RBWords

[1 Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59 and Luke 19:45-48.  These scriptures may vary at Dominican locations.]

   

     These words from the Gospel According to Luke occur after Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem.  We may recall that Luke's portrait of Jesus uses the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem as a kind of organizing principle that extends into the Acts of the Apostles, which could be called "Volume Two."  Once the Holy Spirit comes upon the apostles, the message goes from Jerusalem to the whole world.  Today's passage shows that the country preacher, Jesus, has become a sensation in Jerusalem, not least because of his disruption of business as usual in the temple.  This physical and symbolic act manages to unite a considerable opposition: chief priests, scribes and leaders of the people - very likely including Pharisees.  Luke gleefully reports that these adversaries were frustrated because "all the people were hanging on his words." How many of us preachers wish we could say that!

     How many of us Christians, especially us Catholics, know enough about Jesus' words to "hang on them?"  Luke is challenging his community to know whose words and message they are spreading, and that the persecution they are undergoing is a result of the threat that Jesus' words presents to established powers.  Certainly my Dominican brothers and sisters and other martyrs in Vietnam knew that experience.  I wonder what impact the threat of martyrdom would have on preaching in this country!  (Not that some congregations aren't wishing for it!)  Is there any excitement there for us to share a message that people can "hang onto," - something to motivate us to be "missionaries of mercy."  I'm not going to recommend that anyone go tear up the gift shop at their local parish, but I hope we can all work to improve the quality of preaching, and maybe consider doing some ourselves!  Yes, the established authorities will not be happy about it, but we will be in good company for sure.  AMEN