Third Sunday after the Epiphany
January 27, 2008
Homily for the Anglican Usage Mass
of the
St. Thomas More Society
celebrated at
St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church, 1013 Wood Street
Scranton, PA
Matthew 4:12-23
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
The events described in the Gospel we heard this morning marked the beginning of the end of tribalism as a way or organizing human societies. Tribalism is that manner of life wherein an individual’s first loyalty is to the tribe into which he was born. Moreover, the family’s first loyalty is to the tribe to which it belongs, as well. The action of the individual and the family are to be undertaken for the good of the tribe, for the life of the tribe, and for the glory of the tribe. Members of the tribe usually have a common religion, occupy specific tribal lands, and speak the same language, but what really unite the members ultimately are their blood ties. In tribalism, one’s loyalties are to those who share the same common ancestor. And in today’s Gospel, this whole way of thinking and living was shattered.
Jesus tells Simon and Andrew, James and John to follow him. And they do. But at the same time, as St. Matthew is very careful to note, James and John leave their father behind. In other words, even though Jesus is not of their flesh and blood, being of the tribe of Judah, he commands a loyalty greater than their loyalty to their own father.
Herein we see the premise to all Christian discipleship: a fealty to Jesus must be stronger than the bond we have to any other person or group of persons, including our own parents. Tribalism is dead among Christians because Jesus requires, and has always required from the very first moment he began calling disciples, that we who follow Him be true to Him before all others.
The reason that this requirement destroys tribalism is that members of various tribes all develop a similar relationship to Jesus. Having this relationship in common, the bond that a Christian shares with other believers becomes stronger than his ties to his tribe of origin. As members of various tribes become Christian barriers are broken down as cooperation replaces competition and as complementarity replaces mistrust. Rather than suffer under the oppression of being bound to only those who are related to oneself, each person has the freedom to find common cause with those who belong to the Kingdom of Heaven: those who desire to do what is good not only for the tribe, but what is good for all men; those who desire to defend all life, not just the life of the tribe; and those who long to work for the glory of God, not just the glory of one’s surname.
The call of the tribe is inferior to the call of Christ because tribes encourage us to associate with people who are like ourselves. Jesus, on the other hand, desires to build a community of persons who are like He is. Because tribalism is based on bloodlines, it is by its very nature exclusionary. Tribes are exclusive institutions because there is nothing that one can do, if he does not have the requisite relations, to become a part of a tribe that is not his. One must be born into it. Because Christianity is based on one’s relationship to Jesus, it is by its nature inclusive. The believer needs simply to be baptized and he immediately becomes part of the Body of Christ, one with all other members of the Church. Whereas no one can join a tribe that is not his own, anyone can be joined to Christ. So why is this important? Why must the Church bury tribalism?
First, tribalism must be destroyed because unity among peoples must be based on nothing less than the pursuit of virtue. Jesus says in today’s Gospel that we are to repent. The penitent person desires to pursue virtue because he has dedicated himself to turning away from his sins, dedicated himself to putting away those things that prevent him from loving his neighbor. The penitent desires to do what is right. The member of the tribe, on the other hand, desires to belong, and this longing to belong has led many astray when their tribe has gone off course. We need only look to the violence wracking Kenya today and for the past month to see how tribal loyalties have led otherwise peaceful citizens to extreme acts of brutality. Had these tribalists been dedicated to the pursuit of virtue, 800 persons would not have lost their lives since December 27th.
Second, tribalism must be destroyed because its focus is inward. Jesus tells Simon and Andrew that He will make them fishers of men. Their focus from the start will be to reach out to others, to draw them in and make them part of the Kingdom of Heaven. Tribalism, with its emphasis on the survival of the tribe, is naturally defensive, focused on keeping others from destroying or taking what one already has. Whereas the Christian desires to share with others the blessing of the Faith, the tribalist is charged with the burden of retaining scarce resources or taking the resources of others. Recall, if you will, the words of Adolf Hitler about “Lebensraum”, or living space. The object of Germany’s conquests in the Second World War was to steal their neighbors’ lands and resources. Because the German people took rather than shared, millions lost their lives.
Third, tribalism must be destroyed because its focus is this world. Jesus’ words, “the Kingdom of Heaven” imply a reality greater than the one we are experiencing now. That is, there exists a reality beyond this life to which we ought to aspire, taking care not to make choices in this life that might jeopardize our inheritance of the life to come. Christians thus work to glorify God, doing all for His praise and glory. Tribalists, however, by emphasizing the accomplishments of their tribe, point not to God but to themselves. Such self-aggrandizement sets oneself over and against others, while living to glorify God transforms the sinner into a servant of his fellow man.
None of us here can likely say to which tribe we belong in terms of blood relations. This is one of the great blessings of living in the United States. Very few of us, especially here in Pennsylvania, are able to identify the tribe to which our ancestors belonged. We should give thanks to God that we are spared the trials that tribalism wreaks upon Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and so many other nations in that part of the world. But we must recognize that tribalism manifests itself in many different ways in a society in which officially there are no tribes. Our tribe might be our political party. Or it may be our ethnic heritage. Maybe it is the branch of the military in which we served or the school from which we graduated. Perhaps it is a labor union or even the neighborhood in which we live or where we grew up. Whatever the case may be, if we are more concerned with being a loyal member than with pursuing virtue, we are part of a tribe. If we desire to keep what we have more than we want to share our gifts with others, we belong to a tribe. And if we are working to advance ourselves in this life more than we desire to lay up for ourselves treasures in Heaven, we belong to a tribe. And if we belong to a tribe, we have ceased to be like Jesus, or even much like Peter and Andrew and James and John. One cannot be a tribalist and be a disciple of Christ. One cannot put his tribe first and Jesus second. Jesus must be for us what he will always be: number one.
2008 will be a year to examine our loyalties. On the one hand, it is a major election year, a year in which each of us must make a big decision about the ordering of our common life, as we go to the polls to elect our representatives in the government. Will the decisions we make in this regard be described at the Last Day as Catholic or tribal? And second, we as a diocese are going to plan for the future structure of our ministries and parishes. You have heard, I’m sure, of the Pastoral Planning Process in which every parish of the Diocese of Scranton is participating. Again, as we determine which parishes will close, which will be consolidated, and which will remain open, will our decisions be Catholic or tribal? Answering this question is of the utmost importance, for it is the question for which we will all be accountable when we meet Jesus face to face—“When I called you away from your tribe, did you follow me?”
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.