FAITH IS RISKY BUSINESS
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “Faith is Risky Business.”
Today’s three readings urge us to reflect upon the issue of faith in our lives. And when we do, we often find out, “Faith is Risky Business.”
Hopefully, we also say, “It was worth it!”
· To get married takes faith.
· To stay married takes faith, to stick to one’s vows, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, for 5, 10, 15, 25, 50 years takes faith.
· To have a baby takes faith.
· To be a priest or a nun or a religious for 10, 20, 25, 50 years takes faith.
· To sell a house or in these days, to try to sell a house and move takes faith.
· To take a job – or to switch jobs takes faith.
· To communicate – to talk to each other takes faith.
· To volunteer takes faith.
· To come to church takes faith.
· To become a religious drop out or an agnostic or an atheist – takes faith – different from what we consider faith, but it takes a kind of faith.
· To return to our faith or become a Catholic takes faith.
· To go in a car with some drivers takes faith.
· To get out of bed in the morning takes faith.
Faith is risky business.
FIRST READING
Today’s first reading from Wisdom refers to the night of Passover – the great Exodus – the great exit of the Jews out of Egypt – to leave all and to follow Moses – to move from the know into the unknown – with only a promise and a dream of a land of milk and honey.
This country is a country of people from all over the world who made exits from elsewhere to experience new life here.
SECOND READING
Today’s second reading from Hebrews presents Abraham as the Father of faith. He obeyed God’s call and moved into the unknown.
Today’s second reading is one of the classic texts in the scriptures on faith – especially because it gives several great examples of faith.
The author of this Letter to the Hebrews says that faith is a hope in something using evidence that we can’t see. Faith is a test – and we don’t know the outcome.
TODAY’S GOSPEL
Today’s gospel continues the theme of faith. Jesus asks his disciples to let go of what they have for a treasure they cannot see. Faith is waiting for the Lord – without knowing when he is coming. In the early Church there was a strong belief that Jesus was about to return almost immediately and the world would end – so, “Be prepared.”
It didn’t happen. Christians kept waiting. But it wasn’t happening. Maybe Jesus meant something else. St. Luke begins the Acts of the Apostles asking, “Why are still looking up? Go back to Jerusalem and start listening to how you are called to go into the world and reshape it in Jesus’ Spirit.”
FAITH
So faith has to do with the here and the hereafter.
Faith has to do with everyday decisions and eternal decisions.
Whether the here or the hereafter, faith has to do with the future.
Sometimes we have to practice blind faith; sometimes we have time to think things over and get a second opinion.
In fact, it’s smart, it’s wise, it’s prudent, to step back before we leap. It’s wise to see our options. It’s good if we can say, “No” as well as “Yes!” It’s called freedom.
Then knowing the pool has water in it, knowing it’s deep enough for diving, watching others diving and rising up out of the water after they leap, we climb the steps to the diving board. We head for the end of the diving board. If we can’t dive, we can hold our nose tight and jump, closing our eyes on the way down – then come up out of the water to the clapping of our family or friends on the edge of the pool. We did it – or we can turn and go back down the ladder – red with embarrassment – hopefully with support from our family or “Chicken!” from a close friend – voiced with a smirk or a smile – followed by a, “Just kidding! Next time!”
Faith is a leap!
Someone said faith is like you’re holding onto the trapeze bar and you swinging and you have to let go – if you want to make the show go on – as well as the belief the other will catch you.
The image I like is this: It’s winter. Remember all that snow from last winter. You’re walking in the snow. You come to a street corner. To get to the other side of the street you have to step off the curve. However, there is all this slush and water and ice. You hesitate. You look up around to see if there is a better place to cross. You decide: this is it. To leap or not to leap. You can simply step into the slush and icy water – but you’re not wearing boots. So you decide to jump. You can do it. You’ve done it before. Oops, I forgot to tell you, sometimes there’s a catch. You have to do all this in the dark.
That’s faith.
We have to make acts and actions of faith when we’re experiencing relationship decisions - health decisions – job decisions – raising kids issues – money issues, life decisions etc.
Faith is risky business.
DEATH
The biggest leap is the leap through death. With that one, we are totally out of control whether there is anything after death and if there is, is there is a God out there or anywhere, and if there is a God, will this God be there to catch me?
