December 4, 2005: Relaxing Your Jaw

+ THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Today’s Readings: Isa. 40: 1–5 and 9–11; Ps. 85; 2 Pet. 3: 8–14; Mk. 1: 1–8


At the end of the main news section of the Pantagraph, there’s a little feature called “Grab Bag.” Maybe you’ve seen it. It’s a short column with several one- or two-line snippets of oddball facts on all kinds of different subjects.

Not too long ago, the column had an item that caught my eye. It read: “Those who claim to know all about stress say that you can’t be keyed up if you relax your jaw.”

I didn’t know that — but it seems to make sense.

As a priest, I often get to deal with people with stressed-out jaws. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you the heavy burdens and problems our good people are carrying around. There are health issues, money issues, relationship issues, problems with children, problems with parents, legal issues… and I think one of the biggest categories is simply psychological problems — people who are depressed or emotionally raw, whatever the reason. Life is hard. It’s very stressful.

And if you could walk in a priest’s shoes for a few days and listen to the stories — your stories — it would break your heart.

So, some newspaper feature editor points out that you can’t be stressed if your jaw is relaxed. I wondered if there might be a spiritual counterpart to that little factoid.

I started to turn it over in my mind: you can’t be at peace if you are: worried sick about something… jealous of what other people have got that you don’t… angry and looking for payback… scared… trapped in sin or addiction… caught up in an abusive situation… All of these things set our “spiritual jaw” very tight and tense.

How do you go about fixing that problem?

In the gospel today, the opening lines from St. Mark, we meet John the Baptist out at the River Jordan. Look at him! Dressed in some itchy garment woven out of camel’s hair, cinched up with a leather belt. John isn’t a fashion plate by our standards or by the standards of his own time.

And his food! No pizza delivery for him. He fed on locusts and wild honey.

These details about his clothing and food are interesting because they show that John didn’t really care very much about how he looked or what he ate. His focus was on his mission.

He’s kind of like an absent-minded professor who goes around with mismatched outfits and eyeglasses with duct tape wrapped around the bridge, because that stuff doesn’t matter to him. He’s interested only in his work. Everything else seems to take care of itself.

Can you picture yourself living like that at all? Well, you should!

When I moved to the state of Maine in the mid-1970’s, I came from Washington, D.C. I was a lawyer who wore fancy shoes and elegant wool suits. I remember visiting the home of some friends who had dogs — fuzzy dogs — fuzzy dogs with long, white hair — fuzzy dogs with long, white hair that shed. Every time I sat down I would be forever picking off hairs and brushing myself off. Finally, Joan — who later became my godmother — said to me, “You know, Jeffrey, you’re going to have to choose between your fancy suits and just enjoying your life.” I happily dumped the Brooks Brothers clothing. I liked playing with the dogs better. You might say that my jaw started to relax. And look at me today! I dress in black and live next door with Maggie — a big fuzzy dog with long black and white fur that sheds like crazy. So please forgive me if you see hairs on me!

We are blessed in the Church to be in the midst of the sacred season of Advent. It’s easy to get jammed up with the pressures of Christmas — shopping that has to be done, papers or exams that have to be written, deadlines at work that have to be met, bonuses that may or may not come, spouses who may or may not be sober, a loved one who may or may not live through the holidays, bills that are coming due but we may or may not have the money to pay…

Wow. Some spiritual time.

What would John the Baptist do? He’d preach repentance and baptize.

Focused.

Do you want peace? Then you have to focus, too.

Advent, our wise Church promises us, is a time of joyful expectation and hopefulness. Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah is coming into the world to usher in a kingdom of profound peace. The wolf and the lamb will lie down together.

How do you tap into that peace — right now? Focus.

Trust in Jesus and His promises. Believe him when he says that he is watching over you and won’t let you fall into the pit. Give him your troubles and let him worry about them. You stay focused. Pray. How much should you pray? A lot more than you’re doing now. There’s a whole spiritual arsenal out there that can help you to relax your jaw if you’re willing to step out in faith.

Perhaps — just perhaps — this is a voice of one crying out in the desert.

Would you have been one of the ones who stopped to be baptized by John… or would you have kept on walking?

Dear children in the Lord, you’ve got to make the same decision today. Amen.