THE CROSS IS JUST TOO HEAVY

THE CROSS IS TOO HEAVY
A Super Bowl Sunday Sermon
Presented at St. Vincent de Paul Church, Albany, NY​

    As you listened to this story about a miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5:1-11) what were you thinking? What kinds of fish did they catch? (A: Tilapia and Sardines!) How many did they catch? The gospel of John says exactly 153!  Not more. Not less. Exactly 153! Anyway, the fish do not even matter.
    New Testament scholar, Abraham Smith, wrote that the focus of this story “is not so much on fish but on followers—or, better yet, on the church’s future leaders ….” Some of those would include women like Mary of Magdala, Joanna, Lydia, Phoebe, Euodia, and other women who led the church. Oh yes, there were some men as well.
    Our sacred texts, our traditions and life experiences teach you and me how to be good and holy, to act responsibly, to live justly and humbly. We model our lives after Jesus of Nazareth and the early Christians. We look to contemporary prophets, coaches, and teachers. To become Christian leaders is our vocation, our job.    
    Jesus was an itinerant apocalyptic Jew. He believed the world was in bad shape. He saw that oppressors treated people unfairly and brutally. He sensed that society needed a winner, someone who could break tackles and score touchdowns. Jesus was an underdog who knew that the odds of winning were against him. His cross was too heavy. He needed help from his team.    
    But there is a notable problem with the Catholic team today. In last November’s general election more than 50% of Catholics who voted chose a general worldview based on fear and revenge. This should not surprise us. We Catholics have many opinions about a lot of issues. And, we often disagree on how to handle the difficult ones. Will it ever be possible for us to reach a common ground?
    Theologian Massimo Faggioli advises: “The U.S. Church, at all levels, appears unprepared to confront this kind of world and to effectively evangelize in it.” So … if we Catholics are polarized, divided down the middle, how are we to be an effective team of evangelizers in a anxious country, a fragile world, where people are scared and vulnerable?
    Columnist David Brooks adds: “We know our institutions have flaws and need reform, but we regard them as fundamentally legitimate.” And so it is with our religion which we regard as thoroughly genuine. The Catholic Church is an institution based on scripture and tradition that continues, we believe, to provide a beacon of light in stormy weather. 
    But, the Catholic Church is also flawed. (Although it is a mix of fact and fiction, see the movie “Conclave” and then think about corruption in the Church.) If the religion we belong to is unable to defend against ideological and real strategies designed to wear people down and deprive them of human rights, are we, the members of the Catholic team, responsible?
    The prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8 ) often wrote about the corporate nature of sin, that is, any sin committed on a larger scale, by a community or a society. Belonging to a larger cohort of people, like the Church, means each one of us is accountable for the actions or inactions of our religion. 
    Helen Chukka, Hebrew biblical scholar, suggests that today’s texts from Isaiah “embody messages of transformation and subversion for the Isaian community [back] then and for us today.“ In her words, it is “a call to prophetic ministry and the challenges [that] such ministry entails.”     
    This is a ministry that each of us is called to by virtue of our baptism. And, it is not easy task for anyone of us to accept. As Paul challenged the Corinthians in today’s passage (1 Cor 15:1-11), there is no room for lackadaisical players in Christianity. The competition is simply too tough. The cross is too heavy.
    Religion, like football for example, requires a team effort. (How can I not refer to football today?) No one coach, quarterback, or player, no matter how talented, can carry a team to victory alone. No one bishop, pastoral leader, liturgical minister or parishioner, no matter how gifted, can carry the community to victory alone. 
    Martin Luther King Jr wrote in 1963: “The ultimate measure of a [person] is not where she or he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where [that person] stands at times of challenge and controversy.” That true neighbor, he surmised, will risk position, prestige, and even his or her life for the welfare of others.
    I realize not everyone is interested in the Super Bowl. But there may be a message in the it for all of us. Like it or not the game has a grip on American culture.     It seems there are a number of things that are pressing upon us these days. 
    To compete with those who blatantly oppose the gospel playbook we have to come up with a game plan that will steadily take us down field and into the end zone where victory wins; where there is no agony of defeat. 
    We who are gathered here are responsible for helping those who need help in winning against the odds.  But first we have to learn to play together. The cross is just too heavy [to carry alone].

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Sources:
Abraham Smith, New Testament scholar, Perkins School of Theology 
Massimo Faggioli, Theologian, LaCroix International, December 20, 2024
David Brooks, The Moral Challenge of Triumphalism,  New York Times, Nov. 28, 2024
Helen Chukka, Hebrew Biblical scholar, Wartburg Theological Seminary
Martin Luther King Jr, Strength to Love (NY: Harper & Row) 1963