Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
I came into the United States fifteen years back. It doesn’t seem too long back. Yet, things have changed dramatically over the last fifteen years. I have to admit, for the first time, I live a little fearfully these days. I move about a little more cautiously. I went to the movies the other day and people’s bags were being searched before they entered the theater. I must say, I was just a little unnerved. There was a time when I would laugh off things like someone flipping me of on the road or cutting me in a queue. Today, I am afraid someone might have a gun. Even racially, I have become very sensitive these days. So when I hear Isaiah say in today’s first reading, “Be strong, fear not!” I am comforted, but I am not sure if I feel that strong.
When Isaiah first proclaimed, “Be strong, fear not!” the people of Judah had every reason to be in fear. The Assyrians had laid siege to the capital city of Jerusalem. This time the Assyrians did not succeed but the events made the people look toward God. When Isaiah declared “Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you,” he was promising a king who lead Judah is the way of righteousness. For prophets like Isaiah, Judah’s danger was every hardly the external enemy. Judah enemy was its own leaders who had no integrity. For some reason they succumbed to fear and made questionable alliances with other nations. In the long run, though, Isaiah’s prophecy pointed to Jesus. As we know, Jesus brought tremendous amount of comfort to those who were in need. The deaf were healed, the blind saw, the dumb spoke, the sick were healed and the dead were raised to life. The picture is not all rosy though. In the process, Jesus himself encountered fear. His fear became real when he was brutally murdered on the cross.
Today, as I become aware of my own fears, I ask myself this question: “How can I personalize Isaiah’s prophecy?”. How can I “Be strong” and “fear not?” Here are my three answers:
a) Live a Life of Integrity. As I think of today’s readings, I cannot but think of the people in these reading. Isaiah prophesied truth and righteousness when his own life was in danger. Jesus was threatened and finally killed for proclaiming the Kingdom of God. But not once did he compromise his integrity and dignity. In other words, they had every reason to be fearful but they did not let fear dictate the life-choices they made. When it came to faith, to doing good, to living meaningfully, fear had no control over them. Yes, today I admit I live a little carefully these days. Yes, I cannot control my destiny or let fear dominate my life. The one thing I can do is make sure that I am not afraid of eternity. Your life and mine should have such integrity, such faith, such honesty, such goodness that we can stand before my God without fear.
b) Faith put into Works. Today’s second reading is taken from the letter of James. Perhaps he gives us another way to live life a little more confidently. James was genuinely prophetic. He was not afraid to expose the contradictions of his time. He was particularly concerned about the disconnect between faith and works. For him, faith in Jesus Christ must necessarily translate into just living. In today’s reading he asks people to treat the rich and poor equally. Showing partiality toward the rich, he says, compromises the God given dignity that God had given every human person. Is not James’ assessment relevant even today? Do we not judge people by their looks? If you and I must be confident to stand before God our lives must be just. If I must meet God face to face today, may I be found caring for the poor, the weak and those on the fringes of the church and society. If our faith shows itself in works, especially, in caring for the poor, then we need not be afraid to stand face-to-face with God.
c) A Life of Reconciliation. I would like to take the time to reflect a little deeply on the miracle recounted in today’s gospel reading. On a superficial level, it is the story of healing that Jesus performed. In relation to the first reading, it is a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, “Then the tongue of the mute will sing.” As Mark tells the story, though, there is something deeper going on. Jesus performs this miracle in the district of the Decapolis. Decapolis refers to the ten districts in the Gentile territory. This means that the deaf man who was brought to him was a gentile. Jesus performs unusual actions for the healing. By touching this gentile, Jesus violated the Jewish purity laws. But Jesus did not merely touch him. He took him aside alone, put his fingers in his ears and spitting and touched his tongue. And then Jesus also looked up to heaven before he healed the man. This means that Jesus was not merely performing a personal miracle. Jesus was making a divine statement. Jesus was not only performing a miracle but reconciling peoples who considered each other enemies. Jesus came not only to reconcile us to God, but Jesus also came to reconcile us to one another. This has implications for me, for you and I. In our world that is racially, economically, religiously and culturally divided, Christ is calling us to be the bridge of reconciliation. If we highlight division, if in our words, thoughts and actions fuel prejudice, hatred and bigotry, then we better be afraid to stand before God. To live fearlessly, we must live like Christ.
The best way to “Fear not” and “be strong” is to give ourselves to God and to one another as Christ gives himself to us in this Eucharist. If we commit ourselves to living like Christ, then we have nothing to fear. Christ has already secured our destiny.
- Fr. Satish Joseph