Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church

Homily for March 7, 2004
Year C - Cycle II
2nd Sunday of Lent
by Fr. John Carney
Topic:  Suffering Brings Holiness
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Gospel Reading: 
Luke 9:28b-36

"Jesus took Peter, John and James and went up the mountain to pray.  While he as praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white.  And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.  Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.  As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, 'Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.'  But he did not know what he was saying.  While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.  Then from the cloud came a voice that said, 'This is my chosen Son; listen to him.'  After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.  They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen."

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The Transfiguration – a story so well known to all of us.  A week before the Passion, Jesus took Peter, James and John on the top of Mount Taber (it’s about 1500 feet high, which is big in Israel) and was transfigured there before them; and with him, Elijah and Moses – Moses the great law giver and Elijah the great prophet – indicating that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophets and of the law.  I visited this site some years ago.  It’s a winding, treacherous road, and the taxi drivers all drive stretch Mercedes, at 75 miles an hour, up this thing.  I had visions myself!  Obviously, the reason for the Transfiguration is that Jesus wanted to give his disciples a glimpse of his glory, because they’re going to need it because of the Passion that would occur the next week.  But, what I find fascinating, though, is to compare the Transfiguration with the Agony in the Garden.  They happened a week apart from each other; they both happened at night on a hill; with Peter, James and John; and in both accounts, they fell asleep.  Now, those aren’t coincidences in the Scripture. 

 

The unity of the structure of the story is meant to give us a very important lesson that we need to take personally.  And that is, in the first instance, Jesus’ divinity came shining through, and in the second instance, his full humanity came shining through.  Also, his fear – that’s something we all have in common, fear.  Jesus was so afraid that he sweated blood, and he said, “Father, if it be Thy will, let this cup pass from me.  But, not my will but Your will be done.”  Jesus shows he had his highs and lows, his good days and bad days.  And the lesson for us is that, if we are to be His followers, we can expect, and should expect, and must expect, exactly the same.  All of us have had moments, I hope, of great joy.  Certainly, we’ve all had moments of great sadness in our lives.  There are valleys and peaks of life, right?  That’s just the way it is.  Like Jesus, we’ve experienced good, and we’ve experienced bad. 

 

Oftentimes you hear the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”  (That is a very famous book by a rabbi, some years ago.)  Well, the Scriptures have a few answers.  “It rains on the just and the unjust alike.”  That’s not very fulfilling.  “There’s a time for everything under the sun.”  Doesn’t help me.  “We accept good things from God; why should we not accept bad things?”  OK.  But I think the best answer is what St. Paul said.  He says that we make up in our suffering what was lacking in the sufferings of Christ.  It’s here, in the Bible.  If it wasn’t, we couldn’t say it.  We make up in our sufferings what was lacking in the sufferings of Christ.  That just sounds wrong, doesn’t it?  How could anything be lacking in Jesus Christ?  Well, what St. Paul means is this:  Jesus’ plan of redemption includes us, not as passive observers, sitting back watching it, but as active participants in the Passion.  Think about that.  We’re not on the sidelines.  We’re not at a movie, watching our redemption.  We participate in it.  He said, very clearly, “If you follow me, you must pick up your cross, every day, and follow me.”  Not “my” cross – “your” cross. 

 

So Jesus’ plan includes us in our redemption.  And that makes it so much more worthwhile.  It shows how much he trusts us.  He could have done it all for us, but he elected not to.  He elected to have us participate.  We can refuse or we can cooperate.  So, the crosses are coming.  You can either carry them, or you can medicate yourself against them and refuse them, but the crosses are coming anyway.  You know, we are a lot like Peter.  Peter said, on Mount Taber, “I like it here.  Let’s stay here.”  He didn’t want to go to Jerusalem.  He didn’t want to see the Passion.  “Let’s stay here.  We’ll build three booths, and we’ll have a great time.  I love this glory!”  He didn’t like the other part.  Well, we’re like that, too.  Peter wanted to take a detour around Calvary.  “Can’t we do this some other way?  Please, Jesus?”  Jesus said, “Get behind me, you Satan!  For this is not God’s way you wish, but man’s way.”  I like Lucy, from the Charlie Brown comic strip.  Lucy said, “I don’t want ups and downs.  I only want ups, and upper ups, and upper upper ups.”  But the fact is, without the cross, there is no glory.  Without Good Friday, there is no Easter Sunday.  There is no other way to gain eternal life, but to carry the cross with Christ.

