"Tell Jerusalem her King is coming to her, riding humbly on a donkey's colt"

  “Tell Jerusalem her King is coming to her, riding humbly on a donkey’s colt!” (Zech.9:9; Mt.21:5)

Palm Sunday

April 1, 2012

Introduction

Palm Sunday & Passover

On Ash Wednesday  our foreheads were besmeared with the ashes of burnt palm branches, and we were  reminded that we are dust and unto dust we shall return. On this last Sunday of Lent (which opens Holy Week) we receive blessed palms in remembrance of the first Palm Sunday, when the Lord rode triumphantly into Jerusalem. The incredible news that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11:1-45) had spread far and wide. So when the people heard that He was coming to town, they enthusiastically went out to welcome the wonder-worker. Cheering crowds laid palm branches before Him, as He rode into Jerusalem, seated upon a donkey.

This week is holy also for the Jewish community. this coming Friday, April 7, will be the first day of Passover - a seven - day celebration commemorating the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. The Lord God instructed the enslaved Israelites to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood oa a spring lamb. Then the Lord God rained death upon the unmarked homes of the Egyptians, but passover over the homes of the Israelites marked with the blood of the lamb. Hence the Feast of the Passover. (Ex. 12:21-23)

A remarkably short distance

In the Palm Sunday liturgy the reading of the Passion follows the blessing of and procession with palms. The scene changes dramatically: the cheering crowds waving branches and shouting “Hosanna” suddenly become the jeering crowds of Good Friday, shouting “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (Mk. 15:13)  What a remarkably short distance lies between Palm Sunday and Good Friday! Very probably the crowds of Palm Sunday and Good Friday were not one and the same.

A preacher writes, “I never know what to do with Palm Sunday. It’s fun to sing and dance, but I know where things lead. Making a big deal about Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem seems rather beside the point, when I know that Good Friday is on the horizon.”

Scripture readings for Palm Sunday Mass

Isaiah 50:4-7    Philippians 2:6-11   Mark 15:1-39

Second reading Philippians

Christ Jesus, though He was God, did not demand and cling to his right as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, and took on the form of a servant and became a human being. And He humbled himself even as to go so far as to die a criminal’s death on a cross. Yet it was because of this that God raised Him up to the heights of heaven and gave Him a name which is above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

according to Mark

Rubric: The Passion, if eloquently proclaimed, speaks for itself, and needs no further words. After an eloquent reading of the Passion `the sound of silence’ is far more powerful than the words of a preacher who might feel that he needs to add a few words of his own. Instead of working hard at a sermon on Palm Sunday, let the priest work hard at an eloquent reading of the Passion, which will speak for itself.

Narrator: black

Jesus: red

Other individuals: blue

Crowds: green

----------

As soon as morning came, the chief priests with the elders and the scribes, that is, the whole Sanhedrin held a council. They bound Jesus, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate. Pilate questioned Him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "So you say." The chief priests accused Him of many things. Again Pilate questioned Him, "Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of." Jesus refused to say a word, and Pilate was amazed.

Now on the occasion of Passover Pilate would set free any prisoner the people asked for. At that time a man named Barabbas was then in prison along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion. When the crowd gathered and asked Pilate for the usual favor, he asked them, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" He knew very well that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed Him over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate again said to them in reply, "Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the king of the Jews?" They shouted back, "Crucify him." Pilate said to them, "Why? What evil has he done?" They only shouted the louder, "Crucify him." So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Then the Roman soldiers took Jesus away into the barracks of the palace, called out the entire palace guards, dressed Him in a purple robe, wove a crown of thorns and pressed it on His head. Then the soldiers saluted Him saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" They kept striking His head with a reed and spitting upon Him. They knelt and paid mock homage to Him. When they had finished their mockery, they took off the purple robe and dressed Him in his own clothes. Then they led Jesus out to crucify Him.

On the way they met a man named Simon, who was coming into the city from the country, and they forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (This was Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.)  They took Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means `The Place of the Skull.’ There they tried to give Him wine drugged with myrrh, but He did not drink it. Then they crucified Him—and threw dice for his clothes.

It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified Him. The inscription of the charge against Him read: The King of the Jews. With Him were crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. Those passing by reviled Him, shaking their heads and saying, "Aha! You who are going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!" Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes, mocked Him among themselves and said, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with Him also heaped insult on Him.

At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Some of the bystanders who heard it said, "Look, he is calling Elijah." One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed and gave it to Him to drink saying, "Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down." Jesus then gave a loud cry and breathed his last. [Here all kneel and pause for a short time.]

