Desert of Doctrine

Entering the desert in order to find Jesus

02/18/2024

Mk 1:12-15 The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

Some parishioners regularly send me jokes that I might use in my homilies. Do you think they’re trying to tell me my homilies are to serious and I need to lighten things up? So, here’s a little humor to lighten the mood today. The Baptist minister had been summoned to the beside of a Presbyterian woman who was quite ill. As he went up the sidewalk to her house, he met the little daughter of the woman. He said to her, “I am very glad your mother remembered me in her illness. Is your own minister out of town?” The child answered, “Oh, no. He’s at home. But we thought this disease might be something contagious, so we didn’t want to expose him to it.” And now you know why I send Fr. Bala to the hospital all the time – just kidding!

I mention that joke because sooner or later in our own journey with Jesus we will have to go where we don’t feel comfortable, that is, into a kind of desert experience. Why? Well because that is where Jesus goes in the gospel today. In Mark’s rather condensed gospel account, we read: “The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts and angels ministered to him.” That is, just like the Baptist minister was called to the beside of a woman who was suffering from some contagious disease, so Jesus is drive into the desert, an unwelcoming and inhospitable place, to raise the flag of faith. In other words, if we are going to be called followers of Christ, we, too, must venture into the desert behind the Lord.

My friends, we have begun our forty days of Lent with the penitential practices prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. And those are great. But may I invite you to experience a different kind of desert this Lent? Even though we are all doing our best to be Catholic, no one is quite 100% Catholic, not even the guy talking to you. That is, there are certain doctrines that hit us the wrong way, and we doubt them or even deny their truth. They make us feel uncomfortable, almost like being in a dry, arid, even hostile desert. Let me mention four different deserts of doctrine and invite you to enter them this Lent.

The first doctrine that makes some Catholics feel like they are in the desert is prolife and the unconditional protection of the unborn. That is, they feel that access to abortion is the best solution for women in crisis and unplanned pregnancies. If the prolife issue feels like a parched and dry desert to you, this Lent let me urge you to read what the Church teaches regarding the sacredness of human life from womb to tomb in the Catechism, and in statements from the United States bishops. If you are a pro-choice Catholic, then venture into the pro-life desert this Lent.

A second doctrine that some Catholics wince at and even reject is welcoming the stranger, and especially the immigrant stranger. If you feel that way, this Lent read Mt 2:13-15, where the Holy Family had to emigrate to Egypt to save the Baby Jesus from Herod. Today immigrants are also fleeing for their lives and it is incumbent on us to welcome them. Why? Because Jesus will teach later in Mt 25:35 one of the criterion to be saved is: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me.” In other words, it is Jesus and the Holy Family standing at the southern border. Can you enter the doctrinal desert of welcoming the immigrant this Lent?

A third doctrine that might make these forty days feel more like Lent for some Catholics is lovingly welcoming those who categorize themselves as LGBTQ+. Clearly, Catholic doctrine about marriage and sexuality is not up for discussion. Nonetheless, what are some ways we can make all people feel welcome and not as second-class citizens in the Church? Perhaps you can read the Vatican statement Fiducia Supplicans on the pastoral meaning of giving an informal, spontaneous blessing to all people, even those of the LGBTQ+ persuasion. You might also want to read to listen to three homilies I gave on that same topic called “The Blessing Bombshell.” Don’t you just love shameless self-promotion?

A fourth, but hardly final, desert of doctrine is the common practice of contraception in many Christian marriages. Indeed, it is so commonplace that many Catholic couples are surprised the Church still teaches it. Folks, the Catholic Church has consistently and unwaveringly taught the immorality of contraception even though most Protestant churches accept is as morally licit. I would especially encourage you to read Pope St. John Paul II’s extraordinary teaching called “the theology of the body.” I also gave some homilies on the theology of the body which are also available on our church website. In other words, could contraception be the desert of doctrine the Spirit is driving you into this Lent?

They taught us in the seminary that a good sermon should “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” Well, I hope the joke at the beginning of this homily sort of “comforted you” and helped you to relax. But the rest of this homily may have “afflicted you” and challenged you, showing you that sometimes Catholic doctrine can feel like a desert when we disagree with them. When we have the courage to enter these deserts of doctrine, we will experience what Jesus did: temptations by Satan to reject the faith, wild beasts of challenging Church teaching, angels who minister to us and inspire us, and most importantly, we will find Jesus himself. And obviously, I need more jokes in my homilies.

Praised be Jesus Christ!