Why are so many people lost?
Can anyone tell me the answer? Why are so many people confused? Why are so many people searching and trying to “find themselves” and winding up alone, lost and afraid?
The evidence is clear- anxiety and depression numbers are skyrocketing. According to some statistics, the incidence of anxiety is up to 19.1% percent of the entire United States population of adults Over fifty percent of those from the ages of 18-24 experience some form of depression or anxiety. The incidence of anxiety has increased 63% from the years 2005-2017.
And yet- we claim to be the most enlightened generation. We are the most “in touch” with our feelings. We are able to be free and to go out and find ourselves with no one blocking the path. Surely this would make us more confident; more unafraid! Surely we would be okay with where we were.
But… if everyone is free- why are so many people lost, alone, and afraid? Why is there such a pandemic of anxiety, of sorrow, of depression, which is being kindled into ever greater flame?
Perhaps, we really don’t know who we are. Maybe, we have lost the sense of our self- and our true identity.. Really and truly, something really seems amiss.
In the first reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah, the Lord is addressing the ruler of that time: Cyrus. Now, as he is the ruler of that time, we might get this preconceived notion that he is an Israelite himself- but he isn’t. Instead, he is a Gentile, so it is rather odd that he is being addressed. Yet, the reading is actually delving into the reason why. The Lord is telling Cyrus that He is “subduing nations before him, and making kings run in his service.” He opens doors before him- and leaves gates unbarred. For Jacob, his servant- for the nation of Israel- God called him by name.
Actually, in that short statement is the answer. He pulled up a gentile to the rank of being the Lord’s anointed for the sake of the nation of Israel. It is at the hand of Cyrus that the nation of Israel was brought back from exile- and were protected, even though he did not himself share in their beliefs. He conquers the entire known world at this point- and that is truly an astonishing feat. This address, then, is one that serves to remind Cyrus of why this has happened. He is called by name on behalf of the people that are God’s chosen people. This is actually a beautiful encounter, though, because it shows the Lord explaining to Cyrus “though he knows [Him] not” that he is the Lord. He is granting Him strength and the ability to be strong so that he can fulfill his role, and restore, protect, and strengthen the nation of Israel. God did it for his people, but in that He reveals more about who Cyrus is to Him, so that he knows his own identity. Thus the responsorial psalm rings true- “Give to the Lord glory and honor.” Not to Cyrus, nor anyone else- simply to the Lord.
The second reading this weekend transitions to Saint Paul and His First Letter to the Church in Thessalonica. This letter begins with a usual greeting, but notice, Paul actually is very skillful in the way that he introduces this letter. He tells who is talking: Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. Then he tells them who he is addressing them through: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. We see that he speaks to them reminding them of their thanks in God for the gift that they are, how they labor in hope of Jesus Christ, and then that the Gospel has come to them through the Holy Spirit. This is beautiful, because it shows how deeply immersed Paul is in the identity of God in the Trinity. He speaks to them and begins by the Trinitarian benediction over them. He wants them to know just how blessed they are in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They act, live, and work through the power of the Trinity.
Finally, we arrive at the Gospel according to Matthew. Over the past few Gospel accounts, we have heard how Jesus was directing a series of convicting parables at the chief priests and the elders of the people. As a result they are very upset, to put it very lightly. They go off and begin to plot- how are we going to destroy and discredit Him. So they come up with an impossible scenario. First, they try to butter Him up- we know you are truthful, you teach the way of God, you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion, you do not regard a person’s status. Then, they ask a question that on the surface seems rather innocuous: is it lawful to pay the census tax or not? They aren’t very aware though that Jesus sees straight through what they are doing. Yes, it is a test, and an impossible situation. If He sides with the temple tax, he is going to anger the Jewish community who resent this, and that would make Him seem like a sympathizer with the oppression at that time. However, if He told them that they should not pay that tax, then He was going to be in trouble with the Herodians, and would be seen as treasonous with the government at the time. Of course, He masterfully answers. He asks for a coin, and asks whose image is on it- they reply “Caesar’s.”
Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s. This silences them, and they go away for a time.
Yet, think about that simple reading. He asks whose image is on the coin, and they find that Caesar’s image is on it. It is by this simple. Image that Jesus draws out His answer. Yet, notice, that image is present on that coin- that coin has an identity. Christ says render to God what is God’s. It is something that is there- and it shows- coins belong to Caesar- that is his realm, yet, what bears the image of God? What is truly God’s?
While we might answer the question as it stood that day that the temple was, there is something that the Lord desires more than simply a building. There is something that the Lord longs for much more than four walls. In fact, He has created something that bears His own image- and that is found in each of us that are here today. It is no mistake that Jesus says this simple thing: because it tells us something important: we are God’s because we have His image on Him. Yet, if we look at ourselves, we may see so many different things, and not necessarily remember that God’s image is on our hearts.
This can be further investigated in this question: if I were to ask you “what is your identity?” what would you say? There are countless many things that we can identify with. Perhaps our jobs, our families, our relationships, things that we think make us interesting. Yet, that is simply not enough. I wager to say- there is more to the prior problem of anxiety and depression than might mee the eye. While we might wonder why that problem is more and more prevalent, often we fail to see the other elephant in the room: faith has been declining for so long. This is one of the biggest reasons that we can understand that there is so much fear, so much anxiety, and so much depression out there these days: we forget our identity. We forget who we are! Many people inside and outside of the Church have forgotten that identity, as the world sees it, will never satisfy. These things leave us empty. If we do not understand that we are God’s, and that His image is on us and in us, then we start to fail. We start to become anxious. We start to become depressed. We start to feel that we are more important than we might have ever thought. We might feel security. We will find purpose and meaning. We will find even in the painful moments of life that there is someone who cares enough to imprint their mark on our souls. Cyrus found it. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy all identified first and foremost in the Trinity- and nothing else.
Thus, is a series of things to pray with this week: first, do I see the image of God on my heart? Am I aware that God calls me His? If I am not or if I don’t, I’m going to find my identity in something else. Perhaps what I do. Perhaps other important people around me. Or maybe something even worse: the ways I’ve fallen short. The ways I’m a failure. The things that I’ve done wrong. The ways that I will never measure up. Is that actually what our Lord wants? Does He want any of us to be listlessly wandering through the dark abyss that is life in this world? Second, what do I need to change to live out that identity? Are there behaviors in my life that I should discard so that I live in greater conformity with the Gospel? Are there things that can make it more evident that God’s image is on my heart and my soul? Are there ways that I can renew that image? Finally, who around me needs to know that they have God’s image on their heart? Who needs to know that they have an identity in Christ- and in that they find freedom?
There is a crisis these days. People feel the need to find themselves and they are frustrated when they cannot because they forget that our identity must be founded in God, first and foremost.
Let’s not be lost and in need of finding. Rather, let us be mindful and celebrate the image of God and the freedom and peace that affords. Render to God what is God’s.
May we always remember our identity founded and found in God alone.
