Sermonstudio

Carlo Rienzi, an attorney with no prior mission or court case, had never been tested. He was fearful and apprehensive, because he had never been challenged in his chosen profession. He did not want the trial that would test his will and challenge his skill, but he knew it must eventually come. When the case came, it seemed an impossible task for him. A young woman had shot the mayor of a small village without provocation, at least so it seemed on the surface. Carlo was assigned by the court as the woman's legal defense. Everything seemed to be against him; the evidence was overwhelming. The people in the town had loved their mayor; they could see no reason why he should be killed. The whole town was against Carlo and his client. Although it was the woman who faced the jury, the trial for Carlo may have been greater. It was a test of his character. Could he perform as he had been trained; would he hold up under the pressure; could he meet this great challenge? The trial was a test of his will as well. In the face of overwhelming adversity, could he remain with his client and give her a fair and complete defense?

Although the evidence was against his client, Carlo's perseverance would win the day. The trial took place in a small court room in the village where the crime had been committed. Carlo went to the place of the trial in order to find himself. In his investigation Carlo Rienzi discovered a reason for the young woman's actions. He learned that the mayor was not the kind and gentle man whom most people in the village knew; he had a mysterious past. In the end Carlo's client was convicted, but she received the least sentence possible for the crime. Carlo Rienzi as a lawyer had been tried and found worthy of his vocation.

Morris West's novel Daughter of Silence tells the story of the testing of a man and how he found himself and discovered great hope through that experience. Lent is a time when we are tested and challenged to find ourselves, experience our faith in greater and fuller ways, and discover the hope and joy that only the Lord can give. Today our lesson from the book of Genesis speaks of the great test given the world by God, a test that all failed, save Noah and his family. Because of the faithfulness to the test of one family, however, God's promise will be present for all people for all time.

Scripture scholars tell us the great flood narrative in the Book of Genesis signifies important events in world history. According to the Priestly tradition of the Old Testament, the great flood, a story which most exegetes believe arose from the famous Babylonian epic "Gilgamesh," signals the end of the first great epoch of world history. The second epoch, marked by the covenant with Noah, presupposes the theological disorder caused by sin and introduces as normative those adverse conditions of life, namely the many tests, challenges and vicissitudes of our daily journey, that the average person encounters.

Today's lesson is, as we know, the end of a longer story. God, dissatisfied with the actions and attitudes of the peoples of the world, sent a great flood to destroy humankind. The peoples of the world failed God's test and challenge to live in harmony and to demonstrate love to each other. There were members of one family, however, Noah, his wife, children, and their spouses, who passed God's test and were found upright in their actions. Thus, the Lord presented Noah with another test, to build an ark in order to provide safe passage for his family and the animals of the earth. Again Noah responded positively to the call and challenge of God.

The book of Genesis clearly says that God was disappointed with the peoples of the world and wanted to start again, but the faithfulness of only one family in its acceptance and completion of God's test and challenge allowed God to demonstrate the great hope that comes to those who successfully negotiate the tests of life. Carlo Rienzi accepted a great test and found himself and his professional vocation in the process. Noah's ability to meet the challenge of the Lord brought the permanent and unfailing protection of God to the world. Without imposing any obligations or special conditions on the human race, God provides solicitude and divine blessings, symbolized by the rainbow in the heavens. It is further a sign of divine faithfulness that gives the world a sense of security and stability. The reading, especially its beautiful promise from God of faithfulness, allows the story of God's wrath sent upon the peoples of the world to end on a very positive note. We are able to find through this scripture passage the courage to meet the challenges and tests the world brings our way, for we can have full confidence that God's faithfulness and promise of divine blessing will always be present for those who demonstrate complete devotion to God's ways.

The story of the great flood, which exhibited the faithfulness of Noah and his family, and God's promise of complete devotion as manifest through the sign of the rainbow, is only one of numerous lessons from the Sacred Scriptures that describe great tests and challenges that people of faith endured. We recall the great test given by God to the first patriarch Abraham. After being promised progeny as numerous as the stars in the sky, Abraham's great faith was tested by God when he was asked to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, the very promise of future generations. Abraham passed the test and, thus, the hope and promise of God were granted to him. We remember as well the test given to many of the judges and prophets, men and women called to lead Israel and to proclaim God's word, although they may have felt unqualified, to often hostile and unreceptive communities. Yet, these people too responded to the challenge presented them and God's promise was once again demonstrated by Israel's victory in battle and the return of the people to a closer relationship with God. Finally, on this First Sunday in Lent we are reminded of Jesus' great trial in the desert, when, after forty days and forty nights of fasting and prayer, his personal Lent that prepared him for his ministry, the Lord was challenged by Satan with the three great challenges of today's society -- power, wealth, and prestige. Conquering this challenge, Jesus shows us the way and brings us hope and promise through his public ministry in Israel.

