Homily Reflection: 1st Sunday of Lent - Empty Handed

Empty Handed

Genesis 9:8-15 Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9  1 Peter 3:18-22 Mark 1:12-15

On Ash Wednesday, I was in an office building in downtown Dallas.  I looked around and saw so many people with ashes on their foreheads. As a deacon I was humbled to see so many people had received ashes to say they were sorry for their sins.

Later that week as I drove home, I wondered how many people still wore those ashes. No, not on their forehead but in their heart. Or had they went home washed those ashes off and then fell back into the cycle of temptation we live in everyday.

I thought about our readings. Noah did not fall to temptations. He was a just man following Gods directions. Through him, God save the earth and humanity. The Gospel tells of Jesus and how he faced temptation. Through the spirit and through prayer he defeated Satan. Through Christ, God save us.

I also remembered another story I heard from a priest that I would like to share that I think speaks to this.

There was a good man. He loved God. He loved his family, the land, and especially his farm. One day he felt sick and got off his tractor to rest. Sitting in the shade, he knew he was dying and grabbed a handful of the soil he loved so much and held it tight.

Arriving in heaven still holding the dirt the man comes before God the Father. “Welcome my son; you have been a good man. Come into my Kingdom.” The farmer walked forward; but God tells him, open your hand and leave what you’re holding behind, you don’t need that in heaven. I can’t, says the farmer, so he couldn’t enter heaven.

In the same moment, God comes as an old friend. God and the man remember the man’s life. God says, “Come into heaven.” The farmer walked forward; but, God tells him to open his hand and let the dirt fall, he can’t bring it into heaven. I can’t, said the farmer, so he did not enter.

Eternity continues and God comes as the farmer’s granddaughter. God hugs him and says, “I love you and miss you, please come into heaven.” The farmer waiting for eternity stands to enter heaven. The hand that clutched the dirt is tired and the earth begins to fall out. Then empty handed the man enter heaven. There the farmer finds all that he loves his family, friends, and his farm.

I thought it was a shame that a person could hold on to something so tight that it kept them from God. But the more I thought about it, I thought of how that farmer held onto that dirt all through his life and how it kept him from his family, his friends, and those he loved.

Driving home alone, I looked at me the average person. Am I like that farmer, do I have anything that I hold on to that keeps me from God and the ones I love?  Was I being selfish with the things that were important only to me and kept me from the important things like my marriage, my family, all of you in my community? By holding on to things that really weren’t important did I hurt others?

Life can bring problems. My wife and I have been married for 30 years. So I am speaking from experience. In a marriage most problems are because someone cared more about themselves than their spouse and God. They hold something so tight that it can build up a wall that comes between love. It is a sin of selfishness when one or both partners put themselves before their spouse and God.

For a marriage to work there has to be communication - talking, listening, and understanding, but, most importantly, you have to pray and pray together. A marriage is between two people and God; talk and listen to each other. Pray and listen to God and ask him for understanding.

I thought about my life and my experience as a parent and as a child. We fail as parents because we put our dreams and expectation on our children. I know I am guilty of this. We want them to be us and meet expectation that we hold tight. We don't celebrate and recognize the gifts God has placed in them.

I am also a parents child. Children fail their parents because they fail to respect, they think about what will make them happy, what their friends thinks, what’s cool. We sin when we forget our parents or our children or God and put out self first.

Parents and children must talk to one another. Parents listen to your children. Children listen to your parents. Parents pray with your children and children ask your parents to pray with you. Our Heavenly Father loves us and hears our prayers. God is with us in grace. If we are quite and listen, we can hear him speaking to us. He speaks to us from an understanding heart.

I look at the different ways I have failed to love in my community. Jesus told us we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. But too often, we don’t see our selves in our neighbor. If we don’t see Christ in them maybe Christ is not in us. We sin when we fail to love them.

We have to listen to understand and to love. Differences are problems when they are not understood. I have no idea what it is like to be woman. I do not understand being Black or Latino or Asian. I don’t understand what it is like to be 25 years old anymore. I don’t know anything but whom I am. And, I will never understand or love unless I am open and listen. I can only do this if I don’t put what I hold tight between understanding and my heart.

In each of these relationships, we are like the farmer holding onto the handful of something that's really not important because we think it will make us happy. It only keeps us from God and from love; we need to let it fall through our fingers.

We can only open our selves to understand and love through the one who gives us strength, Christ Jesus. Pray and ask God for this grace. Pray to be receptive to God who always comes to us. All we need to do is let go. It is only by Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can let go of that selfish sin that keeps us from love.

After being tempted, Jesus went out and preached the kingdom of God. Even after our temptation and sin, we can preach the Kingdom through our marriages, as relationships, and our lives in the world.

Jesus preached repentance. Lent is the time for repentance. Repent and ask God for forgiveness. Repent and ask those we love for forgiveness and forgive them.

Empty handed we will enter heaven.