The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion who stood facing Him saw how He breathed his last he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

[After some moments of silence, a short prayer like the following would be appropriate.]

A prayer after the Passion

We feel for you today, Lord Jesus, as you ride

 your drowsy donkey through the crowded streets

  of gaudy old Jerusalem, alive with palms.

You suffered a hero’s welcome

 and learned the pain of a hero’s heart,

 torn by the thought of tomorrow,

when the shouting would be over.

You had your ticker-tape parade and rode forth in majesty

to receive the keys of the city - the keys of death.

In the face of this, Lord, can you explain

why we keep striving to be heroes?

Let us join you under the palms tonight.

(by Norman Habel)

Unless the Grain of Wheat Falls into the Ground..."

“Unless the Grain of Wheat Falls

into the Ground…”

March 25, 2012, 5^th Sunday of Lent

Jeremiah 31:31-34  Hebrews 5:7-9  John 12:20-33 

Second reading

Christ, in the days when He was a man on earth, pleaded with God, praying with tears and agony of soul to the One who could save Him from death. His prayers were heard because of His willingness to obey God at all times.  And even though Jesus was God’s Son, He had to learn from experience what it was like to obey, when obeying meant suffering. It was after He had proved Himself perfect in this experience that Jesus became the Giver of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him

The Word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Glory to you, Lord.

Among those who had come up to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover were some Greeks.[1] They approached Philip (who came from Bethsaida in Galilee) with this request, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Philip told Andrew, and the both of them went to Jesus who said to them:

The hour has come for the Son of Man to return to His glory in heaven. I tell you truly that unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain of wheat. But if it dies, it yields a rich harvest.[2] He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will save it for eternal life.[3] If anyone serves me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. Now my soul is deeply troubled, and what shall I say? “Father, save me from what lies ahead?” But that is the very reason why I came! Father, bring glory and honor to your name.

Then a voice from heaven said, "I have glorified it and will glorify it again." The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, "An angel has spoken to Him." Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come for My sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself." He said this indicating the kind of death He would die.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
----------------

Introduction

Spring & Annunciation

Last Tuesday, March 20, spring arrived, and we who still have the hearts and hands of farmers turn our thoughts to spring planting and `victory gardens’ (especially in these hard economic times). With the arrival of spring, Jesus’ parable of the grains of wheat falling into the ground, dying and rising up into flowing fields of wheat is timely.

Today, March 25, is the feast of the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive Jesus. Nine months later, December 25, Mary gave birth to Jesus. Nine months from today is Christmas! If today weren’t the 5^th Sunday of Lent but a weekday, we would be celebrating the feast of the Annunciation at Mass.

A parable & a paradox

Today’s gospel is a parable. Jesus speaks about the grain of wheat which must fall into the ground and die, in order to rise up into flowing fields of wheat. He is alluding to his own death and resurrection. Evangelist John explicitly states that "Jesus said this indicating the kind of death He would die." (Jn. 12:33)

Today’s gospel is also a paradox: “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will save it for eternal life.”A paradox catches our ears, and makes us wonder what hidden meaning lies behind the words.

Fr. Damien – a grain of wheat

Father Damien de Veuster (1840-1889) was a Belgian and a member of the missionary order of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. He was sent to the Hawaiian Islands to minister to lepers who were quarantined on the island of Molokai.  The Bishop assigned him to pastor a secluded settlement of 816 lepers. Damien's first course of action was to build a church and establish the Parish of Saint Philomena, patroness of `hopeless’ cases. He was more than priest: he dressed ulcers, helped construct shelters, built coffins and dug graves. Six months after his arrival on Molokai, he wrote his brother, Pamphile, in Europe: “I make myself a leper with the lepers to gain all to Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor.9:22) He literally made himself a leper. One day at Mass, he surprised his congregation with these words:  "We lepers!" Fr. Damien had contracted their disease, died of leprosy on April 15, 1889, at the age of 49. Pope John Paul II beatified him on June 4, 1995, and Pope Benedict XVI canonized him on Sunday October 11, 2009.  

Fr. Damien was like the grain of wheat which falls into the ground and dies, and yields a rich harvest. He `hated’ his life in this world, even to the point of leprosy. But at the end of the day he saved his life for eternal life.

