In my homily a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I had been reading a book by a philosophy professor who was attempting to make an argument in favor of the sacredness of human life, but without appealing to the beliefs of organized religion. One of the many interesting references in the book was a French Jesuit, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, who, in the early twentieth century, proposed that the physical universe’s process of evolution was intended by God to lead to the emergence of our species and, eventually, to the unity of all things with Christ.  

This priest’s theory about the universe is somewhat abstruse, but it is also very idealistic. In his opinion, the whole universe has always been moving toward greater knowledge of God. This is a very inspiring thought, but it is not supported by all the available evidence; a brief look at current events reveals worsening violence and injustice throughout the world. 

Perhaps, the most convincing argument against evolution as an ineluctable advancement toward God is the fact that the future is entirely unpredictable; this is true simply because the future doesn’t exist. The only really existing thing is the present, and events in the present might be interpreted to indicate that our species is de-evolving. To outward appearances at least, societies around the world seem to be regressing away from democracy and toward feudalism. 

While I admire both Teilhard de Chardin’s thought and scientific work, the kind of idealism he espoused is difficult to maintain and might even lead to disillusionment and resentment. If the universe is, in fact, always making progress toward God, it is doing so in fits and starts, and not by a direct path. If this was not the case, we would not need periodic calls to repentance and reform such as we hear from John the Baptist in today’s Gospel reading. 

The Gospel says that John the Baptist lived in the wilderness, east of Jerusalem, on the banks of the Jordan river. (Mk 1:4) Not only did he live in a wild place, but his lifestyle was also rather wild. He ate wild food and dressed in animal skins. (Mk 1:6)  

The Gospel paints a rather strange picture of John, but John’s ministry of preaching was by no means an unusual activity. Throughout the history of Israel, prophets preached repentance; this phenomenon continued after Jesus’ death and ended only with the Roman Empire’s expulsion of Jews from Palestine. John’s behavior and message were not radically different from the behavior and preaching of any of those religious reformers. Repentance and reform were central to Jesus’ preaching, as well. 

The repeated attempts at religious reform in Judaism and in our religion are sufficient testimony to the fact that the progress of our species is, at best, erratic and filled with false starts. I would love to be perpetually optimistic about life in this world, but I see too much evidence that mitigates against optimism. Please understand, I am not recommending pessimism, or fatalism, or anything of the sort. Rather, I am saying that we have to look for a perspective on human existence that is both faithful and realistic.  

Naïve optimism too easily degenerates into fantasy or disappointment; all the social ills we love to complain about are the result of the foolhardiness of expecting uninterrupted good from the universe. 

You’ve probably heard the aphorism that “Those who fail to learn history’s lessons are doomed to repeat them.” Certainly, this seems to be true. The Scriptures, however, offer a slightly different perspective on human existence. The Scriptures say that those who fail to learn Jesus’ lessons of repentance and reform are doomed never to accomplish them. 

There are many possible responses to both the good and the evil in the world. Some of the more popular responses are, at best, counter-productive. The Scriptures counsel us to be honest with ourselves and realistic about our expectations of the world. For those who have the courage to do so, the world appears in need of healing and reconciling. If the world is going to advance toward God, then individuals must first make the conscious choice to do so, and that choice is called repentance. 

God is, in fact, coming into the world, just as Isaiah prophesied. God comes into the world each day. We can make greater room for God in the world by first making greater room in our hearts through repentance from selfishness and injustice. It is sad but true, I think, that those who fail to learn the lessons of repentance and reform are doomed never to accomplish them.