The miracle of Jesus bringing Lazarus back to life foreshadows the mystery of the resurrection. Its focus is not Jesus’ ability to revive the dead though it’s the main storyline. The story as a whole rather serves to manifest Jesus’ role as a medium to connect the dead with the living. Imagine Jesus standing in between birth and death or in the very center of the life of which death is a part. For this reason, the story of Lazarus would be the most appropriate passage to celebrate the feast of All Saints by which we’re reminded of our communion with saints and those who died. Jesus’ dramatic sayings in particular seem to highlight his function of linking the dead and the living: “Lazarus, come out! Unbind him, and let him go.”
These sayings of Jesus to the dead Lazarus may be used as a mantra for contemplation: Come out, unbind yourself, and let yourself go. What stands out the most out of these words for me is to unbind. Lazarus’s entire body is wrapped with strips of cloth to delay decomposition and protect the corpse from insects. Shrouds symbolize death, and Lazarus is bound with death. Let’s remind ourselves that this symbol of shrouds as death is contrasted with the image of the empty tomb of Jesus where “the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.” (John 20: 6-7) In the case of Lazarus, death binds him whereas in Jesus’s case, death is set aside, newly interpreted as that which is no longer a barrier between the living and the dead. Jesus’ command of unbinding Lazarus from the strips of cloth captures a sense of liberation from our preconceived notion of death that it can set us apart from the dead. To unbind Lazarus is to unbind us from fear of death we have for others and ourselves as if it’s the last verdict. The resurrection unbinds us from whatever might seem like an end of all. As we celebrate two feasts of All Saints and All Souls, I would like us to ponder on the following poems. Stardust by Lang Leav beautifully expresses our hope and desire for our loved ones who have gone before us and are now nearer to God’s presence. Because of love, we would still know even if they come to us with faces we have not seen, with names we have never heard, even if centuries separate us. Stardust by Lang Leav If you came to me with a face I have not seen, with a name I have never heard, I would still know you. Even if centuries separated us, I would still feel you. Somewhere between the sand and the stardust, through every collapse and creation, there is a pulse that echoes of you and I. When we leave this world, we give up all our possessions and our memories. Love is the only thing we take with us. It is all we carry from one life to the next. Our call to unbind ourselves from the sting of death with the help of the Holy Spirit then calls us to live out our lives as the resurrected ones whose bodies are wrapped in baptism and fed and communed with all saints and all the faithful departed through Christ’s body and blood. The line from Julio Noboa Polaco’s poem, “Identity” so powerfully depicts this breaking the bondage of death: “To have broken through the surface of stone…” Identity by Julio Noboa Polanco Let them be as flowers, always watered, fed, guarded, admired, but harnessed to a pot of dirt. I'd rather be a tall, ugly weed, clinging on cliffs, like an eagle wind-wavering above high, jagged rocks. To have broken through the surface of stone, to live, to feel exposed to the madness of the vast, eternal sky. To be swayed by the breezes of an ancient sea, carrying my soul, my seed, beyond the mountains of time or into the abyss of the bizarre. I'd rather be unseen, and if then shunned by everyone, than to be a pleasant-smelling flower, growing in clusters in the fertile valley, where they're praised, handled, and plucked by greedy, human hands. I'd rather smell of musty, green stench than of sweet, fragrant lilac. If I could stand alone, strong and free, I'd rather be a tall, ugly weed. To live a resurrected life is very much like becoming a “tall, ugly weed” that is not harnessed to a pot of dirt but clinging on cliffs where our neighbors struggle. Like a tall, ugly weed we are to have broken through the surface of the stone as the stone of the empty tomb rolled away, to be swayed by the breezes of an ancient sea as we’re moved by the wind of the Holy Spirit. We might smell like a musty, green stench but can stand alone but together in Christ, strong and free. Amen. The visually impaired person (let’s name this person as “Pistis” meaning faith in Greek) in the gospel story asks Jesus, “Let me see again.” Jesus, as if he has no interest in taking any credit for the miracle of curing his sight, responds, “Go, your faith has made you well.” There are two things I would like us to reflect on. One is what it means to “see again” and the other is what’s that “faith” that can make one well. These two, of course, are interconnected that one is not possible without the other. Faith is the condition for one to see again while the act of seeing again deepens faith.