Fr. Marek – a grain of wheat

Fr. Marek Bozek (b. March 21, 1958) was suspended and excommunicated in December of 2005. Then the Vatican `laicized’ him (stripped him of his priesthood and `reduced’ him to the lay state) in January of 2009. The move was recommended by Raymond Burke, the former Archbp. of St. Louis. The suspension, excommunication and finally laicization were punishments meted out to Fr. Bozek because of a litany of “crimes and derelicts.” For example, he maintains that the finances of any parish should rest in the hands of laypeople. He claims that every baptized male or female, celibate or married has a right to be considered for ordination to the priesthood. He says the words of Jesus pronounced at the consecration of the Mass “Take this all of you and eat it” oblige him to invite all believers to receive the Bread of Life. Fr. Marek told his congregation, “I strive to make this faith community a place where all disenfranchised and excluded persons can find their spiritual home. All are welcome at our Eucharistic table, and Holy Communion is never denied to anyone.” That indeed is his litany of “crimes and derelicts.” In response, Fr. Bozek declares “Here I stand.  I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”

A Catholic for over 70 years responded to the whole situation with these words:

What is the Church coming to? Laypeople in charge of finances! A blessing on the ordination of women! Gay and divorced people being accepted! It’s so like something Jesus would do! As I read the article [in the NCR], I felt as though I was reading the Gospel in modern times: the Pharisees upholding Law; Jesus and his followers living love. It made me wonder how the hierarchy would rule if this were Jesus instead of Fr. Bozek. Would He be excommunicated for saving the prostitute from certain death, for eating with tax collectors, for speaking with the woman at the well, for giving the message of His resurrection to a woman first? Jesus reached out to those who were marginalized as well as to the rich, and He loved them. What is Fr. Bozek doing that Jesus would condemn? If the facts have been reported accurately, then perhaps Jesus is standing beside Fr. Bozek, encouraging him to reach out and embrace all those in his care with love. (National Catholic Reporter, Feb. 22, 2008)

Fr. Marek is willing to become like the grain of wheat which falls into the ground and dies, in order to yield a rich harvest. He `hates’ his life in this world, as he exposes himself to suspension, excommunication and laicization. But at the end of the day he saves his life for eternal life.

Fr. Mychal – a grain of wheat

Franciscan Father Mychal Judge (May 11, 1933 – Sept.11, 2001) had a citywide reputation for being a compassionate champion of New York City’s needy and forgotten. He touched many in powerful and miraculous ways. He was as comfortable in the White House as he was in the slums of New York. All people were equal in Mychal’s eyes. He befriended and respected those of different faiths. He befriended those who were no longer practicing any religion. He did not judge them; he honored and treasured them for their own innate goodness. He was also a humble man who wrestled with his own private demons. He struggled with alcoholism, and was an outspoken AA advocate. Through his own vulnerability, imperfection and fragile humanity, he was able to reach people in their pain, shame and fragility.

Father Mychal was also a beloved chaplain of the New York City Fire Department. On the horrific day of September 11, 2001 (when two 747s smashed into the Twin Towers in Lower Manhattan, bringing down 2,000,000,000 tons of mortar and bricks, and 3000 innocent human beings) Father Mychal rushed to Ground Zero. There he became not only 9/11's first recorded victim but also its first recorded hero: he had taken off his helmet to give the last rites to a dying fireman when suddenly debris came crashing down on him, and killed him. His body was carried off to a nearby church, where it was laid on an altar. He soon came to be called 'The Saint of 9/11.' Cardinal Edward Egan presided at Mychal's funeral on September 15, 2001, in St. Francis of Assisi Church in NYC. The funeral was attended by former President Bill Clinton, Hillaary Clinton and daughter Chelsea.

When later a memorial was held for him, an endless flow of priests, nuns, lawyers, cops, firefighters, homeless people, rock-and-rollers, recovering alcoholics, local politicians and middle age couples from the suburbs streamed into Good Shepherd Chapel on Ninth Ave., an Anglican church, to do a memorial for a Roman Catholic priest. An editorial on Fr Mychal read,"If the account of his death was dolled up with a bit of legend it was because countless people out there wanted him to die both gorgeously and aptly in a manner that expressed the depth of his faith."

Fr. Mychal was like the grain of wheat which falls into the ground and dies, and yields a rich harvest. He `hated’ his life in this world, as he spent himself compassionately championing the needy and forgotten of New York City. He `hated’ his life in this world, especially as he rushed to Ground Zero where he became 9/11’s first recorded victim and hero. But at the end of the day he saved his     life for eternal life.

Conclusion

Saving our life for eternal life

Yearly we buy packets of seed. Some we manage to get planted. Others we tuck safely away somewhere. The seeds tucked safely away never fall into the ground and die, and never therefore rise up into the pretty flowers or tasty vegetables pictured on the packet. Jesus’ parable says that the only way for us to live life is to fall into the ground like a grain of wheat and die! It says that if we’re always `playing it safe’ and protecting ourselves, we remain no more than a grain of wheat. But if we refuse to `play it safe,’ as Fathers Damien, Marek and Mychal refused to `play it safe,’ we save our life for eternal life.

