Say Yes Quickly!
Here is a link to today’s readings.
Sadly, there is a lot of evil in the world. My heart is heavy after hearing the news of another attack on France during Bastille Day celebrations. This follows a devastating attack that killed hundreds in Baghdad. Closer to home, the news of police officers attacked and killed by a sniper in Dallas left me angry and sad. I was also angry about yet another two black men killed by police officers, exacerbating the already fraught relationship between minorities (especially blacks) in this country and the police and justice system. When will there be justice? When will there be peace? I am guessing your heart is as heavy as mine. I am tired of the violence. I am tired of feeling helpless in a world that seems to be going mad.
With so much violence around us, what can we do? The story of Abraham in today’s first reading gives us some clues. In the story, there are truly angels among us. If we are tempted to despair in a world that seems inundated with evil, we must hold onto hope and remind ourselves of the presence of these angels. They are the symbol of God’s own presence in our midst. They remind us that good triumphs over evil and that God reigns supreme.
The story gives us another important clue about how to deal with a world full of violence. It says to us, “Hurry up!” Read the story again and notice the briskness of the verbs that describe Abraham’s hospitality. First, when he saw the three men, “he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them.” Then, he “hastened into the tent” and told Sarah, “Quick, three measures of fine flour! Knead it and make rolls.” He himself “ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer” and then a servant “quickly prepared it.” No wonder the author of Hebrews praised Abraham as a model of generous love of neighbor, saying, “Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels” (Hebrews 13:2).
In a world of violence, God is present. There are angels among us. We need to remember that to keep up our sense of hope. But also, we need to act, and to act quickly. We could be the “angel” to someone else by being what angels represent in Scripture, the very presence of God among us. Christ wants to act, but chooses to act through His Body—us, the Church, the members of that Body—when we give Him the freedom and permission to do so. Such is the love of God that it will not violate human freedom, which is the necessary prerequisite for love. And so, St. Teresa of Avila reminds us that “Christ has no body now but yours.” We must act. We must make everyone feel welcomed and important.
Acting is not enough though. We must act quickly! We make a mistake if we take too much time in unnecessary deliberation about what to do. Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail that “”Wait” has almost always meant “Never.” We must come to see,” he said, “with one of our distinguished jurists, that “justice too long delayed is justice denied.” Abraham didn’t hesitate when he saw people in need. His sense of hospitality demanded that he hurry to make sure they were treated well. In whatever situations we find ourselves, individually and as a country and a world, we should follow his lead. We may find that we have entertained angels as well.
The same idea is found in other sacred traditions. Consider the famous Sufi Muslim poet, Rumi. Let these lines from the poem “Say Yes Quickly” nourish your soul this week:
“Forget your life. Say God is Great. Get up. You think you know what time it is. It’s time to pray. You’ve carved so many little figurines, too many…
If you are here unfaithfully with us, you’re causing terrible damage. If you’ve opened your loving to God’s love, you’re helping people you don’t know and have never seen.
Is what I say true? Say yes quickly, if you know, if you’ve known it from before the beginning of the universe.”
(Coleman Barks, transl. in The Soul is Here for Its Own Joy, Robert Bly, ed.)
