Hagelin 23 B pg. 1 I. The Good Samaritan Jesus said, A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. [The priest and Levite saw him, but passed by on the other side, but] a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him. What s the connection to today s Gospel? It s the same two main characters in both stories. Christ is the Good Samaritan, and the deaf man is the Robber s victim. More broadly, you are the Robber s Victim in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. You are the deaf man in today s Gospel. This side Garden of Eden, living in the valley of the shadow of death, each of us to varying degrees have been robbed, beaten up, crippled, made blind and deaf. The Eternal Son is the foreigner, the God our sin estranged us from; who enters this foreign, enemy territory: into our fallen state to redeem us. Jesus desires to pick us up, bandage and heal us, showing us the way to freedom and joy in this life; if we are OPEN to this. Ephphatha Be opened. II. Ephphatha! Pope Benedict said this of today s Gospel: This little word, Ephphatha Be opened, sums up Christ s entire mission. He became [one of us] so that [we], made inwardly deaf and dumb by sin, would become able to hear the voice of God, the voice of love speaking to [our] heart, and learn to speak in the language of love. Over the next few weeks, Fr. Parrish and I will prepare you for our October Mission (more details to come) by preaching about how to respond the voice of Jesus: Ephphatha encouraging us to open up and receive His love. What gets in the way of our openness? Fear. Indifference. Doubt. Shame. Lack of willingness to take a risk. Faith, you see, is not primarily an intellectual exercise, but a relationship with the Lord - which builds only by stepping out in unfamiliar territory, and risking that the Gospel is true, and God is better than His word.
Hagelin 23 B pg. 2 Note the RISK: The Robber s Victim allows the Good Samaritan to pour wine and oil over his wounds (and it probably stung a bit). The deaf man comes to Jesus, then consents to being taken off by himself, and then even lets Jesus get up in His personal space, touching his ears and tongue. Risk and consent are required for healing. I can speak for myself as the Deaf Man and Robber s Victim and admit that often as Jesus approaches, and I say No, no no. I m fine! even though I m not I m hurt, frustrated, stubborn and defensive. Sound familiar? There are multiple layers that get in the way of our allowing the Lord Jesus close and receiving healing. But three basic strata: 1. Trauma people or situations that deeply hurt us (especially in our formative years); - something we needed (most often love or protection) was taken away or never given. 2. A layer of lies or false belief systems is usually built on top of hurt. 3. Finally, at the surface / are the sins we commit / out of our wounded-ness and false belief systems. One really simple example: I am badly bullied as a kid (TRAUMA OR HURT). As a kid, I internalize the lie that I am bullied because there is something wrong or shameful about me (IDENTITY LIE). As an adult, I may not realize I am still holding that lie but it still affects me, and medicate my shame with food or drink or drugs or entertainment, etc. (SIN). Do you see? Trauma, lie, sin. Those are the basic layers that keep us locked in ourselves. Jesus says to us Ephphatha! Only the gentle touch of the Lord Jesus can heal trauma. Sin is the most superficial, but still significant layer; which is why Confession is such a gift. But today I am targeting the identity lies; because once stripped of their force, we can be opened enough to bring the underlying hurt to the Lord Jesus.
Hagelin 23 B pg. 3 III. Lies and Genesis Lies. You have been lied to your entire life. It is basic psychology that lies and false belief systems cause =psychological harm. Basic psychology. But identity lies also have a real and often powerful spiritual component. Every identity lie has this spiritual component IN COMMON: each denies in some way that God loves us unconditionally as His beloved children. Nothing has changed: the serpent got Adam & Eve to doubt God s trustworthiness, they bought the lie, and then they sin: they grasp at being like God. Of course God doesn t lie. The lie is what sin promises ( you will be like God ) but lies never deliver on promises and leads to disintegration and shame; which leads to a vicious cycle of more grasping and more sin; WHY? Because the LIE has not been called out as such. Each of us, somewhere deep, believes a version of the original lie that Adam and Eve believed. What then do we do? Luckily, by our Baptism and connection to Jesus our Savior, who only speaks truth and casts out lies; WE can renounce lies we believe and announce the truth in Jesus name, and it can have a powerful effect on us. We are going to together renounce the original lie. Ready? Generic: In the Name of Jesus, I renounce the lie that God doesn t love me or that God is untrustworthy. I renounce the lie that I have to save myself, make myself happy, or make my own way in the world. In the Name of Jesus, I announce the Truth, that God will never fail ro love me or disappoint me, and that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. IV. Renunciations & Annunciations But then there are more particular lies we internalize. I am going to run through the seven major ones, 6 of which I admit I have believed at some. I am certain that each teen and adult here has believed (at some point) at least three of these lies. So don t be shy to admit it, and take the opportunity to announce the truth.
