The Holy Spirit and St. Caffeine of Folgers is having a tough time breaking through the lingering exhaustion from last week. I may have to preach this one from 2013 again.
2nd Sunday of Lent 2014
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
Our Lady of the Rosary, NOLA
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
Our Lady of the Rosary, NOLA
Cloud,
shadow, and darkness. On this second Sunday in Lent, we are
confronted by our ignorance. Just two weeks into our desert
pilgrimage and already we are being driven deeper into the truth and
the beauty of what we do not know about our God, our incomplete
understanding of who God is and what He wills for us. Maybe ignorance
isn't the right word here. Maybe we should call our inability to
fully experience and know God something like “seeing with one eye
closed,” or “touching with a gloved hand,” or “hearing with
muffled ears.” We can see, touch, and hear the divine, sure; but
it's all done imperfectly, dulled somehow by merely being human;
imperfect sensations, giving us imperfect knowledge b/c we are not
God. Abram speaks with God. And afterward, “a trance [falls] upon
Abram, and a deep, terrifying darkness envelope[s] him.” Peter,
James, and John speak with Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. And afterward,
“a cloud came and cast a shadow over [the disciples], and they
became frightened when they entered the cloud.” Lent is our time to
enter the cloud, to walk in the dark, and grow in the shadow. Before
we come to know God, even imperfectly, we must know and accept—in
all humility—that we are not God.
That
we can grow in the shadows or live in the darkness seems to run
counter to everything we've ever been taught about being followers of
Christ. We share his light; we thrive under his sun; we harvest the
fruits of his sacrifice with the fire of the Spirit. It's the wicked
who prosper away from the light, while Christians seek it out. All
true. But what is the light we seek? On the mountain, Jesus is
transfigured in the presence of Peter, James, and John. He is shown
to them shining in God's glory beside Moses and Elijah—the Law and
the Prophets. With Moses the Law and Elijah the Prophet, Jesus the
Christ stands before his disciples wholly changed, brilliantly
radiating a glory that only God Himself can impart. The disciples—as
they usually do—misunderstand this moment and offer to build
shrines for worship on the mountain. Their ignorance manifests as a
dark cloud and from that cloud a voice rings out, “This is my
chosen Son; listen to him.” The light we seek is the Chosen Son.
And our ignorance is relieved when we listen to the Word he speaks.
But before we can listen, we must come to accept that we are not
listening. Lent is our time before Easter to enter the dark cloud and
confess our disobedience, our failure to listen.
For
centuries, the image of the dark cloud, the menacing shadow has stood
as a sign of human ignorance of the divine. Traditional monastic
spirituality—the three-fold path of purgation, illumination, and
unification—is designed to lead the willing soul through obstacles
and temptations and on to the purity that union with God promises.
More than anything, however, the dark cloud expresses the
individual's view of his/her spiritual condition. Bereft of light,
solitary, struggling with sin, abandoned by God, and despairing of
hope. This is the Dark Night that St John of the Cross says we must
spend before the enlightenment. This is the desert—stripped of all
consolation and exposed to the Enemy—the 40 day surrender of Christ
to his wilderness. It is silence. With no one to listen to but the
Enemy lying to us, tempting us away from the light with treasures
that have never been his to give. No one who has ever called on the
name of Jesus has failed to fall into darkness, failed to enter a
cloud, a shadow. Once you have seen the light, its absence is just
that much brighter and your longing to see it again just that much
stronger. So, your Lenten cloud is not the enemy; your Lenten shadow
is not a hiding place for temptation. They prepare you for the Great
Light of Easter!
When
Abram emerges from the “terrifying darkness [that] envelope[s]
him,” God seals the first covenant with fire and grants to him
descendents as countless as the stars. When Peter, James, and John
emerge from their dark cloud on the mountain, a voice from heaven
declares, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” Having emerged
from the other side of their darkness, these faithful men find
waiting for them revelations of the divine beyond their imagining.
Abram becomes the father of God's chosen people. The disciples become
preachers of God's Good News to sinners. Beyond the dark clouds of
their human ignorance, these men find their calling, their mission.
They find in obedience to God their purpose, their holiness. They are
gifted with all that they need to accomplish all that God has asked
of them. And so are we. Holiness is not impossible. Living truly
righteous lives as followers of Christ is not a ridiculous goal, nor
some sort of improbable dream. Abram and the disciples emerge from
their darkness by God's will, freely receive their gifts, and then
work furiously to finish the job God has given them to do. Their
holiness would be impossible if they labored alone in pride, alone in
ignorance and disobedience. But they don't.
And
neither can we. Can you put a name to your shadow, your dark cloud?
What don't you know about your faith that's keeping you from growing
in holiness? What or who is holding you back, submerged in darkness,
away from Christ's light? Just like Jesus went into the wilderness
for 40 days to be tempted by the Enemy, so we too enter our 40 days
in the desert to expose ourselves to the worst the Enemy has to offer
us. Fasting, praying, giving alms—all of these highlight in turn a
portion of our ignorance. Do you know and accept that you are
completely dependent on God for everything you have and everything
you are? Do you know and accept that God has no need of your prayer
and that prayer is meant to bring you humility in gratitude? Do you
know and accept that nothing you have and nothing you are belongs to
you, and that your generosity (or lack thereof) is a sign of your
fidelity to the baptism that made you an heir to the Kingdom? Do you
know and accept that all that you know of God and His will for you is
a gift, wholly, freely given to you so that you might use this gift
to grow closer and closer to Him? If you can name your shadow, your
cloud, name what it is that holds you back, do so. And see yourself
freed.
Is
it right to think of Lent as a 40 day long darkness? A 40 day long
shadow looming over our efforts to grow in holiness? Yes, it is; if
we think of the darkness as a wake up call to examine our ignorance
of God and His will for us. On this second Sunday of Lent, we are
confronted by cloud, shadow, and darkness but there is nothing for us
to fear. Abram and the disciples emerge from their dark clouds to
receive a revelation. And will we. Why is Lent dark; why is it cast
in shadow? Because the future light Easter shines back on us,
exposing our flaws and failures and urging us to name them, confess
them, and see them dispelled for Christ's sake. We are not God. So
all that we know about Him and His will for us is His gift to us.
That truth is the foundation stone for a beautiful life built with
the tools of sacrificial love and unconditional mercy. We have
another few weeks to examine our darkness before the Easter light
dawns. Prepare yourself to step up to Christ's empty tomb and receive
a revelation; prepare yourself to receive every good gift you will
need to flourish as a servant for the least among his children. When
Christ speaks to you, listen to him and be freed.
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