Every time we watch television we are bombarded by commercial slogans. During this next week as we approach the November 4th election day, we will be swamped by political slogans. So, my question for today is about slogans. But not commercial slogans, nor political ones. Rather, it is about religious slogans. My question is this: What religious slogan do you carry with you right now in your pocket or wallet or purse? That’s right – “In God We Trust.” Those words, “In God We Trust,” are found on every US coin or bill in your possession right now, from a penny up through a hundred-dollar bill. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and look.
“In God We Trust” is what today’s readings are about. Actually, the more common word we heard is “faith” rather than “trust.” But they mean the same thing, really. In English, the word “faith” is only a noun, never a verb. We cannot say we are “to faith” in God. Instead we say we are “to trust” in God. But having faith in God, is to have trust in God. When you trust someone, you stand by the person. You are loyal to that friend. You believe your friend has your best interests at heart. You believe your friend will do you no harm. You believe your friend will be there to help you when you need help. You believe your friend will save you when you need saving.
In today’s readings, we heard stories of faith, of trust. In our first reading from the prophet Jeremiah, we heard him encourage the captive Israelites to have faith. They were being held as hostages in Babylon. But Jeremiah was telling them they were “to shout with joy.” They were to “exult” and “proclaim (their) praise.” He goes on to say, “The lord has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them back from the land of the north; I will gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and the lame in their midst, the mothers and those with child; they shall return as an immense throng. They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them; I will lead them to brooks of water, on a level road, so that none shall stumble.” Yes, Jeremiah was telling his people to trust in the Lord God, who is about to deliver them from captivity. A second Exodus is about to begin. Have faith in the Lord God.
In our gospel reading we heard the story of Jesus meeting with the blind beggar, Bartimaeus, outside of Jericho. Of how Jesus said to him, “Your faith has healed you.” How did Jesus know this blind beggar had faith in him and in the Lord God? How did Bartimaeus show he trusted that Jesus would, indeed, cure his blindness? Well, think for a moment about what Bartimaeus probably had to endure every day of his life. He probably sat there at the gateway leading into the walled city of Jericho. He was a beggar. He held out his hand to all those who entered or left the city. Since the gates were closed at night for protection, most people would enter or leave very early in the morning. So, poor Bartimaeus slept there at the city gate every night, waiting for the gates to be opened and for compassionate people to walk by. And as he slept there, all he had to protect himself was the worn cloak he wrapped tightly around him as the night chill came upon him.
But that morning, when Jesus was leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus heard the hubbub around him. He asked the crowd what was happening and was told the miracle worker from Nazareth was leaving the city to go to Jerusalem. So Bartimaeus called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” And when the crowds told him to stop, he called out even louder: “Son of David, have pity on me.” Then Jesus stopped and called Bartimaeus to come to him. And what did this blind beggar do? Mark writes: “He threw aside his cloak, jumped up and came to Jesus.”
“He threw aside his cloak.” He threw aside the garment that had protected him, had given him security and held in some of the warmth during the cold night. The man who was blind, who, once he threw away his protecting garment, would never be able to recover it, since he could not see where it had fallen. That blind man gave up his security and went to Jesus, trusting Jesus would cure his blindness and he would have no need for his beggar’s cloak ever again.
Jesus recognized Bartimaeus’ courage and faith as the blind beggar stood before him. And so, Jesus said: “Be on your way! Your faith has healed you.” Bartimaeus was willing to give up the security of his past life in order to gain sight for his future life. Mark writes: “immediately he received his sight and started to follow him up the road.” Up the road from Jericho to Jerusalem, where Jesus would suffer, die, be buried and rise again. Bartimaeus was to follow him from his old life into a new life.
Life. This weekend our bishop has asked us to celebrate “Respect Life Sunday.” Life which begins with conception and continues beyond our known death, a life everlasting. We celebrate not merely a life of our body, but also, a life of our soul, our soul that is a bit of God within us, within each and every human being.
At conception we have a joining of the DNA given by our human parents with the divinity given by our heavenly Father. At conception, we celebrate the joining of the body and the soul that makes up every human being created in the image and likeness of God. It is for this reason abortion is wrong, because it brings to an abrupt end this joining of parental DNA with parental divinity.
It is for this reason that murder is wrong, because it brings about a premature separation of body and soul. Natural death occurs when God chooses the time for this separation, for this return of the soul to the Father who gave it to each person created in his image and likeness.
Abortion, suicide – whether alone or assisted – any violent death – whether by war or by humanly determined capital punishment – are attempts by human creatures to assume the power of the creator in determining when the earthly DNA of the body should be separated from the divinity of the soul.
Next Sunday is November 2nd, a day of celebration for All Souls, for all of the manifestations of divinity imparted to human bodies over thousands of years of life. Next Sunday, we celebrate God’s gift of divine life in us. This Sunday, in preparation, we celebrate the joining of body and soul in the gift of human life in “Respect Life Sunday.” We celebrate our faith, our trust, in the God who gives us life, today, and life everlasting.
However, it is up to each one of us to demonstrate our faith and our trust by putting aside past securities, those garments we have judged we needed to protect us, to warm us, to give us comfort, so that we, too, can see with new eyes and follow Jesus down the road to a resurrected life. It is up to each one of us to determine exactly what garments, what things, what actions, what bits of security we now wear that must be thrown aside in order to see the Christ who stands before us and whom we must follow up the road.
It is not enough for us to carry in our pocket a slogan that says, “In God We Trust.” Rather, we are called to carry these words as a way of life, written on our hearts. Not only today, but every day, is a day to respect life, to trust in God, and to hear his words: “Be on your way! Your faith has healed you.”
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time; October 26, 1997 (Respect Life Sunday)
Jer 31: 7-9; Heb 5: 1-6; Mk 10: 46-52