Dare To Be Different (4th Sun of Advent, Mt 1:18-24)

Matthew’s story about Joseph’s dream of divine assurance in taking Mary as his wife (Mt. 1:20) might not have seemed unusual to the ancient Israelites.  For, the established view back then was that dreams are a common means of divine communication.  Not so obvious in the story, however, is a contradiction of values that Joseph faced as did many of his contemporaries.  This contradiction is one that we too often face in our own lives today.  By story’s end, Joseph resolves the contradiction in a way that offers hope not only for the ancient Israelites, but for us as well.     

The contradiction begins with Joseph’s awareness that Mary is pregnant.  How Joseph becomes aware of this the story does not reveal, but his awareness gives rise to a contradiction of values.  On the one hand, because Joseph is a righteous man, he wants to keep his promises, especially his promise to Mary. But, her apparent infidelity is a source of shame and insult to his honor and reputation, not to mention the shame for Mary and dishonor it brings to her as well.  Mary’s apparent infidelity also subjects her to public scorn and perhaps even death by stoning as prescribed by Mosaic Law.  Because he is an honorable man, Joseph finds a way out that saves both from such a dreadful fate. 

The way out Joseph initially chooses is for him to do the most acceptable and expected thing.  Joseph decides to quietly divorce Mary.  Rather than go against the grain of public opinion and risk religious condemnation, Joseph decides to release Mary from her obligation to marry him.  This is the honorable and acceptable thing to do.  Not mentioned in the story, however, is the obvious fear factor that also motivates Joseph’s decision.  Joseph too would have faced the same public scorn and religious condemnation that Mary faced, although for different reasons.  And, this potential for ridicule, rejection and religious condemnation would cause fear in any rational person, and such fear is thus an added factor in Joseph’s initial choice. 

Before he carries out his decision to divorce Mary, however, lo and behold, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream and reassures him about his original marriage plans.  Although he surely cannot foresee the full consequences of doing as the angel tells him, Joseph follows the inspiration of the Lord and sets aside his fear.  He responds to the angel’s message with total trust and confidence in the Lord.  He goes against the grain of public opinion and does the right thing.  The good outcome and benefit for humankind because of Joseph’s trust in the Lord has been told and retold for centuries.

What happens to Joseph in this situation highlights a similar conflict of values that we too often face in our own lives.  On the one hand, we pride ourselves on our independence and self-reliance.  We place great value on our freedom of choice and on being masters of our own fate.  We like the view of ourselves as independent thinkers who are willing to go against the grain of public opinion when necessary and do the right thing.    

Yet, despite the value we place on our independence, the paradox is that we are also a fearful people.  Our fear is so deep that we protect ourselves by rejecting, shunning, ostracizing, ridiculing and condemning that which is different from us—any person, any movement, any political, religious, or civil organization or idea that does not fit the mainstream.  In other words, we tend to fear anything people think of as unacceptable, shameful, and opposed to common ways of thinking.

The differences that we reject and shun often include people of a different race or nationality, have a strange color of hair, wear peculiar clothes, hold views at odds with our own, have a different political association or different set of religious beliefs.  We often find ourselves rejecting and marginalizing those who choose a marital partner we find unacceptable, live in neighborhoods we don’t like, have jobs seen as demeaning, or those with little money or social status, and the list goes on.  In short, on the one hand, we value our freedom of choice and unique standing, and on the other hand, we are very much afraid of being different, of going against the grain of public opinion.  This contradiction of values and the underlying fear that often motivates our response is what the dream of Joseph is all about.

For that reason, the way in which Joseph ultimately resolves this conflict provides a message of hope and guidance for us.  Although Joseph’s first response is to let public opinion motivate his choice to divorce Mary, ultimately Joseph puts his total trust in the Lord and does what he knows in his gut is the right thing.  Whether he literally received that inspiration from an angel does not matter. What matters is that Joseph had a conflict of values that he resolved by placing his trust in the Lord and following the Lord’s inspiration in making his choice.

We can do the same.  We can hand ourselves over to the Holy Spirit.  We can place our trust in the Lord and allow him to inspire our choices, especially those that are difficult.  And like Joseph, we can be sure of the outcome because his dream and resolution echo the ancient proverb, “Trust in the Lord in all things” (Prov 3:5).  For, we know that the Lord works all things to the good for those who love him (Rm 8:28).     

The King Has To Go (Lk 23: 35-43)

Celebrating Christ as king of the universe with a reading about his crucifixion seems contradictory at best.  For, one hardly expects a powerful king to be treated in such a cruel and shameful manner.  The contradiction is even more dramatic in view of the royal treatment Jesus had received just a short time before.  As Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on his donkey, his followers threw their cloaks on the road before him and proclaimed him a king sent from God: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord” they shouted.  The people adore Jesus as a king sent by God on one day, and just a short while later, demand his execution as a common criminal who threatens Caesar and the Roman Empire.

This dramatic shift in their treatment of Jesus has roots in the general expectation about the coming messiah, and these expectations were not completely unfounded.  Through the prophets the people had come to expect a messiah who would be a political liberator as well as a religious leader. The prophet Zechariah, for example, had proclaimed that their savior would come to them riding on a donkey.  He would banish the warrior’s bow and proclaim peace to the nations, and his dominion would go to the ends of the earth (Zech 9: 9-10).  Thus, the idea that Jesus was the one sent by God to liberate them from their oppression and slavery by the Romans was evident in their joyful welcome of his arrival in Jerusalem.

