Sunday Homily 8-22-10, 21st Ordinary Time
Readings: Isaiah, 66, 18-21; Psalm 117, Go out to All the World and tell the Good News; Hebrews 12, 5-7, 11-13; Luke 13, 22-30.
Luke: 4 observations & an extra
Author: Luke, a physician, a gentile, a Christian, a resident of
Audience: Gentile Christians who are spread about, e.g.,
Time: ca. 90 C.E. Note this is after the defeat of the Jewish rebellion and the destruction of the temple ca. 70 C.E., & the separation of the Jewish & Gentile Christians from the synagogue ca. 80 C.E.
Structure: follows & often copies Mark who builds his gospel around the Jewish liturgical calendar used in the synagogue.
A Significant Contemporary Shift taking Place Today?
–Ca. 450 C.E. the Council of Calcedon. Big fight over nature of Jesus, one nature (all divine) or two natures (divine & human). The two nature people won, not just with persuasion, but killing and bullying.
–Today the one nature position is returning, but not the divine nature position. The human nature.
–Interesting analogy with Rosa Parks, who sparked the civil rights movement, Dec. 1, 1955, when she refused to give up her seat on a bus in
Did Christianity follow a similar path? Jesus started something. Is Rosa Parks an analogy of the Jesus event? Was it not Jesus' followers, most of whom never knew him, who built the edifice? Did he even know what was coming? It is said that Jesus was first declared divine at the Council of Nicea, (Constantine's villa across from what became Constantinople/Istanbul) ca. 325 C.E.
Sources: Bishop John Shelby Spong, Jesus for the Non-Religious; New Interpreter's Study Bible, pp. 1847-1849; Early Christian Writings on line; St. Louis U, Center for Liturgy; Wikipedia
Homily: The Master of the House has Arisen and Locked the Door?
Anybody know who Patrick Sharp is? Anybody heard of him?
Yes, he is the guy who Tuesday shot up the
He is also the guy who an hour before that was messaging an adolescent girl in GA and maybe other young girls that he was going to do it. He said, “I enjoy watching people drown. I enjoy watching people beg for their life?
Then he killed himself.
Is this guy in hell? Has the master of the house shut the door on him? You say, “Well, I hope so.” And according to Luke’s selection, which has Jesus saying, “Depart from me all you evil doers,” it sounds like this guy is in a bad place right now.
Maybe he was not warned adequately enough about this. I certainly was as a kid. Tony told me about the nun with the candle. I’ll give you $10 if one of you boys can hold your finger in the flame for one minute. Nobody? Hell is this candle all over your body forever!
I probably was partly motivated by this when I decided I better enter the Jesuits and be a priest.
While not wanting to contradict this message, I would like to propose a broader picture and wonder, 'What if there is no hell?' Two reasons: the nature of our God and the nature of us humans.
The nature of God. Hold on to the story of the Prodigal Son. The father, the symbol of God in the story, does not close the door on the son who has done all the most grievous things. He not only leaves the door open. He runs down the driveway to embrace the kid when the father sees him shuffling up the lane all filthy and beaten down.
This is the best image of God. Add to it the stars in the sky, the moon tonight, good people we know, teachers, parents, coaches.
The nature of us humans. As a priest and as a psychotherapist I have worked with and come to know intimately Patrick Sharps. I might think the person pretty bad until I hear their story. Maybe bullied by companions, physically abused by a parent, or worse. Even this Patrick Sharp knew he was damaged goods. Why? I've been humbled so often when I judged the book by the cover.
What if there is no hell for Patrick Sharp?
What do you need to do to let loose of any old fears that you are going to hell?
Picture 1: Mass begins with Emma supervising
Picture 2: Sisters, Brandy & Wendy
Picture 3: Cousins, Georgie & Natalie
Picture 4: Sienna & her grandmommy, Robyn
