OH, I’M JUST WRESTLING 

WITH SOMETHING

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 14th Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Oh, I’m Just Wrestling With Something.”

How many times in our lives has someone said, to us, “What’s wrong?” and we respond, “Oh nothing.” Then the other says, “Well you look like you’re worried about something.” And we say, “Oh, I’m just wrestling with something.”

QUESTION

Is everyone wrestling with something?

Not always, but is there always something there that we wrestle with from time to time?

At times I’ve wondered about Professional Wrestling. It’s still around - not as much as years ago - but it’s still around - and what I wonder about is why do people get really into it - when it’s fake?

Now I don’t wrestle with that kind of a question, but I do wrestle with why some people get excited about things I’m not interested in or why some people are the way they are. How’s that for being self-centered?

And I know people wrestle with questions about their kids - and their neighbors - and co-workers. And I know people wrestle with their conscience. And I know people wrestle with the church and politics and government and with people who think differently than they think.

Now this inner wrestling doesn’t go on all the time in our minds. At least I hope not - but sometimes it’s just an inner battle we remotely click to at times on the TV screen called our mind. I assume we’re watching other things in our lives at most moments - but sometimes we wrestle with people and they are miles and miles away.

What do you wrestle with?

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s readings triggered this theme - especially this first reading from Genesis 32: 23-33, where the word “wrestle” and the theme of wrestling is used - when telling us about Jacob.

Today’s gospel - Matthew 9: 32-38 - talks about demons. Today’s gospel tells us that Jesus went around casting out demons. Today a man who couldn’t speak is healed by Jesus. And the Pharisees who are always arguing and wrestling with Jesus - just don’t want Jesus around. He’s doing too much good and helping too many people and the crowds are following him. In the meanwhile the leaders of the Pharisees are not being good shepherds. They are not getting top billing as “holy” people - in the everyday arena of life.

But it’s really that first reading that triggers this question of wrestling.

GET IN THE RING

It’s important every once and a while to get in the ring - and face our opponent - face to face - to meet our match - to name our demons.

Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and faced the Big Three when it comes to temptations. We have the 40 days of Lent - a good time each year to do some good soul searching and see what’s pulling us in strange directions. We can’t be wrestling 24/7, 365. We need “Time outs” - breaks - before we break.

It’s good to make a retreat. It’s good to take long walks. It’s good to take time for prayer - like a night prayer - and take a look at what happened that day. This practice should get us in touch with moments we're thankful for and moments we're sorry about.  If there are resentments - maybe we can make some resolutions for the morning - to have a better day, the next day. It’s good to read scripture and reflect upon what we're reading - especially texts that grab us - because they might give us hints at what we’re wrestling with inside the inner ring of our consciousness.

JACOB

Today’s first reading is all about Jacob.

The Book of Genesis has remarkable material for getting us in touch with key wrestling matches.

God is wrestling with Satan. His name means “Adversary”.

Then we hear about God wrestling with human beings: Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and on and on and on.

Today we’re hearing about Jacob.

We all know that Jacob was a sneak and liar. We know his mother liked him more than his twin brother - Esau - who was born first. Genesis has great stories. She figured out a way to fake her husband, Jacob’s father, into giving the oldest son’s blessing to Jacob the younger son. And several more times he’s sneaky and a trickster Once he told his brother, “I’ll meet you at such and such a place” and he headed in the opposite direction - immediately.

Life has consequences.

The Book of Genesis hints that Jacob had to stop to face his demons - face his lies and what he was avoiding - eventually.

In today’s reading he wrestles with a mysterious someone - all through the night. There are lots of theories who this someone is. Some say it’s an angel. Some say it’s God. Some say it’s with himself - for what he has done in the past.

Life is a banquet of consequences. Sin is a boomerang. Sin always has an aftertaste.

CONCLUSION

Forgiveness is forgiveness.

However, there is always the residue - the memory - the consequences - of what we have done.

The Bible is wonderfully vague - challenging us to be the twin of Jacob and become all alone and face our demons - our life decisions - etc. And when we do, there can be growth and maturity.

Jacob grew. As a result of his wrestling that night after he forded the river near Jabbok - he changed for the better. However, for the rest of his life he had a slight limp. Don't we all?  Some say it came from the wrestling that night - when his hip was knocked out of it’s socket.

He also got a new name Israel - which some scholars translate it to mean, “One who wrestled with God.”

May we do likewise.