COVID-19 Bible Study Reflection #18: Blessed to Be Americans

How blessed we are to be Americans!

A little over 231 years ago, on March 4, 1789, our Constitution, drafted by our founders and ratified by the states, went into effect. In the first ten amendments to that Constitution, what we call our Bill of Rights, the God-given rights of the people are protected from the government. That’s right, the Bill of Rights limits the government, not the people. It was designed to be a document, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, “of the people, by the people, for the people.” The Constitution does not celebrate the government; it celebrates the American people.

When we look at the Bill of Rights, we discover something else that reveals the priorities of the founders. To ensure future generations understood its importance, the very first of the rights guaranteed by the founders is the right of religious freedom.

The First Amendment begins with the words:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

According to our Constitution, then, we have the right to worship freely without the threat of government interference. But because it is our Constitution, you and I, indeed all Americans, must ensure that the government we elect to do the work of the people, to do our work, must never usurp or trample on those God-given rights protected by the Constitution.

We are truly blessed to be Americans, but as the citizens of this nation, we are sovereign, and must never abdicate our sovereignty by allowing politicians and bureaucrats to rule in our stead. As Americans we are not ruled; we are represented. Those in government are called to do our work. As Christians, though, we must also live under the authority of God who is the true sovereign, the Creator of the cosmos. For us, then, His Law supersedes all human law.

It might seem like an odd choice, given the theme of this reflection, but I’d like you to turn to Matthew’s Gospel and read Mt 8:28-34. I’ve included the passage here:

When He came to the other side, to the territory  of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met Him. They were so savage that no one could travel by that road. They cried out, "What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?" Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding. The demons pleaded with Him, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine." And He said to them, "Go then!" They came out and entered the swine and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea where they drowned. The swineherds ran away, and when they came to the town, they reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their district" [Mt 8:28-34].

This visit by Jesus to the land of the Gadarenes is a remarkable incident, a rare event in His public ministry. Jesus, who spent most of His public life among the Jews, here does something very different. He crosses the Sea of Galilee and enters the province of Gadara, a place populated largely by pagans. Gadara is depicted as a district especially under the sway of the Evil One – God’s name is not invoked there, His law is not obeyed – and so, we shouldn’t be surprised to find demoniacs dwelling there in their natural habitat.

It must have been a disturbing visit for the apostles, as evidenced by the fact that we hear absolutely nothing from them during the visit. We sense, however, that Jesus is showing them the kinds of challenges they will later face when they go out into the world to “make disciples of all nations” [Mt 28:19]. Until now they’ve been accustomed to people coming to Jesus for healing and instruction and forgiveness. Indeed, only moments before, as they crossed the Sea, the apostles themselves had begged Jesus to save them from the freak storm that had arisen [Mt 8:23-27].

Yes, they had heard many people pleading with Jesus for help; and had even uttered some of those pleas themselves:

Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean [Mt 8:2].

"...only say the word and my servant will be healed [Mt 8:8].

Lord, that I might see…[Lk 18:41].

Lord, save us, we are perishing [Mt 8:25].

How different were the cries they heard this day in this strange place…

What have you to do with us, Son of God? [Mt 8:29]

A remarkable question by these demons, isn’t it? How darkly urgent is their need to separate themselves from Jesus. And how do they do it? By denouncing him as the Son of God! Imagine that! Yes, in spitting out their hatred, their poison, they who lie so easily can do nothing but proclaim the truth.

We sense some tiny remnant of goodness in their nature, but one that is exclusively intellectual. They know who Jesus is. But knowledge isn’t love – something we who engage in Bible Study must always be wary of. We study Sacred Scripture not simply to expand our knowledge of our God, but rather to deepen our love for Him so we can live the life He wants for us.

The demons, though, through their own choice, have totally disfigured the beauty of their souls, a beauty created in the beginning by God. Now, no beauty remains. No moral order remains. Is it any wonder, then, that this acknowledgment of Jesus’ identity should escape from them, just as everything else does, with destructive violence?

