Titus 3:8-15; Matthew 5:14-19
Have you ever found yourself devoting
too much time and energy to matters over which you have no real control? It is easy to give in to that temptation today
because there are so many deeply troubling things going on in the world, in our
nation, and in our families. In our age
of the internet, social media, and 24-hour television news, it is not hard to
become obsessed with very large questions about terrorism, politics, and other
matters. The reality, of course, is that
there is not much that we can do as particular people to change the course of
world events. Though we have much more
influence on family and friends, we still usually cannot make people do what we
want. Often we struggle even to make
ourselves do this or that. It is a pity,
then, for us to waste our lives in pretending that our will must be done.
Jesus Christ did not even attempt to
rule the world, or any of its inhabitants, by conventional means. He did not accept the dominant narratives of
His day about how to solve big problems.
He was not a member of the competing factions of the Herodians, the
Zealots, the Pharisees, or the Sadducees. Instead, He took an entirely
different path, calling His disciples to be the light of the world, which meant
that their lives were to shine with holiness such that others would give thanks
to the Father for them. They would share
in His holiness, not by relaxing or disregarding the requirements of the Old
Testament law, but by fulfilling them.
For example, they would not only refrain from committing murder, but
from anger and insult. They would not only refuse to commit adultery, but would
purify themselves from lust. They would
not limit their vengeance to “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” but
would turn the other cheek when insulted and love, forgive, and bless their
enemies. They would seek to be perfect
as their Father in heaven is perfect.
Whether in first-century Palestine
or today, to live that way is to be the light of the world. It is to shed light
amidst the darkness such that others will give thanks for our witness and be
drawn to the Lord. It is also to be out of step with what is easy and
conventional. It is to take a difficult
and demanding path that is not nearly as popular as the ways of those who tell
people what they want to hear. Many of the Jews had wanted a successful
political and military leader who would wage a holy war against the Romans, but
our Savior called people to a Kingdom not of this world. He praised the faith of a Roman centurion,
said good things about the hated Samaritans, and offended representatives of
all the different factions of His own people.
There was nothing conventional or expected about His ministry and
teaching.
Today many in our cultural want a vague
spirituality that requires virtually nothing of them and simply provides a
coping mechanism for helping them feel better about themselves. Some want a faith that serves whatever
political agenda they happen to like. Whatever kinds of religions those would
be, they have nothing in common with the way of a Lord Who called people to
take up their crosses and follow Him, not to pamper themselves by giving in to
every self-centered desire for pleasure or power. Such forms of spirituality are not the light
of the world. No, they are simply “the
world” which is already darkened by those who want to make God in their own
image and likeness. They are doing the
same thing as did the Pharisees and the other groups who refused to accept
Christ’s message.
The Lord said, “Think not that I
have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have not come to abolish them,
but to fulfill them…Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments,
and teaches men so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of heaven; but he who
does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Contrary to popular opinion, Christ did not
tell His followers simply to have certain feelings or hold particular opinions,
and then live however they wanted. He
did not teach some kind of generic spiritual path focused merely on reducing
stress or becoming a productive member of society. No, He called for a purity
of heart that would be visibly displayed in how people lived their lives every
day, especially in regard to the most common and most difficult challenges that
human beings face. That kind of purity means
loving, forgiving, and blessing even those who have wronged us and our loved
ones most deeply. It means keeping our
hearts free from addiction to pleasure and self-centered desire, and
disciplining ourselves in living accordingly.
It means learning to see Him even in those whom the world tells us are
not our people, those unworthy of our care or concern. It means modeling a way of life that shines with
holy glory amidst all the darkness and brokenness that surround us.
St. Paul reminded St. Titus to
encourage his people to focus their time and energy on doing good deeds and
helping people in urgent need. He warned
against getting caught up in “stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions,
and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile.” The particulars of our distractions are
different, but the point is still the same.
To be faithful to Jesus Christ requires devoting ourselves to living as
He taught and modeled. To be faithful to
Him also requires believing the faith handed down in His Body, the Church, by
the power of the Holy Spirit since Pentecost.
Faith and faithfulness are two sides of the same coin. If we allow ourselves to be distracted by
anything from living and believing as our Lord taught, we will lose the ability
to become the light of the world.
Whatever kind of religion we pursue, it will be a form of the darkness
and corruption that the world already knows all too well.
We remember today the 630 Holy
Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon, who affirmed that Jesus
Christ is one Person with two natures, being fully divine and fully human. They recognized that only the God-Man is able
to make human beings participants in the divine life by grace. We cannot use the excuse that the Lord’s
teachings are impossible for human beings, for our struggles and weaknesses are
no stranger to Him. His gospel is not designed for disembodied spirits, but for
those who live in the same world in which He was tempted, faced fierce
opposition, and was killed by His enemies.
Remember that He prayed for them from the Cross: “Father, forgive them for they know not what
they do.” And then through His glorious
resurrection, He brought light and life even to the darkest tomb.
Our only hope to become the light of
the world is for His divine glory to illumine us. For that to happen, we must refuse to be
distracted from serving Him faithfully in the matters that really are up to us
in our daily lives. Whether His light is
in us is revealed especially in how we treat our enemies, those in need around
us (especially those we are inclined to ignore, neglect, or fear), and how we
respond to the self-centered desires for pleasure that threaten to darken our
hearts in so many ways. When we find
ourselves worrying obsessively over matters that are well beyond us, we should
persistently turn the eyes of our souls back to Him in prayer, calling for His
mercy on all concerned. And then we
should get back to doing the good deeds that so obviously need to be done on
behalf of our families, our neighbors, and our parish. Then we should also get back to guarding our
hearts from corrupting influences, refusing even to pay attention to tempting
thoughts.
The more that we direct our time and
energy to serving Christ in our immediate circumstances, the less inclination we
will have to allow darkness into our hearts.
The more faithful we are in living this way, the more His light will
shine through us to the world. And the
more those who are sick and tired of the world’s darkness will be drawn to the
light as they “see your good works and give glory to your Father Who is in
heaven.” That is what it means to be the
light of the world and a sign of its salvation.
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