The Rambler

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT [A] God loves you, even if you are not practicing virtue. That’s part of what you will find if you spend time in Romans chapter five. God proves his love by sending Jesus into our world. Jesus takes his place among us, even dies for us, despite the fact we have given ourselves over to sin (5:8). It would have been understandable if God had chosen to hold off. He could have taken a “wait and see” approach: I’ll send my Son to them, once they show some interest in reforming their lives . But Paul’s point is that Jesus performs his act of redemption, while we are still deeply embedded within the quagmire of sin. With God, it’s all about love. What will we hear later on in the New Testament? Does it say that God is “understandable?”  Or rather, does it say that God “is love?”   Are we easy to love? No, we make it enormously difficult. This was true during the Old Testament period, and it’s been true ever since. For example, listen to the Israelites in Exo...

  SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT [A] This weekend, it’s all about being called. It’s an abstract call that appears within our second reading: specifically, the call to holiness (2nd Tim. 1:9). Meanwhile, the other two readings portray something of a more literal nature. As a result of his call, Abraham migrates from the far east, settling initially in Egypt, and then proceeding on into the land of Canaan (see Gen. 12:1-4; 15:18-21; 16:3). Thus, there is a geographical dimension to the call that Abraham receives. As for Peter, James, and John, their call will lead them to the top of a peak, known as Mt. Tabor (Matt. 17:1-8). It’s not an east-to-west journey, but rather a journey that takes them to a higher altitude.  With regard to Abraham, his call could be described as the most dramatic. Here he is, a man of advanced age (Gen. 12:4), being essentially uprooted, leaving behind all that is familiar to him, so that he can venture into the unknown. Imagine the apprehension! How would you...

  FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT [A] While the devil has success in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:4-7), he goes on to fail in Matthew chapter four. How do we explain this? It needs to be understood that in Genesis chapter three the devil is operating on the original Adam; in Matthew chapter four he is contending with a new and improved Adam . That’s how Jesus gets portrayed in Romans chapter five: as a kind of New Adam. The Old Adam sends us into a type of deficit situation; meanwhile, through the New Adam, we actually come out ahead. Or, to put it another way: it’s a disadvantage being affiliated with the Old; and it’s an advantage when we choose to be affiliated with the New. St. Paul’s point is that the advantage seriously outweighs the disadvantage (Rom. 5:15-17).  By way of analogy, consider the case of Tony Stark. He is a damaged individual who eventually becomes a superhero. He starts off as a wounded prisoner being held behind enemy lines. An explosion leaves him with pieces of ...

  ASH WEDNESDAY  They call her Cinderella , a name that derives from the Old French. It translates as “girl of the ashes.”  How does she become coated with ashes? It all happens in the line of duty. Among her many tasks, Cinderella has to monitor the fireplace. Prolonged exposure to the fireplace means one layer of ash followed by another layer of ash. It seems as if it will never end.  But of course it does come to an end. Misery will give way to joy. She will eventually find herself being treated to a new beginning. It’s not necessarily something that she brings about all on her own. Rather, she receives external support through the intervention of a Fairy Godmother. The Fairy Godmother does the “heavy lifting.” What does Cinderella do? For starters, she does her part by being  industrious. Furthermore, she does her part by being open: being open to the miraculous and being open to outside assistance. And finally, she also does her part by remaining hopeful....

  SIXTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [A] It’s 1936. Reporters are gathered around Max Schmeling. Soon he will be stepping into the ring to face an undefeated American named Joe Louis. The speculation is that he has taken this fight simply because it will earn him a considerable sum of money. After all, it’s not as if he has any real chance against his heavily favored opponent. And yet, even though nobody else is giving him a chance, Schmeling believes that he does have a chance against Louis. When asked to explain himself, he keeps repeating: I see something . Film clips of Louis in action have been made available to Max—and he’s certain that he sees something.  What does he see? He sees a weakness. It’s a weakness that he will exploit as he scores one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. He will beat Louis and he will beat the odds. So, we know about Max and what he sees. Meanwhile, let’s consider the Lord’s vantage point. What does he see? He sees EVERYTHING, according to the...

  FIFTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [A] It could be understood as a mandate : Your circumstances have improved; now the time has come for your conduct to improve. That’s what we hear the Lord saying in Isaiah chapter 58: I’ve blessed you with favorable circumstances; you are liberated; you’re being allowed to resettle within the boundaries of your homeland. As your circumstances have taken a turn for the better, let’s see if your conduct can take a turn for the better (Is. 58:6-10). We’ll call this “mandate number one.”   Mandate number two appears within a wider message, something referred to as The Sermon On The Mount. You’ll note that the symbol of light figures prominently in both the Isaiah passage and in this selection from the Gospel of Matthew. The world will benefit, you will benefit, and as a result, God will be glorified in the process (Matt. 5:15-16). In other words, you will begin to literally “shine” as you fulfill this prescribed mandate.  Then again, ...