Preparing the Reign - Learn to Obey

THE WORD IN ADVENT - Second week Friday

December 15, 2023 - Isaiah 48: 17-19; Matthew 11: 16-19

How do we prepare the Reign? By learning to obey, by learning what it means to obey and by learning exactly whom to obey and how to obey! Obedience is resented by many - for instance the young resent obeying their elders or parents, the subordinates grudge obeying their superiors, and so on. It is often seen as a sign of subservience and subordination, a lack of autonomy and freedom. As long as we are children, it does not matter; obedience comes naturally. The moment we begin to grow up, the possibility of resentment grows too. It is therefore pitched against growing up, to obey. In this context we understand why Jesus said: unless you become like children you would not enter the Reign!

Becoming like children is not becoming infantile - like what Jesus explains in the parable he narrates today. Expecting everyone to dance to my tunes, or thinking that obedience is to dance to the tunes of someone, is not a very matured manner of understanding 'obedience'. Obedience therefore is the most free act that one can commit oneself to - knowing what the other(s) wants from me, deciding to do what is asked of me and freely choosing to face the consequences of doing or avoiding something following that decision made. 

Obedience to God has to be that free act, from the heart of a child, with trust and hope in the love of God. It is not a grudging fulfilment of a law, nor merely a ritual following of a rubric, nor a blind choice of what we do not understand - it is certainly not a blind leap! Because the Lord teaches us, the Lord leads us, the Lord instructs  us - that we may learn, that we may follow, that we may be alert to what he makes us aware of. There is so much knowledge, will and freedom involved here - that it amounts to faith. That is the obedience of faith that Paul speaks of in the letter to the Romans. 

When learn to obey, we learn to walk by the light. It is not that we close our eyes and go behind the Lord... that is not a very apt expression. That would be more like the children crying out to each other, pleasing each other or wanting to please the other for staying in the good books, or to stay out of problems. Obedience of the Reign is a mature dedication to a purpose, knowingly, willingly and freely. That is what Mary did; that is what Joseph did; and that is what Jesus did in relation to his Father. Thus was the Reign inaugurated in the Christ event.

If we wish to be people of the Reign, that is, if we wish to prepare the Reign here and now, we better learn to obey, just as Jesus did and as Jesus taught.