In the Series the Band of Brothers, Easy Company, a US division of paratroopers during WWII, has been fighting in Europe for many months. They have just received a new commanding officer: Lieutenant Dyke. Dyke is well trained. He is well dressed. He received quick promotion. But he has not seen any combat. Even worse, he doesn’t get to know his men, and they sure don’t know him. From the protection of the forest and many yards away from the front line, he can play the part of Lieutenant. But the question still remains for Easy Company: what kind of leader do they really have?
The day of his first battle has come. Dyke leads Easy Company over a field towards a small village inhabited by German troops. As soon as they step out of the cover of the woods artillery rings out. Bullets whiz past them. Mortars explode. Men from Easy Company drop left and right. But, their leader is no where to be found. Hidden behind the safety of a bail of hay, with tears running down his face, sits Lt. Dyke. He is frozen with fear. Unable to act, he forgot his obligation to his men, to his country, to the world. Under great adversity, the true content of Dyke’s heart shines forth.
Lieutenant Dyke, write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily.
I don’t want to be too tough on Lt. Dyke. We can never know how we would respond in his situation. But our chance, our own similar opportunity is soon coming. As future leaders in the church, we are going to face our own battles. If we are not convinced of this, we need only to look to today’s first reading to find an example.
Habakkuk is a prophet. He has been chosen by God. He has been anointed. He’s to have a deeper understanding of things relating to God. He’s to communicate that to the people of his time. Yet violence breaks out. People begin to die. His nation is about to be crushed. And so he wavers. As bullets of false gods take his people and idol worship explodes like artillery, he forgets who God is. He hides behind the hay bail of doubt, despair and fear. He is frozen, unable to proclaim the action of God. Under adversity, the true content of his heart shines forth.
Habakkuk: write down the vision clearly upon the tablets so that one can read it readily.
As future priests who will share in the prophetic ministry of Christ, the reading from Habakkuk might bring a little fear into our hearts. I know it does for me. Devastation and hardship will most likely be a part of our lives. None of us can truly know how we will respond in those situations. In humbling way, we can look back on formation to see how we don’t want to respond.
As adversity become a part of our lives---
A holy hour becomes a holy half hour becomes an unholy “I’ll wait until tomorrow”…
Honesty with our spiritual director is postponed yet another month…
Smalls successes build our ego and we think we are gods…
Too many failures turn our heart cold, unable to reach out to those in need…
When the mortars of laziness explode, when the fire of failure burns, when the bullets of pride come around us, the true content of our hearts begins to show.
Brothers, Aaron, write down the vision clearly upon the tablets so that one can read it readily.
Perhaps focusing on our potential for failure under adversity is not completely helpful. Perhaps it misses the whole picture. We worship the God of the entire Universe. So surely God will respond to our need.
When Habakkuk’s world is crumbling around him, God response is rather simple. There is no fire from Heaven, no plague to kill the Babylonian, no miraculous response. God’s only action comes to Habakkuk in a command, a reminder:
Write down the vision: the vision of who I am as God and who you are because of me. The vision of my never dying love for you and for all people. The vision of what I accomplished through your ancestors.
Write it clearly Upon the Tablets: Clearly, don’t let your chisel shake from fear, doubt and sin. Cast away the voice that whispers lies in your ears. And place that vision on the tablet.
Let it be readily: As you read it readily, let it brand itself deep within your own heart. Thus, every breath you take will be a reliving of the vision I have given you. And let others share in your vision. Let them read it readily so that should you forget, they can remind you. Habakkuk, do this and you will live.
My brothers, our experience today is very similar to Habakkuk’s. Under adversity, God response to us is simple. It comes to us in a command, a reminder:
Write down the vision: It is of God’s ever enduring action in our lives. It is a vision of the grace that has allowed us to overcome so many weaknesses during formation. It is a vision of the friends who have walked with us; the formation staff that has challenged us; our family who has supported us.
Write it clearly upon the tablets: Allow the grace of Christ to walk us through to the depths of our heart. Past the sin. Past the fear. Past the self doubt. Past the weakness. To the purity of our heart prepared like good soil ready to receive the vision.
Let it be read readily: Let this vision not be just our own, but share it with others. Be accountable. In the time remaining open up ever more to counselors, spiritual directors, friends and family. For if we should forget, they will reminds us.
Then and only then, will we live.
Liutenant Dyke could never have known what actual combat would have been like. He could never fully know how he would respond. But perhaps he could have prepared his heart a little better.
We, too, do not know what the future of our ministry will entail. But we do know, that with the time still remaining, God is inviting us to write the vision clearly upon the tablets so that one can read it readily.
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