The Dark Side of Belief – Memorial: St. Gregory the Great
(1 Cor 2:1-5; Ps 119; Lk 4:16-30)
*********************************************************
Today’s gospel ends in a brutal, shocking manner, as the religious townsfolk of Nazareth are suddenly enraged and want to kill Jesus! What are we to make of this?
The readings today challenge us to look at the quality of our own faith in Jesus – has it moved beyond belief to trusting surrender, or are we stuck at a superficial religiosity?
St. Paul, in the first reading, sets the stage for us. His encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus changed his whole belief system – from a zealous Jew to a man passionately in love with Jesus as Crucified Messiah and Risen Lord. So much so when it comes to trying to explain the mystery of God, all Paul wants to talk about is Christ crucified, and the power of his Spirit at work in those who truly trust in him.
In the gospel, Jesus tells his own people he is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah – he is the one anointed by the Holy Spirit to bring good news to the humble, release those in need of healing and liberation, give sight to the blind, both physical and personal, set the oppressed free – the addicted and those treated unjustly, and to proclaim a year of favor, a fresh start, a whole new world order.
There is a pattern in our lives. Belief in God is meant to lead to a more personal faith in Jesus, that in turn is meant to lead to complete trust in him and his teachings, that finally is meant to lead to surrendering our lives and wills into his hands.
The consistent pattern in the lives of the Chosen people was just the opposite. From the time of the Mosaic covenant through the desert period and the centuries following, they were always unfaithful to that intimate covenant relationship with God, and put their trust in the false gods of possessions and pleasure, prestige and fame, power and control. Their belief never grew into faith, trust and surrender. In fact, it hardened into stubborn self-righteousness and resistance to the deeper meaning of the Law which was love over duty, and relationship over external observance.
It should not surprise us, then, that this initial interchange between Jesus and the people of his home town, who were believers in God and attended the synagogue, would end in a desire to kill him, which would be the outcome of his life anyway – crucifixion at the hands of the religious leaders and the Romans.
When Jesus pointed out their infidelity through the healing of gentiles, he pricked their bubble of infidelity, named it for them, and instead of humble repentance and change, they reacted with hostility, hatred and rage. This is very similar to the reaction to whistle-blowers today, as was discussed on the CBC program Go Public recently. Those who dare to speak up about an injustice in the workplace often find themselves ostracized and isolated, seen as trouble-makers, and even lose their jobs, as others may agree with them, but are afraid to associate with them lest something adverse happens to them to. The bottom line today, as it was in Nazareth that day, is so often money, position and power.
Today the church remembers someone who can serve as a model for us in the light of those temptations. St Gregory was born about the year 540 into a wealthy Roman family. After a brief but distinguished service as Chief Magistrate of Rome, he resigned to become a Benedictine monk and used his great wealth to establish several monasteries. In 578 he was ordained deacon and sent to Constantinople as papal ambassador. In 586 Gregory was recalled to Rome and became abbot. Four years later he was elected pope. His charity in feeding starving Romans, his protection of Jewish rights and his political diplomacy helped earn him the title ‘great.’ Several centuries after his death Gregory was credited with developing Gregorian chant, although this remains disputed. He is known as the Apostle of England for sending missionaries there, including Augustine of Canterbury. Gregory died in 604, and is a Doctor of the Church.
The Eucharist is grounded in the selfless of love of Jesus crucified for us, made present through Word and Sacrament through the power of the Holy Spirit.
May our celebration deepen our faith in Jesus to become complete trust in him and empower us to surrender our will and lives to him, as he did to the Father.
We are to surrender ourselves to God and Jesus Christ so he can do unto us what he wants. This is having complete faith in Jesus Christ by offering ourselves to him; so he will lead us to eternal life. If we choose to trust him and live out his teachings on this earth we will be saved and healed. It is God who created this earth and sent his son Jesus to fulfill his task in spreading his word and Good News. Jesus Christ is the one who is crucified and resurrected the next day . He also appeared to his disciples after 3 days as the Holy Spirit from God. He cleans out lepers and cast out demons and raise the temple. Those High priests and Jewish leaders have a tough time believing that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God. They do not believe he is the Christ the King sent by God that can judge all living being and forgive people from any sins. They are still waiting for the Messiah, their life saviour. Amen. Many Blessings!
Well yes I totally agree with surrender ourselves, our will and our being to Jesus himself in order for him to heal us and forgive us from our faults. He will answer our prayers personally and whenever we ask him for help. Let us develope a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by putting our faith into him and trusting him. Amen . The Word of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thanks Bishop Lavoie for the homily today in believing in this God rather than believing the dark side.