What Water Do You Drink? (Baptism of Jesus, 2021)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

Today’s  feast of Jesus’ baptism is a spiritual trailhead with paths branching off in every direction. All of them are good and worth our time but we can only take one today. I would like to explore the trail that gives us a peek into the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the intimate and sacred moment when we hear the voice of the Father saying, “This is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased; listen to him” These words grab our attention immediately because they come directly from the heart of God. In them, we see how God loves and what he sees as he looks on Jesus with complete and unconditional approval.

This love of the Father, this acceptance as the dearly beloved is not just an interesting historical happening. It is something every human person longs for. Once we address our physical needs like food, water. clothing, and shelter, we want something more. One of the things we naturally desire is the approval, acceptance, and respect of others. Children are eager for the approval of their parents and other authority figures. The elderly want a measure of respect for their past contributions and for what they presently have to offer. We all want to be accepted and valued as part of a community, whether that happens in family, friendship, or some other group. Even the one who says, “I don’t care what other people think,” usually has some person, or group of people, he wants to please and make proud.

Sometimes we feel that the desire for approval or praise is a sign of vanity or weakness. But that’s not necessarily true. God made us for community, to give ourselves to each other and to care and nourish one another spiritually, emotionally, and physically. The idea of rugged individualism, the notion that I can be completely self-sufficient is relatively new and completely opposed to how God made us. The desire for approval is very good and natural but because of original sin, it has been corrupted and can easily become disordered. Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking “if only people would appreciate me or recognize the gifts I have, then I would be happy.” However, if the admiration of others automatically brought happiness, purpose, and worth to our lives, then the happiest people in the world would be celebrities, influencers, athletes, and anyone with fame. Hardly anyone on the planet gets more admiration and attention than they do, yet how many of them are deeply unhappy, unfulfilled, and insecure.

The problem with human admiration and acceptance is that it’s conditional. Those who have great popularity often feel that insecurity. They soon learn the hard way that everyone can love you today but tomorrow could care less or even hate your guts. If someone bases their value and goodness as a human on the praise and esteem of others, that person will soon be miserable and maybe much worse. This doesn’t mean praise and validation isn’t important or that we can’t give and receive it. But it should never be the foundation of our self-worth or the motivation which inspires us. 

For whatever reason, the last few books I’ve read had to do with famous shipwrecks and the survivors who lived to tell the story agains all odds. Even though these stories took place in different oceans, hundreds of years apart, one major thing was the same in all of them. In each case, the shipwrecked souls talked about the terrible irony of experiencing incredible thirst while being surrounded by water. It would literally drive some people insane and they would drink the salt water which only made them more thirsty and actually sucked any remaining moisture out of their bodies. Those that lived were able to wait for fresh, life-giving water that came from the skies when it rained. The amount of pure water was very small and scarce in comparison to the sea around them but it was enough to sustain their life. 

You and I are thirsty for approval, to be valued in a way the world simply cannot give. Worldly praise, esteem, and acceptance are all around us. It is so tempting to drink it deeply. If we do, it only makes us more thirsty. The more we go to this world for acceptance and approval, the more spiritually dehydrated we become. But true life-giving water does exist. There is someone who loves and values us despite our darkest moments and most glaring weaknesses. Remember the voice of the Father from the Gospel,“This is my Beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” By joining ourselves to Jesus, we gain the approval which counts and gives life. God loves us in the same way he loves his Son: completely, unconditionally, and forever. The approval of others is good, but it can never give an acceptance which will last. We have that approval right now by virtue of our baptism. You and I don’t earn the Father’s Love nor have we done anything to deserve it. In spite of our unworthiness, He gives it freely and unconditionally.

Think about this:

What sort of spiritual H2O are you drinking right now? Does it come from God or from the world? What would look different in your life if you believed God loved you unconditionally? How would it change your perspective? Would it make you more daring in living out your faith, knowing that you always had a loving God at your side? Imagine the freedom that would come with knowing that no matter what you did, successful or not, you could not lose the love and approval of God! How might it change the way you treated other people? Realizing the One who is madly in love with you is also loving them in the same way? Would it add passion to our faith, our prayer, our daily lives?

How good it must have felt for Christ as he came out of the water and heard the voice of his Father! If you have never heard that voice, I pray for you now, to know that God is crying out those same words every day, all the time. You are alive because God loves you, thinks of you and wants you here. Every moment of every day he is thinking of you specifically, he looks on you with love, he is smiling and crying and feeling everything you do. He wants us to know of his love for us fickle and sinful children, that is why he sent his beloved son in the first place, to shatter our deafness and indifference.

When you find your faith tested, perhaps by sickness or financial problems, by struggles in your family, or even  abandonment by the people who should be there for you, remember you belong to God. When you are tempted to drink the world’s water of popularity and acceptance, remember it will not satisfy you or bring you life. We belong to God and he can never stop loving us. Because of Jesus we hear the Father's voice, “You are my beloved son, my beloved daughter. With you I am well pleased.” Shocking, undeserved, but ultimately and always true! Let us drink deeply of this saving water and then bring others to it as well!

