Perfectionism

 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free." Lk 4:18

Like most Catholics born in the middle of the last century, I was schooled to believe that the best way to live a devout life was to get to mass as frequently as possible, and to confession every week. These religious practices, good in themselves, often led people of my generation to worry about trivial matters in a way that was out of proportion to the faults themselves. Worse, we often struggled every day to be better, not so much to honor God, but to "earn" our salvation. Unfortunately, while we became good practicing Catholics, our call to discipleship often got lost in the shadows of our compulsions. When the focus of the spiritual life becomes our personal holiness, union with God often takes a back seat.

Today's gospel reminds us that Jesus had a different perspective. God is not someone hovering over us, counting our sins, but a healer who wants to lay hands of hope on the blind and draw ever closer to the oppressed. When we accept the help of the divine physician everything changes. Facing our weakness and acknowledging our poverty allows us not to obsess about our faults like we once did, but to celebrate God's tender mercy. More important, admitting our sins each day reminds us to be humble and non judgmental, and to look at every person with God's compassionate eyes.

Today, accept your need for God and glory in God's desire to be with you in your poverty.

Do you obsess about being perfect? What has this to do with the Gospel?

Trafficked Children

"I say to myself, I will not mention him (God), I will speak in his name no more. But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it." Jer 20:9

Prophets like Jeremiah remind all of us of our obligation to be prophets, to speak the truth of the Gospel despite our failures and faults. The Good News need to be proclaimed, not just in work but in our lives.

How grateful I am to know so many women and men who continue to work for and agitate for refugees, climate change and the voiceless around the world. A friar in Tanzania who I admire, every year asks our mission office for funds to continue to work with trafficked children and their families. Desperate for some relief from the staggering poverty they experience, some parents sell their daughters into sexual slavery and when those who use and abuse their children no longer find these boys ad girls desirable, they send them home broken and lost. 

Today pray for children who are trafficked.

What injustice continues to anger you as God's prophet?

Get your Hands Dirty

 "We urge you, brothers and sisters, to progress even more, and to aspire to live a tranquil life, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you." 1 Thess 4: 10-11

Paul's insistence that the Thessalonians work with their own hands would have been a great challenge to the Greeks. In societies that countenanced slavery, only slaves worked with their hands. The work of the mind for Greeks and the study of Torah for Jews were viewed as much more important than anything one could do with one's hands, but Paul cannot forget the story of Jesus kneeling to wash the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper. Washing feet was the work of slaves! If Jesus took the role of a slave, no matter how much Peter resisted the gesture, then Christians had to reimagine what it meant to be faithful to Jesus and his Good News.

John Paul II wrote extensively about work in his encyclical Laborem Exercens, but the Pope's letter was merely a bringing together of one of he great themes of his pontificate. In homily after homily, he wrote powerfully about work. "Work is good for us. Through work we not only transform nature, adapting it to our needs, but we also achieve fulfillment as human beings and indeed in a sense become more human."(Monterey, California, September 1987) 

Popes and other world leaders write so extensively about the dignity of work and workers because in too many places, even in the United States, working with one's hands is seen as something for poor people to do and workers are too often underpaid and under appreciated. Jesus embraced the role of the slave and all the work slaves did. So must we.

Today, get your hands dirty.

Whose work most influenced your understanding of the dignity of work and the power of the Gospel?

Be Prepared to Welcome Christ

 "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out." Mt 25:8

The unprepared virgins whose oil has run out are labelled foolish, a word that can be confusing in the New Testament. Paul wants to be seen as a fool for Christ and encourages his companions to be the same. Anxious to be dismissed for the sake of the Gospel, Paul stands out among his contemporaries as a man willing to be ridiculed for the right reason.

The virgins in the Gospel, however, are not seeking attention but only hoping to avoid embarrassment and shame. They knew that bridegrooms, feted and praised in the week before their weddings, would linger long into the night at parties in their honor. Their foolishness was not a sign of their fidelity to a cause or person, but a sign of laziness or sloth. They could have prepared themselves for a long night, but did not, and now risk the harsh judgement of their peers.

Each day we are faced with the challenge of discerning how best to announce the Good News. Some days our silence and willingness to listen to others' complaints or problems is a Gospel stance. At other times, we need to search for a way to express our upset, confusion and anger at the lack of justice too many face when they have little money or power in the society. Speaking up on behalf of the poor can be a prophetic action on our part, especially when others are disparaging the poor as lazy or indolent. Authentic Christians know that to be a fool for the sake of the Gospel is a gift.

Today, be foolish in your love for God.

What most frightens you about being considered a fool for Christ?