DOUBTS ABOUT JESUSINTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “Doubts About Jesus.”
What are your doubts about Jesus?
“Don’t have any!”
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope!”
“You mean to tell me you never had any doubts about Jesus?”
“Never!”
"You mean to say you didn't hear about the new book on Mother Teresa of Calcutta - and how she had years of doubt - or the so called Dark Night of the Soul?" [Cf. Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light - The Private Writings of Mother Teresa, authors Mother Teresa and Brian Koludiechuk]
"Nope!"
“Okay! But I’m still going to preach this homily entitled, “Doubts About Jesus.”
TO BE HUMAN IS TO HAVE DOUBTS
To be human is to have doubts. Doubts are part of relationships. Doubts are part of love. In fact, if doubts were not part of love, love wouldn’t be as great as it can be.
Doubts get us thinking. Doubts get us talking. Doubts get us listening to each other better. Doubts can bring us reassurance. Doubts can get us to love another even more.
A LOVE STORY
I never forgot the love story a woman told me a long time ago – and she said I could use it in public anytime.
Her father was a disaster – and so she had problems with any notion of God as Father.
She knew this about herself.
I had heard while studying to become a priest – that you’ll meet people who will have doubts and difficulties about calling God “Our Father” – because they will have had trouble with their own fathers. Here I was experiencing the reality, not in a classroom, but in a one on one conversation with this lady.
She was having trouble, having doubts, about God, about believing that God loved her – even more, that God knew she existed – and if God even knew that – whether God cared about her.
Out of the blue in response, I said, “Do you know anyone who loves you – anyone who knows you exist – anyone who cares about you?”
“Oh yeah,” she said, “my husband loves me.”
I remained quiet – hoping she would flesh that out.
She did.
“Okay! But I’m still going to preach this homily entitled, “Doubts About Jesus.”
TO BE HUMAN IS TO HAVE DOUBTS
To be human is to have doubts. Doubts are part of relationships. Doubts are part of love. In fact, if doubts were not part of love, love wouldn’t be as great as it can be.
Doubts get us thinking. Doubts get us talking. Doubts get us listening to each other better. Doubts can bring us reassurance. Doubts can get us to love another even more.
A LOVE STORY
I never forgot the love story a woman told me a long time ago – and she said I could use it in public anytime.
Her father was a disaster – and so she had problems with any notion of God as Father.
She knew this about herself.
I had heard while studying to become a priest – that you’ll meet people who will have doubts and difficulties about calling God “Our Father” – because they will have had trouble with their own fathers. Here I was experiencing the reality, not in a classroom, but in a one on one conversation with this lady.
She was having trouble, having doubts, about God, about believing that God loved her – even more, that God knew she existed – and if God even knew that – whether God cared about her.
Out of the blue in response, I said, “Do you know anyone who loves you – anyone who knows you exist – anyone who cares about you?”
“Oh yeah,” she said, “my husband loves me.”
I remained quiet – hoping she would flesh that out.
She did.
She continued, “Once I was sick in bed for the longest time and he had to care for me – clean me – help get me better."
Then she added, "I was amazed at his patience. I don’t know if I would have his kind of love.”
Then she said, “One day I asked him, “Why are you doing this?”
“He said, ‘What?’ – then added, ‘Oh, because I love you.’”
She became quiet – then said, “I guess at times I doubted his love – but that cemented it.”
Being the priest I suggested, “Why not see God as husband?”
At that, the light went on in her eyes.
TODAY’S READINGS
In today’s gospel John the Baptist is in prison. While there he starts hearing about what Jesus was doing.
In the other John the Baptist stories that are embedded in the gospels – there are not that many – we see that John the Baptist was one tough person – calling for strict, tough, changes in one’s life.
Compared to James – whom we hear in today’s second reading, John the Baptist is not a person who has patience as one of his main characteristics.
James tells us to be patient – like a farmer waiting for the fruits of the earth – being patient for rain to fall – especially when it’s not falling.
John the Baptist is not like a farmer on a rocking chair on a porch pondering calmly the evening sky. No, he’s like a farmer who has an ax in hand and is chopping, chopping, chopping, at roots – and pulling them out of the earth with muscle and might, sweat and strain.
John called for a violent revolution in how we live our life.
