THE COURT IS IN SESSION
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “The Court Is In Session.”
How many movies, how many TV programs, have we seen a
scene - where a judge bangs a gavel and says, “The court is in session.”
COMMENTATORS
I noticed in various commentaries on today’s gospel – John 16: 5-11 – that a possible image to keep in mind for
understanding this gospel scene is a courtroom. The text is quite wiggly and
muddy watery to me – so I need an image – and that of a courtroom helps.
Wait! Listen to today's gospel again:
Jesus said to his
disciples:
“Now I am going to
the one who sent me,
and not one of you
asks me,
‘Where are you going?’
But because I told
you this,
grief has filled your
hearts.
But I tell you the
truth,
it is better for you that
I go.
For if I do not go,
the Advocate will not come
to you.
But if I go, I will
send him to you.
And when he comes
he will convict the world
in regard to sin
and righteousness and condemnation:
sin,
because they do not
believe in me;
righteousness,
because I am going to the
Father
and you will no
longer see me;
condemnation,
because the ruler of this
world has been condemned.”
Picture oneself on trial. We’re sitting in the witness chair
and we’re being questioned.
The key Greek word in the gospel is elegchein – which is translated into English as “convict”, “convince”,
“prove”, - in an effort to expose the
truth – and nothing but the truth.
So picture oneself on trial in a courtroom - being grilled by an attorney
– defense or prosecutor– with the idea that the person grilling us wants us to see – to be shamed – broken down and then to admit
- we are wrong.
In today’s gospel – and in many of these gospels that
lead up to Pentecost, Jesus is saying - he is going to send the Spirit – as
Advocate – Lawyer - who will convict us – and convince us of three things.
First of all, the Spirit will convince or convict us that
we’re in sin – when we think we’re not. The Spirit will get us to see or sense
the implications and results of our sinful attitudes and actions. Come Holy Spirit!
Secondly, the Spirit will convince or convict us that we’re wrong – when we
thought we were right – and we’ll get a grasp on what’s truly right. Come Holy Spirit.
And thirdly, we’ll grasp that our way of judging life and
what’s happening - is wrong and we’ll say, “Oh now I get it – now I see how God
judges things. Now I get that God has a judgment on how life should be working.
Now I grasp what, 'Thy Will be done' in the Our Father – means. In other words, it’s something different than 'My will be done.'” Come Holy Spirit!
KEY QUESTION –
AND - KEY EXPERIENCE
This stuff is heavy – and to be honest – I sense I’m miles
away from what this text is really getting at.
However, as preacher – I feel convinced – that the
readings are here – so it’s my call to try to get one’s mind on what’s being
presented – so as to get something out of it – for a homily.
I was tempted to stick to the First Reading for today – the prison scene in Acts 16: 22-34.
It too is a strange story – yet it seems a bit clearer.
However, as already stated, I decided to stay in the
courtroom – the step before prison. I’m tackling the Gospel rather than the First Reading.
So how to grasp today’s gospel? As already stated, picture being in the
courtroom – and the prosecutor is trying to get us look at 3 things in our life: sin,
righteousness and judgment.
Take some time to think about situations in one's life when
we were wrong – but we thought we were right – and then surprise, surprise, we
realized we were wrong in those areas.
First sin.
I remember someone who gave me an insight into sin. I don’t remember now who it
was – but it was some lady in upstate New York – in the late 1960’s. In a casual conversation she said,
“Oh, for starters, I don’t see sin as hurting God - or effecting God. I see sin
as something that hurts me or another or both. Then that hurts God – who sees
me hurting and messing things up.”
Then she paused and said, “I sense that people only think
of hurting God when they sin – and not themselves. And then they picture God is going to get them, punish them, for their mistakes.”
Thinking about what she said, I began to realize I was
wrong about sin. Up till then, I was reading the Bible and the Catechism as saying
that sin basically is something that was hurting God.
I was seeing sin as something abstract – something out
there on paper – something in the books - external - not internal.
I wasn’t thinking much about how sin hurts me and others.