Do We Really Want the Truth? (Epiphany 2021)

To listen to this homily, click here. 

There are many interesting things about the three wise men to contemplate today. Where they came from, what they believed, the gifts they brought, how long they journeyed, and so much more. Perhaps most helpful for us to consider is the simple question “why”? Why did these men come seeking the Christ-child from a far-away land? And when they found him, why did they adore him?

 

           The Magi were searching for someone or something. They didn’t know exactly what it was but they knew one thing for certain: they wanted the truth no matter where it would take them, no matter what it would cost them. This quest for the truth was more than a desire, it was a way of life. It formed the way they looked at the world. This openness to the truth explains why they noticed a star rising in a position they had never seen before. They believed some god somewhere was trying to announce something through that star. So they continued their quest for the truth by following the star. They grew in faith as they traveled. When they first arrived in Jerusalem, they looked for a political figure, King Herod, hoping he would point them in the right direction. (It seems odd that supposedly wise men would go to a politician looking for truth!) But the worldly power wasn’t looking for truth; Herod was only concerned with holding onto his power, even if it meant destroying the truth.  When they arrived at the house where Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were staying, they fell down in worship.  They were the first gentiles to have an experience of the Messiah.  Their hunger for truth was satisfied, the journey to God was complete.  They were sincere in the search for what is true and not afraid of the sacrifices necessary to find it. This love of the truth is what made them wise men.

 

            The scholars in the Temple who devoted their lives to the Sacred Word and traditions of the Jewish people were not so wise.  They knew that the Messiah was coming because it was written in Scripture.  They even knew he was coming to Bethlehem. But the political timing for the Messiah just wasn’t right; the Truth was inconvenient to their hopes, plans, and dreams. The temple scholars were interested in the truth but only so far as it didn’t interfere with how they wanted live their life and faith. They were motivated first and foremost by the events in the world instead of the search for God.  As a result, they missed entering into the presence of the Messiah.

 

            The solemnity of the Epiphany celebrates Jesus manifesting himself to those whose faith leads them to him, to those who wish to see him because they love the truth more than anything else. The wise men did not know God but they found Him because their hearts were open to correction, teaching, and sacrifice. The Jewish scholars had the gift of God’s Word but they were not searching for him, and so they missed his presence on earth. They would end up fighting the truth rather than living in its light.

 

          This feast causes us to ask ourselves about our own attitudes towards the truth. Are we really searching for God? Do we really want to find him? Do we love the Truth so much that we are willing to sacrifice anything to follow where it leads us? Or, when some teaching of our faith challenges us, do we choose to rationalize why it is no longer relevant or applicable to our lives? Do we give in to the temptation to conform the truth to our lives and when that is not possible, reject it or ignore it? These are important questions, because finding God always demands change in our lives. Changes which are good but not always easy. St. Augustine, in his Confessions, shared that before his conversion he practiced every kind of immorality. He did not want to convert to Christianity because he was afraid he might take it too seriously. He knew it would end up forcing him to change his ways, and he did not want to do that. He is famous for his half-hearted prayer, “Lord, give me purity but not yet.”

 

            Every experience of God demands a change in our lives. It’s impossible to encounter the Living God, who is perfect love, truth, and Goodness and not be affected. If we are indifferent to God then we are not motivated by Truth. If we try to change God’s Law or his Will so that we can continue doing things our way, then we are not motivated by the truth. Rather, we are driven by comfort, control, fear, and worldliness. The worlds we create for ourselves are small, fragile, and ultimately doomed to fail. Only God’s truth, His Son, can endure forever. So we need to conform our lives according to His plan for us. That is the way to lasting joy, peace, and well-being. If we are not willing to come closer to Christ, then Christmas is just a week full of empty sentiment.

 

         In some ways, you and I have it easy! We don’t have to go searching for the truth, wondering where it will appear. We know and believe that Jesus is the fulness of Truth, the Word of the Father sent to save us. And he gave us the Catholic Church, protected by the Holy Spirit, to guide us always in what is true, especially in matters of faith and morals. Our main task is to grow in our knowledge and love of the truth. We have to be on guard against the many voices, both within ourselves and in the world, which seek to disfigure and manipulate what is true and good. We need the example and courage of the Wise men to keep us always focused and open to God’s truth, no matter where it takes us or what sacrifices it demands. Let us not be like King Herod who was wiling to destroy the truth when it challenged his power or the temple scholars who ignored it when it was inconvenient.

 

  “The wise still seek him,” some Christmas cards say. It is not degrees, age, accomplishments, or experience that ultimately give wisdom. This gift is given to the one who loves the truth unconditionally. If we really want the Lord in our lives, we must continue the journey towards His truth daily, without exception or excuses. May God help us hunger for what is true, as he did the three Wise Men. And like them, when we encounter the truth, may we submit in humble adoration. Then joy, peace, and blessings will ours.