Fr Roger's Homily: 27th Feb 10 – 2nd Sun of Lent – Year C

Homily: 27th Feb 10 – 2nd Sun of Lent – Year C
What do you bring to this mass? I ask you to spend a few moments to notice: What are the joys or sorrows or problems or questions or points of gratitude that are part of your last few days or weeks or months? … And what are the hopes and expectations and fears that you have for the future? This is our reality, the reality of our lives that we bring to this mass. This is the context for each of us of this mass.
When I was studying theology I did a course on the parables of Jesus and one thing that the lecturer emphasised again and again was the importance of the context of each passage of scripture. On the Second Sunday of Lent the Church always gives us the Transfiguration as the Gospel reading, and this year it is from Luke. The context is important. And what is the context? In this 9th chapter a lot has happened. Jesus has sent out the Twelve on mission to heal and proclaim the Kingdom of God. On their return he has fed the 5,000. Then in answer to his great question – which is a question for all of us, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Peter identifies him as the Christ of God. He then makes the first prophecy of the Passion and tells the disciples that if they want to be his disciple, they must renounce themselves and take up their cross every day and follow him. Then comes the Transfiguration.
And what about after? In 15 verses we get that moment in Luke’s Gospel where Jesus resolutely turned his face to Jerusalem and most of the rest of the Gospel is taken up by this journey which leads him to his passion and death. But before that we have an argument about who is the greatest, the second prediction of the passion and an almighty rumpus as the disciples fail to heal an epileptic boy. In exasperation, Jesus says, ‘You faithless and perverse generation. How much longer must I put up with you?’ The context is important, and context of this mysterious and mystical event of the Transfiguration, this peak experience, this moment of revelation, then is one of the remarkable and the ordinary, of predictions of suffering and the reality of the cross in our lives as a cost and condition of discipleship, of getting it wrong and missing the point. Turmoil, arguments, jockeying for position – don’t be surprised if these are the sequels to profound spiritual experiences; don’t be surprised if you have an argument on the way home from mass.
This extraordinary moment of the Transfiguration is not so much about the present as about the future. Before Jesus starts that long and difficult road to Jerusalem he gives Peter, James and John a glimpse of the fullness of the Kingdom, of his destiny and theirs. Of course, Peter misunderstands it. He wants to make it a permanent present reality – who can blame him? These are precious moments. But this preview, trailer for the Kingdom of Heaven, is to give them courage and strength, because they are about to face the Cross.
Just before this, Jesus has told them, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up their cross every day and follow me’. Note that he says ‘his’ cross – or ‘hers’ – not my Cross. But the cross is a reality in our lives. For some the cross will be large and enduring; for others it will be a burden from time to time. To live and be human involves suffering. One of the four noble truths of Buddhism is ‘life is suffering’. We would prefer a pain-free, ‘feel good’ faith, spent in peak experiences. We would like to have a Christianity without the Cross, especially when the cross becomes a reality in our lives – as it inevitably does, or will. We would rather take the by-pass round Jerusalem and go straight for the resurrection and the glory, go directly to the happy ending. But that is not the way, that is not Christ’s way and it is not the Christian way. The Church knows no other way. We can’t avoid it without being unfaithful to Jesus. This journey with him to Holy Week is our act of fidelity and it is on this path that we find our salvation. This is the context of Lent, and this is the context of our lives. And the context is important.
Last week Jesus was tempted by the easy route, and of going it alone. He was offered physical comfort; political power; and spectacular displays of his brilliance. In this place, our context here, these are very much Oxford temptations. Many in this University desire and will have a very comfortable life; some desire and will wield political power; and spectacular displays of prowess and brilliance – intellectual or otherwise – are not in short supply in this place. These are not necessarily bad things; it depends how we use them, or better who they are for.
And then there is failure – that great Oxford horror, which is so much part of the Gospel and the disciples experience.
The context is important and it is in this context that God is to be found – nowhere else; in the reality of our joys and sorrows, our successes and failures, in our sins. I invite us all to place this Gospel in the context of our lives – of your life and my life. I don’t know what the Cross is or has been or will be in your lives. It may be your relationships, your addictions, your sexuality, those pernicious critical voices that grind you down or have driven you to be successful, the fear of failure or disapproval; but God knows, and maybe you do too. This is the context for this Gospel and for this mass, and the context is important. Because that is where Christ, the Word of God, is to be found. God deals with the reality of our situation – our context. It may be like for the Prodigal Son a pig-sty and when we look around we realise that we living among the pigs and it is time to return home. God won’t cooperate with our self-deception or the public version. And we need not be afraid because we have a God we can trust and glimpse of the future that is good, when we shall say like Peter, ‘Lord, it is wonderful for us to be here’. If we pretend it is otherwise, and avoid the cross, the Word of God may well pass us by. If we receive the Word, we will be changed. If we encounter God it may be written on our faces too.
Roger Dawson SJ