The following address was made to my Jesuit brothers. Our chapel is particularly shadowy in terms of lighting and my initial remarks made them laugh. I like to write homilies in point form so I can extemporize a bit while keeping to key ideas. I hope you like it...
--This liturgical space freaks me out
--it's dark, and while I'm speaking to you, I cannot see you
--I cannot see whether you approve or disapprove of what I am saying
--and my imagination fills in the silence and the darkness, fills in the unknown with what I most fear
--An old Jesuit once told me: the antidote to fear is love
--Look at Christ in the Gospel today. Christ receives a message of fear and uncertainty: get away, they are going to try to kill you
--Jesus' response is full of life and courage:
“tell that old fox I am casting out demons and curing the sick!”
“On the third day I finish my work”
Jesus seems to say, “here I am... do your worst”
--I am struck by the vibrant humanity of Jesus' courage. He is laying his life on the line... and that resolve in his heart brings him delight and freedom... expressed in everything he says and does
--Christ does not have courage because he is powerful,
Nor because He can see the future.
--An earthly conqueror secures himself with armies and sends spies to gather intelligence. A earthly conqueror shows courage when he lays his life on the line for his empire and for his own ambitions
--Christ is more than a conqueror
--his awesome resolve in the face of danger does not come from security or intelligence... nor from his ability to rule
--It comes from the fact that he is laying his life on the line
for someone he loves. You.
--he is delighted and inspired to risk everything...
...because he delights in You and is inspired by You.
--You are the beloved children of Jerusalem that he longs to gather under His wing
--love is the antidote to Jesus' fear
Let us bring all our anxieties and concerns to Our Lord's table...
...where our fear finds its antidote.
Let us respond with love to Jesus who loves us so boldly
--and let us pray for courage and audacity in loving...
that we can lay our own lives on the line for others
--with freedom and delight... knowing that neither death, nor life, nor anything else in all creation... can separate us from His love
Wow! Thank you for sharing this. It's a powerful message.
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