Homily: 2nd Sunday in Lent – Cycle A
Last week, as we celebrated the 1st
Sunday in Lent, I reflected on how the readings for the day seemed to indicate
that God was asking us to enter into a 12-step addiction recover program this
Lent. I reflected how the journey
through Lent can be like a journey through a 12-step program, as we acknowledge
that we have sinned and have fallen short of all that God expects of us, that
we, by ourselves, are powerless to overcome our sinfulness, and that we must
give ourselves completely to the will of God (and his mercy)—particularly through
the sacrament of reconciliation and the renewal of our baptismal promises at
Easter—so that we can break free from the bonds of sin. I noted how this last part is truly the key:
that to hand over your will to one who is more powerful (and so, wise), yet
loving—and to be completely obedient to him—actually leads to freedom, not
greater slavery.
In the Scriptures last week we saw
this play out as the disobedience of our first parents (Adam and Eve) led them
into the bondage of sin, while the obedience of Christ (as evidenced by his
unwillingness to give into the temptations the devil presented to him) left him
free and blameless before his Father.
This week, we once again encounter this theme of obedience in the
Scriptures. In the first reading, God
commands Abraham to move from his native place to a land he doesn’t know based
simply on a promise that God will give him blessings beyond his wildest
dreams. In the Gospel, we read how, at
the transfiguration, Peter, James, and John hear God's voice identifying Jesus
and commanding them "Listen to him".
This "listening" is much more than "hearing”. Rather, it is a "listening" that
results in "doing", which is obedience. And so, in this way, it's like God is saying
"This is my beloved Son … be obedient to him."
But “obedience” often carries with it
a negative connotation, right? The
common definition that many of us might give to obedience is “being subservient
to the will of another”. In this
definition, obedience seems negative as it is often associated with one person’s
domination over another. Slaves and
other servants are “obedient” to their masters, just as good children are
“obedient” to their parents, grandparents, teachers, etc.
The word obedience, however, comes
from the Latin verb oboedire, which
translates literally to mean “to listen towards” something, like when you lean
in to listen because you value what is being said. In this definition, obedience, implies a
relationship between the one who speaks and the one who hears. This is an affectionate relationship, since
one would not “lean in” to listen to someone who he or she didn’t think had
concern for him or her in return. And so
we see that obedience involves a level of intimacy between the one who speaks
and the one who hears. In a very real
way, therefore, obedience, if it is true, is really an act of love.
Given this, let’s think about Abraham’s
obedience for a second. If we take the
reading literally (which can be a little dangerous to do), we see that Abraham
didn’t say anything to God as God told him what to do and what he would give
him for doing it. Abraham’s response (“Abram
went as the Lord directed him”, the Scripture says) would be crazy if he didn’t
already have a relationship with God and knew his voice. And so we must assume that he did have a
relationship with God and that Abraham already trusted him to be a loving
Father, who wouldn’t give him a rock when he asked for an egg or a scorpion
when he asked for a fish. With this
loving relationship, therefore, it was easy for him to obey, even when that
meant that he would suffer some hardships because of it.
The apostles, too, would find that,
because they spent three years with Jesus while he taught about the kingdom of
God and worked miracles to demonstrate that it, indeed, had come to fulfillment
in him, it would be easy to “listen to him”, because they already had a
relationship with him and they knew him to be a loving master: more like a
brother, than a boss. Thus, they could
give him their full obedience and not fear that they would ever be led astray. Their obedience was not servitude, but truly
was an act of love.
Well, okay, Father, if obedience is
love, then why is it so hard? Well,
perhaps it’s because we haven’t correctly understood love, either. The love that we speak of here is so much
more than affection (that is, good feelings for another person). Rather, the love we are talking about here is
the willing of the good (that is, happiness) for another: even if there is no
reward (and, perhaps, even suffering) for yourself. Obedience, therefore, often involves
self-sacrifice. This component of
self-sacrifice is why we often view it as being slave-like. We think, “I have to give up what I want in
order for that other person to get what he or she wants.” But true love doesn’t count the cost—it doesn’t
count what I lose so that the other can receive something good. This is why Jesus could say “No one has
greater love than this; to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”. And this is why Saint Paul, in our second
reading, could remind Saint Timothy to “bear your share of hardship for the
gospel”, because love sometimes asks us to bear hardships. Obedience, therefore, willfully given, is
really an act of love; and most especially when it involves some sacrifice of
one’s self.
Former farmer and US Secretary of
Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson once said that “When obedience ceases to be an
irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power.” Jesus is the Father’s “beloved Son” firstly
because he was obedient. Thus, the power
on display in the transfiguration is the power that is available to us who seek
to follow our Lord’s example of obedience.
And so, my brothers and sisters, let
us acknowledge that Lent calls us back to obedience; which means, then, that we
are called to restore our relationship with God the Father through Christ
Jesus. And so, let us not spend this
time of Lent in works that won’t draw us closer to God. Rather, let’s engage works that lead us first
to acknowledge our need for repentance (and, therefore, our need for God) and
that help us, then, to submit our wills completely to his, because he has never
proven to be anything but a loving Father who cares for us. Because, when we do, we will see the power of
the blessings that Jesus has won for us made manifest in our lives; the power
that comes through true obedience; the power that comes to us here in this Holy
Eucharist.
Given
at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – March 11th & 12th,
2017
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