Eating Honor

Making faith a priority in our lives

02/18/2017

Hebrews 11:1-7 Brothers and sisters: Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Because of it the ancients were well attested. By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible. By faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice greater than Cain's. Through this, he was attested to be righteous, God bearing witness to his gifts, and through this, though dead, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was found no more because God had taken him. Before he was taken up, he was attested to have pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, warned about what was not yet seen, with reverence built an ark for the salvation of his household. Through this, he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that comes through faith.

          Which of the following do you think is greater: the earthly or the heavenly, the material or the spiritual, the temporal or the eternal, the natural or the supernatural, the matters of reason or the articles of faith, the body or the soul, that which is visible or that which is invisible? Now, you might answer: hey, that’s a false dichotomy! The correct answer is that both are important, we need body and soul, reason and faith to be happy and holy. And that’s certainly true. But do you always stop to pray before you eat your lunch? In that moment (when we forget to pray) we’ve ineluctably decided that eating chicken nuggets are more important than saying Grace; the needs of our stomach rank higher than the needs of our soul.

          Several years ago I saw the movie called “The First Olympics: Athens 1896” about the rebirth of modern Olympics. In one touching scene the Greek runner, Spyridon Louis, asks his mother for permission to run the marathon. He explains that it is a great honor to run for his country. She curtly answers: “Honor?? Can you eat this honor? Can you wear this honor?” By the way, that’s exactly what my mom said when I told her I was running the Fort Smith marathon. But notice her point: food and clothing have greater value than honor and glory. Food is real, honor is a fairy-tale. Again, both these things are necessary and good, but when we’re forced to choose one over the other, we often reach for the earthly before the heavenly, for food over faith.

          The whole eleventh chapter of Hebrews (today’s first reading) is a masterful exposition of the priority of faith. Put faith first and foremost, the author argues. He lists Old Testament “hall of famers” and points out how faith made them pleasing to God, for instance, Abel, Enoch and Noah. Each of them chose the invisible over the visible, the heavenly rather than the earthly, the good of the soul instead of the goods of the body: faith over food. Unlike that Greek mother, these Old Testament saints said, “I’d choose faith in the invisible God over all the baklava in the world!”  Yes, again, we do hope to have both earthly baklava and heavenly blessings, but when push comes to shove, and you must choose one of the two, the saints know which of the two matters most.

          Did you know that right this moment 10 parishioners from Immaculate Conception are in Honduras for a mission trip? They went with 22 parishioners from St. Joseph in Fayetteville and will work in a small town called “Ilanga” for one week, returning next Tuesday. They are providing medical care, doing construction projects, and sharing their Catholic faith with the people. Our missionaries are anxious to share with the poor the many gifts God has given them – their medical knowledge, modern medications, construction know-how and material resources. But their richest and most precious gift is their Catholic faith. The Hondurans cannot eat that faith, the Hondurans cannot wear that faith, but our missionaries know, like Abel, Enoch and Noah, that faith is worth more than all the pupusas and ponchos in the whole world.  Faith is more important than food.

          As you go about your day today, take notice of how you prioritize these two realms. Does your faith come before your reason? Does heaven rank higher than earth? Do you take care of your soul before tending to your body? Do you take stock of eternity before dealing with time? Do you pray before you eat your chicken nuggets?

          Praised be Jesus Christ!