Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 'B'

Sunday June 28, 2009

Our God is a God of life

Our experience tells us that life is ultimately terminal. Someone put it this way, “Aging is a disease that ends in death!” I consider that a rather pessimistic view of life. Aging is privilege; aging gracefully is a precious gift not given to all.

In any event, the author of the Book of Wisdom insists that “God did not make death” but that “God formed ‘man’ [and woman] to be imperishable.”

Living within a large Jewish community residing in Alexandria and influenced by Greek philosophers during the first century before Christ, the wisdom author reasoned that if God were eternal, those who honor their relationship with God would be honored with enduring life beyond the grave. By this time in Jewish history, belief in an afterlife had become a common tenet.

The story of the healing of the daughter of Jairus and of the woman who had suffered chronic hemorrhaging for twelve years is one in a series of miraculous healing stories interspersed with ‘living’ parables intended to increase faith and the assurance that those who approach Jesus in faith will not see death.

Nevertheless death happens and despite advanced directives we may be prepared but we are rarely ready. Death is always intrusive and so we seek divine intervention and we hope for miracles. Oh, yes, by way of exception, we pray in good faith at the bedside of loved ones who have suffered far beyond human endurance that they be spared further pain and that their soul be delivered to the God of eternal life.

In the face of daily reports of global death and destruction, it may be difficult for sincere believers not to become cynical about the existence of a caring God. Where is God in war torn Iraq? In Darfur, and where was God last month when the Air France jet disintegrated in a wicked storm?

As one preacher put it, “we certainly can be happy for cure of the woman and the restoration of Jairus’ daughter but why can’t we persuade God to cure cancer or even the common cold?” Or hold back tornadoes or prevent the barbaric terrorism of suicide bombers?

The gospels contain stories of faith in order to assure us that there is more to life than what the eye can see or the hear can hear. But Jesus himself taught that only in due course will be have all the answers to life’s mysteries and those answers lie beyond the grave. We still believe that those who honor God and live according to the dictates of their conscience will indeed see God beyond the grave.

Are there beliefs for which a good Christian would die?

Absolutely!

Are there beliefs for which a good Christian would kill?

Hmm. My understanding of the teachings of Jesus would say no!

In the meantime, we listen attentively to the inspired Word of God as we search for answers to the most pressing life and death challenges of our age.

I have seen many miracles of healing in my short life—all sorts of miracles. Some of them were at the hands of wise doctors, nurses, rescue workers and even soldiers in combat. I have seen dramatic reversals in deteriorating relationships in marriage or between parents and their children. But we Catholics do not have the franchise on miracles nor do we have all the answers to the most complex life challenges of our age be they scientific, economic or even purely spiritual.

Through the kindness of a friend I received this uplifting meditation contained in a book by by Irish poet, John O’Donohue, entitled, “Benedictus” that helps to put in perspective the death that often haunts us but that also puts life in clearer perspective:

“I imagine that one of the great store houses of blessing is the invisible neighbourhood [sic] where the dead dwell. Our friends among the dead now live where time and space are transfigured. They behold us now in ways they never could have when they lived beside us on earth. Because they live near the source of destiny, their blessings for us are accurate and penetrating, offering a divine illumination not available according to the calculations of the given visible world. Perhaps one of the surprises of death will be a retrospective view of the lives we lived here and to see how our friends among the dead clothed us in weave after weave of blessing.” [“Benedictus, A Book of Blessings” by John O’Donohue, Bantam Press, London, 2007]

And a lovely verse by the same author entitled, “For Death,” to bring it home:

From the moment you were born,
Your death has walked beside you.
Though it seldom shows its face,
You still feel its empty touch
When fear invades your life,
Or what you love is lost
Or inner damage is incurred.

Yet when destiny draws you
into these spaces of poverty,
_And your heart stays generous
Until some door opens into the light,
You are quietly befriending your death;
So that you will have no need to fear
When your time comes to turn and leave.

That the silent presence of your death
Would call your life to attention,
Wake you up to how scarce your time is
And to the urgency to become free
And equal to the call of your destiny.

That you would gather yourself
And decide carefully
How you now can live
The life you would love
To look back on
From your deathbed. [Ibid]

It is never too late to begin again as if for the first time!

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