Posted on 03/13/2005 7:25:40 AM PST by Tantumergo
“If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
The Gospel reading today is the last miracle which Jesus performs before His Passion and it is also the greatest miracle. But, as with all the other signs, He uses it as an opportunity to teach – He wants to obtain a confession of belief first – He wants His hearers to have Faith in Him.
Earlier, Martha, the busy housewife, had been too occupied to sit at His feet and learn from Him – she had even complained that her sister Mary wasn’t helping her. But now she is ready to respond to His question: “Do you believe this?”
It is only after Martha’s profession of faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God that He goes on to raise Lazarus from the dead.
But this question: “Do you believe this?” is a question that Jesus asks of each one of us as well. Do we believe that Jesus has the power to bring the dead to life? Do we believe in His power to forgive us and reconcile us with God? Do we believe that He has the power to renew us and give us the eternal life of the Easter resurrection? Do we believe that He has the power to do this for those we love?
This challenge to believe and confess our faith is also something that Jesus asks of us in every Mass. He asks it of us in THIS Mass. When we respond to the words “This is the Word of the Lord” do we really mean “Thanks be to God”? As we hear the Gospel proclaimed, do we really mean “Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ” – do we really believe that His words are speaking to us individually and personally as well as to everyone else?
Perhaps the greatest challenge to confess belief at Mass is that moment when the Priest or Deacon holds Jesus before us and says “The Body of Christ”. Do we really mean “Amen”? “Amen” means yes I agree, this is Jesus in front of me – this is the Christ, the Son of God, the one who has come into this world. He might appear to be just bread, but He’s not – He is God Himself. Just like for Martha He appeared to be just a man, but He was not – He was God Himself.
This belief in Jesus’ Real and substantial Presence in the Eucharist is so important that St. Paul had to warn the Corinthians that “anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the Lord’s Body eats and drinks judgement to himself”. He said their lack of belief in the Body of Christ was the reason why so many of them were falling ill and dieing.
The Mass is not something we sit through, drowse through – something we hope to get over and done with as quickly as possible. Each Mass is a challenge of faith – its meant to challenge our faith. Christ, the Son of God, is here both in His Word and His Presence in the Blessed Sacrament, asking us “Do you believe this?”
But the Mass not only brings us the Real Presence of Christ – it brings us into contact with those saving acts that He did for us. Each liturgy is like a time-machine – it brings us into the presence of His Passion, His death and His resurrection – in the Mass we are really there. When the Priest offers the Body and Blood of Christ in Sacrifice to our heavenly Father, it is that one same Sacrifice of Calvary that is made present to us - that is being offered for us – that we are invited to unite ourselves with. When this Church’s angel takes that sacrifice from our altar here up to the altar in heaven, it is that same Sacrifice of Christ which takes away our sins and and the sins of those for whom the Mass is offered. And throughout all this, Jesus is present here asking us “Do you believe this?”
This is why the liturgies of Easter Triduum are so important – they are the holiest feasts of the Church’s year. They bring us into contact with the actual events that we remember because God is remembering them with us. For Catholics, the liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil are even more important than Christmas, because they join us with Christ’s victory over satan and death. Jesus asks us “Do you believe this?”, or do we simply think of Easter as another chance for a holiday – a chance to forget about God instead of a chance to grow closer to Him?
I wonder though if we are all a bit like Martha. One minute she confesses her belief that Jesus is the Son of God, but the next minute she’s telling Jesus not to disturb the tomb because Lazarus’ body will stink. Her faith is there, but it’s weak. Perhaps we must answer Jesus like another man who Jesus healed in the Gospels. When Jesus asked him “Do you believe this?”, he didn’t reply “Of course I do – you just healed me”. Rather he replied “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.”
His response – asking for more faith – is what Lent is about. It is a good prayer for each one of us to pray too – “Lord I have faith, but help the little faith I have.”
Excellent sermon!
I hope many hear it.
"I hope many hear it."
Well, we had a full Church this morning and they heard it despite the fact that it isn't going to be written for another 9 months!
(Where did I get that date from? Is it an omen connected with Fatima?)
Something I need to hear today as I get ready to go to Mass.
GOD Bless...
What a marvelous, catechetical sermon to these old Orthodox ears! Thank-you my friend.
Is there a standard homily that's handed out to everyone, or does each priest get to comment on his own on the text if he so wishes?
Excellent post. Thank you.
A priest may put the teaching in his own words, but the core teaching must remain the same.
"Is there a standard homily that's handed out to everyone, or does each priest get to comment on his own on the text if he so wishes?"
The texts for each day of the year are standard - a 3-yearly cycle for Sundays and 2-yearly cycle for weekdays. However, the priest or deacon must compose the homily themselves and we have total freedom to concentrate on whatever we want to bring out of the readings - or rather what we think the Holy Spirit wants us to bring out of the readings!
In our parish we usually have a series of themed homilies for Lent and Advent. As this is the "Year of the Eucharist" for Catholics, we have been concentrating on how aspects of the texts relate to the Mass.
"What a marvelous, catechetical sermon to these old Orthodox ears! Thank-you my friend."
You better be careful to guard those old Orthodox ears round my sermons or you might get infected with some of this wayward Latin theology!!!
;)
"Today he started the homily by chastising the laity for chewing gum."
What? You don't mean chewing gum in Mass do you???
"I must say that there seems to be an improvement in participation at Mass and that "some" people are not automatically going up for communion."
It is good when people are more discerning about their spiritual state before receiving Communion, but I would rather they went to Confession and turned their lives around so that they could go to Communion.
Why is he giving a sermon for next December today?
"You better be careful to guard those old Orthodox ears round my sermons or you might get infected with some of this wayward Latin theology!!!"
Oh I don't know, Deacon; looks rather patristic to me! Must be the company you've been known to keep. ;)
We Episcopalians had a different lectionary for today.
Question: Ezekial 37:3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?
Answer: Jhn 11:43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
Beautiful.
(Valley of Dry Bones was lesson for my Confirmation 33 years ago, so it was very special for me.)
"Why is he giving a sermon for next December today?"
He isn't - he's just an idiot who can't type the right date in when he posts a thread!
"looks rather patristic to me! Must be the company you've been known to keep."
I know I'm starting to get long in the tooth but I think the Fathers were even before my time! ;)
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