What Sign Can You Show Us?

See the Readings for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
1. What sign can you show us? (John 6:30). The signs which they did see were done by Jesus in response to faith (trust). Jesus healed those who trusted that He could and would do it. The trust of the boy who gave Jesus the five loaves and two fish resulted in the feeding of the multitude.
2. Even though the the people had experienced sufficient signs to warrant their trust in Jesus’ words, they demanded more signs. They were not really interested in believing. They wanted to be in control. They were saying you show us a sign, and then we will decide whether or not to believe. But belief or trust is precisely not being in control. The Letter to the Hebrews says Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen (Heb 11:1). Although our faith may begin by the evidence which we see or experience regarding the works of God, ultimately our faith must be able to withstand the lack of evidence that we can see and judge. (That is not to say that faith must do violence to our reason. It is just the old adage seeing is believing is not really true. Rather, it is the other way around, at least in the realm of the spirit. Faith gives illumination to the reason while reason for its part can bolster faith).
3. In spite of those skeptics demand for more signs, Jesus would not play their game. Whether they believed Him or not, Jesus would be true to the mission that God His Father sent Him on- Salvation. Like the Israelites in the wilderness needed to trust in God to lead them through the desert and so enter into the Promised Land, so do we need to trust in the Son of God, Jesus and so enter into our true home- the Home of God our Father.
4. Through faith in Jesus we have begun this journey to our true homeland. And it is not simply a journey which will occupy our minds or our hearts. Salvation is for the whole person- body, mind and spirit. Therefore we need food for the journey. And Jesus has every intention of giving us this kind of food.
5. The food that Jesus will give is Himself- the Bread of Life, the Cup of Eternal Salvation. In the wilderness, God fed the children of Abraham because He lovd them. But the Lord sent the Mannah not to satisfy the skepticism of those who constantly complained, but rather to test and eventually strengthen their faith and trust. At this point of Jesus’ ministry, it appears time for Jesus to test those who were following Him. Do we trust Him? Do we believe that Jesus is the Bread of Life and will fulfill all our hungers?

Lack of Faith

1. Last week we heard of the great signs performed by Jesus in response to the faith of the woman with the hemorrhage and the synagogue official Jairus. Because they believed in Jesus and put their trust in Him, they received a great healing, as well as peace in their souls. Maybe they only sought out Jesus because they had no where else to turn, but still they relied on Him even in the face of great difficulty.
2. This week, however, the theme appears to be the lack of faith. The townspeople of Nazareth are so sure that they know everything about Jesus that they cannot put their trust in Him. They even took offense at Him because of His outstanding teaching and the reports of the miracles and signs wrought by His hands.
3. Maybe they just could not get over their own opinions and see the evidence before their eyes. When I was a music student, one of the instructors cautioned us against getting a job in our home town, at least until we had become well established. He said that people’s memory of your childhood could prevent them from listening to your words of wisdom. Maybe it was like that. In any event, the lack of faith disturbed Jesus and He eventually moved His home to Capernaum.
4. Their failure to believe in Jesus made it impossible for Him to do any mighty signs for them. He was only able to accomplish a few healings. But not the kinds of healings that really signify Jesus’ Divinity and the salvation that is imminent. In fact, their disbelief made it impossible for them to hear the Good News of Salvation. Their lack of faith blinded them from being witnesses to the fulfillment of the promises of God that they themselves had longed to see accomplished.
5. In the first reading, we hear of the call of Ezekiel by God to be a prophet. At the time, the people were not obeying the commandments, they were not being faithful to God. And so the Lord sent Ezekiel into their midst. Some heard the call to holiness, others did not. But it was not to succeed that the Lord called Ezekiel, it was to faithfulness.
6. It seems a little strange that the All Powerful God who holds all of creation in being would send prophets who would fail. You might think that God could make sure that they did not. And when He sent His only begotten Son, you’d think that God would make sure that He was a success also. At least His hometown should have been behind Him. But they were not. It is really not a lack of power on the part of God. The failure of people to believe is in their exercise of free will. God has given us this gift of freedom and He will not take it back. I have heard people say that God made a mistake giving human beings free will. But He is God and I am not going to second guess Him. I will just have to trust that His way is the best way.
7. Even though the theme might appear to be lack of faith, in truth, faithfulness is the most important quality emphasized by today’s readings. For although Ezekiel may or may not have been successful, as the world counts success, he was faithful to his calling as a prophet. And Jesus did not give up when those whom He loved rejected Him, whether in His hometown or when He hung upon the cross. Jesus was faithful to God the Father. And He is faithful to us also.
8. The call to fidelity is not the call to great power, or to resounding success in this world. The call to fidelity is just that- the call to be faithful to God no matter what. There will be those who like us because of it. There will be others who do not like us. They might listen, or maybe they won’t.
9. The battle with faithfulness and trust may even be waged inside of ourselves more than outside. Consider Saint Paul and his nameless temptation. This great saint struggled mightily within himself to be faithful. And he had to learn that his own weakness could lead him to experience the true power of God. God is calling each of us. But are we going to be faithful?

