The Dual Nature of Water

(The following is a homily given at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, Enid OK on the 12^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 6-19-16)

Reading 1 Zec 12:10-11; 13:1

Responsorial Psalm Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

Reading 2 Gal 3:26-29

Gospel Lk 9:18-24

The readings today made me think of water… and made me thirsty. 

Water is an important element to our existence.  Water cleans us; hydrates us.  It makes up the majority of our bodies; it covers approximately 71% of the earth’s surface.  And yet we can have too much of a good thing.  Although nearly every lifeform needs water, they can also be killed by it.  Fresh-water fish cannot survive in salt water, and vice versa.  We ourselves can only survive underwater without an air supply for around 5 minutes before suffocating.  We have also experienced natural disasters where the main culprit is water, such as floods or tsunamis.  Water – by its nature, can bring life and death.

In a way, our readings discuss this dual nature of water.  Our first reading, for instance, is a prophesy of the death of Christ, the one “whom they have pierced” who will act as a catalyst for God’s purification.  Through him, God will “pour out” upon the house of David his Spirit of grace and petition, and he will act as a cleansing fountain of repentance (see 1st reading).  We know as Christians that Jesus was pierced on the Cross, and that blood and water flowed from his side, showing us – even in his death – that God wishes to cleanse us and bring us to new life.

Then we have our responsorial psalm.  This psalm speaks of the deep-seated yearning of our spirits for the only thing that can truly satisfy our longings.  Our God who blesses us, keeps us in existence, nourishes and protects us.  And we seek to know him more and more.  This thirst for God reminds us that without him, our souls are arid deserts, “parched, lifeless and without water”, unable to sustain life (see RP).

Our second reading gives the idea of water a particularly Christian twist.  Here, we learn that we are “all children of God in Christ Jesus,” no longer identified by our previous way of living or our backgrounds, but instead by the saving and purifying waters of baptism, which clothe us in Christ by making us a part of his body the Church (see 2nd Reading).  Here we come to understand on a spiritual level the dual nature of water, where here we die in the waters of baptism to our old selves and rise from them as new creatures, living not simply for ourselves but for Christ who lives within us.

Finally, our Gospel.  Interestingly, it doesn’t speak about water much.  At all really. But the message it speaks to us is linked to our previous readings.  Here we learn about Jesus’ identity as the “Christ of God” and the “Son of Man.”  Coming from God, He has within himself life unending.  He is life.  But by becoming man, he gives himself the ability to die.  Not a pointless death, but a death that will bring that limitless life to those who believe in him.  Like water, then, Jesus shows us that he has taken upon himself dual natures – both of which are essential to our existence, and yet also capable of killing us. 

The question for us, brothers and sisters, is whether or not we are willing to live by dying.  Are we ready to take up the saving and life-giving crosses we have been asked to bear by our baptisms so that we can kill the sin in us and rise up new.  Will we allow the cleansing waters that gush forth from the pierced side of Christ envelope us, cleanse us, kill us, and bring us back to life?  It’s a risk, and may even sound crazy.  But the world is thirsty, and the only way it can take a drink is if we have emptied ourselves of our sin and – as Baptized Children of God – been filled with God’s waters of mercy.

The Reaction of Mercy

(The following is a homily given at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Enid, on the 11 Sunday in Ordinary Time -- 6/12/16)

Reading 1 2 Sm 12:7-10, 13

Responsorial Psalm Ps 32:1-2, 5, 7, 11

Reading 2 Gal 2:16, 19-21

Gospel Lk 7:36—8:3

As I prayed over our readings for today, I kept being confronted with the idea of action and reaction.  The readings show us how this natural law plays out in our life of faith, particularly, in the idea that the action of acknowledging our sinfulness is vital to bring about the reaction of God’s Mercy. 

Our first reading starts us off with the story of Nathan the prophet confronting King David after David had committed adultery with Uriah’s wife Beersheba and subsequently had Uriah killed by placing him at the front lines of battle with the Ammonites.  Despite all the blessings that had been placed upon David, he had chosen to act upon his passions, sinning against God.  Because of this, Nathan prophesies the reaction: that “the sword shall never depart from [David’s] house” but that it would eventually come to define him and his family, leading to his destruction. (see 1^st reading)  In response, David shows remorse and says: “I have sinned against the LORD.” (Ibid)  With these simple words – and with the not-as-simple acknowledgement of and repentance for sin – David resets the clock, so to speak.  Nathan replies – “the LORD, on his part, has forgiven your sin”.(Ibid)  Interestingly, however, the consequences for David’s sin are not removed.  He must still face the suffering that his actions have set in motion, learning to rely on God’s strength to get him through.

This points to something very important about forgiveness.  Forgiveness does not negate consequences.  The Lord is very ready to offer his forgiveness, but that does not meant that the suffering that comes about because of sin will go away.  Suffering will continue to linger, telling us that something bad has happened in our lives because of the fallen world we live in.  We don’t have to be the direct cause of the suffering like David was to feel its effects in our lives, and oftentimes we’re not.  What is important for us to learn is how we can give our suffering purpose by relying of God strength to endure. 

Acknowledging that suffering is a consequence of sin helps us to start that process, but that alone is not enough.  It is not enough because we know at our core that we were not made to suffer.  Our creator did not design us to endure suffering any more than he designed us to sin, and so our nature, while naturally inclined to sin – and so suffering -- now fights against itself to try to retrieve what it has lost.

This action of the struggle brings about the reaction of God’s response – and that response is Jesus Christ.  In Christ we are given the ability to take on the strength of God through his suffering on the Cross, where the action of sin was met with a reaction: the reaction of Mercy.

My brothers and sister, the suffering of Christ on the Cross continues in His body the Church to this day. This is how we may continue to suffer yet be assured that our suffering – whatever it may be – can mean sharing in the redemption of the world.  We as members of His Body the Church, renew St. Paul’s words today by being “crucified with Christ; yet we live, no longer ourselves, but Christ lives in us.” (2^nd reading).

Acknowledging the action of our sin gives us the greatest reaction we could possibly hope for in the Mercy of God.  May we continue to cling to the faith of Christ which saves us, and so bring its peace to those who have yet to acknowledge the struggle waged within each of us (see Gospel).  May we become for the world God’s reaction of mercy.