Feast of John the Baptist (Gospel: Luke 1: 57-66, 80) Standing up for what is right

On Father’s Day (June 17), the First Lady, Melania Trump, said the following: ‘We need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart.’ I give her great credit for coming out so strongly in the face of all the politicians. Several of the other former First Ladies came out too. It is very easy to get so fixed on the law, that we forget what the laws are for, which is ultimately to serve the people. It takes courage to stand up like that, but sometimes that is exactly what is needed. ‘We need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart.’

In the Gospels there is an account of Jesus being confronted by the Pharisees who were obsessed with living the Law perfectly. They complained to him that his disciples were breaking the Law by eating grain as they walked through fields, on the Sabbath. Their intention of keeping the Law exactly was good, but they had also begun to lose sight of humanity. There was no room for the human being. Jesus responded by saying, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath’ (Mk 2:27). The laws are there to help us, not enslave us.

It is the same with our faith. If the laws of our faith begin to enslave us, then they are no longer serving their purpose. Jesus also said about the Pharisees, ‘They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them’ (Matthew 23:4). I think in many cases we (the Church) can still be accused of this. It is easy to make moral demands of people, but we must also help people to live these demands and it is always a fine balance.

Today we celebrate the feast of John the Baptist. Jesus said an extraordinary thing about him. He said, ‘I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he’ (Luke 7:28). That’s a pretty powerful thing to say about anyone. John challenged king Herod directly, because Herod had married his brother’s wife. He said, ‘What you are doing is wrong’ and guess what, he was arrested and later out of jealousy, beheaded. It is never easy to stand up for the truth. Martin Luther King did it. Gandhi did it and so many others throughout the ages.

If John were here today, I wonder what he would say to us? ‘Why do you keep suing each other? Have compassion for those who are struggling. Show mercy. Be content with what you have.’ I would almost be afraid of what he might say to me as a priest!

There is always a balance to be found. It is much easier to make hard laws and then tell people to figure it out. But God challenges us not to take the easy way out, because we are better than that. Making good laws is often a lot more difficult, but it is always important, because the laws are there to help us and to serve us as human beings.

I want to finish with this prayer which you have probably heard me read before. At the moment it is so easy to despair of all the evil that is around us in the world. When I find myself starting to lose hope, or build a wall around myself, I think of this prayer:

Anyway

From a sign on the wall of Shishu Bhavan,

the children’s home in Calcutta.

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.

Love them anyway.

If you do good people will accuse you, of selfish ulterior motives.

Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

The good you do, will be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spent years building, may be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

People really need help, but may attack you if you help them.

Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

‘We need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart.’ – Melania Trump