excerpts from last night's homily

In the room where they gathered for the passover feast
a meal eaten in haste
reminding them of the freedom
to which God had led their ancestors
they are drawn into freedom once again
but it's not the freedom we in this country yearn for
it's not the freedom to live where you want
or to say whatever comes into your mind
it's not the freedom to denigrate one another in the public sphere
or the freedom to pursue personal satisfaction at the expense of our neighbor
it's not the freedom to satisfy every whim and desire
to the point of bankrupting ourselves and our children

it's a freedom that doesn't make any sense
it's a freedom that is born of service to neighbor
it's a freedom that we cannot understand until we experience it
and even then, we may not understand


the grace of freedom did not happen in the past
it did not happen on the cross
or from the empty tomb a couple days later
it's right now, here, today
in a meal of bread and wine
body and blood


God turns the world upside-down
and this week we enter into
God's upside-down world
a world of power made known in sacrifice
strength made known in weakness
life made known in death