Homily

Not very far from my hometown in Ohio is one of the largest Amish communities in the world. You've probably seen pictures of Amish people. The men all have beards and wear hats, the women in white caps with long plain dresses. The Amish began in the late 18th century in Switzerland as Anabaptists who took their faith most seriously and their goal was to live in the holiness of God's people. They would, in certain ways, set themselves apart from the rest of society and embrace a life-style that was simple, plain and humble. As time passed and society changed the way it lived, worked and played, the Amish kept their 18th century culture: the same way of dressing, farming, talking, praying and living as their ancestors did. They don't use electricity or indoor toilets. They don't drive cars, or use computers or watch T.V. They educate their children only to the eighth grade and it is not allowed to marry outside the group. Their main occupation is farming, but since there is only so much affordable farm land in a given place many of the men may also work at other job such as construction or small factories.

In order to keep a life that is considered Christian, the Amish stress the virtues of simplicity and plainness in order to combat pride and vanity so there is a great emphasis on external things. They don't have mirrors in their homes—that could lead to pride. They don't allow photographs of themselves—that would be vain. The white, starched caps the women wear all the time must have a certain number of pleats and worn in a certain way. More pleats or less pleats, or wearing your cap in a slightly different way would be a sign of vanity. There are a number of sub-groups among the Amish and they differ from each other by what they allow or don't allow among their members. So the differences between the Amish groups are not based on differences of religious belief, but rather about how you practice that belief, by the way you live and dress. For example the Beachy Amish, the strictest of all the Amish groups, do not allow the use of buttons on clothing, since they consider buttons a sign of vanity and worldliness. Their skirts and dresses are kept together with pins. Suspenders are plain, belts are prideful. They fought the state for years over a law that required them to put the orange, slow-moving vehicle sign on the backs of their horse-drawn buggies. That would be a symbol of vanity. So historically, the different sub-groups of Amish are different from each other based on these external observances, what they allow or don't allow. Their goal is to live a plain and godly life. And so, to a large degree, they separate themselves from the rest of the world. For them, to be Christian is to live the Amish life. To be outside of the Amish life is to be on the road to hell, and to leave the Amish for the outside world is an act of self-condemnation.

They echo the words St. Paul uses in today's epistle as he quotes the prophet Isaiah, "Come out from among them and be separated, says the Lord, and touch not an unclean thing, and I will welcome you in . . ." This describes what the Amish are trying to do. And to many people their traditional, agricultural, simple life-style seems to be a quaint and charming way of living. And there is no doubt that their emphasis on living within the group and apart from the world has its positive points. But if you listen to people who have left the Amish Church, you learn that all may not be as it seems. The rules for living and dressing and working often seem to be ends in themselves, and it often appears as though the externals are all that really matters, not about what is on one's mind or one's heart. The emphasis is on the external things of life and there is tremendous pressure not to dress, talk or act outside of the rules. Much like the Pharisees, the law becomes more important than the state of one's soul, or a person's relationship with God. It is more important that you act in the right way than it is that you have a right heart and spirit. Following the law becomes the real way you follow Christ, and that's all you need to do to get to heaven. Abandon Amish ways and you will surely burn in hell.

"Come out from among them and be separated, says the Lord." Now the Corinthian Christians Paul was writing to lived in a very sinful city. Corinth was kind of like the Las Vegas of the ancient world without Wayne Newton. Paul warns the people that their goal is to live lives of holiness, which means that they must see themselves as separated, in a way, from the rest of Corinthian society, because they cannot share with them the acceptance of immorality. They need to remember their calling as sons and daughters of the living God, they need to live as holy men and women, and not copy the sometimes corrupt attitudes and values of their non-Christian neighbors. They need to be able to make that separation, not like the Amish, but a separation in which they see themselves not as Corinthians first, but as the holy people of God.

So what about us? Obviously we are not going to live as separated people as the Amish do. I can't even imagine cleaning up the parking lot if you all arrived in horse-drawn buggies. But do we see ourselves separate from others in society because of our faith? Or are we tempted to go along with what it seems most people are doing, so that we won't be considered odd, or strange, or different, or old-fashioned, or out of touch with the times? Or so we won't be thought of as prudes, or fanatics, or haters, or judgmental people? For some people the only judgment that you can make about other people is to call them "judgmental!" Are there ways and are there times when we allow others to silence our opinions and our sense of values and ethics simply so that we can fit in? How can we, how should we remain separated from a secular society that is steadily and increasingly abandoning Christian attitudes and values in some of the most important areas of life? Why have so many believers, even Catholics, changed their opinions to embrace ideas that are contrary to the Gospel, but popular in our culture? What does it mean for me to come out and be separated from them so that I can continue to work on my vocation to holiness? And what does it mean in your life? I think it's an important question.