8 December 2019 – 2nd Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19;
Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12
“Lead us not into temptation”. This phrase from The Lord’s
Prayer is one that has caused confusion for some, so much so that Pope Francis proposed
a change. Rather than “Lead us
not into temptation”, it may be read, “Do not let us fall into
temptation”. It is also written in The Didache
(late 1st, early 2nd century document meaning “Teachings
of the Apostles”); “Lead us not into trial” (VIII.2).
What is the difference? The pope suggests the traditional text can
lead one to believe The Lord deliberately leads us into “temptation”
rather than giving us the tools and the means of grace to avoid falling
into temptation. We might be splitting
hairs, but I think maybe we can see how easily interchangeable the words “temptation”
and “trial” may be in the greater, biblical context.
A “temptation”, in our common language, is generally
thought of as a thing which has the potential to draw us away from a sound,
moral life. A “temptation” has a certain
common appeal. A temptation may appear harmless,
but in the light of the Word of The Lord, the nature of that temptation may be revealed
as more diabolical – especially if it distracts us from what The Lord wants
from us; if it pulls us from our Journey and “tempts” us to make up our own way.
A “trial” is not something we would even be tempted
with because we may or may not be exonerated.
From a “trial”, as we understand it, comes a judgment. In a “trial”, we are being examined according
to a specific accusation. We may be
afraid of a “trial” because we know our own nature, we know our own weaknesses,
and we know our own truth which may not be compatible with the biblical
narrative - so we hope we will not be so exposed and publicly declared guilty. Asking The Lord to spare us a “trial” is a
hope that our façade of righteousness, our exterior self, will not be compromised.
Yet in the biblical context, “temptation” and “trial”
can be likened to “test” as The Lord had tested Israel in the wilderness. He didn’t lead them to temptation, but He
didn’t shield their eyes from the world around them. I often think of biblical “test” in the same
way as tests we take in school. The test
is the means by which it is determined whether we are prepared and ready to
move to the next level. In the context
of Divine Love and our Father’s desire that “all be saved”, we cannot deny that
the “tests” and “temptations” and “trials” of our lives may trip us up, but
they do not have to be our defining moments.
Either way, the “baptism of … fire” with
which Jesus will baptize us (Matthew 3:11), as the Baptizer himself
points out, is a means of purification, the “refiner’s fire” of Malachi
3:3 in which that which is worthless will be burned away so our sacrifices, the
products of our faith and our lives, may be acceptable to our Father. It sounds unpleasant, even painful as it
surely must be, but the nature of this “fire” is one of Grace, of purification
rather than of final judgment.
Clearly, the Baptizer is not referring to a literal
fire nor is he implying a Divine Threat of hell fire. In the prophet Malachi’s context, it
is the fire which burns away what is useless so gold and silver may be exposed
and rendered pure of contamination. This
is to say, what has been sullied by the world – even after baptism by water - must
be purified rather than condemned. The
sins of Judah (in Malachi’s context) – even after the covenantal circumcision
- rendered the sacrifices they offered in the Temple impure and unacceptable (chapter
2). Yet by The Lord’s good mercy, Judah –
and we – must be purified.
This is our HOPE.
It means The Lord refuses to give up on His creation, we who have been
created in His Image, we who are called to greater things than what the world
may try to offer. Even we who have
sullied ourselves may dare to HOPE – IF we are willing to endure a baptism
of fire.
Let’s face it. When
we were children, we did not thank our parents when they punished us –
regardless of the form of punishment! We
never said, “Gee, mom/dad, thank you for your wisdom and love and care by
spanking or grounding”. If anything, we
did everything we could to avoid such “purification” – even lying if we thought
it might save us! Some adults still
do! It was only when we became parents ourselves
that we began to appreciate the usefulness of discipline in teaching our
children right from wrong and, when necessary, punishment in putting our
children back on the right path.
So it is with the coming of Messiah – not at Christmas
when we can feel good about ourselves but at the end of time as we know it so
we may have confidence in Him! As foreboding
as it may sound, Judgment Day and all, it can still be a time of great
expectation, of joyous anticipation. It will
be that time when those who have subjected us to unnecessary temptations and trials
will have their own reckoning to face. Yet
it is not their destruction we hope for; rather, it is our own purification,
that by His mercy and whatever trials we must face, we will be declared whole.
There is no reason to “hope” Christmas will come
because a calendar indicates it certainly will.
So the Promise must be of something greater, something that will draw us
from our past and into the future our Holy Father continues to offer even to those
of us who will go to great lengths to avoid the discomfort, the pain, maybe
even of the humiliation of purification.
We all have bad days, days that can overwhelm our
senses and make us feel less than worthy of love. These are the kinds of days in which all hope
seems lost. This is not restricted only
to those who suffer from mental health challenges such as depression. We all have those moments of
despair, and it doesn’t take much to trigger such feelings.
But this is exactly what is wrong with losing
ourselves in our emotions. Regardless of
the nature of the emotion, we can be misled into false assumptions. We need facts. More than this, we need Truth. And in Truth, which is the Messiah Himself,
there is Hope. In His Eternal Mercy,
there is always Hope.
This is the essence of Advent. Yes, we are called to pray, to fast, to
worship, to study the Scriptures and draw near to our God. But these are the means of grace offered to
us so even in our darkest days, there will always shine that Eternal Ray of
Hope. It is the Messiah of the Living
God sent to remind us to get over ourselves and follow Him – so “we may
abound in Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” and the Eternal Love of
our Father who is in heaven – where we may, by His mercy, dare Hope to be. Amen and amen.
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