My grandson turned three Saturday. I watch him learn about Jesus
and how to say his prayers. He loves to dip in fingers in the fount and make the
sign of the cross. I am so proud of him and his parents for their faith.
I love that little boy. I love my children, both my daughters, son-in-law
and future son-in-law. God blessed me with a beautiful wife that I love so
much. I love my parents, my mother- in-law, my brothers, brother-in-law, and
all my extended family. I thank God for such a wonderful family.
God has given me another family, all of you. I am blessed. I love
my church family. Every week, I try to write a reflection or preach a homily
that expresses Christ’s love.
This week these are the words of the Gospel: “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife
and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my
disciple.”
How am I supposed to understand such a hard thing? It takes a lot of praying.
During my praying and reflection, I realized some things.
First, I’m not a theologian. Another is that in a perfect world,
those words would go away. They make me, the weak Christian disciple,
uncomfortable. But, comfort was not why Jesus came. That’s why he
said those words.
I realized both love and hate are forms of passion. They are the
opposite ends of the spectrum, but both are passion. The absence of passions of
love or hate is indifference not caring at all.
Love is the passion for everything that you consider good and
beautiful. Hate is the passion for the things you do not consider good and
beautiful.
The sin in most of us is that good and beautiful is found in
ourselves, our thoughts and beliefs. We love what we consider to be like us and
hate what we consider not like us. And in these “We love to hate!”
Look around us. Conservative, progressive, and liberal politicians
are at each other’s throat. If a representative of one says something, the
others attack with hate. They attack with passion detesting everything the
other represents.
During a psychological evaluation in Deacon Formation, you’re
asked your thoughts on repulsive situations. I asked, “Who could find those
outrages acceptable?” The answer, “For some there is no wrong in
these situations. They would boast of them.”
I want to make this clear, I am not saying that conservative,
progressives, and liberals are all wrong, but what is their passion? Wisdom
tells us, “the corruptible body burdens
the soul.”
That is why we are to look deeper when Jesus said
hate. What is within our grasp we find with difficulty….”
Think of the parable. What kind of builder starts to build a tower
without a good foundation and supplies to finish the work? What kind
of leader goes to battle without making sure his forces are strong enough?
Jesus’ teachings are culture changing. He was against the status
quo. He was against what were the normal expectations of the world. Jesus calls
his disciples to a passion against the worldly thinking represented by father, mother, spouse and children, brothers and sisters, and even
his own life.
Jesus is calling those who follow him to be more. He asks his
disciples to have a strong foundation and the stamina to battle against those
who will oppose them.
Jesus' disciples are to be a tower standing true and tall for
others to see like their family, community, and all of society. The disciples
are to be an example and have the strength and stamina to denounce self and
proclaim Christ. To be an example so the paths
of those on earth can be made straight.
St. Paul is a true disciple of Christ. He writes as true
disciples, we change. This was his message to Philimon and Onesimus. St. Paul
tells them to have passion for what is of Christ not the norms of the culture
and society of the times.
What are the norms of our times: hate speech, prejudice, bigotry,
attacking the dignity of others, and even violence. Jesus is none of these
things. These deny the image of God in other human beings. Do not fall to these
passions!
One of my favorite verses is from the first letter to the
Corinthians: The kingdom of God depends
not on talk but on power.
Jesus asks us to have a passion against worldly things. To have
passion for all that is good and all that is good is Jesus. This passion is not
found in talk, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.
This Sunday, Mother Teresa is recognized by the Church as a saint.
Once, Mother was asked, “How did she continue?
In my words, she was
asked: How did she remain a disciple; how did she stand tall; how did she have
the strength and stamina to denounce self and proclaim Christ?
She answered “Just Pray.”
I am not a theologian but I like that answer. I am a disciple. I
try to be the tower but I often fail. It is by Christ Jesus, my redeemer, that
in spite of my weaknesses I have strength.
Then, it came to me. I have so many people I love so much because I
love him so much.
Yall be good, yall be holy and preach the gospel by the way you
live and love. Amen.
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