HOMILY WEEK 25 06 – Year I
The Paradox of Presence, Suffering and Persecution:
Optional Memorial of Saints Cosmas and Damian
[Adapted from The Word Among Us]
(Zech 2:1-11; Jer 31; Lk 9:43-45)
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Have you ever heard of a chancel lamp? It is that lantern or candle in a church that tells us that Jesus is present in the tabernacle. You might think it was developed as a kind of signal to let people know they the need to be reverent when they enter a church, but there is a lot more to it than this.
Think back to the Book of Exodus. When Moses was called by God to confront Pharoah, it was by means of a burning bush. And when Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt, God led them with a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. The fire and cloud reminded them God was with them and would guide and protect them always.
Think also of Elijah confronting the false prophets of Baal, when fire from heaven came down and consumed his sacrifice, demonstrating he was a true prophet. Remember also the return of God’s people from exile in Babylon. They were filled with joy as they began to rebuild their lives and the temple, in the city of Jerusalem. But they were also concerned about the nations around them. Would God protect them and let them live in peace? In today’s first reading, the prophet Zechariah promises God will be with them, this time as a wall of fire. God will protect them, and, even more, God’s glory, or shekinah, will dwell among them as they rebuild.
Wouldn’t you love to have that same kind of comfort and peace? Some sign that God is accompanying you on your journey? The flame of the chancel lamp is that sign. In every church, the chancel lamp is there to tell us that Jesus is present. It is there to remind us of his faithfulness – whether and when we feel vulnerable, anxious, joyful, contented, or scared. It’s there to tell us that Jesus is really and truly present, hidden inside the tabernacle, just as he is present and hidden in the depths of our hearts.
In the New Testament, that presence becomes much more of an interior presence. Think of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, who felt their hearts burning within them as they conversed with the Risen Lord, but did not recognize until he blessed and broke bread with them in the inn.
So, we know that God is always present to us. Our Bible says so; our catechism says so; even our own memory of past events says so. Still, the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament stands above all of these assurances. Visible yet hidden, understandable yet mysterious, he is inviting us to come sit with him. Can we take a few moments out of our day and respond to his invitation? Let us go and spend time with him; he just may have a special message for us.
As comforting as this reflection is, the tone changes in the gospel as Jesus, the beloved Son of God, predicts his betrayal at the hands of Judas. There will be for him no obvious protection from the harm and agony that awaits him – only the apparent absence of God instead as he freely goes through his suffering and death on the cross to reveal to us the depth of God’s love for us.
Even this, however, is consoling and comforting for those who have faith in the Father and in Jesus, for we know that this suffering and cross led to resurrection, to the in-breaking of the brand new, eternal life into this world and to the ultimate revelation of our God who is humble, compassion, mercy, unconditional love, forgiveness and total non-violence. This is a call to a deeper faith, to let go of the temptation to preach a gospel of prosperity as opposed to the theology of the Cross. We are also called to recognize Jesus in others, especially the poor, where it seems he can be found and recognized the most.
Two New Testament persons who truly listened to the word of the Lord, paid attention to it, and lived it fully are St. Cosmas and Damian, whom we honor today. According to the Living With Christ, legend has it that they were twins, both physicians who practiced without charging fees, and who suffered martyrdom during a period of persecution. Around this legend grew another – a gruesome story of their suffering as well as a history of miraculous cures. After Emperor Justinian I claimed to have been cured of illness through their intercession, he honored the city of Cyr, which had the relics of the saints, and encouraged devotion to them. In the 16th century, both an oratory and a basilica were built in their honor. Along with the apostle Luke, Cosmos and Damian are patron saints of physicians and surgeons.
The Eucharist is an experience of the extraordinary love of God in a very, ordinary way – humble gifts of bread and wine transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit and the prayer of the community into the body and blood of Jesus Christ, freely broken open for us on the cross.
May our celebration today empower us to let our light shine, to truly hear the word of God in our hearts, to allow it to heal and transform us, and then to witness to it with our lives, as did Cosmas and Damian.
