Deacon Joe

Jesus asked Martha: “Do you believe this?”  

Let’s look at the background for the Gospel.  When Jesus heard that Lazarus was ill, he waited several days to go to Bethany.  Why would he do this? 

The Jews believed that the soul hovered around the body for three days after a person died.  After three days the soul left the body and could not be reunited with it.  In those days, the body was not embalmed.  When a person died, the body was prepared for burial and buried immediately. 

When Jesus arrived, Lazarus was in the grave for four days.  Therefore, raising Lazarus from the dead was to do the impossible.  This was to help his disciples believe in him more fully. 

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming to town, she went out to meet him.  Martha was a person of action.  She was the one who worked while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus.  Now, Martha takes the initiative to go looking for Jesus. 

“Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” 

Martha expressed her faith that God would give Jesus whatever he asked his Father to do.  Jesus tells Martha that her brother will rise.  Martha confirms her belief that her brother will rise at the resurrection on the last day. 

Jesus tells Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”  That’s when Jesus asks Martha “Do you believe this?” 

Martha replies: “Yes, Lord.  I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”  What a proclamation of faith! 

Martha went and secretly told Mary that Jesus was asking for her.  Mary went to meet Jesus and said the same as Martha.  “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 

Seeing Mary and the others who were with her weeping troubled Jesus.  When Jesus saw the tomb, he wept.  We know that Jesus suffered in his Passion and crucifixion, and we know that despite the suffering Jesus did the Father’s will.  We think of Jesus coming to earth to accomplish his mission.  We seldom think of Jesus having close friends that would be considered family.  When Jeus wept we see a different side of him than we are used to seeing. 

The Jews said: “See how he loved him.”  However, some of them said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?” 

There are always people who will criticize, who will say “you could have done more”, who will say you were wrong, or you didn’t follow the correct procedures.  If they did it to Jesus, the same type of people will say it to us today.  We do our best to serve and help others carry their heavy burdens of life.  Regardless of how hard we work at helping others, there are those who will complain that it was not enough, that there was more that we could have done. 

There is always more to do.  Jesus said that the harvest is great, but more laborers are needed.  When we see the amount of work that needs to be done, and hear the voices of criticism, it’s easy to become discouraged.  That is not what God wants for us.  He wants us to say, like Martha, that we believe that he is the Christ, the Son of God. 

Through prayer and spending time with God each day we receive the strength to help others to know God better.  We can share our faith; that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. 

Yesterday ninety-seven students, from several parishes in our area, were confirmed by Bishop Senior.  It took a lot of work by a lot of people to make that happen.  The parents, the catechists, sponsors and the students themselves.  They confirmed their faith on their own when they renewed their Baptismal Promises.  Like Martha, they said that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. 

Our young people committed themselves to the faith of our Church in the Baptismal Promises yesterday.  We must pray for them that they will be able to share that faith with their family and friends, especially those they know who do not know God. 

There will be those who criticize them for their faith.  It will be a difficult road to walk at times, just as it is for us.  On a previous visit, Martha worked while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus listening, learning, worshipping.  Martha’s proclamation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God tells us that she understood who Jesus really is, that she understood that Jesus is the Son of God. 

Martha’s proclamation of faith gives us an example to follow to share Christ with everyone we meet.  We must believe it in the depths of our heart.  Otherwise, when we hear criticisms and derogatory remarks, we will be hesitant to share our faith with those around us. 

By following Martha’s example of sitting with Jesus, studying the Scriptures and spending time in prayer with him, we will have the strength and courage to share our faith with others. 

Let us pray for our young people that they may be like Martha acknowledging that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.  May they be strong in their faith that they can share this belief with others.  We must also give our young people an example to follow by how we live our lives and how we share our faith. 

Through scripture study, prayer, and seeking God’s will in our lives, we can say like Martha, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” 

Jesus asks each one of us today: “Do you believe this?” 

Temptation!  Temptation!  Oohh, it’s here again.  I am tempted so much. 

Sometimes people consider being tempted with sinning.  To be tempted is not to sin.  To yield to the temptation is to sin.  Being tempted and sinning are not the same thing.  Jesus, who was without sin, was tempted by the devil.  We too are tempted by the devil and sometimes, we yield to the temptation, and we sin. 

