Do Your Assets Outweigh Your Liabilities?

Flannery O'Connor, the short story novelist, described the culture around her as "haunted by Christianity."  Faith feels more like angst in the human heart rather than a help to living an active life of love.

Saint Paul tells us,"that no one is justified before God by the law...the one who is righteous by faith will live (Gal 3:11).”  The Lord loves us first, searches us out, and calls us by name to relationship with Him.  We respond by living purposely a life of love, where love is no mere sentiment, but consists of works or deeds.  We do not earn salvation, for salvation is freely given to us and yet we cooperate with God in our salvation, as Paul describes, "so then, my beloved... work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 3:12)."

The idea of living a life of love is sweeter than its practice.  If we were to begin to make a list of our "assets and liabilities," we would find in the beginning that we could multiply the number of good works in the hopes of diminishing our liabilities.  Eventually, though the assets would become liabilities as the perceived assets would crowd out first the intuitive voice of God within us, then our duty, if we still recognized it as such, and ultimately inhibit the work of God within us.  We become haunted by Christianity, afflicted by an angst masquerading as faith, and confused as to why the whole undertaking did not work!  The day arrives when we realize that all we have done is built a Tower of Babel just as unable to reach the heavens as the first tower (Genesis 11).

So, we end up where we started.  God loves us and loves us in spite of our faults and with disregard to our "assets."  Each of us lives out a unique story of God's love in our lives.  Perhaps, we are to be open to that love and look at our daily encounters and occurrences and pause in prayer.  The Lord is here in my midst.  What is he trying to say to me?

An Encounter that Transforms a World

If you have not already done so, please watch the video of the talk on Tuesday, March 18 or read the full text of the talk here.

The method of execution known as crucifixion, "invented by the Persians and perfected by the Romans" as an instrument of a tortuous death, was reserved for slaves, foreigners, and all those conquered people who were subjected to the domination of Rome.  Roman citizens were exempt from death by crucifixion, even if found guilty of grievous crimes.  A slave could be put to death by crucifixion for the slightest of offenses.

Paul tells us that Jesus Christ identified with the slave, for "he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross (Phil 2: 9)" and in doing so, Jesus identifies with the poorest, the most vulnerable among us.  The good news that Paul confidently preaches, is the Crucified Christ now Risen, for "because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil 2: 10-11)."   The good news of the Risen Christ, in victory over death, breathes new life, dignity, worth, and meaning into whole groups of people whose lives consisted of endless laborious toil for a ruling class that regarded them as less than human and often treated them worse than work horses.

Paul preaches the good news that in Jesus Christ, "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28)" and powerfully brings forward the idea of an encounter with Christ that gives and and restores the fullness of dignity to all classes of people.

Among the Jewish people, sickness, bad fortune, and poverty were still largely viewed as the result of sin.  Jesus manifests the image of God as Love and both heals the blind man and transforms how the disabled are viewed, for "his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him (John 9:2-3)."

The good news of Christ, crucified and risen, of a God that identifies with the poor, the hurting, the suffering, and the vulnerable, of a God of Love that (as Fr. James describes in Tuesday's talk) "generously and abundantly seeks each heart," spreads quickly, fueled by the Spirit, like wildfire among all classes, reaching all surrounding cities and expanding beyond to other cities, penetrating the Roman military, the courts, the ruling class, and finally the family to the emperor's throne.

The newly converted Christians were convicted by an encounter, a permeating presence of Jesus that completely changed their outlook on life.  An encounter with the Risen Christ in varying ways, both explained and unexplained, changed the way they viewed their life, evaluated their life, and how they lived their life.  Paul's conversion was profound, but even more profound was a growing community of believers that were also willing to risk their very lives because of faith in Jesus.  An idea, an illumination, an encounter had occurred, and this encounter transformed the world.

As Fr. James mentioned in his talk, the paschal mystery, from the Last Supper to Easter, form one single event.  "Christ died for our sins; Christ was buried; Christ arose on the third day; Christ appeared to his disciples; and All those who encounter Christ live now in him and hope to live eternal life." 

