Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz - 10/24/21 Learning to Lose: Get Up

Episode Date: October 25, 2021

Homily from the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Life is about losing. It is not about quitting. It is one thing to lose. It is another thing when those losses begin to stack up and we get to the point where we haven't just lost...we've been beaten. We can wind up feeling defeated. Into this place of defeat, God Himself speaks into our loss and our shame, telling us what is needed. Mass Readings from October 24th, 2021: Jeremiah 31:7-9 Psalms 126:1-6Hebrews 5:1-6 Mark 10:46-52

So not too long ago, I guess this year, I went through this season, this kind of, I don't know, it's a strange season in my life where I just felt off. Maybe you've had those kind of seasons where it's just like, I don't know. I remember just being pretty low, I guess, is maybe the best way I can say it. And I remember asking myself the question, like, am I just tired? Is that what's going on right now? And I realized as I kept like investigating and digging down, you know, deep into the heart, I was like, no, there's something. more. And I don't want to be dramatic about it, but I guess the one word I would say is I went through this season where I just felt defeated. I don't know if you've ever had those seasons

in life, maybe those moments in your life where you're just like, that's how you feel. You just, you just feel defeated. You know, we started this series last week called Learning to Lose because we have this truth about life and we realize we know that life is about losing. the life is the process of repeated loss. And because life is this process of to grow is to lose, to be alive is to lose. And so because of that, we realized that one of the tasks of life is to learn how to lose well.

So I've been looking at this season, and I just realized, you know, this season where I was just feeling so defeated, it wasn't just one loss. It wasn't just a couple losses. It was one of those, maybe you had this, where the losses seemed to kind of stack up. And this combination. So just a quick example.

I don't know. So I do this. this Bible podcast like every day. And it's, I don't know, kind of a lot of work. At one moment, one morning, I got this text from the producers of the whole thing saying basically that we lost 15 episodes that I had just kind of worked, I don't know, a number of hours

on. And it was one of those where I'm like, shoot, what happened, it was all my fault. It wasn't their fault. It was, I don't know if you know this about podcasts, but they have like special podcast microphones that make your voice extra buttery, you know, extra velvety kind of a situation. That mic was turned off and the computer mic was turned on and your computer mic is not buttery.

Your computer mic is not velvety. It was like gone, just hours and hours of work gone. And then on top of that, it was, you know, this time of, like, just being so busy. And no, busyness is not bad. I kind of like being busy, but it's the, it's the, when people say, hey, can you meet? And I'm realizing, oh, my gosh, I have to say no to everybody. Like, yeah, I can meet, I think, like, January, 2010, 22. Is that okay for you?

Like, that kind of sense of just feeling like complete failure because I can't even, like, be present to people. On top of that, there's all these deadlines and just like, oh, my gosh. people writing to you, hey, I want to remind you about the deadline. Like, yeah, thanks. I know that. Okay. And then even I was working on a bunch of talks at the time, and none of them were coming together, even the ones that came together, they were just kind of meh. You know, just blah.

And it might seem silly, it might seem small, but I remember just thinking, like, maybe everything is just kind of be meh from now on. Like maybe from now on, everything I try to do is just going to be kind of blah. and maybe the best is in the past. It's all behind me. And again, those are small things. There are other things as well, but this isn't my confession. Those are the safe things to say.

There are other things that were much more closer to my heart that just, again, just they all added up. And it all added up to just this sense of, I haven't just lost. I've been beaten. I don't know if you've ever felt like that. I haven't just lost. I've been beaten.

I feel defeated. Because I think it's one thing to recognize that life is about losing. It's another thing when those losses stack up. And this is in your life, too. I'm sure you've had these seasons where it's just like, man, every morning you wake up and you all day, it's like that debt. Debt, I owe money. I owe money.

I can't pay it back. It just stacks up and it's there all day. Or health issues and you're just waiting for that text from your mom to say, here's how I'm doing today. Or that text from your little brother saying, here's how I'm doing today. Or that text from the doctor saying, here's how you're doing today. And it just stacks up. And it's just, man.

why can't I get past this thing? Or I know so many people in this church tonight. That one of the losses has been the loss of someone you loved so much and they're gone now. I know so many parents, you're just always worried about your kids. I know a lot of kids

you're sometimes worried about your parents. It all stacks up. The relationship you thought was going to be forever. It's over. And just so many losses. And you can even have that sense of like, okay, listen,

I wasn't like I didn't try. I tried in what changed, nothing. I tried, and what changed? Nothing. I'm just defeated. I'm praying about this because in our gospel today we have this man named Bartamaus. This blind man, Barnamaus.

