“God Within ... the Messenger”
Fr. Jim DeBruycker
Sunday, December 4th, 2005

Friday night as I was leaving the hospital, hauling the last remnants of my office to the car, a woman grabbed me and said, “Quick, pray for my father.” I asked if he was Catholic, only because he might want to be anointed. “No, Baptist.” That means you put a few more phrases that demand a dramatic “Amen” to them. So, my last official act as a chaplain was to pray over a Hispanic Baptist.

Of course, that’s what chaplains do. You anoint, you burn sage, call down the moon and say Kadesh. It’s pretty easy to be God’s anointed one.

Last week we were told to watch out; you didn’t know when the Lord was coming. I prefer be aware because it’s much less alarmist and makes you ask, “Aware of what?”

Two cousins are about to appear in the Gospel. One is a wild man who lives out in the desert, the other a more sophisticated smooth talker and party goer. But both have the same message; I have experienced God in my inmost being and he is calling me to respond and calling through me to find the God in you.

Both men’s preaching is calling us to be aware of God’s freely given presence. God is always calling us in the unique way that is us. John, in the austerity of fastness; Jesus, in the day-to-day meeting with people. When we say Jesus was born without sin, it is not so much that he didn’t lie or cheat, but that in each situation he didn’t run away from the possibility of making God’s love, Gods’ challenges, come alive. If it meant challenging the authorities or reaching out and healing - Fine. If it was making a small person feel big - Fine. If it was raising someone from the dead - Fine!

At the heart of Jesus’ message and John’s was “God is in you and you have the power to bring God to others.” Ever notice how every time someone tries to honor Jesus, he disappears? He is human, and he knows power’s allure, and he was called to give it to others to make them know they have the power to give, to heal, to do justice. And he knows the hardest thing for humans is not to use power, but to run away and give it to others.

St. Leonard’s warned me not to talk about this because they said you’d know I was really a kook. Remember my going away presents were a gold-plated (actually spray-painted) plunger and a new wand-ebony 11 inches, good for spellwork. I am an avid fan of The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter books and movies. Both brilliant expositions of taking power and finding power within.

The smallest of the warriors, a hobbit, is the only one with enough character not to be seduced by the ring of power; and it’s not even the smartest of the small people, but his faithful companion, Sam, who is most true. They are successful, while the powerful destroy each other.

What about Harry Potter? A boy kept in the closet for years who finds he is not a geek when he finally gets out, but a person of really great power who, none the less, has to continue to fight for his right to exist. That sounds familiar.

So, if you don’t get it, and if St. Joan’s don’t get it, we are on trouble. You are the messenger, you have the power and only you can bring the message as it is given to you. But it takes effort. Part of why we belong to a greater Church is that sometimes we are wrong and it’s good to be challenged. Something which you are used to; being challenged, that is, not being wrong. I guess. I suppose. At least that is what everyone here maintains.