Gospel
Lk 3:10-18
The crowds asked John the Baptist, “What should we do?” He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.” Now the people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Exhorting them in many other ways,
he preached good news to the people.
Homily
I remember just a year ago as we were preparing the Synod, a new way of envisioning church was proposed to the preparatory team. It was suggested that this new way be adopted by the whole Archdiocese. The question then was: “how should this be done?”
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As I began preparing the homily to be delivered this weekend and read the question of the crowds to John the Baptist, “What shall we do?”, the question asked of the Synod preparatory team came to mind. I asked myself why did the crowds need to ask John the Baptist that question.
The reason for the question in my estimation flows from one of the weaknesses of human behavior, i.e. the tendency to become complacent. Anytime a group or individuals see themselves as the establishment, the danger of complacency becomes very real. Corporate structures run this danger, clubs and their teams run this danger, the church runs this danger. The Jewish people of the time of Jesus also ran this danger and in fact to a large extent had succumbed. The problem of course is that when people or organizations become complacent, they lose zeal; they lose sight of their founding intuition and need to be shaken up if they are to escape becoming irrelevant. Such was the case with the Jews of the time of Jesus. They were very comfortable in their status as the chosen people. They put their security in that fact, not in their adherence to their vocation to make God’s vision for the world a reality. They lost sight of their founding intuition, they lost zeal. They needed to be shaken up and John the Baptist did just that. Faced with the preaching of John the Baptist they ask; what must we do? John spells out for them in very understandable terms what was expected. John tells the various categories of people who question him what they needed to do. All his answers tell the people that they must focus on creating a world of harmony.
Like the Jews of old, when we lose sight of our founding intuition, we lose our zeal, we no longer engage our people in ways that are invigorating and fulfilling and so many of our people are siphoned off to other ecclesial communities. This happened during the reformation and it seems to be happening again. And so the question we must ask is the same one that was asked of John the Baptist: “What should we do?”
What we must do is what our founding intuition asks of us. i.e. to seek reconciliation with God expressed in liturgies that are energizing and fulfilling and seek reconciliation with each other through the building of the civilization of love. And we do this using a very concrete plan of action, similar to that of John the Baptist.
John the Baptist encouraged his listeners to live the justice without which the civilization of love is impossible. “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” To the tax collectors he said “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” And to the soldiers he said “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”
You and I, in this age, have to find the means appropriate to our situation with which to express our commitment to building the civilization of love. This is what the saints did. St. John Bosco did it; Mother Teresa of Calcutta did it; Fr. Gerry Pantin did it. You and I, disciples of Jesus can do no less.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, we thank you for the teaching of John, the Baptist. You give us hope that in spite of our great weaknesses, salvation is available to us, if only we put aside our selfishness and learn to love, dedicating ourselves to building the civilization of love. Give us the grace to love and help us to encourage others to the change of life, just as John the Baptist encouraged those who came to him. It is this change which will bring about the civilization of love and which will also assure our salvation. We ask this through the intercession of Mary our Mother and your Son Jesus. Amen
