Homily: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B
Friends,
as I reflected on the readings for today, I couldn’t escape the disturbing
first line of our first reading: “The Lord was pleased to crush him in
infirmity.” Those of us who have been
around long enough—and who, thus, have heard this reading many times—may hear
this reading and not think much of that first line. But let’s take a moment to let it sit there
in front of us: “The Lord was pleased
to crush him in infirmity.”
Those
of us who are parents understand that, at times, you have to let your children
suffer in order to teach them certain lessons.
Often, it’s a lesson about the give-and-take of the world. “No, you can’t have that thing because your
brother/sister needs this other thing” is one example. Of course, inflicting punishment for wrongdoing
is also necessary to teach children how to act properly in the world. In other words, to “crush children in
infirmity” is a necessary part of parenting: both for the good of the children
and the good of society.
Do
parents take pleasure to “crush their
children in infirmity”, however? Most, I
think, would say “no”. Most parents
would say that disciplining their children or denying their children something
that they want is probably the most unpleasant part of parenting. So why would God inspire the prophet Isaiah
to say that he “was pleased to crush his servant in infirmity”? Let’s explore this question a little here.
First,
let me say that there doesn’t seem to be a definitive answer to this
question. Thus, our exploration likely
won’t yield a perfect relief to our discomfort, but it should provide some
relief. Perhaps we can begin, however,
by naming the source of our discomfort.
The problem underneath this problem is the problem of suffering. As humans, we recognize that suffering is something
that shouldn’t happen. Whether we are
conscious of it or not, we recognize that our human nature is not meant for
suffering. Thus, we rebel against
suffering in most forms because we recognize it as an attack on our nature and
so a threat to our human flourishing.
The
fact that there is suffering in the world presents us with important questions:
“What does this mean about the goodness of the world?” And for us who are Christian, “What does this
mean about the goodness of God?” “Is the
world really good if suffering is in it?”
“If God causes suffering (or simply allows it to happen), is he really
good?” “If God takes pleasure in our suffering, does this
mean not only that he is not good, but rather evil?” These are fundamental questions, and I think
that we can find an answer (even if not, necessarily, the answer) if we look at the role of suffering in our lives.
Although
our first reaction to the idea of suffering is that it is bad and should be
avoided, we shouldn’t need to think too hard to recognize that there are many
ways in which suffering produces good.
I’ve already mentioned that the imposition of suffering on children in
order to discipline them or to teach them how to live in harmony with others in
society is a good thing (even if it is not pleasurable for anyone
involved). Physical therapy is another
instance in which suffering, although not a good in itself, is converted into a
good for the purpose of restoring the full-functioning of a person’s body. Training for excellence in sports (or
exercise, in general) is another way in which we choose to suffer for a greater
good. (Those who train and exercise even
often say that their training/exercise is pleasurable
as they begin to achieve things that they previously thought were impossible to
achieve.)
Here,
perhaps, we’ve “stumbled” upon an answer to our dilemma: if it is possible to
find pleasure in suffering that has,
as its object, a greater good, then it may be possible to understand how God
“was pleased to crush his servant in infirmity”.
Take,
for example, the coach who, seeing the potential for greatness in one of his
players, yet also a great lack of discipline, pushes that player harder than
any of the other players. The coach, in
seeing the player develop the necessary discipline, sees also the player
develop in ability. Thus, the coach is “pleased to crush the player in
infirmity” because the outcome (both for the player and the team) is something
greater. In other words, the coach
doesn’t take pleasure in the suffering, itself, but rather in the outcome of
the suffering, which is a greater good.
As
we read the rest of the passage from Isaiah, we see that this seems to be the
case for God and his servant. The
prophet says that, “The Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity” because
“through his suffering, his servant shall justify many” and “he shall see the
light in fullness of days”. God takes
pleasure in the suffering of his servant because of the greater good that it
will produce, both for the servant and for many others. In this light, I find that my discomfort in
that first line is relieved. God is not
capricious (or, worse, malicious), but rather good and one who works for good,
even though that means causing/allowing suffering in order to bring about that good:
both for the one who suffers and for others.
Through
Isaiah’s prophesy, God revealed not only the manner by which mankind would be
redeemed (that is, by a chosen servant who “gives his life as an offering for
sin”), but also that which all of his servants who come after the redeemer will
have to do to bring about his kingdom.
In the Gospel reading, we see that the apostles James and John still
have a faulty idea of Jesus’ worldly kingship.
They, it seems, have forgotten these verses from the fifty-third chapter
of Isaiah and expect that Jesus is going to ascend to a throne in Jerusalem and
rule over the world in a worldly way. Thus, they boldly ask to be promised the two
most influential seats in his kingdom: to sit one at his right and the other at
his left. Jesus, in his strong response,
indirectly instructs them (and the rest of the apostles) to remember the words
of the prophet Isaiah: that the ones who will be prominent in the kingdom of
God are those who suffer for the good of others; those who, in a real sense,
give their lives as a ransom for many.
Eventually
we will see that James, John, and the other apostles do “get it”. After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension into
heaven—and after they were filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost—the apostles
each suffered greatly for the good of others and gave their lives as a ransom
for many. Thus, they demonstrated for us
a great cosmic truth: that when we go out into the world, both in the name of
and in the power of our Lord, we are called to encounter and receive the
suffering that comes to us, after the model of Jesus, in order to bring forth
the good of God’s kingdom. The goal of
suffering in this way is not to prove our love and loyalty to God (though that
will be a result), but rather to absorb evil out of the world, so that God’s
kingdom of love, justice, and peace can manifest itself more fully; and so that
more and more men and women can be turned to the Lord and be united to him.
Friends,
it is true that the world has become a very hostile place to those who strive
to follow Christ. It is also true that
God has called us to accept the suffering that inevitably comes as we strive to
live after our Lord’s model so as to “filter” evil from the world and thus
manifest God’s kingdom. God does not
take pleasure in our sufferings as such.
Rather, he delights in seeing the good fruits that our sufferings
produce: knowing that our patient endurance will manifest good both for us and
for many others.
Therefore,
we should not be afraid to expose ourselves to these sufferings by living lives
of humble service to others and by speaking boldly to others about God’s love
and mercy. Fearless, because the
spiritual strength to endure these sufferings has been given to us: the Holy
Spirit, who dwells within us and who gives us wisdom and courage, and our Lord
Jesus, who nourishes us for strength by feeding us with his Body and Blood and
encourages us with his presence in the Blessed Sacrament.
May
the sacrifice of thanksgiving that we offer here today please God and fill us
with the joy of God’s kingdom come.
Given at the Regina Mater Monastery: Kokomo, IN – October 17th,
2021
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