Throughout the millennia, people apparently have always hoped God would speak to them directly and unambiguously. They fantasize that if God would only speak to them directly and unambiguously, they’d not only believe more in God but they’d sure also do everything God commands...no questions asked with no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it.
What all those folks failed to do, first, was to consult the Bible.
Why? If the pages of scripture provide an accurate barometer, when God speaks to most people, it’s almost always in strange, unexpected, and indirect but absolutely unambiguous ways. What God speaks is also only understood in retrospect...meaning they, first, had to trust God and, second, follow God’s lead in their lives.
Today’s scripture tells us about one of those strange, unexpected, and indirect but unambiguous ways God speaks to human beings: Prophets—in the form of people around us each and every day—who have grown frustrated, fed up, and angry if not irate with us, our attitude, our behavior...it matters not. In their exasperation, they tell us exactly what God has planned for us.
The pervasive response of most people to these divine revelations—so pervasive that it’s all very predictable—is to offer an entire smorgasbord of excuses explaining why it’s absolutely 100% impossible to do what God has planned for them which, more oftentimes than not, is to others to turn from sin.
In today’s first reading, for example, we heard Amos offering that very excuse to the fed up and angry priest, Amaziah, who tells Amos in unambiguous terms exactly what God has planned for him. Two which Amos responds:
Look, I’m no prophet, nor have I belonged to a company of prophets; I’m a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.
That’s to say, “Look, I’m entirely unqualified and far too busy doing what I’m far more qualified to do. Ask other, far more qualified people to do it.”
I suspect that’s probably the most frequent response we also make to the people God sends into our lives to tell us in unambiguous ways exactly what God has planned for us...and, first and foremost, when it involves telling others to turn from sin...the “Thy will be done one earth” part of our faith, as Jesus taught. As today’s Scripture readings remind us, God’s plan is nothing other than for each of us to announce God’s word to people who simply just don’t want to hear it…like the stiff-necked and stubborn people of Israel who have refused to live out God’s plan for them and to whom God was sending Amos.
Today, those stiff-necked and stubborn people are not only all around us. They could be as close to us as a spouse, child, friend, co-worker, and the like. They simply won’t hear any of what God has to say to them...through us. And, if we’re honest with ourselves, we’re just like them! So, the response should be expected.
We call that kind of work “moral leadership” and while God plans for you and me to provide others the moral leadership they need, our expectation is that God’s plan is for every else to provide it. For example, it’s up to civic and religious leaders, to other parents and our bosses, to our Moms and Dads, and the like to provide moral leadership—to be exemplars of what’s right, proper, and just—by confronting those who aren’t exemplars of what’s right, proper, and just.
Yet, when it comes to ourselves providing moral leadership, our typical, standard, pat response is like that of Amos: “Forget about it!”
And perhaps rightly so.
We’re so very, very busy about so many important things: Working to support our marriages and families, raising our children, attending to household affairs and chores, studying for school, working to maintain relationships that oftentimes become frayed, and so much more. So much so, isn’t it true, there’s hardly any time left for ourselves?
Yet, perhaps not so rightly so.
In today’s epistle, St. Paul reminded us that God has chosen us and destined us in accord with God’s plan—“who accomplishes all things according to the intention of His will”—that we might live our lives for the praise of God’s glory. That is, people should see in the way we conduct ourselves—in our words and actions—something for which they praise God for the gift God has given them!
What St Paul doesn't say is that when we respond to God’s plan for us, that praise will only come in retrospect. For example, how many young people realize their parents’ wisdom only in retrospect—when they start raising their children?
So, it’s not good that we’re so busy if only for the reason that all those self-serving excuses are premised upon one idea: God created us to live our days doing do what will win us glory…not God. We all know—and as Jesus’ life and death attest—when we live not to be praised by others but so others will praise God, we’re not only going to suffer by giving up our plans for ourselves but also going to have to accept that suffering will fill our days if only because people don’t want to hear God speak, especially when it’s to turn from sin. Human beings like you, me, and the people into whose midst God has placed us for God’s purpose—just like the people of Israel whose infidelity was easily measured in terms of their material success and comforts—just don’t want to hear it.
Who wants any of that? It always ends in suffering, doesn’t it?
“Crib Catholics” don’t.
