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The readings for this weekend are titled Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. While it is ordinary time according to the liturgical calendar, it is anything but ordinary outside of it.
I do not need to list the reasons why we are living in extraordinary times, as they are displayed daily and with increasing alarm. The question is, how do we live as people of faith in these extraordinary times? Many of us look to our faith communities but not all are addressing the violence and suffering we see and experience.
Today’s readings offer an answer.
Isaiah offers hope. A new day is dawning. Paul introduces himself, offering peace, and then John the Baptist lays it all out that someone “who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me” is coming. The words of John are poetic: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” John appeals to the people of his time to recognize who is among them.
It is, however, the responsorial psalm that offers direction,” Here I am Lord, I come to do your will.” To what purpose are we being summoned? Perhaps it is the final line of the psalm: “ I announced your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.”
I do not think the psalmist is asking us to stand on a street corner and preach, although given the level of suffering and fear that grips communities, it might not be a bad idea. The message of Jesus, focusing on the love of God and neighbor, forgiveness, and living with compassion, while always walking with the marginalized, has been blurred.
What does it mean today, at this moment, to do the will of God? We struggle with this in the face of what we see and hear that is mean-spirited at best and increasingly violent and cruel. What does our faith call us to do?
We pray, asking this question, and then we find the courage to act. There is no act too small to make a difference. The commitment to live with love every day is an act of courage. Joining a non-violent protest is another option. Contacting newspaper editors, church leaders, or government representatives is another. Thoughtfully, prayerfully determining what you will do to contribute to peace and justice during these tumultuous times is modeling what Jesus did. He did not stay quiet in the face of injustice. He taught and preached about the kingdom of God, which is not a kingdom of fear and violence, but a kingdom of love and inclusion.
Our volunteers, both in Los Angeles/Ventura County and in Orange County, are reading Bishop Mariann Budde’s book, How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith. Bishop Budde, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, begins the introduction of the book with these words, “ We all want to be brave when it counts – to be the one who steps up, leans in and does the right things when it matters most”. She continues, “Most decisive moments are personal, some are private, yet all are the moments that shape our lives and make us the people we are and who God calls us to become.” Her words echoed what we hear from the psalmist today.
Every day brings a new challenge. We can become paralyzed at what is being proposed and how marginalized people are being characterized and treated, or, with prayer, we can gather courage to be involved in the change needed to bring peace.
Matt Harper and the LA Catholic Worker have begun an effort to reach out specifically to people in the Los Angeles Catholic community to discuss how people of faith can take concrete actions to respond to what is taking place today. Their first effort took place last Friday. The recording of this meeting is available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RdysM6G4zk.
If each of us spends time with and chooses to act on the words of the psalmist, “Here I am Lord; I am here to do your will,” peace will eventually prevail.
Peace,
Anne
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