---

[1] Greeks – not in a nationalistic sense but as Gentile proselytes to Judaism.

[2] GOD'S WORD translation: “I can guarantee this truth: A single grain of wheat doesn't produce anything unless it is planted in the ground and dies. If it dies, it will produce a lot of grain.”

[3] GOD'S WORD translation: “Those who love their lives will destroy them, and those who hate their lives in this world will guard them for everlasting life.”

On Fixing the Text 'the Jews'

Pope Benedict in the synagogue in Cologne, Germany

                                                          

 On August 19, 2005, German Pope Benedict in a spirit of reconciliation visited the synagogue in Cologne, Germany. It had been burned down by the Nazis on the night of November 9, 1938 (known as Krystallnacht – The Night of the Shattered Crystal), and was rebuilt in 1959. 

On Fixing the Text `the Jews’ 

March 18, 2012, 4^th Sunday of Lent

II Chronicles 36:14-23    Ephesians 2:4-10     John 3:14-21   

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Glory to you, Lord.

Jesus said to Nicodemus: "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
----------------

Introduction

The first day of spring

On this fourth Sunday of Lent the old Latin Mass opened with the words Laetare, Ierusalem! (Rejoice, oh Jerusalem!) It’s a reference to Isaiah 66:10: “Rejoice with Jerusalem; be glad for her, all you who love her.” In the course of time that mid-Lent Sunday was called Laetare Sunday. There was very good reason to rejoice in the old days: we were halfway through a very stoutly penitential season of forty days of fast and abstinence. On the fourth Sunday of Lent we also rejoice because most of the snow has melted away, the days have grown longer, and this coming Tuesday, March 20, is the first day of spring.

“The Jews” in John

The gospel readings for the second half of Lent are from John’s gospel which is intertwined with frequent and sometimes detailed accounts of the conflict between Jesus and “the Jews.” That conflict is there already in the 2^nd chapter of John (last Sunday’s gospel) where “the Jews” challenge Jesus to prove He has the authority to cleanse the Temple with His whip of cords. (Jn. 2:18) The conflict rages on again in the 5^th chapter where “the Jews” are ready to kill Jesus for breaking the Sabbath by healing a man sick for thirty-eight years, and for saying that God was His Father, thereby making Himself equal to God. (Jn. 5:18) The conflict continues on in the 7^th chapter where Jesus has to go incognito to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, because “the Jews” were watching for Him. (Jn. 7:11) Conflict permeates the whole 9^th chapter of John[1], which is a rambling story of 39 verses about a man born blind and cured by Jesus, but “the Jews” weren’t willing to believe that he had been blind and could now see. (Jn. 9:18) And the man’s parents, because they were afraid of “the Jews,” declined to tell them that their son had indeed been born blind. (Jn. 9:22) The conflict peaks in the 11^th chapter of John: “From that day on `the Jews’ made plans to kill Jesus.” (Jn. 11:53)

The roots of anti-Semitism latent in Scripture

 John’s reiteration of the conflict between Jesus and “the Jews” helps us to understand why Jesus eventually came to die at their hands. But by the time Good Friday finally arrives, those who daily attend Mass during Lent and hear these readings are a bit depressed and wearied by the endless scrapping going on between Jesus and “the Jews” in John’s gospel.

More importantly, we begin to suspect the roots of anti-Semitism latent especially in John’s gospel. No doubt about it, a mindless reading of Scripture and especially of John’s gospel down through the centuries has spawned a subtle and at times a not-so-subtle anti-Semitism among the faithful and even in the church institution itself. In 1215, the Fourth Lateran Council in its Canons on Jews declared that Jews in the Eternal City had to wear distinctive garbs from their twelfth year on, and pay taxes on their homes and property to the Church. The Council also forbade Jews to appear in public during the last three days of Holy Week. The distinctive garb which the Church forced Jews to wear reminds us of the distinctive armband which the Nazi forced German Jews to wear. The armband read: JUDE! JEW!

What’s more, for centuries the church institution unabashedly prayed every Good Friday: “Oremus pro perfidis Judaeis.”[2] (“Let us pray for the perfidious Jews.”) That was before Good Pope John XXIII in 1958 expunged from the Roman Missal the prayer that prayed for “the perfidious Jews,” and replaced it with: “Let us pray for the Jewish people, the first to hear the word of God, that they might continue to grow in the love of His name and in faithfulness to His covenant.”

