This Gospel made me think of the rise of the Cancel Culture where groups engage in mass cancelings of public figures as a way of expressing disapproval. I was curious what might have triggered this strong response.
The character Archie Bunker was actually much, much worse than I remembered! Archie is racist, sexist, prejudice and demeaning to every protected group you could think of. To make things worse, he often quoted wacky interpretations of the Bible to defend these prejudices. Unfortunately, Archie Bunker is like many real people, and modern exit interviews of young adults and teens who leave the Church, often cite bad experiences with these same prejudices.
I do think that the character Archie was portrayed by the screenwriters as a kind of villain, whom the other characters tried to oppose, but I would have no difficulty showing that each one of these dialogues portrays behavior which is condemned as extremely sinful in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Fast forward to today: We are told that everyone needs be inclusive and must try not to offend anyone with our ideas.
Once we have received God’s initial forgiveness, and obviously continued to walk in this forgiveness repeatedly, he does not leave us to be the same as we were in the beginning.
God calls us to personal holiness. The call to holiness may be a slow process and often involves many times of receiving his forgiveness. Jesus has not come, however, to create a “judgment free zone” which places no demands on changing who we are in Christ.
Let us not forget that each Sunday we confess, “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is not afraid to speak the truth even if it results in his rejection. He refuses to perform a miracle in Nazareth. He purposely angers the crowd with his words. Jesus points out that many times in the history of Israel, prophets experienced rejection for their message. Jesus tells them, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.”
Jesus then gives two examples of miracles from the Old Testament, which involve the prophets Elijah and Elisha. These prophets performed miracles not for Israel, but for those outside of Israel. This truth is so offensive to the crowd; they actually try to kill Jesus.
In this Gospel, Jesus models being willing to risk offending someone with the truth. It also shows us that humility is the beginning of our journey to forgiveness.
In today’s world, we must be very careful that we do not sacrifice truth, in order to avoid offending others. Equally, we need to be careful that we do not lack charity.
I don't know about you, but I am someone who is usually willing to speak up for the truth, but at the same time, I do not like offending anyone.
Some people might be described as people pleasers and conflict avoiders. Let me be clear, in general these are very nice people. They make excellent friends.
People like this have a personality trait called agreeableness that makes it much easier for them to get along with others. They are generally more trusting, and they enjoy helping people. They are modest, and show empathy for others. When out of balance, however, people like this may sacrifice their own feelings and at times even the truth, in order to please others.
On the other hand, some of us have no trouble being assertive and speaking our mind. We never avoid conflict. Under the right circumstances, we admire these qualities. We might say a person is forthright, and a straight shooter. They might even be courageously vulnerable with others. This type of person people is often a leader. So again, being assertive and speaking our mind can be a strength.
It is possible, however, to be assertive but also to be low in agreeableness. In this case the person tends to be skeptical, stubborn, and demanding. They may even insult and belittle others. In this case being “forthright” is out of balance.
Surprisingly in the modern world, the phrase, “That idea offends me” has become very powerful and actionable.
We might need to stop and be honest. Religious people are sometimes offensive and lacking in charity to their neighbor. Some of them may even sound like a 1970's televison script.
We know that Jesus is a friend of sinners who does not reject anyone (Matthew 11:19 and Luke 7:34). Yet is Jesus also meek and mild (as commonly misunderstood) and someone who is afraid confront anyone with the reality of sin?
Like all errors about Jesus, the modern notion is a half-truth.
St. Paul reminds us, “But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God does invite each one of us to come to him, as we are, in the midst of our sinfulness. It is also true that there is no sin that anyone can commit, which lacks God’s forgiveness. Perhaps some Catholics need to be reminded that you are always only one Confession away from coming home.
The subtle difference in our modern culture is that we want to see Jesus as creating a “judgment free zone.” This cultural phrase actually comes from a local fitness franchise! In order to be truly inclusive, we want to believe that Jesus will not judge anyone. Yet this is only true of the beginning of our journey.
We know that Jesus is a friend of sinners who does not reject anyone (Matthew 11:19 and Luke 7:34). Yet is Jesus also meek and mild (as commonly misunderstood) and someone who is afraid confront anyone with the reality of sin?
Like all errors about Jesus, the modern notion is a half-truth.
St. Paul reminds us, “But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God does invite each one of us to come to him, as we are, in the midst of our sinfulness. It is also true that there is no sin that anyone can commit, which lacks God’s forgiveness. Perhaps some Catholics need to be reminded that you are always only one Confession away from coming home.
The subtle difference in our modern culture is that we want to see Jesus as creating a “judgment free zone.” This cultural phrase actually comes from a local fitness franchise! In order to be truly inclusive, we want to believe that Jesus will not judge anyone. Yet this is only true of the beginning of our journey.
In the ancient world, the city of Corinth had a reputation as a kind of Las Vegas. When St. Paul writes to this church, he lists an entire paragraph of past sins that members of this community had committed and then says,
“That is what some of you used to be; but now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).
Once we have received God’s initial forgiveness, and obviously continued to walk in this forgiveness repeatedly, he does not leave us to be the same as we were in the beginning.
God calls us to personal holiness. The call to holiness may be a slow process and often involves many times of receiving his forgiveness. Jesus has not come, however, to create a “judgment free zone” which places no demands on changing who we are in Christ.
