The obedience of faith

Homily: 4^th Sunday of Advent – Cycle A

Although it may not be the first thing that you think of when you think of a king/queen, every king/queen is called to be a servant.  What I mean by that is this: the authority that a king/queen possesses is given to him/her so as to govern the people of the kingdom in such a way that they might flourish.  We all know, however, the old saying that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” and so we all know how often kings/queens are corrupted by the power that they wield and seek to have their people serve them, instead.  Nonetheless, this doesn’t change the fact that the role of the king/queen is to serve; and if they serve well, then they rightfully receive the honor and homage of the people.

Still further, throughout history being a king/queen almost always included a religious component.  Royal lineage was often seen to have been appointed by God and royalty have often held positions of authority in religious matters.  This continues today.  For example, the Queen of England is also the head of the Church of England.  As such, she must be not only a servant of the people, but also a model for religious piety and practice.  To do otherwise would discredit the Crown and the religion that she leads.  Sure, the Archbishop of Canterbury is the de facto head of the Church of England, but the Monarch of England still stands as the model for all.

This, of course, was true of the ancient Israelites, which gives color to our first reading today.  The brevity of this reading gives rise to the thought that the Church included it primarily to recount for us the source of the prophecy of the virgin birth (which is very important, obviously), but the broader story also provides us with some insight and so I’m going to incorporate some of it here.

Ahaz was not a good king.  I don’t know whether he was a good guy, but he wasn’t a good king.  He let being a king get to his head.  If we remember back to the prophet Samuel, when the Israelites demanded that he anoint a king for them (for they had never yet had their own king), he first rebuked them for suggesting that they didn’t already have a king (for the Lord God was their king) and then he predicted that most of the kings that they would have would be corrupt or weak (or both) and that the people would suffer because of it.  The people insisted, anyway, and God instructed Samuel to anoint a king for them.  Many hundreds of years later, Samuel’s predictions would come true and Ahaz was one of those weak kings who let being a king get to his head.

Ahaz forgot that he was king so as to serve the people for their flourishing.  He also forgot that the true King of the Israelite people was God.  And so, when God allowed the insanely powerful Assyrian army to amass themselves against the Israelites (because the Israelites had fallen away from faithfulness to God under the rule of Ahaz), Ahaz sought a worldly solution to the problem (he was brokering and alliance with the Egyptians).

Isaiah brings him God’s message that said, “The Assyrians are here as a punishment for your lack of faithfulness; but surrender to them and I won’t let them destroy the city or kill you.”  Ahaz didn’t like that answer because he didn’t trust God and thought that he needed to rely on himself.  Isaiah clapped back and said, “No, for reals: God is going to take care of you. He’ll give you a sign, anything you ask for.  Just ask him.”  Ahaz, not wanting the sign because he wanted to make his alliance with Egypt, invokes some false piety and says, “oh no, it would be improper to put the Lord to the test.”  Isaiah, frustrated for God, responds that God will give him a sign, anyway, and predicts the virgin birth of a son who will be “Emmanuel - God with us” for the people.

In the end, Ahaz would make his alliance with Egypt and the Assyrians would conquer him anyway.  He would die, Jerusalem (including the temple) would be destroyed, and the people would be exiled for 70 years.  Ahaz, as the king and religious leader of God’s people, refused to get behind God’s plan and the people suffered.  And the sign that God called for wouldn’t be seen until hundreds of years later.  By refusing to acknowledge God as the one King, and by refusing to be an example of right religion, God’s plans for his people were disrupted.

