Change of Diet

4th Sunday in Lent (C) (Laetare Sunday)

Readings: Joshua 5:9-12; Psalm 33(34):2-7; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3,11-32

Picture: cc Steve Jurvetson

My dear friends, do you think it’s possible to be a vegetarian and still eat meat? I think the answer is no, right? It is not possible because, by definition, a vegetarian is one who doesn’t eat meat! Which may explain the current interest in plant-based alternatives to meat. They allow people to enjoy the taste of meat, and still call themselves vegetarians. For we know that to become a vegetarian requires a change of diet.

I mention this, because a change of diet is also what we find in our scriptures today. The first reading invites us to ponder the changes of diet that the Israelites had to undergo, from the food they ate in Egypt, to the manna in the wilderness, and now, to the local produce of the Promised Land. This more literal change of diet in the first reading mirrors a similar spiritual change in the gospel.

When the younger son finally comes to his senses, he resolves to stop feeding on the junk food of self-indulgence. He realises not only that such a diet fails to satisfy, but also that it causes him to treat others badly. So he returns to his father, ready to apologise for his bad behaviour. The older son too, although he may not realise it, is also being invited to give up junk food. Except that his guilty pleasure is self-righteousness. A diet that’s no less deadly, since it clogs his heart with resentment, and robs him of the capacity for joy. 

And it’s helpful for us to remember that the younger son in the parable actually points to the tax collectors and sinners, who were seeking the company of Jesus. Just as the older son refers to the Pharisees and the scribes, who complained. Both these groups of people are being called to give up their respective junk foods of choice, so as to truly enjoy the bountiful feast offered by God in Christ. The feast of reconciliation described in the second reading. Reconciliation with God, with others, and with all of creation. And this is the same feast that we are gathered here at this Mass to enjoy.

And yet, it’s not easy to give up junk food, even when we may know that the alternative is so much better. Just as it’s not easy for some Catholics, who have gotten used to watching a Mass online, to now switch back to worshipping in a church. Which is why we need to pay careful attention to another image in our readings, the image of the appeal. The image of a father, who forgets his own dignity, and rushes out into the fields to plead with his son. The image of a God, who begs us to change our ways, by allowing his Son to hang on a cross for our sins. And we may think also of the many other images – not just in Ukraine and Russia and around the world, but also in our own homes and streets and workplaces – images of people who suffer terribly, because of the self-indulgence and self-righteousness of others.

Sisters and brothers, for reasons of health and conscience, many people are willing to change their diets to become vegetarian. What are we willing to do, to truly enjoy God’s feast of reconciliation, and to share it with others today?

Claiming Our Inheritance

2nd Sunday in Lent (C)

Readings: Genesis 15:5-12,17-18; Psalm 26(27):1,7-9,13-14; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 9:28-36

Picture: cc Ken Mayer

My dear friends, what’s the difference between a will and an inheritance? As you know, if someone leaves me a house in her will, I don’t immediately own the house. No, before I can claim it as my inheritance, several things need to happen first. The most important being that the current owner needs to die. Only then can the will be filed in court, and further steps be taken to transfer the ownership of the house to me.

To be named in a will is not yet to receive an inheritance. This is perhaps what Peter fails to understand in the gospel. After witnessing the Lord’s Transfiguration, he probably has the sense that he is being given a share in an inheritance, such as the inheritance promised to Abram in the first reading. And yet, by seeking to remain on the mountain, Peter shows that he doesn’t appreciate what is actually happening.

He fails to understand that, like a will, the Transfiguration is only the promise of an inheritance. It is not the inheritance itself. For Peter to actually receive his inheritance, several things need to happen first. The most important being that Jesus must go to Calvary, to lay down his life on the Cross. And a second important thing that must happen is that Peter, and all those who wish to claim the inheritance – including all of us – must truly believe that Christ is indeed God’s Chosen One. We must listen to him, and follow in his footsteps.

But if the Transfiguration is only the promise of an inheritance, then in what does the inheritance itself consist? The second reading helps us ponder this question by reminding us not to live only for earthly things, for our homeland is in heaven. Which doesn’t mean that we will be taken out of this material world to some faraway place. For the reading also tells us not only that Christ will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body, but also that he will do so by using the same power with which he can subdue the whole universe. So our inheritance consists not in an escape, but a glorious transformation, not just of our bodies, but also of the whole material universe. Through the Lord’s Dying and Rising, everything will be transfigured. This is the glorious inheritance to which we lay claim when we profess our baptismal vows. The same vows that Lent prepares us to renew.

Even so, despite his lack of understanding, Peter does get one important thing right. For the gospel tells us that though he and his companions were heavy with sleep, they somehow managed to stay awake long enough to see the glory of the Lord. And what about me? In a world darkened by one crisis after another – from the global COVID-19 pandemic to the Russian invasion of Ukraine – am I able to stay sufficiently awake to see and be strengthened by the glory of the Lord shining out in all those heroic front-liners, who sacrifice themselves for the sake of others, as well as those who choose to stand on the side of truth and justice and peace?

Sisters and brothers, in the Transfiguration, our loving Father promises us a glorious inheritance. What are we doing to claim it for ourselves, and to share it with others today?