If a word can define Bartamaus, it's nothing. Bartimaeus has nothing. Bartimaeus is nothing. Bartimaeus basically, he has nothing, he has no one, he has nothing, he is no one. He's just a blind man that nobody sees. There's a blind man that nobody cares about. He's just a blind man.

who doesn't matter. And the reality, of course, is this. This is his life. What I mean by that is his life is loss. He has nothing. He has nothing to offer. He's nothing to hope for. It's not like he's waiting for a cure, right? It's not like he's just waiting for that doctor who knows how to fix eyes. Like, there's no hope for him. He's not waiting for the insurance to kick in and all of a sudden things are going to be fine. This, Bartimaeus, what we see today sitting by the roadside begging, that's his life until the moment he dies. That's all he has to look forward to. He has nothing to offer.

He has nothing to look forward to. He has nothing that will ever get better in his life. Just think about that. He has nothing that will ever get better ever in his life. And he knows. Where I'm at now, there is no coming back from this. We're on that right now. There is no coming back from this.

I am just a blind man with nothing sitting along the side of the road going nowhere. Have you ever been there? Have you ever been in that place? And maybe even right now, where it's just like the losses have stacked up? You're like, I have nothing. And you're convinced there is no coming back from this.

I'm defeated. I think it's really interesting because it's in this place of defeat that something happens. It's in this place of defeat that we actually have the gospel today. What happens? Well, Bartamas hears that this man, Jesus of Nazareth, is passing by now. Bartamas, at this point, he is undoubtedly heard that Jesus of Nazareth

has been able to go up to people who have never walked and say, hey, walk and they walk. Bartamaas has heard that there have been people who are unable to hear, and he walks up to them and says, let your ears be open and they can hear. Barthamas has heard that there were people who could not see and Jesus said to their eyes be opened and they could see.

And so here's the deal. Barthamas realizes this is his chance. In fact, this isn't just his chance. This is his only chance. if Jesus keeps, he's passing by, if Jesus keeps on passing by, if Jesus doesn't stop, Bartimaeus is done. That is his only hope. This is his, this is one shot. This is this one opportunity.

So a lot of times what we have is we have, you know, people like me reading the gospel saying, when Bartameas heard that Jesus was passing by, he called out Jesus, son of David, have pity on me. But that is not how Bartamehas. would have been praying. Because Bar, why? Because Barthamace is defeated and why? Because of that, his defeat has turned into desperation. Can you imagine the desperation in Bartimaeus's voice, knowing that if Jesus doesn't stop, there's no coming back. Can you imagine all of that defeat becoming desperation in his voice and crying out with everything he has, Jesus, son of David, just stop. You know what's awful? Is the moment Barthews,

Bartimaeus tries. The moment Bartimaeus yells out, the moment that Bartimaeus has even a glimmer of hope, what happens? It says, many who are listening rebuked him, telling him to be quiet. The moment he tried, he gets shouted down. You know, I think it's so interesting. When we're winning, I think when we're winning, the voices aren't so loud, right? We can listen to whatever voices we want. But when we're losing, those voices that tell us to quit are so. loud. Those voices that just say, just stop. Stop trying. Stop crying. It doesn't matter. You don't matter. He doesn't have time for you. Just stop. Just quit it. Many rebuked him, telling him to be quiet. I don't know. If Bartimaeus didn't feel defeated before this moment, I cannot imagine how defeated he felt at that

moment. Because up to now, right, he's the blind man that no one looks at. You guys, it's so easy. When someone can't see you, it is so easy to just pretend like you don't see them. But in this moment, everyone sees Barta Maas. In this moment, everyone is looking at Barta Mayas. Everyone is looking at his loss. In this moment, everyone is looking at Barta Mayas's shame. And I think there's a greater pain than losing. I think there's, I think there's a greater pain than defeat. And it's losing in someone else's eyes. It's being defeated. It's being in someone else's eyes. And I think a lot of us have heard about the difference between guilt and shame.