Anti-Semitism in Germany

The Church’s mindless reiteration in the liturgy of the fight between Jesus and “the Jews” (especially as recorded in John) contributed in no small way to the age-old pastime of turning Jews into a convenient scapegoat for frustrated Gentiles. When frustrated Adolph Hitler (1889-1945) needed a scapegoat upon which to blame the inflationary problems of Germany and the loss of World War I, he built upon the bedrock of anti-Semitism that had already been laid by the German reformer, Martin Luther (1483-1546). Frustrated by the unwillingness of Jews to embrace his religion, Luther became one of the most intensely bitter anti-Semites in history. [3] His writings described Jews as the anti-Christ, worse than devils, ritual murderers and parasites. He preached and prayed that they should be expelled from Germany, their books should be seized and their synagogues should all be burned to the ground.

Luther’s fervent prayers were answered. On the night of November 9, 1938, the anti-Semitism sown by Luther burst into a huge conflagration in Germany. In one night it torched 191 synagogues and incinerated 7000 Jewish businesses. That night goes down in history as Krystallnacht (Night of the Shattered Crystal), and it marks the beginning in earnest of the Holocaust.

 On the occasion of World Youth Day in Germany, German Pope Benedict entered the synagogue in Cologne, Germany on August 19, 2005, and with words and gestures sought reconciliation with the chief rabbis and the Jewish community gathered in their synagogue destroyed on Krystallnacht but rebuilt in the 1959. Paul Spiegel, the leader of Germany's Jews, told reporters later: "If someone told me 45 years ago, 'You are going to be in Cologne, and the Pope will visit you in a synagogue,' I wouldn't have believed it. We have come a long way in mutual support and in mutual understanding and, as the Pope said in mutual love ."

Fixing texts that didn’t need fixing

Sometime ago US Catholic bishops met and voted “to fix” some of the Mass prayers translated from the Latin, and in use for more than 35 years. The bishops, we were told, wanted to bring the prayers “into greater conformity with the original Latin.” On the first Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011 a new translation of the Roman Missal[4] (mandated by the Vatican for all English-speaking countries) `burst upon us.’ In the new translation, for example, the “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you” in the prayer before Communion is now `fixed’ to say, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.”

Behold another `earth-shattering’ example: the response to the priest’s “The Lord be with you” was “And also with you.” That has now been `fixed’ to say: “And with your spirit.” Still another example: a phrase from the first Eucharistic prayer in the Mass that formerly read: "Joseph, her husband" has now been `fixed’ by the new translation to say: "Joseph, spouse of the same virgin." A final example: Catholics who worry about the growing spread among them of the 4th century heresy of Arianism will now be consoled by the fact that instead of saying that Jesus is "one in being with the Father" will now be uttering the incomprehensible "consubstantial with the Father." 

Simpler folk didn’t have the slightest suspicion that those texts needed `fixing’ at all, and they feel it was a matter of the Church fixing texts that didn’t need much fixing at all.

Texts in far more need of fixing

Dr. Eva Fleischner, Professor Emeritus at Montclair State University, N. J. is bent on fixing texts that really need fixing. Her father was a convert to Catholicism from Judaism. She fled Austria at the age of thirteen, as the Nazis marched into Vienna. She is a pioneer Catholic theologian in Christian-Jewish relations, Christian anti--Semitism and Holocaust studies. Teaching and writing about the Holocaust and Christian anti-Semitism for 40 years Dr. Fleischner is not much interested in fixing texts like “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you” or “And also with you.” For her there are other texts in far more need of fixing.

Dr. Fleischner writes, “We have made much progress, thanks to the green light given by Nostra Aetate.[5] Yet much work remains to be done, especially in our liturgical texts.” Fleischner has in mind a whole litany of scriptural texts used in the liturgy, texts like: “The Jews challenged Jesus to work a miracle to prove He had the right to cleanse the temple” (Jn. 2:18)  or “The Jews were all the more determined to kill Jesus because of what He said “ (Jn. 5:18) or “The Jews from that day on made plans to kill Jesus” (Jn.11:53).  The litany goes on and on. If the Church is looking for texts to fix, Fleischner says, here they are! Such texts (mindlessly read, heard and preached down through the centuries) contributed subliminally and powerfully to the unspeakable Holocaust which incinerated 6 million Jews in the concentration camps of Auschwitz, Dachau and Buchenwald. And since they are `sacred texts,’ they are doubly effective and lethal.