Gradually, however, many of his followers came to realize that Jesus preached a very different message in both word and deed.  For one, rather than live as a mighty warrior and powerful king, Jesus lives as a hermit for forty days in a desert.  Afterward, he visits a social outcast named John and asks John to baptize him.  Jesus then travels the countryside as a homeless person, preaching the good news of salvation.  He has no place to sleep, let alone a country estate.  He eats with tax collectors and sinners, and enlists the aid of women to lead his mission.  He even treats women as equals—hardly the mark of royalty in his day.  Indeed, a woman anoints his feet with tears and oil, rather than his head as the high priest would anoint a king of this world.  And, Jesus praises her act of love.

In fact, Jesus promotes a kingdom not of this world, where membership is freely granted to faithful servants, not earned by loyal subjects, and where love rules supreme, not power and wealth.  Many of his followers looked for a political warrior, not a spiritual teacher, to save them from Roman oppression, not from the slavery of sin and death.  Those who listen do not understand nor do they accept his message that love of God and love of neighbor go hand in hand.  Serving others as the way to love God is not in their vocabulary.  His message thus becomes a threat to the power and control of the religious leaders among his own people, and a threat to the profitable collaboration they enjoyed with the Roman government.

And yet, this is the message that Jesus delivers over and over.  He informs his followers that the Son of Man came to serve, not to be served.  He tells them that they must not lord it over others.  For, the greatest among them must be the least, the one who washes the feet of the others.  Jesus demonstrates though word and deed what participation in the kingdom of God entails.  He heals the sick; he cares for the poor, the vulnerable, the marginalized; he challenges injustice; he insists that mercy and compassion overrule custom and ritual; he sums up the entire Torah with the dual command to love God and to love neighbor.  

Jesus is the obedient Son who is one with the father and keeps his word.  Jesus shows his followers how to share the same intimate relationship with the father that he has.  Jesus does the father’s will, rather than build lavish castles, and tells his followers that they must conduct their own lives in the same manner.  Those who love Jesus will keep his commandments, and he and the father will abide in them.  Their treasure is not silver or gold, but an everlasting life of peace and joy.

Soon, we begin our Advent preparation for the coming of our great King, Jesus Christ.  We do this with full awareness of what participation in his kingdom really means.  Following Christ means picking up the cross of self denial, rather than a royal scepter of power.  It means having an active regard for others out of love for God.  It means developing and nurturing an ambition for that which has everlasting value.  As Paul reminds us in his letter to the Ephesians, following Jesus means living a life worthy of the gift and calling that we have received—living in peace and unity, with patience and humility, bearing with one another through love—in the Spirit of Christ our King (Eph 4:1-6; cf. 2 Pt 1:10-11).

What you don't see is what you get (Lk 17:20-25)

            When Jesus says to his disciples that, “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,” he makes clear the idea that the kingdom of God is not something tangible, like a building or a territory.  He further explains that the kingdom is not something that will appear suddenly at a moment in time.  Rather, Jesus explains that the kingdom of God is already present among us, although not necessarily in its fullest sense.  Jesus is also revealing that the kingdom of God is something that is felt, perceived, and experienced.

The idea that the kingdom is already present had meaning for those who lived long ago as much as it does for us today.  Most did not realize that living in the presence of Jesus was the same as living in the presence of God.  Those who lived in covenant with God, however, sensed that they were living in the kingdom.  For those who perceived Jesus as the incarnation of love itself also realized that they were living in the kingdom of God. The Apostle John relied on this same revelation when he taught the early Christian community that “whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16).  For us today, the kingdom of God is present through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides us to follow the example of Jesus in our love for each other and for all of creation.  In this respect, our imitation of Jesus and love for each other make the kingdom of God present among us.

Jesus never reveals what the kingdom of God will look like in its fullest sense.  He merely affirms that the kingdom will come.  Although Jesus initiated the kingdom of heaven through his own life and mission, he seeks other laborers for the vineyard, those who work in the present for the harvest of the future.  Jesus invites us to continue his work of building up the kingdom by making God fully present in the here and now.

But, Jesus is not looking for grandiose effort on our part.  Our contribution will often come in very ordinary ways through the performance of ordinary duties.  Jesus is our model.  He tells us in the Beatitudes, for example, that we build up the kingdom with a helping hand, a kind word, a compassionate response, a decision to forgive, a desire to love others—all in imitation of him and his love for others.  For that reason, we build up the kingdom each time we renew our commitment to be just and good to others, especially to the poor and vulnerable members of society.  We build up the kingdom by daring to be Christ to others, even though it makes us uncomfortable, even though others do not appreciate our effort, and even though we may not see the result. The result will be God’s work and not our own.

In the meantime, Jesus invites us to enter the kingdom.  He invites us to enter a relationship with God our Father and with each other, a relationship built on love, mercy, kindness, and compassion. Accepting his invitation means placing our total trust and confidence in God our Father, who works all things to the good.  When we accept this invitation to follow Jesus, once again we make the kingdom of God present among us.