Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time –

Readings:

·         Job 7:1-4, 6-7

·         I Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23

·         Mark 1:29-39

Harry Potter Meets the Saviour of the World

We all know that the success of the Harry Potter series of fantasy books has been called an “unbelievable phenomenon” in the world of publishing. Over 450 million copies of the 7 books have been sold, in 70 languages.  Sounds like a lot to me!

But the Bible can beat that hands down!  It’s estimated that from 2.5 to 5 BILLION Bibles have been sold—not counting the 1.5 billion in hotel rooms worldwide.  So, I’ve thought of a way to help the Harry Potter publishers get their numbers up.  I’m proposing to write another Harry Potter book; but I’m going to call this one, “Harry Potter Meets the Saviour of the World.”  Kind of catchy, isn’t it? 

The Potter books are written by a Christian woman, J. K. Rowling.  But some churches debate whether the stories introduce children to magic, the occult and the demonic.  Or do they actually help children subtly  distinguish between forces of good and evil,  by showing how Harry, Hermione (her-my’-o-nee), and Ron must suffer and sacrifice in order for good to triumph?

Jesus in the Midst of It All

Jesus was no stranger to dealing with dark forces and demonic possession. In Jesus’ time, demons were believed to be quite numerous and very threatening—they were “unclean spirits” who tried to do harm. There was a demon of blindness, a demon of leprosy, and a demon of heart-disease. (Wm. Barclay)

But look carefully at how Jesus deals with demons and diseases caused by dark forces. Today when he learns of Peter’s mother-in-law’s illness, Jesus approaches, comes and takes her hand and lifts her up.  In Harry Potter, evil is usually attacked at a distance—by pointing a wand and reciting symbolic words.

But with Jesus, his very touch brings healing.  How is that?

First of all, Jesus is a man who is himself profoundly touched by both good and evil, and is deeply immersed in the swirl and storm of life experience. There is no evil that Jesus has not penetrated.   He was once described as “A man of sorrows, and acquainted with iniquity.”  So there is nothing mechanical about his compassion, nothing distant about his care and healing.  In fact, it is obvious from the readings that Jesus particularly heals those who are on the margins of society—women, lepers, those who are possessed.

Secondly, Jesus, of course, is not channeling some unknown dark power, or scary but unknown energy source, such as Lord Voldemort’s. Jesus is the Son of God.  He has the power of the Creator of all life filling him, lifting him up even from death. That is how Jesus is able to cast evil far away, but draws the creation to himself, to touch and heal.  Jesus does not need to point a magic wand, because he himself IS the conduit of life: He is the Way.

Not in the Sorcerer’s Stone

And now we come to the most important point, the deep question that we in our faith share with many exciting adventure stories like Harry Potter: We all want to know HOW, exactly, to combat the evil forces which threaten life and love?  Can we harness the power to defeat all evil?  Do we really need to find the Sorcerer’s Stone? 

Luckily—no! We know that power over evil lies in only one place—the heart and soul of God, and God’s love for the whole creation.  Jesus came precisely to show us how God identifies with us, and loves us in this totally consuming way, like a mother with her new baby.  But Jesus’ secret is that he continually stayed connected to that power-source through prayer. 

We all have the cord for this connection, but we may forget to plug it in.  Sure, as Erasmus quoted, “Whether bidden or unbidden, God is there.” We say we believe in God’s abiding presence.  But it might be like putting your elderly mother in the attic, and then saying, “Oh, yes, I love my mother—I live with her.”  Is God stuck in your attic somewhere?

Prayer is a bonding ritual.  It is a  “lifting up” of our intentions, and desires, and hopes to God’s face.  Prayer is taking our anger, and exhaustion, and moral confusion to God’s ear. And then it is waiting… and waiting… until the next steps in our life are revealed to us. 

Prayer always has to be our request for deeper intimacy with God.  We have to crave more of that connection—or we gradually become tapped-out and drained of all passion and power in our prayer. One woman suggested to her women’s group that they pray together—but another objected, “This isn’t a prayer group! We’re an action group for the poor!”  So, if you mumble a quick “Our Father,” is that prayer?

The gospel of Mark uses dramatic language to emphasize how faith and trust butt heads regularly with reason and disbelief.  This is something we too are living out.

In the midst of evil, good is still rooted in us at the deepest level, because God is present in our very cells.

Parish Mission Statement

January 2007

We, the people of St. Francis/St. Lawrence Parish, called through Baptism and rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, commit ourselves to grow in faith, to build community, and to reflect the Light of Christ in our society. We will love God and love our neighbour.  We will do this by participating fully and actively with one another in prayer and liturgy.  We will ensure a warm, welcoming environment where all are loved, valued, and appreciated.  We will be witnesses to God’s indwelling Spirit in our daily lives. We will serve all people who are in need, strive to bring about justice, defend human dignity, and promote peace. We will educate ourselves in the Scriptures, the Tradition, and the teaching of the Catholic Church. We will constantly challenge ourselves and each other to see Christ within and among us. We will be open to dialogue and celebration with people of all faiths.  We will work toward solidarity with our brothers and sisters throughout the world.  We recognize that our parish mission is the responsibility of the entire community and encourage all members to take personal responsibility in answering that call.

  Last Updated 03 February 2012