What have you to do with us…?

What indeed can the spirit of evil have in common with the Son of God? In a sense, this question, what have we in common, is the same question the centurion asked of Jesus when he uttered, “Lord I am not worthy…” [Mt 8:8] But for the demons it’s not a matter of unworthiness, but rather a question filled with hollow pride. It’s as if they sneer at Jesus:

“How dare you come to us. Don’t you, Son of God, have better things to do? Leave us alone.”

You see, the demons can lie to everyone except to God.

“Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?” [Mt 8:29]

These demons can’t believe that Jesus has entered this place among the tombs of the dead where evil believed itself safe from God’s Word. But now…now they know that Jesus’ redeeming work knows no boundaries. The Word of God must spread throughout the earth, and no place is exempt. How does the Apostles’ Creed put it? “He descended into hell…”

They know, too, that their hold over a portion of humanity is only temporary, for they scream at Jesus, reproaching him for coming before the kairos, before the appointed season of definitive judgment and the expulsion of the forces of evil. How odd. While they clearly know who Jesus is, and hate him for it, they appear pathetically misinformed about the extent of their authority. But in Jesus’ presence, they resign themselves to being cast out.

Unlike the centurion who saw his servant’s illness as an evil that needed Jesus’ healing intervention, these demons, having made evil the cause of their very being, find only torment in their Healer. Rather than surrender to Jesus’ healing presence, they beg Jesus to send them into a herd of pigs – a choice that reveals their true condition.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus offers each one of us healing and life. There is just one other choice, and it leads only to death. How humiliating this incident in Gadara must have been for Satan. Satan, the pure spirit, is routed by the mere presence of this Divine Person who has inexplicably humbled Himself by embracing the weakness of our human physical and psychological nature.

Yes, Satan still lurks about seeking souls who will admit him. But at the same time, in the presence of Jesus Christ, he is powerless. When Jesus is present, in our individual souls, in our community, in our nation, Satan has no power. He can do nothing.

But when a people and a nation turn away from Jesus Christ, when a people decide that the presence of God, the name of God, is an embarrassment, that the sovereignty of God is an insult to their intelligence and freedom, then they create a vacuum that Satan is only too ready to fill.

Although our nation is far from perfect, for most of its history it turned openly and willingly to God for help and guidance. “In God we trust” is still embossed on our currency. And we still pledge ourselves as “one nation, under God.” But sadly, although religious freedom is a fundamental human right, one that comes not from man but from God, much of recorded history is the story of men trying to deny it, to take it away.

Throughout our nation’s history many have given their lives so you and I can reap the benefits of religious freedom and the other rights enumerated in our Constitution. Like those who came before us and sacrificed so much to guarantee the freedoms we so often take for granted, we too are called to defend these rights. But today the greatest threat to these rights is not from foreign adversaries, but from many of those we have elected to represent us or appointed to exercise judgment.

The Church – and brothers and sisters, that’s you and me – is under attack. We face real threats to our religious liberty. Many in Congress want to force us to accept and even pay for that which violates our deepest religious and moral convictions.

The most obvious and egregious example is abortion, an evil like no other. To accept the slaughter of the most innocent among us, our own unborn children, by torturous dismemberment…well, it is simply beyond comprehension. And yet, as a nation, we have done exactly that to over 60 million Americans since 1973. Can anything be more unjust than the slaughter of these innocents?