I was just trying to follow the law – the rules and the regulations – the
Commandments - so as to please God – do God’s will – and not study what’s
behind something that is labeled a sin.
Okay, sin must hurt God – like an aftertaste or aftermath - because sin is what messes up God’s
hope for our world – for us – and for other's plans on how a day should go.
That lady's comment got me to see God being like a parent who feels horrible when they see their kid mess up their life – and the kid doesn't get it that he or she is hurting themselves for life by their actions and behaviors.
Secondly righteousness.
There’s another one of those
tricky religious words.
I assume it has to do with what’s right and what’s wrong. What saves us? What kills us?
I assume it takes time and a lot of living to realize what
real right religion is all about.
I assume we need the Spirit – Come Holy Spirit – to come into
each of us. Come Holy Spirit – not just into church teachers – but into each of us in the Church – in the Human Race - as we all hopefully grow in holiness – improving our conscience – righting out conscience - not just someone else’s conscience. I heard the great scream of Vatican II that the gospel calls are calls to all in the depths of our inner being - in each person's "most secret core and sanctuary" as Vatican II proclaimed.[1]
Third and last – judgment.
I remember when I switched my attitude towards the
Sabbath. Yes, there is the commandment
to keep holy the Sabbath Day. Then when I saw that lots of people have to work on
Sunday – often - so the rest of us can go out to eat on Sunday or what have you
– I realized that the law was not made for God but for us. Hello! That’s
exactly what Jesus told us. The Sabbath
law was made for us – not the other way around. We need a break – on regular
basis – and if don’t take breaks, we’ll break. Dumb me – is that how the word
“dummy” evolved? – that’s what Jesus was trying to get the Pharisees to see
about the Sabbath. It’s made for us – and not the other way around. So people better make Sabbath – even if it’s
a Thursday or a Tuesday or what have you.
CONCLUSION
Enough already. I said this is complicated and I suspect
I muddied up the waters I was trying to make clearer – even more. Sorry. Come
Holy Spirit.
NOTES
[1] The Document of Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, #16-17 - which says:
THE DIGNITY OF THE MORAL CONSCIENCE
16. In the depths of his conscience, man detects a law which he does not impose upon himself, but which holds him to obedience. Always summoning him to love good and avoid evil, the voice of conscience can when necessary speak to his heart more specifically: do this, shun that. For man has in his heart a law written by God. To obey it is the very dignity of man; according to it he will be judged.
Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man. There he is alone with God, whose voice echoes in his depths. In a wonderful manner conscience reveals the law which is fulfilled by love of God and neighbor. In fidelity to conscience, Christians are joined with the rest of men in the search for truth, and for the genjuine solution to the numerous problems which arise in the life of individuals and from social relationships. Hence the more that a correct conscience holds sway, the more persons and groups turn aside from blind choice and strive to be guided by objective norms of morality.
Conscience frequently errs from invincible ignorance without losing its dignity. The same cannot be said of a man who cares but little for truth and goodness, or of a conscience which by degrees grows practically sightless as a result of habitual sin.
THE EXCELLENCE OF LIBERTY
17. Only in freedom can man direct himself toward goodness. Our contemporaries make much of this freedom and pursue it eagerly; and rightly so, to be sure. Often, however, they foster it perversely as a license for doign whatever pleases them, even if it is evil.
For its part, authentic freedom is an exceptional sign of the divine image within man. For God has willed that man be left "in the hand of his own counsel" so that he can seek his Creator spontaneously, and come freely to utter and blissful perfection through loyalty to Him. Hence man's dignity demands that he act according to a knowing and free choice. Such a choice is personally motivated and prompted from within. It does not result from blind internal impulse nor from mere external pressure.
Man achieves such dignity, when, emancipating himself from all captivity to passion, he pursues his goal in a spontaneous choice of what is good, and procures for himself through effective and skillful action, apt means to that end. Since man's freedom has been damaged by sin, only by the help of God's grace can he bring such a relationship with God into full flower. Before the judgment seat of God each man must render an account of his own life, whether he has done good or evil.
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