Jesus clearly says that fear is not an excuse to keep us from showing compassion to others
It seems that people are becoming more hopeless and more cynical. We may have adjusted to this by simply saying that it is none of our business, and that we work on our own relationship with God. That attitude misses the message of the life of Jesus and puts us in danger of becoming a hypocrite that the Scriptures talk about. Each of us could do much better at following the footsteps of Jesus. I have my own hypocritical moments and times when I fall into hopelessness and cynicism. It is at those times that I’m glad that we have before us Scriptures like we do for the Second Sunday of Advent.
God has laid out a plan that includes everyone in His love, goodness and compassion. For the Jewish people, it was unheard of that God could grant to the Gentiles the same love that He grants to the Jews. Because Jesus makes it crystal clear that it must be that way, our choices and mindset ought to reflect that.
John the Baptist, as we witness in the Gospel readings, set himself apart from society at large and lived in the desert. He removed himself from the normal temptations of riches or prestige or even looking good in other people’s eyes. He was visibly and culturally an oddball. He spoke in prophetic ways, but many people dismissed him because of the way he looked and acted. He talked to the people of his time and to us today about a baptism in the Holy Spirit and with fire. That combination ought to make us shake in our boots, but instead, we oftentimes don’t hear a challenge to be radically converted to the ways of Jesus.
Many of us make smiling at a stranger enough of a response to the prophetic messages we hear in the Gospel. Eating locusts and honey and dressing in camel’s hair are examples of a radical conversion. Being unwilling to bend to the king’s command to be allowed to marry his brother’s wife is a sign of a prophetic way of living. Having your head cut off because people simply don’t want to hear you talk anymore is radical conversion. I’m not encouraging violence, but I am encouraging, as the Scriptures do, a much more radical way of living that would end up shaping the world in a very different way.
In the same way that Jews and Gentiles were separated in the time of Jesus, we can pick a group that we are separated from right now. Imagine that the people are meant to hear of the love and compassion of God and we are the instrument to do that. Think of those who are spoken about who are crying out for justice. Imagine that we are the direct instrument to allow that person or group of people to experience justice and mercy. Think of the many other ways that we already know would make this world a better place. Think of the ways that we could do better than what we’re doing right now. Why are we not doing that?
Jesus offered enough parables that address dealing with our fears of entering uncomfortable territories in our lives. Jesus clearly says that fear is not an excuse to keep us from acting. Fear is real, but let’s take the example of Jesus and what He did with His fear. There are plenty of parables that talk about the significance of one person, especially little and powerless ones, who can change the world simply by acting and setting a great example. Why else do you think we set aside individuals from history and call them saints? It is to remind us that one single life can make a difference. We could do much better, but will we?
Father Donald Wester is retired and serves as lecturer of homiletics at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.
