Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-38; Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
A gentleman held the door for a Sister as she was leaving her physical therapy appointment. She thanked him with a smiling comment, “Chivalry is not dead,” and he responded, “ I won’t let it die with me.” They spoke a bit about popular culture and he thoughtfully added, ‘I intend to keep my masculinity.”
The “virtues of a good man” is the topic that jumped out at me when I first glanced at this week’s Mass readings. “Virtues of a good woman” may come up later. Let’s look together at some examples of a good man’s virtues.
Isaiah describes a gentle rescuer, the chosen “servant” who doesn’t even quench a smoldering wick, but who also is strong enough to “bring out prisoners from confinement (Ch. 42).” He opens “the eyes of the blind” and opens the eyes of the mind, because he is a teacher. “The coastlands will wait for his teaching.” A good man or woman also teaches by example.
Notice the courage of Saint John the Baptist, which eventually cost him his life. The Baptist preached repentance to all who came to him. He fearlessly told the truth to his fellow Jews awaiting the Messiah, because God wanted them to change. He didn’t stop when he reached King Herod.
The Baptizer honored God more than he honored men. “Whoever fears Him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him (Acts 10).” Because I see and live with people it is easy to fear them or the consequences of telling the truth, but other people will not be my judges in the end. They are not even my best helpers in life, as much as they may try to help me. It is the work of faith to put my trust in invisible aid and my God is ever-ready to help me.
Do you know someone who fears God and acts uprightly, even when criticism is sure to come? I hope so. We can help each other by having the courage to do the right thing, no matter who is watching, because God always is, and His Spirit wants to assist us to act well and bravely.
We come now to the foundation of virtue – humility. St. John the Baptist had the opportunity to claim to be the Christ himself. Instead, he told the humble truth. When others credit me for some success, do I always give the credit to my immortal Giver, my generous Creator? If not, I can be in the very awkward position of robbing God, who has given every good gift to me and deserves thanks for all of them.
Jesus humbled Himself and accepted Baptism from the hands of John. God the Father, who knew Who he really was, acknowledged his divinity. “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” God’s pleasure is eternal because Jesus’ humility is eternal, even in the midst of heavenly glory.
May we too practice the “manly” virtue of humility, and do it so well that we also hear the Father’s voice when our time turns into eternity, “This is my beloved son/daughter, in whom I am well pleased.”
Let us keep the vows of our own Baptism in mind and remain faithful to them.
Thank you for your faithfulness and love, dear friends.
We pray for the virtue of perseverance
for all who follow Christ into the Jubilee Year of Hope.