Then she said, “One day I asked him, “Why are you doing this?”
“He said, ‘What?’ – then added, ‘Oh, because I love you.’”
She became quiet – then said, “I guess at times I doubted his love – but that cemented it.”
Being the priest I suggested, “Why not see God as husband?”
At that, the light went on in her eyes.
TODAY’S READINGS
In today’s gospel John the Baptist is in prison. While there he starts hearing about what Jesus was doing.
In the other John the Baptist stories that are embedded in the gospels – there are not that many – we see that John the Baptist was one tough person – calling for strict, tough, changes in one’s life.
Compared to James – whom we hear in today’s second reading, John the Baptist is not a person who has patience as one of his main characteristics.
James tells us to be patient – like a farmer waiting for the fruits of the earth – being patient for rain to fall – especially when it’s not falling.
John the Baptist is not like a farmer on a rocking chair on a porch pondering calmly the evening sky. No, he’s like a farmer who has an ax in hand and is chopping, chopping, chopping, at roots – and pulling them out of the earth with muscle and might, sweat and strain.
John called for a violent revolution in how we live our life.
He’s the type of person who would end up in prison because of his words. He did, because of his prophetic attacks on Herod – who stole his own brother’s wife. He was the type of person whose words were written not on nice pink paper – but on sand paper.
He could rub others the wrong way. [Cf. Luke 3: 19-20; Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:17-29.]
So when he hears that Jesus is healing the blind, helping the lame to walk, cleansing people from leprosy, making the deaf hear, raising the dead, and preaching good news to the poor, John the Baptist, while in prison, asks some of his disciples to go and ask Jesus if he is the one who is to come or should we look for another?
John the Baptist was having doubts about whether Jesus was the one we’re all waiting for.
THE SIX PEOPLE IN MARRIAGE
Sometimes I say to couples getting married that there are six people in the getting married situation. The he, you think he is. The he, he thinks he is. The he, he really is. The she, you think she is. The she, she thinks she really is. And the she, she really is.
Say that ten times fast.
APPLIED TO JESUS
Is it the same way with Jesus?
Is Jesus, the Jesus we think Jesus is?
Maybe doubts will help us discover Jesus in a new way.
THE NEW TESTAMENT & CHURCH HISTORY
I have discovered that the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament are constantly dealing with the Jesus Question?
APPLIED TO JESUS
Is it the same way with Jesus?
Is Jesus, the Jesus we think Jesus is?
Maybe doubts will help us discover Jesus in a new way.
THE NEW TESTAMENT & CHURCH HISTORY
I have discovered that the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament are constantly dealing with the Jesus Question?
The Jesus Question is: "Who do you say I am?"
The question is put there for us.
How do we answer that question?
I have discovered that the history of the Church is constantly dealing with the Jesus Question.
I have discovered that we are blessed with many answers to the Jesus Question.
Peter answers the question this way: “You are the Christ!” [Cf. Matthew 16:16; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20.]
We all know that when Jesus was arrested, Peter was asked three times if he knew Jesus. And we all know that Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. So I’m sure on the morning after the Resurrection when Peter saw Jesus at the Lake of Galilee, Peter answered the question this way: “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. You are the one I denied three times.” But Jesus asked a new question. He simply asked three times, “Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me?” [Cf. John 21]
As I was preparing this homily, it hit me to pick 4 different ways Jesus is presented in the 4 gospels.
I have discovered that the history of the Church is constantly dealing with the Jesus Question.
I have discovered that we are blessed with many answers to the Jesus Question.
Peter answers the question this way: “You are the Christ!” [Cf. Matthew 16:16; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20.]
We all know that when Jesus was arrested, Peter was asked three times if he knew Jesus. And we all know that Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. So I’m sure on the morning after the Resurrection when Peter saw Jesus at the Lake of Galilee, Peter answered the question this way: “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. You are the one I denied three times.” But Jesus asked a new question. He simply asked three times, “Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me?” [Cf. John 21]
As I was preparing this homily, it hit me to pick 4 different ways Jesus is presented in the 4 gospels.
