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If you are in an abusive relationship, this part of the homily is not for you. The last thing you need to hear is about “obedient love.”
In the first reading Abraham is walking up Mt. Moriah to offer his son as a sacrifice to God. Why did the Bible go out of its way to preserve this strange story? What if you saw a father in this neighborhood walking down 214 with a knife in hand and a stick of fire in the other; and you saw his son walking behind him carrying wood to make a large fire? I think you would try to stop him.
The early Church Fathers saw in this embarrassing story of the Patriarch a prefiguring of Jesus. In the story Abraham says to his servants, “You stay here while I go over there with my son to worship.” The next time in scripture we will hear those words is when Jesus will say to his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemani, “You stay here while I go over there to pray.” Abraham and Isaac prefigure God giving up His Son, Jesus. Isaac was obedient to his father. Jesus is totally obedient to His Father. Isaac is not sacrifices; but Jesus is offered up. Abraham sees a ram and offers that instead of his son. Jesus is the lamb. Jesus fulfills our obedience because we cannot.
What’s the point? What is obedient love? It is willing to die for “the other.” Think how police officers, Secret Service agents, or F.B.I. agents only want to work with other officers or agents who are willing to die in the line of duty, or cover each other. This is what gives them their strength, purpose, and power. Now if the Police Chief, or the head of the Secret Service and of the F.B.I. can ask that of their officers, does it not make sense that Jesus will ask us to be willing to die to sin no matter the cost? Do we have this kind of obedient love for God?
The Second Mountain of the Transfiguration
Peter, James, and John are given a glimpse of Jesus’ glory. Elijah represents all the prophets and Moses represents the law. The bright white robe Jesus is seen in was a garment that only the priests could wear when they were serving in the temple of Jerusalem. The point is that Jesus is greater than the law, the prophets, or the Jerusalem priesthood. This story is a Lenten journey up the mountain of transformation and transfiguration. What are the steps we are taking on this mountain? As you read the following it is my hope that we will recognize the times we took the negative steps and not the positive ones.
The Twelve Steps
1. We admitted we were powerless over sin. Vs. I declared I was in complete control of my sin, my compulsions, my addictions; that my life was fine and dandy – thank you very much.
2. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to life and to renewal. Vs. I always knew that there was no power greater than myself, but that all of you needed to be restored to sanity.
3. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over the care of God. Vs. I made a decision to control others around me and to turn my will and my life over to the care of my sin, my compulsions, and my addictive behaviors, because they were the only things that understood me.
4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Vs I made a superficial and immoral inventory of everyone but myself.
5. We admitted to God, to myself, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs so that there could be no self-deception. Vs. I told everyone their wrongs and admitted nothing to nobody – ever!
6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Vs. I was entirely ready to have God punish everybody for their defects of character.
7. We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. Vs. I humbly asked Him to bug somebody else.
8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them. Vs. I made a list of all persons who had harmed me and became willing to take revenge upon them.
9. We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Vs. I took direct revenge whenever possible, especially when to do so would harm or injure them or others.
10. We continued to take a personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. Vs. I continued to take other people’s inventory and when they were wrong promptly told them so.
11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and for the power to carry that out. Vs. I sought through my sin, addiction or compulsion to maintain unconscious contact with myself praying only for what I wanted, when I wanted it, and the power to get it.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Vs. having had a spiritual death as a result of these steps, I tried to carry this message to others, to obsessive compulsives, or addicts, and take as many of them as I could with me.
The Third Mountain of Love: Calvary
The reading from Romans reminds us of this “all encompassing” love. This is the ultimate destination of our Lenten journey. When you look at the crucifix it is the sign of total, unconditional love. The nails did not keep Him there, His love did. It is poured out for those who love Him, for those who were indifferent to Him (they really didn’t care), and for those who hated Him, spit at Him, and beat Him. This is the pinnacle and summation of obedient and transforming love.
The Twelve Steps
1. We admitted we were powerless over sin. Vs. I declared I was in complete control of my sin, my compulsions, my addictions; that my life was fine and dandy – thank you very much.
2. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to life and to renewal. Vs. I always knew that there was no power greater than myself, but that you needed to be restored to sanity.
3. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over the care of God. Vs. I made a decision to control others around me and to turn my will and my life over to the care of my sin, my compulsions, and my addictive behaviors, because they were the only things that understood me.
4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Vs I made a superficial and immoral inventory of everyone but myself.
5. We admitted to God, to myself, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs so that there could be no self-deception. Vs. I told everyone their wrongs and admitted nothing to nobody – ever!
6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Vs. I was entirely ready to have God punish everybody for their defects of character.
7. We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. Vs. I humbly asked Him to bug somebody else.
8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them. Vs. I made a list of all persons who had harmed me and became willing to take revenge upon them.
9. We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Vs. I took direct revenge whenever possible, especially when to do so would harm or injure them or others.
10. We continued to take a personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. Vs. I continued to take other people’s inventory and when they were wrong promptly told them so.
11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and for the power to carry that out. Vs. I sought through my sin, addiction or compulsion to maintain unconscious contact with myself praying only for what I wanted, when I wanted it, and the power to get it.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Vs. having had a spiritual death as a result of these steps, I tried to carry this message to others, to obsessive compulsives, or addicts, and take as many of them as I could with me.