Clean Jersey

Finding joy in the wounds we suffer for each other

10/19/2017

Luke 11:47-54 The Lord said: "Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets whom your fathers killed. Consequently, you bear witness and give consent to the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them and you do the building. Therefore, the wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them prophets and Apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute' in order that this generation might be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who died between the altar and the temple building. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood! Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter." When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things, for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.

            Let me ask you a riddle this morning. What are the only man-made things in heaven? At first blush you may think great human achievements will be in heaven: like Leonardo DaVinci’s painting of the Mona Lisa, or musical masterpieces like Mozart’s Requiem Mass, or at least Michael Jordan’s retired Chicago Bulls’ jersey with number 23. No, these things will only shine as a candle does next to the sun, they will have no home in heaven. Rather, the only man-made things in heaven will be the five wounds of Jesus Christ: his two pierced hands, his two pierced feet, and his pierced side. That’s humanity’s contribution to the glory of heaven: how we crucified Christ. But besides Jesus’ wounds, I believe our own wounds will be in heaven, that is, how we suffered for Christ, and suffered for each other.

             Let me tell you about the wounds of the French Jesuit missionaries called “The North American Martyrs.” In the 1640’s Jesuit priests from France came to the area around Ontario, Canada and New York state to evangelize the Iroquois Indians. Their names were Frs. Rene Goupil, Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brefeuf, Noel Chabanal, Charles Garnier, and Gabriel Lalemont. Some Iroquois were happy to have the Jesuits, while others hated the Jesuits. The latter tortured and killed them in very unique and exquisite ways. The Jesuits explained that priests can only say Mass and touch the Bread of Communion with their thumb and forefinger, called the “canonical digits.” So, to torture them, what did the Iroquois do? They cut off those four fingers. But did that stop the missionaries? Not at all. They returned to Rome, asked the pope permission to celebrate with their remaining six fingers. He granted the permission, and they returned to the Iroquois saying: “Hey, guys, we’re back! Did you miss us?” And then the Iroquois killed them. These Jesuit missionaries’ wounds are also in heaven. When you get to heaven and see a bunch of French priests walking around with 6 fingers, you’ll know who they are. What are the only man-made things in heaven? The wounds of Jesus and our wounds.

              My friends, will you have any wounds when you get to heaven? Like soldiers who return from a war and talk about the scars they got at the Invasion of Normandy, or at the Battle of the Bulge, so in heaven we will share the stories of the scars, the war-wounds we won on earth. Let me give you some examples to be more specific. The great saints, like the North American Martyrs will have their wounds in heaven. Next time you see a statue of a saint who was a martyr, you’ll notice he or she often holds the instrument of their torture in their hands. St. Paul carries a sword because he was beheaded by a sword, and so forth.

               Sometimes the war wounds are invisible because they’re inflicted on our hearts. When people speak hurtfully about you, when they ostracize you and ignore you, when they gossip about you and you refuse to retaliate: those are deep wounds and they hurt more than physical tortures. When you have suffered failure in a project or plan that you had poured your heart and soul into, but it all came to nothing.  Well, lick your wounds like the French Jesuits and come back again and try even harder next time, saying, “Hey, guys, I’m back! Did you miss me?” Maybe your heart has been broken into a thousand pieces because you’ve been rejected by someone you loved, that, too, leaves a wound we will always remember, maybe even in heaven. Because those will be the only man-made things in heaven: what we suffer for Christ and for each other.

               When a football team gathers in the locker room after a game what one thing does no player want to have? It’s a clean jersey. Why? Well because a dirty jersey, especially one with some blood on it, will be what you talk about in the locker room: how you fought and bled for each other. That’s also what we’ll talk about in heaven.

Praised be Jesus Christ!