.  Pure obedience without love is also a prodigal squandering, not of material wealth, but of spiritual riches. 
 
The father was perhaps strongly hinting to the older brother when he explained why they were celebrating the return of the younger son, "...We had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead (spiritually disconnected) and has come to life; he was lost and has been found."
 
Paul sums it all up well in his letter to the Corinthians, "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!"
 
Reflection Questions
 
1. Has someone hurt you in the past that you are having trouble forgiving?  Could you move closer to forgiveness if you gained a deeper understanding of how that person suffered in his/her life, too?
 
2. Do you think the older son understood his father's message?  Do you think he changed his ways, too?
 
3. How has this lesson changed your view of obedience to God?
 
4. Read through the scripture lessons for this Sunday again, and spend some time journaling your thoughts.

Not to Condemn, But to Save

Third Sunday in Lent – Year C
 
Exodus 3:1-15                                                 
Psalm 63:1-8                            
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke 13:1-9

Some commentators on today's passages feel that they allude to what is commonly referred to as the "Day of Judgment."  Perhaps this position is based on the repeated phrases in Luke which read, "...but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did."
 
There is a natural desire to want ultimate justice, of course, where the good guy wins the battle and reaps the rewards, and the bad guy is duly and severely punished.  Many of our cowboy westerns and modern day action films are based on this archetype.  After all, it seems only fair.  So when we read such verses, it's easy to assume that there must be a heavenly system that will uphold our human concept of justice, sending good souls to eternal bliss, and bad souls to eternal damnation.
 
God's system of justice, however, may have a much different objective.  Instead of separating the "good guys from the bad guys," He is more interested in separating the good parts of us from the bad parts of us.  In other words, the focus is to restore each and every person to wholeness, removing those things that are not of God, so that what remains is what was intended to be.  The separation is not one person from another, but the removal of the bad parts from the good.  It's spiritual surgery at its finest.
 
When Jesus warned his listeners that "...unless you repent, you will all perish as they did", he may have been describing what we do to ourselves apart from God, rather than what God would do to us as punishment.  The symbolism found in the story of the Exodus supports the idea that God's love for us is unconditional, and that He will work with us to remove the things that oppress us and keep us from His grace. 
 
The Exodus reading reminds us of how God had "seen the affliction of [His] people in Egypt, and have heard their cry..."  Clearly God knows the people's sorrows and sets in motion plans to help them through Moses.  The oppressors of the Hebrews in Egypt kept them in physical bondage, but the symbolism of the story could include any oppression that diminishes our own souls, particularly the impact of a misguided, dysfunctional ego. 
 
God frequently works through other people to help those in need.  Moses was His instrument of choice for the Exodus from Egypt.  For us today, "Moses" may be our spiritual formation team, counselors, therapists, doctors, pastors, or friends.  The Exodus journey for us is our spiritual journey back to wholeness.  It may be a long journey through a wilderness that seems to have no end.  For some, it may even be a 40-year trek through a dry desert with stony paths.

But along the way, we gradually begin to understand that God is trying to show us how to get rid of the things in us that are not of Him, so that what's left is pure and good.  It's not a test to see if we qualify as "good" or "bad" as a person, but to recognize that there is good and bad mixed together, and we have to sort it out. 
 
That's what happened to the people during the Exodus.  They had to learn what works, and what doesn't.  If they went too far away from God, they generally imploded – they self-destructed.  This is a story repeated many times in history – people or nations who turn their backs on the love, compassion and mercy of God will eventually collapse under the pressure of illusion and deception.  Accurate translations of scripture don't say that God destroys these people or cities, but that they end up destroying themselves. 
 
Paul writes to the Corinthians that many people of the Exodus displeased God, "and they were struck down in the wilderness."  They were not struck down by God, but decayed from the inside out.  They fell to idolatry, immorality, bickering, doubt, and lack of contentment.  They gave up their higher standards of love, unity, community, family, purpose and direction, only to settle for selfishness, illusion, and idolatry.  Individuals, and societies, can't survive in this state.  By the time the people reached the promised land, they had a lot of this figured out.
 
Anyone's spiritual journey can be challenging.  So we should not expect the journey to be easy.  But the extent of God's love for us makes it impossible for Him to give up on us.  It just can't happen!
 
So Jesus' warnings in Luke to repent were pleas to choose a life following God, or we may risk losing the richness such a life offers in the way of love, inner peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and unity as a human family.  He does not want us to lose these spiritual gifts.  Let Him "dig around your roots," to nurture you and help you grow – to bear fruit of His love, compassion and mercy. 
 
Reflection Questions
 
1. Did you have a "Moses" in your life that helped you get out of a physical, psychological, emotional, or spiritual prison?  How did he or she do it?
 
2. What tools does the psalmist offer us in Psalm 63 to help us on our journey?
 
3. Can you accept the fact that even though you sometimes mess things up in life, God is still there for you?
 
4. Read through the scripture lessons for this Sunday again, and spend some time journaling your thoughts.