Homily: Third Wednesday of Lent
Third Wednesday of Lent (Mt: 5-17-19) “Was Jesus a Radical?”
Sometimes Jesus is presented in the media as a radical when it comes to following religious precepts. He seems to ignore Jewish table customs, rules regarding purification and precepts regarding the Sabbath. But scripture scholars would beg to differ with this assessment.
Pharisees are depicted as those who followed religious guidelines with a rigidity. At times they seem almost cruel in their interpretations of the Jewish custom. This is probably a caricature as well.
Jesus was initiated into the Jewish faith, and he remained a Jew his whole life. As a person who worked in construction, he was unable to always keep all the laws of purification, but he tried to apply the law as best he could.
The Pharisees were like all ministers. There were some that were very scrupulous. There were others who tried to apply the law pastorally. They were not all cut from the same cloth. We can bet there were Pharisees that were very pragmatic.
Jewish scholars would remind us that we need to be careful how we speak of the Jewish people in our preaching. It is easy to fall into generalizations and this in turn can lead to prejudice.
Jesus had friends who were Pharisees. He like much of the Jewish population had a favorable view of the Pharisees. They were layman who seriously studied the law. Usually, they did not look for special privileges. Often, they worked among the general population. They were not separated from the people like the ruling class who populated the Sanhedrin.
Jesus took his religion seriously, but he also had to be practical. That was his stance. Some religious leaders disliked him for this. Others admired the spiritual insights he had.
Reflection Questions:
- Is Jesus a devout Jew or a lax one? Why or why not?
- Why did some Pharisees like Nicodemus seem to admire Jesus? What did Jesus appreciate about him?
Dear Parishioners,
Pope Francis will be consecrating Ukraine and Russia to the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Feast of the Annunciation (this Friday). There is a prayer of consecration that is to be distributed by the Vatican. I was in a meeting with Bishop Tylka today and he was hoping to receive this prayer soon and send it out to the parishes. If we receive the prayer, we will make it a part of our liturgies at our daily Masses Friday.
When we consecrated someone or something we designate it for a holy use. Churches are consecrated and they become sacred space. To desecrate this space is sinful. In effect, when Ukraine is consecrated, we are saying that the country is sacred ground which should not be violated. This is symbolic, but we ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to watch over Ukraine and to protect its people.
May Our Lady of Peace watch over all those who are in harm’s way today.
Fr. Mark