In contrast we heard of the “annunciation” to Joseph in today’s Gospel reading.  Joseph was a man with no worldly power.  He was a laborer in a small town in a seemingly inconsequential region of the world.  Yet, he was a righteous man: which means that he was just and followed God’s law closely.  We hear also that he was merciful, for although he knew that he couldn’t take Mary into his home after the discovery of her pregnancy, he decided to divorce her quietly so that she wouldn’t have to suffer any more indignation than what she would already suffer by being a single mother in that culture.  For Joseph, God was Lord; and when he heard the message of the angel that told him to do something that every righteous and merciful bone in his body told him not to do, he obeyed.  Through his obedience, God’s plan for mankind was finally fulfilled.  Joseph placed himself, in the state of life and situation that he was in, completely at God’s service, and God’s good will for mankind was fulfilled.  In this way, Joseph was a much better king than Ahaz.

My friends, I’m certain I will surprise no one here when I say that there is a lot more Ahaz than Joseph in our world today.  In other words, there’s a lot more people—especially those in authority—who refuse to acknowledge that there is an authority higher than themselves to which we owe obedience.  For this reason, the kingdom of God is disappearing among us.  Sure, there is still plenty of goodness among us, but it’s dwindling into smaller and smaller pockets of our public life.  While it is important that we recognize that and seek to put in authority persons who recognize God as the ultimate authority and seek to obey him, it is just as important to recognize that there is probably more of Ahaz than Joseph in each one of us.  I mean, isn’t it true that we each want to be Lord of our own lives and, thus, act like we know better when God asks something uncomfortable of us (for example, surrendering to forgiveness of someone who has hurt us)?  Because of this, just like king Ahaz, much of God’s will doesn’t manifest itself among us.  Friends, we do not get to lament the state of society without asking ourselves how we have each played a small or large part of it becoming as it is by our refusals to allow God to be Lord of our lives.

On this fourth Sunday of Advent, therefore, we are reminded that, as we prepare to celebrate the anniversary of Christ’s birth among us (and the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy!), we are preparing also for the coming of our King.  And so, the question comes to us, “Have I given my preparations over to Him (like Joseph)?  Or am I expecting that he will make my plans successful, in spite of what he may want (like Ahaz)?”  In other words, “Am I the king/queen and expect, thus, God to serve me?  Or do I see myself as a servant before the true King?”  My brothers and sisters, I charge you to reflect on these questions over these last days of Advent: for judgment will be merciless on those who made themselves king, but full of mercy for those who acknowledged the true King and sought to serve him.

Friends, the true King is coming.  May he find us ready to honor him with our obedience of faith so that his will for bringing forth the full flourishing of his kingdom might be known in our time.

Given at Saint Mary’s Cathedral: Lafayette, IN – December 21^st & 22^nd, 2019

The obedience that conquers fear

Homily: 4^th Sunday of Advent – Cycle A

          Fear is a powerful thing, and rightly so.  Fear is one of the essential tools that all animals use for survival.  When we find ourselves in a dangerous situation, fear of dying causes us either to fight what is in front of us or to run away from it in order to preserve our lives.  For example, if I’m walking through a neighborhood and am confronted by an unfriendly looking dog, I have a decision to make: either I’m going to stand my ground and try to fight him off if he attacks me, or I’m going to run away, hoping that he doesn’t catch me.  Without fear, however, I might be a “sitting duck” to the dog’s attack.  We fear things that threaten us.

          We also fear things that we don’t trust.  In other words, the possibility that what is in front of us might harm us makes us guarded and unwilling to engage with it for fear of what might happen to us.  For example, I might be asked to climb a ladder to hang a decoration or to clean out the gutters, but one look at the ladder might tell me that it might collapse under my weight and so fear of injury makes me say “no” to the request.  Perhaps even my fear of heights—which is not really a fear of heights, but rather a fear of falling from those heights—would cause me not to trust the ladder, even if it was the sturdiest ladder ever made.  This also applies to people, of course, as a lack of trust in an individual—the pilot on your airline flight, for example—could cause you to skip your flight.  Fear, indeed, is powerful: it has the power to decide what actions you take in life.

