CRUSHED
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “Crushed!”
On Wednesday morning I went on for two funerals here at St. John Neumann, neither of which I had to preach. Wonderful. So I’m sitting here in these benches before Mass and I pick up the “Breaking Bread Missalette and Hymnal” and started reading the readings for this Sunday. I don’t do that earlier enough each week.
I said a prayer, “Come Holy Spirit! Give me an insight that I need to hear and folks need to hear this coming Sunday?” I begin reading the First Reading from Isaiah. It begins, “The Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity.”
Ooops.
We’ll avoid that one.
I continued reading – the rest of the First Reading, the Psalm, the Second Reading, and today’s Gospel from Mark.
Then I went on for the two funerals. Mary Ellen Heibel’s funeral was at 9 AM. She had a great life – the last third had suffering in the midst of the everyday joy of life – a kidney transplant, cancer, a healing, and then pneumonia, her final sickness – and then death at the age of 71. Then at 10:30 I celebrated Brenda Barnes’ funeral – breast cancer – treatment, remission, and then recurrence – and then death at the age of 66. Deacon Leroy Moore preached. He did a great job.
While being there during these two funerals, the opening words of today’s First Reading stayed with me, “The Lord was pleased to crush her in infirmity.”
ISAIAH 53:10: THE LAST OF THE SUFFERING SERVANT SONGS
Thursday I said to myself, “Do some homework and preach on that word ‘crushed’ in today’s first reading.” So I took some time to think about, reflect upon and look up stuff on that opening sentence in today’s First Reading. I thought: I don’t agree that Lord is pleased to crush people in infirmity. I never agreed that God zaps people – or picks people out for suffering. There is suffering – obviously – but how we talk about it with God words – theology – has kept a lot of people away from God and Church.
What’s your theology – literally your “God words” about suffering?
I started a book on the theme of suffering – years ago – and get back to it from time to time – but it’s still sitting there in process. Maybe I’ll get a good insight before I die.
TAKE THE WORDS LITERALLY
You can take the words from today’s First Reading literally, “The Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity.” Even though commentators say this text Isaiah 53:10 varies in the different manuscripts that have come down to us, you can say that it means what it says. There are texts in the Scriptures that have writers of those scriptures who see God and suffering this way. And I hear people today with that way of seeing God. And the novena prayers for Our Mother of Perpetual Help that we say every Wednesday morning have that view – God chastising people.
Proverbs 3:12 says, “For whom the Lord loves, he rebukes – as a father the son he favors.”
And Psalm 94:12 says, “Happy is the one whom you discipline, O Lord, the one you instruct in your teaching.”
That theme – that outlook - certainly can be found in scriptures – and then there is Jesus. Did the Father want him to suffer all that he suffered when arrested, beaten, and forced to carry his cross to Calvary where he died on the cross?
Mysterious stuff! How many Rabbis and theologians wrestled with the question: Did Abraham think God wanted him to sacrifice his son? [Cf. Genesis 22: 1-19] Did God the Father want Jesus, His Only Son, to be sacrificed the way he was sacrificed? Look at the cross and think and pray about this. [Cf. John 3: 16; Hebrews 9: 15 to 10:18]
ONCE MORE: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT SUFFERING?
What are your thoughts and insights about suffering? And death? Everyone has to deal with pain and tragedy – their own – and those around us. What are your thoughts? What’s your theology?
Life has lots of situations that can crush us: Death; Divorce; Cancer; Affairs; Being dropped by another; Alcoholism; Abuse; Mess – lots of mess. The scenarios of suffering and crush are there in the wings – and sometimes appear center stage in our life.
Bring them to God? Bring them to God with the Book of Job in hand – and you’ll get some insights and challenges. That whole Book of Job deals with the question of suffering. The writer dreams up the worst case scenario any human being could be hit with – the loss of everything – but especially to loss of his family - but Job will not blame God for his loses.
Bring them to God with the insight in the Talmud, “Teach thy tongue to say, ‘I do not know!’” That’s one of my favorite sayings and it has given me peace. I don’t have to know the mind of God. I’m dying to find out, but not yet.
Bring them to God with Jesus in the garden and say, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me – but your will be done, not mine.” [Luke 22: 42] or say with Jesus on the cross, “Father, into your hands I hand over my spirit.” [Luke 23;46]
Bring them to God with Buddha in hand? He says if your remove the desire to control suffering and death – as well as life, you can get an amazing enlightenment. Learn to let go of trying to control everything. If you have teenagers you've already learned this.
Bring them to God with reason? Be philosophical. Think about what your thinking about. Think about your outlook and positions – and consider their implications.
I am not God, so I and everything falls apart at some point. Skin wrinkles. Bones ache. Tires wear out. Color fades. Earthquakes happen. Waves pound the shore and the rocks. Ballpoint pens run out of ink. People die. What would life be if there wasn’t death? Reason that out. If we want cars that go 65 miles per hour – at least – if we need to make turns – if we want 3 lanes – if some people drive slower than others – if we want to switch lanes – expect crashes from time to time. If nobody died, would we age? Would life become boring? Would undertakers be out of business? How about doctors and pharmaceuticals? What would the skin look like of 2,000 year old people? What would marriage be like? Would there be traffic tie ups and more crashes with drivers who are 5,000 years old?