The Problem of Death

1. God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living (Wisdom 1:13).
2. The problem of evil, suffering and death imposes itself on each one of us eventually. For some people in the modern world, the reality of suffering is enough to convince them that God does not exist. They might say "if there was a God, He would certainly not let this thing happen"... whatever it is. Such a statement does not really disprove the existence of a Supreme Being. Maybe those who deny God’s existence see suffering as proof that the universe is irrational and meaningless. Of course, how then could one reason to that conclusion? But not to get sidetracked.... Maybe those who deny God are just treating Him like they would any other relative or acquaintance who they perceive is offensive- they simply ignore Him.
3. The biblical view of suffering and death however is that God did not create it. (The book of Wisdom (1:13-15; 2:23-24) reiterates the book of Genesis (first two chapters) in reminding us that creation is essentially good because it has being. God created all things and declared them good. Death, however, is the result of sin (the envy of the devil and the disobedience of Adam and Eve)- that is the failure to do God’s will. Saint Augustine would say that evil then was the lack of some aspect of goodness which God had created and intended. For example, illness is the lack of health. Hunger is the lack of nutrition. Sorrow is the lack of joy. Death is the lack of life. Since God made all human beings in His image and likeness, to have being, to exist, to live is God’s most basic intention for us. Only through failure to live in God’s image and likeness can death intrude.
4. The book of Wisdom continues by saying they who belong to his (the devil's) company experience death (Wisdom 2:24). This is not to say that since everyone is dying that we are all in the company of the devil. But rather It was the wicked who with hands and words invited death, considered it a friend, and pined for it, and made a covenant with it (Wisdom 1:16). Those who follow the devil will experience the second death of being permanently alienated from their true destiny which is union with God.
5. God did not make death, nor does He rejoice in the death of the living. Rather, our Lord confronted suffering and death in His earthly life. He healed the sick and raised the dead back to life. On the one hand, these miracles were signs of who Jesus is- that is the all powerful God- and signs of the salvation He won for us- namely the ultimate freedom from these evils which His death and resurrection obtained for us. These signs are evidence to us that God does not rejoice in our destruction. Our Lord permits us to suffer because it is the result of free will. But at the same time, our Lord opposed death and still opposes it.
6. Our Lord has a healing will, but not everyone who saw Him or touched Him was healed. In Mark 5, The disciples noticed that many touched Jesus, but only one was healed of her illness. Likewise, many people in those days had one of their children die. But not all did Jesus bring back to this life. What was the difference? Did Jesus freely decide to heal that one and let another suffer and die? That is not how the Bible portrays His ministry. The difference is in those who turned to Him in need. The woman with the hemorrhage believed and trusted that Jesus had the power to heal her. Even though circumstances looked bad, the synagogue official trusted that Jesus could heal his daughter. Their trust was more powerful than their sorrow and suffering. And as a result of their faith, they received the healing which they ardently desired.
7. The lesson which Saint Mark is trying to teach is that we must believe and trust in Jesus, putting fear aside, if we want to experience His power in our lives. Others may ridicule us- no matter. Others may appear to be doing exactly what we are, but with no effect- we cannot let that stop us from trusting.
8. Of course, many of us may have prayed sincerely and trustingly for a healing which we have not obtained. Does that mean we just do not have enough faith? We might not, but the failure to receive the miracle is not an indication of our lack of faith. (We ought to remember that Abraham and Sarah had to wait 24 years for God’s promise of a son.) Jesus’ conquered death, but He did more. He changed its meaning. Our suffering makes us like Him (that is, suffering and death can make us more like Jesus Christ). By changing death, Jesus made death different not just for those who would believe in Him later, but even for all those who lived before His time. All have the offer of union with Christ the Lord. Only those who reject Jesus and His passion, death and resurrection truly experience death in all its horror and emptiness.
9. In the Sacrament of the Sick, many times people are healed of their illness. But much more often they are healed spiritually or morally. And this kind of healing is far more important than physical healing because it can last forever. But we have to trust, for God will not force His love upon us. Nor will Jesus make us live in the home of His Father if we do not want it. No, we must put ourselves into His hands. Do not be afraid; just have faith! (Mark 5:36).

