Have you ever felt alone? Alone as in you feel like you’re the only one who is willing to take a stand? Alone as in “I’ve found the hill I’ll die on and I’m all alone on it.”
I suspect that many of us have felt this way at some point in our lives. Now, whether we were or were not alone is a whole ‘nother discussion that we’re not going to get into right this second. I suspect also that, if you are a traditionally minded Catholic, you probably feel that way now. If I’m being honest, I’ve felt that way recently. For those who are interested in actually taking a stand on the teachings of Holy Scripture, Holy Tradition and the person of Jesus Christ, you are going to feel very alone. It seems that the whole world has turned against these things that we hold so dear. In fact, it seems that many in the Church have turned against these things. So, what are we to do? Do we stand alone? 1 Kings 19 is one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament. I invite you to turn there and read the whole chapter. I feel like this story is particularly applicable to us today. The prophet Elijah has just, in the previous chapter, killed 450 prophets of Baal and 400 “prophets of the groves.” These so-called prophets were pagans. The prophets of Baal (who was a pagan “god” of the Canaanites) were responsible for the idol worship going on in the nation of Israel (actually, the people were but you get the point). The wicked King Ahab and his queen, Jezebel, were abject pagans. Jezebel had been responsible for the deaths of many prophets of God. She was utterly wicked. Kinda reminds us of some of our current “leaders,” doesn’t it? People who are willing to do whatever it takes to exert their power over those they rule and will brutally silence whomever dares to stand against them. The current climate in the Church doesn’t seem much different, if we’re being honest. Once, it seemed, the Church stood firmly against the tides of society and the sickening influence of modernism (read Pascendi Domini Gregis by Pope St. Pius X). Once upon a time we had Church leaders who stood firmly against the pagan and idolatrous practices of our culture. Once upon a time. Now it seems that our Church leaders bow before the idols of modernism rampant in our society. Now it seems that the very spirit and errors our holy Popes railed against are not only accepted but openly propagated by many in the Church. But I digress…back to your story. Jezebel hears about what happened with Elijah and the slaughter of the prophets of Baal. She sends a message to him basically saying, “I’m gonna kill you.” So, Elijah runs. Verse 3 says, “Then Elias was afraid..” Fear is powerful. Fear is one of the most powerful weapons Satan uses against us. Fear of failure, fear of being hurt, fear of being mocked or scorned, fear of being excluded, fear of not being socially acceptable, fear of a virus…and the list could go on. Fear is natural for us humans. Sometimes fear is good, ‘cause it might save your life. But fear is one of the things that Holy Scripture speaks to us repeatedly about. Elijah’s fear is ironic. He has just witnessed the power of God over Baal. He and the people of Israel have just wiped out a huge portion of the false prophets inhabiting Israel and leading the people astray. And yet, he runs. It’s not wrong to be afraid. It’s what we do with our fear that determines whether it’s right or wrong. So, he runs. And hides out in the desert and tells God to just kill him and get it over with. And then he sleeps, and an angel wakes him up, gives him food and tells him to eat. He does and goes back to sleep. The angel wakes him up again and says (basically), “You better eat ‘cause you got a long way to go, son.” So he does. And then he walks for forty days and nights “in the strength of that food.” He comes to the “mount of God, Horeb.” There he pitches his camp in a cave and God speaks to him, “What dost thou here, Elias?” His answer gets to the heart of what I want us to see here, “And he answered: With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant: they have thrown down thy altars, they have slain thy prophets with the sword, and I alone am left, and they seek my life to take it away.” (vs. 10) This is our crisis today. Our own people, the Church, has done this. God’s children have forsaken His covenant and His law and the Traditions of Mother Church. God’s people have thrown down the holy altars of God and replaced them with gaudy tables. God’s own people have “slain” the faithful priests and bishops by casting them to the side or calling them names or taking their parishes away from them because they dare to speak the truth of His Holy Word. Are the faithful alone? I’m not talking about the people who wear the label of “Catholic.” I’m talking about the faithful; the ones who have clung to the faith once for all delivered to the saints, who have clung to Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition, the ones who dare to speak out against the decadence of our society or the corruption and cowardice in the Church. Sometimes I feel this way. If you are a traditionally minded Catholic, you probably feel this way too. Are we alone? Satan seeks to take our lives. Sadly, many within the Church who have embraced the heretical teachings and practices of modernism and all her children seek the “lives” of those who would dare to be faithful. Will we be silent? Will we cower in fear? Go along to get along? Or will we, like Elijah, walk in the strength given, sustained by the food given of the Word? Will we walk in the strength given, sustained by Holy Tradition? Will we walk in the strength given by the Body and Blood of our Lord? Elijah’s story didn’t end here. God didn’t strike him down for his fear. No, God displayed His power to Elijah. He passed by and His passing shook the very mountain, breaking rocks and causing the very soul of Elijah to tremble. After the wind, an earthquake and then a great fire. But God was only passing by. And then He stopped to speak with Elijah in “a whistling of gentle air.” And God asked him again, “What dost thou here, Elias?” Elijah repeats his charges against God’s people. I want us to notice what God does not say. He did not say, “Hold your horses, I’m gonna fix it. Lemme just kill all these people who oppose Me and you.” What did He say? He gave Elijah hope. He told him to go and appoint new kings who would be faithful and his own successor. And then He says this, “And I will leave me seven thousand men in Israel, whose knees have not been bowed before Baal, and every mouth that hath not worshipped him kissing the hands.” (vs. 18) What does that mean? It means that Elijah is not alone. There are others. There are others who are faithful. It means that God will solve the problems in His time and in His way. Elijah’s job was to obey. Elijah’s job was to not give in to fear. Elijah’s job was to be faithful. That’s our job also, brethren. Know that you are not alone. There are others. There are others who are faithful. God will solve the problems in the world and in the Church in His time and in His way. Our job is to obey. Our job is to be not afraid. Our job is to be faithful. Elijah’s reward for his faithful obedience was the reward of all the saints. Now He beholds the One whom he served so faithfully face to face. And so shall we if we are faithful. Our reward will be the reward of all the saints. One day we shall behold Him face to face. Hold fast. You are not alone. Deo gratias!