          For this reason, fear can be inimical to faith.  We need look no farther than today’s Scriptures to see an example of this.  Ahaz is the king of the southern kingdom of Judah.  His kingdom has been surrounded on all sides by his enemies and he is trying to figure out what to do: should he try to fight them (invoking the assistance of the Egyptians to the south), or should he run, or should he just give up?  The prophet Isaiah comes to speak the Lord’s message to him.  He tells him: “Surrender to your enemies.  Do not fear that this will be the end of the kingdom, because God has not forgotten his promise.  In fact, God wills to give you a sign that he will not abandon you.  You tell him what that sign shall be.”  Ahaz, however, didn’t trust God and so, in a sign of false piety, he refused to ask for a sign.  He allowed his fear to overcome his faith.

          Both Mary and Joseph had the opportunity to respond like Ahaz to the revelation of God.  At the revelation of the angel, however, Mary trusted God, even given the fearful uncertainty of what this would mean for her life; and so she conceived Jesus in her womb.  Joseph, too, fearful for being found unrighteous according to the Law, trusted the revelation of the angel and so gave Jesus a patrimony—Son of the House of David—so that the prophecy of Isaiah would be fulfilled.  Both were instructed by the angel, “Do not be afraid”, and both listened.  Thus, God’s great promises to his people were finally fulfilled when two poor Jews from Galilee conquered the power of their fears and put their faith in God: submitting themselves to his will.

          These are examples for us of the “obedience of faith” that Saint Paul spoke about in the beginning of his letter to the Romans.  Obedience of this type is not blind servitude that we think of when we think of slavery as it was often practiced in the early years of this country; rather, it is loving adherence to the will of one, who has authority over you, yes, but who also has responsibility for your well-being.  The obedience of faith, therefore, is the obedience that can say “yes” in spite of a fearful unknown, because the one who asks is trustworthy.  The obedience of faith can say “yes” even in the face of a certain danger, because the one who asks has promised to carry you through.  More than all these, however, the obedience of faith is a readiness to respond in love to the one who has already poured out his love on you, which is exactly what God did when he sent his Son to become one with us and to die for us.  In fact, because of this, the obedience of faith is something we owe God, which is why Saint Paul saw it as his apostolic responsibility “to bring about the obedience of faith.”

          My brothers and sisters, this obedience of faith is that to which we are being called to return during this Advent season.  Our remembrance that Our Lord came to us as a little child to then go forth to suffer and to die so that we might be saved from sin and death forever, and that he reigns now in heaven as King of the Universe until the appointed time when he will return to bring about the fullness of his kingdom, is meant to remind us of our need to examine our lives and to ensure that we are truly prepared to receive him when he comes.  This is the work that we should have been doing for the past three weeks.  And if we haven’t been doing it, then it is the work we are being called to take up in this last week of Advent (and thanks be to God that there is a whole week left!).

          Our Father in heaven knows us well, however.  And so he know that, if we have been struggling to trust him and to overcome our fear of the unknown—or of the certain danger—that might come from our obedience, there is nothing more fear-conquering than a little child who needs to be welcomed into a warm home.  This is why the Church ends this great season of expectation with the celebration of the birth of the Christ Child: it’s easier to make a place for him.  In this final week before Christmas, my brothers and sisters, may we each finish well this good work that we have begun to overcome our fears and to give God the obedience of faith that we owe him once again.  Thus will our hearts be prepared to receive him and to acknowledge him for who he is: Emmanuel, God with us.

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – December 17^th & 18^th, 2016

What DO you want for Christmas?

          King Ahaz was too afraid of what God would ask of him, so he chickened out when given the chance to ask for anything in the world.  This Christmas are we too afraid to ask for a miracle sign from God?

(Watch the referred to video here.)

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Homily: 4^th Sunday of Advent – Cycle A

          A few weeks back, I watched a video that had been generating a lot of buzz on social media websites.  It was a holiday video produced by WestJet Airlines that documented an incredible event that the company organized and executed.  In two separate airports in Canada, the company set up a large box with a TV screen on one of its sides.  It also had a place where you could scan the boarding pass for your flight.  When someone did, Santa Claus appeared live on the TV screen and interacted with them.  Behind the scenes, airline workers pulled up information on the person standing there so Santa could seem like he knew who was there.  Then he did what Santa always does and he asked the person or family (especially the kids) what they wanted for Christmas.

