“The Sword will Pierce Your Heart”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
February 1- 2, 2020
Scripture: Luke 2: 22-40
The law required that Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the temple for purification and presentation. If you read scripture, every first-born male had to be consecrated to the Lord. You might say, “Well, if there was a first-born male, there must have been a second-born male.” But, that’s just not true. Putting on my lawyer’s hat, I would say that you are assuming facts not in evidence. If you had one son as your first child, he would be what? Your first-born son. Having a first-born son doesn’t mean there is a second. So, scripture is not implying that Mary had other children, only that Jesus was the first-born.
The traditional offering was two lambs if the parents were rich or two turtle doves if they were poor. Mary and Joseph brought two turtle doves…but, they also brought a lamb. They were rich. Now, you may be thinking, “Father, you probably need to up your meds; it doesn’t say that in scripture.” But, Joseph and Mary brought the Lamb of God, Jesus, to the temple. This is the promise of a sacrifice, and 33 years later He would fulfill that sacrifice on the cross.
Isaac asked his father, Abraham, “Where is the Lamb?” Abraham answered, “The Lamb has come to Jerusalem.” John the Baptist pointed Him out to all of Israel over 30 years later, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world”.
Simeon, was a just man, and he had an epiphany, a teaching moment, and an ongoing revelation of who Christ is. When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple, Simeon revealed the mission of Christ to Mary and Joseph… He was to be a light to the nations. Simeon prophesied that “this Child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2: 34-35). The last prayer that priests say before retiring is the same prayer Simeon said after seeing Christ in the temple:
“Lord, now you let your servant go in peace; Your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which You have prepared in the sight of every people: a light to reveal You to the nations and the glory of Your people Israel.”
The sign of the cross was contradictory. It was a stumbling block for the Jews and a folly to the Gentiles, because they did not want a suffering Savior…it’s a contradiction. Remember, one of the last temptations of the cross was when they said: “Come down from the cross and we will believe You.” We don’t want a suffering Savior, because that means we have to suffer with Him.
Jesus said, if you want to reign with Me you must suffer with Me. Ugh. I’d rather just reign…I don’t want to suffer… I’d rather just reign. No. One step follows the other. We turn to Mary and view her role. As Christ was fulfilling His role, so was Mary. Christ looked down at Mary from the cross and said, “Woman behold your Son” and looking at John, He said, “Behold your mother.“ It was not enough that she was the mother of God. She was to be mother of all the living…the new Eve…the spiritual mother of us all as well as the Mother of the Church and intercessor for the Church. As Simeon prophesied, the sword will pierce your heart so that the souls of many may be laid bare. Now, to fully understand that, we need to read the original Greek. In Greek, there are three words for sword: a dueling sword, a surgical scalpel, and a two-handed battle sword like that used by Schwarzenegger..….not for sissy boys. A sword that big will not only pierce your heart, it will destroy it so that the flaws of the soul are laid bare.
Mary suffered when she couldn’t find her Son. After searching for Jesus for three days and finding Him in the temple, He said to Mary and Joseph, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” Mary had another lesson in heartbreak during the Wedding at Cana in Galilee. When they ran out of wine, she said, “Son, they have no more wine.” Our Lord said, “Woman, who is thee to Me.” Or to say it in my northern heritage, “You talking to Me??” That’s exactly what He said to the Blessed Mother. “Who is thee to Me.” It was an insult that broke her heart, but it was her role in salvation, and her love had to expand beyond it.
The fulfillment of her role, as prophesied, was at Calvary. Mary’s heart was completely destroyed while watching her Son being crucified. She was beneath the cross and bathed in the blood of Christ as He was pulled down from the cross and placed in her arms. Her ongoing formation was completed at the cross. She became the intercessor for all of us…our Blessed Mother. Whether we ask her to or not, she is always watching over us.
Our good Lord offers that same sword to us so that we can experience the sufferings of Mary and imitate her compassion. Those crosses we see and experience, help open our hearts to love others. By the crosses we carry and the sins we endure, our hearts are laid open.
All of us experience death. Part of it is from getting old and part of it is from living in this world. We have all lost someone we love very much, whether it’s a spouse, a brother, or a parent, and our hearts are broken….our hearts are destroyed, and sometimes we wallow in self-pity. I saw this in soldiers all the time. “Oh, I need grief counseling…someone in my life died.” Just read the death certificates for Charlotte; they have lots of people who die every day. It’s all about me. We can become very isolated, and that’s okay, but then again we can use our grief to help others; to see the sufferings of others. Suffering opens our hearts to help others so that we become compassionate and can offer them consolation. We can suffer together; that’s what compassion means…to suffer together. Whatever crosses we have can help us to see how we can help others, to understand their crosses, and at least to pray with and for them.
One of the good parts of my work at the veterans’ hospital is that the patients will talk to me, because I have been where they’ve been…to the same level of hell where everything tastes like chicken. No, it doesn’t! Monkey tastes like monkey. Patients will say, “People are trying to kill me.” No, I’m not. I’m a nice guy! Really! Well, not really, but okay. But, we learn to suffer, and we learn to pray for them especially in hospitals and nursing homes where people are sick. They don’t want to be sick. Some are brought in by the police; others are suffering from old age. Pray for the ones who take care of them because it is no picnic. We have some people trying to take of others and they get cussed out…you wouldn’t believe some of the words that these old women know!
I will tell you a funny story, at least it was funny to me anyway. I got a call from a mental health nurse, it wasn’t about me, but about a patient there who I’ve known for nine years and says he hears voices. I said okay, but I’m not a pharmacist…up his dosage…besides, I just talked to him yesterday about the voices. “Well, he says he needs to talk to someone.” So, I went up and knocked on his door. “Tommy, you alright?” He was sleeping with his pants down around his ankles, and I thought about the sadness…nobody wants that cross. I walked out of his room and told the staff to let him sleep.
Although I joke about it, because that’s what we do, visiting with the sick and suffering is humbling. What suffering I have seen in hospitals and nursing homes. One elderly man I visited in the nursing home just sat there holding a stuffed rabbit. This man spent the better part of his military career knocking heads with the North Koreans. How hard it is for us to carry some of our crosses.
I was in an Alzheimer’s unit and this one lady was from Massachusetts where I was born…a World War II bride. She was standing at the wall and saying all these nasty words that I won’t repeat here. Finally, I said, “Mom, stop!”
We don’t always get nice people in the hospital, and sometimes we have to call our special friends in blue with badges, guns, and night-sticks to teach people how to play well with each other. But they teach us about crosses. So, every time I leave the hospital, I try to say the rosary for all those who are in pain and suffering and especially for those who are taking care of them, because they take those sufferings upon themselves.
When you go over to Bethany Woods, sometimes the aroma is a bit different and sometimes it’s a bit weird. One time, there was a nurse assistant trying to block a woman from leaving. I mean, this woman wanted to get out that door. It was close to let’s get ready to rumble time. That woman didn’t want to be like that; she didn’t want to be locked in there. Nobody wants that.
The sufferings we endure, our crosses, can open our hearts and lead to our helping others or praying for them. It probably won’t change one wit what’s going on. “Oh, but I’m powerless.” No you’re not. We have a lot of power…we have the power of Christ. Just like the Blessed Mother does in heaven, we can intercede on other people’s behalf. The sufferings you bear for the sake of others may be fruitful for them, and you, in return, may receive abundant blessings and grace.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you open your heart and have compassion for those who are suffering? Will you suffer with them?