Good News About Water (2011-01-16)

This is my homily for 16 January 2011. I am the Catholic campus minister for Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) campus and for the FDU Newman Catholic Association. We resume our Sunday Mass (7:30 p.m.) on Sun. Jan. 23, 2011.

[__01_pure v impure_ ] In this Gospel, we continue this theme of baptism and water. Last Sunday was the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. John the Baptist declares today that Jesus takes away the sin of the world through the water of baptism.

As we know, our world is made mostly of water. And our bodies also are made of mostly water. Much of what surrounds is water. Some of it is frozen right now.

And, we also know that many problems come from impurities in water ..or in things. A great challenge in developing nations is the securing of safe water sources.

What makes water good …or at least good enough for us to drink, to swim, or to navigate? What is the Good News about water?

For most of us, the Good News is that we can purify water, obtain bottled water, that is for drinking.

As for other problems with water, we may imagine we can get around them by our own intelligence and foresight. If only, for example, you or I were captains of the Titanic in 1912. We would have avoided that iceberg, a sizable water problem, this one frozen.

However, can we really navigate around or purify ourselves of all problems by our own power, intelligence, or satellite technology?

[__02_sin of world & h2 avoid (invid)__ ] This is a question which John the Baptist addresses today. Speaking about baptism and water, John is also referring to the sin of the world, the sin of the world which Jesus Christ takes away.

We might imagine the sin of the world is an impurity or obstacle in the water or on the water which affects all of us.

We might imagine that we can get around these obstacles or impurities by
• escaping elsewhere,
• paying enough money …
• avoiding icebergs of 1912 on the horizon
• drinking bottled water.

On the other hand, all of us are affected by, touched by sin, by the brokenness of others, by the faults of others.

The Good News of baptism -- both last Sunday and this Sunday – is that Christ has come to help us with such difficulties. And, he does with water.

These difficulties may not literally be an iceberg or oil spill … but there may be other structures we cannot fix so easily.

And, they may also tend to overwhelm or cause a flood, a deluge of some kind.

[__03 _sin sitn work/sch_ ] For example, suppose we have a situation at
• Work
• School

A boss, teacher, employee, student who is unfair, unjust. And, sometimes, the sin of an individual or a group of individuals can create an organization – or legislation – or policy which makes our lives exceedingly difficult.

In this regard, we face the sins of individuals which add up to a obstacle in our path similar to the iceberg. This becomes a sinful structure against which we struggle. We cannot change these structures immediately …or individually.

[__04_(MLK & nonviolent resistance)_ ] An example of this from our own history is Martin Luther King. Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day on which we honor Dr. King and others who have navigated rough oceans through peaceful, nonviolent resistances to sinful structures, to the sin of the world.

Sometimes, the sin of the world oppresses a whole class of people based on what another class of people has decided. In the process, we forget the principle that we are all made in the image and likeness of God. (Genesis 1:27).

We recall Jesus’ words to the crowd … let he who is without sin cast the first stone. (John 8:7)

This is also nonviolent resistance…for which Jesus will ultimately pay for with his own life.

[__06_children challenge_ ] Don’t mothers and fathers and teachers of all kinds have a great challenge in this regard? Is this not a challenge, to provide clear water, and to teach them about is good and harmful in the water – in the world – while also helping them to make up their own minds? Does not the raising and teaching of children require both a firm and merciful touch?

We want to teach children to survive in the water … so that even if they do not walk on water, they can at least swim.
Our hope for children is that they will be –
• Strong as individuals
• Resilient after disappointments and setbacks
• Adaptable in the snow and ice of unfairness and injustice.

Along the way, life not being fair, all of us may have to navigate difficult water … or occasionally go thirsty.

These setbacks, these floods can change our lives. And, in the process, we want to teach our children to be resilient. And, adaptable. And, we want them to endure oppression without becoming oppressive or vengeful themselves.

We want them to be strong and gentle. Again, this is a subtle touch that parents and teachers are called to manifest.

The Gospel is calling us to resist this oppression and to avoid harmful elements in the water and in the world.

What the Gospel calls us to do, however, is also to face some of these harmful elements. These impurities.

For example,
Pray for our enemies
Pray for those who persecute us.

This “enemy” might not be an armed combatant on a battle field in Afghanistan. Such enemies we might find it easy to pray for. What about the difficult person who simply is an obstacle in getting our regular work done?

This is the sin of the world.

All of us, in a way, will face the sin of the world in others who maybe unfair ..or
situations unfair.

And, the Gospel is calling us to resistance of oppression …meanwhile also loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us.

Difficult boss? Family member? Co-worker? Child? Pray for this person. This prayer may not change the other person. The other person might not melt immediately. But, we will change in the process, this prayer will purify our own hearts.

[__07_purify the world_ ] If we were to climb high enough in the Rocky Mountains, we can go to the source of pure water. We can find the source of the Colorado River, to find the snow melting which creates the river, we could – then – rise above any impurities below.

Eventually, however, we are called to come down from the mountain.

Even Moses who ascends Mount Sinai, who goes up into clouds for 40 days and nights to receive the pure source of God’s law in the 10 Commandments, even Moses has to come down and live among his people, people with whom he is also frequently in conflict.

This conflict comes for us too – in sinfulness, pride, injustice.

Coming to Sunday Mass, we recognize our need for Christ’s help, for a new source of pure water which also comes in his death and resurrection and in the pure water flowing from his side on the Cross.

We are called to this same sacrifice, this same purity which is also a test … not a scientific test measured in parts per million …

But a lifelong test of laying down our lives as he did for us. And, with God’s grace, the water will flow. [__end__]