5th Sunday Ordinary Time Cycle C February 7, 2010
Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8 1Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-
11
With this being Super Bowl weekend, we have Super Bowl homily #4. I
know how many years I’ve been ordained a priest based on what number
Super Bowl homily is given each year. And this year’s Super Bowl homily
incorporates the Gospels of the past five Sundays, starting with Baptism of
the Lord.
Just as Jesus’ Baptism by John in the Jordan started the game of his
ministry, our preparation for the Super Bowl of life begins with our own
baptism. Baptism prepares us for “the game.” For the many ways that our
faith in Jesus Christ is meant to transform the world. All these football
players down in Miami are preparing this week for hopefully making a play
that will transform the game itself and work in favor of their team. That’s the
capacity of our baptism. We constantly have the ability to transform our
world; as individuals and as a community.
As the 1st quarter begins, we go back to the Gospel that was read the week
after Jesus’ Baptism, the Wedding at Cana. What happens at the Wedding at
Cana is the first of many plays that Jesus performs. Plays that have, and
continue to, transform humanity from the old ways of the law to the new
ways of grace. When Jesus turned the water into wine, the first big play of
his Super Bowl ministry occurred. It opened the floodgates for countless
great plays during his ministry. The 1st quarter is important for us by way of
reflecting on the question, “What was the first big Christian act in our lives
that opened the floodgates for God’s grace to take hold?” What was the act,
or where did some conversion take place in our lives that let us loose, so to
speak, that leads us to play the rest of this game with dedication and hard
work? Answering that question means we play the 1st quarter well. We get
off to a good start.
As this Super Bowl moves into the 2nd quarter, we move into the Gospel
from a couple weeks ago. The Gospel where Jesus went back home to
Nazareth, into the synagogue, read from the scroll of Isaiah that said “The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me, to bring glad tidings
to the poor.” Then sat back down, and spoke the words for all to hear, “That’
s me! Those words define me!”
Bringing the 1st quarter of this Super Bowl into the 2nd quarter, it’s through
the first good act, that first miracle in our lives, that we come to better
understand our purpose. We begin to open up a lead in this game when we
open up Scripture, read it, and say “That’s me!” “That’s me” who is willing
to love and forgive. “That’s me” who extends a helping hand and shows
mercy. By identifying ourselves as Christian, and making that word the first
model in our lives –and not Republican or Democrat; this is not our first
identity – then we open a spiritual lead on the evil forces of the opposing
team. That’s a good place to be at halftime.
Halftime is like a prayerful, spiritual retreat. It’s something we all need,
whether it’s for one day, three days, or five days, we all need a halftime to
reassess our lives.
As the 3rd quarter begins, we bring in last week’s Gospel where the people
of Nazareth drove Jesus out of the town, to the edge of a hill, to hurl him
headlong over the crest. But what happened instead, Jesus walked through
the midst of the angry mob unharmed. His hour had not yet
come.
The 3rd quarter in the Super Bowl of life is about embracing the truth that as
Jesus had some form of divine protection in the midst of the angry mob,
allowing him to escape unharmed, so we also are given divine protection
for our soul, and sometimes for the body, so that we also may escape
spiritually unscathed through the difficulties of life, even to the point of
death itself. The 3rd quarter of the Super Bowl of life is a crucial 15 minutes.
For those with faith, we welcome the word “Emmanuel” into our lives like
never before; “God is with us.” And with that truth, we march into the 4th
quarter.
This week’s Gospel is about, first, winning the Super Bowl, and secondly,
about eagerness.
At Jesus’ instruction, the Apostles throw their nets into the deep water after
catching nothing all night. Peter’s reaction is “Lord, we’ve tried this for
hours now and there’s nothing out there. The lake is empty!” But in their
listening to Jesus, they win the lottery. Yes, they win the Powerball. They
win the million dollar scratch ticket. They pull in so many fish that their nets
are breaking. Such is the abundance and winning flavor of Christ. This
scene on the lake is an image of the resurrection; by listening to Jesus and
following his instructions, the disciples reach the pinnacle of their fishing
skills. Their intake of fish is so abundant that they can’t explain how it
happened. Instead, what they experience is intense joy and amazement at
the abundant catch.
Except for Peter, that is. Peter gives us a reaction for the times we question
our trust in God’s divine protection; “Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful
man.” And just as he does for us, Jesus accepts Peter’s confession. But he
doesn’t depart from him. Rather, he embraces. He accepts. He
forgives.
Thus, Peter and the rest of the team are eager to win this Super Bowl by
leaving everything behind and following Jesus. That’s where this game is
won. In the commitment to follow Jesus, all the way to
heaven.
And that’s where we win the lottery; in leaving everything behind.
Everything that can prevent us from following Christ. But bringing
everything with us, especially all the virtues, that ensures this victory is for
good.
And the prize? A Super Bowl ring. A Super Bowl ring that slides not only on
the hand, but covers the whole body. A Super Bowl ring called
resurrection.