Today’s Thoughts: Jesus says in the Gospel (John 8:12-20) today, “You judge by appearances….” Often our judgments of people are just based on appearances. It is either the color of their skin, their ethnic background, the language they are speaking, the clothing they are wearing, the god they believe in, the part of the world they come from that we use to decide who people are. We have not bothered to stop and talk with them or listen to their story or understand what they believe and value. We just judge them, we put them into a box from which they will never escape.
Jesus seems always to be judged by appearance by the religious leaders of his time. He cannot escape the box they have placed him in no matter what he does and says or how hard he tries. The problem is when people are judged in this way, those who do the judging lose. The religious leaders lose because they missed the presence of God in their life. God was standing in their midst and they didn’t see God. God can be standing in our midst, perhaps not as dramatically as Jesus, but God is still presence in others and if we judge them by only appearance we lose. Susanna (Daniel 13: 1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62) was judged unfairly and what we learn from her story is that unfair judgments always catch up with those who do the judging. The truth always finds its way to the surface. It can be a difficult process and at times we need people like Daniel to point out the flaws in our judgment but truth will always win even though it may take time, sometimes a life time. As we go about our day let us not judge by appearance. Let us look for the truth, look for the presence of God in all we meet. Let us be guided by the Light of the world. Have a great Monday everyone!
0 Comments
Today’s Thoughts: “Before all else, the Gospel invites us to respond to the God of love who saves us, to see God in others and to go forth from ourselves to seek the good of others.” (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel)
Pope Francis’ words today focus on life just as Jesus did in the Gospel. Jesus was always about life and his action brought about the joy and glory of God. Pope Francis calls us to imitate Jesus, because he is about life and the joy and glory of God, we must be too! For me there are a number of interesting things about our Gospel (John 11: 1-45) story today. Obviously, the raising of Lazarus from the dead sits center stage. But we also see Jesus as human and divine. He cries, he weeps for his friend and he performs a miracle, he raises his friend Lazarus from the dead. Another interesting point in our story is the growth of Martha. Earlier in John’s Gospel, Martha was complaining about her sister’s lack of work. Yet, today she is the first out to meet Jesus and she believes not only in miracles but also in Jesus as the Christ and the gift of everlasting life. Yes, there are many things that we can take always from the scripture today. Perhaps the most important is faith, faith in our relationship with God and faith in what lies beyond this life. Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37: 12-14) reminds the community of this gift and St. Paul in his Letter to the Romans (Romans 8: 8-11) does the same. Pope Francis often has asked us to look at things differently by his words and actions. His picking of the name Francis reflects a different way of thinking about, seeing and living life. His humility and care for others reflects a different way of thinking about, seeing and living life. His putting of people first, his care for the poor, his desire for peace reflects a different way of think about, seeing and living life. Our challenge as people of faith is to always see and live life through the lens of faith. We are to think of life not death. We are to see the others first rather than just ourselves. We are to live compassionate lives of justice and peace. If we believe we will have eternal life! Happy Sunday everyone and don’t forget to give God and little time today and always! Today’s Thoughts: In our scriptures today (Jeremiah 11: 18-20 and John 7: 40-53) we are reminded that Jesus really never had a chance with the religious leadership of his time. Prophets, like Jeremiah, never fared well no matter where they came from but the thought that Jesus came from Galilee sealed the deal. The religious leadership had made their judgment and nothing was going to change it, not even one of their own, Nicodemus calling for justice.
Jesus throughout his ministry cautioned about making judgments. He healed, taught, forgave, showed compassion and asked us to love even our enemies. His parables always reflected ways to live and not to live. They always reflected a relationship with God so that people could understand the presence of God in their lives. He showed compassion to all and forgave sinners. All of this was too much for the religious leadership of his time. Jesus' way did not fit into their view of the world, their way of living in the world. They were prejudice in the case of place, they didn't like Galilee but at other times their prejudice took on different forms. The prejudices that we allow to make a home in us can often be the very thoughts and actions that judge us! Jesus and Jeremiah became the trusting lambs led to the slaughter. They never had a chance because their message was of God not the world. Their actions, their teachings, their lives give us examples of how to trust and hope in God's love. They help us to look at life through the eyes of faith not the eyes of prejudice. As we enter this day let us be aware of how we often we judge people without listening to their story, without knowing who they really are. Let us trust in the presence of God that every person can bring to us. Let us be people of justice, truth, compassion and love. Let us be open to finding God's presence, God's goodness everywhere. Have a blessed Saturday everyone! |
Fr. Paul R. Fagan, C.P. "Preacher on the Run"Just a few thoughts to help you on your journey through life...let me know from time to time what you think... Archives
April 2024
Categories |