Christ The Servant
Catholic Church
Cold Springs, Ontario
Homily Selections
September 6, 2009
Is 35:4-7; Ps 146: 7-10; James 2:1-5; Mark 7: 31-37
The readings today speak of freedom in a fascinating way. God invites each of us to be more. Analogies such as deafness, blindness, richness and poverty are used to mirror to each of us how we allow ourselves to become attached to what limits us. So while the readings speak about blindness, we are invited to recognize the many ways that we can be blind while still being capable of physically seeing. The same is true about being deaf. One can physically hear and still be incapable of listening. We can be poor while being rich and rich while being very poor. It is tempting to limit our understanding of the readings this morning to stories of miracles.
In the Gospel reading today, we encounter a Jesus who is open. His openness is underscored because Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Gallilee. Jesus does not take a direct route; it is circuitous and crosses into Gentile territory. Jesus purposely moves outside his comfort zone. His route ensures that he will meet non-Jews or Gentiles. Why does Jesus embark on such a trip? Why doesn’t Jesus stay within his cultural and religious limits?
A man who is both deaf and who has a speech impediment becomes the focus of the miracle in Mark’s Gospel. It is easy to allow one’s attention to remain on the man being cured but I’m not sure that that is the intent of this story. This is a faith story that occurs within the context of community. The community or crowd brings the man to Jesus and requests healing through the laying of hands. Jesus is not content to merely lay his hands on the man but turns this miracle into an act of intimacy. He spits, mixing his body fluids with the body parts of the man who is deaf and his prayer is a prayer for openness.
Is Jesus’ prayer of openness solely for the man who is deaf? Or is this act of healing and prayer for opening also for the crowd. Jesus never performs the same miracle; it is always tailored to the individuals and community whom he encounters. Jesus is so unlike the traditional church; his interactions with people, communities and his disciples are always about growth. There is no formula other than entering into relationship with your neighbour and learning to love him or her- the dance of invitation and response.
The second reading from James alludes to this. It is obvious that the rich man and poor man are strangers. We know nothing about these two men except that one has rings and that the other is shabbily dressed indicating that one is rich while the other is poor. We can allow ourselves to get caught up in superficial judgments that create boundaries and divisions or we can look deeper.
Returning to the Gospel, Jesus demonstrates that one has to get close and personal to really encounter one’s neighbour. The crowd becomes the class that Jesus teaches and the miracle of the man who is deaf is the lesson. Jesus invites each of us to move painfully close to our communal sisters and brothers. The ability to heal, to improve the lives of others cannot occur when we maintain our distance from one another but occurs only when we move very close. Christianity is a contact sport!
Listening to Jesus perform this miracle reminds us that healing is work. We hear that Jesus groaned as he engaged with the man who is deaf. Much like the woman who is in labour, Jesus births something new for both the man and the community. Healing is not a passive activity. It is painful to engage with people who are challenged by physical problems, societal problems, political problems, cultural problems or family problems.
How can we become more engaged with one another? The Jesuits founded by Ignatius of Loyola in the middle 1500’s have something called the Examen. It is a prayerful reflection that helps people become aware of where God is working in one’s life.
Dennis Hamm, a Jesuit, compares the Examen “to rummaging around in a drawer filled with stuff searching for something that you’re sure must be there”. We all know this experience. For some the Examen is a prayer practice of long ago, for others it may be a new experience. I’d like to take a few moments to experience the Examen together. It is a prayer of discernment that is experiential. By engaging in this prayer exercise, one can begin to understand how God is calling each of us.
The Examen can be done anywhere and one begins by becoming aware of God. Yesterday as I continued to reflect on this homily I did the Examen on the back of my bicycle; it’s peaceful there and I find that it’s a good place to pray but you could do it equally well lying in bed prior to falling asleep. I do it there too.
There are two questions that we ask. For what moment today am I most grateful? For what moment today am I least grateful? Ignatius taught that we should endeavor to do more of the things that make us grateful and that we should be attentive to the things that cause us to feel ungrateful.
What kind of things can we be grateful for and what are some things for which we lack gratitude? Briefly let me share my Examen with you. On the back of the bicycle yesterday afternoon, I began to reflect on my day thus far. As I considered what I was grateful for, I remembered a little girl sitting at a table eating French fries from the chip truck. She looked a little like the child actress Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine and she had on a shirt that had the sparkly words Queen of Jelly Beans. As I read the words Queen of Jelly Beans on her shirt, I giggled inside; I felt happy. Life can be simple when one is ten years old. I wanted to tell her that I really liked her shirt but she was with a large group of people and one knows how strangers who speak to children are viewed. As we left to continue our ride, I managed to tell her that I liked her shirt and she flashed me the biggest grin. As I reflected on why I felt grateful for this brief encounter with this young girl, I prayed for her as she began a new school year. I remembered when I had been her age and what it was like starting school after the summer. As I continued to stay with thee images other memories came into my consiousness for which I was also grateful.
We started out to ride rather late yesterday and I was feeling particularly annoyed with myself because we didn’t have time to do the route that we had planned. The fact that we didn’t have time was as a result of my choices. As I reflected on how I was feeling, I became aware that my feelings were spoiling the ride for me. I wonder how many times I let that happen. I felt rather sad and my sadness was really spoiling the ride. Why wasn’t it enough to just be riding? As I paid attention to my feelings, there was interior movement and I became able to simply enjoy the cycling – to be present. By giving God space to work in my life, there is healing.
Let’s experience the Examen now. There are number of versions of this prayer; I have chosen a very simple version for this morning. Get comfortable in your chair, close your eyes. (Feel free to block me out if this is not something to which you are open.) Think about your day today or if you wish reflect on the past 24 hours. I will ask some questions and I will also leave some silent time for you to think or pray. For some people the time will be too long and for others the time will be too short.
For what are you most grateful? Pause… What made the moment that comes to mind so special? Pause… What are you feeling? Pause… Breathe in gratitude for this life giving moment.
Over the past 24 hours, for what have you been least grateful? Pause… Why was this moment so difficult? Pause… Are you aware of any feelings? Pause … Stay with this moment and ask God to fill you with love. Pause…
This is a prayer exercise that each of us can do as we lay in bed at night before nodding off to sleep. Each of us can review our day and allow God some space to break into the busyness of daily life. Finally we can thank our Creator for this experience and invite God to continue to make us aware of moments for which we are deeply grateful as well as the moments that are more challenging.
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