My friends, yes, Lent is upon us once again. For some, just mention of the word brings up negative feelings – for others, Lent may be about “inviting” a “welcome” time of 40 Days into your life to look more introspectively, trying to see, as we reflect each week during Mass, “if we have been the people that Jesus calls us to be.”  So, wherever you may be on the continuum of “yah to nah” on Lent, let’s start there. 

   As always, let’s begin with the chosen readings for today:  You know from previous homilies that for the most part, I always stick to the chosen readings because I want us to be in step with our Universal Church.  And even when it is the case that the readings aren’t that good, as with the 1^st two for today, it is a place to start and we can then go further.

   Take the first reading from Genesis today—did anyone other than me think it strange that we start out with the “earth creature” whom we assume from other translations to be Adam, enjoying the beauties of the garden that God has created, and then the jump of a chapter to introduce the woman just in time to bring “sin” into the world? 

   Granted, “our sinfulness” is what is trying to be lifted up throughout the readings, but I also suspect that the ages-old tendency, “to blame the woman” is afoot here as well, even though in a few lines not included in this reading, we hear that God put the “earth creature” to sleep and divided it into [equal parts], creating male and female entities.  So, this tendency, “to blame the woman” even though, a subtle thing, in a patriarchal culture,  is one to note just the same.

   Then, moving into the 2^nd reading from Paul to the Romans – in my mind, he protests too much.  His intent in preaching to the Romans who knew little or nothing of Jesus, was no doubt to have them get a clear picture of who Jesus was, but I for one, object to the picture he is portraying here.  Why does the act of making a human choice have to be carried on through all of humanity and their history, in order that Jesus can then come and save us from ourselves? This is faulty reasoning if we are to believe in the graciousness and mercy of God. 

   It is probably this reading where the notion of original sin comes from, and the need for God—and not a loving God, at that, to be appeased through the death of Jesus.  This so-called “theology” is so flawed, as it makes God so small-minded, so small-hearted, as Sister Joan Chittister would say of such theology, so vindictive—more like us than God, who in other places—we are told, “is all-loving and all-merciful.”  Theologian, Sister Sandra Schneiders speaks of Jesus’ God, thus, “God was not only compassionate, but compassion itself.”  We can’t believe both narratives—that of a vindictive God and that of an all-loving, all-understanding God—as in the God of the “Prodigal,” a story of over-the-top love which we will read later on in Lent. 

   Then, we have the gospel from Matthew that you will recall is all about Jesus’ “temptations to power,” as he prepares for his public ministry.  Anyone called to leadership will always be tempted by the power that can come with the role.  Jesus is aware of this and thus tries to make himself strong through fasting and prayer, in order to avoid this very strong temptation and keep focused on his mission. 

   Fasting from food, as all “good Catholics” are counseled to do during Lent, has its place in our lives if it prepares us to better focus on moving out of ourselves to see the needs of others, to in fact be better people.  I personally tend, as you know, to shy away from fasting as prescribed by the Church during Lent as I can’t seem to separate it from the notion of “dieting” and this conundrum was validated for me a few years back in a piece that I read in the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) on fasting and the different take that many women have on the topic.  Of course, this article was written by a woman!

   Because many women have grown up with the false impression, created by our male-centered culture, that women are only acceptable if they have a certain body type and shape, fasting takes on a whole different notion for women than it does for men, the writer said.  There is a reason friends, why more women than men, in our culture, suffer from anorexia and bulimia.

   The men in charge, the writer continues, say that you can’t unite the two, that is, using a time of fasting to lose a few extra pounds.  And that is why I have stopped trying.   If I happen to be dieting during Lent, (when am I not trying to lose those extra pounds?!),  I call it “dieting” and forget about fasting, for what that is worth.

   So, let’s take what we have here and go deeper, as we are always called to do.  The Church hierarchy wants us to get the notion, and never forget it, “that we are a sinful people, mea culpa, mea culpa,” thus the 1^st two readings from Genesis and Romans. I spoke of my objections to both readings from the way in Genesis that the message is parsed out, emphasizing the “woman” as the chief sinner, and in the 2^nd reading where Paul lays out the “apparent need” that this “original” sin be passed on through all of our human history, so that every newborn baby coming into our “Catholic” world is considered “sin” instead of “blessing” as the Creator intended.

