Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
It has been a stressful and tense week for America. Immaterial of whether you are a supporter of President Trump or not, these are not easy times. I had the privilege of having some distance from all the tension. But as soon as I entered the country, every conversation I have had, somehow, leads to the happenings in the nation. Whether it was the march last week or the march this week, whether it is immigration or refugee resettlement, people have taken on to social media to express their hopes and their anguish. One of the question I asked myself was, “In times like this, what is it that I rely on?” When fragility strikes, what do I fall back on? After all, politics cannot give us salvation and does not promise us eternity. We need something deeper. I turned to scripture for answers. No matter which side we are on, this Sunday’s readings offer us some direction.
Here are three points from scripture for us:
1. We Belong to Christ. I would like to begin with last week’s second reading. That reading and today’s reading, in fact, should be read together. Paul says, “I mean that each of you is saying, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ.” Is Christ divided? Today, it could mean that some of us say, “I belong to Trump,” or “I belong to Clinton.” The fact is that Church is divided today. Catholics are divided over immigrants and how we address this issue. Catholics are divided over refugees and their resettlement. Catholics are divided over what it means to be Pro-Life or Pro-Choice. It is a tragedy but I think it is true. In this context, I think Paul is asking us to find common ground in the midst of division. He is saying to us what he said to the Corinthians, that there is something more powerful that unites us than that which divides is - Jesus Christ. I think it would be worthwhile for the Church to imagine itself not as Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, but rather, as Disciples of Jesus Christ. May be, before anything else, our conversations really need to be about what it means to be followers of Jesus Christ.
2. The Starting Point. In any conversation, the starting point is very important. We may not know how the conversation will end, but, we can determine the starting point. Here is the starting point that today’s gospel reading proposes - the Beatitudes! We must remember that Jesus was preaching the Beatitudes to his disciples and not to the crowds. If we indeed belong to Christ, and if we indeed consider ourselves to be disciples, then our conversations - about life, immigrants, refugees - can be guided by the Beatitudes. We could talk about the “poverty of heart.” If our conversations, or attitudes and our choices emerged out of the poverty of heart, would they be different? Perhaps we should talk about “those who mourn.” Who are those who mourn in our midst, in our city, on the fringes of society? May we can talk about how we can comfort them. Let us conduct our conversation with meekness for Jesus calls “the meek,” blessed. Let us not forget to be “merciful” toward one another for the mercy we show will be the mercy shown to us. Let also challenge one another to be “clean of heart,” by shedding our prejudices, our finger-pointing, our insults, and conducting our conversation with the dignity. In the midst of all the strife, Jesus calls us to be “peacemakers” rather than war mongers, for then, he says, we shall be called the children of God. To the extent that we commit ourselves to the Beatitudes, to that extent the Kingdom of God is ours.
3. Humility and Justice. Perhaps, the most powerful of all the readings today is the first reading from Zephaniah. Zephaniah prophesied only a few years before the destruction of Judah and the temple in Jerusalem. There was rampant infidelity to the Covenant. The people of God had forgotten who they were called to be. It is in this context that God seeks a certain kind of remnant. God says, “Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth, who have observed his law; seek justice, seek humility. “ And again, “But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD.” The two main qualities that God seeks from the remnant people are humility and justice. Humility - it is simply not part of the public and political discourse anymore. However, as people who belong to Christ, as disciples, as the new remnants the one thing that God seeks in us is humility. Let us evaluate our conversations, our attitudes, and our choices in the last two weeks - have they been conducted in humility? Then there is justice. God’s justice is unlike the justice of nation states. The difference is that God’s justice is tempered with mercy. Again, let us evaluate our attitude - is justice tempered with mercy part of our Christian character? As Jesus tells his disciples, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.” This beatitude is a warning, is it not? If we do not show mercy, we deny ourselves the mercy of God. A people of humility and justice tempered with mercy - I hope this is who we are!
As we celebrate this Eucharist, let us find common ground in Christ who comes to us in spite of our differences. May we receive Christ with humility and may be bring justice mercy to the world.
- Fr. Satish Joseph