          A hidden camera recorded the reactions of the people who interacted with Santa.  Most were surprised when Santa knew their names and, when asked what they wanted for Christmas, most of them asked for something that they thought they would never get.  Well, little did they know that the WestJet team was recording their answers and what they did next was simply amazing.  While these passengers were on their flights (each to the opposite airport), a team of the airline’s employees went out and purchased all of the things that the passengers asked for, wrapped them up and prepared to deliver them when those passengers arrived at their destination.  When the passengers disembarked and went to claim their luggage, they found that presents were delivered to them instead: all of the things that they had asked for from Santa.  It’s really a beautiful moment as you see people completely caught off-guard by the joy of receiving such an unexpected and seemingly miraculous gift.

          In our first reading today, Ahaz, the King of Judah, is being invited to ask for a sign from God through which God would assure him of his protection against a foreign army that is threatening to conquer Judah.  The prophet Isaiah has told Ahaz that the Lord has promised to preserve him as king as long as he surrenders to this invading force.  Ahaz, however, would rather make an alliance with the powerful Egyptian army to the south in the hopes of protecting his kingdom.  Knowing that God would produce whatever sign he asked for, thus forcing him to surrender to the invading army, Ahaz refuses to ask for one, claiming that he would rather not test the Lord.  In reality, he was afraid of what he would have to do if he placed all his trust in the Lord and so he refused to do it.  Instead of opening himself up to being surprised by a miracle from the Lord, Ahaz closed himself off to it.

          We can sometimes be the same way.  Three full weeks now into Advent and we’ve probably spent more time trying to remove any chance for a surprise from our holiday schedule than we have opened ourselves up to one.  Christmas wish lists, party invitation rosters, and carefully tabulated shopping protocols leave very little room to be surprised by joy.  For three weeks now the Liturgy has been inviting us to make space in our lives where God can surprise us with joy (and then to ask for it!), but we would rather stick to our own plans—our worldly securities—than to open ourselves to what God might ask of us if we place our trust in him.  Like Ahaz, we’d rather not “test the Lord.”

          In spite of Ahaz’s reluctance to trust in God and to ask for a sign, God decides to give one to him anyway.  And, in spite of how we have re-interpreted the sign to apply it to the virginal conception of Jesus by Mary, the sign that Isaiah called for was meant to be a sign for Ahaz in his time.  The miraculous birth from a virgin would be that sign and he would be named Emmanuel so as to be a reminder to Ahaz and the whole house of David that God was truly with them.

          This Christmas and every Christmas God is making the same offer to us.  Regardless of whether or not we are open to asking for it, the Liturgy draws us once again to a remembrance of the sign that God has offered us: a child, born of a virgin, who is God, and who has saved us from our sins.  This child truly is Emmanuel, the enduring presence of God with us, who is the constant reminder that God has not and will not abandon us to our enemies.

          King Ahaz, because he refused to place his trust in God and open himself to be surprised by God’s generosity, died before he could ever see God’s promised sign become a reality.  He aligned himself with the Egyptian forces and was overrun by the Assyrian army anyway.  Our fate will be much the same unless we can open ourselves to be surprised by God’s generosity this Christmas.  If we keep allowing ourselves to get caught up in our own plans and our own priorities instead of looking for God’s sign among us, then we, too, may die before we ever experience the joy of being surprised by God—a joy like those airline passengers experienced on that special day—the joy of seeing life itself born right here in our midst.

          And so, my brothers and sisters, the question to us today is, “What do you want for Christmas?”  Go ahead.  “Let it be deep as the netherworld or high as the sky.”  You might just be surprised by what you get.

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – December 22^nd, 2013