Homilies

February 1, 2008
Friday of the 3rd Week of Ordinary Time
2 Samuel 11:1-4, 5-10, 13-17; Mark 4:26-34
Fr. Jerome Machar, OCSO

Qoheleth penned these familiar lines. "There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to rebuild; a time to cry, and a time to laugh; a time to lament, and a time to dance; a time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to shun embraces; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to rip, and a time to mend; a time to be silent, and a time to talk; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time to wage war, and a time to make peace" (Qo. 3:1-8).

The object of the spiritual journey is to become aware of the seasons of the soul. Four years before his death, Saint Augustine spoke these words to the people of his diocese. "We are all mortal, but no individual can be sure of his last day in this life. In any case, in childhood we hope to reach adolescence, in adolescence we aspire toward adulthood, in adulthood toward middle age and in middle age we look to reaching old age. We are never sure we will get there, but that is our hope. Old age, however, is not followed by another stage of life toward which we can aspire; its duration is unknown. I arrived in this city in the vigor of my life, but now my youth has gone and I am an old man" (Ep. 213,1).

The author of the Second Book of Samuel notes that the time for fighting had come and King David found himself embroiled in a struggle of another sort. The enemy that he grappled with was his youthful desires and unchecked passions. David learned that the military enemy was more predictable than the spiritual one that besieged his heart and soul. David betrayed the trust of a man who was faithful to him and then to conceal his sin brought about the death of that innocent man.

During this time of combat, the great king did not know his real adversary and consequently he brought about the death of a man whose only crime was that he remained faithful to the vows he made to the Lord. Remember the words God addressed to Cain. "Why are you so resentful and crestfallen?If your heart is pure, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon crouching at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master" (Gen 4:6-7). In a few days we will be entering into the sacred season of lent, a time for us to plant the seeds of virtue and to uproot the plant of sin from our lives.

During the days of Lent we will be afforded the leisure of pondering our lives and considering who we are. Like the king, we will find ourselves to be hostages of our passions. Often we act before we even think about what we are doing. The next thing we know, life has started controlling us and we begin to sink deeper and deeper into hopelessness and despair. We are afforded the season of lent to assess how deep into the quagmire we have sunk. In order to be set free we must first admit that we are trapped. Though we are in chains, Christ can set us free. Though we have grown old in sin, Christ is ever young. Saint Augustine preached these words to the congregation that filled his cathedral. "Don't refuse to be young again united with Christ, even in an old world. He tells you: Do not fear, your youth will be renewed like the eagle's youth" (cf. Serm. 81,8).

In the days that lay ahead let us entrust ourselves to the living Christ and find in Him the way to life. Julian of Norwich shares this insight.  "Sin is necessary, but all will be well, and all will be well, and every kind of thing will be well. In this naked word 'sin', our Lord brought generally to my mind all which is not good, and the shameful contempt and the direct tribulation which he endured for us in this life, and his death and all his pains, and the passions, spiritual and bodily, of all his creatures . . . and yet this was shown to me in an instant and it quickly turned into consolation" (Showings (long text)). May the Lord free us from all of our sins and bring us to everlasting life.