This seeing again is not limited to a physiological change of regaining one’s sight. It can be perceived in a spiritual sense that this type of seeing again is more of having a radically different view of themselves, others, the world, and God. It’s also a spiritual activity that simultaneously comes from and leads to spiritual awakening. It goes beyond a physical sense of seeing that one changes one’s perspective on self, others, things, the world, and God. It’s about seeing through and beyond, deeper into reality, having a “long loving look,” seeing again all as a whole without seeing. For example, we don’t just see people at a superficial level. Rather than making our biased judgment and assessment, we at least try to see them as they are, not as we are, and consider their upbringings and systems they have been influenced with. So, this second seeing is a radical shift from sight to insight. Another example would be a glass of water either half-full or half-empty. We can decide, depending on how we respond to it, whether one is a pessimist or an optimist. With a spiritually renewed perspective, that glass of water is neither half-empty nor half-full but is the source of gratitude for the glass and water that either I can drink or perhaps share with the thirsty. What about Pistis’ faith that has made him well? What faith is this? What does he believe in? This faith, as I understand it, is far from indoctrination or blind faith. It’s not about making a statement such as “I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior” when used for proselytization. This faith of Pistis sees, discerns, and seeks action. It has a specific aim. He throws off his cloak, springs up, and comes to Jesus. This act of throwing off his cloak and springing up to get to Jesus is the change of his heart that he’ll abandon his old way of life. There’s an element of self-surrender, self-forgetfulness that grows out of trust in God’s unconditional compassion and mercy. From the moment he throws off his cloak and springs up from where he has been begging, his old self dies. He’s no longer stuck in his fabricated self-image. He’s set free from it. One thing we should keep in mind is that Jesus is the condition and cause for Pistis’ faith and seeing again. Jesus becomes the last person to be seen in Pistis’ old way of seeing and the first person to see in his new way of seeing. Then he is on his way with Jesus. Friends in Christ, what then compels us to throw off our old cloak and spring up from our comfort zone, and what do we want to see again differently? It is easy to suppose that few people realize on that occasion, which comes to all of us, when we look at the blue sky for the first time, that is to say: not merely see it, but look at it and experience it and for the first time have a sense that we live in the center of a physical poetry, a geography that would be intolerable except for the non-geography that exists there - few people realize that they are looking at the world of their own thoughts and the world of their own feelings. - Wallace Stevens, The Necessary Angel To inherit eternal life, one must follow the way of Jesus. Eternal life is not an afterlife nor is it a metaphysical one though the meaning of “eternal life” can very well be taken as something opposite to death or impermanence of life. Eternal life is also not a physical or spiritual place to enter but a way of living. Living in the presence of God here and now goes beyond spacetime (or a sense of time and space) that we are simply present with God who is our ultimate reality. Then what are the obstacles that get in our way to live or enter the kingdom of God? At a superficial level, these two obstacles in the lesson are wealth and ideology, but these two are rooted in the same issue of grasping to self rather than letting it go and letting God be.
Let’s first talk about wealth. Jesus specifically talks about what wealth does to us. It’s impossible to enter the kingdom of God, to inherit eternal life, to live the life of Jesus with wealth. Giving away wealth is not to be considered a prerequisite. The life of Jesus just doesn’t work with wealth. One may try to live like Jesus but cannot. In the case of a rich man who Jesus “loves,” he says he has kept the Ten Commandments since his youth. I think we should give him credit because there would be lots of rich people who don’t. On the other hand, for a rich person like him, keeping the commandment of not stealing or killing might not be that challenging. It’s difficult to imagine that he’ll be in a financial situation where he’s tempted to forcefully take something away from others. He’s already born into the system that he has fewer chances to deal with those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged. Suppose he has given up all his possessions, his entire world would become very different, not just in a material sense but in a spiritual and mental sense. Wealth, not God, protects him much more practically. Wealth is the keeper, not God, for his own sake. What wealth does for him weighs more than Jesus’ invitation to the kingdom of God. The second obstacle is ideology. Ideology helps create self-image. We subscribe to certain beliefs or -isms to shape and recreate who we are in society. But when it becomes dogmatic, rigid, and legalistic, there’s no openness to differences. Religious fundamentalism can be an example of doctrines turning to a strong ideological belief system. It creates its heaven and hell and its shareholders decide who belongs where. Doctrines are not understood as signposts that help us follow the way to the cross. Thinking that believing in doctrines and policing others in the name of doctrines or their version of God can grant a ticket to God’s kingdom is like collecting signposts and believing that one has arrived at a designation. Also, merely following Jesus like his disciples but not really following how he lives his life for the sake of others according to God’s will on earth is not a guarantee to God’s kingdom either. This can certainly lead us to a danger of complacency as Jesus warns his disciples, “…many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” These two poles of wealth and ideology, as mentioned previously, are rooted in the fundamental issue of self-idolatry or self-grasping temptation. What I mean by self-idolatry is not about worshipping oneself explicitly. No one does it unless one wants to appear to be narcissistic. Self-idolatry is unnoticeable and subtle in that one constructs one’s own version of the kingdom with -isms or doctrines. It comes