My question for you today deals with psychology. In the past, many people were interested in philosophy or theology, but today it would appear there are more pop-psychologists than there are pop-philosophers or pop-theologians. So, here’s my question: What is meant by the “fight or flight” syndrome? How many of you have heard this term before?
Yes, a lot of people have heard of this so-called “fight or flight” syndrome. It usually means that when we encounter something we fear, we respond by either fighting back against the fear or running away from it. We can respond to our stress with a positive response like fighting back and taking an active response, or we can respond with a negative process such as running away. And we need not run away by using our feet. No, we can sometimes escape by merely closing down, by curling up in a ball and hoping the threat ignores us. So, maybe, another way to put it is – under a fearful attack we’re either active, we fight back – or we’re passive, we run away, we hide, we withdraw.
,,,,,,,,By the way, since I’ve asked a question about psychology, I have another one1. As you might know, every group has a patron saint. My question is: Who is the patron saint for psychologists? In case you didn’t know, the patron saint of psychologists is “St Imulus.” And if you don’t know why St Imulus is their patron saint, you might spell out his name! Yes, it’s S..T..I..M..U..L..U..S. And now you know why I begin my homilies with questions rather than with jokes as some preachers do. But yes, today’s readings do involve a “stimulus” … something that strikes us as being new and different, something that demands a response from us. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Today’s readings involve something we may fear and, therefore, demands a response. This “something” is a phrase or a concept we hear from time to time but one we might not really understand. This concept occurs in both our first reading and in today’s gospel. Although it’s not explicit in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians we heard in our second reading, the concept is very much a part of his thinking about the return of Christ, about the second coming of Christ the Lord.
The Latin term for this important concept or phrase is “Timor Domini.” It is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. You may recall that the first of these Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit is “Wisdom” or “Sapientia.” The list ends with this “Timor Domini.” The usual translation for this Latin philosophical or theological term is “Fear of the Lord.”
Yes, the usual meaning for timor is given as the English word “fear.” So, “Timor Domini” would be “fear of the Lord.” But the word timor also means “awe, veneration, or reverence” as well as “apprehension, anxiety or “fear.” “Timor Domini” may be the feeling you get when you see a huge flash of lightening followed immediately by a very loud clap of thunder. Do you react with fear or with awe?
The final chapter of the Book of Proverbs, from which today’s first reading is taken, uses this phrase. On the surface, we might assume the passage is about an ideal wife or, at least an ideal one from the point of her husband, since we hear all about how she does all of the work around the house. But did we really listen to the conclusion of this passage from the Book of Proverbs: “… the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her a reward for her labors, and let her works praise her at the city gates.” It might also be helpful to recall that the first chapter of the Book of Proverbs has the quotation: “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
So, yes, “fear of the Lord” – this beginning of knowledge – may not designate a negative response. Rather, it’s merely a recognition that we humans stand in awe and reverence before the majesty of our God, that this response is the first step in our wisdom about who God is, who we are, and what should be the relationship between us.
We’ve been hearing about this relationship as we complete this liturgical year and begin to enter into the new one with the start of Advent a mere two weeks from now. As we complete this annual cycle, we may be puzzled by what we have been hearing. We wonder how these scriptures fit into what we, today, believe should be how Christians are expected to act.
Last week, we heard the words of the gospel of Matthew concerning the return of the bridegroom, the one we associate with Christ, and the ten women who waited for him. We heard how five of them were unwilling to share the oil for the lamps they carried as they waited for his return. This certainly does not seem to be a Christian virtue – this lack of sharing. Yet, the bridegroom accepts the actions of the five prudent women and excludes the five foolish ones who had not been appropriately prepared for his return.
And today, we heard the story of the master who, before leaving, gives to three of his servants different amounts of his vast wealth. The amount mentioned in today’s story is often said to be the equivalent of an annual wage. In other words, the first servant received funds that would be worth five years of his salary. Even the third man, was given an amount equivalent to what he would earn for an entire year.
Evidently, the Master gave each one an amount he thought the servant deserved. He left no specific instructions about what to do with the money. Yet, the servants believed he had certain expectations of how they might be “responsible” custodians of the funds he left with them. However, we, ourselves, might be puzzled by his response to their actions.
The returning master praised and rewarded those who had traded wisely and increased the amount of funds they had been given. But the third one – who had not increased his talents but had buried them in the earth and now wanted to give them back at the same level he had received them – this servant was chastised and, in fact, was punished for his lack of effort.
Why had the third servant done what he did? The third servant said that he knew his master was demanding and, out of fear, he buried the treasure so he could return it in the same condition it was when he had received it.
Each of the three servants had his own “timor domini,” his own “fear of the Lord,” his own understanding regarding the awe and reverence owed to the Master and what the Master expected of them. The ones who had a positive awe or fear of their Lord and Master and waited for his return with positive actions, received even more from him. The foolish one, who had a negative fear of the Lord, failed to do anything more with what had been given to him by his Master before leaving on a journey.
We, too, await the return of our Lord and Master who has gone on a journey. We, too, expect he will return at an unknown time. We, too, await the homecoming of the bridegroom who will come in the middle of the night when darkness surrounds us. In these instances, we can await his return either actively or passively. The stress of our waiting can lead us to “fight,” to do what is necessary – not only to be prepared for his return but also, to multiply the gifts, the talents, he gave us before he departed from our sight. The stress of our waiting can also lead us to “flight,” to be foolish in how we wait and be unprepared for his return, to be passive in our waiting and accomplish nothing new with what he has given us. Instead, we will repay him without any increase, without any personal action on our part.
The Thessalonians of the time of Paul also expected the return of the Lord. In fact, their expectation was that he might return at the next moment. During this waiting period, no matter how short or long it might be, Paul encouraged them with the reminder: “…. all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober.”
As we approach the end of this liturgical year, or as we might approach the end time, itself, let us have our own positive response to our “fear of the Lord,” our awe and reverence for the one who will return. It is our choice to work on behalf of our Lord and Master, or to sit back and hope for his mercy rather than for his justice.
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time; November 13, 2011
Prov 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31; 1 Thess 5:1-6; Mt 25:14-30
- The segment re “St Imulus” was included only for the Saturday, 5:30 pm mass. No one realized it was a joke; they took me seriously. It was omitted from the Sunday homilies and transitional lines had to be inserted.