July 4 2021
St. Junipero Serra Sunday
Trinity 5
Independence Day
(2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13)
Do you ever wonder if God is giving you a nudge to begin something in your life, but the task seems impossible? Our patron saint for California, Junipero Serra certainly did – but he was successful in many ways, even if a bit controversial to some. So did our founding fathers of our nation – and they too succeeded.
In September 2020, Israel signed diplomatic pacts with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, the first such agreements since Israel’s peace accords with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. Neither of the new deals end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — which many believe is the greatest obstacle to peace in the Middle East — but both appear to be steps in the right direction, even with the past few weeks of unrest.
The pacts were brokered by the United States and dubbed the Abraham Accords in recognition of the biblical Abraham, who is the spiritual ancestor of both Jews and Muslims. The accords normalized relationships between the two Muslim countries and Israel and may have set a precedent for how peace in the Middle East will progress. In fact, Israel and Morocco agreed to normalize their relations in the months following the accords, with the United States recognizing Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara.
The biggest step toward Middle East peace would be to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, but that hasn’t happened, despite the many efforts of skillful, well-intentioned diplomats and others. The Abraham Accords, however, ignored that area and instead focused on how an accord could benefit those nations willing to be involved. Sometimes, doing what is possible is better than bemoaning a larger goal that can’t be achieved at present.
Something like that seems to be going on in today’s Gospel reading. Jesus was visiting his hometown — Nazareth — and when the Sabbath came, he went to the local synagogue and began to teach. His reputation as a miracle worker had likely preceded him, and Jesus’ teaching apparently wasn’t what that congregation was expecting. Yes, there was great wisdom in what he was saying, but who did he think he was? After all, he was a hometown boy, and some in the pews apparently thought he was getting too big for his britches. “And they took offense at him” is what we learn today. On the whole, they had no faith in him, and because of that, “he could do no deed of power there.” Faith on the part of the recipients was necessary for healings and the like, and since that wasn’t evident, the congregation missed out on what Jesus might have done for them.
Remember, what I often say to many, God will not force himself upon you, he wants you to be a willing participant. Of course, that isn’t to say he doesn’t have the power to do so, for he certainly has and sometimes does – he merely wants you to agree to or be open to his miracles. There are times when there are two parties involved in a miracle, and one party is open to God’s grace, while the other is not. God could very well work a miracle for the accepting recipient and the other will be somehow be affected by it, but indirectly – vicariously. I suppose this can be viewed as a paradox.
Mark makes this comment while narrating the story: “And [Jesus] could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.” So, there must have been at least a few individuals present with enough faith to receive his help. We see the linkage to the Abraham Accords in Mark’s comment. When it turned out that Jesus could not accomplish in Nazareth what he had set out to do — what he was willing to do — he did what was possible, what the circumstances would allow, and healed a few sick people. He could have forced his miracles on them, but they still would not have accepted him, so there was no point.
What can we take from this? Sometimes, doing what is possible is better than giving up if solving the larger problem is beyond reach.
We know of no Bible verse that commands, “Do what is possible.” In fact, when the Bible uses the word “possible,” it is sometimes to contrast what God can do versus what human beings cannot do, such as in Luke 18:27, where Jesus said, “What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.”
Nonetheless, there is an underlying theme in Scripture advocating and praising effort, diligence, perseverance and “bearing fruit,” which points us toward doing what is possible in the realm of good works, healing, peacemaking and other virtuous undertakings.
There is also Mark’s account of the woman who intruded into the house of Simon the Leper, where Jesus was a guest, and anointed Jesus’ head with costly ointment. She was soundly criticized by some of those at the table for the extravagant “waste” of the ointment. But in her defense, Jesus (knowing he was soon to die) said: “She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial” (Mark 14:8), suggesting that she had accomplished what was possible.
Saint Francis of Assisi once advised, “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” In some difficult circumstances, the possible may be all that’s ever accomplished, but doing it can still be a godly thing. And Francis’ statement does suggest that there’s a momentum that may be unleashed by doing the necessary and the possible, and that it may carry over regarding the more difficult.
How can we apply this “do-what’s-possible” principle?
One place might be when you have offended someone, and that person has rebuffed your attempts to make amends. While the offended individual may remain intransigent, others who were less directly affected by your offense may be open to giving you another chance or putting the matter behind them. So, do what’s possible and make peace with them. Turning the other cheek sometimes means forgiveness and accept the amends being offered.
Another place might be in gift giving, where you have the “perfect” gift in mind for a loved one, only to find out that it’s no longer available or is beyond your reach budget-wise. What’s still possible, however, is some other genuine expression of your affection for that person (which may mean more than the gift anyway).