out of existential anxiety that one wants to grab, grasp, and cling so much to something more definite and certain. Wealth is measurable. Ideology provides a mental container as well as solutions and answers to issues one faces in life. But see, this self-grasping lifestyle is never freeing. It’s fear and anxiety-driven. Jesus calls all of us to the life of freedom that is not chained by the sense of self, and this isn’t an easy way of living. Let’s not forget that he’s transparent on how hard it is. Those who follow him will receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields “with persecutions.” His commandment of love of others as ourselves is the question and answer that we live by and with to really experience what it means. These are not two separate things but when there’s no division between them and me, love is born. Our default self-grasping behavior or self-idolatry is a restraining force for us to be on the way of Jesus. So, now what do we do to get away from self-idolatry? Let’s practice gratitude. When we thank others, things, and God, we’re not stuck in ourselves. We get out of ourselves and start looking outwardly. Also, we spiritually position ourselves not as a victim but as a victor and a wounded healer who doesn’t dwell in the past of hurts and pains but hopes and loves. This is why the Eucharist which literally means “thanksgiving” is the essential practice of our Christian faith. Amen. “I Will Not Die an Unlived Life” by Dawna Markova I will not die an unlived life I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible, to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance; to live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom and that which came to me as blossom, goes on as fruit. Pentecost+19/Proper 22B (Mark 10:2-16)
Intention matters. It is a mental factor that directs our mind to a specific goal and action. When some Pharisees in the gospel lesson today ask Jesus, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” Their primary intention is to test him and see if he answers correctly according to their understanding of the law. Another intention is to justify a common practice of divorce in the name of the law. We might consider Jesus’ response to the question of the legitimacy of divorce in the Mosaic law as his position on divorce that no one should ever get divorced. But this interpretation is taken out of its context and lacks consideration of the Pharisees’ hidden intention. What we would like to pay attention to in the Pharisees’ question is “is it lawful?” As long as any action is considered lawful, I can do it. The intention behind this litmus test of whether some action is lawful or not is one’s deceiving volition. It’s like “I know it’s really not the right thing to do but I want it. Let me find ways to justify my desire to get what I want though it’s not benefiting anyone but me.” Jesus is able to see through this hidden intention in the Pharisees. The law works for those who have authority to interpret, not for those for whom the law is created to protect. Divorced women wouldn’t be treated well in Jesus’ time because there is no such thing as women’s rights. Jesus clarifies this question about divorce again with the disciples. He talks about both husband and wife who commit adultery but the key is again about intention. The fact that one would divorce one’s spouse to marry someone else shows there’s a specific goal in this action of divorce. Person A intends to terminate a marriage with Person B to marry Person C. Legally, not morally, this is allowed as both parties consent and settle their financial dues, etc. But morally and spiritually in the eyes of Jesus, this sickens our spiritual well-being since their intention is not right. I think it’s worth noting how the Pharisees do not ask “Is it lawful for a woman to divorce her husband?” I may be readding too much into it but I can at least speculate that it would’ve been men who would make such a request and societally people in Jesus’ time would just accept it as a common case that a husband can divorce his wife as long as a husband writes a certificate of dismissal. But we’re left with their intention never being examined. This mistreatment of women (children, and people with disabilities) would’ve been a norm that they are somehow less human than men. What about children who Jesus’ disciples push away? Let’s recall that the five thousand in Jesus’ miracle of feeding abundantly in the desert does not include women and children. Jesus may question what’s socially assumed to be acceptable with its intention of serving a certain group. In his social context where women and children are not fully human, he not only welcomes them but teaches his followers to be like them. For example, be childlike, not childish, to enter the kingdom of God. Be like those women who courageously follow to the cross, watch his death on the cross, and run to the empty tomb. Examining this socially but the wrongly accepted intention in our time begins with our own self-examination. How well am I aware of my self-serving intention? This discerning mind of intentions can remind us of Jesus’ teaching: “But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” (Matthew 6:3) When our intention of helping others is contemplatively examined and purified with the help of the Holy Spirit, there’s no intention left since our right hand, not just our left hand, would not even know what our right hand is doing. God’s intention that we would like to obtain has no self-serving agenda but brings us all together. I would like to leave us with the prophetic words of William McNamara, OCD, a Carmelite priest: “Only a deeply contemplative attitude can permit a person to take a strong stand against the powers of time and of the world around them.” Candidly meeting our secret intentions that are rooted in biases as well as questioning and deconstructing them can happen in our personal practice of contemplation in which the Holy Spirit lovingly guides us to inner freedom. Amen. There’s no “us versus them” in the eyes of Jesus. For the kingdom of God to be experienced and thus lived in one’s life, there’s no place for rivalry. No division is allowed in the kingdom of God because God’s reign is God uniting all of us and the entire universe in Christ. “Who is not against us is for us,” says Jesus. Whether those people who use his name to cast out demons actually follow him or not, Jesus is not interested in getting credit. Neither is he so into obtaining copyright to his name. “Jesus” is not to be confused with designer labels.
