THE CURSE [KATARA] 

BE WITH YOU!

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 27^th Friday in Ordinary Time is, “The Curse [KATARA] Be With you”.

KATARA is a Greek word that appears in today’s first reading from Galatians. One English translation is “The curse”. This word and idea  shows up in Galatians 4 times: 1:8; 1:9; and in today’s first reading in 3:10 and 3:13. In looking at this I noticed that it’s a rare idea in the New Testament in today’s sense of the word. The only two other places we see it is in First Corinthians 16:22 and Revelation 22:3.

In the New Testament people curse at each other here and here - but not in the sense of KATARA here in Galatians. Paul is talking about something that shows up more in the Old Testament. You read about people from time to time who seem to be walking around with a curse on them or in them.

Based on that in the Old Testament the reality of “The Curse” seems to be very much part of people’s thinking. If you eat this or drink this water, you’ll be inflicted with “The curse.”  If you cheat on others in the marketplace, you’ll receive “The curse.”  If you don’t care for your parents, you’ll receive “The curse.”

In the Mediterranean Basin - or in Anthropology courses on primitive peoples, you’ll hear about “The Evil Eye” or “Putting a curse on someone”.  I think I’ve overheard women talking about “The Curse” at times.

EXAMPLES

So I’m sure you have heard people refer to “the curse” from time to time. For example, bad things keep on happening to someone and someone says, “It’s as if he had a curse put on him.”

Or for example, someone makes a big mistake and they say out loud in frustration, “I’m cursed.” Or “I seem to be cursed.”

In general this is not the thing people confess when they say, “I used curse words.”

No. This is heavy duty stuff. Someone hurts a child or a wife or a parent - and someone in deep anger prays, says, screams, “I hope God punishes you. I hope God puts a curse on you.”

For example, someone grabs their parents’ money - without any consideration of their parents’ wishes for the rest of the family - and someone says, “Well that money is cursed.”

That’s roughly what Paul is talking about here.

THE CROSS

Now let me give the Good News….

Paul is saying that because of Adam and Eve, because of the Sins of our world, because of personal mistakes, because of selfishness, because we live with the consequences of our sins - mistakes - cheating - sometimes our life is “gicked up” - “messed up” “a disaster” and we feel cursed. The Good News is Christ comes along and becomes the curse. He takes the curse off us and puts it on himself. He dies on the cross for us - to take away the effects of the curse on us.

He takes away as they say, “the doom of sin.”

CONCLUSION

I don’t know if that hits you, but that hits me. It helps me understand today’s gospel. People in the Middle East know about demons - inner demons.  They can drive us nuts. Sometimes they can get worse. We’ve been cursed. We need Jesus the Prince of Peace to come and create order - peace - the kingdom inside us.

Hearing all this should help me say at Mass and then understand the meaning of, “Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world - the curse of the sins of our world” better. This should  help me understand the prayers, “Lord have mercy!” and “My soul shall be healed” better.  Amen.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Picture on top: The Father's Curse: The Unagrateful Son, by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, French, about 1778.  Brush and gray wash squared in pencil.