Tests, challenges, and trials are part of everyday life; they simply cannot be avoided. When these opportunities for growth come our way we have several options for our response. We can run away, hide, and pretend as if the challenge never arose. We can in so many words place our head in the sand, like the ostrich, and hope that all will pass us by and we simply won't have to deal with life and the challenges it brings. There are times when we are tested that we recognize the need for action but delegate our response to another person. We might ask others to make the decisions that should rightly be ours; we may delay our response hoping that the situation might change and the required action not be necessary. We can, however, fully engage the challenges and tests that the world brings our way and see them as opportunities for personal and possibly communal growth. Challenge is almost never easy, but for those who can muster the courage to meet the test head on and engage its possibilities for growth, then the promise of God, as exemplified by Carlo Rienzi's discovery of self and the covenant rainbow in the sky, will be manifest.

While it is probably not readily recognized nor appreciated, possibly the best way we grow, in every aspect of our lives, is through tests and challenges. The intellectual dimension of our lives is best exercised through challenge. During our days of formal schooling most have found that the courses and instructors that challenged us the most are the ones we remember and those from which we learned the most. Sometimes students tackle more difficult subjects, knowing that the course will stretch their ability and possibly their purview as well. Working hard as opposed to "waltzing through" a class will pay benefits in the end. The challenges to our intellectual selves must be continued throughout life. If we fail to read or reject new ideas simply because we cannot be bothered or don't want to negotiate another intellectual hurdle, then we will mentally stagnate. Sometimes we hear people say, "The first day I stop learning places one foot in the grave."

We must challenge ourselves socially as well. People have different personalities, but generally speaking we classify ourselves as introverts or extroverts. The introvert needs to be challenged to move out, at least somewhat, from his/her comfort zone. Daily tasks at work, ministries we perform, and interaction with people become challenges to those who are shy, but they are also opportunities to grow and discover gifts that might have lain hidden, possibly talents never discovered. Extroverts can be challenged by their need to discover the quiet side of who they are. Having the courage to look on the inside and take time in personal reflection is a great challenge to the person with a more exuberant personality, but such an endeavor will provide much grace and growth for the one open to such possibilities. It is only through the challenge or test to be more open to discovering the other side of our personality that we find the promise of God.

We need to challenge ourselves physically as well. When we drive through town, we often see people jogging along the road; we observe a similar scene when we enjoy a picnic with family and friends in a local park. Such observations ought to motivate us to ask what we could do to get into better physical shape. Most of us lead rather sedentary lives and thus we need to make the extra effort to exercise. It will take time, time we might not have in the busy lives we lead, but God's hope and promise will be found at the end of this endeavor also. We have heard the expression, "No pain, no gain." We need to challenge ourselves to become more physically active, to the extent that our environment and life conditions will allow. When we are in better shape, we will feel better, possess more energy, and be better prepared for the challenges that will come our way.

Unquestionably the most important aspect of our lives is the spiritual dimension, and this area too needs to be tested and challenged. Our faith is tested on many occasions in varied ways. We periodically come across other members of the faith community who disagree with our opinion or theological understanding. Decisions are sometimes made with which we have difficulty, disagree, or simply do not understand. These challenges to our faith are ones we must engage, although it is not easy to navigate safely around such troubled waters. Other tests of our faith come when things happen, especially when people we know and love become sick, are the victims of accidents or crime, or die, especially unexpectedly. We generally ask, "Why?"; sometimes we become angry with God. These tests of faith are more difficult to avoid, but even in these cases we can find ways to avoid the challenge. The cruel reality is, however, that until we negotiate these challenges to our faith development, we will be stunted in our progress to God, the common goal toward which all people of faith strive.

Lent is the great period in the liturgical year when we have the special opportunity to be challenged in our faith development. The Christian community is on a journey that leads us home to God. Lent is the special season of grace provided by the Church that, if used well, allows us to prepare ourselves more fully, not only for Easter, but for our eventual return to the Father. Lent, prayerfully engaged and lived, asks us to challenge and test ourselves. We need to ask: What is it that I need to do or rid myself of in order to be sufficiently free to celebrate fully the joy of Easter? What inhibits our growth and holds us back from furthering our relationship with God? What can we do during Lent to challenge ourselves sufficiently to move beyond our present zone of spiritual comfortableness and attain a closer or more fulfilling relationship with the Lord? What good works, special prayers, and other outward means can we wisely use this season and thus gain the hope and promise which God's promise assures us is at the end of the rainbow?

Challenges and tests are endemic to human existence, and they come, most often, when we find them totally inconvenient. The natural tendency is to run, hide, or simply ignore these challenges. The physical and psychic energy plus mental fortitude necessary at times to engage these tests fully often appear to be too great. But when we find ourselves with such an attitude, we must remember that it was never easy for the great people of faith to meet their challenges. They did so, nonetheless, because they were confident of the divine blessing, unfailing protection, and benevolent promise of hope that God would, through such trials, provide great things for us. Jesus, we must recall, was the one who accepted the greatest trial of faith, but his faithfulness to the will of his Father brought us hope. In a totally paradoxical way, the cross of Christ became the only hope of salvation for those who believe.

Let us during this Lenten season do our best to meet squarely the challenges and tests of faith that come to us. Our encounters might not be easy; many may be quite difficult. But if we negotiate the hurdles, we will be better prepared for our return home, not only at Easter, but more importantly at the eternal banquet, when we will share the joy of all the saints in beholding the face of God forever.