#pre-lent

1 Cor 13:1-13; Luke 18:31-43

During this time of pre-Lent, this Septuagesimatide, the Church’s Liturgy has recalled the graciousness of God who, in his mercy, considering the sad and sinful state of humanity after the Fall, has gratuitously called us to befriend him in the person of Jesus Christ. As I said on Septuagesima Sunday, Christ has called us ‘Friend’, and so he has summoned us from the idleness of sin to labour in the vineyard of his Kingdom. For friends, as Aristotle says, love what their friends love. Aware of our weakness and unworthiness in befriending Christ, last Sunday’s Liturgy called us to a greater confidence in the sufficiency of God’s grace, for God’s power “is made perfect in weakness.” 

So, let not pride nor fear nor any other dreadful occurrence keep us from persevering in God’s service, from labouring in the vineyard of holy Church, from seeking the mercy and friendship of Jesus. For many would have read of the shocking and sad news of Jean Vanier’s abusive relationships, or of other distressing things done by fellow Christians. And perhaps their faith is shaken, and they wonder about the credibility of the Church. 

And yet, “nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”, so let no scandal, nor sin, nor evil keep us from Christ and his Bride the Church. On the contrary, we should run to Jesus and cling to his love for we have no refuge but him. Like the blind beggar in today’s Gospel, we run to Jesus, and will not be put off by those who rebuke us and dissuade us. Rather, we cry out “much more: Son of David, have mercy on me.” O Son of David, have mercy on your poor Bride, our holy Mother the Church. Lord Jesus, have mercy on us! 

My dear brothers and sisters, as Lent draws near now, may I invite you, of your charity and goodness, to offer up some of your penances in reparation for the sins committed by prominent Catholics: offer your prayers for those who have sinned; fast for those who have are victims of these sins, and who have been scandalised and so prevented from approaching Christ and the grace of the sacraments; and give the alms of your compassion and good works to help those who are wounded by scandals and the abuse of authority in the Church. Through these ways, you will be exercising charity. And in the pain and suffering that we share with the victims, as well as with good Catholics everywhere who are bewildered by the depth and extent of sin, we shall be showing charity. For as St Paul says in the epistle: charity “does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. [Charity] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” United to Christ through charity, offer up whatever sufferings you endure for the healing of wounds, for the sanctification of Christians, and pray that the light of truth, which comes from the Holy Spirit, will continue to purify the leadership of the Church. 

This Quinquagesima Sunday, the Liturgy focusses our attention on the mercy of Christ, who heals the blind man. May we too be healed this coming Lent of our blindnesses. Perhaps there are our personal sins we are blind to, or perhaps we do not see the ones in need of our love and compassion, or perhaps we are blinded by false idols that have been set up in our lives. Lord, have mercy, and let us see again. Let our eyes seek only your face, and to see only Jesus Christ. For there is none else to save us, nor who can love us so deeply and truly apart from God. Thus the psalmist says: “Put not your trust in princes, in mortal men, in whom there is no help. When his breath departs he returns to his earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed  is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God” (Ps 146:3-5)

Therefore, our focus today is on the charity of God, and on what he does for us if we trust in him. Having summoned us to friendship with God, which is charity, the Liturgy today makes explicit in the epistle the qualities of divine charity. And thus we marvel at how God befriends us, and how he deals with us as a friend: ”Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away… So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Now St Thomas Aquinas says that “the greatest of friendships” is that of husband and wife. So Christian marital love is, in fact, founded upon charity; it is charity. As such, by grace, marriage mirrors on earth the love of God for the Christian soul. For we have each been espoused to God through baptism. Therefore, today’s epistle deepens our appreciation of that call that we heard two Sundays ago. God comes and has called you “Friend”, and today, we recognize that this call to friendship with God is in fact a call to share in the charity of God, to be united to him in love that is more intimate even than marriage. Hence heaven is often likened by Christ to a wedding banquet, and the Holy Mass is a foretaste of the wedding supper of the Lamb mentioned in the book of the Apocalypse. Therefore, you and I, coming to the Mass and receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, are here united by God to himself in an intimate union of charity that is like the greatest of friendships.