Matthew answers the question many ways. I like to read that Matthew describes Jesus as the New Moses – who will lead us out of the slavery of our Egypt - across the desert so we can be cleansed - to the Promised Land, to New Life, to the Kingdom, to a New Vision on how to live the life we’re all looking for - the Will of God. The Old Moses gave us the Ten Commandments on the Old Mountain; this New Moses gives us those commandments and a lot more – for example the Beatitudes on the New Mountain – challenge us to more than a life of avoiding sin, but to a fuller life with Christ.
Mark answers the question many ways. I like to read Mark seeing Jesus as doing a lot more than speaking – that the Christian serves more than he or she talks. I think that Mark is saying that action speaks much louder than words. Mark is the shortest gospel.
Luke answers the question many ways. I like to read Luke seeing Jesus as the one who sees the people we don’t see – the poor, the children, the unnoticed. The Mediterranean world was a world dominated by males. Women were kept in the back room. Luke begins with Mary out front – and the stone ceiling and walls for women in his day begin to disappear – and then we see Jesus coming through all walls – meeting and greeting all kinds of women and men. Women of today talk about glass ceilings. Obviously, we have a long way to go.
John answers the question many ways. I like to read John seeing Jesus as the poet – that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, that Jesus is the Living Bread, the Living Water, the Good Shepherd, and the New Wine – the Husband, the Image of his Father and on and on and on.
CONCLUSION: THE THREE COMINGS OF CHRIST
We’re preparing for Christmas – so we're preparing for coming of Christ.
Mark answers the question many ways. I like to read Mark seeing Jesus as doing a lot more than speaking – that the Christian serves more than he or she talks. I think that Mark is saying that action speaks much louder than words. Mark is the shortest gospel.
Luke answers the question many ways. I like to read Luke seeing Jesus as the one who sees the people we don’t see – the poor, the children, the unnoticed. The Mediterranean world was a world dominated by males. Women were kept in the back room. Luke begins with Mary out front – and the stone ceiling and walls for women in his day begin to disappear – and then we see Jesus coming through all walls – meeting and greeting all kinds of women and men. Women of today talk about glass ceilings. Obviously, we have a long way to go.
John answers the question many ways. I like to read John seeing Jesus as the poet – that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, that Jesus is the Living Bread, the Living Water, the Good Shepherd, and the New Wine – the Husband, the Image of his Father and on and on and on.
CONCLUSION: THE THREE COMINGS OF CHRIST
We’re preparing for Christmas – so we're preparing for coming of Christ.
As I reflected on this, I would say, "We're preparing for three comings of Christ."
We're preparing for the first coming of Christ - the memorial of what happened over 2000 years ago.
We’re preparing for the great so called, "Second Coming of Christ" at the end of the World. In the Early Church they thought this was immediate, so there are lots of parables and hints that it was about to happen. Surprise! Here we are in the year 2007 and we know the sun and the earth promise to be around for a long, long time, in spite of global warming and nuclear threats and disaster movies from time to time.
We're also preparing for personal comings of Christ in new ways - and this is where I would put the stress in this homily. At this point in my thinking, I would call these "Third Comings of Christ."
I think the first step is to have a few doubts – maybe Christ wants to be born again in me – not inside my cozy "Inn Places" – but outside - in my "stable" - better unstable places. I might have boxed Jesus into a Jesus that isn't Jesus.
I think the first step is to have a few doubts – maybe Christ wants to be born again in me – not inside my cozy "Inn Places" – but outside - in my "stable" - better unstable places. I might have boxed Jesus into a Jesus that isn't Jesus.
Christmas is a time to open boxes. Christmas is a time to receive gifts. Christmas is the time to journey like a shepherd, shepherdess, King or Queen, Wise or Unwise, to Christ, with or without gifts.
I know that the Jesus I knew at 20 is very different than the Jesus I know at 68 – and right now I hope for at least 10 more years of a challenging relationship with him – and I’m sure there will be more doubts and denials – as well as more and more insights and challenges – and probably a hope for more years after that.
Maybe Jesus wants to be born in the messy manger of the me I really am – and not the me I think I am.
I know that the Jesus I knew at 20 is very different than the Jesus I know at 68 – and right now I hope for at least 10 more years of a challenging relationship with him – and I’m sure there will be more doubts and denials – as well as more and more insights and challenges – and probably a hope for more years after that.
Maybe Jesus wants to be born in the messy manger of the me I really am – and not the me I think I am.
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