Memorial of Saint Hilary, bishop and theologian of the Trinity

Lectionary: 307

Since the children share in blood and Flesh,

Jesus likewise shared in them,
that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil….

 

I suppose everyone has issues or certain buttons that, when pressed, send us into orbit; we get a bit hysterical. In very serious, not-funny cases, it might be called PTSD. An issue might be less dramatic: a sad memory, an unforgiven resentment, or an intractable bit of misinformation. Detecting these issues in people around us, we learn not to bring them up. I remember telling a friend of my visit to the Winchester Mystery Mansion in San Francisco, and immediately regretting it; I had stepped onto his passion for guns.

My particular button is spirituality. You’ve probably noticed it already. If someone supposes that spirituality is not religious and has nothing to do with “blood and flesh,” I am all over them. I have no patience for ghost stories, fantasy fiction, or paranormal phenomenon. I read once that Cervantes nailed the coffin on romance stories, and it stayed shut for almost two hundred years. Bravo, Miguel! No one wanted to hear about dragons, wizards, or maidens in distress after reading the satirical misadventures of Don Quixote. Unfortunately, the romantic specters of supernatural phenomena escaped the graves and haunt our entertainment industry today. 

Some of those diabolical creatures appeared in the National Capitol last week. These poor unfortunate souls actually believe -- or act as if they believe, which is the same thing -- in their own fantasies. 

Our Catholic faith shuns such nonsense. When the disciples on that first Easter evening thought they were seeing a ghost, he told them, “Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.”

Saint John knew that we are not saved unless Jesus likewise shares in the blood and flesh. He didn't come to save your disembodied soul; he came to save you. 

As we shed idealistic misconceptions about isolated personal existence and recognize our connectedness to one another and the Earth, we accept the Lord whose grace heals our bodies, minds, and relationships; who takes an interest and has a stake in our work and rest, our hunger and thirst, our recreation and idleness, our property, wealth, and vulnerability; who must guide not only our particular goings and comings but the political, economic, and social developments of our world. 

I find it fascinating that the some of the essential elements of my body (and His body) were created in the fiery furnace of a bursting star billions of years ago. An ordinary star generates nothing heavier than iron. Gold, lead, osmium, and uranium must be formed in a supernova explosion. [BTW: "An average person's body weighing 70 kilograms would contain a total mass of 0.2 milligrams of gold."]

As Christians we don't pretend to know how Jesus's body continues in its resurrected form, but we encounter it daily in the Eucharist. He would not allow death or the corruption of the grave to come between us and him! But he had to suffer the ordeal, so "that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the Devil."

Our Catholic faith teaches us not to compartmentalize our affairs, supposing that some places are closed to the Lord. Rather, the Incarnate Mystery of Jesus brings light, healing, and grace to everything we know, think, feel, and do. Because he has shared in our blood and flesh, he is there for us even in the darkest, most corporeal places.