Texts easy to fix

In a few instances when the evangelist John uses the expression “the Jews,” he is referring to all Jews. An example is John 2:13: “The Passover of `the Jews’ was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” In almost all the other cases, by the expression “the Jews” John does not mean all Jews but rather the Jewish authorities. An example is John 5:16: “And this was why the Jews (i.e. the Jewish authorities) persecuted Jesus, because He did this on the Sabbath.” Another example is John 7:13: “Yet for fear of the Jews (i.e. the Jewish authorities) no one had the courage to speak openly in His behalf.” Still another example is John 9:22: “The parents of the man born blind said this because they feared the Jews (i.e. the Jewish authorities) who were ready to throw them out of the synagogue  if they confessed Jesus to be the Christ.” Etc.

Unconscionable not to fix `the Jews’

It is very easy to fix these texts in which lurk the lethal seeds of anti-Semitism, if we want to. It is as easy as simply changing the words “the Jews” to “the Jewish authorities,” when that’s what’s really called for (which is almost always). In view of the lethal consequences which the expression `the Jews’ can and has caused in the Christian faithful down through the centuries, it is unconscionable not to fix them. These days of late Lent when John’s gospel is daily read, priests and readers at Mass should therefore have the conscience and courage to take it upon themselves to fix the text before them, if it has not already been fixed. If it reads `the Jews,’ then for God’s sake and for the sake of the six million Jews of the Holocaust fix it to read “the Jewish authorities.”

Conclusion

Cleansing our Temple as Jesus cleansed His

The “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you” in the prayer before Communion doesn’t really need fixing; it has no subliminal power to stoke up the crematories of the Holocaust. But liturgical texts and New Testament translations, in which lurk the roots of anti-Semitism, do indeed need fixing.  In these days when Iranian President Ahmadinejad denies that the Holocaust ever happened and wants Israel wiped off the map, it is unconscionable not to fix the liturgical texts and New Testament translations in which lurk the roots of anti-Semitism. Once fixed, we will have cleansed our Temple as Jesus cleansed His Temple, when with a whip of cord He drove sheep, cattle and merchants out of His Father’s House.

---

[1]Read on the fourth Sunday of Lent, cycle A)

[2] Missale Romanum, Feria Sexta in Parasceve 

[3] Confer “On the Jews and Their Lies” written in 1543 by Martin Luther, translated by Martin Bertram

[4] The book of prayers, chants and responses used at Mass. 

[5]Vatican II’s Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions. The Declaration decrees that the death of Jesus “cannot be blamed upon all the Jews then living, without distinction, nor upon the Jews of today.”

Cleansing the Temple with a Whip of Cords

By Bernardino Mei 1655

Jesus made a whip from cords and drove all of them –

merchants, sheep and cattle - out of the Temple. (Jn. 2:15)

Cleansing the Temple with a Whip of Cords

                               

March 11, 2012, 3rd Sunday of Lent
Exodus 20:1-17     I Corinthians 1:22-25     John 2:13-25

Second reading

Brothers and sisters: Jews want miracles for proof, and Gentiles look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a message that’s offensive to the Jews and nonsense to the Gentiles. But to those whom God has called (both Jews and Gentiles) Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

The word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Glory to you, Lord.

Then it was time for the Jewish Feast of Passover, and Jesus went to Jerusalem. In the Temple area He saw merchants selling cattle, sheep and doves for sacrifices, and moneychangers[1] behind their counters. So He made a whip from cords and drove all of them – merchants, sheep and cattle - out of the Temple. He sent the coins of the moneychangers flying, and overturned their tables. Then He said to the pigeon sellers, “Take all this out of here, and stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, “Zeal for your house consumes me like a fire.”[2]

At this the Jews responded, "What miracle can you perform to show us that you have the right to do this?" Jesus answered: “Destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple and you are going to raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking about the Temple of His body. Therefore, when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken. While He was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in His name when they saw the signs He was doing. But Jesus didn’t trust them, for He knew mankind to the core. No one needed to tell Him how changeable human nature is!

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
----------------

Introduction

Daylight Saving Time

Today, March11, 2012 we go from Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time. Today we set our clocks ahead 1 hour. So we will be getting up in the dark again. But it also gives us more daylight at the end of the day, to do the things we like to do (a ball game etc.), or to do the tasks we have to do (cutting the lawn etc.).

The note of conflict struck early

John places the cleansing of the Temple at the very beginning of Jesus’ public life -- already in the 2^nd chapter. (Jn. 2: 13-22)  In Matthew’s gospel the cleansing of the Temple occurs very much later in 21^st chapter. (Mt. 21:12-17)  The synoptic[3] gospels are more chronological, while John’s gospel is more theological. In John’s gospel the note of conflict is struck early. Already in his 2^nd chapter the Jewish authorities are fighting with Jesus and challenging Him to prove by working a miracle that He has the authority to cleanse the Temple.

