A Matter of Honor
Several years ago, the world was shocked by an incident in Iraq. Recall that Saddam Hussein had two sons-in-law, who had defected to Saddam’s enemies. The Iraqi dictator said that he forgave his sons-in-law and that they could return to Iraq to be re-united with their wives and families. The two idiots returned and Saddam had them executed two days later. According to news reports, the family of Saddam had been shamed and its honor could only be restored by an act of retribution. (Don’t laugh. Don’t similar, though not so drastic, events still take place in “nice society”?)
Honor and shame codes are important values in the Middle East, both then, in the time of Jesus and today, now as well. We see an example of honor and shame code today in the Gospel of the Transfiguration. The shame of Jesus’ death will be vindicated by the Restoration of God’s Honor in Resurrection of Christ Jesus.
One explanation for this annual Lenten Gospel is that it is a reminder to us that the journey to the cross leads ultimately to the Resurrection. According to an ancient tradition, the unusual event on the mountaintop occurred about 40 days before the death of Jesus. Hence, it is a Gospel that we always hear at the beginning of Lent.
In its place in the Gospel, Jesus has just announced His impending death and Resurrection in Jerusalem. In the synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew and Luke), each of Jesus’ triple predictions of His archetypal fate (and ours) is met by disbelief and misunderstanding by His closest followers. (Are we any different?)
When Jesus announced by Caesarea Philippi what was in store for Him, it was Peter (the first Pope) (who had just professed that Jesus was the “Christ, the Son of the Living God) spoke, “God forbid that anything like that happen to you” (and, more importantly, me). Jesus’ response to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking human thoughts, not God’s thoughts.” was similar to what Jesus said to Satan last week, “Begone, Satan.”
Next, Jesus instructs Peter, the Twelve, and all the disciples (us) with three important rules of thumbs for Catholic behavior.1) “If a person wishes to come after Me, he or she must deny one’s very self (his false self??), take up His cross and follow Me.” 2) “Whoever would save his life must lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, will find it.” 3) “What profit would a person show if he were to gain the whole world but destroy himself in the process?”
These three quotations are reflections on what we have been talking about the past several weeks as Jesus proclaims the Sermon on the Mount to us in our Gospels. Once again, we recall that Jesus is like us in all things but sin but He is smarter than we are. He knows something that we don’t get. Once again, we recall the state of the world was worse than it is around here in central Westchester County, and still Jesus speaks to us. Finally, we recall that these words are seen as so radical and subversive by Pilate and the Temple Establishment, that Jesus had to go. During the Transfiguration, when Peter, James and John experienced the metamorphosis (Transfiguration in Greek), they heard the Voice of God the Father say, ‘This is My Divine Son. Listen to Him”. (Recall the difference between hearing and listening.) Do you really get what He is saying to you here and now?
God the Father affirmed that Jesus would be dishonored and shamed in His passion. However, God’s Honor would be restored in the Resurrection. In light of this, the disciples were to learn what Jesus was trying to teach them (and us) with His Gospel.
As Mohandas Gandhi put it so simply, “Jesus does not invite people to a new religion but to a new view of life.” Gandhi said as well, “The true message of Jesus can be represented by the Sermon on the Mount, emphasizing the Law of Compassion.”
Always remember that Jesus is Emmanuel, viz., God with us, in our lives. Most people’s religious lives are spent in domestic settings (dealing with families, neighbors, etc.) rather than in monastic ones (where one is spent in contemplation totally). When we feel shamed or dishonored by the misfortunes of life, (and we all will, someday), the Paschal Mystery of the death and Resurrection of the Lord, in which we all share, God’s Honor will be vindicated in your life and all of our lives. However, we always need to remember that the vindication will be on God’s terms and in God’s Own time. 032011AD jfq
