Society’s Will or God’s wills
Adapted from a sermon by Fr Daniel Fanous
Passage Mark 3:22-35
In this Gospel, we read about Christ’s rebuttal against the scribes who claimed He was Beelzebub. This was due to Christ making himself known. After all, who is this carpenter who claims to be the Son of God. We read that even his family felt emotions such as embarrassment, shame, dishonour. Similarly, are we, being sons and daughters of God, ashamed or embarrassed to call God our Father? Are we embarrassed to go out and fast? Are we embarrassed that each Sunday we go out to church whereas the rest of the world sleeps in?
Embarrassment may also come in the form of our morals. The secular world says that some things are okay whereas the Church explicitly tells us that it is not. Thus, we encounter this tension between the secularly accepted views and morals and the morals of the Church. Do I live according to society’s will or God’s will? Embarrassment may also be found in our ritualistic worship or that we even believe in a God to begin with.
Perhaps the biggest embarrassment is that we are unable to live according to our own will. We submit to God’s will and thus give up our freedom. Nowadays, freedom and rights are some of the most important values of society and often we are told that no one should be able to take these away from us. My family cannot tell me how to live. God cannot tell me how to live. However, perhaps it is the other way around. Perhaps, freedom is found in Christ, and lost when we reject him.
Often, we pray to see God or to encounter him,
“Just reveal yourself once in a dream and I will never commit this sin again.”
“Just give me a sign that this is the right path for me.”
“Just provide me with this promotion or job and I will serve you every day.”
However, if we are embarrassed to follow in His path or His teachings, how can we see Christ who is a stranger to us. How can we encounter Him if even his own family felt ashamed of His teachings? If we are unwilling to become the outcasts, to act abnormally to society, to follow His will instead of our own; If we are unable to do all these, then how can we possibly encounter Him. Instead, we should find joy and confidence in His word, knowing that He is indeed the Son of God.