Fifth Sunday of Lent (Philippians 3:8-14) “Drop the Rocks”
Fifth Sunday of Lent (Philippians 3:8-14) “Drop the Rocks”
One of the worst insults we can hurl at another person in the 21st Century is to say that they’re judgmental. In contrast, one of the nicest things we can say about someone is that they accept everyone.
In the gospel stories, Jesus is pretty tolerant of the sinners he encounters. We can think of the story of the woman caught in adultery in the Gospel of John. The closing line of that gospel resonates in our consciousness, “Let the one who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” A modern equivalent of that saying would be, “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” Another saying is, “We are not born ugly. We are just born into a judgmental society.” Still another is, “When we judge others, we don’t define them, we say something about ourselves.”
A Theology professor I once had, said something that I never will forget, which was, that when we evaluate others harshly, even if they have qualities that are less than admirable, we need to reflect on what we are saying. Perhaps the attributes that we are most critical of are the same things that we don’t like about ourselves. I have found that this is often true. When it is, I am embarrassed.
Jesus encounters several blind persons in the Gospels who he subsequently cures. Usually, he is criticized for helping sightless beggars. Some say he should not do it on the Sabbath. When it is not on the Sabbath, his critics say that he has performed the healing through sorcery or trickery. Jesus is also panned for saying that the persons he cures are forgiven of their sins. The gospel stories about the blind gaining sight are often ended with an ironic twist. The paradox is that the blind person sees who Jesus is while those with sight remain blind to who Jesus is because of the hardness of their hearts.
We are left with a gospel teaching which says that all judging isn’t bad. We do need to judge. We need to always be taking a critical look at ourselves. St. Paul says in his letter to the Philippians today “we need to be exerting ourselves so we may be better Christians.” The obvious fact is that few of us want to look honestly at ourselves. The truth is that until we admit what we have done wrong, we won’t have a conversion experience. St. Ignatius Loyola thought self-examination was very important. So central that it is one of the main aspects of his spiritual exercises. Jesuits are to review each day trying to understand where God’s grace is at work, but also to see where they have fallen into sin. This prayer exercise is most difficult, but it is most necessary if we are truly going to know ourselves and our need for the healing Jesus offers.
We could reflect on this considering the huge controversy that we heard about all this week. The incident happened at the Oscar ceremonies. A comedian made a disparaging remark about an actor’s wife. The actor walked up on stage. He slapped the comedian across the face. He also cursed at him in front of a national audience.
Now this incident has been analyzed all week. Apologies have been issued. Disciplinary action has been taken. Some people have said that it was understandable for the actor in question to defend his wife. Others have been critical of both men saying violence is never the answer. Obviously, it hit a nerve with all of us. Nobody liked what happened. Judgements are being thrown around, but could this incident be looked at considering our own lives? Again, if I don’t like something in someone else is it because I have that tendency myself?
Do I glorify violence? Do I question it in any other contexts? On any given night there are four or five violent acts per hour on television. Gory murders are portrayed. Dozens of people get shot. Am I offended by this? Someone once said that there are 20 violent acts per hour during children’s cartoons on Saturday morning. We also have games that we play on our computers that have graphic violence.
Do we catch ourselves yelling for our favorite athlete to break someone’s leg? As we watch footage of the war in Ukraine, we might rejoice when a Russian tank gets blown apart by a drone. The images are grainy. Everything is at a distance, but there are people in those vehicles who are dying. Violence can become acceptable when the victims are our enemies.
We are challenged again by our scriptures to take an honest look at our lives. Where is the sin? Are we blind to it? Perhaps we need to throw down the stones we are ready to hurl. Maybe we need to try to see as Jesus sees.
Reflection Questions:
- Is there someone I don’t care for? What qualities in them do I object to?
- Do I have some of those qualities? What might that tell me?
Dear Parishioners,
The main charity that comes to the aid of those in most need in the Catholic Church is called Caritas. Caritas is an international organization of 160 groups that responds to ongoing crises throughout the world. The belief is that if these groups work together there will be more resources that can be brough to bear in an emergency.
Caritas is on the front lines in Ukraine and surrounding countries right now. When we listen to the news and refugees are being discussed, quite often we will hear Caritas being mentioned. Catholic Relief Services is one of the organizations that funds and staffs Caritas. The Rice Bowl donations go directly to Catholic Relief Services. When we put money in the Rice Bowl a lot of it will end up helping Ukrainians with humanitarian aid.
Another option we have is to donate online. We can go to the Caritas WEB page and there is a tab to donate to Ukraine on the first home page. I would encourage people to Google Caritas to find out more.
On Thursday of Holy Week, we will be gathering up the Rice Bowl donations. It would be wonderful to turn in a substantial gift this year. We will accept Rice Bowl donations after Holy Week, but please try to get them in around Easter so we can send the funds as soon as possible.
May Our Lady of Peace intercede in our violent world.
Fr. Mark