Wisdom
is vindicated by her works-Matthew 11:19
For most of the year 2010, I was
deployed in Afghanistan in the Kandahar region.
Amongst my fellow soldiers, my faith was known and for the most part
respected. A few days before we were to
leave Joint Base Lewis-McChord to head to Afghanistan, the Battalion was given
a 4-day pass where most took to Seattle to engage in whatever they thought they
would only be able to do for these 4 days.
As a result of a couple of intermingling situations, I decided that I
would spend my 4 days with nuns at a convent in Lacey, Washington. They offered me a price that was far greater
than what I could afford in Seattle and it also catered to my perception that I
should take a mini retreat just before my deployment.
This context is to help to make sense of
some of the faith-based initiatives that happened while deployed. The first was an ardent defense of prayer
when it first came under attack in country from one my soldiers. He accused me of not doing my job because I
was always in my bible or praying. I
simply let him vent his frustrations and pulled him aside and offered a few
gentle, but strong, words to remind him of a few things. I reminded him that he does not chastise me
in any way because I had earned my Sergeant’s stripes and reminded him of his
status as a private. I also encouraged
him to take up any issues with my faith with the squad leader and platoon
sergeant. With this, he came to
understand my history with permission to pray often and also saw that I did not
act as other leaders by not punishing him for his perception of my works. I listened to him, addressed his issues, and
offered him alternatives to my guidance if he so chose. Ultimately, he would leave the service after
this tour. But, to this day, he goes out
of his way to greet me whenever he sees me in common places. (He works in restaurants and I like to dine
out). This is a tremendous affirmation
of the unorthodox leadership skills I presented on deployment.
In a move that would enrage organized
atheists from coast to coast, I approached two of my soldiers and asked them if
they would give up some of their free (relatively) time to construct an altar
for the make-shift chapel we had. They jumped
at the opportunity to use their freshly minted training in carpentry. The post Chaplain used his personal money to
have some stain and polyurethane shipped over to complete the altar we had
created. In deference to my soldiers and
our gift to the base, the Chaplain allowed me to preside over a Catholic
Liturgy of the Word service as the first use of the altar. The Chaplain was protestant and a good
man. As an aside, I liked to lead
Liturgy of the Word services on Sundays to cater to the Catholics in the
unit. However, my leadership offered
this to the post and soon I was preaching
to all the Catholics on the post. Since
many of the workers on post were of Filipino descent, I had anywhere from 20-40
on any given Sunday. I would offer them
Starbursts candy to give something to take as we could not have the
Eucharist. Starbursts can never even
come close to the Eucharist, but it is a gift they can take. This Catholic offering of the Word in an
organized manner continued to happen for several months and at several base
camps that I would eventually find assignment.
The final initiative was not my
own. A soldier moved by some inward stirring
and wrestling with the Holy Spirit approached me after one Sunday Service and
declared that he wanted to be Catholic.
So I began a rudimentary Catechesis program at the base camp for this
soldier. Often, I would end up preaching
about things in these Catechesis Sessions.
One in particular was so Spirit-led that people who were walking past
the “chapel”, stopped, came in and sat down.
Included in this were the Chaplain and his assistant. I preached on the passion and death of the
Lord. I had to talk about this because
Christianity is based on the saving love of Christ in his death.
Many of these things felt like
folly. I have always felt unworthy to do
the work of Christ but I am constantly reminded of the simple question ‘If not
me, then who?’ The readings for December
14, 2012 speak to this in anticipation during this season of Advent. The Prophet Isaiah offers a reflection on
obedience. Though short, the Church
gives us this reading to invite our reflection on the Gospel. The prophet tells us that God will “teach
[us] what is for [our] good.” We are not
alone and we are not without shepherds and guides. The people of Israel in antiquity and the
people of the Church today seem to be coalescing in their patterns of behavior
and thought processes. The Church comes
together with the leaders of many faith traditions and speak heavily to, as the
Prophet stated, “hearken[ing] to [his] commandments.” Most people today understand that the Church
is defending itself on multiple fronts to mitigate the secular attempts to
discredit and eliminate the faith.
Governments are directly passing accords and laws in affront to
religious belief, faith tradition and in contravention of the norms of practice. People are bombarded by the media blitz to
undermine morality. The Church speaks
out with the new evangelization.
Catholics come home. Let us
return to the Lord.
And the Gospel affirms this message. Jesus is speaking to the crowds in Galilee but
he is speaking to us very clearly. “To
what shall I compare this generation? It
is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another… wisdom is
vindicated by her works.” He is
addressing the people who have called him and John the Baptist crazy and out of
sorts with the status quo. And Jesus
retorts with absoluteness and reminds the people that wisdom is proved by
works. John called the people to
repentance and Jesus healed and taught.
He drew the people to himself and continues to draw us today.
To conclude this lengthy reflection, let
us remember that our works show our wisdom.
It would seem prudent to do works of charity and faith so that we can
glorify the Lord by our lives. In doing
the Lord’s will and bringing our praise to him, the ancillary effect should be the
improved state of the people around us.
And certainly we should not do charity to appease the Lord but because love
of neighbor, love of enemy, is the love of the Lord. Let love in…
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