Homily for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Times
Given at St. Jude, August 18, 2024
By Deacon Ken Steponaitis
Readings: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Times
Our readings today teach us about something that is contrary to what our society teaches. And this is not uncommon. The reality is, our faith, our Christianity goes contrary to our human inclinations.
Which is precisely one of the reasons Jesus, God, came to us. To teach us and show us a better way even if that way seems contrary to our desires and even if that way puts us in situations that are uncomfortable or even seemingly detrimental to our life.
One of the biggest fallacies our society teaches us is that our lives are our own. We have the right of self-determination. That what is good for me and what puts me in the best position in life is what I should pursue, and that no one has the right to take that away from me. And to a limited extent that is true.
But when I read today’s readings, it seems that what Jesus is saying is contrary to that notion. The first words of the first reading says, “The LORD was pleased to crush him in infirmity!” Does that mean God somehow takes delight in suffering? And who is “him,” that God is crushing into infirmity? From a Christian perspective we see “him” to be Jesus, the Messiah. But Isaiah could be referring to all of us. Anyone who wishes to lead. Anyone wishing to be in a position of honor and power as Jesus Apostles are looking for.
There is a theological term called “vicarious atonement,” which is, "that of a man suffering for other men. His righteous suffering heals the iniquities of the people."
In the Israelite culture of Jesus’ time, to atone for the sin of the community, animals such as bulls and goats are given up as a sacrifice for sins. The life of the animal is given as an offering to atone for sins. But a man or a whole society who is willing to give themselves up for the atonement of sins, now that is the ultimate sacrifice. That's “vicarious atonement.” That out of love and concern for the society, a person is giving themselves as a sacrificial offering for others in order to save the society at large from destruction from sin and evil.
Looking at our Gospel reading from this perspective we need to set the stage for what Jesus tells his disciples. One thing we don’t read today is, just before James and John ask Jesus if they can be given the seats on either side of Jesus, if they can be put into power as God’s second to the throne of Jesus in his glory, Jesus had just told the disciples for the third time, of his passion, death and resurrection. In other words, Jesus had just told the Apostles for the third time of his “vicarious atonement.” And by now the Apostles were starting to see the type of Messiah Jesus was to be, but didn’t understand, they too were being called to the same process.
So, what were James and John wanting? They wanted to assure themselves that they would be put into a position of honor and power after giving up their lives following Jesus. Of course, the other 10 apostles were not so happy about this. And likely it wasn’t because they understood any better than James and John about what Jesus was calling them to.
So, what did Jesus say? First, Jesus told them he could not determine who would be given the authority James and John were asking for. It would be for those whom God the Father ”prepared.” And then Jesus says something else interesting. Those who are in power in this world (and at that time it was the Roman Emperor), when they rule, they simply impose their will by force. But Jesus is saying, if you truly want power and honor, if you truly want to be great, you must be a servant. If you wish to have honor and power, then you must become a vicarious atoner. You must give of yourself entirely for the good of those you rule over. And then he holds himself up as the example. “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Many of us have the privilege to vote. Not just for president but for all our elected officials. As Catholics we are obligated to participate in Political life, that is, we are obligated not only to vote but to participate in those activities that promote the good of our communities.
But concerning voting, who or what should we vote for? How do we decide which candidates to choose? Especially if none of the candidates seem to align with what we believe as Catholics.
First let me make it clear that voting for someone is not the same as endorsing that person’s stance on every issue. It is also not endorsing the political system or government as it stands today. In other words, just because I vote does not mean that I totally agree with the people or the political system that I vote for or in.
Pope Francis was recently quoted as saying, “In political morality, in general they say that if you don’t vote, it’s not good, it’s bad. You have to vote, and you have to choose the lesser evil.” I’d like to put in more positive terms. We are given the privilege to move the needle, as it were, in the direction more aligned with our Catholic sensibilities. We must choose, based on our conscience, which candidates are best, not for us individually, but collectively. We must choose which candidate would be more likely to take on an attitude of the vicarious atoner, the one who is not one to be served but to serve as Jesus does.
