II Sunday of Lent

LEAVE YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Genesis 12:1-4a; 2 Timothy 1:8b-10; Matthew 17:1-9

Readings for the II Sunday of Lent

A king received two falcons and gave them to his head falconer for training. Months later, the head falconer informed the king that one falcon was flying majestically; the other had not moved from its branch. The king summoned his ministers and sorcerers; none could get the bird to leave the branch. The king promised a reward to the one who made the falcon fly. Several people tried and failed. One farmer succeeded! The king was thrilled; he asked the farmer what he had done. The farmer replied: “Your Highness, I cut the branch on which the bird was sitting.”

If we want to find our place in life, we need to get off our branches, we need to leave our comfort zones. Today’s readings emphasize this truth.

In the first reading, God tells Abraham to leave his country, his kindred, and his father’s house – his “branch” – and journey to the unknown. Abraham experiences many difficulties and sufferings because of this “leaving”; the result is a life of blessing and glory.

In the verses preceding today’s gospel, Jesus predicts his passion, death, and resurrection. Today’s text ends with Jesus’ command to his disciples: “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

Matthew thus indicates that there is a necessary connection between suffering and glory, between death and life. He skilfully drives home this point: the three disciples who are at the Transfiguration will be at Jesus’ agony at Gethsemane! 

It is not easy to leave a comfort zone; our natural impulse is to stay! On the mountain, surrounded by magnificence and glory, Peter wants to remain! But the voice tells them “to listen” to Jesus’ teaching that the way to life is through suffering and death. 

This was not easy for Jesus; it is not easy for us. The Transfiguration assured Jesus that the Father was with him and strengthened him on his road through suffering-death to the resurrection. It strengthened the disciples’ faith on their journey of discipleship. God’s love will sustain us as we leave our comfort zones and journey through suffering to life.

Am I ready to leave behind familiarity and security? What are the “branches” I must cut or the comfort zones I must leave to experience new life?

I Sunday of Lent

IMITATING JESUS THE OBEDIENT SON

Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11

Readings for the I Sunday of Lent

In a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Calvin tells his dad: “So long, Pop! I’m off to check my tiger trap! I rigged a tuna fish sandwich yesterday, so I’m sure to have a tiger by now!”

His dad asks: “They like tuna fish, huh?” 

Calvin says: “Tigers will do anything for a tuna fish sandwich!” 

The final frame shows Hobbes, hanging by his foot from a tree, munching a tuna fish sandwich and saying: “We’re kind of stupid that way.”

Adam and Eve were kind of stupid that way! They wanted to be like God and made a foolish decision: instead of enjoying all that was “very good”, they chose the forbidden.

Temptation came to them at three levels: physical (“good for food”); emotional (“a delight to the eyes”); and intellectual (“desired to make one wise”). But the foundation of the temptation was the doubt about God’s word: “Did God say…?” and the blatant denial of God’s word “You will not die.”

Like Adam in the garden, Jesus is subject to three tests in the wilderness; unlike Adam, Jesus does not succumb. After his baptism, Jesus is clear about his identity as the Son of God and does not make stupid choices which prevent him from living his identity.

The three temptations reflect the three tests Israel, called “son” by God, faced and failed; Jesus rejects the devil’s short-cuts and remains faithful. Jesus 

- refuses to mistrust God; refuses to exploit his power to provide himself with bread; manifests his total dependence on God. 

- refuses to seek proof of God’s presence.

- affirms his uncompromising loyalty to God. 

Our needs/ desires – physical, emotional, intellectual – could become channels for temptation. We will fall if we fail to nourish ourselves with God’s word, which comes to us in the scriptures, in the Church’s teachings, in parents’ advice, and in the innocence of children.

What is my tuna-fish sandwich? How/when do my needs become channels for temptation? What prevents me from living as God’s child?

VI Sunday of the Year

GOING BEYOND THE BOOK

Sirach 15:15-20; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37

Readings for the VI Sunday of the Year

There were two junior executives in a company. Both were diligent workers. One always went by the book and never erred. The other went beyond the book and therefore made mistakes. When there was an opening for a senior executive position, the managing director promoted the second exec. Mr By-the-Book was enraged and questioned a director about the decision! He had a better record; he never made mistakes; he always followed the book. The director replied: “Yes! But what will you do when something comes up that isn’t in the book? You know the rules. He knows our rationale; he knows the mind of the directors.”

It’s not enough to go by the book. Often in life—and always in the Christian life—we need to go beyond the book. That’s the bottom line of today’s scripture! 

In the gospel, Jesus challenges his disciples to go beyond the book, to surpass the righteousness of the scribes/Pharisees. In the Jewish perspective, one was righteous if one kept the law. For Jesus, it’s not enough to tick the commandment boxes! 

Jesus identifies the causes of sin and calls his disciples to also avoid the causes of sin. He does this through six illustrations (four in today’s text) which have the form “it was said… but I say to you.” The first part of the statement recalls the Law of Moses; the second part is the challenge to “go beyond”.

Disciples must  

a) avoid murder and avoid attitudes/behaviour that inappropriately express anger 

b) avoid adultery and have hearts free of lust

c) avoid divorce and remain faithful to the marriage covenant

d) avoid all oaths.

It’s not enough to know and keep the rules. We need to know the rationale for the rules and keep their spirit. We need to know why we are disciples and who we should be… by knowing Jesus, putting on his mind, and living his values. 

Am I ready to go beyond “the book”? Am I ready to imitate the One who came to “fulfil the law”? 

V Sunday of the Year

RELIGION: BEYOND RULES-RITUALS-RHETORIC

Isaiah 58:7-10; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16

Readings for the V Sunday of the Year

A little girl was visiting her grandparents, who held that Sunday should be a day of quiet and that the Bible was the only book to be read. The girl could neither play nor prance about. One Sunday, she asked for and was given permission to walk to the gate. There she saw the old mule standing with his head bowed and his eyes closed. She patted him, and said: “Poor old fellow, have you got religion, too?” 

Isn’t that how many view religion: a set of do’s and don’ts, practices and prayers? And many are completely turned off by the rules and rituals and rhetoric that we think comprise religion.

This Sunday’s readings paint a very different picture of religion! 

The context of the first reading is a critique of ritualistic fasting. Isaiah insists that true religion consists in being just and in removing need and oppression. The consequence of such religion: “Then shall your light break forth like the dawn... then shall your light rise in the darkness.” 

In the second reading, Paul critiques preaching which is nothing more than empty rhetoric.

For Jesus, discipleship is being “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world”. Salt and light function in three ways: by associating with the things they want to change; by being different from them; and by making a difference. 

Also, women in Israel placed salt at the base of ovens and then a salt-dung mixture on it; the salt acted as a catalyst and caused the dung to burn. To be the salt of the earth is to be a catalyst to start fires. When Jesus’ disciples do this, they will also be “light of the earth”. In much of the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus will spell out how to be salt and light, he will articulate this very different and radical way of looking at religion… which is living in love.

Will I live true religion—sharing with the needy, being just, removing oppression? Or will I be satisfied with rules, rituals, rhetoric which lead to bowed heads, closed eyes, heavy hearts? How will I be the salt of the earth, a catalyst to light fires in people’s lives?