Put on the philosopher cap from time to time. Can we thank God for how interesting life is and how meaningful life is because of death? Yes, there is suffering, but the pain in our left hip or a headache gives us something to talk about. Think of everyday metaphors. Could we say, “I’m dead right now!” if there was no crush in life?
What about weather? We’re aware of rain this weekend with the Annapolis Boat Show. When people say to me, “Father, you’re in charge of getting us good weather.” I say, "No way, Jose!" No way!” If our prayers brought rain only at night on Wednesdays, would someone complain about that? If the weather was always perfect – and predictable – would people say to those who just came back from Ireland, “How was the weather?” Would our prayers for controlling weather put the TV weatherwoman or man out of business? Do people watch the weather channel in Phoenix? Probably, but probably not about the weather in Phoenix.
Or think about Jacques Maritain’s question: What about the Problem of Good? I read about this while studying philosophy back in the 1960’s. Whenever some one brings up to me, the Problem of Evil, I say, “Well, what about the Problem of God?” Why is there so much good in life? Why do most babies come out of the womb alive and with ten fingers? Explain.
Then there is the chance to help each other when one is sick.
There is the possibility of communion and connection and cell phone calls with each other when we feel crushed. A sorrow shared is cut in half.
And how about having some humor when it comes to suffering - to be able to laugh at suffering and death in the face?
The Irish – but lots of other people sometimes evidence humor at death. I don't know who or what nationality Moriya Sen’An, is, but he or she said, “Bury me when I die beneath a wine barrel in a tavern. With luck the cask will leak.”
I was at a deathbed of a lady last Tuesday night at Anne Arundel Medical Center – with her family standing there. She died. I look at the monitor and said, “I hope you have a sense of humor, but look at what the monitor is saying, ‘Please Standby. ’ Here you are standing by Henrietta – helping each other deal with the deep pain of death.” And I saw a smile come on the face of two of the family - in the mingle of many tears.
STORIES
Besides words what are your stories or examples about suffering that help you?
We’ve all heard the Chinese Folktale called, “The Lost Horse.” It has lots of variations.
Here's one:
Once upon a time there was a father and a son and they had one horse. Wife and mom had died.
One day the horse runs away and the neighbors sympathize with the father for his loss, and he says, “We’ll see.”
A few days later the horse comes back with a pair of mustangs and the neighbors come and congratulate the father and he says, “We’ll see.”
Well, while the son was training one of the new horses, he falls off the horse and breaks a leg. The neighbors come and offer sympathy and the father says, “We’ll see. We’ll see.”
The next day the military comes along and grabs every available young men for an army and they can’t take his son with his broken leg – so the neighbors come and say, “You’re lucky. You’re lucky.” And he says, “We’ll see. We’ll see.”
In doing some research for this homily, I came up with another story. I had never read it before. It’s the same story as the horse – but this time it’s from Jewish literature and tradition.
“Once when Rabbi Akiva was traveling, he came to a certain town where he looked for lodgings. None was available. So he says, ‘Whatever the Holy One does is good.’ He goes and spends the night in the open field. With him, he had a donkey, a rooster, and a lamp. A lion came and ate the donkey, a cat came and ate the rooster, and a gust of wind came up and blew out the candle. Again he said, ‘Whatever the Holy One does is all for the good.’ That same night soldiers came and carried off the inhabitants of the town. Then Rabbi Akiva said to his companions, ‘Did I not tell you that “Whatever the Holy One does is all for the good”?’”*
At first I thought: good story. Then I thought, "What about those inhabitants - whose lives were crushed?"
CONCLUSION: ATTITUDE
So yes, sufferings can crush us, but our attitude – our way of dealing with suffering – our way of talking to ourselves about suffering – our way of talking to God about suffering, can make a big difference.
Through the years I find myself saying when I have lost loved ones and experienced sufferings, “Suffering enters the human heart to create there places that never existed before.” I say to God in prayer, “You sent your Son into this world and so you know suffering, so be with me in this suffering – and through it – help me to understand others who go through suffering. Give me a more understanding heart.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ * Cf. The Book of Legends, Sefer Ha-Aggadah, edited by Hayim Nahman Bialik and Yehoshua Hana Ravnitzky, Translated by William G. Braude, Shocken Books, New York, 1992, page 716, #302. Listen to these words on the inside front jacket of this book, "The first comlplete English translation of the Hebrew classic Sefer Ha-Aggadah brings to the English-speaking world the greatest and best-loved anthology of classical Rabbinic literature ever compiled. First published in Odessa in 1908-11, it was recognized immediately as a masterpiece in its own right, and reprinted numerous times in Israel." My confrere, Father Donald Miniscalco, CSSR, recommended it to me and when I finally found a copy in New York City in a Jewish store, I hesitated, because it cost $75 - so I make sure I use it when reflecting on Jewish scripture texts.
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FIVE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Alone or especially with another or others, pick two of the following five questions, for discussion and comments.
1) Reading today’s 3 readings and Psalm, is there a word or a theme that jumps off the page for you?
2) In 50 words or less, how would you answer the question, “How come God allows all this suffering?” Tsunami – cancer – earthquakes, etc.?
3) Looking at my life, the greatest thing that I had to suffer was?
4) Looking at my life, I really helped so and so when he or she was suffering?
5) Is there a story or an example or a memory that really helps you deal with suffering?
