Sunday, June 30, 2019

NO! MAYBE! YES! DEFINITELY!

COMMITMENTS



No one who sets his hand to the plow and looks to

what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.

Luke 9:62

Most of you know my story by now – how I got to the priesthood and many of my adventures since, but today’s readings make me want to tell you again, but hopefully in a new way.

I knew I wanted to be a priest when I was in the second grade and I have never wanted to be anything else since. I entered seminary at age fourteen, the earliest possible date, of my own free will. No one talked to me into it. In fact, most of the adults in my life, including my pastor, tried to talk me out of it or tried to make sure I didn’t make it. Of course, the reasons I started were not the same reasons I stayed. Who could know at age fourteen? For twelve rough seminary years, with God’s help, I overcame all the obstacles thrown on my path and kept my eye on the finish line – ordination to the priesthood, which came when I was twenty-six years old. 

Almost fifty years later, here I am still standing, still priesting and very happy doing it. My goal is to die at a ripe old age with my collar on, doing some kind of priestly ministry. 

I have never looked back, never regretted it and never seriously thought about anything else. There were a couple of days, back when the sexual abuse scandal broke, when I actually thought about it for the first time, but it soon passed. 

I am very aware that I did not do this of my own power and strength. I have felt God’s strength helping me all the way. Looking back, I can see clearly that even the setbacks, disappointments and failure have all been part of God’s plan for me. In fact, some of the greatest blessing in life have come to me as a result of remaining faithful to my call through thick and thin. At 75, I can say unabashedly that I am a happy man, a man who has been blessed in more ways than I ever thought imaginable. 

Today we have some wonderful readings about making commitments. In the gospel, three different people wish to make commitments to following Jesus and Jesus warns them about how easy commitments are to make and how hard they are to keep. Surely, we can all see ourselves in one or more of these people.

The first man is gushing with enthusiasm. He represents the people among us who rush into commitments without much serious thought. Think of that incredibly stupid and naïve TV program “90 Day Fiance!” The man in the gospel says to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go!” Jesus stops him in his tracks with a warning. “My friend, before you can follow me, you must count the cost before you get in and you must be willing to pay the price after you get in, because following me is not a cake-walk. It requires the ability to handle much suffering.” 

The second man wants to follow Jesus, but he wants to put it off for a while until the time is right, until things are taken care of, until, until, until…..” He represents the people among us who procrastinate, hoping for the right time, the ideal situation, the perfect circumstance. Jesus says to him, “Don’t bother! It’s either now or never! Either commit now or forget it!” 

The third man wants to follow Jesus, but as soon as he commits, he begins to second-guess himself. He represents the people among us who are always looking around for a better deal, looking back at the options they didn’t take, looking ahead at ways they can get around their commitments. 

These readings are so appropriate today when commitments are in a deep crisis. We live in a world of the “latest best offer.” Today, commitments are often made without thought and abandoned without guilt. Today, commitments are delayed longer and made later and later in life, with some people never getting around to making a commitment to anything permanent. Today, commitments are made more often than they are kept, because many commit with a roaming eye, especially when those commitments require anything painful. 

The greatest joy in life, I believe, is making a commitment and keeping it. To have this joy, you have to count the cost beforehand and you have to be willing to pay the price afterwards. No, keeping a commitment is not easy in the short run, but in the long, it is a source of great satisfaction.

Young people here today, there is a lesson here for you, especially because you are at the age when life commitments are traditionally made.

(1) Some of you will be tempted to rush into commitments that you do not yet have the inner resources to keep. Anyone can make a commitment, but it takes a very “together” person to carry though on it. Look before you leap, especially before marriage! That person in front of you might look good and make you feel good today, but the real test is whether you can live with them and love them when they no longer look good and you no longer feel good about them? Do you have enough insight into yourself and enough inner strength to love them “for better or for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?” If you want to look for role models, forget the rich and famous of Hollywood! They are the worst role models for keeping commitments. Most of them have disaster after disaster in their personal lives. Their children are harmed in the process. Rather, look at somebody who knows what they are talking about, somebody who has a proven track record. Look at your grandparents, for instance, anybody who has loved another through thick and thin! That’s where you will find out how to do it!

(2) Many of you have so many options that you are paralyzed by those very options. Some of you will find it hard to get around to committing to anything - be it a major in college, a profession or a relationship – because you will hold out for the perfect option. Since there are no perfect options, you may find yourself going into your forties without ever having made a choice. Commit to something and give it all you’ve got! The word “decide” means to cut in two. When you decide, you choose something and you reject something. You cannot have your cake and eat it too! A choice is hard to make, yes, but it also brings a certain freedom from having to explore choice after choice, after choice. 

(3) Many of you may have already rushed into some simple commitments, failed to keep them and learned from your mistakes. Maybe it was a relationship that you got into too quickly, when things only looked good. Maybe you bought a new car on credit with money you did not have, only to see it repossessed and ruining your credit. Those kinds of simple mistakes can actually be great learning experiences. Hopefully, you have learned the lesson that Jesus is trying to teach all of us today: don’t rush into commitments before you know yourself and the one to whom you are committing. Count the cost first, and once a commitment is made, do not look back in regret or look around for a better offer. 

When you are merely interested in something, you do it when it’s convenient. When you are totally committed to something you do it no matter what! Only then can you experience the joy that comes from keeping a well-thought-out commitment. 























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