   Again, this is a time to let God be God, and not create a God that appears like us, mean and despicable at times.  As I said above, later on in Lent, we will read of a “Prodigal God” who will always “run to meet us” when we “want to come home.”

   So, what are we to do with these 40 Days?  If the counsel to “fast and pray and give alms,” as our bishop apparently suggests, not even connected to any of the injustices in our society, doesn’t quite do it for us, how shall we observe this time and make it meaningful?   As we suggested last week in discussing the commandment, “that we not kill,” there are many ways to “kill” – through words and inaction, there are also many ways to “fast.” 

   But 1^st off, I must say,  if fasting from food helps you to grow closer to Jesus and live in our world as he did in his, speaking truth to power, and advocating for “the least among us,” I am not discouraging it, but if it simply leaves you with an “ugh” feeling, then you may want to “fast” in a different way:  you can fast perhaps from nagging a loved one, or from using your sharp tongue, tone, or wit to denigrate another,  or from selfishness with your time, or from judgmentalism, or snobbishness, or the need to have things done your way, and the list can go on.  I am sure we can each find ourselves somewhere in that list. 

   And in the end, if we don’t come out on the other side of Lent knowing that we are mightily loved by our God, flawed as we are, then, I would think we had missed something important.  When you really look at Jesus’ earthly life, you have to conclude that he was an astounding person, and to follow in his ways—actions and words—we certainly could do worse!  He was one who saw the goodness of his Abba in all he met and continually worked for the good of all—he saw all as, “his Body and Blood—the eucharist, in the best sense of that word…and so should we.

   So, my friends, I hope that I have instilled today the notion, that “religious practices,” fasting, prayer and almsgiving, “set on a shelf,” as it were, apart from our lives – our day in and day out encounters with the Christ, in the humanity of all who come into our lives, kind of misses the point. Lent isn’t intended to be a feat to be accomplished, but as a path forward.

   And we do need to be strong to respond as Pastor Chad Ellenburg of Pleasant Valley church did with his community last Sunday here in Winona.  Keeping in mind that his community, unlike in traditional Catholic churches, can fire him if they don’t like the message he is preaching, what he had to say was quite astounding and prophetic. I shared the link to his homily earlier in the week, and if you haven’t yet listened to it, I would encourage you to do so.  We should pray for each other that we could have such strength. One of the lines he gave in addressing why he felt he needed to connect the Scriptures to all that is happening in our world, was this: He said, “I don’t want to be late on this!”

   And let’s pray for our world and each other that we can more often remember that we came into this world as “blessings” and must strive to be a blessing to all we meet.  If we do that on a regular basis, I think we can consider humbly not only “Lenten Days,” but most days of our lives successful!  Amen? Amen!

______________________________________

And with that spirit in mind, I would invite you, if you wish, to come up to receive ashes, remembering that “We have come from the good earth, and will return there one day.”  This beautiful Lenten ritual should help us remember our place among all created life in our world.

My friends, I had planned on addressing the gospel selection which I just read for you, first thing, because on face value, it seems so harsh, but instead, (we will get to that gospel) because I believe that as Father Richard Rohr is fond of saying, “everything fits,” I will first lift up briefly some of the “learnings” of our recent trip to Norway. 

   Because we usually take such a trip just once a year, we had been planning this one for a long time – dates on  the calendar, all the prep work done, or getting done, and on the night before we were to leave, checking in 24 hours ahead for our boarding passes for the flight that would take us to our ship headed for Norway, we discovered that we had made a major error – we were not 24 hours ahead, but 24 hours behind.  As we sat in the comfort of our home that night, we were supposed to be on a flight to London! 

   Due to our great travel agent, Liz, our trip was salvaged with us flying on the same flight the next day and having a couple of unplanned days in London, wherein we visited Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, and Oxford, connecting up with our ship just a few days late, only missing 3 days at sea, with no port calls. 

   We came to see that as the first few days of our trip played out, they were really quite serendipitous, giving us unexpected adventures and ending with a chance meeting of 2 flight attendants, Mary and Jeffery, sitting right next to us at the Italian restaurant down the street from our hotel. 