And some really helpful distinctions between guilt and shame. But one of my favorite distinctions is that guilt is when I know that I violated some objective standard. So I know I shouldn't lie and I lied. I know I shouldn't cheat and I cheated. So guilt is I know I violated some objective standard. But shame is different. Shame is when you know that I violated some objective standard.

guilt is when I know I lied shame is when you know that I lied guilt is when I know my wound when I know my sin shame is when you know my wound shame is when you know my sin that's one of the reasons why isn't it so hard when we're feeling shame isn't it so hard

to look people right in the eyes because when it's guilt it's like no I know what I've done and when it's shame it's I know that you know what I've done I know that you know my wound I know that you know my loss I know that you know my defeat

and I know that you know my shame. That's why I think that how often the pain of shame is greater than the pain of defeat. Because it holds us back from even asking for help. It holds us back from even trying because of how we might look in front of other people. Actually, the church has a word for that. It's called vanity.

I know. When we think of the word vanity, we think of the song like, You're so vain. You think the song's about you? Like, maybe you don't because you're younger than that. But vanity, a lot of times I think we think vanity is when you think you look amazing and you just can't keep your eyes off yourself in the mirror. But that's not the definition of vanity.

The definition of vanity is the inordinate preoccupation with what other people think about you. The inordinate preoccupation with what other people think about you. You don't have to think you're the most gorgeous and most handsome person in the world to be vain. It's just this inordinate preoccupation with what other people think. And it's not, again, it's not wrong to care about what other people think. In fact, it's good to care about what other people think because other people may. matter. So it's important what they think. Vanity is the inordinate preoccupation with what other people think. And here is Bardamace and everyone's staring at him. And you can imagine in this moment,

everyone can see. You can imagine that he would just freeze. They shout him down. He's like, okay, fine. That's crazy. That's not what happens. The voices are so loud telling him to stop. You know, we heard what happens. It said, Bardameas cried out all the more. Why? Why? Because he's desperate. His defeat has made him desperate, and this desperation has turned into persistence. You know, it's so interesting. In Luke's gospel, he uses the word persistent that Mark uses today. And the definition of this Greek word persistent is a word that means the shameless refusal to quit.

Artemis is defeated, and he's desperate, but he's persistent, and he has the shameless refusal to quit. He looks stupid, doesn't. matter. He's used to being ignored. He used to being passed by. He's nothing. He's being told to stop. He's being told to be quiet. He's being told to quit. And this is the deal. This is the crux. Actually, I would say this. This is this moment is everything. He's being told to quit. Listen, life is about losing. It is not about quitting. In life, you have permission to lose. You do not have permission to quit. Bartima may have. is shameless.

The shameless refusal to quit. Bartameis is shameless because he has no shame because he has nothing. Pardameus has no shame because he has nothing. He has nothing to prove. He has nothing to hide. He has nothing to lose.

He's defeated. In every area in his life except for the shameless refusal to quit. And in that moment, this is the crazy, in that moment, he hears the words. in that moment he hears the words that that every person was ever lost needs to hear. In that moment, he hears the words that every person who's ever been defeated needs to hear. In that moment, he hears the words that everyone caught up in and bogged down by shame needs to hear.

Just two words. Those two words are, get up. In this moment where he has nothing, he hears those words, get up. The voices that had said stop, that had said stop, Stop trying, stop crying, it doesn't matter, you don't matter, he doesn't have time for you, are now the words, the voices that say get up because life is about losing, it is not about quitting. And you have permission to lose. You do not have permission to quit.

Because when you have nothing, when you have nothing left, when you have nothing left to prove and nothing left to hide and nothing left to lose, that's the moment that God speaks into that. That's the moment God speaks into your heart and he says those words to you and to me. He says, take courage. Get up. You have nothing left to lose. Take courage. Get up. You have nothing to hide. Take courage and get up. Question. When in your life? Or where in your life? Where in my life do I most need these words? What shame is there in your heart? What loss in your life? Where are you most defeated? Where are you most defeated? Were you? you need to hear God saying these words that he does say to you tonight, take courage, get up,

which I know this can be tough. Of course, duh, it's difficult. It's not easy. It's way easier to say it than it is to do it. That's why I love that. They don't just say, take courage, get up. But they give the reason why. And they give the way because they say to him, take courage, get up.