Original sin in our human nature makes it easier for us to yield to the temptation and sin.  That is not the way God wanted it, but when Adam and Eve looked at the fruit and saw that it was good and the devil told them it would make them be like God knowing right from wrong, they yielded to the temptation. 

God took care of them in spite of their sin by clothing them, but they were driven out of the Garden of Eden and forced to toil for their food, shelter and clothing.  They also brought death upon themselves and all of us, their offspring. 

The devil was pleased with himself for having turned them against God.  The devil tries to do the same with Jesus, knowing that Jesus is the Son of God.  If the devil can get Jesus to yield to his temptations, it would be a major victory to bring the Son of God down.  Jesus did not yield to the devil’s temptations and in every instance that the devil used to entice Jesus, he refuted the devil with scripture. 

In our busy lives it is difficult to find time for reading and studying the Bible, but it is crucial that we do it.  How else will we be able to refute the devil when he tempts us?  This is an excellent way to help us not yield to the temptation by knowing scripture well enough to use it in our spiritual battle for our souls. 

Unlike Jesus, we have all sinned, many, many times.  We lose our way and turn from God, our ego seeking to be more important than anyone around, including God.  WE need to be the center of attention.  It is easier for the devil to get us to yield to temptation when our ego ,ME, gets in the way because we can decide what is right, or wrong, for us. 

Fortunately, God takes care of us just as he did with Adam and Eve.  God provided us with the Sacrament of Reconciliation for us to confess our sin, you know, the times we yielded to temptation, and we can receive absolution from the priest, acting In Persona Cristi, (In the person of Christ) to forgive us our sins.  This was given by Christ to Peter and is handed down through the ages by our Pope and Bishops. 

Our task is to leave the Confessional and through prayer and studying the Scriptures with the help of the Holy Spirit, become strong enough to resist the temptations the devil bombards us with each day. 

Luke’s Gospel tells us that: “Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil.”  In ancient times, everyone knew that the desert was the place where the spirits lived.  It was a terrible and frightening place.  Not only did the spirits live there but it was full of robbers and evil people who attacked the innocent person traveling alone.  That is why people traveled in caravans for safety in numbers. 

The Anchor Yale Bible Commentary gives us a little more background on Jesus’ temptation from Luke: “Thus endowed (with the Holy Spirit), Jesus now undergoes an experience that sums up an aspect of his whole ministry. He conquers the devil, because he is filled with the Spirit.”  The Holy Spirit helps us to overcome the devil in times of trial and temptation just as the Spirit helped Jesus. 

Today’s Gospel ends with “When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.”  Notice how it says that the devil departed from Jesus for a time, not forever, but for a time.  If the devil never left Jesus alone, will he ever leave us alone? 

Saint Padre Pio said “    Be certain that the more the attacks of the devil increase, that much closer is God to your soul.”  If we inverse St Padre Pio’s statement, it reads: “The closer we get to God, the more the devil will attack us with temptations hoping we will yield to them and turn away from God.” 

The Christian life is hard.  The devil is always trying to lure us away from God.  The closer we are to God, the harder the devil works to destroy our relationship with him.  Saint Padre Pio also said: “Remember that we cannot triumph in battle if not through prayer; the choice is yours.” 

Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  It is also a time of penance when we sacrifice something meaningful to us or take on additional acts of penance through prayer, spending time with God in a Holy Hour or service to others.  This act of showing our devotion to God and seeking his presence in our lives is part of our Lenten observances. 

Padre Pio said that we cannot triumph in our spiritual battle except through prayer.  The choice is truly ours.  Yes, it takes time to quiet our minds and our souls to enter God’s presence and ask him to enter our lives, giving us the Holy Spirit to defend us in our spiritual battle. 

If Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit when he entered the spiritual battle with the devil, how much more do we need the Holy Spirit in us.  There is no shortcut, it takes time with God, studying scripture and praying.  Are we willing to spend time with God as part of our Lenten penance? 

