Forgetting who we are

"If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill me." Jn 8:41

Each day as we near Holy Week, the confrontations between Jesus and the Pharisees become sharper and harsher. Today Jesus accuses the Pharisees of not really being sons of Abraham because they do not do the works of Abraham. An onlooker from the 21st century wants to step between both parties and remind them that their arguments are producing more heat than light, but Jesus cannot stop.

The Pharisees have become interested only in defending themselves and their world view. No matter how Jesus approaches them, they resist his message. In fact, Jesus is simply saying that we know who we are and what we believe by how we live. If an olive tree does not produce olives for a number of years, it might look like an olive tree, but must be cut down to make way for a new tree.

While most of us would agree that healthy compromise between feuding parties is the best path to peace, compromise that ignores or demeans the poor among us can never be a gospel path. In New York recently we read about a settlement between the owners of the NY Mets baseball team and the trustee of the Bernard Madoff bankruptcy case. Mets fans might be happy but there was almost nothing written about small investors who lost their entire life's savings. When spectacular stories about the rich and famous distract us from the cry of the poor, we risk Jesus' wrath.

Today, ask the Lord to clear your mind and strengthen your soul to stand with the poor.

How do you react to injustice?