The Triduum, celebrating the paschal mystery of Christ, on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter is scheduled at St. Francis of Assisi Parish at the following times:

Thursday of the Lord's Supper, April 17
Holy Thursday Mass at 7 p.m.

Good Friday of the Passion of our Lord, April 18
Living Stations begin at 12 noon
Celebration of our Lord's Passion begins at 1:30 p.m.
Evening Prayer begins at 6:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil in the Holy Night, April 19
Vigil on Saturday with Mass at 8:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord, April 20
Sunday Masses at 7 a.m.; 8:30 a.m.; 10:30 a.m.; 12:30 p.m.

Theology of the Cross Q & A

If you have not already done so, please view the full video and or read the text from the March 11 talk.

Q:  If we view the stoning of Stephen in light of the Gospel of Luke (Acts 7:58, Luke 23:46), we see that very similar words are spoken. Did Paul recognize, by way of his hand in Stephen's death, how he may also be a part of Christ's death?  Hear the Highlight from the Talk on the Stoning of St. Stephen.

"Blood on our Hands"

A:  Paul, then known as Saul, was a zealous pharisee determined to blot out from existence the very idea of Christianity, at the time of the stoning of Stephen (see Acts 7:54-60).  Paul was present and approved of Stephen's death by stoning.  Later, on the road to Damascus, Paul hears a  voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? (Acts 9:4)" and later gradually realizes that in killing Stephen, he was also responsible for the crucifixion of Christ.

This idea of empathetically siding with the victim, in this case the stoning of Stephen, is a profound concept for first century AD and indeed for much of ancient human history.  Evil was bounded by laws to limit its spread in regulations, such as "an eye for an eye," with only moderate effect.  Domination by brute force was the norm.  In ancient Rome, there were whole classes of people who had no rights, no dignity, and were considered less than human. Epidemics, plagues, natural disasters, and economic calamities fueled the desire for a scapegoat victim.  A victim who was believed to be the cause of the evil.  The victim's identity inevitably was blotted out and forgotten and the spotlight shone on the majority as heroes, (instead of killers) who were seen as saviors, freeing the people from the evil that had fallen upon them.

As the Old Testament unfolds, we see a gradually unveiling of the victim, so that in the prophet Isaiah, in the suffering servant passages, (Isaiah 53), we see the foreshadowing of Jesus Christ as victim, "He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, knowing pain, Like one from whom you turn your face, spurned, and we held him in no esteem (Is. 53:3).  As the Isaiah 53 passage continues, "If he gives his life as an offering for sin...I will give him his portion among the great and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty (Is. 53:10-12)," we see the foreshadowing of the victim vindicated, no longer forgotten, but victorious.  In the death of Jesus on the cross, the spotlight now shines on the victim, and in the resurrection of Jesus, the innocent victim is now vindicated and restored victorious.  The spotlight also reveals the majority, as those with blood on their hands, and no longer as saviors or heroes.  With the revelation of Jesus Christ Crucified, the momentum for scapegoating the victim, the false good of attributing evil to the innocent victim has ended, for the light of Christ illumines the truth of the innocent and the guilty.

Of course, the spotlight then shines back on us as guilty ourselves and yet in the same moment our guilt is removed by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.  This Lent, join us as we continue to look towards the cross and its meaning for our salvation.

Join the discussion here with your own questions or reflections:
(Sign up using your email and the access code SF2150 then click on the folder hw1 for week one when you enter the site)

Q. 1 If we view the stoning of Stephen in light of the Gospel of Luke (Acts 7:58, Luke 23:46), we see that very similar words are spoken. Did Paul recognize, by way of his hand in Stephen's death, how he may also be a part of Christ's death?

Q. 2 Not many of us have a conversion experience as dramatic as Paul's event. Where in your own lives do you find God's surprises? Where is that "irresistible presence of the Risen One whom subsequently you will never be able to doubt?"