Homily for October 18, 2009

Father Tom’s Homily
29th Sunday
October 18, 2009

Our gospel storyteller this year has been Mark. His stories tell about Jesus’ ministry of teaching and healing as he moves about the countryside of Galilee, mostly in the towns around the Sea of Galilee.
Then in chapter 8 Jesus takes his apostles northeast up to Caesarea Philippi, a journey about the distance from here to Danville. Not direct as if traveling on an interstate, but meandering along the footpaths from village to village.

Caesarea Phillipi is in the area now called the Golan Heights. Then, from there, Jesus begins a long walk south to Jerusalem – this a journey in length about the distance from here to Peoria, here again not a direct route, but following the trails used by the people for centuries.
Chapters 8, 9, and 10 offer an account of Jesus’ journey from Caesarea Philippi to Jerusalem where he will be crucified and after three days will rise from the dead.
Jesus uses this journey as a time to teach his apostles as they walk together. The road is their classroom. He shows his closest followers how they must follow him. For us who read this part of Mark’s gospel, it is a catechism on discipleship. It is meant to teach us what it means to be a true follower of Jesus.

In chapter 8, before they start the long walk, Jesus remarks about the slowness of his apostles to understand what he is teaching them. He says: “Have you eyes that don’t see and ears that don’t hear?”
Following that question, Jesus cures a man of blindness. That’s how the journey to Jerusalem begins. The final episode of that journey is the curing of another blind man in Jericho.
During this journey, Jesus seems highly critical of his followers. But it is a lesson not only for the apostles but to all his disciples who tend to be blind to way of true discipleship. The curing of blindness at the beginning and again at the end of the journey teaches us that such blindness can be cured only by faith in Jesus.

Today’s gospel reading is taken from the 10th chapter of Mark’s gospel, at the end of the long walk, just before the final encounter with the blind man at Jericho.
Today’s lesson is that if you wish to imitate the Master you must serve one another. He says, “The Son of Man has not come to be served, but to serve.”

In this final segment of the teaching journey, Jesus attacks the deeply ingrained cultural attitude of patriarchy. Patriarchy is the system that demands that men dominate women and children because men are superior.
The patriarchal attitude seems to be one of the major reasons for the apostles’ blindness.

Certainly they are shocked that Jesus says, “Unless you become as little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” (beginning of chapter 10 read two weeks ago)
They are astonished at Jesus’ words in today’s gospel, “Whoever wishes to be great among you must serve the rest.”
“Serve?” they must think. Why that’s women’s work.

In Mark’s gospel, while Jesus is attempting to teach the men what it means to be a disciple, we can notice in the background women engaged in the service of others.
For example, in chapter one, in Peter’s house in Capernaum where Jesus is living, Peter’s mother-in-law is in bed sick with a fever. Jesus goes to her bedside and takes her hand. “The fever left her and she began to wait on them.”
In chapter 15, Mark notes that several women witnessed the crucifixion. It says, “These were his followers who looked after him in Galilee. They had come to Jerusalem with him.”

While the men disciples were up front arguing about who was the most important (today’s gospel), the women disciples were in the background fixing their next meal.
Examples of Jesus’ teaching about the disciple’s calling to serve one another was going on in the background. Typically, everyday acts of service was a women’s work.
Jesus emphasizes this lesson of service at the Last Supper when he puts on an apron and kneels down to wash the feet of the disciples. That was the work of a woman slave.

The disparity of Mark’s portrait of the men and women disciples is intensified at the crucifixion. The men desert Jesus, the women stay with him as he dies on the cross.
It is fitting, then, that the first witnesses of the resurrection are the women disciples.

The patriarchal instinct dies hard. It is the guy’s way of thinking.
Guy clergy often think this way. Some church leaders expect to be sitting at the head of the table being waited on by the women who serve the banquet.
Often the hierarchy have the life style and titles of royalty instead of servants. Before Vatican II, cardinals wore robes that had trains that required a pageboy to carry. Vatican II hemmed their robes.

Some bishops are not blinded, however, by their titles. They show a sensitivity to today’s gospel lesson.
One that comes to mind was Bishop Kenneth Untener of Saginaw, Michigan. He died a few years ago. But usually at diocesan and parish dinners, he would go from table to table serving coffee or other menu items.
He would introduce himself, “My name is Ken, and I will be your waiter this evening.”

At his installation as bishop of a rural diocese in Brazil, Pedro Casaldaliga used a walking stick instead of the bejeweled crozier and a campesino’s straw hat instead of the bishop’s miter.
Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador was the voice of the poor and oppressed, in spite of the great risk. His discipleship of service cost him his life.
Untener, Casadaliga and Romero are examples of leaders who embrace the role of the servant.

In the manner of James and John in today’s gospel reading, we begin many of our prayers with a request, “Master, we have a favor to ask of you.”
It is proper that we pray for what we need. Today’s second reading tells us, “Let us confidently approach God to find help in time of need.”
But instead of praying for a place of honor, the disciple should pray like the blind man at Jericho, “Lord, that I may see.”
That we may see what it means to follow Jesus.