It also implies that we must know what it is that Jesus and our church teaches regarding political issues. We must, in other words, inform or form our consciences.
I wish I had much more time to talk with you about how we can come to know the best way to vote. But to give you just a glimpse of how we can align ourselves properly let me give you some things to think about. These are not my ideas; these are ideas put out by our bishops in a document called, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.
Even if our choice for a candidate is not the one elected, recognize that God has control. Keep hope alive. Trust in God and not the candidates to bring us to salvation. Politicians are not our saviors; Jesus is our savior.
Not all issues are weighted equally. According to the USCCB, the most weight issue must be placed on life issues, particularly abortion and euthanasia because it is these two issues that deal with the most vulnerable in our society.
The Catholic Church is not a one issue Church. Issues of lesser weight can directly affect issues of greater weight. For example, if laws are passed that prohibit an institution from choosing whether to do something based on religious convictions, then life issues such as abortion and euthanasia can be mandated, forcing those institutions to close or go against their religious convictions.
The USCCB lists 4 principles of social teaching:
The Dignity of the Human Person - Direct attacks on innocent people are never morally acceptable, at any stage or in any condition. We must protect all lives, especially those of the most vulnerable.
Subsidiarity – The idea that the smallest of institutions should not be overwhelmed but be protected by larger institutions. The lowest and most fundamental institution in our society is that of the family. If the broader institutions are undermining the smaller institutions all the way down to the family, that is to be opposed.
The Common Good – a right to access those things required for human decency—food and shelter, education and employment, health care and housing, freedom of religion and family life.
Solidarity - We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. This extends out beyond our borders and recognizes our call to welcome the stranger, the immigrants. Solidarity includes the idea that we have a preferential option for the poor, meaning protection for the most vulnerable.
When Isaiah talks about the suffering servant and how God, “was pleased to crush him in infirmity,” this is not about God wanting to see us suffer. Rather it is about a mindset of being willing to do all that is necessary to bring about the Kingdom of God. All that is necessary to ensure that out of love, we are willing to be servants rather than be served. That we are willing to take a perspective of “the collective us,” rather than “the narcissistic I.” That as a body of Christ we are willing to see that true justice comes in the form of being willing to give our own lives for the lives of others; to overcome sin and evil. It is that sense of “vicarious atonement,” for us and for our politicians.
The United States is an amazing, and in many ways, a Christ like example to the world. We always talk about how we must protect our democracy. But the United States is not a democracy. It is a republic. Interestingly a republic is more in line with the idea of vicarious atonement.
Fundamentally our political system is set up so that no one group of people and no one institution can dominate. It is set up so that even the smallest of institutions are protected from the larger institutions. That, for example, family and the life of every individual is protected by local, state and federal governments. That larger states with larger populations like California or Texas don’t dominate smaller states or local communities in the election process. There are checks and balances that preclude more powerful positions like the presidency to solely dictate the direction of the nation without first being voted on by representatives from all the states. We elect delegates to represent groups of votes rather than determine an election based on the popular vote.
America’s fundamental foundation isn’t built on what I want as an individual, but what’s best for the common good. And while the founders of our nation may have been idealistic, I think, maybe intuitively, they understood the central teaching of our readings today, that our nation and our leaders can only be great if we can elect people who most closely conform to the ideals Jesus taught his apostles.
Our one vote makes little difference if we cannot first conform our hearts to the love of God. Our one vote cannot move the needle towards a more perfect world if we believe we have no responsibility to the dignity of all human lives. And if we don’t vote because we don’t believe it makes a difference, then maybe we are thinking in terms of I rather than we the people.
I believe ever Catholic worshiping in our churches on Sundays has been graced by God. We are living in the greatest nation on earth, and we have the privilege of worshiping in the greatest Church. Let’s ensure that those who come after us can have that same privilege by taking on the mind of Christ and using the collective power of our votes to live out the will of God.
May God continue to bless our Church and this great nation.
Comments