The Ascension of Our Lord into Heaven

1. In His Ascension to Heaven, Jesus took His place at the right hand of the Father. It is important to remember that Jesus did not leave His human body behind, as if it were a machine or a mere container or even some form of prison. Rather, Jesus ascended in the totality of His humanity (together with His divinity), a totality which included His whole person, body and soul. That is what happened in the Ascension of our Lord, but what does it mean?
2. Saint Paul refers to Jesus as the new Adam- that is the new Man (human) (1 Corinthians 15:45). Whatever happens to Him is destined to happen to us (1 Corinthians 15:48). To be fully human, we must be like the New Man who is Jesus the Christ. In His resurrection, Jesus has conquered the power of death for every human being. We still die, but death will not have power over us. In the Ascension, we discover that the whole human person is the subject of redemption and salvation and glory, not merely the spirit or the mind. Just as all of Resurrected Jesus ascended into heaven, so will the full completeness of our resurrected selves go to heaven on the last day (if we are in union with Jesus the Christ). As wonderful and glorious as Jesus’ resurrection was, that was not all He came to accomplish. Human beings are not destined for this life and this existence alone. God has made us for much more.
3. Jesus told His disciples that there were many dwelling places in His Father’s house and that He was going to prepare a place for us (John 14:2-3). That is our true destiny- life in the house of the Father forever- without sorrow, without suffering, without want.
4. But there is a catch. In the Acts of the Apostles, as the disciples stood looking up into heaven after Jesus ascended, the angel of the Lord told them that Jesus indeed was going to return at a time of God’s choosing (See Acts 1:1-11). However, those who are His followers have a job to do. In the Gospel, Jesus told them Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). In Acts, He said you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). We may be destined for eternal life in Heaven, but in the meantime we must obey the will of the Father and the instructions of the Son.
5. The mission of proclaiming the Gospel to every creature belongs to every Christian regardless of age, status, or position. In fact whether we like it or not, we are witnesses of Jesus Christ. We might be bad witnesses and tell lies about Him, or we might be good witnesses and tell the truth. But whatever we say, do, or think will not be without effect. The ultimate goal of this mission of course, is the salvation of the whole world. This task is serious business, too. Jesus said Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:16).
6. It is serious for us, because the Lord wants us to have salvation, therefore we must believe and be baptized (not just be baptized). That does not mean that our belief must be fully formed. Certainly the apostles are ample proof of that. Jesus chose them and they had to grow in knowledge and wisdom. But we must believe.
7. The act of belief has two aspects. The first aspect is consent to hold the Good News of Salvation in our minds and hearts. To make this kind of assent, we must grow in knowledge. Because if the faith does not grow, it will wither. The Christian is obligated to learn more about the truths of our faith. Some people describe to me what they interpret to be a period of doubt in their lives. And it is not doubt- it is the desire to know and understand more. God is permitting it so that we will be motivated to learn.
8. Another aspect of faith is trust. This aspect is probably more important than gaining intellectual knowledge. Trust is an acknowledgment that we do not have all the answers, that we cannot save ourselves, that we are not in control, and yet, we will follow Jesus anyway. Faith as Trust is plunging into the dark cloud of unknowing, placing ourselves at the disposal of God for His Glory and our good. Trust is Mary saying be it done to me according to thy word (Luke 1:38) and Peter saying to whom shall we go Master, you have the words of eternal life (John 6:68).
9. The Ascension also means hope for us. The angel told us that Jesus would come back again in glory. Jesus Himself works through the Church with through the sacraments and the teaching capacity of the bishops, as well as through miracles and signs. Jesus said He would not leave us orphans (John 14:18), and He has not. In truth, at the right hand of the Father, Jesus is more present to His Church than He was walking the earth.