Let us not forget that each Sunday we confess, “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is not afraid to speak the truth even if it results in his rejection. He refuses to perform a miracle in Nazareth. He purposely angers the crowd with his words. Jesus points out that many times in the history of Israel, prophets experienced rejection for their message. Jesus tells them, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.”
Jesus then gives two examples of miracles from the Old Testament, which involve the prophets Elijah and Elisha. These prophets performed miracles not for Israel, but for those outside of Israel. This truth is so offensive to the crowd; they actually try to kill Jesus.
In this Gospel, Jesus models being willing to risk offending someone with the truth. It also shows us that humility is the beginning of our journey to forgiveness.
In today’s world, we must be very careful that we do not sacrifice truth, in order to avoid offending others. Equally, we need to be careful that we do not lack charity.
I don't know about you, but I am someone who is usually willing to speak up for the truth, but at the same time, I do not like offending anyone.
Yet our faith requires all of us to ask ourselves, am I willing to speak up for the truth? You cannot be a witness to the Gospel and be silent. Sorry but not using words won't cut it. And by the way, St. Francis never said this.
The question for each of us is, are you willing to take this risk? When thinking about this it might be interesting to think about two different personalities that people might have.
People Pleasers
Some people might be described as people pleasers and conflict avoiders. Let me be clear, in general these are very nice people. They make excellent friends.
People like this have a personality trait called agreeableness that makes it much easier for them to get along with others. They are generally more trusting, and they enjoy helping people. They are modest, and show empathy for others. When out of balance, however, people like this may sacrifice their own feelings and at times even the truth, in order to please others.
Assertive people
On the other hand, some of us have no trouble being assertive and speaking our mind. We never avoid conflict. Under the right circumstances, we admire these qualities. We might say a person is forthright, and a straight shooter. They might even be courageously vulnerable with others. This type of person people is often a leader. So again, being assertive and speaking our mind can be a strength.
It is possible, however, to be assertive but also to be low in agreeableness. In this case the person tends to be skeptical, stubborn, and demanding. They may even insult and belittle others. In this case being “forthright” is out of balance.
As St. Paul reminds us in today's reading, if we speak the truth but “do not have love” we are like a “resounding gong or a clashing cymbal” (13:1). Giving us all a review, he reminds us,
“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered (1 Corinthians 13:4).
Whatever we say to others, needs to be rooted in love for our neighbor. Very often, the best in human behavior requires a balance between different traits. Our faith has highlighted this balance as finding the just mean in the life of human virtue (CCC 1809, 2469).
While our individual personality plays a strong role in how we act, God still holds us accountable for our present actions. We are required to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses and to choose the path of holiness. We must seek the help of the Holy Spirit to transform our weaknesses. If you are like me, an awareness of our weakness can make us discouraged, even at times a bit anxious and reluctant to act, unless we bring these faults to our Lord in prayer and allow him to be our strength.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered (1 Corinthians 13:4).
Whatever we say to others, needs to be rooted in love for our neighbor. Very often, the best in human behavior requires a balance between different traits. Our faith has highlighted this balance as finding the just mean in the life of human virtue (CCC 1809, 2469).
While our individual personality plays a strong role in how we act, God still holds us accountable for our present actions. We are required to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses and to choose the path of holiness. We must seek the help of the Holy Spirit to transform our weaknesses. If you are like me, an awareness of our weakness can make us discouraged, even at times a bit anxious and reluctant to act, unless we bring these faults to our Lord in prayer and allow him to be our strength.
As St. Paul reminds us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Often the secret to overcoming our faults is to live a kind of courageous vulnerability before the Lord in our weakness.
If we recognize that, at times we are skeptical and demanding, with God's help we need to learn to listen more, and to understand what the other person is thinking and feeling. We need to be patient and kind, and make sure that we speak the truth in love.
If our natural tendency is to please others, we need to be certain we are not depriving our friends and family of the truth. Even if we might at times fear they will become angry and reject us for speaking the truth. God will strengthen us in our weakness. Jesus calls us to proclaim the truth in love. He will be our strength.
Personal holiness is about finding the balance in friendship and communion with the Spirit of God. God is calling each one of us to be a witness to the truth, but always in union with him, speaking the truth in love.
We must each take our own personal weaknesses, and submit them to Christ. As we walk the path of personal holiness, we must be more and more conformed to his likeness (CCC 1811, 2516).
If we recognize that, at times we are skeptical and demanding, with God's help we need to learn to listen more, and to understand what the other person is thinking and feeling. We need to be patient and kind, and make sure that we speak the truth in love.
If our natural tendency is to please others, we need to be certain we are not depriving our friends and family of the truth. Even if we might at times fear they will become angry and reject us for speaking the truth. God will strengthen us in our weakness. Jesus calls us to proclaim the truth in love. He will be our strength.
Personal holiness is about finding the balance in friendship and communion with the Spirit of God. God is calling each one of us to be a witness to the truth, but always in union with him, speaking the truth in love.
We must each take our own personal weaknesses, and submit them to Christ. As we walk the path of personal holiness, we must be more and more conformed to his likeness (CCC 1811, 2516).
In order to make a difference in today world, we need to get closer to Jesus in our prayer and to be vulnerable with him. Each one of us can learn to literally be Jesus in the midst of our daily lives. This calling is definitely countercultural.
Imagine the impact it would have if each one of us lived two realities at the same time, both unapologetically clinging to the truth, and dynamically modeling a community rooted in God's love for the world.
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