When I was 23 years old, my first summer pastoral assignment was to Sts. Peter & Paul Parish, just north of us. The summer was good but challenging. In my last week there, I walked upstairs to Fr. John Horgan’s office and told him that I was overwhelmed. He told me to take a nap and rest; later that night, when we were talking, I asked, ‘There’s so much to do, Father. Where do I start?’ He said, ‘Do your duty.’ Start with the basic things and then address other things later. That gave me much peace.
Doing our duty is the theme of today’s homily. Duty is not the most important thing in life, but it’s part of life, and, as Christians, we do it not because we have to, but because God loves us, our family and friends love us, and we love them, and duty is a part of love.
Duty is part of the first half of the Gospel: “The crowds, who were gathering to be baptized by John, asked him, ‘What should we do?’ In reply John said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages’” (Lk 3:10-14). These people make a journey of a few days out to the wilderness, to the Jordan river, looking for answers. Three groups of people ask the same question, ‘What should we do?’ They’re hungering for an answer because they want a better life!
Some of us have seen the 2010 film Eat, Pray, Love starring Julia Roberts, based on the real-life story of Elizabeth Gilbert. At the beginning of her book, she tells of how she was crying on her bathroom floor at 3 a.m. and realized, “I don’t want to be married anymore. I don’t want to live in this big house. I don’t want to have a baby.” So, she searches for happiness all over the world. She goes to Italy (eat); to India for enlightenment (pray); then to Indonesia, where she meet her soulmate (love). She makes clear that she was rejecting an old way of life in favor of a new one (Brad Wilcox, Get Married, 78-80). However, since leaving her husband in 2002, she’s had four soulmates and is currently single. It’s not a great movie and much of what she did isn’t right, but I reference it because it was popular and confirmed people in making the wrong journey. However, I understand her hunger. I have an intense hunger for more life in God; I do want to be a saint.
Contrast her journey with that of the Jewish people: They have the same hunger, yet they don’t go to luxurious cities but to the wilderness. They don’t look for easy, self-serving ideas, but for God. And St. John basically tells them, ‘You have to change.’
‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ St. John isn’t telling them to do anything extraordinary; just do what is just. If you have extra material goods that other people need, give them away. If you have free time, help people. Don’t kill yourself doing so, but, after you’ve rested, serve others.
To the tax collectors, that is, the Jewish traitors who were working for the Romans, abusing their role, St. John doesn’t tell them to change jobs but to do their job morally: ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’
To the soldiers, he adds, ‘be satisfied with your wages.’ Now sometimes in life, there are serious wrongs that must be addressed, like abuse in a relationship. However, other times, we need to be content with our situation—that’s the nature of love.
Our culture has sold us a lie, one which, I think, we believe more than we realize. The lie is: Do what feels good. Instead of focusing on loving God, others, and yourself, the focus is on ‘being in love.’ This is why no one in the mainstream media, in our public schools or universities ever talks about doing your duty. Again, duty isn’t everything, but it is part of love. Duty doesn’t always feel good, not because it’s wrong, but because of us: We can be lazy, selfish, and immature. And duty makes us strong, generous, and mature.
We’ve all heard the phrase, ‘If it feels good, do it.’ In my opinion, I don’t think a Christian can live by this phrase or use it. I’ll tell you why at the end.
The second half of the Gospel says, “As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (3:15-16). The people were finding a new direction for their life in St. John, moving closer to God. So, they were thinking, ‘Is he the messiah?’ But, he tells them that there is Someone greater coming, Who will give the Holy Spirit. For Christians, when we’re baptized, we don’t just have our sins forgiven, but God actually dwells in our souls and bodies. So, being Christian includes doing our duty but it’s much more than that.
Last January 1st, we asked these two questions:
1) Christianity is about becoming a good person—true or false? False. It’s about being loved by God and loving Him in return, which makes us good. Do you see how the correct answer focuses on a relationship, whereas being a good person focuses on morality? We do aim to become perfect, but it’s through a Person loving us.
2) Being Christian is the result of: a) a theological idea; b) an encounter with a person; c) an ethical choice. Being Christian involves theology and ethics, but it’s about meeting a Person, Who loves us, died and rose for us, and wants to be with us. He arranges everything in our life so that we can experience His love. He wants to hold us so close, so to speak, that He’ll even be in us and we in Him.
I mentioned Elizabeth Gilbert. Now let me tell you about a Catholic Marketing Director named Monica Marin Tafur. Someone asked her, “You were a successful woman in Colombia with two master’s degrees. You had a professional life that was satisfying. And then you meet a man online, a man with a severely disabled daughter, and you take the risk of marrying him and moving to another country. Why? Why did you do that?” She responded, “When I first came to visit John, I asked him to bring along his daughter, Veronica. She has cerebral palsy, a serious seizure disorder, a feeding tube, and other problems. She needs total care… I had to know if I’d be willing to move to America, because I knew that Veronica would be part of our lives. I had a friend who cares for her disabled parents… and she told me, you need to be very, very sure about this, because… it won’t get any easier. But when I saw John doing everything he does each day to care for Veronica, I knew that he had a good heart. I mean, his heart is capable of loving so much… Veronica has taught us how to enjoy the little things… When she learned how to brush her teeth by herself, that was huge for me. And she’s taught us how to be patient. People sometimes say it’s hard… for John and me to have a daughter with so many challenges… It isn’t true… She has taught us how to be closer to God. And John is the man he is today because of her… She helped the seed of love grow in her father’s heart” (Francis X. Maier, True Confessions, 232-233).
Doing our duty is often very hard, but it’s an expression of love, and, over time, it allows our hearts to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit, Who is Love, to come into our hearts more!
Finally, regarding the phrase, ‘If it feels good, do it,’ the Christian version is, ‘If it’s good, do it.’ This doesn’t mean, ‘If I think it’s good, then do it.’ No. If something is objectively good, morally good, in keeping with God’s teachings, then do it. Because sharing our food and clothing with people less fortunate is good, do it. If being content with our current life is good, do it. And, if there’s an abusive relationship in life, address it, because that’s good. Feelings are signposts and we should listen to them, but they’re secondary to love. Do your duty, which is part of love.