A Challenge To Choose A Better Path

Challenge to Choose Better Path
Based on the readings for Sunday July 22, 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 8th Sunday after Pentecost
Luke 10:38 42; Colossians 1:24 – 28; Romans 8. 12-17; Luke 16. 1-9;
A Reflection by Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus; www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry

As I was preparing to write this weeks reflection based on the readings for both the Novus Ordo and the Tridentine calendars I was struck by how they called us to address some of the major issues we have been reading and hearing about in the news this past week. The priestly pedophile settlement made by the Diocese of Los Angeles and the criticism of Cardinal Roger Mahoney, the separation of some parish communities from the Episcopal Church here in Massachusetts and other diocese around America, the continued discussions and criticism of Pope Benedict XVI's letter, issued "motu proprio," and the Vatican’s documents concerning "Summorum Pontificum," by various religious denominations; I had the feeling that just maybe Almighty God is asking all of us who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ to take a good hard look at ourselves and how we are being stewards ( care takers) for Almighty God. The gospel story for the Tridentine calendar is the story of the unjust steward and it reminds us of our duties, for we are the children of light, who must not be outdone by the cunning of the children pledged to the prince of darkness, and therefore we should be
Now He was also saying to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions. And he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.' The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. 'I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.' And he summoned each one of his master's debtors, and he began saying to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are shrewder in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. Luke 16. 1-9
The reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans clearly states that we should allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit, but we have to keep in mind that there are two spirits, the Holy Spirit which comes from God and that which is sent out by the minion of darkness.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry, Abba (Father). For the Spirit Himself gives testimony to our spirit, that we are the sons of God; and if sons, heirs also; heirs indeed of God, and joint heirs with Christ” Romans 8. 12-17
The readings from the New or Ordinary liturgy is from Luke and it tells of the visit of Christ to the home of Martha and Mary where Martha complains that Mary is not helping with the chores but is concentrating on Christ to which Christ replies: “Martha, Martha,’ he said ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her. Luke 10:38 42
All these readings got me to reflecting and asking God for some inspiration and I began to wonder why it is that all of us who claim to be followers of Christ have some much difficulty working together and spend so much time in confrontation and argument about who is right and what form of liturgy is the best, what prayers are correct, which of the churches founded by the Apostles is the true church and who is the supreme head of Christ’s church.
The last question the answer is easy, JESUS CHRIST!
Why do we have to be split asunder instead of gathering together as one flock under the one heavenly shepherd Jesus Christ?
For a thousand years each of the Patriarchs of the Churches founded by the Apostles including the church of Rome would gather together to discuss issues and come to a unanimous decision as to what was and was not to be considered dogma. Many of the issues that are dividing the church are issues that never received a unanimous agreement and caused the church to begin the slippery slope that has divided the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church. Colossians 1:24-28 reminds us of what and why we have been called to be servants of Christ and Almighty God. “I became the servant of the Church when God made me responsible for delivering God’s message to you, the message which was a mystery hidden for generations and centuries and has now been revealed to his saints. It was God’s purpose to reveal it to them and to show all the rich glory of this mystery to pagans. The mystery is Christ among you, your hope of glory: this is the Christ we proclaim, this is the wisdom in which we thoroughly train everyone and instruct everyone, to make them all perfect in Christ Colossians 1:24 - 28
I believe that the reason for all the dissentions we are faced with is because the one thing; the Prince of Darkness, Lucifer, fears most is that all the children of God will come together as one family and with one voice praising God and that would defeat him and his minions in their battle with God.
He has throughout history used every device in his arsenal to divide or destroy the followers of Christ and the Church He founded from the crucifixion of Jesus himself through the persecution of the early Christians by the Romans straight through the most recent martyrdom of those whose voices who have spoken out for brotherhood, justice love and peace like Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Matthew Sheppard, Brother Roger of Taize’ and so many others.
Satan has used every one of the Seven deadly sins (Luxuria (extravagance, later lust), Gula (gluttony), Avaritia (greed), Acedia (sloth), Ira (vengeance, more commonly known as anger), Invidia (envy), and Superbia (pride).has been employed in an attempt to destroy the Church and bring discord and division among those called to be it’s shepherds and we still see them being the cause of what is keeping Christians split asunder.
Twenty one centuries after Christ came to proclaim that His Father, Almighty God, was a God of mercy, compassion and most of all infinite love we find Christians who are more than happy to exclude children of God from giving God His due honor and praise and to partake of the gifts of the Sacraments and Eucharist because they do not fit their concept of what a child of God should be.