Perhaps, as a nation, we should turn to the prophets, who repeatedly called the people of another nation, Israel, to return to the Lord before they experienced divine judgment. Amos, for example, chastised a wealthy Israel, a nation that practiced a religion without justice, pleading with all:

Seek good and not evil, that you may live; then truly the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you as you claim. Hate evil and love good, and let justice prevail at the gate; then it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will have pity on the remnant of Joseph. [Am 5:14-15]

"Seek the Lord that you may live..." [Am 5:5] God expects us to seek Him in all that we do. He expects us to act, so justice will prevail! You and I may think we’re not important enough for our voices to be heard, but that’s simply not true. Just consider how God has called on the weak and the obscure to be His messengers. Amos was a simple sheep herder and pruner of sycamore trees [Am 7:14], and yet, chosen by God, he courageously confronted the hypocritical and unjust leaders of Israel.

Isaiah and Jeremiah were both called from the womb to be God’s great prophets [Is 49:1; Jer 1:5]. David, the young shepherd, raised up by God to be King of his people [1 Sam 16:12]. And John the Baptist, dwelling in the desert, was destined from the moment of creation to be the herald of Jesus Christ [Mt 11:9-11].

Brothers and sisters, we too are called by God, just as Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, David, John, the apostles, and so many others were called from obscurity to take God’s Word to the world. Like that tiny mustard seed of the Gospel, wondrous things can come from even the smallest voice.

Today, as we face so many challenges to the most fundamental of our rights, we, you and I, must plant and nourish that seed. We must speak up. We must defend our right to religious freedom in both the public square and the ballot box. To do so is a responsibility, an obligation that derives not only from our citizenship, but even more so from our faith.

Satan would love to turn us into today’s Gadarenes, but believe me, that will not happen if we, as the People of God, as the Body of Christ, as a nation of free men and women, remain true to the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church. Pray for the Spirit, dear friends, for the presence of the Holy Spirit as the guide for our nation. Where the Spirit is, so too is Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Yes, how blessed we are to be Americans. Let us pray that our children and grandchildren will always be able to say those same words.

Homily: Monday, 7th Week of Ordinary Time

Readings: Jas 3:13-18; Ps 19; Mk 9:14-29
____________

A lot of questions, a lot of pain, a lot of confusion, and more than a little chastisement in today’s Gospel passage. And it all seems to stem from a lack of faith.

If you’ve ever had a seriously ill child, this incident described by Mark will certainly strike home. Is my faith strong enough? Are my prayers good enough? Will God do as I ask, or will I hear the same critical words Jesus leveled at the disciples?

“How long will I endure you?” [Mk 9:19]

Hard words…hard words indeed…especially since this all occurred right after the Transfiguration. Jesus comes down from the mountain, from an encounter with His divinity, and walks right into a boiling, very human conflict among disciples, scribes and the crowd. But this is the ministry for which He was sent. He must do the Father’s will, he must teach and heal.

The disciples are unable to drive out the spirit plaguing the young boy. As soon as Jesus rebukes the disciples for their weak faith, He encounters the same weakness in the distraught father: “…if you can do anything…help us.” [Mk 9:22]

“If you can…” Jesus repeats the man’s doubt-filled words. Do you sense Jesus’ exasperation? What do you mean, “If…” There’s no “if” when it comes to faith. What happens when we toss the “if” aside? Jesus tells us: “Everything is possible to one who has faith.” [Mk 9:23]

The boy’s father obviously heard, and he utters those odd words: “I do believe, help my unbelief!” [Mk 9:24] Odd words because they’re so seldom heard, and display a truth often forgotten. Yes, Lord, I believe, but I know that faith comes not from me. Faith is a gift. Only through You can I have the faith that moves mountains, casts out demons, heals the sick.

Yes, Jesus, "help my unbelief!" It is these words that separate the father of this boy but from the disciples. It is this prayerful plea that shows he understands the divine source of what little faith he has.

How did Jesus put it when the disciples ask why they couldn’t drive out this evil spirit? “This kind can only come out through prayer” [Mk 9:29].

The father prays – “help my unbelief” – and Jesus takes him seriously. He acts, and He heals. Jesus comes down from the mountain and walks among the poor, the sick, the forgotten, the outcast. He admonishes, He teaches, but He always heals with divine mercy, for mercy is merely the manifestation of God’s love.