As spouses and parents, these folks want a faith that makes them feel good all over, makes no challenges or demands of them and lays no burdens upon their shoulders. That’s to suffer! “Who wants any of that?”, they ask. They want to be friends with everyone, so the best they’re willing to do to demonstrate their faith in action is to accord love of God and neighbor second place each day to the other, more pressing plans they have for themselves. Over time, however, they make God the “Great Absented One” in their lives…intentionally and purposefully pushed from the middle because their egos are so big there’s no room for anyone or anything else in their lives.
Wouldn’t that be similar to a bishop or cardinal who’s struggling to keep his diocese afloat and spends his time an energy currying favor with wealthy donors and fretting more about offending them than he is about doing what God has planned for him—“teaching, sanctifying, and governing” God’s stiff-necked and stubborn people?
Of course it would!
Yet today how many bishops fear teaching their sheep, sanctifying and governing them, by simply reiterating what the Catechism of the Catholic Church states? How many fear proclaiming the Church’s truth about life, marriage and family, and sexuality because 80% of Catholics will disagree with them and sometimes vehemently so? And, if someone was to call that bishop or cardinal on the carpet concerning his infidelity to God’s plan for him, what should that person expect as a response? The episcopal equivalent of “Yes, you’re right, dear” or “Thanks Mom (or Dad), you’ve given me something I need to think about”?
No. Absolutely not.
Reflect again upon the experience of Amos and St. Paul because just like them, God calls you and me to teach, sanctify, and govern the people God has entrusted to our ministry. That requires telling them to follow God’s dream for them which requires, first, to turn from sin.
How many bishops and cardinals are afraid to say that today!
From our earliest days, our culture tells us “follow your dreams.” A simple Google search reveals three prominent reasons we’re told to this is the wise choice to make:
- Life is short and the days numbered. Without dreams, life is depressing. So, we’re told to believe: “If you don’t go for it, no one else will go for it for you.”
- Dreams make for exciting days. So, we’re told to believe: “You won’t dread waking up in the morning and working in a job you hate. No, you’ll inspire others.”
- Dreams enable us to prove we’re right and superior to everyone else who just doesn’t “get it.” So, we’re told to believe: “Prove the naysayers 100% wrong. They’ll end up being proud of you.”
That’s what the voices of this world tell us and the promises they offer us in return...if we heed their advice.
In contrast, our Catholic faith instructs us to “follow God’s dream for you.”
Have you ever wondered what God’s dream is for you?”
To the degree that we’ve never seriously asked “What’s God’s dream for me?” is the degree to which you and I embrace a Christmas “crib faith” not a Good Friday “crucifix faith.”
How so? God’s dreams oftentimes require sacrificing what we want for ourselves—to fulfill our dreams and when God sends someone to speak the “truth in love” to us, it’s difficult for to hear and even more difficult to accept.
But why do we become stiff-necked, stubborn, and frustrated and cause them to suffer?
The point isn’t about them; it’s about us.
Just as God told Amos through the priest Amaziah to stop pursuing his dream—that of being a successful shepherd—and told Amos “Go, prophesy to my people Israel”—to a successful shepherd of souls—so also God has dreams for you and me. And, if today’s scripture is to be believed, you and I also will hear it from a source who’s grown frustrated and upset—if not angry—with us and, out of exasperation, gives us every reason to believe it can’t possibly be God telling us His dream for us.
That represents this week’s challenge from Scripture: To ask ourselves at the beginning of each day this week “What’s God’s dream for me today?”
The real challenge will be to “do this in memory of me,” as Jesus taught, and give glory to God.
As St. Paul reminded us, God has chosen us and destined us in accord with His plan—“who accomplishes all things according to the intention of His will”—that we might live our lives for the praise of God’s glory.
We cannot conduct ourselves so other will glorify God if we’re unwilling to embrace a “crucifix faith.” It may not prove to be fun, exciting, or even make us happy. It’s more likely to make our lives more difficult, depressing, and unhappy. But doing so will open our hearts to a deeper and more adult faith—the one Jesus taught us by the way he conducted himself—as we begin to live each day not by following our dreams but, instead, desiring to conform each day this week with God’s dream for us.
Then, as we embrace the Crucifix knowing that we’ll only be understood in retrospect, we’ll grasp the truth written in love by St. Paul to the Ephesians:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,to be holy and without blemish before him….
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his willin accord with his favor that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times….
In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the Onewho accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,so that we might exist for the praise of his glory….
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