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Greetings, SBT Readers:
The word "abomination" is not a word in common use, but it occurs in our first reading and throughout English translations of the bible. The very sound of this word conjures up its meaning: vile, evil, loathsome, detestable, horrific, repugnant, disgusting, sacrilegious...
Events that are "abominations" leave us speechless, shocked, unable to process the enormity of what has happened. What took place in Israel on October 7th, 2023 was an abomination; what is happening in Gaza on a daily basis provides us with a string of abominations, as for example, the recent massacre of Palestinians waiting in line for food in Gaza City. Sadly, while the word "abomination" may seem archaic, the horror it connotes is not-- Russia's invasion of Ukraine, for example, or the repression of women and protesters in Iran, or yet another kidnapping of nearly three hundred Nigerian school children...
For Christians, the greatest abomination was the Crucifixion, the ultimate humiliation, "a stumbling block to Jews, and an absurdity to Gentiles" (1 Cor 1:23). Historically speaking, this was a single, "one time" event; mystically speaking, Jesus is crucified, pierced by pain, not once but in generation after generation, wherever there are crimes against humanity, wherever there is oppression, wherever people suffer. If we want to see the Christ, all we have to do is to look into the eyes of the poor and afflicted...
Lenten Blessings!
Elizabeth
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SUNDAY REFLECTION
Link to Scrutiny Readings, YEAR A
Link to Sunday Readings, YEAR B
"And this is the verdict,
that the Light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to Light,
because their works were evil.
For all who do wicked things hate the Light
and do not come toward the Light,
so that their works might not be exposed.
But those who live the Truth come to the Light,
so their works may be clearly seen as done in God.
Jn 3: 14-21
The Babylonian Captivity is a powerful reminder of the "wages of sin." Our first reading tells us that all the princes of Judah, the priests and the people "added infidelity to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of the nations and polluting the LORD’s temple
which he had consecrated in Jerusalem" (2 Chron. 36:14). God had made the following promise to Solomon:"I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name be there forever; my eyes and my heart shall be there always" (2 Chron. 7:16). Nevertheless, king after king rebelled against God, entrusting themselves to foreign powers, committing murder, defying God by engaging in warfare, creating golden calves, fashioning poles and pillars to honor idols, sacrificing children to Baal, defiling the temple... 2 Chronicles reads like an epic novel filled with a cast of evil characters who either sinned, suffered and repented, finally submitting to God's loving forgiveness, or who sinned, suffered and didn't repent, always with tragic consequences. Finally, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, attacked Jerusalem, deported King Jehoiachin and all the people (except the poor) to Babylon, and carried off the treasures of the Temple...
This sordid history says much about the human condition. The princes, priests and people walked in darkness, turning away from God, indulging in the "abominations" listed above. They preferred lies to Truth, mocked and persecuted the prophets, and deified the "Three P's"-- pleasure, profit and power! Though we could blame this saga on failed leadership, yet it would seem that the text chronicles what we would name today as "systemic" evil: the long line of errant kings was propped up by both priests and people, while those who challenged them to act with justice ended up in the stocks, or cast into cisterns, or even stoned to death.
Systemic evil happens when a society accepts evil deeds and attitudes as normative and when those who challenge the status quo pay the price with their careers, their safety and even their lives. Historically speaking, we can look at slavery, colonialism and Nazi Aryanism as examples of systemic evil; today we might name racism, misogyny, human trafficking, corporate greed, global warming, poverty, xenophobia, sweat shops, and the deliberate exclusion of certain populations from the rights and benefits enjoyed by mainstream society. Little shocks us anymore. Like the proverbial frog that adapts to changing water temperatures without realizing that it is being cooked alive, so we adapt to the culture of death, violence and cruelty in which we live -- until, that is, we open our eyes to the reality in which we are living and to which we are contributing, either actively or by our silence.
To "see" on a spiritual level is what sets us free from captivity; when we can "see" the chains that bind us, then they become intolerable. "Seeing," in fact, is the first step towards conversion, that change of heart that drives us to seek God's forgiveness. Sometimes, this involves a long process as in the case of the Baylonian exiles whose return to "God's House" took seventy years and spanned several generations; sometimes, it is a shorter process, as in the case of Nicodemus. Having gone to visit Jesus under cover of night (Jn 3:2), he overcame his fear and spoke out on Jesus' behalf (Jn 7:50-52) and then boldly participated in the burial of Jesus (Jn 19:39).
In Eph. 2:4-10, St. Paul reminds us that God, rich in mercy,
"because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ — by grace you have been saved — raised us up with him." It is in turning to the Risen Christ that we learn to see and that we are restored to fullness of life. God sees us, we see God, and our hearts overflow with love beyond all telling...
Unlike that clueless frog, we are now aware that we can either perish in the pot, or that, with a single death-defying leap, we can escape, with God's grace....
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