“Submission is a blessing, given freely out of love for God.”
How do we react to challenge? When our beliefs are questioned do we entrench ourselves in what we believe or do we take time assess the solidity of the ground on which those beliefs are based? What if that challenge were to change the way we behave?
There is an interesting paradox developing in America, while we are an increasingly religious people we are at the same time seeing a decrease in any common definition of morality.
Sheila-ism
In his 1999 book “Against the Night,” Charles Coulson addressed this paradox..
“According to sociologist Robert Bellah, 81 percent of the American people also say they agree that ‘an individual should arrive at his or her own religious belief independent of any church or synagogue.’ Thus the key to the paradox is the fact that those who claim to be Christians are arriving at faith on their own terms — terms that make no demands on behavior. A woman named Sheila, interviewed for Bellah’s Habits of the Heart, embodies this attitude. “I believe in God,” she said. “I can’t remember the last time I went to church. But my faith has carried me a long way. It’s ‘Sheila-ism.’ Just my own little voice.”
How many of are guilty of “Sheila-ism?”
God’s love is infinite and universal. He accepts all of us just as we are. But He accepts us on His terms, not ours.
From the beginning there were those who could not accept the offering of love and family God extends to His people. Many will follow, but only up to the point where they are challenged. To put it another way, people will happily follow God as long as no demands are made on their behavior.
Joshua challenged the Israelites to choose whom they will serve. Jesus challenged His followers with his teaching regarding the Eucharist. In both cases there were those who turned away.
Author T.F. Tenney put it this way; “Jesus fed 5,000 but only 500 followed him after lunch. He had 12 disciples but only 3 went further in the garden… and only 1 stood with him at the cross. The closer you get to the cross, the smaller the crowd becomes.”
We see this even today. When people are challenged they frequently turn away because they cannot accept what is being taught. The great tragedy of this is that they often do not ask for a fuller teaching they simply make assumptions and walk away, looking for a place that does not challenge them in their beliefs.
But what if our lives or our safety depend on what we believe? Should we not challenge our beliefs when our physical safety or our spiritual life is at stake?
The Meaning of submission
Many people reject the authority of the Church because they believe, among other things, that it is misogynist, that is, that it hates women. It does not matter how many examples they are given to the contrary. The reverence owed to the Blessed Mother, or Saint Mary Magdalene, or the countless women who have contributed to our understanding of the faith, mean nothing to them for they are convinced that the Church “hates women.”
This belief may stem from the perception that the visible leaders of the Church are men. While on the surface it may appear so, to hold that belief is to dismiss the contributions made by holy and wise women over the last two thousand years that have contributed to our deeper understanding of the faith.
Or perhaps this belief goes back even further and scripture is cited as an example that the Church is founded upon subjugating women. Saint Paul’s letters are often given as an example.
“Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord” Letter to the Ephesians 5:22
“As the church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything.” Letter to the Ephesians 5:24
Many take a very narrow view of this passage to the detriment of our dignity as Children of God. But this is a belief that deserves to be challenged in order to arrive at a fuller understanding of the Christian view of marriage and family. The entire passage referring to submission must be read in the context of the very first line, “Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Letter to the Ephesians 5:21
Submission is not a right demanded by one person from another, it is a blessing and a privilege of faith, given freely out of love for God.
We should never be afraid to examine why we believe what we believe. Why do we hold a certain interpretation of the Bible? Could we be wrong? If we examine those beliefs we may find that we were correct all along or we may find we were in error and be forced to change what we believe. Either way, we will arrive at a greater understanding of the Word of God and how it applies to our daily lives.
In a similar vein, we should never be afraid to ask why the Church teaches what it teaches.
There is a crisis of faith in the world today. This crisis is eroding some of the basic foundations upon which our society is built. Let us pray for the strength and enlightenment to defend the Christian faith in the face of increasing hostility. Let us pray for the family as a source of blessings for the whole world. Let us make Joshua’s words a reality in our lives,
“As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
Pax Vobiscum
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time