Jesus tells them what His proof will be: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will rebuild it!”(Jn. 2:19)

My gosh, it took l0,000 men to build the magnificent Temple, 1000 priests as masons to construct its sacred sections, and 46 years to complete it, and Jesus tells the Jewish authorities that He could rebuild it in three days! John immediately explains, “But the Temple Jesus was speaking of was His body.”(Jn. 2:21) The authorities would destroy that body on Good Friday, and God would rebuild it three days later on Easter Sunday.

A profane marketplace and not a sacred Temple

The cleansing of the Temple is related in all four gospels. (Mt. 21:12-17; Mk. 11:15-18; Lk. 19:45-48; Jn. 2:13-22)  Jesus goes to the Temple for the Feast of Passover. In the Temple courtyard He hears the mooing of the cattle, the bleating of sheep, the cooing of pigeons and the clanging of coins, instead of the chanting of psalms and prayers. Instead of seeing and hearing priests and people at pious prayer in the Temple, He sees and hears all kinds of merchants haranguing their wares and tilting their scales. There in the courtyard Jesus smells the foul odor of livestock and sweaty herders, and the excrement of sheep and cattle, instead of the pleasant scent rising from the altar of incense. The sights, sounds and smells which Jesus encountered were those of a profane marketplace and not of a sacred Temple.

A good sound whip of cords

Though the synoptic gospels do not mention the whip of cords which Jesus used in cleansing the Temple, they still use very vitriolic language as they relate the event. To the wheelers and dealers in the Temple they have Jesus saying,”It is written in the Scriptures that God said, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[4] but you have turned it into a `den of thieves.’[5]” (Mt. 21:13) John alone mentions the whip of cords. With all the transacting in livestock going on in the Temple area, there was plenty of rope or twine lying around for Jesus to knot into a good sound whip of cords, just as there was plenty of masonry stones in the Temple area for the Pharisees to cast at the woman caught in adultery. (Jn. 8:7)

Jesus’ one and only act of violence

Some translations of this passage have Jesus using the whip only on the animals to get them out of the Temple area: “Jesus made a whip from cords and drove the sheep and cattle out of the Temple.” (Jn. 2:15) Other translations have Jesus using the whip of cords not only on the sheep and cattle but also on the merchants themselves: “Jesus made a whip from cords and drove all of them – merchants, sheep and cattle - out of the Temple.” (Jn. 2:15)

Some commentators prefer the translation that has Jesus using the whip not on the merchants (human beings) but only on the animals to get them out of the Temple area. They believe that’s more consistent with the non-violent Jesus portrayed in Matthew 5:21-24. On the other hand, other commentators prefer the translation that has Jesus violently using the whip of cords not only on the sheep and cattle but on the merchants as well. For them “the cleansing of the Temple” is a delicate euphemism to describe Jesus’ one and only act of violence recorded in all four Gospels. 

Not about bingo but about the cleansing of the Temple

The Rev. Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American writes for the Third Sunday of Lent:

"When I was growing up, this Gospel reading (John 2:13-22) often brought bingo to mind. Oh, it wasn't the game itself -- it was the notion of playing bingo to raise money for the church. Looking back, I think it was more about Catholics than about bingo. We protestants had picked up an anti-Catholic bias in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Parents worried that their sons or daughters might marry Roman Catholics. And when John Kennedy ran for president, some worried that the pope would soon be running America. We were suspicious of Roman Catholics even though there wasn't a Catholic church in my small Iowa town. "

Bingo was further proof that Catholics were up to no good because they played bingo in church and Lutherans didn't. We were always waiting  for Jesus to come and overturn their bingo tables, sending the cards flying all over the church basement and spilling the little numbers out of the cage that spun them around. "Stop turning my Father's house into a marketplace!" Jesus would shout as he tipped over the cash boxes. We were quite sure that Jesus would not have been upset with our oyster stew suppers or strawberry festivals to raise money for the missions."

Animal sacrifices - a man-made perversion

That day Jesus cleansed the Temple which had been turned into a marketplace with cattle mooing and sheep bleating, and with merchants wheeling and dealing. But more profoundly, some scholars say, Jesus cleansed the Temple which had been utterly defiled by animal sacrifices - a man-made perversion! Jesus cleansed the Temple of a God who needed the blood of animals to make Him happy!

