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Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C, March 13, 2016, by Fr. Kevin Anderson

Have you ever felt as if you are “bound up?”   That is, that you are tied up with so much going on . . . work issues, family stuff or just the normal “getting through” a day? It is not a nice feeling to be burdened or pressured.

 

Well there has been another kind of being “bound up” that happened years ago. Right now at the Science Museum of Minnesota, located in St. Paul, there is an exhibit of 20 mummies from Egypt and Peru.   I want to create a mummy here. I need a volunteer.

[I encircle the volunteer with toilet paper to create a mummy].

 

A mummy is bound so that the dead person can find life after death. But that didn’t work out so well. This was a lengthy process and only for the rich, because it was expensive:

  1. First the person had to die, was washed and purified
  2. The innards were removed except for the heart (they believed it was the source of intelligence)
    3. The inside was filled with stuffing (like a turkey)
    4. The outside covered with a salt substance called natron to absorb all the moisture
    5. After 40 - 50 days the stuffing was removed and replaced with linen or sawdust.
    6. The body was wrapped in strands of linen (not toilet paper)

 

All the readings today talk about people in a tight situation. They are bound up with a challenge. In the first reading, the Israelites are held captive in Babylon and want to return home to Jerusalem. In the second reading the Paul is writing from prison and tells the Philippians to stop worrying so much. He wants them to find freedom, not from the law but in Christ. The woman in the gospel is going to be killed because of her actions. They are bound by some problem . . . like a mummy.

 

Well with our mummy here, your goal is to break free. Go ahead [They break out of the toilet paper.]   Sometimes it is just that easy.

 

When we are bound (by worries or stress) we are asked to be like the Israelites in the first reading . . . and to remember how God has helped them in the past: when they left Egypt God opened the sea, God led them through the desert. And now they feel trapped again, but Isaiah is saying “Would you stop worrying so much. God was with you in the past and God will help you now.”

 

In the second reading, Paul is writing from prison and it is near the end of his life. But he is not afraid.   He reminds the Philippians that it is not the law that will save them. It is their belief and trust in Christ. It is the hope of resurrection even in the midst of feeling crucified.

 

Jesus doesn’t act too concerned in the gospel. I mean, this woman is about to get stoned to death and he just doodles in the sand. First of all, it is as if he saying to them . . . calm down, stop freaking out. And then he reminds the people that judging is God’s role, not ours.

 

Back then, it was legal to put someone to death. Jesus makes it clear that just because it is legal, does not make it right. We have the same predicament today . . . for in many places, the death penalty is legal. That is, a person can be sentenced to death for a crime. Years ago, the church tolerated this kind of killing for it was seen as a form of self-defense. That is, so that we can feel safe and protect ourselves . . . we want you to die.

 

Pope Francis, recently, made a statement about the death penalty. He said wants it stop anywhere in the world. Notice how the Church has evolved this message. He reminds us to look not just at the situation of any one person . . . but to always look at the bigger picture of life.

 

“Especially in this year of mercy, we need to live the command that says ‘We shall not kill.’ This is toward the innocent and toward the guilty.” Pope Francis asked all Catholic government leaders to “make a courageous and exemplary gesture by seeking a moratorium on executions during this Holy Year of Mercy.” He said, “All Christians and people of goodwill are called today to work not only for the abolition of the death penalty, but also to improve the conditions of life in prison, in the respect of human dignity of people deprived of freedom.”

 

So when you feel all bound up or that you feel you are trapped or caught. Remember the lessons of the readings:

 

Recall how God has helped you in the past. So trust that God will be with you currently and in the future.

 

Don’t hide behind the law or rules; trust the Christ within you to get you through.

 

When there is something really BIG . . calm down, look at the bigger picture. Look at the bigger picture. Figure out what is the most important.

 

You’ll be OK. Trust God.

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