 

Sometimes people tell me, “I’m angry with God.”  Now, when I was in seminary, those were the squishy, good feeling years. “Well, it’s OK to be angry with God.”  Now, I don’t buy that.  Personally, I don’t get angry with God.  I’ve messed up so much, I’m just trying to sneak in.  He’s got every right in the world to be angry with me, but not me with God.  So, “Why are you angry with God?” I ask.  “Oh, my boyfriend left me,” which can be devastating.  “I have cancer.  I ate right, I exercised, how did this happen to me?”  Or, “My mother died.  How can God let these things happen?  I’m angry with God.”  When I hear these things, I challenge them.  I say, “You need to look at your relationship with God.  Do you think God is the great puppeteer?  And you’re a puppet?  And he’s orchestrating this big show?  That He’s really controlling everything?  Is that how it works?” 

 

No, because, God doesn’t work that way.  God has made us and freed us.  We are free.  Yes, he has created this world, and he’s active in the world, but this world has an energy of itself.  There’s evil in this world.  He permits that.  He doesn’t cause it, he didn’t create it, but he does permit it.  Because, here’s the alternative:  if God controls everything, we’re not free.  And if you’re not free, you can’t love, right?  It’s impossible to love without being free.  The very notion, the very concept of loving connotes that you are free to do it, to give yourself to another.  And so, he made us in his image; he made us free.  We are not controlled by him.  We aren’t.  We are free to follow his way, or to follow another way. 

 

The mark of the true disciple is the cross.  How many of you wear a cross around your neck?  Sure.  It’s the Christian symbol.  Look at this crucifix – that’s some crucifix.  There was an article by Kevin Woodward in the New York Times, a few weeks ago, about the movie The Passion.  And Woodward said he thought Catholics would find the movie less shocking because they’re used to looking at the crucifix; they’re used to looking at symbols of the Passion, of pain.  That’s the symbol – to follow Christ and to bear our sufferings.  You know, it’s good that we thank God for the good times – the birth of a baby, the words of a doctor when he says, “It’s not cancer (many of you have heard those words).”  “Whew, thank you Jesus!”  It’s good that we give him thanks.  But, as disciples, we must also accept the other times – “It is cancer.”  And, ironically, those are the times we are closest to God.  Look, if we took two persons, one who won the lottery, $30 million (I’d get ten percent – three million!), and one who had cancer and survived it.  Three years later, who do you think the holier person would be?  Am I right?  Yeah.  Made holy by what?  Suffering.  You don’t like it, it ain’t good, but it does good things.

 

I think Abraham Lincoln was our greatest president, and I think many of you would agree.  What a wonderful man.  Did you know his whole life was a record of failure, before he was elected president? 

He was a great president, wasn’t he?  Is there any doubt that the failures he experienced, and the rejection and the suffering made him the man he was when he took the Oval Office, when he took the White House?  Suffering, well borne, with Christ, will make you strong.  It will make you holy.  Good times and bad times. 

 

And listen, Jesus is not asking us to do anything that He didn’t do.  This is the fifth chapter of the Book of Hebrews:  “In the days when He was in the flesh, He offered prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to God, who was able to save him from death.  And he was heard because of his reverence.  Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered.  And, when perfected, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who believe in him.”  Jesus himself learned obedience from suffering.  And it was through suffering that he was perfected in his humanity.  If it’s true for him, it’s true for us.  Suffering accepted in Christ leads to holiness.  

 

Please bow your heads now, and we’ll pray. 

 

“Loving Father, we thank you for all of life.  We thank you for the good times – the times of peace and joy, the birth of a child, a marriage.  They are signs to us of your love and goodness.  As disciples, we accept the hard times, when life is filled with pain and disappointments.  They are signs that you share your cross with us.  You promise eternal life to those who follow you; who hold out until the end.  You perfect us in suffering.  Give us the grace to always say ‘Yes’ to you, and to remain close to you, for richer or poorer, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death joins us to you.  We pray, through Christ our Lord.  Amen.”