Kitty Harris, director of the Center for the Study of Addiction and Recovery at Texas Tech University, gives us another application of this principle from her journey to recovery from alcohol addiction: “As we begin the journey of recovery, we are capable of doing only the necessary. We don’t drink and we go to meetings and we live our lives in hourly increments. Slowly, as hours turn into days and days into months, the fog lifts and we begin to recall our forsaken dreams and goals. One day we realize it might be possible for us to achieve what we abandoned. As our dreams are reclaimed, we become the people we were intended to be and suddenly we realize we are doing the impossible. That is the story of my recovery …”
This principle also applies to projects or missions you may be feeling called by God to undertake, but seem impossible to you (I feel this way frequently as I have too many irons in the fire sometimes). Doing some part of the project that is possible is likely to give you an indication regarding whether you are really feeling the call of God or only entertaining an idea of your own.
A larger point behind this “do-what’s-possible” principle is that Christianity is not just a set of beliefs, but also a set of practices (think, for example, of the golden rule, the Sermon on the Mount and the Ten Commandments). Religion writer Karen Armstrong puts it this way: “Religion is not about accepting 20 impossible propositions before breakfast, but about doing things that change you. It’s a moral aesthetic, an ethical alchemy. If you behave a certain way you will be transformed.”
Thus, doing what is possible puts us in a position where God will transform us from people who think real change is impossible, to people who are doing the work of God — even when it looks like the odds are against achieving anything.
In that Nazareth synagogue, Jesus “could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.” More would have been possible if others had some faith, but Jesus did what he could, and it meant the world to those few sick people who were cured. And for them, it was the will of God the Father being done by God the Son.
Let us pray.
In today’s Gospel we read how Jesus was rejected as a prophet in his own town, by those who knew him as the carpenter’s son. We pray that we, who through our baptism are brothers and sisters with Christ, remain faithful to him and grow daily in faith nourished by the Word of God and his gift of the Bread of life. We pray to the Lord.
As we reflect on today’s Gospel, we pray that, in our own lives, we do not allow familiarity to breed contempt for others and that we treat all God’s children with love, honesty and respect. We pray to the Lord.
We pray for those who reject Christ, his Gospel and his Church that they may understand that Jesus requires just one commitment from us, that we love one another and our neighbor as ourselves. We pray to the Lord.
That the Lord will bless our nation as we celebrate Independence Day, and that we will remain always grateful for the freedom we have as a country. We pray to the Lord.
For the men and women in our military at home and abroad, and for all the public safety personnel who serve our nation; that they be kept safe and rewarded for their generosity and sacrifice. We pray to the Lord.
For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. We pray to the Lord.
For those burdened by poverty, hardship, oppression, and persecution; that God will rescue them and lift them up. We pray to the Lord.
For those on our parish prayer list, that they may receive swift answers to their needs and that they may find consolation through Christ’s healing presence. We pray to the Lord.
We bow our heads and remember in silence our own personal intentions and the intentions of those who have asked for our prayers (pause). We pray to the Lord.
Father God, you created all the eye can see – the entire universe and cosmos – and we, yet part of the same creation, we do not welcome you into our lives and world. We often to not let you work miracles even though we so desperately need them! Use your divine power, we pray, to open our hard hearts to let you in and to listen to all you would have us know.
O God, you call us into agreement with one another. You urge us to end the divisions among us. How is this even possible? With fists clenched and jaws set, we grip tightly our perspectives and opinions, ready for battle with any who would challenge us.
We worship the god of Being Right. Desperate to belong somewhere, we claim allegiance to tribes of our own making — tribes of doctrine, of politics, of social location. Our quarrels reach your ears, and even as we stammer out our excuses, we know it is not your way.
Your way is excellent. Your way is relationship, discipleship, neighborliness, servanthood. Your way transcends the dim truths we might fashion from earthly assets. And your way seems impossible for us to imagine.
Help us to imagine it, O God, as we come to the table. Let the fellowship we have while at table continue when we leave the table. Help us to imagine sitting down together and breaking bread. Let the magnanimity we feel and express there go with us as we leave the table.
Imagine it for us, gracious God. Imagine it within us. Show us how to drop the nets, filled with our meager catch, which we clutch to ourselves, our paltry security, our self-made identity. Teach us to share. You have a better identity in mind for us. Make us into your fishers of people. Or perhaps we must simply allow ourselves to be caught by you first. Let us be one community, a tangle of faults and foibles, yet held in your net of grace. This is your way. We long for it, too. Amen.
God Love You +++
The Most Rev. Robert Winzens
Pastor – St. Francis Chapel
San Diego, CA
We at St. Francis appreciate all of you who keep our ministry alive through your prayers and donations. There is much ministry to do, with ever so limited resources! Please consider adding St. Francis Chapel as one of your donors! Thank you, and God Bless+++