Ronald Knox was an Anglican Priest who became Catholic in 1917.  He helped G K Chesterton discern his decision to become Catholic a few years later.  Father Knox was not as well-known as Chesterton but left an imprint on the Church just as important as Chesterton’s. 

In one of his sermons on the Eucharist, Father Knox made this observation: throughout two thousand years of history, Christians, both whole churches and individual believers, have consistently been able to ignore many of Jesus’ key commandments and invitations.  We have either been too weak to follow his counsels or we have rationalized them away somehow. 

Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser said “And so, to a large extent, we have exempted ourselves from the demand to love our enemies, to turn the other cheek when attacked, to forgive 70 times 7, to leave our gift at the altar and first go and seek reconciliation with our brother before we worship, to place justice on the same level as worship, to see mercy as more important than dogma, to not commit adultery, to not steal, to not call someone a fool, to not tell lies, to not give in to jealousy.  We have, in virtually every one of these areas, individually and collectively, a history of infidelity and rationalization.” 

The Children of Israel also had a problem with keeping the Commandments that God gave Moses on the mountain.  By the time Moses came down the mountain, they were worshiping a golden calf instead of the God who delivered them from slavery in Egypt.  Time and time again they turned away from God and worshiped the gods of the nations around them.  It seems that our nature is such that we can easily make excuses or rationalize our sins away, so we don’t feel any guilt. 

Father Rolheiser continues: “But we have, for the most part, been faithful and consistent throughout all the years to one of Jesus’ commands: to celebrate the Eucharist, to meet together in every circumstance and share his word and break bread and drink wine in his memory.” 

Jesus became angry with the way the temple was being used as a marketplace rather than a place of worship.  The reason that I became Catholic is because of the reverence that Catholics hold for the Sanctuary.  Most Evangelical churches talk and chat in the Sanctuary the same as outside the church.  This bothered me but I didn’t realize the bigger distinction that makes Catholics different.  As I studied to become Catholic, I realized that it is the Eucharist that is what sets Catholics apart from other religions. 

We celebrate the Eucharist at every mass.  This is where we get our strength to follow Christ each day.  It is in receiving his Body and Blood in the Eucharist that helps us to go out into the world to share his love with everyone we meet. 

During our Lenten journey, as we examine our hearts and motives, it is important for us to not only look at the Ten Commandments that God gave us but to look deeper at the teachings Jesus gave us to love one another as he loves us.  Father Rolheiser mentions leaving our gift at the altar and going to a person to seek reconciliation before offering our sacrifice to God. 

When Jesus talked about this in the Book of Matthew, he said “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”  

Notice that Jesus didn’t say that you have something against someone, that is easier to control, but that you know that someone is angry or upset with you.  Then you should go and reconcile with that person and then come and offer your sacrifice. 

This is one of the hard lessons that Jesus taught about loving others as he loves us.  Being sensitive to others is difficult for all of us.  We are so busy taking care of ourselves and our family that we don’t notice the pain we may have caused to others by our carelessness or impatience with others. 

It may be something that we did or said that we didn’t realize upset that person at the time.  It may even be something that we don’t think should bother anyone.  But it did and we must take the first step as Disciples of Christ to correct it by going to the person and seeking reconciliation. 

At the start of mass, we always ask for God’s forgiveness for the times we have failed to obey the Commandments or to love as he loves us.  We do this to prepare our hearts to receive him in the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist.  During this Lenton Season, let us take it one step further and resolve the hurt, even if we don’t know the specific issue or didn’t mean to offend, it is enough to know that someone is upset with us that we should seek to make it right. 

All of us are Children of God.  Our body is the Temple of God.  Jesus speaks to us today, he wants to drive out the sin in our hearts the same as he drove out the money changers from the Temple two thousand years ago. 

Each day during Lent I listen to the Franciscan Short Way of the Cross by the choir and students of Thomas Aquinas College to remind me that Lent is a time of preparation.  The Fourteenth Station is: Jesus is taken down from the cross; When I receive you into my heart in Holy Communion, make it a fit abiding place for your adorable Body. 

As we prepare to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus into our hearts and lives, let us resolve to reconcile ourselves with others and with Christ.  Help us Lord to stop making excuses and rationalizing our sinful behavior so we may be a fit and abiding place for your Body. 

