Homily

In today's Gospel, Matthew quotes the prophet Isaiah, "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light; And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, a light has arisen." I began to think how different my life might be if I were still sitting in darkness, if the light of Christ had not shined upon me and I was not a believer. How different would my life be if I were not a Christian?

Most obviously I would not be a priest preaching to you here today. I'd be doing some other kind of work perhaps in business, or teaching, or managing a crew at Burger King. Or maybe I'd be on welfare or in prison—who can really say?

Would I be married, once, twice, three times, with children by #1 & #3 but not #2 because she never wanted kids? How close would I be, how close could I be to the lives I brought into this world in this kind of situation? What would I think about the nature of love and commitment, and how would my views on marriage and family life be different from how I see them as a Christian? Would I believe in equal rights of all persons from conception to natural death, or would I hold that some lives are more important than others?

How would I know what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad? Probably I would adopt the views of my non-Christian parents for the most part, and I suspect they would include the values most human societies, even non-Christian societies, hold to be true based on natural law and the need for peace and harmony in the community—so, no harming other people, no stealing, lying is bad, obey the laws. In many ways, many cultures have a moral code that contains, for a good part, the same moral code that Christianity holds. But where there are differences, the matter can be quite serious. If a culture doesn't hold to the sanctity of life or the equality of each human being, abortion, infanticide, vengeance killings, snuffing out the lives of those with disabilities, euthanasia, slavery, warfare, and genocide are all possible moral choices. Most of them are not happening in our society, but some of them certainly are being carried out even today when they never would have been allowed before. What would my own views on the morality of these behaviors if I were not Christian? Would I think that loving my neighbor was a very important element for living a good life?

What would be my reason for living? Would I see a point and a purpose to my life and if so where would it come from? Would there be a focus point for living or would I be largely just moving through life making decisions and choices along the way with no final goals in mind except shorter term results, such as raising a family or doing well financially, or having a successful career? I wonder if my life would center more around material satisfaction or the desire for pleasure, found either legally or illegally, or would I take up a cause and risk my life to save whales or travel to war-torn countries to help take care of innocent orphans?

Most people in this country believe in some type of existence after death, however fuzzy that idea might be. Would I believe it? I cannot imagine what it must be like to think that all that I am simply disappears at death, and that's the end of it all. I can't imagine, to tell you the truth, what that would be like, but if I were not a Christian maybe that would be part of my philosophy.

How would I see myself progressing in life and as a person? What would be the measures I would use to chart my growth as a person, my progress as a man? What would I think about virtues and what virtues would I want to grow in? Or would I even think that there was any need to try and practice any virtue better than I was already doing? It is likely that I would desire success, or love, or fame, or knowledge, or any of a number of other good things? Yes, I’m sure. But then there are the questions that come with each of these good things. What is love, and how do you grow in it? What is success and where can it be found? What kind of fame is worth seeking out or worth the price that might have to be paid to in order to achieve it? What kind of knowledge is worth pursuing and what kind of results can you expect from gaining this knowledge?

If I did not have the light of Christ I cannot absolutely say how different my life would be and yet even thinking briefly about the possibilities, and looking around to see how so many people without faith are living today, I am strongly moved to stop and thank the Lord for calling me to His light, because no matter how often I may fail in living up to His calling, I would absolutely dread to think about what my life might be like if I did not believe in His truth, if I did not have access to His pardon and His grace, if I did not know of His love for me today, if I did not trust in His promise of everlasting life.

In stopping to think on the possibilities, I am most grateful for the gift of my faith, even though I live in it most imperfectly, and pray for the grace and strength to live it better. Trying to imagine my life as a non-Christian is one way to try as a Christian to embrace it more firmly, believe it more clearly, live it more completely—not just for myself, but along with all of you. Not just for us, but to share it with the world as well, so that no one will have to sit in darkness, so that everyone might see the light of Christ. The soldier-martyr, Polyeuct, who is on our calendar today, learned about Christ from his army friend, and was so inspired by that knowledge he was willing to say goodbye to his wife, his children, giving up his own life rather than give up that light of Christ which he carried with him. So many today toss faith aside preferring self-guided and self-centered lives. Let’s ask for the wisdom and the strength of Polyeuct that we may live by and in the light of Christ.