Why? Because Jesus is calling you. You know, there are times when you're strong enough to get up. Of course there are. There are times when you're strong enough to say, I'm going to rise from defeat. There are times when the loss is not so big and you can get up on your own. But there are times when our strength runs out, right? Of course we know this. There are times where the defeat is too much.

There are times when the shame is overwhelming. There are times when we're convinced there is no coming back from this. And that's when we need to hear those words. Take courage, get up. Why? Because Jesus wants you. Because Jesus is calling you to step into his gaze. Jesus is calling you to step into the light.

And that stepping does something. So there's a priest named Father Gabriel. Father Gabriel Wariro. He was a priest up in Hibbing for a long time. He's from Kenya originally. Now he's my parents, pastor over in Brainerd. And a couple years ago, Father Gabriel had another priest from Africa, not from Kenya, but from different country,

come in and do a mission in his parish. And this priest comes from a pretty difficult, area in Africa, where there's a lot of tribal warfare going on still and villages trying to destroy other villages and his priest shared a story about his own village. And he said it's not too long ago only a couple years ago, the neighboring tribe that they're fighting against and killing each other. At one point when the women were outside the village, they were, I don't know, by the river or they're gathering stuff in the field, I don't know the details.

these men from the other tribe, they surprised them, they ambush them, and they kidnapped them, and they dragged these women, these moms and wives and daughters into the jungle. And for two weeks, without stopping, for two weeks, these men abused these women, these moms, and these wives, and these daughters. They assaulted them, and they raped them. And they did everything they could to strip them of their dignity. They did everything they could to rob them of their goodness. And then they

didn't kill them. You might expect that that's what they would do next. They said, actually, what we're going to do is we're going to let them go. And we're going to tell them, you're free to go home. With the idea that what we've done is we've just stripped them of their dignity, we've just taken these village's mothers,

We've taken their wives, you've taken their daughters, and we've treated them so shamefully that they can't possibly, they're going to go back to their village, and it's going to destroy the village from the inside out. With all of this shame and all this brokenness, we've taken something from them that can never be restored, and they're going to send them back to this village, and it'll kill the village from the inside out like a cancer.

Treat them horribly and said, you're free. Go home. Expecting that what the people in the village would do is what so many of us do, when someone has their wounds, when someone, we know what's hurt them, We know what's been done to them, and we just don't talk about it. We just look the other way. We ignore it.

We pretend it's not there. And they thought that's what would happen. What happened was the opposite. It was crazy. He said, the moment these women came to the edge of the jungle, and they were seen by everyone in the village. The village erupted in joy, knowing what had happened to these women. He ran out of the village across the field, to run into a brace, to see them, to celebrate

them. This is so key. He said, then not only did they see them. walked them home, they said, tell us your story. Tell us what happened to you in the jungle. Don't hide your shame. Don't hide what was happened. Don't hide what was unspeakably done to you. Speak it. That attempt to rob you of your goodness failed. Because we see you and we celebrate you. Not what happened to you, but you. This attempt to destroy you and rob you of your goodness, failed because we see you and we celebrate you.

This attempt to rob you of your dignity failed because we see you and we celebrate you. You know, this is the, I think this is one of the reasons why God gave us not only the ability to be forgiven of our sins, but he gave us confession. Because what's confession? Confession is where we show up when we've been defeated. Confession is the place we show up when we have, when we're so far gone, there's no coming back. Confession is the place we go.

All we bring into confession is our shame. And what happens? We take our defeat to confession, and that becomes a place of victory. We take our losses to Jesus in confession, and what happens? That becomes a place where we're redeemed. We take our shame to confession. What happens?

The same thing that happened in the African village. You're seen. and you're celebrated. Life is about losing. And it's true that sometimes those losses stack up so high that all, we think all life is is defeat, and we have nothing. Nothing left to prove, nothing left to hide, nothing left to lose. But it is in that moment, the moment of maybe our greatest brokenness,

greatest defeat, greatest shame, that we have this shameless refusal to quit because we hear the truth. You know this. truth Jesus is calling you Jesus still wants you so take courage and get up