That’s the great act of faith. Make it often, so when you have to really make it, you’ve practiced, practiced, practiced.
FAITH IS A JOURNEY
But before we get to death, let’s look at life.
A great message from Jesus is, “Life is a journey.”
Jesus calls people to hit the road with him.
Jesus tells his disciples, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”
By being here today, we are saying to each other and with each other, we’re all in this together – making this journey through life with each other – with Christ as our leader and model and presence.
VACATION IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS
As I thought about this for a homily for today, I remembered a vacation we made – 4 priests – one summer – years ago.
What were you best vacations? You only know which ones were the best from looking backwards - from a distance.
A vacation is an act of faith. It sounds good on paper – you map out the possibilities. You talk to each other. You say, “Let’s do it!”
Let me now give two examples of faith from one vacation – to Estes Park in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
FIRST EXAMPLE
We had hiked 4 years in a row in the presidential range of mountain peaks in New Hampshire. This year, thanks to a suggestion, we decided on the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
We started from our church in the Bronx, N.Y. On the George Washington Bridge, we looked at our watches. We drove 32 hours to Colorado – switching drivers every two hours automatically – rotating seats counter clockwise – stopping just for meals and bathroom breaks.
We got our camp sites from the Park Rangers and started climbing at 8,000 feet. One of our goals was to climb to the top of the continental divide. We chose Mount Alice – 13,310 feet high. The first assault failed. We didn’t know how close we were, but two guys went down a good bit and took a picture of two of us up there from below. We didn’t know till we were home and got the pictures back how close we were to the top. This was before digital cameras.
The next day we did it. We close the most direct way which was pulling ourselves up by hand – rock by rock – like climbing a ladder against a building. I thought the top would be just a narrow peak. Surprise it was a boulder field – the size of two football fields.
On a clear day you can see forever!
Looking back all these years afterwards, I still have fond memories of that moment of exhilaration, that day we did it, as well as that whole trip.
Great vacations take great faith – and smart risks.
SECOND EXAMPLE - HANNAH HURDAH
As I was thinking about all this yesterday another memory came floating back – something I had completely forgotten.
Before that trip to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado someone suggested that I buy a paper back book, Hinds Feet on High Places, and read it when I was in the high places - in the Rocky Mountains.
I paged through the book a bit on the trip out – and it seemed "smatlzy maltzi" - but I didn’t really read it till we were in the mountains.
Looking back now – years later – the book as well as that vacation were significant moves for me.
The book, Hinds Feet on High Places, is an allegorical novel about a young woman whose name was Much Afraid. She had two physical handicaps. She had a crooked mouth and her feet were a bit crippled – which made walking difficult.
She took care of sheep and lived in a valley – the Valley of Humiliation.
The book is a true allegory. Like the medieval play Everyman, the names of people and places tell the audience about the person or place.
Well this young lady, Much Afraid, had to deal with a lot of negative relatives and neighbors: Craven Fear, Bitterness, Resentment and Self Pity.
Things changed when she would meet the Shepherd at the watering hole and he suggested she climb to the High Places.
Being Much Afraid she expressed her fears and doubts about being able to do this – especially being crippled.
The Shepherd says she can do it – that her feet will become like hinds feet and she’ll be able to climb to the High Places.
So with faith she makes the journey. She has to go through a desert and then through the Forest of Danger and Tribulation – and then up into the mountain.
As she climbs she grows in strength. She needs Grace and Glory which she meets and receives in each step she takes.
Then after having a high – in the high places – with the great Shepherd, she is called to go back to the Valley of Humiliation. However, she’s a new woman, transformed, changed.
CONCLUSION
That’s what a vacation should do for us. It’s has the stuff of faith – for the here and for the hereafter.
Today, it’s Sunday, it's Sabbath time, so why not take some time to look at your life – the moves you’ve made, the trips, the vacations, the decisions, the choices of a lifetime.
Make a list of your top 10 vacations.
Mark after each vacation notes for yourself like: GM (Great Move) or NSS (Not So Smart), GLOF (Great Leap of Faith)
Not every move was smart. Mistakes are made. But celebrate the great leaps of faith you’ve made – and the gifts you’ve received. And dream new dreams and great vacations – and great life moves.
