Dereliction of Duty

Fulfilling our Christian duty found in each sacrament

06/04/2018

Mark 12:1-12 Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey. At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully. He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed. He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others.

Perhaps you have heard of the term “dereliction of duty.” It is found in the U.S. Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and binds all military personnel to do their job. If they fail to fulfill their function, either willfully or negligently, they are liable to punishment. That punishment can range all the way from the death penalty (during war time) to dishonorable discharge. Specifically, Article 92 reads: “Failure to obey an order or a regulation…Any person subject to this chapter who…is derelict in the performance of his duties; shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.”

But dereliction of duty can be found outside the U.S. military, even in the Church. The most dramatic instance recently was the resignation of all 34 bishops in the whole country of Chile on May 18. That would be like all the highest ranking U.S. officers in Afghanistan resigning simultaneously. As far as the Catholic Church in Chile is concerned, that church is leaderless and rudderless today. But why did they resign? You may have been following the news of sexual abuse that has thrown a papal spotlight on Chile. It seems there has been rampant sexual abuse and cover up, or at least willful turning of a blind eye. Whatever the particulars of the case, everyone, including the 34 bishops, acknowledges they were guilty of dereliction of duty, and tendering their resignation is tantamount to asking for a “dishonorable discharge” from service in the Lord’s army. Dereliction of duty is a serious failure, whether you serve a country or a church.

Mark 12 shows that Jesus was not so lenient as Pope Francis might be in dealing with dereliction of duty. He tells a parable directed clearly to the “officers” of the Jewish people, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. The parable is about the woeful failure of tenants given charge of a vineyard to cultivate and care for. But they are severely derelict in their duty because they abuse and kill the owner’s emissaries, and ultimately kill his son. What punishment will the court-martial mete out to them? Jesus continues: “He will come, put those tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others.” Jesus does not tolerate dereliction of duty to any degree and punishes it accordingly.

My friends, it can be convenient to cast blame on the leaders of the military and in the church regarding dereliction of duty, and easily turn a blind eye to our own responsibilities. You and I may not be in the U.S. military or a bishop in the Catholic hierarchy, but that doesn’t absolve us from possible dereliction of duty. Where does our duty to the Christian community originate? It can be found in every sacrament. Each sacrament – baptism, confirmation, Communion, confession, marriage, holy orders and anointing of the sick – is not only what God promises to do for us – his duty – but also an obligation placed on us to respond to his love – our duty. Every sacrament, especially baptism, is a renewal of our covenant with Christ in which we exchange mutual rights and responsibilities: he promises to love us and give us his grace and mercy, and we promise to love him by lives of holiness, humility and honor. When we fail to do that, we are also derelict in our Christian duty. And we face our own personal court-martial every time we go to confession. That’s why everyone looks forward to confession.

This week all the priests of our diocese will be on retreat. We don’t just go to Subiaco to rest and relax – don’t worry, we’ll do plenty of that – but also to examine our priestly commitment we made at ordination. Have we been derelict in our duty as shepherds of souls? Knowing that Jesus is not very lenient in this regard with the leaders of his church, I think I’ll need your prayers this coming week.

Praised be Jesus Christ!