Very Dangerous... You Go First!

Today's Readings

Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12

The passage above witnesses to the proclamation made by Christ just after forgiving the "Woman Caught in Adultery," or as a good friend in the Church told me, "the only woman in history to commit adultery all be herself."  : )  In other words, why wasn't there another person being accused with her?  It does take two, doesn't it?  Anyway, this woman, singled out by all as the worst of all sinners, was to be put to death by stoning, when Jesus stepped to not only defend her, but forgive her as well.  Unfortunately, history provides many examples of communities who would condemn their own for similar, or even less.  Even more unfortunate is the reality that history does not offer as many examples of Christ's level of forgiveness to accompany their stories.

In the "Blogosphere" one can enter a very dangerous area, if one decides to go on record as forgiving criminals, as they are often seen as somehow condoning their criminal actions.  This GregBlog will walk this fine line ever so carefully so as not to be misunderstood.

First, I have to offer my understanding of a person's call to discipleship; that is to say, the job description offered to us at the beginning of Jesus' ministry as witnessed in the Gospel of Luke:  “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..." Luke 4:18  The key phrases for this "job description" are:

• Proclaim Liberty to Captives:  Some are captive to things outside of their control: Loneliness, disability, economic struggle, etc.  Our job and privilege is to help accept them for who they are, and work WITH them to overcome certain obstacles that they face, e.g. visit the lonely, feed the hungry, and assist the disabled.
• Recover Sight to the Blind:  There is such a thing as INJUSTICE, and when we observe such things, our job and privilege is to speak out against it, and encourage a solution, especially by our actions.  We can write a letter to our congressman, vote for change, and protect the innocent in prayer and outward support!
• Let the Oppressed Go Free:  To help those who are oppressed infers that they are in prison against their will, or under some form of force or intimidation.  Like those who are captive to economic injustice, almost a combination of the two categories above, we must speak on their behalf.  But what about the prisoners?  What about those, like the "Woman Caught in Adultery"?  What about the one's who commit the crime, and serve the time?  Does one have to be captive, or blind, or oppressed to be loved by God?  Can God love the guilty, and if so, can WE serve them, and share the love of Christ with them?  Absolutely!  Christ knew of the woman's guilt, and forgave her all the more.  For the record, he would have forgiven the cowardly man that joined her in that adulterous affair if he had had enough guts to ask instead of hide.  We as disciples are called to learn from "The Teacher", and do the same!  

There are some prominent criminal cases in the news today, and some convicted criminals that need God's love.  I wonder if WE could step up and pay a visit to them?  I wonder if WE could be the ones to shine Jesus' light into their darkness?

I told you this was dangerous!

The New & Improved "Eye for an Eye"

Today's Readings

Jesus said to his disciples: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” - Luke 6: 36-38

If Gandhi said that the philosophy of an "eye for an eye" would make the whole world blind, then what would happen if the philosophy of "forgive and be forgiven" began sweeping the nations? The answer to that is obvious, and quite pleasing. Jesus' teaching, challenging us to be merciful, as God is merciful, is the precursor to the many peaceful, and somewhat "pie in the sky" philosophies that simply ask, "Can't we all just get along?" (R.I.P. Rodney King)

Be Merciful (Stop Judging): The simplistic notion that we can always be nice, is one that we all learn early in life. Sure it becomes more and more difficult as we grow, as advice is always easy to give, but rarely easy to follow. But Christ offered a new way of thinking, as he looked at these concepts from a beneficiary's perspective. If God does is merciful to you, then...

Forgive (Stop Condemning): Mercy in action is forgiveness, and its especially difficult when that forgiveness is not deserved! In the logic offered here, we forgive because we are forgiven. Condemnation takes a lot of negative energy, and an ongoing commitment towards feeding itself, that is you can never let it go. Forgiveness, on the other hand, also takes a lot of commitment, but it allows you to be free, letting go the burden of carrying the negative energy.

Give: If you can take on the attitude of living your life in the merciful way that God lives with you, and you can practice it by "letting go", moving forward in a spirit of forgiveness, then the challenge shared by Jesus, Gandhi, and now the GregCast, is to GIVE of yourself, so that others (and you) may receive this precious gift of God's love!  The 80's group Missing Persons offers us this "pie in the sky" notion of the value of giving in a song appropriately named "Give":

When's the last time you really touched someone
How did it feel
Did it surprise you when you found yourself unselfish
Did it seem unreal
The pressure's everywhere-everywhere around you
Beckon you to turn the other way
But I say the results are superficial
There's only one way to play
Give-when you have anything at all to give
You have everything to live for
(Give all you've got to give)
After you've given all you can
Give again, give again, give again

Measure:  The imagery of "good measure" used by Jesus is crucial, because (back in the day) when a person would go to buy flour, they were wise to be sure that the measure was "packed together and shaken down", otherwise they would not receive the full amount that was purchased.  Jesus was eluding to the old, and dishonest practice of tipping the scale in the favor of the dealer.  Our God, not only made sure to measure out our just portion, He also offers it to us "overflowing", painting the image of His abundant love coming to us in excess!  The conclusion?  "Give again, give again, give again!", and give some more, for the promise is that if you live as God loves, then you will receive even more in return!

An Evolving Equation:  I was leading a Confirmation Retreat for the youth at St. Aloysius Parish in Birmingham, Alabama this past Saturday, and this equation came off the dry erase marker on to the white board:

      (4)
L + G + D = Praxis (Faith in Action)
i       i     o
v      v
e      e

I offer this in the context of Matthews Gospel, referring to our being a light, not hidden, for all to see, so that we the world may glorify God! (Matthew 5: 14-16)  If we LIVE, "4-GIVE", GIVE and DO, then our faith IN ACTION will lead to a world of many blessings, as people will not only SEE, but BE loved by God, through the love we share!  More on this as it evolves in the coming weeks, months, and years ahead.

From the Back Pew: No More Armageddon!

Today I am writing from the back pew of St. John's Catholic Church in Madison, Alabama (my home) just before the start of our evening session of our Parish Lenten Mission...

Today's Readings

"A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. " Psalm 51:12

The story of Jonah is certainly popular enough that I don't need to re-tell it, but remember that there's more to that story than just him living inside a whale. The real truth of the matter was that Jonah couldn't hide from God's desire to want him to change and become a man of His Word, so he could move others to do the same! Nineveh was most certainly the beneficiary of God's desire and Jonah's YES!

Christ came to do the same, and much more, as he recalled that "at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and [then said] there is something greater than Jonah here.” (Luke 11:32). Many of us share in the desire for a clean heart, and a strong spirit, and we never want to be far from God. Yet, we get a little lazy with all of our perks, thinking that we've got all that we need. Jesus the Christ, has come to the world and to you and me, to announce the Good News of God's love, calling us to real conversion. This is what Lent is truly about... Making the change!

Jonah made that sort of change, and then took on the task of helping God to change His world! We as Christians, are called to embrace this change of self, and make the same kind of proclamation to our world that needs God's love so desperately. Threats of Armageddon are not necessary, we need to simply share God's love!