Second Sunday In Ordinary time
~ I want to share a tale of two weddings with you.
The first couple really seemed to “get it.” All the things that should be important to a couple preparing for the sacrament were important to them. They gave prayerful consideration to the readings and the hymns. They prepared themselves for what the covenant meant—how God was a partner in it, central to the life they were about to enter. The result was a ceremony where everyone recognized that the Holy Spirit was alive and present.
Then, there was another couple. When they called to begin the process, they said something that sets a priest’s teeth on edge: “Father, I was shopping around for churches and decided on yours.”
Shopping around. As if the Church were just another banquet hall or photographer.
This contrast between “shopping” and “sacrament” cuts to the heart of our faith. In this day and age, it seems the more we have been blessed, the more we take for granted. We treat God like a rich uncle who is there to give us what we want, and when He doesn’t, we turn our backs.
But today’s Gospel challenges us to stop shopping and start seeing.
John the Baptist did not see Jesus as a cousin or a carpenter. He saw with the eyes of the Spirit. He said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” John recognized the reality of the Holy Spirit descending and remaining upon Him.
We have a responsibility to seek that same reality. We have to try to find the answers we need in the reality of the Holy Spirit that God has sent to be with us and guide us. There are people in our world who would rather we ignore God’s presence when making difficult decisions. They want us to keep religion in the building, to keep it “shopping,” and not let it touch the difficult realities of our streets and our borders.
But if we really “behold the Lamb,” we cannot ignore the wolves.
We must listen when Pope Leo admonishes us to be peacemakers and to recognize the plight of the immigrants among us. We are called to be bearers of peace when we see violence being perpetrated in the pursuit of great riches for the already rich. We must have the courage to see the truth when violence is used by our own authorities against people speaking out against hurt and injustice.
If we simply “shop” for a church that makes us comfortable, we miss the Gospel. But if we rely on the Holy Spirit, we find the courage to stand where Christ stands.
On Monday, we celebrate the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He understood this. He didn’t treat faith as a private comfort; he treated it as a public call. Nearly 60 years ago, he said this:
“I choose to identify with the underprivileged. I choose to identify with the poor. I choose to give my life for the hungry… I choose to live for and with those who find themselves seeing life as a long and desolate corridor with no exit sign. This is the way I’m going. If it means suffering a little bit, I’m going that way… because I heard a voice saying, ‘Do something for others.'”
Dr. King heard that voice because he was listening to the Spirit, not the culture.
At Mass, the priest will raise the host and say the same words John said: Behold the Lamb of God.
If I were to give a million dollars to everyone at Mass, people would be lined up all the way to Chicago. But we get more than that. We get God.
So, do we get it? Do we understand that receiving the Lamb of God commits us to living like the Lamb of God? It commits us to identifying with the poor, the immigrant, and the peace-seeker. It commits us to loving one another as He has loved us.
May we not just be shoppers in the pew. May we be believers who, like John the Baptist and Dr. King, see the Spirit, speak the truth, and follow the Lamb.