Hagelin 23 B pg. 4 This is what we re going to do: I will name causes or symptoms of each lie (because causes and symptoms are easier to identify than the lie itself. See if they resonate anywhere in your experience or your history. Even if it is way in the past and something you think you have dealt with, I challenge that my experience is that even Christians who have been in therapy for decades have not dealt with the spiritual component of the identity lie. Ephphatha. Be opened. Let s go. Have you ever been betrayed? Or is there a voice in your head that sometimes says you are not good enough, or not lovable? If so, I invite you to state the following: Rejection: in the Name of Jesus Christ, I renounce the lie that I am unloved and unlovable. I renounce the lie that I m not wanted, not desired are not good enough. In Jesus name, I announce the truth that because of my baptism I am a beloved child of the Father, that God loves me so much that Jesus gave his life for me, and that there is no greater love possible. Did your parents divorce, or did a parent desert your family? Or do you feel isolated, alone, not understood? If so, I invite you to state the following: Abandonment: In the Name of Jesus Christ I renounce the lie that I am alone, that no one understands me or cares for me. I renounce the lie that I m not protected and that God has abandoned me. In Jesus name, I announce the truth that Jesus himself promised me I will never leave you nor forsake you. I announce the truth that I am connected and understood and deeply cared for. Are you ever fearful? Fear God, or the future, or other people? Do you suffer anxiety? If so, I invite you to state the following: Fear: In the Name of Jesus Christ I renounce the lie that if I trust I will be hurt, disappointed or die. In the name of Jesus I renounce all fear, anxiety mistrust and distrust. I renounce the lie that I am not safe or not protected. And I announce the truth that God is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer and my protector. I announce the truth that God s perfect love casts out all fear. Have you ever felt shame? That there is something bad, wrong, ugly or dirty about you? If so, I invite you to state the following: Shame: in the Name of Jesus Christ I renounce the lie that I am bad or dirty, ugly or stupid, worthless or perverted And in Jesus name I announce the truth that Jesus died for my sins and that I am forgiven, washed, cleansed, justified, and accepted. I announce the truth that Jesus did not come to condemn me but to save me. I announce the truth that I am pure and worthy, not because of what I have done, but because of what Jesus has done for me.
Hagelin 23 B pg. 5 Have you ever felt trapped or stuck, been bullied, felt like a failure in any aspect of life, or convinced you cannot change. If so, I invite you to state the following: Powerlessness: in the Name of Jesus Christ I renounce the lie that I am powerless, weak, unable to change, not capable; that I am stuck, trapped, that I don t know what to do. In Jesus name I announce the truth that Jesus promised that His grace is perfect in my weakness, so that when I am weak, then I am strong; and that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Have you ever felt hopeless, deeply discouraged, despairing or even suicidal? If so, I invite you to state the following: Hopelessness: In the name of Jesus Christ I renounce the lie that nothing ever changes, and I will never have what I want. I renounce the lie that my life is meaningless and that I have nothing to live for. In Jesus name I announce the truth that my hope is steadfast in Christ, and that He makes all things new. I announce the truth that because my hope is in Christ I will not be disappointed. Have you ever felt profoundly confused, lost, or that you have to figure out things on your own? If so, I invite you to state the following: Confusion: In the name of Jesus Christ I renounce the lie that everything is confusing, that I don t understand anything, and that it is up to me to figure things out on my own. In Jesus name I announce the truth that I have the mind of Christ, and that the Holy Spirit reveals whatever I need to know - when I need to know it. [Heavenly Father s Blessing given]. V. Conclusion I know that was intense. Did you feel anything shift? If so, that s what we call innerhealing. I encourage you to make use of Reconciliation and Prayer Ministry to continue working on that process. If you did not feel anything, that s okay. You have either worked through your baggage, or more likely you may not be at a place that you are in touch with it for whatever reason, and that s okay. But all of us have these layers, and they keep is closed in on ourselves, and prevent our willingness to invite the Lord Jesus to come close, to heal and console. Let us pray we will more and more open up. Dear friends in Christ, I promise you that when we take risks in Faith, when our hearts are opened, when we allow Jesus to remove barriers, things happen quickly and powerfully, as the torrent of Christ s grace floods in. As we receive the Eucharist today, let us invite the Lord Jesus close, to heal, to mend and to give us freedom and joy. Praised be Jesus Christ.