Learning how to wash the waste out of life
09/06/2017
Luke 4:38-44 After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the
house of Simon. Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever, and
they interceded with him about her. He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and
it left her. She got up immediately and waited on them. At sunset, all who had
people sick with various diseases brought them to him. He laid his hands on
each of them and cured them. And demons also came out from many, shouting,
"You are the Son of God." But he rebuked them and did not allow them
to speak because they knew that he was the Christ. At daybreak, Jesus left and
went to a deserted place. The crowds went looking for him, and when they came
to him, they tried to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them,
"To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of
God, because for this purpose I have been sent." And he was preaching in
the synagogues of Judea.
Boys and girls, how many of you enjoy sleeping? Please raise
your hands. Heck, Ross Bieker is already sleeping, and I just started this
sermon! I’m just kidding; I only pick on you if I like you. Today I want to
explain why sleep is so good, and more than good, it is really necessary and
essential. Five years ago, in 2012, researchers at the University of Rochester
discovered that while we sleep “the system that circulates cerebrospinal fluid
through the brain and nervous system was pumping fluid into the brain and
removing fluid [with toxins lethal to brain cells] from the brain in a very
rapid pace” (“Brains Sweep Themselves Clean of Toxins During Sleep,” NPR, Oct.
17, 2013). The lead neurosurgeon of the research, Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, said,
“It’s like a dishwasher.” Just imagine seeing all the dishes at home dirty and
piled up in the sink or sitting in the dishwasher and never washing them.
Nasty, right?! Well, that’s your brain without sleep, because the waste
material and toxins your brain naturally produces in the course of a day’s
thinking and reasoning and evaluating and guess on test answers because you didn’t
study, never gets washed away. As a result, you might say your head is full of
crap. That’s why it’s good to sleep, indeed, it is essential to sleep because
our brains need a good washing.
In the gospel today, we see that sleep is also critical for
Jesus. St. Luke simply says: “At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted
place to pray.” Clearly, Jesus had spent the night getting some sleep, and now
he was getting up “at daybreak” to be alone to pray. Jesus needed to sleep so
his human brain could get a good washing and remove all the toxins poisoning
his thinking. Sometimes, we can think Jesus is so holy and divine that his
human nature is virtually canceled out. But that’s not what we believe: Jesus
is actually 100% God but also 100% man, so he needed to sleep and to eat and to
talk as much as you and I do. Maybe not talk as much as Greta Beasley and Catie
Barrett love to talk (remember that means I like you!), but Jesus enjoyed
talking and teaching and he needed to sleep like the rest of us. That’s why
after Jesus awakens from a good night’s sleep it was clear to him that he
needed to go to other towns and preach the good news. His brain was not full of
crap; it was full of doing God’s will.
Today, I want to give you 3 examples of where sleep and rest
are essential, so our brains will function at optimum levels because all the
crap has been removed. First, I’m in awe of how busy you all are with school
and your extracurricular activities. Some of you play football, and at
halftime, you don’t get to rest with the team, but run to grab your instruments
for the marching band. That’s amazing and awesome! Many of you are involved in
multiple groups and clubs, and often at the same time. And I’m glad you do all
those things, because you discover your gifts and talents. But sometimes I
wonder: when do you guys sleep?? Don’t skimp on sleep or your brain will be
filling up with crap that you never get rid of.
Take time to sleep and wash your brains.
Secondly, I hope you will find this school a place of rest,
but I’m not saying you should sleep in class to get that rest. I mean a very
different kind of rest, emotional rest. Some of you come from homes and
families that have serious issues and challenges – maybe a divorce, maybe lack
of money, you may be facing serious sicknesses like cancer, or worse there’s
physical or emotional abuse – and this school is the only place you can rest
from all that emotional exhaustion. Please reach out to Mr. Casey, our
counselor, or me, if you’d like to talk about those things. We want Trinity to
be a safe place where some of the toxins of your personal life can be removed.
After talking to someone about your problems, you feel much better and
relieved, almost like you’re waking up from a good night’s sleep. Why? Because
you don’t feel like your brain and life is full of crap; it got a good washing.
And thirdly, that’s why we come to Mass once a week: to rest
in the arms of Jesus. Again, that doesn’t mean we should sleep in church. But
it does mean we should pray, and ask Jesus to remove the toxins, the poisons,
of this world out of our heads and hearts. What do I mean by the ways of the
world? I mean things like alcohol, drugs, sex, pornography, racism, pride, ego,
greed, selfishness – these are poisons to our souls. That’s what happens at
every Mass you attend: those poisons are washed out of our souls. But what if
you never go to church or if you never pray? Just think of that sink filled
with dirty dishes; that’s what our souls look like if we never rest in Jesus
and let him remove those toxins; our souls need a good washing.
Boys and girls, there is nothing like a good night’s sleep.
When we wake up, we feel refreshed and ready to rock and roll through another
day. And the reason we feel so good is because our heads are not full of crap.
Praised be Jesus Christ!
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