When the Homily is about Immunology

Change

There is a popular country song making the rounds right now by Montgomery Gentry that celebrates people changing - particularly in the evangelical christian sense. People who "hit their knees" and then when getting up a "brand new man" and leave "the old one right there." Now, while in the past I might have been tempted to take an opportunity to be critical of my old evangelical days where we would go through the seemingly never ending cycles of being "on fire", "back-slidden", and then "rededicated."

Rather, more and more I find myself considering the positives of those times, for which is better: a "rededicated" evangelical who walks away from his or her tearful altar call committed to making a real go of the Christian life this time, or the Orthodox Christian who walks away from his confession as undedicated as he was before he began? You see my point.

Take the fervor and dedication of those altar call moments and insert them into the discipline and guidance of Holy Confession and I think you will have for yourself a powerful weapon in your ongoing spiritual war. As much as we may disdain the terms (the newer the Orthodox Christian you are, the more disdain you will likely have for them) why should we not perceive ourselves as coming into confession "Back-slidden" and coming out "rededicated" and "on fire"?

"On fire" of course requires the wisdom of the Church for guidance so that we are not an explosion, but an efficient, well trimmed, and long burning vigil lamp.

The country song I mentioned before lauds change, offering the encouraging words that even in the worse of conditions, in the most horrific grip of biological determinism - some people still manage to change.

Here's to the strong; thanks to the brave.
Don't give up hope: some people change.
Against all odds, against the grain,
Love finds a way: some people change.

Have hope...but change, as the song suggests (listen up everyone) requires bravery and requires strength. God help us to have both, but always remembering that it is also going to require persistence, discipline, and pain. Precious few really walk away from an altar call as a completely changed man - rather as a man who has begun to journey down the road of change. So it should also be with our confession.

I pray that I am able to let Advent be such a road for me. My confession is a litany of things that MUST change in my life - I hope that this will be a time to put the breaks on some back-sliding, to rededicate my life to Christ and to His Church, and in the context of discipline and submission to truly be on fire.

As a side, Kenny Chesney did this same song, but I think Montgomery Gentry's version is better.