Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Lent
By: Rev. Fr. Ronnie Floyd, STL
Given at St. Patrick's in Wareham
on April 2nd, 2010I was thinking the other day while praying the Stations of the Cross
about the Crucifixion and particularly about the Gall,
which Jesus was offered to drink
before being nail to the Cross.
Gall a narcotic made by mixing wine or vinegar with myrrh,
the fragrant material used to embalm bodies,
was a narcotic which was used to pacify those about to be crucified.
It was given to criminals, and to Jesus, not so much as a humanitarian gesture
But so that the condemned would be more docile as he was fixed to the cross.
Of course, it had the effect of lessening the pain of crucifixion.
The bible says that Jesus tasted it, but refused to drink.
To most of us this makes no sense—
In this day and age pain is bad, drugs are good, so where’s the question?
Of course we want to be drugged before we go to a torturous death.
No wonder why so many teenagers and young adults resort to illegal drugs
To lessen the difficulties and sufferings of life.
It seems to me that there is a double standard in this country:
We say that drugs are ok when coping with physical pain
but not so ok when coping with the emotional and psychological pain
and loneliness of growing up and being human.
Whether illegal or legal drugs like: alcohol, coffee, nicotine, sugar
Are used by most of us here, on occasion, to lessen the difficulty of life.
I mean admit it all you drug users!!! who here has never gone at it
with a box of chocolates or an ice cream Sunday after a difficult day?
And of course, it’s not just chemicals with which we drug ourselves,
Attempting to dope our experience of life is often done with activies too:
Eating, watching TV, the internet, pornography, gambling.
So often we use the good things of the earth to blind ourselves,
and block our ears, and dull our senses to the reality of suffering
The suffering of others and our own sufferings.
Our faith teaches that: every creature of God is good,
and nothing to be rejected that is received with thanksgiving:
Because as we hear in the book of Genesis: Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;
Jesus teaches us that everything on the face of the Earth
has a purpose for our good,
And if only we strive to live in the Love of God,
no evil will touch us
Speaking of those who live the life of faith Jesus says:
They shall take up serpents; and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them:
But this does not mean that we will not experience our own crosses.
In the Gospel today the disciples ask what may seem like a silly question:
Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?
Often today we do not think of suffering as a punishment for sins,
But in fact our faith teaches that it is.
Whenever we suffer we suffer because of humanities sins,
But as Jesus points out in the Gospel today and on the Cross
We don’t necessarily suffer for our own sins.
Our sins cause suffering, maybe not for us, but definitely for someone,
Jesus on the cross suffered though he was sinless, because we sin,
Our sins caused his suffering,
But on the cross, as in the Gospel today,
Jesus suggests the central tenant of our faith,
Which is the reason why we are here today to offer Eucharist,
thanksgiving to God!
He says: it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
Suffering is an opportunity, an opportunity to be weak,
An opportunity to open our heart to another in a way that we NEVER WOULD
If everything were “A okay”
Suffering is an opportunity to love and be loved
in a way that is hard for us to love, in a way that is unselfish,
in a way that is truly LOVING.
At some level we’ve all experienced it—the way a tragedy brings us
so much closer together with those we love!
That’s why Jesus refused the Gall before being nailed to the cross,
And why the Church teaches that drugs, though they can be helpful,
Should never be used simply to numb ourselves to life!
If Jesus had taken the Gall, would He have been able to forgive his executioners, or should I say to forgive us, from the cross?
Would he have given the beloved disciple, that’s us again, his mother
As a consoler and teacher of faith, hope, and love?
Would he have trusted in His Father to the end,
And been able to offer up to His Father this Eucharistic Sacrifice
His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, with His last breath?
Would he have saved the world, if he had chosen the easy way.
Suffering is not good in and of itself, and our God does not desire us to suffer,
BUT HE DOES ALLOW IT!
Because it is better to be blinded to the illusion of worldly happiness for a while
Than to be blinded to the REALITY of eternal happiness FOREVER!
Each of us, by virtue of our Baptism,
Is chosen by God to be a king.
We are chosen like David in the first reading, to RULE,
To rule over our life, through all its joys and sorrows,
Choosing always to do the WILL OF GOD, choosing always to love!
All things, ever created rock, mineral, plant, animal,and person
are created to help us do this.
During this Lenten season we are challenged to examine our life,
So that we might see the ways we are using the things of the world
Not to live life, not to love, but to drug ourselves to our humanity.
Suffering, is an opportunity to be embraced, not a terror to be feared.
We must strive to remember today and really take seriously
The central challenge of the Gospel:
If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Lord, set us free today from the blindness that makes us see
The poor as inconveniences, our neighbors as obstacles,
our loved ones as possessions, and sufferings as burdens.
