Holy Spirit (SH/HT)
Samuel 3:3b-10, 19 I Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20 | John 1:35-42
I. Over the years I have met with many, many families helping them to prepare for their loved one’s funeral. As such, I get to listen in on their lives. I get to learn about how they lived as a disciple of Jesus. As I listen, a couple of key questions I keep in mind are: how does this person exemplify Christian qualities? How would others see Jesus in this person? And I always see some dimension of living as a disciple of Jesus. There is in some way that person has shown a dimension of the Christian life to others.
II. Those first disciples who followed Jesus saw something in him. And so, they began to follow him. When he was asked where are you staying, Jesus said, “Come, and you will see.” And so they did. And then they, in turn, began to invite others: Andrew went to get his brother, Peter. And we note it was John the Baptist who freely gave up his disciples and pointed them towards Jesus. We, of course, continue that same pattern. We – each of us here today – has seen something in Jesus. And we are commissioned to point the way to Jesus for others.
III. So, how do you and I exemplify Jesus?
If someone were to look at you – a member of your family, a friend – what would they identify? When you are gone, how will people remember you? When your family is preparing your funeral liturgy, what qualities will they name? And I’m not talking so much about creating a legacy, or living in such a way that people have a memory of us - which isn’t all that important – but how do we live Christian virtues now? What are two or three virtues which identify me – which ones really describe me? Which ones am I good at?
IV. For example, the theological virtues are faith, hope and love. We consider these the bedrock, foundational virtues of our faith. So are you a faith-filled person? Do you look at life from a Christian faith point of view? And along with faith, does trust. Do you trust in God’s providential care over you? Is this a quality others see in you?
Or maybe you are a hopeful person. Hope – as a Christian virtue – doesn’t mean optimism. It doesn’t mean a happy go lucky kind of person who’s always seemingly happy and naively thinking “everything’s going to be okay.” Hope, as Christian virtue, is a fundamental trust that God is faithful to his promises. “Everything will be okay” for the reason that in the end God’s will will be done. Do others see you as having a fundamental trust, a hope in God? The Christian virtue of love is the key Christian virtue. Each of us is called to love. And love can be manifested in many different ways. Certainly in a marital relationship and in family life. Love should spill over into family life. But we also love friends – we love others in the sense we care for them – we reach out to them – we may involve ourselves in loving service of others. Each of us is called to be loving – how do others see that in you?
V. Those are the theological virtues. There are also what we call the Cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. These are also called the moral virtues: they are like vehicles that help us down the road of life living as a disciple of Jesus. A prudent person is a good decision maker. The prudent person is able to identify what is good in a particular situation and find ways to live it out. The decisions a prudent person makes are really good decisions. Do others see you as an especially good decision maker? Does it bother you that some people are mistreated? That some people are denied their rights? Does it just get under your skin that some people are not treated fairly? This is the virtue of justice. Some of us can really be passionate about justice – that everyone gets their fair due. Are you recognized as someone who really cares that everyone is treated fairly? Fortitude is courage. But it’s not blind courage that doesn’t take into account risks; it’s not a macho kind of approach jumping in with both feet and not thinking about the consequences. Fortitude does move forward in difficult situations, but the person with fortitude measures the risks and finds ways to manage them. Are you willing to take risks, to move forward successfully?
Temperance is balance. I think of the key word of advice: moderation in all things. Having a beer is okay. Having ten is probably not a good idea. Temperance helps us to keep things in balance, in proper perspective. The temperant person is enjoys the good things of life but does not allow our natural instincts and passions to get the best of us. Are you someone who can keep your life balanced?
VI. And there’s a lot of other virtues which are spin-offs from these basic seven virtues: such as caring, compassionate, modest, trust-worthy, simple, loyal, committed and so on – but these are all subsets of the basic seven virtues. The point is: which ones are you good at? Which ones seem to be your particular gift? How can you nourish them and make them stronger within you? How can you live them more fully? In this way we are responding to God’s call to us. We first identify ourselves as a disciple of Jesus and then we reflect that image outwards to the world. In this way we live the life of Christ, but we are also inviting others to see them as well.
VII. We come now to the Eucharist. This sacrament is the center of our Christian lives. Here we come to be nourished. From here we go out to bring the light of Christ to others.
-----------
Fr. Dwayne Thoman