Today’s Gospel has an interesting allegory for us to understand the action of God in our lives.
There seems to be a great mystery in Jesus presenting himself to John for Baptism. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. So if Jesus was sinless, why is he coming to John to be baptized? He was not a sinner, but acts like one.
Then, he tells John to just be obedient and although he does not understand, obeys. It really does not make sense to the Baptist, but he does what he is asked by his cousin.
Once we see the Holy Spirit come down upon Jesus we recognize that this is significant after all.
This can be translated to each of us as well.
The Holy Spirit not only confirms that Jesus is the Son of God, that He is the messiah, but that John was correct in obeying his cousin, even though he did not understand why. He confirmed his instruction.
We realize that what Jesus was doing was taking upon him all our sins and being the symbol of repentance for us that we could be saved. This changed our dignity in his name and his action.
This opens for us a greater understanding of the world around us is happening.
Did you ever question Church teaching? Did you ever ask why the Church teaches one thing where it would appear the common sense thing is to do something else?
There is a reason for that and it is that there is something greater at work there that we cannot fully understand on the surface. So, we have a calling to obey not because that is the rule, but because the rule is there for a greater purpose.
I really hate it when I hear people teaching the rules for the sake of teaching the rules and they do great damage in the process.
However, when we follow the rules not out of blind obedience, but as a door to a deeper wisdom then we grow in that wisdom.
We need to receive communion worthily. What does that mean? Not being conscious of committing a sin that breaks our relationship with Christ—a serious sin.
Now the question is why?
It is simple: there is something greater at work here.
What is the greatest of all sins? It is pride. Meaning considering myself to be greater than I actually am. I am not God; I am only human.
Therefore, if God tells me to do something, who am I to say no?
If God tells me not to do something, who am I to reject his prohibition.
The bigger question is what happens when we do act in pride?
We become prideful. Fairly obvious.
What does pridefulness breed?
Selfishness. This is something that Bishop Athanasius Schneider highlights in his latest book. (see below)
Selfishness destroys every organization and every person it touches. Have you read the headlines about the crisis in the church lately. Its root is in the sin of pride and selfishness.
So when we humble ourselves before the Lord, then we take the necessary steps to root out the sources of selfishness in our lives and the more people do the same, the less it is found in communities, societies etc.?
Let us look at the commandments:
What kind of people steal? Selfish people.
What kind of people murder? Selfish people
What kind of people will slander you in order to get what they want?
Selfish people.
What kind of people are in Hell?
Selfish people.
What do selfish people do? Anything they want regardless of the cost to you.
Do we see a pattern here?
When we humble ourselves before the Lord and seek to follow His wisdom, even when it does not make full sense to us, we recognize there is something powerfully sublime at work. Our obedience to it leads us to understand the sublime in time and keeps us from the disease of selfishness.
Why should not you steal? Is it because it is the rule? No because it will destroy you from the inside out more than it will hurt the person from whom you steal. That is why there is a commandment against it.
Let us go back to communion.
If you are not ready to receive communion there is no sin in not receiving. There is a sin in receiving unworthily. But why? The issue is not the sin, it is the effects of sinfulness which lead to selfishness. Selfishness destroys people from the inside out.
When we approach the Eucharist and do so humbly we approach God as God.
When we approach the Eucharist pridefully, we approach God arrogantly. How can that benefit us?
It is like going to a doctor believing that we know more than him or her. We refuse to take the prescription. Are we going to be healed?
No.
John by acting in obedience to the Father came to discover the sublime in the simple.
It was once John submitted to Jesus and obeyed his authority that he witnessed the Holy Spirit come upon Him. He witnessed the power of God working in the world around him, something that no one else could see.
There is a powerful story in John’s Gospel later on when Jesus tells people that unless they eat his flesh and drink his blood they will have no life within them. Everyone walks away, but only the apostles remain. Why because they realize that only Jesus has the words of eternal life. They understood something sublime that no one else understood.
The reason why Church teaching is there is not for a bunch of rules that we must follow or we go to Hell. That teaching has caused more damage than maybe any other even though it is on the surface accurate. It is like saying that if you run a red light you will go to jail. That might be true, but the real reason is that if you run a red light, you risk running them all the time and eventually you will kill or maim someone, possibly yourself. That is the true reason why you don’t run a red light.
Why should we obey Church teaching on everything from receiving communion to the definition of marriage? Because it opens the door to us of the sublime and we come to understand God’s plan to a profound level. Our mission is to live as his disciples and his disciples understand God’s plan to a profound level in the Holy Spirit.
(cf: Christus Vincit by Bishop Athanasius Schneider and Diane Montagna Angelico Press 2019)
Questions for discussion
at home or work:
- What are some rules of the Church that bother you?
- What is the purpose of the rule do you think?
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