First Sunday of Sleeba ~ First
Sunday of the Cross ~ First Sunday of Tragedy
Mark 13:30-37 - I Cor. 2:10-16
Sermon given September 16,
2001 by V. Rev. Fr. John-Brian Paprock
In
name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
O
Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise!
What
can I say to you, my brothers and sisters, on this first Sunday after the
horrific tragedy that shook the world in an hour of destruction?
Like
so many of us, I watched in disbelief and horror when the World Trade Towers
fell. I cried then not just for the
loss of life, although there was much loss of life; not just for the loss of
property, although there was much loss of that too; not just for the loss of a
skyline I knew once as home, although that is irretrievable. Rather, I found myself crying for the losses
yet to come. I saw in the billowing
plumes of smoke and dust raining down upon Manhattan the future losses that
such a declaration of violence would reap.
And I cried and somewhere inside I still cry. I cry for the young men and women that will die in retribution
and war. I cry for all who will lose
their faith because of violent acts in the name of God. I cry for those who will find hatred and violence
in their hearts and will be lead by that same darkness rather than the light of
Christ. I cry for all who become
instruments of malignant joy to the Evil One.
Such
losses have been experienced before, in other places and other times. I have wept when reading accounts of the
Crusaders and the Conquistadors, the Inquisition and the Holocaust. From all this suffering and torment, my
brothers and sisters, what have we learned?
Is this yet another lesson? Will
America use this as justification for inflicting others with similar
injury? The underlying question is
really – what would Jesus do?
Like
many of us, I have watched the news specials broadcasting on all channels. I listened to the news on the car
radio. It seemed at times like it would
never end. How many stories of grief
and sorrow can there be? How many
commentaries for justifiable retribution?
My vigilant witness by television and radio would not ease until I was
serving as chaplain at the hospitals this weekend.
Friday,
I visited with a man who was waiting for an organ transplant. I don’t often get to visit with such
patients. So, I learned more about his
condition and his suffering. Both he
and his wife had such hope, even though they were in the hospital earlier this
week and left without a transplant. At
one point, I realized that his hope was based upon another’s death. He noticed this awareness and the visit
became awkward. He had tears in his
eyes when he said, “I realize that I benefit from another family’s loss.” I replied, “Yes, but so many of the families
are honored that in their loss someone may benefit.”
That
night, there was death in another ward.
An elderly man was being taken for further imaging, examining his
insides if you wish. Along the way, he
died. Code Blue was initiated and the
hospital doctors and nurses and other staff worked to revive him, but
couldn’t. He died in the hallway. As a chaplain, I had to tell his wife who
was on her way but not expecting this sudden death. When I told her, her first words, “I thought we would have a few
more years.”
Her
friend who had come for support started having tremendous difficulty as her
parents and her husband had all died in this hospital. Eventually, she had to apologetically
leave. She said, “Why would this happen
to me?”
I
told her that I believed that an angel guards the images and memories of
traumatic events when we cannot deal with them. Then, when the angel is assured that we are ready and have the
support around us, the angel lets us re-live or re-experience those moments so
that we may be whole again. Traumatic
events shatter us.
Across
the hall, there was another death. This
was long expected by the family. They
simply wanted her to have some prayers for her journey. The family wept and said good-bye.
At
the hospital, we place a butterfly on the door of rooms where a patient has
died to alert staff who may not know of the demise. On this floor, the staff has only one butterfly. Although the second death was expected, they
were still unprepared.
After
a time, I went to the floor below where there is a special care nursery. These is where infants with difficulties
after birth are tended with loving attention, but are of necessity separated
from their parents. There an infant is
crying in an incubator because she is withdrawing from the drugs her mother
took. Another weak and feeble infant
has a rare painful condition where her bones are so brittle that she cannot be
picked up and held. Neither of these
infants knows of the violence that was perpetrated in New York City, yet their
suffering is just as real.
The
intimacy of pain, death and suffering can only be experienced individually. Such is the image of the Crucifixion and the
power of the Cross - suffering, pain and even death cannot hold back the glory
of God.
Last
night, I began to watch regular fiction and fantasy programming on the television. I have to admit that I am a fan of science
fiction. There is a show that I have
watched called “Earth: Final Conflict.”(It seemed appropriate.) In this show, aliens come to Earth to save
their race as their destiny is somehow intimately entangled with ours.
In
this episode, most of the alien race are in stasis, in sort of a coma, and the
last two awake are debating about who should be the last one to go into
stasis. Their ship can only finish its
mission if they are all in stasis. One
is willing to go into stasis for their race.
The other does not trust the human’s to care enough about their problems
and wants to stay awake to the possible demise fo their race. So, there is a conflict over saving their
race by trusting humans. However, there
is a prophetic figure who happens to be human, but a little more than human,
who brings all the aliens out of stasis and tells them that they need to work
NOW if they are going to save their race – in effect, telling them that both
sides of their argument are incorrect.
The answer is in being awakened.
As one alien says, “Awakening us from stasis is the first step in our
salvation.”
Now,
I don’t often use science fiction stories to make a Christian or biblical
point. I smile quite often at the
symbolism and often not-so-subtle spiritual and moral messages. Perhaps, that is why I enjoy those
shows. However, I found the alien
statement to be a profound reflection into our current predicament and our
Gospel lesson for today. “Awakening us
from stasis is the first step in our salvation.”
Our
Gospel reading from Mark and our Epistle reading from First Corinthians are so
profound in the face of the historic and horrific events of this past week. I
strongly recommend them for meditation and prayer over the next weeks and
months.
Many
times in today’s Gospel we are told: “Be Alert.” Be as alert as if you are the one who is watching a house and
knows not when the owner will return, knowing that it is expected that you keep
watch – as the owner “might come suddenly and find you asleep.” (Verse 36)
So,
is this the time foretold in the Gospels, in the Prophecies of Christ? What of
other Prophets and their sayings? Let
me say that the Gospel tells me over and over again to be a skeptic, to focus
on the personal and intimate interactions with others and within myself. This
is how I will be judged as a Christian; by how I conduct myself regardless of
the times or the seasons.
Verse
33: …for you do not know when the time is.
How
should we be alert? We always need to
allow for spiritual discernment in the face of the physical destruction and
emotional turmoil. Let us look to St. Paul’s instruction to the
Corinthians.
Verse
14-16: For the material man rejects spiritual things, for they are foolishness
to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But
the spiritual man discerns EVERY THING…For who knows the mind of the Lord, that
he may teach it? But we have the perception of Christ.
Brothers and Sisters, now that the shock of the events
have diminished a bit, do not let the evil one into your hearts with what seems
to be "justifiable" hatred or rage.
v
Let us not be quick to
judgment upon anyone nor quick to assume God's intent. None of us knows the
will of God as well as He does. His allowance for us to hurt each other is a
mystery debated since the founding of the Church, even as Christ hung on the
cross.
v
Let
us be instruments of constructive good and peace.
v
Let
us shine as beacons of love and hope.
v
Let
us be good citizens of Christian conviction, serving others in these difficult
times regardless of where they live.
v
Let
us be of Christ’s mind, using His perception in the discernment of our personal
activities in the midst of what is a global crisis.
v
Let
us be witnesses of the good that others are doing.
v
Let
us remember each other in prayer and in goodness and in hope. Amen.
