Proper 7 A - June 25, 2023

Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY

Br. Josep Martinez-Cubero, OHC

The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 7), June 25, 2023

 

Genesis 21:8-21
Romans 6:1b-11
Matthew 10:24-39

 

Click here for an audio of the sermon

The desert monastics tell the story of Abba John who prayed to God to take away his passions so that he could become free of inner turmoil. Abba John reported to his spiritual elder, “I now find myself in total peace.” His spiritual elder said to him, “Really? Well, in that case, go and beg God to stir up warfare within you again, for it is by warfare that the soul makes progress.”

Today’s lectionary calls us to spiritual warfare, to choose between what is our will for God and what is God’s will for us. We are invited to hear the voice of God calling to us to make right choices in the midst of the confusion and the chaos of this world, and the chaos we manage to create in ourselves because of our blind self-interest. A blind self-interest presented so very well in the story we heard from Genesis. There are big choices to be made, important choices. And Abraham, the one chosen by God to make them, says he is listening to God when he clearly can’t distinguish God’s voice from his own. And his wife Sarah’s motive is not to do the will of God, but to see that God does hers!

Abraham says he is listening to God, who tells him to listen to Sarah and “send Hagar out”, meaning out to die in the desert! Sarah’s jealousy and greed drive her to wield her power over Hagar. It is her position of privilege that leads them to cast Hagar and Ishmael out. And one thing I know about God is that God does not entitle us to use our power against the powerless just because we can. God calls us to be strong in the Lord, and not in our own power, desire, or privilege! And though the story tells us that Abraham is distressed about “sending Hagar out,” well, he does, regardless of her innocence, and regardless of the child. He gives in to a false sense of peace rather than facing the cowardice that stops him from making the choice that is just for both, Sarah and Hagar, let alone Ishmael and Isaac. And he blames his choice on God!

Hagar becomes the one who has lost everything, the refugee, and the mother desperate to save her child. Her story is repeated over and over again with the more than 89 million people around the world who have been forced to flee their homes, among whom 27 million are refugees, and around 41 per cent of whom are under the age of 18. That‘s right! Children perish on a daily basis, and parents mourn in their helplessness to protect them. For millions, the story is not that God has heard the voice of the child and will make a great nation of them! For millions that story is that they will perish. And many wonder where is God? And God asks us: “Where are you??”

Hagar’s story is also repeated here in the United States through national laws and policies that have created groups of expendable people, many of them children and single parents, whose well-being seems to be of no concern when law and policy makers, representing us, make decisions designed to protect our systems of consumption, consumerism, and never-ending desire for profit at the huge cost to the majority of people, not only here in the US, but around the entire world. So, this morning’s story from Genesis may seem old and outdated, but it really is as new as today’s newspaper. And it is not a story about holiness or listening to the voice of God. It is a story about sin and calling upon God to justify it. Discerning what is the voice of God from all the other voices around us takes a lot of spiritual effort. And it can often feel like spiritual warfare.

Jesus’ call in today’s Gospel lesson is a challenging one: “I have not come to bring peace,” Jesus says, “but a sword.” If you are like me, you read that kind of statement from Jesus and think: “Well, I’m confused! Aren’t you supposed to be the Prince of Peace?” I struggled with this one until it finally dawned on me. Jesus’ peace is not about making sure everyone is happy or being careful not to ruffle any feathers. It’s not about keeping the peace, but about making peace. It is the kind of peace that can be dangerous and, for Jesus and many of his earliest followers, would bring about the sword from those who found his peace threatening. Jesus’ peace will end up causing divisions, even among close family members and friends. It is the kind of peace achieved only when there is justice. And as we know too well today, justice does not always win the seat of power. So, Jesus’ peace is the peace possible when things covered up are uncovered and secrets eventually become known. And we should never fear those who will lash out at us for bringing truth to the light and proclaiming Jesus’ good news from the housetops. Jesus’ call is a call to do, not what the world expects, but what God expects. It is a call to be prophets of the Most High.

“Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered” says Jesus. It was Sarah and Abraham who wanted Hagar sent out. It was not God. God rescued Hagar and Ishmael from Abraham and Sarah’s selfish and sinful hand. When we read the Holy Scriptures truly fundamentally, we see example after example of the human propensity to call upon God to justify our sin. God’s call is always to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God”. God’s call in never for oppression or violence or bigotry or sexism or homophobia or ecological devastation or disregard for the poor! God’s will is about love, and care, and mercy, and justice, and community, and compassion. That is the will of God! So, Jesus calls us to make choices, to take a stand for what is right, and to work to change what is wrong. It is only through this spiritual warfare that our souls can make the progress needed to abide in God’s love. And for those who don’t feel ready, I leave you with the words of Ronald Rolheiser:

“Not even Jesus found ‘the ready.’ Jesus called Nathaniel… Nathaniel lacked openness. Nathaniel wasn’t ready. Jesus called Philip… Philip lacked simplicity. Philip wasn’t ready. Jesus called Simon, the Zealot… Simon lacked non-violence. Simon wasn’t ready. Jesus called Andrew…Andrew lacked a sense of risk. Andrew wasn’t ready. Jesus called Thomas…Thomas lacked vision. Thomas wasn’t ready. Jesus called Judas…Judas lacked spiritual maturity. Judas was definitely not ready. Jesus called Matthew…Matthew lacked a sense of social sin. Matthew wasn’t ready. Jesus called Thaddeus…Thaddeus lacked commitment. Thaddeus wasn’t ready. Jesus called James the Lesser…James lacked awareness. James wasn’t ready. Jesus called James and John, the sons of thunder… James and John lacked a sense of servanthood. James and John were not ready. Jesus called Peter, the Rock…Peter lacked courage. Peter was not ready. The point, you see, is that Jesus doesn’t call the ready. Jesus calls the willing.” ¡Que así sea en el nombre del Padre, del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo! ~Amen+