What Is Our Promised Land? (Palm Sunday - Cycle A)

When I went to Rome for the first time, over ten years ago, I spent many hours looking at the ancient Roman ruins in and around the Forum Romanum. Today, only fragments of the original buildings remain, and it is hard to picture what the area would have looked like in its glory days. And yet, once upon a time, those buildings were the heart of mighty Rome, the Empire that straddled much of the known world. The lives of millions in many lands were shaped in various ways by the decisions that were made in those ancient edifices. But today, so little remains. Tourists come and go, taking selfies or snapping pictures of the cute cats that roam the ruins. Those old stones are little more than just curiosities.

Contemplating the former glory of the Roman Empire makes me wonder about our own country. Will our magnificent government buildings in Washington, D.C., one day be nothing more than ruins where cats wander and tourists take pictures and buy souvenirs? Dystopian science-fiction stories often depict such scenarios, but hopefully nothing of the sort will happen for many centuries. But no country is permanent. No political oder is forever. Civilizations rise and fall, as the march of history goes on. That is also one of the lessons of Palm Sunday for us.

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Photo Credit: View of Jerusalem from the Kidron Valley by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.

Much More Than Endless Life (Lent V - Cycle A)

The famous Christian writer C.S. Lewis once suggested that Lazarus was the first Christian martyr. Why did he make this unusual claim? His contention was that Lazarus had already gone through the experience of death when Jesus called him back to life. Lazarus would then need to go through the process of dying again at a later time. By being brought back to life, Lazarus was, Lewis suggested, the first disciple who was called upon to commit to dying for Christ.

This take by Lewis might seem a bit strange, but it points to a deeper reality. Our physical life in this world is not our final end. It is not the ultimate life we hope for. As is often the case in The Gospel of John, there are layers of meaning in the passage for this Sunday.

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Photo Credit: First Century Jewish Tomb by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.

Are We Blind to God's Blessings? (Lent IV - Cycle A)

Today's Gospel passage reminds me of an ironic time. When acquaintances would ask about how things were going in my life and I would give them a brief overview, they would invariably tell me how happy they were that things were going so well for me. The irony was that I was feeling absolutely miserable about my life during this time. I was simply unable to see the blessings that had been given to me.

In the Gospel passage for this Sunday, the leaders do not see the blessing that is so plainly before them. Ironically, the blind person regains his sight, but the people who have been able to see physically are not able to see spiritually, and they disregard even the physical evidence before them.

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Photo Credit: Jerusalem Skyline by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.

Christianity Is a Proposal of Marriage (Lent III - Cycle A)

Back in the 90's, I saw a quote that has stayed with me over the years. The quote said: Christianity is not a religion. It is a proposal of marriage. In many ways, those few words capture the essence of our faith.

In the Old Testament, the relationship between God and Israel is often depicted as a marriage. Israel is the bride, many times unfaithful, and God is the aggrieved husband who keeps calling his beloved back to him. As Scripture scholar Brant Pitre expounds in his book Jesus the Bridegroom, the marriage metaphor continues in the New Testament.

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Photo Credit: Mary's Well in Nazereth by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.

The Glory That Awaits Us (Lent II - Cycle A)

Jesus is God Incarnate, who came among us as one of us. He lived like one of us and died like one of us to offer his sacrifice for our salvation. At the same time, a part of the reason for the incarnation was for God to reveal himself more fully to humanity. Jesus revealed himself through his teachings and through events we call theophanies, which are direct manifestation's of God's divinity.

We see such a moment in the Gospel passage for today, which describes the event knows as the Transfiguration. During the life and ministry of Jesus, theophanies happened at transitional moments or phases: At his conception; at his birth; at the Temple at the age of twelve, which was the time of coming of age in his culture; at his baptism, which was the start if his ministry; his miracles during the course of his ministry; the Transfiguration, marking the start of his journey to Jerusalem to be crucified; the Resurrection; his appearances after the Resurrection; his Ascension into Heaven; and the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

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Photo Credit: The Church of the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.

The Dynamics of Temptation (Lent I - Cycle A)

40 is a number we find at several significant moments in the Bible. The reason for the use of 40 is its association with transformation. At least 40 days are needed for an individual to be transformed, as old habits are uprooted and are replaced with new ones. Similarly, 40 years are required for the large scale transformation of society, as one generation passes and another one rises up.

In the Book of Genesis, 40 days of rain bring about a global flood, which erases the evil social structures that had arisen. Later, after their liberation from Egypt, the Israelites spend 40 years wandering in the desert in order to be reshaped into a new people, who are ready to enter the Promised Land. During this time, Moses stays 40 days at the top of the mountain in God's presence as he prepares to be God's messenger, through whom the law will be communicated to the Israelites. When the Israelites fall into sin by worshipping the Golden Calf, they undergo 40 days of fasting to atone for their sin.

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Photo Credit: Mount Quarantania near Jericho, where, according to tradition, Jesus was tempted by Satan by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.

Three Things That Destroy Society (6th Sunday - Cycle A)

The Torah, the Israelite Law, was revealed by God through Moses in the Old Testament. In the passage for this Sunday, Jesus says about some aspects of the Law: You have heard said…, but I say to you. For a mere human, such a statement would be terrible presumption. For any one of us to speak in such a way about God's law would be nothing short of blasphemy. But Christ can speak that way because he is not a mere human. He is God Incarnate. He is the Lawgiver Himself. Since the Law comes from God, Christ, who is God Incarnate, can speak any way he wants about the Law.

We see in the passage that Jesus comes not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. He shows the fuller, deeper meaning of the Law and the relationship with God that the Law is pointing toward. In the process, he will set aside certain precepts that prepared the way for Christ but are no longer needed now that the grace of Christ has been given to us. In doing so, Jesus is not abolishing parts of the Law, but is allowing the deeper meaning of the Law to flourish. In interpreting the Mosaic Law, we can say that the Old Testament precepts are to be followed by Christians only to the extent that Christ restated or reaffirmed them.

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Photo Credit: Storm by Francesco Gamba from Wikimedia Commons.