Our little season of ordinary time ends as it began: with an earth shaking and consequential promise centered in the identity of Jesus as God’s chosen and beloved child. Weeks ago we heard this promise echoing through a heavens that had been ripped open over the waters of the Jordan River. This Sunday we will hear it spoken from the cloud to a small handful of terrified disciples gathered on the mountain with Jesus.

Transfiguration is filled with images of awe and wonder. Jesus’ appearance is transformed. The love of God radiates from his ordinary brown flesh and his working class dirty tunic is replaced with the resplendent white robe of a leader about to be installed in office. He appears with Moses (representing the gift of the Torah), and Elijah (representing the gift of the Word of God through the prophets), discussing the divine plan for salvation and the journey to Jerusalem. There are luminous clouds, glowing darkness, and voices from unseen sources. “This is my Son, the beloved, listen to him.”

In this moment, a visionary preview of the marvels of resurrection, the promise of Christ and the path of discipleship are affirmed. Jesus calls, “follow me” and the voice of God bids us to “listen to him”. We recognize in this moment that the dimensions of this following have their source in the Creator of all things and the Source of all being.

This is the very God who:

Ushers us into new life in Baptism and grounds our story in a powerful central question: “How shall I give my life away for the sake of my neighbor?”

Calls to us, transforming our gifts, abilities and skills into ways to serve and love our neighbors through our work, relationships, voluntary service, and communities.

Invites us to hear the promise of life for ourselves, and to go and share that story with everyone we meet, so that no one would be left in despair in the face of the powers of the world.

Engages us in spiritual work, lives of prayer that face the pain, suffering, and evil of the world with confidence and honest speech, even while loving our neighbors with tender compassion.

Heals us, both individually and collectively when we lose track of our purpose, can’t figure out where we fit in, or are just plain exhausted from trying to do the next right thing. Healing can look like restoration of relationships and like a chance for a deep a prayerful rest in the presence of God.

Transfigures us and our neighbors, through the working of the Holy Spirit we find that our perception is altered so we can find the face of Christ among our neighbors and our neighbors will encounter the living Christ through us.

Pages from the Nürnberger Schembart-Buch ( Cod. ms. KB 395 ) Made in the 17th century, in the collection of the Library of the University of Kiel.

Nürnberger carnival floats, 1449-1539

The Schembartlauf (lit. ‘mask-beard run’) is a part of the customs on pre-lent carnival in the city of Nürnberg. It consisted of a procession of masked people in fancy dress, dancing and singing bawdy songs. It's unknown how old this custom is exactly, but the first documented one was in 1449. Worldwide, there are over 80 manuscipts recording the events. 

Since 1475 the celebrants led a topical carried platform or cart, called the "Hell", through town. At the end of the parade, it was attacked and burned on the main marketplace.

The Reformation put an end to the "papist" carnival custom in 1525. Only in 1539 the Nürnberg city council approved of a Shembartlauf once more, against the fierce resistance of the strict and influencial preacher Andreas Osiander, who had been responsible for abolishing the tradition in the fist place.

With 150 participants, it was the largest Schembartlauf of all time. Osiander was showered with derision and mockery in the parade. His effigy was paraded on that year's 'Hell', depicting him playing backgammon surrounded by fools and devils (as shown on the last two pictures above). Later, a mob gathered in front of Osianders house, shot of fireworks and attemted to break in. The house was precautionary barricaded and the attempt failed. 

The events led to a political scandal. Even Martin Luther in far-off Wittenberg protested and described the Schembartlauf as a particularly unholy, God-displeasing spectacle. The city council responded by banning the Schembartlauf "once and for all", and punished the organizers (who were councilmembers themselves) with imprisonment. 

In 1548, Osiander left Nürnberg and went to Prussia. In spite of the “once and for all” ban, the Schembartlauf is performed again regularly, if not every year, since 1974. 

 Furthermore we must pray for the forgyvenes of our synnes, that our heavenly father wyll be mercyfull unto us, and forgyve us our synnes bothe many and great, wherby we offende againste his infinite goodnes, as we do forgive the offences of them that offend us, whiche, howe great so ever they appere unto us, yet in comparison of the offences that we do against god, they be bothe small and few.