The following is a homily originally given by Deacon Paul Kurmay on January 19, 2020, the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Last Sunday we all listened to Matthew’s version of our Lord’s baptism at the hands of John the Baptist. Today we hear John the Evangelist’s version. That all four Gospels (and the lost 5th Gospel which biblical scholars call Q) all relate the same story speaks of its supreme importance: Jesus is baptized; the Holy Spirit comes down upon Him and the Father speaks lovingly of Him. From that very moment, Jesus sets out on his public ministry.
Although our Lord’s baptism may seem to have been purely symbolic, a kind of biblical play-acting, nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus could not begin his ministry until he was baptized by the Spirit. How could that be? Wasn’t he fully God before he was baptized? Well yes and no. His divine nature was complete and lacked nothing. However, as St. Paul said, He emptied Himself and took the form of a slave, becoming human in every way, except for sin. He freely gave up his divine powers and prerogatives. He became utterly dependent upon the Father, in and through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit literally entered him and empowered him to do all that he would subsequently do at the Father’s calling.
Does that sound familiar? It should because the exact same thing happened to every one of us as we were baptized. The Holy Spirit entered us and became one with us, giving us the opportunity (and more, the ability) to do all that the Father commanded us to do. We all know how Jesus responded to the promptings of the Spirit and all that he miraculously accomplished in his life.
The question for us today is how well we have responded to the calling of the Spirit within us.
This weekend the Nation celebrates the 91st birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. All across the country, citizens of every political, racial and religious persuasion are gathering to recall and re-live the compelling teachings of a giant of a man. I had the great privilege and honor to have listened to him and to have met him personally at the University of Virginia in 1963. He was articulate, forceful, persuasive and kind — a real gentleman in every way. You could feel the spiritual power behind his prophetic words. Although he was undoubtedly the greatest civil rights leader of our time, he was actually much more: he was a prophet, a missionary and eventually a martyr.
As I was re-reading many of his less-known speeches, I could hear in them the resounding voices of the Old Testament prophets and those of John the Baptist and Jesus Himself. Martin was first and foremost a Christian and he never wavered from his calling to discipleship. His message was one of peace, racial harmony, love, and forgiveness. Listen to some of his most stirring words:
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.*** Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. *** Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.*** Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.
Then he added this stern warning:
A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.
Next weekend, tens of thousands of the faithful from all over the country, including many from our own Diocese, will march for life in our Nation’s capitol, to protest the infamous decision of Roe v. Wade. Those who support abortion on demand, even at the very moment of birth, have completely ignored the fundamental and haunting question of when human life begins.
What expectant mother ever said, “The piece of tissue within me kicked me in the side?” No, they all say, “My baby kicked me! Why? Because even mothers who favor abortion know the truth deep inside. Anyone who claims to believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God could never support abortion. Listen to what the angel said to Zechariah in Luke’s Gospel: “He (John) will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.” And later, Elizabeth solemnly declares to Mary: “…at the moment your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.” A piece of tissue can’t leap for joy. A piece of tissue cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit. Only human beings can.
Rather than dealing with the crucial question of when human life begins, many pro-abortionists have concocted a false euphemism. They call a fetus a potential human life. Just imagine the baby Jesus being called “potential life” in the womb of his mother! I wonder if they would dare say such a thing to our Lady or to our Lord.
Some of you may remember the best-selling book first published about ten years ago: Is Heaven for real? It was about a little boy who had a near-death experience while undergoing major surgery. He described virtually everything that took place in the operating room while he was unconscious. He told his parents that he was brought to heaven and met many wonderful people, including his grandfather. But what was so amazing was that he also met a little girl who came up to him and hugged him. He wondered why. How did she know him? She told him that she was his sister, the same sister who had died in her mother’s womb during a miscarriage, something the parents had never told him! Wow!
All of us who stand up for life know the Truth. Those who oppose it don’t recognize the Truth staring them straight in the eye. I realize full well that many of those seeking or having abortions are deeply conflicted and sometimes feel trapped. The Lord loves them as much as anyone else and wants them to be reconciled with Him, the Church and also with themselves. Our only approach to them is to welcome, love, support and help them through often the greatest crisis in their lives.
Today is a day of recollection and recommitment for each one of us — to everyone who claims to be a Christian. Like John the Baptist and Jesus Himself, will we have the courage to stand up and be counted and to speak the Truth? Dr. King’s challenge to us is even greater today than when these words were first spoken long ago: “Cowardice asks the question: is it safe? Expediency asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question: is it popular? But conscience asks the question, is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because it is (simply) right.”
Do we actually believe that every human being on earth, from conception to natural death and beyond, is a child of God, created by Him alone in His very image, to be loved, nourished and cared for as if they were the Lord Himself? Because He has assured us: they are! Do we actually believe that our Lord lives in the poor, the homeless, the hungry, the refugee and the migrant? Because He has assured us: they do.
The Truth might seem very inconvenient at times, threatening our deepest emotions and thoughts, but our Lord came into this world to bear witness to the Truth. The ultimate question for us is: will we stand with Him?
