Friday of the Fourth Week - April 4

Wisdom 2:1a,12-22 John 7:1-2,10,25-30

For those who have been blessed with the opportunity to visit the beautiful and historic cathedrals in Italy, one can attest to not only the sheer magnitude of the structures, but also the very binary nature of good and evil that lives within the architecture itself. Sleek marble gives way to grotesques, while beautiful stained glass is held rigid by iron. But nothing captures the struggle for the soul more than the frescos that adorn the basilica domes. In particular, Giorgio Vasari’s The Last Judgement that is housed within the Cathedral of Florence, captures the very visceral nature of temptation and rightness as we strive toward eternal redemption. The reds and oranges of fire and brimstone pull the edges of the dome downward, as many of the characters kick away the temptations of Hell and reach towards the Risen Christ who is framed by natural sunlight. If Vasari’s fresco had a soundtrack, this passage could be it.

But we do not live in a painting where vibrant colors illuminate and discern so clearly the difference between right and wrong. And more often than not, the “wicked” is not a collection of individuals plotting our demise, but rather it’s our own internal struggle to follow the true example of Christ.

The daily trials of life are often not adjudicated in the grand style of prose of Atticus Finch, but rather in the mundane choices and decisions that ever so slightly shift our moral compass. It is the slight pinch of consciousness that forces us to not look away from the homeless person on the corner, because we’ve already surmised what ill they would do with whatever charity we would provide them. It’s the biting of the tongue when, in a gathering of friends, we revert to gossip and heresy, taking a perverse pleasure in the misfortune of others. One of the more difficult childhood lessons to carry forth into adulthood is “What is right is not always popular, and what is popular is not always right.” But if faith is anything else, it is that our strength and courage to follow the teaching of Jesus will be rewarded in Heaven.

Q: When am I most tempted to do/be less than my best?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monday of Holy Week - April 14

Isaiah 42:1-7 John 12:1-11 These readings are a great reminder to us all during Lent and Holy Week that we are called by God to spread His word. We are called to listen to Jesus in our daily lives, follow his example, and spread his teachings in our daily lives. The readings and Gospel first help us remember gratitude for all the beauty around us. As a parish, we are so blessed with the wonderful leadership of our parish, the beautiful church in which we celebrate Mass and the Sacraments, the amazing choir that shares its angelic voices, and a wonderful Catholic community. God has provided the very breath in our bodies, allowing us to share Jesus’s teachings by acting Christlike in our daily lives, living out Jesus’s example for our community and beyond. And when we are called to more overtly spread Jesus’s teachings – we are given instruction on HOW to share the Good News - humbly and quietly. The Gospel gives us a reminder of what is to come during Holy Week. While Mary anoints Jesus...
Read more

Palm Sunday - April 13

Luke 19:28-40 Isaiah 50:4-7 Philippians 2:6-11 Luke 22:14-23:56 On this day, we pack into the narthex bearing our palms and listen to a Gospel reading recounting Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem with his disciples before processing into the sanctuary. In recent years, these exclamations have troubled me; after all, not long after this moment of praise, we hear (or say) the words, “Crucify him!” It can feel vaguely uneasy to join in triumphal exclamations knowing that we’ll soon be meditating on the disciples who betrayed Jesus - betrayals mirrored in our own lives. Does that sense of unease miss the point of Palm Sunday’s opening rite? Turning to Luke, we learn that those who cry out are a “multitude” of his “disciples” - that is, a veritable crowd of outsiders who gradually joined Jesus as pilgrims on his journey from Galilee up to Jerusalem. They exclaim, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” The first sentence is shar...
Read more

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent - March 12

 Jonah 3:1-10.   Luke 11:29-32 My first reaction to the first reading was one of fearfulness. God is proclaiming to Jonah that he would destroy an entire city and its people. I had to read it several times before I started to realize that there was a different message, not one of anger and wrath, but a message to listen, and a call to action. Jonah was given a message, and he was called to spread that message in order to save the people of that city.  I have been guilty of not making enough time for God. Some days I feel like I am just bouncing from one activity to another. By the end of it I find I am so tired I turn to my cell phone or the television to “zone out.” Many days are filled with thousands of decision points, and not each decision is the “right” decision. Worst of all, in some of those decisions I commit sin. In some of those decisions, consciously or not, I do not make an attempt to include God or listen.  Jonah listened to God‘s message first and then ...
Read more