Second Sunday in Ordinary Time • Year A

Everyone has a favorite detective, a sleuth regarded as the most brilliant and daring and dogged. People defend their favorites with great passion, in arguments to rival the most animated discussions about less important things like presidential contests and sports rivalries. Even now, if I were to mention my choice for the greatest detective, at least one parishioner, and probably several, would stop on the way out of church to debate me.

To avoid that, I will restrict myself to the claim that one of the greatest is undoubtedly Lieutenant Columbo. The success of the television show over several decades is evidence that many rank him high in their pantheon of crime solvers. One reason for his lasting appeal is his lack of sophistication. He is very polite, but unpolished. Unlike Hercule Poirot, who wears tailor-made clothes, Columbo goes everywhere in a rumpled raincoat. Unlike Inspector Morse, who drives a Jaguar Mark 2, Columbo drives a battered 1959 Peugeot Cabriolet. Unlike Nero Wolfe, who employs a personal chef and has a taste for shad roe, Columbo prefers chili with crackers. Unlike Jane Marple, who is organized and tidy, Columbo spreads cigar ash wherever he goes and is always checking his pockets for a misplaced note or crucial piece of evidence.

But beneath that artless exterior lies a truly creative mind. Criminals think they are more than a match for this bumbling, distracted cop. They make mistakes, let down their guard, and don’t ask for a lawyer. Yet, when they think the questions are over, when they are convinced they have fooled him, when they smile as he is headed out the door, he turns around, hand to his head as if a sudden thought had just struck him, and says, “Just one more thing…” Of course, it’s an act: the question didn’t suddenly occur to him – it’s been his goal from the start. He was waiting for the right moment.

God often operates this way. Like Columbo, He is dealing with people who have broken the law. Like Columbo, He is dealing with people who want to minimize their responsibility. Like Columbo, He says, “One more thing.”

The Lord calls the prophet Isaiah in the womb and gives him his name. The Holy Spirit anoints Isaiah’s lips with fire, making him a prophet to the children of Jacob during a tumultuous time of civil conflict and foreign invasion. Isaiah’s task is clear: Call the leaders and people of Israel back to the covenant. “Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow. Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool” (Isa 1:17- 18). And Isaiah spends decades at the thankless task of calling Israel to return to the Lord.

Then God says to Isaiah, “One more thing. It is too little for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel. I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” God tells Isaiah that all along He has been planning something more for the prophet, that one day Isaiah’s words will be heard far beyond the borders of Israel. We are the fulfillment of that prophecy. We hear his words – we, who live in a land Isaiah never knew existed, at a time in history he could never have imagined.

When God says to Isaiah, “Just one more thing,” he is talking about us.

Then comes John the Baptist. Like Isaiah, he receives a commission from the Holy Spirit. Like Isaiah, John calls Israel to be faithful to the covenant, to repent her sins, act with justice, and do good works. Then John springs the surprise: “Just one more thing. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. There he walks, the Son of God, the one who will take your sins upon himself. There is God’s eternal plan revealed to our ancestors and now made flesh and blood for us.”

When John the Baptist points to Jesus and says, “Just one more thing,” he is talking to us.

Then comes Paul. He tells a hostile crowd in Jerusalem, “I was not merely a Jew, but an outstanding Jew. I was educated strictly in our ancestral law and was zealous for God. I persecuted the new Way, capturing disciples of the Nazarene and sending them to prison. But then Jesus Christ took hold of all that zeal and education and said, “Yes, Paul, you are right. God is one. In Him we live and move and have our being. He creates the world, He creates Israel and calls her to holiness. He is full of mercy and compassion. Now, just one more thing: Be my apostle.”

This is what it is to be a disciples. When we fool ourselves into thinking we are doing quite well, that we have really improved, Jesus says, “Wonderful! Just one more thing.”

To the rich man who has always honored his parents and been honest in his business dealings, Christ says, “Just one more thing. Sell what you have and give it to the poor and come follow me.”

To the faithful spouse, Christ says, “One more thing: Adultery happens in the heart before it happens in the body. Have nothing to do with thoughts of infidelity, with pornography and sinful conversations.”

To all of us who love our friends and hate our enemies, Christ says, “One more thing: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” T

o each of us, chosen by God before the world began and set apart to be disciples, Christ says:

“Have you visited the sick this week? Have you shown care for the poor? Have you offered forgiveness to your husband or wife? Good. Now, just one more thing.”

“Have you read the Scriptures, counseled the lost, and defended the faith? Bravo. Just one more thing.” “Have you kept your bodies, hearts, and minds chaste? Have you responded to anger with patience? Have you held back a hurtful word, and given forth a word of encouragement? Did you say something to foster a vocation? Have you gone to confession? Well done, good and faithful servant!”

“Now…”