Homily Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Homily Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
We might wonder this Sunday if our religious faith has anything to say to us in the present moment. The last few days are unlike any of us have lived through in our lifetime. We are reminded of the words of Thomas Paine “This is the time that tries men’s souls.”
We also could remember the words of Archbishop Oscar Romero who was shot to death in 1980 in the middle of civil unrest in San Salvador. Romero died at the altar saying Mass felled by an assassin’s bullet. He spoke out in defense of the poor men and women who were being murdered on all sides of the civil war in his country. At one-point Romero reflected on what our faith tells us in times of crisis. In his troubled time there seemed to be no way out. In fact, his country still suffers with terrible poverty and bad government today.
What is the role of Christian people he was asked? He said that this life was one long Good Friday. Christian people need to find ways to be Easter in the world, signs of hope. We are not to just give into despair, but we are to be agents of the risen Christ in the world.
Today we are in the middle of a dark period. What are we to do? Who are we to be? We are ending the Christmas season today. Maybe we need to reflect the light of Christmas going forward. We could be reminded of some of the words of one of the most popular of Christmas hymns, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” The words say:
O holy Child of Bethlehem! Descent to us, we pray; Cast out our sin and enter in; Be born in us today.
What happens when Jesus is born in us. We become like Jesus. We embody certain values that are sacrosanct.
The first value is truth. Who can forget the dialogue between Pontius Pilate and Jesus in the Passion narrative? When Jesus says in John 18:27, “Anyone committed to the truth hears my voice.” Pilate says derisively, “Truth!” “What does that mean?” Pilate had no regard for the truth. He wanted only to do what was expedient for him. Lies led to the death of Jesus. Whenever anyone speaks of alternative truth, we should be wary. There is no such thing. The truth is the truth. When we refuse to listen to verifiable truth, we are headed toward darkness. When we seek verifiable truth, we are moving toward enlightenment.
The second value we should hold on to is the value of justice. Justice revolves around following fair laws that are agreed upon by society. In a democracy the laws are passed by the people’s elected representatives and applied by an independent judiciary. If we do not follow the law in conscience this is a serious matter. We must make sure that we have a well-formed conscience before we break a law. We consider what is in the common good. We can’t ignore laws just because we are angry. If we do, we are acting out of passion, not reason.
When we have true justice, that usually leads to peace. Peace is the ideal for every human society. If we do not have peaceful coexistence everything else falls apart. Jesus is the prince of peace. The Jesus we follow was a nonviolent savior. Violence is the last resort for those seeking justice. Christians always seek to be physically nonviolent. We seek to be verbally nonviolent. Trying to scare or bully someone into agreeing with us is never an option.
Truth is essential to justice. Justice is essential to having a peaceful society. Justice revolves around equal rights for all people no matter who they are. We need Christians who not only worship Jesus but Christians that have been reborn as followers of Jesus.
To paraphrase an old saying. The shepherds have gone back to their fields. The magi have returned home. The tree has been taken down. The decorations have been stored away. The creche has been boxed for another year. The last carol for this Christmas has been sung. Now let the work of Christmas begin. We must speak the truth, seek justice for all and be people who are peacemakers because that is the true moral of the Christmas story.
Reflection Questions:
- How do I check controversial information that is presented to me? Do I accept things at face value, or do I do my homework?
- Is the Common Good a moral principle I understand? What is my opinion about it?
Dear Parishioners,
The events of recent days have shaken all of us. The question for that we all need to reflect on is, how do we move forward? January 6th is traditionally the Feast of the Epiphany. An epiphany is a moment when we see something clearly for the first time. To have epiphany we must have an open mind and heart.
I remember when I was in campus ministry in the 1990’s that a student wrote an editorial in the campus newspaper. He said in his piece that all moral principles are relative. They are a matter of opinion. I was shocked by what he was saying. I regret that I did not respond in some fashion. There are moral norms that are held by all religions and ethics that are considered relevant no matter if people are religious or not. We must regain a sense that there are certain norms in a civilized democratic society.
We have a long road ahead of us. We keep hearing that what happened on the 6th of January does not represent who we are as Americans. The sad fact is that what we saw on display that day is a snapshot of who we have become. If we all can agree that there are ethical truths that we must follow in order to live in peace with each other it might be a first step in bringing our divided nation back together.
Blessings,
Fr Mark