Isaiah & Micah and animal sacrifices

The Bible presents an ongoing conflict between those forces that demanded animal sacrifices in the name of God, and those forces that opposed it as a man-made perversion. The prophet Isaiah has the Lord God saying, “Do you think I want all these sacrifices you keep offering me? I have had more than enough of the sheep you burn as sacrifices and of the fat of your fine animals. I take no pleasure in the blood of calves, lambs and goats. Who asked you to bring me all this when you come to worship Me?” (Is.1:11-12)

And the prophet Micah asks, “What shall I bring to the Lord, the God of heaven, when I come to worship Him? Shall I bring the best calves to burn as an offering to Him? Will the Lord be pleased if I bring Him thousands of sheep or endless streams of olive oil?” The prophet answers his own question: “No! What the Lord wants of us is this: to act justly, with loving kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God.” (Micah 6: 8)  In spite of the many biblical denunciations of animal sacrifice[6] religious leaders continued to maintain the ancient fiction that it was God who demanded His animal creatures be killed and butchered as an act of worship.

Protecting the man-made perversion

By Jesus’ time, it had been hundreds of years since Isaiah’s and Micah’s condemnation of animal sacrifices had been heard in Jerusalem. The authorities weren’t going to let that condemnation resurface in Jesus; they were determined to protect the man-made perversion that animal sacrifice (a lucrative business) had been ordained by God, and that He demanded its continuance. That belief had turned the House of God into a giant slaughterhouse, awash in the blood of its victims. And Jesus took up a whip of cords to cleanse the Temple of it. A few days after trying to cleanse the Temple of the cult of animal sacrifice, He was crucified.

Bishop Gumbleton cleansing the Temple

The former auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit, Thomas John Gumbleton (b. 1930), has a long history of social justice. He is the founding president of Pax Christi USA (a peace movement). He is also former president of Bread for the World (an interfaith organization that fights world hunger).

He is also a `temple-cleanser.’ In a letter to America magazine (Nov. 20, 1993,) he wrote, "I can vouch for the fact that very many bishops share the same conviction [that not every contraceptive act is intrinsically evil]. However, sadly enough, fewer and fewer are willing to say this publicly.”And though Pope John Paul II spoke definitively against the ordination of women, Gumbleton said, “Priestesses will inevitably come. Already, female parochial administrators are proving their competency and laying the groundwork for the ordination of women.”

Bishop Gumbleton’s unspeakable prediction that the Temple would be cleansed of its machismo (its `boy-club’ atmosphere) and that “priestesses will inevitably come“ displeased Rome, and he paid for it: when he (still in good health) petitioned Rome for permission to stay on as bishop beyond his 75^th year (the canonical age for retirement but often waived for a good reason) his petition was refused with e-mail speed. Gumbleton, like Jesus, tried to cleanse the Temple, and like Jesus he paid for it.

Archbishop Hunthausen cleaning the Temple

Raymond Hunthausen (b.1921-),  former Archbishop of Seattle, is also a `temple-cleanser.’ When he became Archbishop he moved out of the episcopal mansion into an ordinary house in town. He was a great advocate for the poor and ignored. He courageously spoke out about controversial issues in the Church like artificial contraception and homosexuality. He publicly defended the rights of gays and lesbians in an open letter on July 1, 1977. He also permitted a homosexual group called Dignity to hold its own Mass in his cathedral, and to his critics he replied: “They're Catholics too and need a place to pray.” The Archbishop was cleansing the Temple of its homophobia. That displeased Rome, and Hunthausen paid for it:  Rome stripped him of some of his episcopal authority, because “his lack of clarity about homosexuality had confused the faithful.” The Archbishop, like Jesus, tried to cleanse the Temple, and like Jesus he paid for it.

Conclusion

Lent is for cleansing

Lent is for cleansing the Temple of its machismo, homophobia and all its others phobias. Lent is especially for cleansing the Temple of an angry God who needs to be placated with the blood of calves, goats and lambs. It is difficult to love a God who needs to be placated with blood. It’s much easier to love Isaiah’s God who “takes no pleasure in the blood of calves, lambs and goats” (Is. 1:12), and Micah’s God who wants only this of us: “to act justly, with loving kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God.” (Micah 6: 8) 

---

[1] For a fee the Temple moneychangers exchanged foreign coins into coins acceptable   within the Temple.

[2] Psalm 69:9

[3] Matthew, Mark and Luke are called “synoptic” because their gospels look very much alike. John’s gospel, however, is very much different.

[4] Isaiah 56:7: “I will make them joyful in my house of prayer.”

[5] Jeremiah 7:11 “Has this house which bears my name become a den of thieves?”

[6] The theme opposing animal sacrifices in the name of God  runs through Jeremiah 7:3-7,11,21-25; Hosea 8:11-13; Amos 5:21-25 and psalm 40:7.