[ 2019 December 8 __ 2nd Sunday Advent ● Isaiah
11:1-10 ● Psalm 72 ● Romans 15:4-9 ● Matthew 3:1-12 ● ]
[__01__] It is
the mainstream historical viewpoint that John the Baptist was a rebel, a rebel
and outsider and troublemaker. A
mathematician or political researcher might ask – is he just too different?
Does he have enough “percentage points”
of popularity to be around in the next debate?
Are we supposed to stay away from
him? John the Baptist is a rebel.
Who wants to make friends with such a
rebel? Who wants to be seen with such a troublemaker?
You do. I do.
[__02__] It is also a mainstream historical viewpoint
that such strange and rebellious non-conformists also go on to great success
and attract followers.
In big technology firms, we see the
wealthy Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard dropout … and the late Steve
Jobs of Apple who is also on the list of top college dropouts of all time.
Kids, do not try this at home.
But, yet you do, I do.
[_03_] The
prophetic rebel – John the Baptist who says “repent the kingdom of God is at
hand” was also attracting large crowds
of people to the Jordan River for baptism.
Yes, his food was non-GMO and super-organic in a world that did not
know or care what that meant, and he was not a PSE&G customer and
off-the-electrical-power-grid but… “At that time, Jerusalem, all Judea,
and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being
baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.” (Matthew 3:5-6)
[_04_] But, is John the Baptist popular only
because he is outrageous?
Is outrageousness the beginning of a
relationship?
Yes,
there are young people who have attracted the notice of their parents by, for
example, having a boyfriend or girlfriend or just a friend who might not get
the immediate magazine / Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval and parental seal
of approval/blessing … and this “stranger” can be real controversy in the
house.
Parents, sometimes, have to walk a
very fine line in what they say about a friend or fiancée to one of their
children. But it does not mean that they
have to remain silent about absolutely everything.
For
example, a parent might be viewed personally as outrageous – but I’d say it would
be courageous – when – a parent dares to speak to, for example, an a future
“in-law” and an adult child about their arrangement/choice to “live together”
before marriage and to express disapproval. (This was something I observed in
my family). In this case – ironically – the “boyfriend” and future in-law
wanted to respond immediately to change the situation for the better… the
flesh-and-blood child, not so much. So,
yes, parents have a responsibility to talk to their children about their
behavior…while also respecting their own free will. It’s a fine line but an
important line.
[_05_] I
bring all this up because in a book about love and Friendship, C.S. Lewis
writes that “Every friendship is a sort of secession, a rebellion.” C.S. Lewis is from England the U.K. and…
while he is long since deceased..the U.K. right now knows something about
rebellion and secession because the country is extracting itself from the
European Community in the so-called British Exit or Brexit from a long-standing
treaty/agreement from the E.U. in Europe.
It’s a rebellion – whether the
rebellion turns out to be good or bad in the end, we don’t really know yet.
That’s on national and political level.
[_06_] On
a personal level, C.S. Lewis’ point, nevertheless, is that every friendship
involves a “secession”…even a rebellion. (C.S.
Lewis, The Four Loves, “Ch. 4
Friendship”, New York: Harper Collins, 1960, p. 102)
That is, every friendship involves a
person finding and choosing the intrinsic beauty of another person. We do this
by our own free will.
Lewis contrasts friendship with love
of members of the family whom we do not choose and whom we may even have to
love against our own wishes. So, friendship invites a choice.
And, thus, John the Baptist is calling
us to friendship with God and with Jesus, a friendship that involves our
personal choice, our “signing up.”
[_07_] Can
a friendship or relationships draw us away from God and his life and love?
Yes, according to John the Baptist and
this is his criticism of the Pharisees and Sadducees, a criticism, that Jesus
himself will continue calling them blind guides, that their friendships not
drawing them closer to God or to neighbor, but quite the contrary.
John the Baptist, for now, simply
questions why the Pharisees and Sadducees had come to him, to the Jordan River,
for baptism if they only think that baptism is something superficial or
momentary as a ritual.
[_08_] John
the Baptist was aware…himself that our connection to the Lord would bring a
friendship that can also call us to a withdrawal, a rejection of what others
may value as assets, that …
1. Simplicity
is more valuable – in Christian life than comfort. Do we not value simplicity
in our friends? (Demonstrated by what he
wears + eats.)
2. Sanctity
of life is more valuable than quality of life, a basic tenet of our own
respect-life and pro-life viewpoint regarding the unborn child, the terminally
ill, and anyone vulnerable. Do we not value friends who love us for we are …not
just for what we can do for them? (John the Baptist asks us to make straight
the path of God in our lives).
3. “Love
is more important than like.” It seems
we live an upside down world – as YouTube Catholic celebrity Father Mike
Schmitz points out that …being liked is more important than being loved. For example – people say this about others –
“I not only love you… I like you.” It’s as though being liked is the goal. John
the Baptist is a beloved figure who was loved, not always liked. Spoiler alert:
next Sunday’s Gospel, he is going to be martyred. A true friend is willing to
lay down his or life.
[_09_] John
the Baptist is a rebel, a non-conformist and a friend. He is making friends
with you and with me and preparing us for friendship with Jesus Christ. His
friendship may be REBELLIOUS …but it is not RANDOM. There is a plan.
C.S. Lewis writes:
“For a
Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances [i.e., nothing
‘random’]. A secret Master of Ceremonies
has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, “Ye have not chosen me,
but I have chosen you,” can truly say to every group of Christian friends, ‘You
have not chosen one antoher but I have chosen you for one another.’
[I
think this also applies to our friendships within our parish family .. for
those we worship with , serve with and
come to know… and not to mention it is also a call to me in my mission and
ministry as a priest… ]
The Friendship is not a reward for our
discrimination and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument
by which God reveals to each the beauties of all the others.“
(C.S. Lewis, The
Four Loves, “Ch. 4 Friendship”, New York: Harper Collins, 1960, p. 114) [__fin__]
No comments:
Post a Comment