WE WALK THROUGH THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL
BY FAITH, AND NOT BY SIGHT
SERMON DELIVERED AT ST. MARY MAGDALENE ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 2ND 2007 BY REV FR. JOHN ROBERT SKELDON OF THE DIOCESE OF FORT WORTH.
Literary insight. There is more faith in honest doubt than in half the creeds- Lord Tennyson.
Note; This weekend marks the 10 anniversary of the deaths of Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Diana, Princess of Wales. It also marks the 3rd anniversary of Fr. Tim Kelly’s arrival at St. Mary Magdalene to assume the pastoral responsibility for this community.)
Note 2. The story of Nicholas at the gates of heaven is taken from Fr Flor McCarthy’s book of homilies for Year C. I wonder of Fr. Flor chose the name Nicholas for this man because of the association between St. Nicholas of Myra (Santa Claus) and generosity. Even the most generous of us still may have selfish motives for our giving. Maybe Santa Claus likes to be liked too much!!!!
How interesting that the Gospel comments so often upon the historical circumstances in which we can find ourselves on any given day. I always find it providential rather than coincidental.
If you remember 10 years ago, the world was at this time fixated upon the tragic death of a woman of great fame and notoriety: Princess Diana. At the same time, however, another woman’s death got barely or sort of noticed in the mainstream press, that of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, now Blessed. 10 years later, though, Diana’s death has had some mention, but everyone (if front cover status on Time and number 3 ranking on Amazon.com could portray these things) is fixated on the soon-to-be-published letters of Blessed Teresa describing her own spiritual struggle and 40+ year “dark night of the soul” to know the presence of God. This saint of the slums, this seemingly minute woman, has been raised up, while the world barely or sort of notices the anniversary of the death of one of its most famous and glamorous women.
In another note of evangelical irony, perhaps it is fitting that one of the power brokers of this country, one of its elder statesmen—part of what they call the world’s most exclusive club, the U.S. Senate—should find himself resigned in disgrace at the same time that Mother Teresa is held up as a model of faith and trust in the midst of the darkness and doubt she constantly endured.
Sen. Larry Craig has no doubts. He is full of his self-importance, his self-assurance. Yet, Mother Teresa, because we regard her as a saint, “walked by faith and not by sight.” She was once asked by a priest to pray that he may have clarity about his mission, his calling. She responded, “No. I’ll pray that you trust.” It is for that reason that the church holds her up to the world, and why, for the same reason, that the fall of the mighty, the self-important, the self-assured is so crashingly loud.
The words of Mary’s Magnificat ring true: “He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly.” Mary’s Song of Praise, her call to arms as it were, only begins what is the leitmotif—the refrain, the constant theme—of Jesus’ preaching of the kingdom of God that is found in Luke’s Gospel: that the world—and the normal ordering of things—is turned on its head in the kingdom of God. We have another illustration of that profound truth in today’s gospel passage.
Perhaps, another story best captures this scene for us. Jesus used stories and people like stories, and stories can convey better than all the philosophizing and theologizing that is done about them. So, here is another story with the Gospel passage we just read at its heart.
Nicholas was noted for his generosity here on earth, so when he arrived at the gates of heaven, St Peter was waiting for him with a broad smile on his face. There were two piles of gold on the ground beside peter and Nicholas asked what they were meant to be. “These two piles of gold are your gifts when you were on the earth. Each nugget represents a gift you gave to someone while on earth. You have such a great treasure of gold because you have been so generous.” Nicholas was so proud of his treasure and felt so very justified. He had been gathering that gold since he was a boy, building up his stock of good deeds so that he would pass the final exam into heaven. “But, now,” said Peter,” we must sift through your piles to find the gold that really matters. We must search through all this gold for the real treasure, the unselfish love with which you gave. This large pile here to my left represents the gifts you gave to your family and friends. That is simply helping your own loved ones, so that is not counted.” In front of his eyes, Nicholas saw much of his gold crumble into dust. He protested, but Peter replied, “Nicholas, even the pagans are good to their family and friends. The Christian is supposed to be better than that. You knew that family and friends would repay you with friendship and care. So that kind of giving counts for nothing.”
Then turning to the pile on his right side, Peter tossed the gold in to a sieve. Some of the larger nuggets got stuck in the mesh of the sieve, and Peter tossed them away, and they crumbled into dust. “Those were your gifts to politicians and business people. You only gave those so that you might get something in return. Now we will take a sieve with smaller mesh and we will take out all the gifts you gave so that your reputation would be enhanced. So Peter tossed those nuggets away and the pile got smaller and smaller as he did.
“Now” said Peter, “We will take a sieve with an even smaller mesh and we will place all your remaining gold in there. We will test your gold for your sincerity in giving. Let us throw away all the nuggets you gave so that you would feel good.”
Nicholas was distraught and he cried out, “Soon I will have nothing left. All my good deeds will be thrown away and I will have no way to pay for my passport into heaven. I shall be poor.”
Peter replied to him, “That’s right, you shall be poor, and then you will inherit the kingdom of God. In here, the poor of heart are blessed.”
But Nicholas asked, “What of all my good deeds? Don’t they count at all? Was I just foolish to be so generous?” “No! no!,” replied Peter, “for in your giving, you did the hand work of Christ on earth. But it is the heart that matters, how much love was in the giving. You gave so much away, and that was great. But with this sieve, I am trying to find the little bit of love in your giving. Remember that when Jesus gave, he gave out of love, love alone.”
Just then Jesus walked out and handed Peter something before walking back into heaven. Peter opened his hand and there lay a nail, several inches long, stained in blood. Peter placed it where Nicholas’ gold had been. “Go right in, my friend. The most generous giver of all has paid for your place in heaven.”