In the book on the life of Brother Roger of Taize’ A UNIVERSAL HEART I came across some interesting quotes from Popes John XXIII and Paul VI and Brother Roger himself concerning their views on reconciliation and the unification of the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church. Brother Roger said of the Second Vatican Council ““I was astonished to see how Christians - who nevertheless live from a God of love – use so much energy to justify their separations. So I said to myself that it was essential to create a community where people search to understand one another and to be reconciled with one another always, and through this, to render visible a little parable of communion.” History has marked the mental structures of the whole of Christianity so profoundly that the way for which John XXIII and the council hoped is not the way that was has imposed itself” and Pope Paul VI has stated “If things are going badly it is because we men who hold high responsibility in the church, crucify Christ over again so often”
Pope John Paul II while visiting Taixe’said the following; “Do not be content to criticize passively or to wait for persons or institutions to become better. Go towards the parishes, the student organizations, the different movements and communities, and patiently bring them the force of your youth and the talents you have received. Bring your trust and support to the ministers of the Church; they are your servants in the name of Jesus, and for that reason you need them. The Church needs your presence and your participation. If you remain within the Church, you will of course at times be upset by divisions, internal tensions and the sorry state of its members, but you will receive from Christ, who is the Head, his Word of Truth, his own Life, and the Breath of Love that will enable you to love him faithfully and to make your life a success by risking it in a joyful gift for others.”
The opening words of John XXIII in his encyclical AD PETRI CATHEDRAM “May the light of the Holy Spirit come upon Us from on high as We write this letter and upon you as you read it. May the grace of God move all men to attain these objectives, which all desire, even though prejudices, great difficulties, and many obstacles stand in the way of their achievement. All the evils which poison men and nations and trouble so many hearts have a single cause and a single source: ignorance of the truth—and at times even more than ignorance, contempt for truth and a reckless rejection of it. Thus arise all manner of errors, which enter the recesses of men's hearts and the bloodstream of human society as would a plague. These errors turn everything upside down: they menace individuals and society itself. And yet, God gave each of us an intellect capable of attaining natural truth. If we adhere to this truth, we adhere to God Himself, the author of truth, the lawgiver and ruler of our lives. But if we reject this truth, whether out of foolishness, neglect, or malice, we turn our backs on the highest good itself and on the very norm for right living. As We have said, it is possible for us to attain natural truth by virtue of our intellects. But all cannot do this easily; often their efforts will result in a mixture of truth and error. This is particularly the case in matters of religion and sound morals. Moreover, we cannot possibly attain those truths which exceed the capacity of nature and the grasp of reason, unless God enlightens and inspires us. This is why the word of God, "who dwells in light inaccessible," (2) in His great love took pity on man's plight, "became flesh and dwelt among us," (3) that He might "enlighten every man who cometh into the world" (4) and lead him not only to full and perfect truth, but to virtue and eternal happiness. All men, therefore, are bound to accept the teaching of the gospel. For if this is rejected, the very foundations of truth, goodness, and civilization are endangered. And further on John XXIII says “God created men as brothers, not foes. He gave them the earth to be cultivated by their toil and labor. Each and every man is to enjoy the fruits of the earth and receive from it his sustenance and the necessities of life. The various nations are simply communities of men, that is, of brothers. They are to work in brotherly cooperation for the common prosperity of human society, not simply for their own particular goals……. If this teaching, this consoling hope, were taken away from men, there would be no reason for living. Lusts, dissensions, and disputes would erupt from within us. There would be no reasonable check to restrain them. The olive branch of peace would not shine in our thoughts; the firebrands of war would blaze there. Our lot would be cast with beasts, which do not have the use of reason. Ours would be an even worse lot, for we do have the use of reason and by abusing it (which, unfortunately, often happens) we can sink into a state lower than that of beasts. Like Cain, we would commit a terrible crime and stain the earth with our brother's blood.”
Let us, as true believers and followers of Christ choose the better path and find our common bonds. Let us end the petty discords that have separated us as to which rite or what forms of praise and prayer we should use to give glory and praise to Almighty God. Let us stop trying to outflank one another and end the discussion of who is in charge; there is only one person in charge, GOD the supreme head of all. Let’s stop bickering over who is worthy of receiving the call to serve God as a priest, deacon or Bishop because of their gender or god given sexual orientation and begin to exhibit the love that Christ did for everyone who came to him and heard the truth he proclaimed.
Let us pray the words “Ubi caritas, Deus ibi est” “Where love is, there is God, there He is visible” Let us show God’s infinite love to every person we meet especially those who disagree with us or would have us as enemies. AMEN