Brothers and sisters, in His mercy God promises us healing and forgiveness. If, like the boy’s father, we pray with expectant faith, He will free us from all that oppresses.

But prayer demands a slowing down of life; for only then can we let go of all that the world places between us and our God.

Let’s contemplate today what this father prayed – “I do believe. Help my unbelief.” – and make these words our own in prayer, so we, too, can trust in God’s unfailing love and mercy.

Homily: Wednesday, 1st Week of Ordinary Time

Readings: 1 Sm 3:1-10, 19-20; Ps 40; Mk 1:29-39

Our reading today from Mark’s Gospel is one of those passages that attacks and challenges us from every direction. That’s the way Mark introduces us to Jesus: rapid-fire and with no embellishment, he just presents us with the astonishing facts, one after another. And this passage is so full of the Good News of Jesus Christ that we run the risk of ignoring it all.

It was the Sabbath. Jesus had just come from the synagogue in Capernaum where He had amazed the people with His teaching. And then, right there in the synagogue, He had cast out a demon from a man possessed. As Mark tells us, “His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.” [Mk 1:28]

Leaving the synagogue Jesus and a few of His disciples enter the home of Peter and Andrew, where Peter’s mother-in-law lay sick. Without any fanfare, Jesus grasps her by the hand, heals her, and helps her to her feet. And what does she do? Restored to health, she serves. Jesus always heals more than the body. When He heals, He restores it all, body, mind and soul. For then we who have been healed can begin to serve, to serve life.

What happens next? Evening comes, and with the darkness come the marginalized: the sick, those plagued by demons – they are brought to Jesus and placed at His feet. Where else could they go? Shunned by the community fearful of their afflictions, they were dependent on their families and the charity of others. Rejected by their fellow man, they felt rejected too by God…until Jesus appears and calls each, touches each, showering them with God’s healing love.

Those who have been healed by Jesus, those who have been touched by the God-man in their midst, they see and experience the Good News first-hand. They see what God intends for those who are excluded and for those who do the excluding. It’s funny, isn’t it? So many of the healed recognize Jesus for Who He is. Later in Mark’s Gospel the blind man shouts, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” And the demons, too, recognize Jesus. That demon in the synagogue cried out, “I know who you are – the Holy One of God.” [Mk 1:24]


Yes, Jesus is known by the rejected and by His enemies. But what about the rest? What about His disciples? What about us?

The disciples loved the publicity Jesus was getting, and hoped to capitalize on it.  Their idea of Jesus’ mission was so very different, so very different from God’s plan. Jesus rises early and goes off to pray alone, in silence, to solidify His mission, to join His will to that of the Father. But the disciples want to drag Him away to the adulation of the people…for “Everyone is looking for you.” [Mk 1:37]

Knowing His Father’s will, Jesus ignores them and continues to spread the Good News throughout Galilee. “For this purpose have I come,” [Mk 1:38] He tells the disciples. Like so many of us, the disciples wanted a different Jesus, one who would revel in His successes, one who would accept the adulation and praise of the people. This failure in discipleship, this failure to understand the mission of Jesus Christ, crops up time and again throughout His public ministry.

We too must accept Jesus for who He is, for only then can we imitate Him, doing what He calls us to do. Only then can we rise from our brokenness and begin to serve. Otherwise we’re really no better than the demons, who recognize Jesus but refuse to serve.

What’s your mission? Like Jesus, do you go to the Father in prayer for understanding, to join your will with His? Let today be the beginning of a new awareness by us all that Jesus is with us in our ills and troubles, in our hopes and happiness, so that we, too, can pray, “Here am I, Lord, I come to do your will.” [Ps 40:8-9]

The Invisible World

St. Michael atop Castel Sant'angelo in Rome

I'm always a bit shocked when I encounter a Christian or a Jew who does not accept the existence of angels and demons. Given the number of times this happens, I suppose I should be used to it by now. Although I have no polling data or other hard, empirical evidence, my personal experience tells me this disbelief in the spiritual world has grown in recent years. I suppose we might expect this as our world becomes increasingly materialistic and discounts the existence of anything that cannot be perceived through the five senses.

