THE  EMPTIED OUT GOD

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “The Emptied Out God.”

SECOND READING

Let me begin with today’s second reading.

It contains - some think - an early Christian hymn - in Aramaic - that Paul took and put it into his letter - to the Philippians - in Greek. Some even think Philippians is 2 letters - put together - from around the year 54-57.

Who said, “Cut and paste is something new?”

I think everyone should meditate deeply on this early Christian hymn - Philippians 2: 5b-11.

The message of the hymn goes like this:

God the Son, the Second Person in God, the God of 3 persons, goes to God the Father and says, “Father, I have an idea. What would it be like for me to empty out of myself - of all my God stuff - everything - and become human - better - become the lowest of the human race - and become a slave - a servant.”

And God the Father says, “Okay. Go for it.”

READ THE LIFE OF CHRIST WITH THAT IN MIND

Read the life of Christ in the 4 Gospels with that in mind.

God the Son becomes a baby - and is a baby - with the name of Jesus.

He has to go through everything we had to go through: learn to walk, talk, eat, pick up tools, everything.

I don’t know if everyone buys that. Isn’t that what we hear in today’s reading from Philippians:

“Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found himself in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.”

Isn’t that what Hebrews 4:15 says that? Jesus had to deal with everything we have to deal with - except sin.

PICTURE  THAT

Picture that: Jesus begins helpless as a baby - as human - like the rest of us.

The gospel of Luke tells us Jesus grew in wisdom, age and grace.

We can picture that - but we can’t picture how Jesus can be both human and divine.

Neither the did theologians of the early church - struggling with the mystery of humanity and the divinity of Christ - and God being 3 persons.

In time - with heresies and creeds - we have basically - what the Greek Icons teach us with Jesus’ hand: These 3 fingers together: the Trinity. These 2 fingers here: the humanity and divinity of Christ.

EXAMPLES OF PRACTICING EMPTINESS: THE IMITATION OF CHRIST

In this homily I would like to present emptiness as a way of imitating Christ - as a way of doing life.

The first example would be the example of Walter  Ciszek - a Jesuit priest from Shenandoah, Pennsylvania - born November 4, 1904. He died in New York City, December 8, 1984.

In 1939 he squeezed into the Soviet Union and did secret missionary work till 1963.

He was caught and spent 5 years in Lubyanka prison in Moscow.

Then he spent 15 years in the Gulag.

He was freed from the slave camps, but still couldn't return to the United States. Then with a little help from Bobby and John Kennedy and others, he was able to come home to the United States in 1963.

Surprise! His relatives and the Jesuits found out he was alive.

Want to read about becoming empty - read his two books: With God in Russia and then more spiritual insights into what he was thinking and going through during those years - in his second book: He Leadeth Me.

I’ll put those names on my blog - and you can read about him by typing into Google, Walter Ciszek - Jesuit.

Talk about becoming empty.

Next example - would be a janitor - named DAVUTH - at a local school - who loves clean - who loves his family - who needed a job. He was a doctor in Cambodia - snook into Canada - and then the United States with his family - and keeps a small Polish Catholic Elementary School in Toledo Ohio, immaculate.

Most people don’t notice him when he comes in around 5 in the evening - after doing the same job in an office building in town - but those few who say hello on the stairs or the different rooms he cleans - get a neat “Hi” and a smile from him.

Nobody really knows him - yet  - except his family and his church - where he’s also an usher.

Next comes a single mom - raising 3 kids - car pools - is a nurse - a widow - whom most don’t notice - but for those who know her - wonderful woman - but most don’t see her - because she doesn’t have that much time - any time.

Next comes a United States government worker. I met him at the United States Immigration office in Niagara Falls, United States Side. I never did get his name.

Two jobs back I was a novice master - training and teaching future Redemptorists - for a year and a day. I did that for 9 years - 9 classes - and it’s always neat to meet former novices that I was with - as well as to hear good things about them - our future.

A novice I had was from Vietnam - who came with his family through London to Miami. His name was Duc. He didn’t last - but I had a good year with him. 

Every year around Easter I would take the novice class to Toronto from upstate New York - for a 5 day break.

Duc didn’t have his papers.  Every summer - home from our college seminary he would go to the immigration office in Miami and every summer they couldn’t find any - but since he had family here, they didn’t do anything other than say, “Sorry.”

Well, this class of 9 novices - in 3 cars - headed for Niagara Falls - the border - and then turn right and head for Toronto - where we had 2 Redemptorist Houses.

I told the guys and Duc - we would stop at immigration - U.S. Side in Niagara Falls and tell them of Duc - so that when we came back, we would not have problems.

Well, I was ushered into see this immigration official - with Duc - while the other guys waited outside.

This official said, “I wouldn’t chance it, Father. I wouldn’t chance it.”

So I told the guys I’ll go back with Duc and you guys go to Toronto.

But the Immigration official said to me, “Let me go back with Duc to the computers and give me all the papers you have. Sometimes I find things.”

A half hour later the Immigration guy and Duc come out of the back rooms and the guy is holding papers and waving papers to me like a winning lottery ticket - and a big smile on his face.

“We found the mistake. When Duc was going through immigration in London, someone put the right numbers and letters for all his family - except for Duc. I corrected it.”

We thanked the guy - got in our cars - and headed for Toronto.

I’m driving alone and I leaned a bit and saw Duc in the back seat behind me looking at his papers and crying.

For some reason I said, “Duc you exist. Finally you exist.”

I have never forgotten that Immigration Guy - and I assume there are thousands and thousands and thousands - let’s make it millions - of public officials all over the world - who empty themselves every day - in service to others.

Whenever I hear people complain about government works, police, fire department, teachers, doctors, nurses, priests,  people, I say to myself, “Not everyone. I met an immigration official in Niagara Falls Canada and a Cambodian maintenance guy named Davuth and a nurse named Nancy and I read about a Jesuit priest named Walter - who spent years in the Soviet Union - bringing Jesus and his good word to people.

CONCLUSION

The secret of life - empty yourself - so others can be filled up.

The secret of life - no selfies.