S1 E12: Come Out!

Transcript

Carol Vassar:

From SS. Isidore and Maria Parish in Glastonbury, Connecticut, I'm Carol Vassar, and this is Living in Faith, Hope, and Love. Each week, our Pastor, Father Mark Suslenko, delves into Scripture, shares insights from the saints, prophets, and theologians, and discusses practical ways to cultivate faith, strengthen hope, and embody love in the world around us. Through his reflections and spiritual encouragement, this podcast aims to inspire you to live your Catholic faith with joy and purpose. Welcome. 

“Lazarus, come out.” This was the command that Jesus gave at the tomb of his close friend in John, Chapter 11, verse 43. And, wouldn’t you know, Lazarus  - pronounced dead four days earlier - emerges from the tomb alive still in his burial clothes -  a miracle at the behest of Jesus himself, and a foreshadowing of his resurrection. 

In this episode of the podcast, Father Mark points out that we need to examine not just what Jesus does, but the way in which he does, the dialogue that proceeds it, and the way that we, like Lazarus, have choices to make: stay in the darkness of our fears, stresses and secular choices, or embrace the light and the love and the hope that is found in Jesus Christ. Here’s Father Mark Suslenko: 

“Come Out,” by Father Mark S. Suslenko, Pastor, SS. Isidore and Maria Parish, Glastonbury, Connecticut

Father Mark Suslenko:

It is really important when it comes to unlocking the truth and the mystery and the beauty of the Gospels to really play close attention to not only what Jesus does, but how he does it. When it comes to bringing people to faith, when it comes to preaching the Good News, when it comes to doing miracles, whether they be physical miracles or miracles of the soul, Jesus doesn't just simply wave his magic wand and go through the crowds and say, "You're cured, or you're cured, or you're coming to faith." When Jesus interacts with folks, there's always some form of dialogue. He talks with them about something. And that something is usually is centered around resurrection, new life through healing, faith, meaning, hope, forgiveness, and the like. And in dialoguing with these folks, he engages them, and he establishes a relationship with them that intrigues them, that perks their interest, and then sparks that kernel of faith that wasn't there before. And then, in addition to the dialogue, he offers direction: go and sin no more. I'm coming to your house for dinner. Be cleaned. Go. Your faith has saved you. Come out. Come out. 

So, in capturing people's attention and dialoguing with them, of bringing them to a new place of awareness, Jesus then offers them direction. So, it's more than just conversion, more than just a cure, more than just resurrection from the dead. There's much more at stake here in how Jesus preaches and delivers the message of the Good News: come out. 

Now all of us have some kind of a relationship with Jesus, otherwise we wouldn't be here today. Or maybe we're looking to have a relationship with Jesus, but don't know quite how to get that going. Well, for you and I, it kind of happens in the same way. We live our human journeys and we go about the business of our human lives, and at some point, perhaps we find ourselves wondering if this is all there is. You know, maybe we're not feeling 100% in sync with things. Something is missing. We're yearning for something more. Or maybe life is bringing us some questions that the secular world can't answer. For example, is this all there is? Or is there more? 

And then we begin to listen to the message of the Gospels. We listen to the sacraments of the Church, or maybe we're feeling a stirring within us, which really is the voice of God bringing us to a deeper level of awareness that's engaging us, that's dialoguing with us, that's helping us come to grips with what we're seeking and what we really need. 

And then we look at our lives and a lot of times we're stuck. We're stuck, and we know that we're stuck, and maybe we're stuck because of our job, our careers, and the pressures that come with that particular commitment. Maybe we're captivated by our fears: fears of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of someone finding out the truth. Sometimes just simple stress and anxiety can cripple us. Competition can cripple us. Being too engaged in the ways of the secular world can weigh us down and ensnare us, and we find ourselves living in darkness. We find ourselves living in these tombs, these tombs that are leading nowhere, and basically just assisting with our own decay.

And Jesus says to us, "Come out." Walk away from that stress of competition. Walk away from the voices of the secular world. Don't get so captivated by your fears so that they weigh you down and cripple you. Don't worry about the truth. Don't worry about your past. There is hope and there is new life, and there is resurrection and there is more, but come out, believe in me and allow me to change you.

We all have choices. Lazarus had a choice. He didn't have to listen to Jesus. He could have stayed within the darkness and the decay of the tomb. You and I have that same choice. We can stay in the darkness and decay of our fears and our anxieties and our worries, and the dead ends of the secular world, or we can come out and truly delve into the joys of the Good News into the beauty of the Gospel, and realize that in all things, even in those that seem to have a dead end, there is always hope. There is always life. There is always the true understanding of love, and the need for faith. That's why the words of the Gospel, they're called "Good News," because they have that ability to transform and change us.

Carol Vassar:

Father Mark Suslenko is the pastor of SS. Isidore and Maria Parish in Glastonbury, Connecticut. If you like what you've heard today, please subscribe to Living in Faith, Hope, and Love on your favorite podcast app, and take a moment to leave a review.

SS. Isidore and Maria is an active parish community, so whether you’re a long-time parishioner or are just getting to know us through this podcast, we welcome you to join us at Masses or any of our other community events and services. Visit our parish website - isidoreandmaria.org - for a full schedule of Masses, services and other happenings. That's isidoreandmaria.org. We're also active on Facebook and Instagram.

On behalf of Father Mark, I'm Carol Vassar, and we thank you for listening to this episode of Living in Faith, Hope, and Love.