A few weeks ago, I spoke with a man who had suffered some stroke-like conditions. I asked, “How’s it going?” He replied, “Not so good, I don’t see any improvements.” “Did they give you any exercises to do?” “Yah, you know I should start doing those.”
Duh? You think? Or the woman I talked with a few years ago who was awaiting the results of a biopsy to determine if she had cancer. Of course she was all nervous and anxious. So I said, “Well what if you do have cancer, what would you do differently?” She said, “Well, I lose some weight, start exercising, eat better.” Hello! Do that now, don’t wait for cancer!
Too often we want some miracle cure to swoop in and rescue us or we want some magic pill that will clear everything up. It’s certainly what John the Baptist was hoping for with a Savior . . . that is, hoping someone to come and get rid of the bad people and make the world perfect. John was an action kind of guy, no nonsense, no dilly dallying around. Boom let’s fix the world with a few swift blows. Let’s overturn those violent people with violent measures.
Many of us think like that with world problems . . . looking for easy and swift decisions that magically make the world better. We want it, those two people I mentioned wanted it. John the Baptist wanted it.
Of course for John, that didn’t happen, so John has been arrested and he sends a few of his followers to ask Jesus, if he is the Messiah. It’s as if he’s saying, “Come on. I want some changes RIGHT NOW. Are you sure you’re the one?”
James says in the second reading, “Be patient.” Or as Jesus responds, “Observe what’s happening. People are getting their faith ignited from within. The blind are seeing, the lame are walking, the deaf hearing.” In another section Jesus doesn’t take credit for any of this, but says, “Your faith has healed you.”
[A big glittery star is lifted above] Too often when we pray we want some star of wonder to suddenly appear to make everything ‘right.’ But that’s not where a star appears.
- If you want some changes to happen in your life . . . it starts with you.
- If you have some health concerns, do the exercises, loose the weight, eat better.
- If you want a better relationship with that person, you start being kinder, support them, don’t always pounce on their flaws. Stop talking about them behind their backs.
- If you want the world cleaner, recycle more, cut down on wasting so much, pick up trash laying around.
- If you want a closer connection with God, put the time in. If you do and you still don’t feel close, well change it up, try something different.
You see the star we look for, won’t be out there, it right here with you. [I take off my vestments and reveal a star medallion on my chest]. You have the power to make the world better, to make your world better.