   In the course of our shared conversation – where are you from? –what do you do? – it came out that I am a priest with Roman Catholic Women Priests, and pastor this parish in Winona, Minnesota.  Mary was thrilled to know this as she comes out of a very Catholic family, the only girl in a family of 6 brothers. Even though Mary presented herself as a very competent woman, she expressed a feeling, growing up of not being quite as good as her brothers.  As is often the case, women feeling inadequate in Church or State, if that feeling is not countered by someone, through the growing years, it can take root and becomes very hard to uproot. 

   Through the Spirit putting Mary and I in the same place, enabling us to share rather deeply, she was able to come to a place of appreciating herself more, by the affirmation that I was able to give her.  So, even though our trip started out with “kicking ourselves” for our human mistake, by being open to what this change might bring, something unexpected was able to happen. 

   And this is a good place to jump into the gospel today that seems, as I said, “rather harsh.”  First, it must be remembered that the gospels and other readings chosen for each Sunday are but “a slice in time,” and for the most part, should not be taken literally.  There is usually a “back story” that fleshes out, and makes clear, what the words included actually mean. 

   A case in point is Jesus’ discussion of divorce and remarriage.  Remembering that women and children had no status in the society in which Jesus lived, this discussion, which does seem harsh, and was probably intended to be, was given primarily for the men.  As the laws of the time were written, men could divorce their wives for little or no cause and once that happened, women and their children, if they had no home to return to, were usually in quite a fix. 

   A similar story – the woman caught in adultery, who was brought to Jesus for judgment, is yet another case of the unevenness of the law.  Exegetes raise up for us the fact that the Scriptures don’t designate which person, the woman, or the man was committing adultery – we always assume it was the woman. It may have been the case that this woman was mistreated in a marriage contract, divorced, and the only way she could take care of herself, and her children was through the “oldest profession.”

   This gospel of many layers of human living is coupled well with the first reading from Sirach.  This reading, in its entirety can be summed up in two words, “free will.”  Sirach says simply, “No one is commanded to sin, none given the strength for lies…” “Before [us] is life and death –whichever [we] choose will be given” [us]. 

   Having a “free will” is a great gift given us by our God – God wanted us to have this gift to choose our path in life – but that doesn’t mean that it will always be easy.  Paul, in his letter selection to the Corinthians today says as much:  It takes a “certain maturity” to live “wisely” and this comes from our relationship with the Spirit, to live as our “best selves,” choosing good over evil, and of course, this means, good for us, but for others too!

   Today, the prophecy of Isaiah, repeated by Paul is good for us to remember in the troubling times in which we live: “Eye has not seen and ear not heard …what God has prepared for those who love God.”  And of course, “love of God” must always be coupled with compassionate action for God’s people.

      My friends, the gift of life that each of us has, complete with a free will to choose our own path in life is based upon faith in a God who loves us, who has given us commandments to follow in living our best.  And yet there is more…

   If we look at the commandments for right living in a very surface way, we could walk away thinking, as in the case, “not to kill” that we have not physically taken another’s life, and therefore are safe.  It must be remembered though that our words, our inaction, when action is needed, can “kill” too. 

   Our brother Jesus was often accused of wanting to “abolish the law,” and he said, “No,” – I have come to “fulfill” the law, to help you see there is more than one way to kill, for instance.  In challenging his followers to a fuller way to keep the law, Jesus often uplifted what most of us know as the Golden Rule – “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Also, the two-fold command of, “Loving God, and loving your neighbor as yourself.”  And in the end, if obeying a sterile law gets in the way of the law to love, that sterile law needs to be changed!  When we exclude anyone, or say that anyone is not worthy, not acceptable, or that “we are better,” we have failed to love. 

