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The Rest Of The Story – Dcn. Ken Billinger

Dcn. Ken Billinger’s Homily February 28, 2021

“What is hidden in the old is revealed in the new. That’s something we hear sometimes in reference to the old in the Old & New Testament. What I want to talk about today too is to share something that I call the rest of the story. Some of you may remember Paul Harvey. Paul Harvey was an ABC newscaster who had a news show, but he also had another show,  a short five minute segment called “The Rest of the Story” and in the first reading today from Genesis the Church gives us this rich reading about Abraham and Isaac. Throughout Lent we’re going to hear about all the covenants. Today it’s the Abrahamic Covenant. He is about to sacrifice his only son and it’s rather interesting. Somebody after Mass came up last night and said, ‘Wait a minute, he also had a son named Ishmael.’ Which he did with his maidservant Hagar, but Abraham’s wife Sarah wanted them sent away and Ishmael actual begins the line of the Muslim religion, but in this story today we hear of Abraham and Isaac and they’re heading toward the mountain and they stop and he tells his servants, ‘You remain here. The boy and I will go over yonder and worship and then we will return to you.’ I find it interesting that Abraham says, ‘We will return to you.’ He’s about to sacrifice his only son, but the other thing that is part of what you’ll read in this chapter of Genesis if you read the whole chapter is Isaac asks his father, he says, ‘Father here is the fire and here is the wood for the sacrifice, but where is the sacrifice?’ Isaac is carrying the wood for the sacrifice on his back up the mountain. We parallel that to Christ on Calvary carrying the wood of the cross for the ultimate sacrifice as he dies for us. The other thing that we see in this particular reading from Genesis is Abraham says to Isaac at that point, ‘God will provide the sacrificial lamb.’ So as Abraham is stopped he obviously finds a sacrifice and he finds a ram in a thicket and a thicket is a very thorny bush and this ram’s head is caught in this thorny bush. Again we look at the New Testament and at Christ and the crown of thorns. Abraham is so obedient to God that he gives him generations, as many as stars are in the sky or sand on the seashore because he is so devout and so obedient to God himself. Nothing else matters. 

Then we look at the new testament and we look at the Gospel from Mark today and it’s Jesus going up on the mountain with Peter, James and John. Just six days before they go up the mountain he tells them of his impending passion and death. What that must have felt like for those apostles to hear that, but he tells them and then of course he is joined by Moses representing the law and Elijah, the most famous prophet representing the prophets. Jesus becomes the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. His clothes become dazzling white and it’s that sign of hope. You heard Fr. Tom talk about it at the beginning, that sign of hope, the resurrection, something better is coming and Jesus shows that to his apostles with that transfiguration. His clothes become dazzling white. His face is radiant. I can’t imagine and of course Peter, who always is the one to step out says, ‘Why don’t we build three tents?’ Peter kind of gets a bad rap because I’m not sure what I would do if I was in that situation, but again we see that transformation and we hear this story during the second Sunday of Lent knowing that in our lives this is what we want to do is make that transformation during this time, during the season, but the important thing is this: we want to make that transformation and want to really make it stick. We don’t want to just do something for Lent and then say, ‘Okay Lent’s over I’m done now.’ I was a master of that when I was younger and maybe as a young adult. I love candy (it’s pretty obvious) and I’d give up candy for Lent, but Easter Sunday would get there and I was stealing nieces’ and nephews’ Easter baskets, my son’s Easter basket, finding what I could and then I’d be snarfing candy the whole time. That really doesn’t make any sense. What can we do during this Lenten season and carry that through beyond Lent and into the rest of our lives, that transformation. We see Jesus transfigured as he becomes dazzling white. Jesus changes on the outside. 

In a little while here we’re going to receive the Eucharist and we hear the prayer, we see the priest the epiclesis as he puts his hands calling down the Holy Spirit and then he says, ‘This is my body which will be given up for you.’ and he elevates it. That’s not just something that looks good so we’re going to do it. It really means something. What it means is that the Holy Spirit is coming down, God has changed what we see as the wafer and when we have the wine, that’s the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ, the precious blood. The appearances don’t change, but what happens on the inside has changed and it’s important to remember that and sadly many Catholics don’t truly believe that and maybe you’re one of those that doesn’t believe that and I encourage you to just read more, find more. There are stories out there on Eucharistic miracles that will blow your mind and those things don’t just happen there is a reason for it because it is truly real, so as we come forward today to receive the Eucharist, the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ let us really think about what we are receiving and as we continue to make our way through Lent, let us be transformed, let us also draw ourselves closer to Christ not only through Lent, but through the rest of our lives.”