March 5, 2006

St. Edward Church, Richmond, VA

written by: Fr. Michael A. Renninger 

Making Perfect Sense

This makes no sense. What we are doing here this morning makes no sense. We are here today to ordain Dan Beeman, our brother, as a deacon. And, as the one who has overseen Dan’s formation from his entrance into the seminary up to this very day, I simply want to say – this makes no sense.

It makes no sense for a boy who grew up in Oklahoma to commit his life to the service of people in Virginia. It makes no sense for a young man who grew up in a warm and wonderful family to voluntarily choose the discipline of celibacy. It doesn’t make sense for this man, who was raised in a faith-filled Methodist tradition, to come to the University of Richmond – a school founded by Baptists – and there he became a Roman Catholic. (U of R is still trying to figure out what happened!)

How do you explain it? There he was, in his senior year. Capital One was actively recruiting Dan. When Capital One recruited him, they took him to the 5 Diamond Jefferson Hotel for the weekend. At the same time, I was recruiting Dan for the seminary, and when I recruited him, I took him to Mary Angela’s pizza and beer parlor on Cary Street (I kept telling the bishop I need a bigger budget!) When Capital One recruited Dan, they took him to Lemaire, where waiters handed him a linen napkin. When I took him to Mary Angela’s, and started talking to Dan about the joys of priesthood, I got excited. I started gesticulating with my hands, and promptly knocked over a large glass of iced tea, and I watched in horror as all the tea landed right in Dan’s lap. That was our first meeting. It made no sense when Dan agreed to meet with me again. But he did meet with me again – he wore a raincoat, but he met with me again!

How do you explain it? This frighteningly intelligent man – now gives his life over to faith, to things that cannot be fully explained.  It makes no sense. He was on the fast track to financial success, but today he commits himself to simplicity of life. He had a great job; a house in the West End; he was on a first name basis with all the folks at his local Ukrops. It makes no sense. Dan had the world in his hands – today, he places his hands inside those of the bishop, and promises obedience. Dan was on his way to the top – and today, he will lay face down on the floor of this church, with his arms outstretched in the sign of the cross. You explain it to me. It makes no sense.

But you know….it made no sense for Noah to trust God in today’s first reading. Sure, God had spared Noah and his immediate family, and the animals who entered the ark two-by-two, but that rag-tag group of survivors had seen the whole know world destroyed by the flood of God’s anger. The world as they had known it was wiped out before their eyes. And just as quickly, the waters receded. God asks them to trust that this will never happen again. But if you had just been through that flooded nightmare, would you have believed that promise? Would it have made any sense?

And what about Jesus in today’s Gospel? Mark tells us that Jesus was driven into the desert by the Holy Spirit, where he was tempted by Satan for 40 days. But remember, just before the Spirit drove him into the desert, that same Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus like a dove at his baptism in the Jordan. You remember the scene – Jesus goes down into the river; John the Baptist pours the water; the Spirit descends; and God’s voice says from heaven, “You are my beloved Son, and I am well pleased with you.” That is verse 11. A declaration that Jesus is beloved of God. And in verse 12 – God drives his beloved into the desert to be tempted. Is this what it means to be beloved? It makes no sense.

 And if that were not enough, we are told that Jesus begins his preaching ministry, precisely after John is thrown in jail. And why was John thrown in jail? For preaching.

What enables Jim and Liz Beeman’s son to turn his world upside down for the sake of the Gospel? What enabled God’s own son, born of the Virgin Mary, to turn the whole world upside down for the sake of the Good News? Perhaps there is one line which can help us make sense out of all of this. In fact, it is the first sentence spoken by Jesus in the entire Gospel of Mark.  Jesus said: “This is the time of fulfillment.” This is the time of fulfillment. “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The time of fulfillment. Finally, we may make some sense.

How? With his first words, Jesus announces what his life is about – and what our lives must be about. With his first words, he shows us that God knows the deepest desires of the human heart, the holy longing of our souls. Jesus shows us that God has heard the most secret prayers we whisper at night, and God sees the deepest fears of humanity. God recognizes every hunger, God knows what we need. And, in Jesus, God has said to us – all of your longing, all of your hoping, all of your searching, all of your dreaming - I will fulfill. “This is the time of fulfillment.” Jesus is the one who fulfills. The kingdom of God is in your midst. Everything your heart desires can be found…in the love….of Jesus Christ.

As we read the gospels, Jesus shows us the mystery about the way love works -  the way LIFE works when we are paying attention to the truth. Jesus teaches us that “it is in giving that we receive. It is pardoning that we are pardoned.” Every gift God gives us is intended to be shared. Freedom is found in obedience. Life is not about me. “It is in dying that we are born.” The world had been searching for the deepest truths about life – in Jesus, the time of fulfillment had come. Our deepest fulfillment is found in a tomb that is empty. Our fullness is located on an empty cross. Jesus taught us how to find our life: by… giving… it… away.

Now, Dan, this is beginning to make sense. Today, you are being ordained a deacon, which is a Greek word which means ‘servant.’ As you are ordained, you are to model your life on the image of Christ, who came, not to be served, but to serve.

As a deacon, you will dedicate yourself to the service of God’s people, working under the direction of the bishop. As you assist the bishop, dedicate yourself to a life of prayer and service. You are to be a man immersed in the word of God. You are to proclaim that word, not only in your preaching and teaching, but in the way you live your daily life. As a minister of the Gospel, you will assist the bishop and priests in the celebration of the Eucharist. You will baptize the children of God, witness the marriages of those who join their lives in love through Christ. You are to preside at the burial of the dead. In these sacramental celebrations, you will be a herald of the Good News, a Good News which turns the world’s expectations upside down. In your service to the poor, you are to teach others how to love Christ by serving his people.

Dan, I’m glad that the unfortunate iced tea disaster at Mary Angela’s did not cause you to turn away from this vocation. I’m glad, because we all need moments like this – moments when one of our one, one from among our midst, stands in the assembly of God’s people and says, “Yes. It really is possible to follow Christ wholeheartedly. Yes, it really is possible to make Christ’s values our own. Yes, it is possible to stake everything on a Gospel which has, at its core, mystery beyond our sense and understanding – Christ has died, Christ is risen. Christ will come again.” We need this moment, Dan, because as we watch you give everything to Christ, we know, in our hearts, that Christ wants everything from us, too. And that…makes…sense.