Category: John of the Cross

Carmelite homily for Thursday, March 26, 2020 – Lectionary 247 (John 5:31-47)

In today’s Gospel everyone wants proof, or they want testimony, or they want evidence, but faith doesn’t work that way.  Saint John of the Cross writes, “To reach union with the wisdom of God, one must advance by unknowing, rather than knowing.”  I think that’s what Jesus is trying to communicate in today’s passage.  And what Jesus is trying to communicate to us.  If we expect to know everything, all evidence, all testimony in place, we’ll get nowhere.  We need to advance by a deeper path – unknowing.  

Carmelite homily for Tuesday, March 24, 2020 – Lectionary 245 (John 5:1-6)

There’s an old saying: If nothing changes, nothing changes.  That describes what’s going on in today’s Gospel.  We have this lame man on the side of the pool in Bethesda waiting to be put into the water for healing – for thirty-eight years.  And Jesus says, “Do you want to be healed?” and the man says, “No one’s put me in the water.”  Nothing has changed in thirty-eight years.  He’s not heard that Jesus is offering a different solution.  Saint John of the Cross writes, “Travelers cannot reach new territory if they do not take new and unknown roads and abandon the familiar ones.”  That’s the call of today’s Gospel.  If you’re feeling stuck or just not right, maybe it’s time to try a new road?  If nothing changes, nothing changes.  

Carmelite homily for Sunday, March 22, 2020 – Lectionary 31 (John 9:1-41) 

On this Fourth Sunday of Lent we’re halfway through this season.  And Saint John of the Cross writes, “Abide in peace, banish cares, and take no account of all that happens – this serves God, and you will rest in him.”  In today’s Gospel there’s a lot of upset: with the man born blind, and his parents, and the Pharisees, and everyone.  And all that turmoil even exists today: the political scene, the cultural scene, and the ecclesial scene, and the Covid-19 scene.  Let’s make this our life for the second half of Lent: “Abide in peace, banish cares, and take no account of all that happens – this serves God, and you will rest in him.”  Let us rest in God. 

Carmelite homily for Friday, March 6, 2020 – Lectionary 228 (Matthew 5:20-26) 

Today’s Gospel mentions your brother or your neighbor a lot.  Don’t get angry with your brother.  Don’t call your brother names.  If you remember you have something against your brother be reconciled.  If you brother takes you to court just let him do that.  It’s all on how we treat one another.  This is what Saint John of the Cross has to say, “Your neighbor will be precious in God’s sight for reasons that you may not have in mind.”  I think that’s part of the reason we treat our brother, our neighbor so well; cause, we don’t know what’s motivating, what the intentions are, what’s going on there – God does.  So let God do the judgement, I think, is the bottom line of today’s Gospel.  

Carmelite homily for Sunday, March 1, 2020 – First Sunday of Lent – Lectionary 22 (Matthew 4:1-11)

For this First Sunday of Lent we have Jesus in the desert driven by the spirit and the devil comes to tempt him.  And each temptation is heavier than the previous one.  It starts off pretty small with ‘You’re hungry? Change these stones to bread.’  Not much of a sin actually.  Then the next one, ‘throw yourself from the temple, angels will catch you, and everyone can ooo and ahhh.’  It’s probably a sin of pride.   And the last one, ‘worship me, the devil, and I will give you control of the world.’  That’s a pretty heavy-duty sin.  I think these sins are given to us in this graded sense to show how we can resist temptation – start small and work yourself big.  Here’s what Saint John of the Cross has to say, “Through the practice of one virtue, all the virtues grow; through the indulgence of one vice, all the vices and their effects grow.”  I think that’s what we see in this Gospel and that’s what this Lent can be about.  Oftentimes we think, ahh, if I give up chocolate or give up coffee what good is that?  That is a tremendous thing!  It can change the world!

Carmelite homily for Saturday, February 29, 2020 – Lectionary 222 (Luke 5:27-32)

Because today’s Gospel passage is the same, this homily is repeated from Saturday, January 18th.

In today’s Gospel we have the call of Levi (or Matthew).  Jesus is walking by the tax-collecting post and sees him and says, “Come follow me.”  And Levi does.  And invites everybody over to his house for a banquet in honor of this, and in honor of Jesus.  And what is the reaction of the crowds, especially the scribes?  They complain.  How this man is a sinner; he’s a tax-collector.  The people around here are sinners.  This is a great blessing and all they see are the problems.  John of the Cross says, “It is great wisdom to know how to be silent; look at neither the remarks nor the deeds nor the lives of others.”  That is very difficult advice, very needed advice.  That day at the customs-station, the tax-collectors station, and today.  But I think John is right: it is great wisdom to be silent.

Carmelite homily for Tuesday, February 18, 2020 – Lectionary 336 (Mark 8:14-21)

In today’s Gospel Jesus warns the disciples to be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, and they all go ‘huh?’  And so Jesus goes ‘huh?’ to them – you don’t understand? your don’t comprehend? you have eyes to see? ears to hear?  Because, I think, life requires reflection, pondering – not just surviving  or doing.  But to reflect on life.  John of the Cross writes, “Seek in reading and you will find in meditation; knock in prayer, and it will be opened to you in contemplation.”  I think that’s the invitation, the call of today’s Gospel, is to pray, to reflect, to knock.  And these things do become known and evident.  Instead of going “huh?” we might go “aha!” 

Carmelite homily for Sunday, February 16, 2020 – Lectionary 76 (Matthew 5:17-37)

In today’s Gospel passage there’s certainly a lot going on – and it’s all kinda negative.  Jesus first talks about anger and then resentment and then unforgiveness and then lust and then swearing and lying.  Why is all this part of the Sermon on the Mount?  And how does it all tie together?  Actually, I think, one word – ego.  It’s all about me – having my appetites met, my righteousness met, my self-righteousness – everything about me.  That’s the call: to get beyond me.  To get deeper, to my heart.  Saint John of the Cross writes, “Deny your desires and you will find what your heart longs.  For how do you really know that any of your desires are according to God?”  I think that’s the call of the whole Sermon on the Mount – to get beyond your desires, your appetites, your ego, you.  Into your heart where truth and life and love and depth and God live.  And work out of and live out of there.  That’s the call of today’s Gospel.