Jesus’ main concern, however, seems to be with his close friends who have decided to follow him. The fact that his friends police those who cast out demons in his name shows us how they’re thinking of themselves. They might believe they’re the only ones who can properly use the name. They are the only legitimate owners of that name. They might be jealous and envious of these other followers of Jesus or users of Jesus’ name that they can do the work without having to follow Jesus like themselves. They might argue, “I have sacrificed this much and you haven’t. You’re not entitled to use the name of Jesus and cast out demons. Not in my house!” Well, Jesus would say, “There’s no house to begin with! Instead, I got salt for you to have in yourselves!” There’s an inner split in the mind of Jesus’ friends. They otherize those who use Jesus’ name and cast out demons. They internally create a stumbling block in their mind which divides themselves from others. Hostility towards others would be one fruit of that inner division so is a judgmental attitude to others. How easily am I to judge others based on their looks? How biased am I to others who are superficially different from me? We do not see others as they are when we first seek differences in them. For example, when I walk on 40th street in the city, I find myself immediately noticing the “homeless” people sleeping on the ground. I don’t first see people, my fellow human beings before I describe them as homeless though it may capture their current state. I have a choice to see them as human beings just like myself and then imagine joining their discomfort of sleeping on the concrete ground. This immediate reaction of looking for differences rather than similarities creates a stumbling block that disconnects us from others. When we see others as they are, that is to see and accept them as they are, not as we are, there’s no us and them but one human connection. In this respect, our celebration of Holy Communion signifies this human connection in Christ. We call this holy because it makes all of us whole and holistic. We call this communion because we come together to be in union with one another. Jesus’ provocative remarks of cutting off our hands and feet and tearing out our eyes that cause us to stumble then direct us to first examine our hearts and pay attention to our habit of splitting and creating a dichotomy between us and them. When we have a hostile spirit of judgment and discrimination, we are not whole, holy, and holistic in our very nature. We’re internally divided and then become depleted. Things or traits in people we avoid are that which we want to remove in ourselves because we also have them in common. We hate them because we know what they are and what it is like for us to have them. What I hate about others is what I hate about myself as well as what I want to push away from myself. We might project onto others what we hate and discriminate against. There’s no peace but obsession with purity. We put a stumbling block not only to others but also to ourselves on the way to freedom in Christ. What do we do to have peace, to be whole within ourselves and with others? Jesus gives a metaphor of salt to ponder on. Notice Jesus in today’s gospel lesson doesn’t tell us to be the salt of the earth as in Matthew 5:13. Instead, he says, “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” Salt is essentially for flavoring and preserving food. Salt may be compared to the undivided mind that seeks the union with others and God in Christ. This salt of unity flavors our neighbors as well as ourselves with love, compassion, and kindness and preserves all of us in union with God in Christ. As salt for food is harvested from evaporating seawater, our spiritual practice of contemplation is a means to evaporate seawater of internal divisions to harvest the salt of unity. Amen. |
Paul"...life up your love to that cloud [of unknowing]...let God draw your love up to that cloud...through the help of his grace, to forget every other thing." Archives
January 2025
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