5th Sunday of Lent: St. Mary of Egypt
Scripture: Mark 10:32-45
Nutshell
Oops!
We probably all remember our middle school (or junior high school) years. Whether we remember them fondly or not probably depends on how well we “fit in.”
Ugh!
Today, James and John are playing the middle school game by using proximity to power to “fit in.” Sharing in Jesus’s glory would allow them to obtain status and recognition.
Aha!
What they didn’t realize was that Christ’s glory is revealed through his crucifixion; his throne is the cross.
The cross is about God’s demonstration of love for us, a love that we are to imitate. It isn’t about “fitting in.”
Whee!
There’s a huge difference between fitting in and true love. Fitting is about changing ourselves so that we can be accepted and win approval.
But, love, on the other hand, is about belonging. It’s about allowing our authentic selves to be deeply seen and known by the world so that we can nurture a connection with others.
In allowing himself to be crucified, Christ presented his vulnerability to us. By giving up his life for our salvation, he fostered a connection with humanity that demonstrated a true love of neighbor.
Yeah!
Recently, our Metropolitan wrote an encyclical entitled, “On the Christian Love of Organ Donation.” In it, he stresses that organ donation is an act of love. It’s not about “fitting in.” Rather it’s about cultivating connection by blessing those around us.
Though we may not all be able to donate organs, we can all find ways to selflessly grow connections that form bonds of love.
Full Text
Oops!
We probably all remember our middle school (or junior high school) years. These years are a critical time in our lives because it’s a time of transition, from childhood to adulthood.
For some, it may have been a time of growth and discovery as you started to come into your own, become proficient at academics, or excel in sports.
For others, it may have an awkward time as you tried to find our way through a new school, discover your particular clique, or find your core beliefs
Whether we remember these years fondly or not probably depends on how well we “fit in.”
Ugh!
Today, James and John are playing the middle school game.
Together, they come to Jesus and ask, “Grant to us that, in your glory, we may sit one on your right and one on your left.”
At this point in Jesus’s ministry, it’s most likely that James and John believed that Jesus was the anointed messiah, though their understanding of what this meant was very different than our understanding.
For them, they believed that Jesus would amass a great following—which he may have already had—and that he become a great general, put together a grand army, and overthrow the Romans, at least those stationed in the Holy Land.
For the Judeans of the time, this would’ve been a great victory that liberated their people, gaining them political independence. It also meant that Jesus could be installed in Jerusalem, properly, as king of all Judea.
And, as we know, anyone installed as king, and powerful enough to overthrow the Romans, would earn glory talked about for ages to come.
As such, James and John were hoping to get in on the ground floor. Get a leg up and reserve those seats next to the king’s throne for themselves. Perhaps, a bit of that glory would encompass them as well.
In other words, they were hoping to use proximity to power to “fit in.” Sharing in Jesus’s glory would allow them to obtain status and recognition. They would, as every middle schooler dreams, become the “cool kids.”
Aha!
What they didn’t realize was that Christ’s glory was not to come about in the way it came about for Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar.
Jesus’s road to glory actually turned the whole process upside-down, because Jesus is revealed to be king through his crucifixion.
His glorious throne? Well, after being mocked, and cloaked in a purple robe, and given a crown made of thorns, he is enthroned when nails are driven through his wrists and feet. The cross is his throne, and the criminals on his right and left are the ones who are seated in glory next to him.
You see, the cross isn’t about “fitting in” to be one of the “cool kids.” It’s about God’s demonstration of love for us, a love that we are to imitate.
Whee!
There’s a huge difference between fitting in and love.
Fitting is about changing ourselves so that we can be accepted and win approval. This requires that we put on false identities and pretend to be someone we aren’t. To fit in, we have become a fake.
But, love, on the other hand, is about belonging. It’s about allowing our authentic selves to be deeply seen and known by the world so that we can nurture a true connection with others.
In order to do this, we have to be vulnerable, because any attempt to hide our vulnerability means keeping a bit of ourselves secret. And, when there’s secrets, it’s hard to make connections and form bonds of love.
Thankfully, Jesus is about love, not fitting in, so, in allowing himself to be crucified, he was vulnerable. Even though the bullies were persecuting him, he still chose vulnerability. In the end, these bullies put him to death.
To outsiders, it seems like love may have lost, but by giving up his life for our salvation, he fostered a connection with humanity that demonstrated a true love of neighbor.
He more than “fit in.” He fostered a connection by empathizing with our humanity. By going through pain, suffering, humiliation, and shame, just as we do, he entered into death. We have a God who knows what it’s like to lose his life.
Christ showed us his authentic self so that he could get to know us better, and allow us to get to know him—to form a bond of love.
Yeah!
Recently, our Metropolitan wrote an encyclical entitled, “On the Christian Love of Organ Donation” (link). In it, he stresses that organ donation is an act of love. It’s not about “fitting in.” Rather it’s about cultivating connection by blessing those around us.
Here’s what he had to say,
Beloved fathers and brethren, Beloved children in the Lord:
With each day of Great Lent, we draw closer to the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who loved us so much that He gave Himself up for us. In this spirit of love and compassion, I wish to address a timely matter of profound significance: the veritable Christian act of organ donation.
As stewards of God’s creation and vessels of His mercy, we are called to reflect His love and selflessness in all our actions, including the freely-chosen decision to donate our bodily organs to save and improve the lives of others.
In the teachings of our Church, we find a rich tapestry of wisdom and guidance that illuminates the Christian virtues inherent in organ donation.
Both the Holy Scriptures and the teachings of the saints emphasize the philanthropic characteristics present in a volunteer organ donor. For example, in the Book of Acts, St. Paul repeats Jesus’ teaching, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35); Jesus sends out His disciples to “heal the sick” (Luke 10:9); and the whole of Jesus’ ministry exhorts us to care for and to love one another, as He has loved us (John 13:34).
The saints’ lives and writings remind us continuously that our life and our neighbor’s life cannot be sharply separated. Saint Paul depicts the members of the Church as a single body, united with each other and with Christ as our head (Rom 12:5, Eph 4:15-16). Saint Anthony the Great taught that, “Our life and our death is with our neighbor” and Saint Makarios of Egypt stated that “only through our neighbor can we be saved.”
Through these principles of our faith, organ donation can be seen as a Christ-like act, a distinct manifestation of love for one’s neighbor—selflessly giving a part of oneself to improve the whole of another. When we freely donate our organs, we proclaim through our actions that ‘our neighbor is our life’ and that, while we are not obligated to donate organs, doing so can be a life-giving—not only biologically for the recipient, but also spiritually for the donor.
April is National Donate Life Month, a time of year that emphasizes the importance of registering the decision to be a donor, honoring deceased and living donors, and celebrating the lives saved.
As we look ahead to the Resurrection with yearning in Christ, I pray that you embrace the timeliness of National Donate Life Month and the Paschal season of renewal. I pray that you reflect on giving the gift of life to others – people we may not know and may never meet – in one of the most authentic expressions of Christian love. And, should you seek the gift of life from another, I pray that the Holy Spirit be with you and that your hopes are buoyed by a shared love in Christ.
With paternal blessings and love in the Risen Lord,
Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago
Though we may not all be able to donate organs, we can all find ways to selflessly grow connections that form bonds of love.
We are all called to live our best lives by authentically allowing ourselves to be just a bit vulnerable.
Who knows what sorts of bonds of love we may form. We may even save a life!
Amen.