   So, every time we go on a trip, we try to see what new places and new people can teach us. In conclusion then, I will share just a few more things that were lifted up for us, because it all, somehow, fits:

• I had always wanted to see Stonehenge – that marvelous feat of construction, begun 3,000-2,000 B.C. as Robert shared over the years how nearly 60 years ago, he and a friend rode their motorcycles into this place in England and were able to get up close and personal with these monoliths, touching them, even.  Now, 50 years later since more people know of them, and have the privilege of visiting, 150-200 feet away is as close as one can get. Seems Robert’s earlier experience might have been more meaningful…perhaps this says that over the years, these structures began to be taken for granted instead of held in awe…
• Windsor Castle –it was somewhat exciting to think of King Charles III and his Queen Consort, Camilla, being somewhere within the castle as we toured, but at the end of the day, came the realization that they are humans too, just like us, with their own path to follow…
• Robert and I had to laugh throughout our time in London over the fact that as we toured around the city on foot, we often got lost, which in my memory, Robert never has – basically, if we got off our street, we just couldn’t find our way back! Even asking directions many times…we often heard –“it’s just one street over!” A word to the wise –London has no street signs!  All in all, it was humbling…
• On everyone’s bucket list going to Norway is to see the Northern Lights – most of us didn’t see them – too cloudy, moon gave off too much light, lights on ship too bright – this was one of those times not to get stuck in one way of thinking – we did see some quite stunning sunrises and sets though!
• A man by the name of Arran Smith, our cruise director gave us the privilege one evening of hearing a selection of music that he sang from popular musicals and from individuals of note.  We were completely in awe of his rendition from Les Misérables of “Bring Him Home,” which as you may know was sung by the character, Jean Valjean in this musical.  It was about a young man who was like a son to Valjean, and it expressed his great love, compassion and willingness to sacrifice everything for the beloved.  I mention this performance to lift up how we sometimes see others only on the surface – I would never have imagined that this seemingly quiet and really non-descript  cruise director could sing the way he did … never to underestimate, I guess. 

   The prayer of the psalmist seems a good place to end all of this that seems “to fit.”  The psalmist prays for “goodness” from God, that their eyes “would be opened,” that they would be able to discern God’s law, … and keep it with all their heart.  The times that we are living in are truly calling us to our very best – it’s “heart” work and hard work too.  Let’s do it together! Amen? Amen!

My friends, I wrote this homily on Friday morning, a very cold day that, as you know, stopped school, and forced many inside to keep warm and protect themselves from harm, me included.  And except for the sun peeking out, trying to address the cold, the day laid heavy on my heart. So, I apologize right off for the negative beginning here, but I promise a more positive ending.  I must also add that I struggled over even giving this, but realized that truth-telling is important, even as we try to sort out what being our best really means, and this was before the 2^nd murder of Alex in Minneapolis on Saturday.   

   What I described above initially, was about material manifestations of the weather, but it added to what I was already feeling on a more spiritual/emotional level, and again, before Saturday’s most recent murder by our federal government.  These spiritual/emotional feelings, as you might well guess, were swirling around the overall, day-in, day-out mean, arrogant, and selfish tone, lacking truth of most of what is coming out of our nation’s capital, and the present administration there – now.

   The rhetoric from there adds to my feelings of disbelief that so-called leaders, both religious and political, can be so lacking in kindness, truth, and spouting one-sided statements, with every ill perceived as someone else’s fault, taking no personal responsibility for their own actions.  The lack of moral actions disguised as law in our beautiful state of Minnesota, and with no repercussions to those dealing out this pain and suffering to those unfortunate ones among us with dark skin, or to those supporting them, is something that simply breaks one’s heart –those with a heart yet to break.  This is why I had us sing the psalm response today, as music addresses the pain we feel better than words at times.

   And into this sadness, we hear the prophet Isaiah say, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”

   So, my friends, what are we to make of this?  I think sadness, at least for me, comes when those who should know better speak lies, when truth is needed. This past week gave us two examples of this: First, our local bishop offered his plan to ease tensions  in Minneapolis, and I will paraphrase: He said, perhaps if the ICE agents would take a pause and only arrest the worst criminals… Now, in my mind, that should be their mission at all times, and it begs the question – after this pause, bishop, ICE should go back to arresting everyone with dark skin, whether a criminal or not as they are presently doing? I would expect more from a spiritual leader, Bishop Barron, than this!