Earlier in this first chapter of Mark we learn that John proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me.  I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.  I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the holy Spirit.”  After John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus began his earthly ministry.  It seems that Jesus knew that John’s ministry is over and his must begin. 

The three verses before today’s Gospel reading tells us about Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, the heavens opening and the Spirit descending as a dove upon Jesus.  The Father speaks saying “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” 

Then in today’s Gospel “The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan.”  This Spirit so beautifully described as a white dove descending upon Jesus as a sign of his Father’s approval now drives Jesus into the desert to be tempted by Satan doesn’t seem like the same Spirit at all. 

Why would the Spirit drive Jesus into the desert alone to be tempted by Satan.  Peter Kreeft tells us “He was lead there by the Holy Spirit to toughen up his humanity, so to speak, like basic training in the Army; to prepare for his three years of spiritual warfare in his public ministry, which would culminate in his Passion and Death and Resurrection.  He prepared for this for the first thirty years of his life, the silent years, but especially during these forty days.” 

Peter Kreeft tells us “He fasted for forty days not only from food but also from human friendship, which is even more basic than food.  ….  Animals and angels are both good and important – in fact more important than we usually think – but even good friends above and below us are not human friends.  We are neither animals nor angels.  Animals have no spiritual souls, and angels have no mortal bodies.” 

I could not imagine what that must have been like for Jesus.  While Jesus was Divine, he was also Human.  To be alone without any other person to pray for him, to encourage and comfort him in his temptations would be devastating and make Jesus more susceptible to yielding to the temptations that Satan would present to him. 

Because Jesus was tempted by Satan in this manner, he can understand the temptations that we endure from Satan in our lives.  The major difference is that Jesus was alone without any other contact with people.  This is the first time that Jesus is abandoned and alone during his life on this earth.  The second time is during his Passion and Crucifixion when everyone abandoned him. 

We are blessed to have our family, our Church (which is our Family in Christ), and friends to pray for us, comfort, encourage and help us on our journey of life.  Jesus had no one.  Only wild beasts who wanted to devour him, angels and demons. 

There is nothing that we must endure that our Lord has not already endured in this world.  Sometimes our temptations seem so overwhelming that we can barely go on.  Jesus has been there and understands, he offers help in our trials and temptations. 

We can find comfort knowing that Jesus endured much more than we are going through.  He stands ready to help if we only ask him. 

In our busy lives it’s easy to forget that we too have angels and saints walking with us and ready to help us.  We believe that angels and saints are all around us, walking with us, protecting us, guiding us and giving us strength the same as the angels ministered to Jesus. 

When Jesus stared his ministry he said: “Repent, and believe in the gospel.”  These are the same words we heard on Ash Wednesday when ashes were used to make the sign of the cross on our foreheads. 

What is the Gospel message that Jesus taught?  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself.  This means keeping the Commandments given to us by Moses from God the Father.  It means living the New Commandment that Jesus gave us; Love others as much as we love ourselves. 

Loving others like we love ourselves is extremely hard for us.  Our ego gets in the way.  We are the only one who is important to us, sometimes even more important our family or God.  Our ego, our False Self is more important than anything else in the world.  It drives us to work longer hours to obtain more promotions at work, to make more money than our neighbors, and to live in the adoration of others wishing to be like us. 

Jesus said “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”  This Gospel was to love God by obeying his Commandments and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  This means really caring about others; the lonely neighbor down the street who seems grouchy all the time, the family struggling to have food on the table to eat, the family being discriminated against because of their race, culture, religion, or marriage partner.  It means respecting each human being as a Child of God. 

It’s not about writing a check to give to a charity that helps others; it’s spending personal time listening to those who are struggling talk about their struggles, helping the neighbor with yard work who is unable to do it, and spending time fasting and praying for all of them as well as writing a check to a charity that helps them. 

During his forty days in the desert, Jesus fasted and prayed.  Jesus helps us the same as the angels ministered to him, but we must be receptive and let him into our hearts. 

Jesus said “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”  What is that Gospel?  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself. 

Do my actions show others that I really believe in the Gospel that Jesus taught?