Help us to see your plan, which leads to the cross,
As the only way to happiness!
about the Crucifixion and particularly about the Gall,
which Jesus was offered to drink
before being nail to the Cross.
Gall a narcotic made by mixing wine or vinegar with myrrh,
the fragrant material used to embalm bodies,
was a narcotic which was used to pacify those about to be crucified.
It was given to criminals, and to Jesus, not so much as a humanitarian gesture
But so that the condemned would be more docile as he was fixed to the cross.
Of course, it had the effect of lessening the pain of crucifixion.
The bible says that Jesus tasted it, but refused to drink.
To most of us this makes no sense—
In this day and age pain is bad, drugs are good, so where’s the question?
Of course we want to be drugged before we go to a torturous death.
No wonder why so many teenagers and young adults resort to illegal drugs
To lessen the difficulties and sufferings of life.
It seems to me that there is a double standard in this country:
We say that drugs are ok when coping with physical pain
but not so ok when coping with the emotional and psychological pain
and loneliness of growing up and being human.
Whether illegal or legal drugs like: alcohol, coffee, nicotine, sugar
Are used by most of us here, on occasion, to lessen the difficulty of life.
I mean admit it all you drug users!!! who here has never gone at it
with a box of chocolates or an ice cream Sunday after a difficult day?
And of course, it’s not just chemicals with which we drug ourselves,
Attempting to dope our experience of life is often done with activies too:
Eating, watching TV, the internet, pornography, gambling.
So often we use the good things of the earth to blind ourselves,
and block our ears, and dull our senses to the reality of suffering
The suffering of others and our own sufferings.
Our faith teaches that: every creature of God is good,
and nothing to be rejected that is received with thanksgiving:
Because as we hear in the book of Genesis: Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;
Jesus teaches us that everything on the face of the Earth
has a purpose for our good,
And if only we strive to live in the Love of God,
no evil will touch us
Speaking of those who live the life of faith Jesus says:
They shall take up serpents; and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them:
But this does not mean that we will not experience our own crosses.
In the Gospel today the disciples ask what may seem like a silly question:
Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?
Often today we do not think of suffering as a punishment for sins,
But in fact our faith teaches that it is.
Whenever we suffer we suffer because of humanities sins,
But as Jesus points out in the Gospel today and on the Cross
We don’t necessarily suffer for our own sins.
Our sins cause suffering, maybe not for us, but definitely for someone,
Jesus on the cross suffered though he was sinless, because we sin,
Our sins caused his suffering,
But on the cross, as in the Gospel today,
Jesus suggests the central tenant of our faith,
Which is the reason why we are here today to offer Eucharist,
thanksgiving to God!
He says: it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
Suffering is an opportunity, an opportunity to be weak,
An opportunity to open our heart to another in a way that we NEVER WOULD
If everything were “A okay”
Suffering is an opportunity to love and be loved
in a way that is hard for us to love, in a way that is unselfish,
in a way that is truly LOVING.
At some level we’ve all experienced it—the way a tragedy brings us
so much closer together with those we love!
That’s why Jesus refused the Gall before being nailed to the cross,
And why the Church teaches that drugs, though they can be helpful,
Should never be used simply to numb ourselves to life!
If Jesus had taken the Gall, would He have been able to forgive his executioners, or should I say to forgive us, from the cross?
Would he have given the beloved disciple, that’s us again, his mother
As a consoler and teacher of faith, hope, and love?
Would he have trusted in His Father to the end,
And been able to offer up to His Father this Eucharistic Sacrifice
His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, with His last breath?
Would he have saved the world, if he had chosen the easy way.
Suffering is not good in and of itself, and our God does not desire us to suffer,
BUT HE DOES ALLOW IT!
Because it is better to be blinded to the illusion of worldly happiness for a while
Than to be blinded to the REALITY of eternal happiness FOREVER!
Each of us, by virtue of our Baptism,
Is chosen by God to be a king.
We are chosen like David in the first reading, to RULE,
To rule over our life, through all its joys and sorrows,
Choosing always to do the WILL OF GOD, choosing always to love!
All things, ever created rock, mineral, plant, animal,and person
are created to help us do this.
During this Lenten season we are challenged to examine our life,
So that we might see the ways we are using the things of the world
Not to live life, not to love, but to drug ourselves to our humanity.
Suffering, is an opportunity to be embraced, not a terror to be feared.
We must strive to remember today and really take seriously
The central challenge of the Gospel:
If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Lord, set us free today from the blindness that makes us see
The poor as inconveniences, our neighbors as obstacles,
our loved ones as possessions, and sufferings as burdens.
Help us to see your plan, which leads to the cross,
As the only way to happiness!
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