“Unplanned” is the true story of Abby Johnson. The movie begins with Abby attending Texas A&M University and volunteers her time working for Planned Parenthood. This is even though she was raised in a strong Pro-Life household. Over time Abby works her way up the ranks of Planned Parenthood to the point of being the director of a PP clinic. All the while she has to explain to her family and her husband why she chose this career path. She eventually convinces herself that she is doing good work for women. Her heart is closing to her actions. Evil became good and good became evil. All this changes one day when she assists with an ultrasound guided abortion and she actually sees the death of the baby in the uterus. It all comes crashing down for her and she sees the truth of what she has been doing. She asks for forgiveness and goes on to be one of the leading spokespersons for the Pro-Life movement. Her faith eventually won out. She began listening again to the voice of the Spirit in her life. And her faith prompted action. A renewed relationship, a new righteousness, with God.
Paul focuses on this question of faith and action in today’s reading from Romans. This question of faith versus works has been a debate for centuries between Protestants, who claim faith alone for salvation, and Catholics who profess faith and works. Paul uses Abraham to demonstrate God’s gift of righteousness based primarily on faith. We know that Abraham’s relationship with God is not based on his following of the Law of Moses since the Law contained in the Torah did not come into existence for centuries after Abraham. It was Abraham’s faith that God would honor the covenant that the Lord would make Abraham the Father of many nations.
But was it merely faith alone? We also see the fruits of Abraham’s ACTIONS as an outgrowth of his faith. When God tells him to leave his home and family to travel to an unknown land he responds with action. He trusts in God’s word enough to follow through. And when God asks him to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac, Abraham does not hesitate. His decisions in both cases were not based on him being ordered and bound by some law written on paper or on stone. It was his faith, his belief, in the word of God that dictated his action.
Faith is steadfast as a tree is steadfast and the fruit of that faith is seen in what the tree produces. But the fruit is not always good every growing season. Despite the health of the tree, at times the fruit spoils. At at times, despite our faith, we fall into sin. We come up short in our relationship with God. But as long as the tree, our faith, is still strong forgiveness and mercy given to us by Christ’s death and resurrection take hold. And as Jesus tells us in the Gospel from Luke, He will never deny us as long as we acknowledge Him. It doesn’t matter if we have a bad growing season. If we error in our judgement. As long as the tree of faith remains strong, God’s love and mercy are freely given.
Unless we commit the sin that is not forgivable. Jesus tells us that blaspheming against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. What? There is a sin that cannot be forgiven? What does it mean to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit? It is not a one time action. It is not like you wake up one day and decide you will go from a life of solid faith in God to suddenly denying the Holy Spirit. It is a process over time where a person gradually stops listening to God in the form of His spirit within. It is when a person sees evil as good and good as evil. When he no longer has hope in the saving power of God and the Spirit. And this process finalizes at the time of death. An unrepentant sinner who does not believe there is someone to turn to. Abby Johnson was on that road to denial but her faith, her relationship with God, eventually turned her back with a heart open to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
I have had a rough last couple weeks. I began coughing about three weeks ago and it gradually worsened over the course of a few days. My worst fears were realized when I tested positive for COVID a little over two weeks ago. Now I can certainly say that I have been waiting for this to happen. I have always said that it was not IF I was going to come down with it but, rather, WHEN I would get the virus. I guess you could say that I was mentally prepared for it.
Once I started developing a respiratory component, a shortness of breath, I knew it was time to seek some assistance. Now over the last few weeks my wife and I, especially my wife, have been doing our homework as to what recourses we would have in case one of us were afflicted. So when I went to the Emergency Room for evaluation and a treatment plan I can honestly say that I was not overly anxious. The conversation I had with the attending physician was in line with what I felt needed to be done. And though I still have a bit of weakness I can say that the decisions we made helped to keep the symptoms relatively mild.
In the end, I had faith in the course of action and the outcome. This faith led to actions grounded in my beliefs. So, as Paul tells us in the book of Romans, and what Christ preaches today in Luke, faith is the basis of how we live our lives. It is what grounds us and keeps us calm in the face of life’s struggles and challenges. It is recognizing that faith in the resurrection makes all the difference in the world in terms of how we live our lives and the actions that we take. And, in the end, guided by the Spirit, we are headed along that narrow road that leads to salvation. Faith, and the fruits of action from that faith, are the guideposts that will get us there.
