Second Sunday of Lent (Genesis 22:1-19) “Out of the Silence”
Second Sunday of Lent (Genesis 22:1-19) “Out of the Silence”
Believers in God seem a little crazy to non-believers. Abraham is the father of all Jewish, Christian and Muslim believers. We know more about his personality than most Biblical characters. He seems strange in the story we read from the Book of Genesis today.
Many things are striking about the story. One thing is the lack of detail. We have a matter-of-fact account. Abraham is asked to sacrifice his son. When he’s told to do this by God, he loads up his donkey for the sacrifice. He heads for the mountain. Abraham doesn’t argue with God.
From what we know of Abraham, we would have to say this wasn’t like him. We remember how Abraham doubted that he would be the father of a great nation. He disagrees with God about that. At one point (Gn. 17:17) Abraham laughs at God when the Lord tells him he will have a son. We also remember how Abraham bargains with God (Gn. 18:16) as he tries to save Sodom. Yes, Abraham wasn’t shy about debating with God but when it comes to saving his own son, he says nothing. We aren’t even told what he is thinking.
Isaac is silent as well. He sits down on the pyre without a fight. He seems willing to lay down his life. We detect no fear. We are left with the challenge of trying to make sense of all this. Is this the God of love we ask?
The church pairs this story with the account of the Transfiguration. We might forget the transfiguration happens right after the prediction of Jesus’ passion in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus tells his disciples that he is a suffering servant. If they are going to follow him, they will be as well.
We are left in both stories with intervention by God. “Do not lay your hand on the boy,” the angel says to Abraham. And the Apostles hear God say, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” The story of two beloved Sons, one of whom is spared from death, the other one who dies on a cross seem weird. Is this the God we believe in? What is pleasing to God? Perhaps it is the total selflessness of the main characters in these narratives. The fact is that these stories have inspired people of conscience throughout the centuries.
The past week the death of Alexei Navalny was announced by the Russian government. We remember that he was the main political rival of President Putin. He was imprisoned in a Gulog north of the Artic circle. He died mysteriously like everyone who stands up against Putin. We might never know how he died.
Stories of Navalny’s Christian faith have been recounted this week. Most of the people who resist Putin are atheist. Why? Perhaps it’s because Putin claims to be Christian. If churches support Putin, they reap benefits so Christian churches most often keep quiet. Alexei Navalny was an Atheist until recently. During the last few years, he has suffered heroically. He also has had a conversion. His experiences brought about a change of heart.
In court documents as well as letters to friends he made remarks that showed that he had come to embrace the Christian message. We would have to say that he found the pearl of great price, an authentic Christianity. He wrote to one friend during Lent, “Where else should I spend Holy Week than here.” Later he wrote, “Next year Jerusalem,” which is a traditional Passover greeting. He fully realized that his Christian faith set him up for ridicule by allies and enemies.
In the silence of solitary confinement, Navalny came to a profound conclusion. He wrote, “Now I am a believer, and it helps me in a lot of my activities because everything become much, much easier……. because there is a book in which in general, it is clearly written what action to take in every situation. It’s not always easy to follow, but I am actually trying, as I said, it’s easier for me than for many others to engage in politics now.”
One commentor observed this week, “Mr. Navalny was prepared to lay down his life for something he believed in, even if by his own admission, all he might gain from it in this world is “the consolation of living an honest life.” Navalny trusted that God would make all things new.
Reflection Questions:
What does an authentic Christian look like? Who do I look to as an example?
Is living an authentic life our goal? Or is our goal living a safe life?
Dear Parishioners,
My dear friend Fr. Britto Berchmans will be in town. He will be giving a mission in Orion, Illinois. The information about this mission has been in recent bulletins. He will be staying here while he is in the area.
I thought it would be nice to take advantage of his presence. He is a wonderful presenter. His schedule will allow him to make a presentation for us during lunch on Tuesday March 12th. The title of his talk will be, “Mending Fences: A Slow Walk Toward Healing.”
We all have strained relationships in our life. If we can make one difficult relationship better during Lent, this would be a great grace. I would invite everyone to attend this presentation. A simple meal will be provided. We will begin the talk at noon and the session should be over by one. I hope that this will fit into a lot of people’s schedules.
May Our Lady of Peace Pray for Us,
Fr. Mark
P.S. We thank Carolyn Rosenthal for her bequest of $15,000 to Sacred Heart parish. These funds will be used for our general expenses, the memorial fund, the Sacred Heart endowment fund and for Mass stipends. We pray for the repose of Carolyn’s soul. Please remember Sacred Heart in your estate planning.