euphemos

When we speak of the word of God, we speak simultaneously of the scriptures and of Jesus the Word made flesh. 

When we read the scriptures, they read us. If we allow it, they will pierce us to the heart, and the spirit of wisdom will set our minds and hearts right.

When Jesus looks at us, his gaze is sharper than any sword. It penetrates even between our soul and our spirit, our bones and our marrow. Nothing is concealed. Everything is naked and exposed to his eyes.

How do you feel about that?

How do you feel about being seen by Jesus?

Adam and Eve hid themselves.

Humans think a good life is an easy life. Jesus says take up your cross.

Humans think victory means not losing. Jesus shows that it is rising again.

Humans think shame comes from what happens to us, and how others treat us. Jesus shows that we are not disgraced even when we are rejected, beaten and spit upon.

Humans think we should never experience sorrow or distress. Jesus goes with us into it, and through it.

Humans think we should look out for ourselves and get what we can. Jesus says we should lose it all.

Humans think death is the end. Jesus shows us what it means that God has freed our soul from death.

Humans think it is enough to believe, or go through the motions. The apostle reminds us that faith without works is dead.

Humans think we can boast of our accomplishments. Saint Paul reminds us everything is a gift, and we can only boast about what Christ has done.

We do not think as God does, but as humans do.

Take up your cross.

Rise again when you fall.

Trust that God is with you, and will be with you.

Do whatever good you can.

Think and say less about yourself – Praise God more.

This is how we show our faith.

This is how our life honors the cross of Christ.

This weekend marks the beginning of a new stage in your journey of formation. We are resuming the climb after a bit of a switchback on the mountain road where we slowed for the turn and to admire the view.

From here, there are two dangers and one joy that I want you to keep in sight.

How are you doing? Have you caught yourself complaining about something that you once recognized as a gift, like the Children of Israel complained about Manna in the desert?

You will.

“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Is he advocating cannibalism?

Jesus doubles down – oh.. Unless you gnaw (and that’s the word he uses) the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.

We hear this talk of eating his flesh and blood, and it makes us cringe a little bit. It sounds… weird, even when we understand it. Why did he put it so… intensely?

Because God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, but God understands us intimately.

Because we should approach the Eucharist like a dog gets on a bone, or a teenager attacks dinner. We don’t just daintily snack… we gnaw. We don’t just sip, we drink deeply. 

God is calling us to a kind of passion that can only be compared to a ravenous hunger that, when satisfied, does not leave us guilty and nauseated and swearing we will never eat again, but full of life and joy.

This Jesus, this Eucharist, is the food and drink that Wisdom prepares.

Although all the talk of sheep and shepherds means I’d love to talk about my goats today, and there are at least five different homilies in today’s readings, I haven’t forgotten that I owe you time, so hear this one thing:

Rest awhile – Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.

We stink at resting. We relax, but with activity or amusements so that relaxation is often busy-ness. Those of us blessed to have a day off from work often fill that day with running errands. We don’t even pretend to make an effort to keep Sunday as a day of rest, working and shopping and “doing” all day. Even churches hold business meetings on Sunday, which really gets my goat.