St. Patrick's Parade Day (Lent, 2015-03-15)

4^th Sunday of Lent, 15 March 2015

• 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23 • Psalm  137 • Ephesians 2:4-10 • John 3:14-21  •

[__01__]   John Henry Newman – Cardinal Newman – writes that to possess power (or authority or control), one must have gained or obtained this power.

In very rare instances does a person gain skill – or advantage – or power – without a struggle.

We see this as nation struggles against nation over issues of homeland security or natural resources.   Or, as candidate struggles against candidate in primary or general elections, seeking the popular vote and an office. 

Or, even in marriage, family, we may put aside the graces of “compromise” and “communion” in favor of a struggle with each other.   

[__02__]   We struggle, perhaps, because want to be number-one, to be the top seed in World Cup or tournament play. And, we may struggle – with power – also with each other.

[__03__] Your individual journey of salvation – or my individual journey of salvation – toward our Savior is also a struggle at times.

Who is the competition?

Against whom do we struggle? I’m suggesting that the competitor would not be any other person or persons.

[__04__]   [*** PAUSE ***]   On this Saint Patrick’s Parade Day in West Orange, a day when we remember not only the Irish – the people of Ireland – but all immigrants, immigrant communities, we are also reminded of the struggle, the hope, to live, to prosper, to thrive.

From my own grandparents, from Ireland, I learned about their struggles, their long hours of work, their need to work multiple jobs, their times of unemployment.

I learned about these things. However, my grandmother and grandfather never actually sat down and told me or even lamented their condition, or the  conditions under which they lived.

They laughed about it and in reference to the Stock Market Crash in the early 20^th century, the crash and Depression which would change life [for the worse and for the many] in the U.S. just before World War II, my grandfather would refer to his own arrival at Ellis Island…I arrived here in New York in January of 1929 …. I was just in  time.

[__05__]  They struggled, yes, but they also denied, and rejected the notion that the fight was overwhelming or difficult or not worthwhile .

The immigrant person – from Ireland or India – reminds us that in every struggle there is denial, rejection.

And, in this denial, rejection, I do not simply mean the denial or rejection that happens due to prejudice or poverty.

What I mean is that there is denial and rejection – spiritually – in our lives, in our struggle to move closer to God.

There is good news in denial, in rejection.  This would be the Good News of the 40 days of Lent, reminding us to pray, to fast, to give charitably.  This is self-denial, self-sacrifice, and it may go unnoticed by others.  Or as Jesus says, “do not let the left  hand know what the right is doing” (Matthew 6:3).  There is good news in denial.

[__06__]  There was good news in the denial of self by our own parents and grandparents – yesterday and today – whether they are from Kerry or Quito, Letterkenny or Lima, Mayo or Managua.

Immigrants deny themselves things so as to acclimate, adjust, to harsher conditions in a new  country. They also deny themselves things, comforts, conveniences for the good of the next generation.

There is good news in denial, in rejection.

[__07__] And, in the Gospel today, we are reminded that  à God so loved the world  that he gave [gave up; surrendered] his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.  (John 3:16).

[__08__]    Jesus, as the Son of God [as the second person of the Trinity], did not have to struggle to gain power. He did not outperform the competition to become our Savior.

Quite the contrary.

As we read in the letter to the Philippians, Jesus did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men … (Philippians 2: 6-7…)

Rather than struggling to establish power by winning the primary, Jesus struggles to surrender his power and share it with us.

Jesus, as Son of God, became a human person – both true God and true man. And, though he possessed divine power, knowledge, he reminds us that he came not to be served but to serve. (Matthew 20:28)

There is good news  in denial.

He came to remind us that our true struggle is not with our classmates or teammates against whom we might fight for a higher class rank or a place in the starting team.

Our true struggle is not with our family members or spouse against whom we might fight to change them or wish they were different.

Our true struggle is not with our co-workers or our neighbors.

And, we might say that the struggles of the early disciples of Peter, James, and John were not struggles against each other to prove that they were the greatest. Jesus loved them all.

Rather their true struggle – and ours – is against ourselves and, at times, the evil spirits by whom we are tempted, spirits of selfishness, dishonesty, brokenness, willful desire, convenience, comfort.

There is good news in denial. There is good news in the fasts and sacrifices of Lent which remind us to take  up or cross, and to follow him.

There is good news in denial of  self,  in not pleasing  ourselves but God, and in doing so we also follow the commandment to lay down our lives for each other.