Jesus the Troublemaker–as Well as the Pope
Happy New Year! Happy Epiphany!
The Gospel reading for January 6 is the story of the wise men, found in Matthew 2. The story has layers of meaning, and the verse that popped out to me this week is this:
When King Herod heard this,he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
It’s not just Herod who is greatly troubled, surprisingly, but all Jerusalem. Perhaps the people were troubled by the possibility of civil war--if the story of the birth of a king was to be believed. They may have hated Herod, but maybe they hated war more. Or maybe they were troubled because they had no idea what Herod would do in light of this news, how he would lash out. Of course, that is what he did.
The larger meaning, it seems to me anyway, is that the coming of Jesus will trouble
anyone who is paying attention to what his coming means: A shepherd, yes, and as such, one who protects, defends, commands, and who insists on obedience. As we well know after just a few years into faith, the coming of Jesus into our lives brings suffering of one sort or another: our own exile and journey to Egypt or maybe even a terrifying slaughter--like the 200 (or more) Nigerian Christians killed around Christmas by Muslim extremists.
We are rightly sentimental when celebrating the birth of our Lord. Christmas is not the time to brace oneself for the hardships of discipleship. But with the story of the wise men, we start to get a fuller picture of Jesus coming into our world and our lives.
Lord, give us grace to endure with joy and hope the hardships you will allow to come our way this year.
What’s the Pope Up To?
It seems that every time the church reaches out in mercy to those committing a public sin, it gets accused (or praised, depending on one’s point of view) of loosening its standards. Back in the day there was concern about showing kindness to unwed mothers or the divorced. Today, it’s those living together or in same-sex relationships. It’s hard for us to fathom that one can love the sinner and still maintain moral earnestness about the particular sin in question.
So it’s not surprising that we’re seeing the same confusion over the Pope’s recent pronouncement. I’ve been asked by my Protestant friends, “Why did the Pope just allow priests to bless same-sex relationships?” The short answer is, “He didn’t.” (Another instance of the media failing to grasp the finer points of religion). The longer answer requires you to read Fiducia Supplicans, the document that explains what the Pope intends. A short homily (Fiducia Supplicans: Blessing Sinners or Blessing Sin?) by a Franciscan priest not only explains the key points, but does so in the pastoral tone that undergirds the document.
In short, Pope Francis has presented a way for the Catholic Church to love the sinner while still rejecting the sin. It might offer some ideas for how morally traditional Protestant churches can do something of the sort.
Enough for this week. Just warming up to typing again!
Grace and peace,
Mark
Notes: See https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.32.html for information about this 16th century painting.
Welcome back, Mark. And Happy New Year. Thanks for clarifying the Pope's pronouncement. I strongly suspected all along that the reports we were hearing were fundamentally flawed. It also, once again, brings to the forefront the problem of sinners feeling they have the obligation to condemn other sinners. As if we're not all in the same boat and all in need of the same Savior.
One of my favorite (paraphrased) quotes is, "If the Son of Man did not come into the world to condemn it, He probably doesn't need your help either."
Maybe, someday, we can all treat each other with the same restorative grace that we so desperately need ourselves.
Shalom.