1. There is a saying there is no one so blind as the one who will not see. Such is the case of those who opposed both the man born blind and Jesus. They simply would not see that Jesus was from God. All they could see was that Jesus healed on the Sabbath, which in their opinion was a violation. They could not consider that someone regained their sight on the day when we are supposed to put all our trust in God to care for us. Furthermore, although they did not even know the blind man (recall that they had to call the parents to ask them is this your son, who you say was born blind? (John 9:19), they presumed that he was full of sin since his birth, all because he had been born blind. As the events unfolded, they became more blind to the truth.
2. Saint Augustine reminded us that sins blinds the sinner. All sin, large or small, dulls the senses. If we go keep sinning, eventually we become blind to our faults and cannot see things the way they really are. That is why those who go to frequent confession are able to confess more accurately what they are doing than those whose confession is infrequent. Unfortunately, sin in one area of life, be it pride, willfulness, lies, unkind speech, theft, unforgiveness, or the multitude of means of impurity, these sins affect the whole of one’s life. Unrepented, unconfessed, unchecked, unforgiven sin in any area of life will not only weaken weaken the whole person, but it can lead to the loss of faith in Jesus Himself.
3. Be warned! Do not think that this loss of holiness or faith could not happen to you. The pharisees who opposed Jesus studied the Bible every day, yet they did not recognize Him or turn to Him for help. One of the sorrows that grieved Jesus the most in the Gospel was the refusal of people to realize that they needed God’s forgiveness. All of us do. Even consider those pharisees who were following Jesus. Some of them were more concerned about being insulted than in receiving what Jesus was offering - the true light to see things as they really are. And so Jesus had to say to them - “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains (John 9:41). If we do not see the need for God’s mercy and forgiveness given to us through Jesus, then we are in darkness.
4. On the other hand, there is an opposite movement on the part of the man born blind. Jesus smeared mud on his eyes and instructed him to wash in the pool of Siloam (which is a prefigurement of Baptism). There, he regained his sight, or in other words, he was illuminated- the light was able to enter into him and he could see. But the man received more than the gift of sight, he received faith. With his eyes, he was able to see Jesus was a man. But with the gift of faith, the man was able to see much more. He could see Jesus as Lord and God- which is how things really are. At first, he gives the witness - the man called Jesus made clay (John 9:11). Later he was asked, what do you have to say about Him, since He opened your eyes? (John 9:17), the man was able to say he is a prophet (John 9:17). The third time, the man argues with the pharisees and insists that Jesus comes from God and does God's will- Jesus is Holy (John 9:30-33). Finally, he says to Jesus I do believe Lord (John 9:38) and worships Jesus.
5. Of course, the question that this event raises is: who do I say Jesus is? Can I see Him for what and who He really is, or is something blocking my vision of the truth?
6. Everyone acknowledges that Jesus was man. Some people even believe that Jesus was a great man. Many people also recognize that Jesus was a prophet- that is, sent by God. But that kind of faith is not enough to be considered a Christian. The truth is that Jesus is Lord and God. The primary act of belief for a Christian is not to believe in a list of things (as important as those things are), but to believe in a person- Jesus- and adore Him as our only Lord.
7. That being said, Saint Paul says You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8). We did not simply receive Light. We are light. Jesus said that we are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). And one does not light a lamp and put it under a basket (Matthew 5:15). We are called by God and given the light of faith to illumine the world. And so we cannot permit sin to have a place in our lives any more. We must live as if faith in Jesus makes us different from the world of darkness. And when we fall, we must turn back to Jesus in the Sacrament of Penance to remove the darkness and restore us to the Splendor of Light.