About a dozen years ago, when I was working for a Catholic college in New England, I had an interesting lunchtime conversation with a man who taught at a prestigious prep school. As our our conversation drifted from one interesting subject to another, we found ourselves talking about scary movies (I'm a fan.) when one of us brought up The Exorcist, the 1973 film about a demonic possession in Washington, D.C. We agreed it was truly a scary movie, and then he said, "Of course, nothing like that could ever happen because demons don't exist."

This surprised me because earlier in our conversation he had made it clear that he was a believing Christian. And so I asked him, "You really don't believe in demons? What about angels?"

"No," he said, "I really don't believe in them either. I can't accept the existence of thinking, sentient beings who lack brains, the physical equipment necessary for consciousness. The idea that there are all these immaterial creatures out there in their own immaterial universe...well, that just seems a bit absurd to me."

It was the kind of comment I would have expected from an atheist or agnostic, but not from a Christian. My only response was to ask him, "Do you believe in God?"

"Yes," he said, "of course."

"Well, then, I suggest you just think about that for a while." With that our waiter handed me the check and our conversation came to an end.

Even very smart people can be led astray by the constant roar of the world's voices, and my luncheon companion was indeed very smart. He held two master's degrees, one in chemistry and another in mathematics, and taught both subjects at that upscale prep school. But like so many smart people he had come to accept man as the measure of all things. He even measured God according to human standards, and in doing so placed all sorts of limitations on God's creative power. I thought it particularly interesting that he didn't recognize the contradiction in denying God, a pure spirit, the ability to create other spirits. Maybe he thought of God as some giant material being, a kind of enormous Atlas, who bore the universe on his shoulders. I don't know because we never got around to his theology.

Of course, both angels and demons are mentioned frequently in Scripture, and we Christians should not simply dismiss these occurrences as psychological constructs devised by those lacking the scientific knowledge needed to explain phenomena they can't understand. In essence this was how belief in the spirit world was "explained" to me not long ago by a respected theologian. When I asked how he explained the Gospels' (and Jesus') frequent references to both angels and demons, he said that Jesus, being a Jew, would of course believe what most Jews believe, including the existence of angels and demons. When I suggested that in his divine nature Jesus would surely know whether or not such beings existed, he chuckled and said, "Well, yeah, except Jesus didn't know he was God, at least not until the Resurrection."

Wow! So many theologians just love to pick and choose what they want to believe, and what they want us to believe, all in complete contradiction to the magisterial teaching of the Church, teaching held consistently for 2,000 years. Fortunately, there are folks out there teaching the truth and making it available to us non-theologians in language we can understand.

One recent example is the newly published book by Anthony Destefano, The Invisible World, in which the author takes us on a marvelous journey through the world of angels and demons. Mr. Destefano, the author of several other books for both children and adults, provides a clear and well-written introduction to this invisible world of spirits, all firmly grounded in Church teaching. By increasing our understanding of the spirit world, the "Invisible World" as Destefano calls it, we can better understand this journey of ours through our material world, a journey that leads to our ultimate heavenly destination. This book, along with his previous book, A Travel Guide to Heaven, aim at showing us that reality includes much more than our material world.

Discussing how reality is misconceived by so many, Destefano says,

"We live in a very secular age which actually began over two centuries ago. We have what I call the 'superstition of materialism,' where we tend to think that everything in life - our ideas, our philosophies, our religions, our accomplishments; all the notions that we have of honor, love mercy and hope; all our art and our music; all the deepest mysteries of science and faith - that all this is simply the result of random dance of molecules in our brain. This is the disease of the age."    

I can promise you will enjoy this book.