   Also, this past week, our Vice President from Washington visited our city to say: “All would be better with just a little cooperation from the officials in Minneapolis.”  And to Mr. Vance I would say, “Are you really asking Minneapolis officials to stand by and affirm a pack of thugs beating down the doors of U.S. citizens, most law-abiding, with no warrants to do so, showing no respect for individuals’ rights, to appease the hurt feelings of their commander-in-chief? And to that we add yet, another murder.

   And yet, we hear the prophet speaking additionally today, through Matthew, again quoting Isaiah’s words, “on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.” Matthew’s gospel today goes on to relate how the brothers Peter and Andrew, James and John, future apostles, were called by our brother Jesus, and each set, Scriptures say, immediately answered his call leaving their boats behind. 

   I believe in the midst of the sad times in which we are presently living, we need to hear and truly understand this story.  These men, and if Scripture told the full story, women too – wives, mothers, and so on followed this man, Jesus. The story doesn’t say, “they told Jesus that they would think about it, and get back to him,” but, immediately!  …they said “yes” and followed.

   One does have to wonder at how Jesus presented himself so that people left all that they knew, to follow him, remembering that one’s name and job, their way to make a living meant everything to them. We call that quality, “charismatic,” but unfortunately, people can be “charismatic” in evil ways as well, but for our purposes today, let us concentrate on the charismatic goodness of Jesus.

   We hear from Paul today in his letter to the Corinthians as he tries to help those who are quarreling with each other: “Remember who you follow, in whose name you were baptized.” Wouldn’t it be good if our bishop remembered Paul’s words, and V.P. Vance who claims to be a Catholic? 

   The times in which we are living are calling forth the very best from each of us.  We need to “shine our own particular lights” in whatever way that we can, as we spoke of last week. 

   This past Friday – a national women’s group was calling for work to shut down, schools to close, and buying to stop, to simply say, we are watching, we know what is going on, and we want change!

   This may sound like I am not aware of what many of you are doing and that is truly not the case:

·      Many, if not all of us are praying every day for those downtrodden and persecuted in our world and for God to show us how to make a difference, perhaps give us the strength to make a differenc.

·      Many are writing letters, postcards and making calls to legislators demanding that they address the needs of all in our country, reminding them that no one is above the law.

·      Many are demonstrating in very cold weather on Mondays, Saturdays, in Winona, our state’s capital, and our nation’s capital, along with cities around our country. 

·      Many are talking with friends/family members, trying to listen, and also speaking their truth with as much strength as possible and encouraging peace-filled responses to the evil being presented, keeping in mind that there needs to be a balance between law and love, and when love is violated, law must change. 

   And my dear friends, at the end of the day we must simply hold onto hope that good eventually wins out over hate.  Hate destroys us all from within, love’s warmth can melt the coldness of evil actions.  And we must remember that our brother Jesus walks with us – don’t forget to ask him for the help you need to stand strong, to remain hopeful, to make a call, demanding change.

   In today’s gospel we hear about fisher people leaving their boats to become “fishers of humans” so I think the words of Jim Wallis, founder and editor of Sojourner Magazine are fitting today – “Let Jesus into your boat,”  [if he isn’t already there]when all of what we are called to do seems too great.  Jesus truly is a strength for these times, and won’t fail to help us, if we ask, to shine the light that our world needs now!

   When I began this homily, as I said, my heart was heavy, and my spirit sad as I struggled to address so much that we all feel is wrong – how much to say, how little to say, to strike a balance between addressing the problem, without wallowing in it, and moving on in hope, believing – never doubting that the good will win out in the end. 

   I have to admit that I was slugging my way through on Friday trying to give you the hope that generally “springs eternal” within me, and feeling somewhat “hopeless.”

   So, rather than spend overly much time reading “about the darkness, Robert and I have been trying to concentrate on the “light,” that I spoke of earlier … and more.  And we gain hope from each of you, knowing all that you are doing to make a difference – testament I believe of the good of folks gathering in community – to support each other and be strength when some are down, so that they can be the hope when others are down.

   And finally, I have called to mind those greater than me, such as Gandhi who said, “The way of truth and love has always won. There are tyrants but in the end, they always fall. Think of it …  Always.”

And our brother Jesus who promised that he would be with us – always – so that we should not be afraid.  Amen? Amen!

______________________________________________________________________________________