Often times we want and desire a Jesus who will tell us, “Don’t worry everything is ok, your fine, I love you, kumbaya and all that sort of thing. Nothing wrong with that type of Jesus, for Jesus is merciful, loving, and unbelievably patient and forgiving. But there is also another side of Jesus, the just Lord, one who demands much, one who demands perfection. Today’s readings show us a Jesus that hates sin and wants us to fight it with every ounce of energy we have. Jesus demands the best of us.
In the 1st reading from Ezekiel the Lord proclaims through him that the man of vice is moving towards death, not just physical death, but death towards separation from God. The second reading from St. Paul to the Romans reminds us that love moves us toward life, again not just living physically but moving towards eternal life. Love helps us to fulfill the law for the right reasons. And finally in the Gospel Jesus demands that we hold each other accountable for sinful acts, i.e. go to your brother and sister and offer fraternal correction, if they refuse take a couple of people, if they refuse take the Church, if they continue to refuse, well then – time to show some tough love.
One would think that Jesus is asking us to shun people. He is not. He does not want us, however, to act like everything is ok or that we remain silent when someone is in serious error, if not grave sin. I will give you a personal example. After my conversion in 1995 I could no longer in good conscience hang out in bars. And yet I still went, I was still hanging on to the old wine though I had a new wineskin (no pun intended) Don’t get me wrong, there are reputable establishments with reputable customers, be they bars, restaurants, or anything else, but as we know, nothing good happens after midnight. It took another Christian friend to offer me fraternal correction. He said to me, “John, God has entered your life in a profound way; you are a child of light and have no place there anymore.” I thought about that, because it hit me hard – his words. As I thought about it he was right. Inside those bars people were getting drunk, drowning their sorrows, constant cursing and unsavory talk. This is reality and people don’t want to hear it just as I did not want to hear it. I could no longer frequent these places. Everything that God was calling me to, i.e. disposition of faith, lifestyle, demeanor, conduct was contrary to what was happening there. So, I had to leave.
Again I am not an advocate for not having fun or telling people they can never have a drink, I am talking about over indulgence, inappropriate behavior, and downright sinfulness. What do you think happens in a bar at 1:30 in the morning after people have had numerous drinks? Well, they are not reading Scripture, praying the Rosary, or discussing matters of faith, unless things have drastically changed since 1995, though I doubt it.
Jesus challenges us to be perfect. When Scripture states that Jesus said, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect,” he meant it. Some will dumb down or loosen the meaning of that passage. I say they are preaching something false in order to justify their own sinfulness or at least avoid dealing with their own behaviors. What teacher says to their students, “We are all aiming for “B”s this semester, or what coach says, “I want us to finish 2nd.” Or what parent says of their child, “I want him to be half good.” NONE! No different than God. My personal example is just one example. There are many circumstances in which people find themselves trapped in some serious sin\s. Often times they don’t even realize it since they justified it a long time ago.
Here is a good rule of thumb. If what I am doing, would I be comfortable that Jesus was their sharing in it with me or would I be embarrassed. If I smoke cigarettes would Jesus sit with me and light one up? If I do drugs would Jesus be there with me sharing my drugs? If I plan to have premarital sex would Jesus be that friend that encourages me to do so? If I am in the bar at 1:30 in the morning is Jesus sitting next to me ordering up the next round on him? If I am stealing money is Jesus telling me how? If I leave my spouse because I want to be 18 again is Jesus telling me, “Yes be young, recapture your youth, its fine, kumbaya?” I am being sarcastic, but for a purpose. Somehow I do not think Jesus would partake in any of it. And if he can’t then neither should I.
To remind you all, I too am a sinner and struggle in life. I fall just like everyone else, but the first rule to Christianity is honesty, without it we sink. I can justify my behaviors, but I can’t make Jesus justify them and that is what helps us to achieve perfection. Jesus does not say do evil in moderation, rather he teaches us to avoid all sin and to do so all the time. Why? Because he is the coach that says, “We will win the championship;” he is the teacher that says, “You will all get ‘A’”s; he is the parent that says, “You will be good not just half the time, but all the time.” Any other Jesus is a false Jesus and the real Jesus never settles for 2nd place, have we?
Fr. John
No comments:
Post a Comment