March 20, 2011: Second Sunday of Lent (A)
Richard Burton, playing the role of a Roman military tribune named Marcellus, is assigned to the post in Jerusalem and he commands the unit that ultimately crucifies Jesus. His slave, Demetrius, encounters Jesus for the first time when he sees Jesus riding on a donkey into Jerusalem. Jesus stops and looks at Demetrius amid the crowds praising his entry into Jerusalem. Demetrius says to his fellow slave, "Did you see him? He stopped and looked at me. He looked at my eyes. Only his eyes spoke...I think he wants me to follow him." Later in the movie, Demetrius and his master are at Calvary. There Jesus is crucified, and the Roman soldiers gamble over Jesus' robe. Marcellus, wins the robe. As the thunder and earthquake shakes Calvary hill, Marcellus gets near Jesus on the cross, looks at him and hears, "Father, forgive them. They know not what they are doing." As Marcellus leans his hand on the cross, Jesus' blood drips onto his fingers. The blood causes Marcellus to have deep pangs of guilt and haunts him for a long period of time. Marcellus does not know why he is so troubled, but his slave Demetrius, who later becomes a Christian, pinpoints the problem for his master: "You're afraid, but you really don't know the reason why. You think it's his robe that made you ill. But it's your own conscience, your own decent shame. Even when you crucified him you felt it."
It is said that when you look into someone's eyes, you can see their soul. Most of the time, when I give Last Rites to people who are dying, they are at the edge of death. Their eyes are closed, their breaths are short, and they are usually unconscious. Earlier this week, though, I gave Last Rites to a woman in her 40's who was wide-awake and was able to communicate with me. She listened intently at my retelling of the accounts of persons who go through near-death experiences. I recounted how they saw Jesus, how He embraced them, and how they experienced the most profound unconditional love and peace. As I looked into her eyes as I was telling her this, I saw in her eyes awe, marvel, and great expectations. She was yearning to see the glory that awaited her when she was to see Jesus, eye to eye.
As I reflected on the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus in today's Gospel, I recalled her eyes, the eyes that were filled with awe and wonder. I know that for those who are about to die, the veil that separates them between this world and the next is thin. I wonder if she in some way saw the same glory that Peter, John, and James saw on that Mount of Transfiguration when they beheld Jesus, "And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light." I wonder if she heard the same words that the three heard from Heavenly Father, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” The look in her eyes told me that she was, in some mystical, way beholding the eyes of Jesus and hearing the loving words of Heavenly Father.
Later that day, I wondered, 'what keeps us from seeing those loving eyes and hearing the loving voice of the Father?' The answer was fear! Upon hearing the voice of the Father, Peter, James, and John were crouched in fear, with their eyes shielded away. It was Jesus who then touched them and said, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. Our deepest fear is that our sins and failures are unforgivable. In the movie The Robe, Marcellus the Roman Tribune, encounters St. Peter. Peter invites Marcellus to join him and Demetrius as missionaries. Marcellus hesitates, and the following dialogue ensues:
Peter: Let me tell you of the burden I bear. Justus told the others I was steadfast. He didn't know. The night Jesus needed me most, I denied him... not once... but 3 times. I swore I never knew him. Now...
Marcellus: [stammering, pointing to himself] I... crucified him.
Peter: I know. Demetrius told me.
Marcellus: [shocked] And you can forgive me?
Peter: He forgave you from the cross. Can I do less? Now, is there anything stopping you? Can you become one of us?
Marcellus: [new strength in his voice] From this day forward, I am enlisted in His service. I offer Him my fortune, my sword, and my life. And this I pledge to you on my honor as a Roman.
What sins and failures do we burden ourselves with, ones that we are afraid that they are unforgivable? Jesus spoke the words not just to the disciples up in the Mount of Transfiguration but to all of us as well. "Rise, and do not be afraid."
