Several years ago in one corner of our backyard, a flowering vine started to creep over our wall from a neighbor’s yard. We decided to let it grow since it hid the drab grey block wall surrounding all the open land from the front of the house to the back. In the five years since, 70 percent of the wall is covered and has greatly enhanced the wall and yard’s look.
Several years ago, I developed tinnitus in both my ears. It is a constant ringing, 24/7, that is it’s
loudest when all is quiet. It is
blessing that I have been able to block it out when I go to sleep. What is more amazing is that I am able to
pick out individual sounds when there are multiple noises, such as voices of
those speaking, as long as I am close enough to hear.
Pontius Pilate in St. John’s Gospel (Jn. 18:38) responded to a statement by Jesus about truth with a rhetorical question: “Truth! What does that mean?” He probably believed that truth is what one makes it, not the truth that is grounded in the very character and being of God which we, who are baptized, try to witness in our daily lives.
Though my Holy Land Pilgrimage was in early October of 2015, my
thoughts, visions and memories are still fresh in my mind, especially during
Lent and Holy Week. I kept a journal
during our 10-day journey and St. Mark’s Gospel on this Passion/Palm Sunday reminds
me of the depth of God’s love for His creation as He returns to Jerusalem for
the last time to give us life everlasting through His death and Resurrection.
It
is rare that a Psalm is used for a main thought for a homily, a reflection,
pastoral letter or even a blog. It is
the Gospel upon which we are to take our lead in God’s message to His disciples
or people who “wish to see Jesus” as mentioned in St. John’s Gospel today (Jn.
12:21). But, without Psalm 51:12, can we
really “See” Jesus?
Our Gospel from St. John this Fourth Sunday of Lent quotes what is considered one of the best known verses in the Bible:
And yet, it is one of the most
difficult for us to understand and to follow.
God’s
relationship with His believers is based on covenant agreements that include
disciples’ promises to do or not do something for which they are rewarded with
eternal salvation as part of God’s plan of redemption.
Depending
on which faith you choose to follow, the number of covenant agreements is
recognized differently. The Roman
Catholic Church, for example, names five they consider official covenants
between God and humanity: Noahic; Abrahamic; Mosaic; Davidic; and New. Two not considered covenants are Adamic and
Palestinian. The two we address today
are the Mosaic Covenant from the first reading of The Book of Exodus and the
New Covenant from the Gospel of Saint John.
There is not a parent I know of who would not be devastated if they
lost a child prior to dying themselves.
When our son was diagnosed with stomach cancer, it was touch and go,
especially in those first few months due to the aggressive nature of the disease. My wife, Candi, and I were not only in daily
telephone contact but we took the hour-and-half drive several times to be with
him, especially the day of his surgery and while he was in the hospital
afterwards. We wanted to make sure our
only son was okay. Now in his fifth year
of recovery, he is doing well and has had no more incidents leading to a
reoccurrence.
Someone asked me the other day if Covid-19 has changed me, especially
since the freedoms I once enjoyed have taken a back seat to quarantining,
social distancing and wearing masks. My
immediate answer was an off-handed one in which I said, “probably, but it has
been too long so I don’t remember.”
Looking back on this flippant response, it caused me to start looking
into actual changes that have happened during this past year and where it is
leading me.
St. Mark’s Gospel story and the Book of Leviticus today are about Touch. The touch denied a person accused of having a skin disease called leprosy in ancient times and the touch of Jesus, the son of God, in healing a man so accused. The leper is cured and can be reunited with humanity. Jesus is considered tainted and must leave humanity to spread the word of God and heal those in need.