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Humility is a huge problem in our world today.
I should rephrase that. The lack of humility is a huge problem in our world today. If you don’t believe me, just scroll through your social media feeds. Or, watch the news or a political speech. The lack of humility will smack you in the face. I want to be totally clear here. I lack humility in many aspects of my life as well so it’s not like you’re alone. This is part of the human condition. Humility has never been something that has been applauded by the culture at large. Even in most ancient cultures, humility was seen as weakness. And that is what makes this week’s readings…actually, pretty much all of Jesus’ ministry as well…so hard for us. We have a problem with humility. Let’s just all admit it and learn. We good? Okay, onward. As I began to read and reflect on the readings for this week, this word humble just jumped off the pages at me. So I’d like us to consider all four readings today and see what we can learn. Ezekiel 18:25-28 It’s interesting that we are reminded again (like last week’s readings) that God is not like us. Which brings me to something. A friend and I this week were lamenting about what we felt like was a loss of the sense of the holiness of God. We saw a picture, an artist’s rendering, of Jesus. It was like “surfer Jesus.” I mean, dude (in the picture) was all good looking with his hair blowing gently in the breeze, rocking a golden tan, a bright smile and a very well coiffed beard. It was a picture clearly designed to make you feel good about Jesus. I want to be clear. Jesus is our friend, our elder brother and gentle and kind and tender and compassionate. But He is also God and therefore is to be given reverent worship. Even his disciples who hung out with Him and ate lunch with Him fell on their face before Him when His glory was revealed. When we approach God, we need to remember Who we are approaching. I fear that our desire to make God approachable has reduced in our own minds the reverence required of us when we approach Him. Yes, God is loving and wants us to come to Him. But He is also terrible. His holiness is so “other” than what we are that we must approach with great humility. We need to cultivate in our own hearts, the prophet reminds us, the humility to submit to God. We need the humility to submit to His will, His law. The promise of humility is life. Psalm 25:4-9 We sing with the psalmist about the ways of God that come to us only by humble submission. We beg our God to make His way known, to teach us, to guide us, to remember His compassion and His love. These are all expressions of humility and submission to our Savior. I wonder how often we reflect on the words of the Psalms we sing/chant every Sunday? This is the prayer book of the Church and has been sung or chanted for thousands of years by the people of God, both Old and New Covenant people. I don’t know about you but I love knowing every Sunday that we join in the chorus of the saints of God who have sung His praise in the words of the Psalter for thousands and thousands of years. There is a humility and joy that is to be embraced here. After all, our Psalm this week reminds us, “He guides the humble to justice, and teaches the humble his way.” The promise of humility is learning the ways of God. Matthew 21:28-32 In our gospel reading, Jesus teaches the religious leaders….and us. He shows us, in this pericope, that we need the humility to admit our need for a Savior. The tax collectors and prostitutes were “not holy.” The religious leaders believed they were. They were depending on their own goodness. They were “good people.” I feel like we need to pause here for a second and ask ourselves a hard question. Are we depending on our own “goodness” to “get us to heaven?” Let me be a little more clear. I hear far too many people who claim to be Christian and/or Catholic who say that the goal of faith is to be a “good person.” That implies that we are able, out of our own goodness, to merit salvation. This is not at all what the Holy Scriptures teach us nor what the Church has ever taught. We cannot earn our salvation by our own goodness. It is impossible. Our salvation can only come through Jesus, the Christ of God and only begotten Son. It is only by faith in Him, which is a gift of grace, that we may merit salvation. That is not to say that we should not be “good” and cooperate with the Holy Spirit and Christ is their work of redemption and sanctification in our lives. Indeed we should. But our goodness, apart from Christ, will always fall short. In our gospel reading, the religious leaders were “good people.” The tax collectors and prostitutes knew they weren’t. Again, our goodness will not earn the grace of God. His grace is offered freely; it is our response that makes all the difference. The good believe God owes them for their goodness. The sinners humbly recognize their need and come begging for mercy, washing the feet of Jesus with their tears. The sinner’s response to God’s grace is appreciation, adoration and obedience out of the overflow of their love and gratitude. The promise of humility is salvation. Philippians 2:1-11 The question I often have asked is, “Okay fine, but what exactly does humility look like?” How, we ask ourselves, are supposed to live with a humble mindset? I’m glad you asked! St. Paul tells us in our Epistle text today. I love how he starts off by tying humility to joy. Humility leads us to joy. That joy is ultimately seen in the exaltation of Christ. What does that mean, you may ask? Well, consider our text. Look at these beautiful and poignant words penned by the great apostle, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Oh brothers and sisters, we have not been left to guess at what humility looks like! We have One who has gone before us to show us the way! We have One who brings us into participation with Him in His humility if we will but look to Him and follow Him! Christ has emptied Himself, humbling Himself by becoming obedient to the will of the Father. This is our example of humility! This is our example of holiness! This is our example of goodness! And what is the result of Christ’s humility on our behalf? He has been exalted and given the name above all names! At His feet every knee will bow! From every tongue will come the cry, “King of Kings and Lord of Lords!” The promise of humility is the person of Christ! Thanks be to God! |
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