Posted on 06/14/2016 7:09:00 AM PDT by Salvation
Following up on Sunday’s Gospel, I would like to propose the following reflection. There was a woman who was so moved by Jesus’ mercy that she wept for joy and showed extravagant, grateful love. Are we that way? Too often we are not. And as Jesus pointed out, a big reason for that is that we do not understand the magnitude of our sin. We miss the greatness of God’s mercy; we lack gratitude for what He has done for us and thus our love is lukewarm.
There is an old saying, “If you don’t know the bad news, the good news is no news.” Not knowing or being only vaguely aware of how serious our sin is, we are out of touch with the bad news. Therefore, the good news of salvation and forgiveness of sin has little effect on us; it barely moves us. Because of this we are less grateful and less loving.
In order to unlock the good news, let’s spend some time on the bad news.
I’d like to begin by saying that your condition is grave—so is mine. There’s some serious stuff wrong with us; you might say we have a few issues!
Yes, I’ve got your spiritual “medical chart” (and mine) open, and I’m looking at the test results; the numbers don’t look good.
Well, you can see that we’re in bad shape! And though you might think that I’m exaggerating, I suspect that if you’re honest with yourself you’ll admit that you’ve committed many if not most of these sins.
Yes, without a lot of grace and mercy from God, we’re doomed!
But here’s the good news: the doctor, Jesus, is in! And the doctor has a prescription to cure us:
Yes, we need help; we’ve got some stuff going on that will kill us eternally. But Jesus has a hospital (the Church) and medicine (the sacraments). There is spiritual “medical” advice available: from the Word of God, from sermons, from the teachings of the Church, and from encouraging “doctors” and “nurses” such as priests, religious, and fellow Catholics.
Whether we care to admit it or not we need regular check-ups and serious medicine. Jesus is guiding His Church in giving skillful advice and distributing powerful medicine.
Do you think of the sacraments as medicine? Many think of them simply as rituals. But the truth is that they are powerful medicine. I’m a witness to this. After more than twenty-five years of seeing the doctor, Jesus, and letting Him minister to me through sacraments, His Word, and His Church, a wonderful change has come over me. I’m not what I want to be, but I’m not what I used to be.
We’ve got it bad and that ain’t good. But the doctor is in (and you know you need Him)! Whatever your struggles, reach out for Him. He’s waiting to minister to you, especially in the liturgy and the sacraments. You can’t do it alone. Join us every Sunday at the “holy hospital,” the Church. Yes, the doctor is in! As you heal, your gratitude will increase. And grateful people are different people; they are more joyful, generous, forgiving, and loving.
Here’s a humorous little video that I created, which demonstrates that sometimes the doctor can give us a surprising diagnosis. For it’s often the case that we claim that everyone else has a problem, while in reality the problem is in us—and so is the solution. Please pardon the video; I have a face for radio!
Monsignor Pope Ping!
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,
Like the wideness of the sea;
There’s a kindness in His justice,
Which is more than liberty.
There is no place where earth’s sorrows
Are more felt than up in Heaven;
There is no place where earth’s failings
Have such kindly judgment given.
There is welcome for the sinner,
And more graces for the good;
There is mercy with the Savior;
There is healing in His blood.
There is grace enough for thousands
Of new worlds as great as this;
There is room for fresh creations
In that upper home of bliss.
For the love of God is broader
Than the measure of our mind;
And the heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.
There is plentiful redemption
In the blood that has been shed;
There is joy for all the members
In the sorrows of the Head.
’Tis not all we owe to Jesus;
It is something more than all;
Greater good because of evil,
Larger mercy through the fall.
If our love were but more simple,
We should take Him at His word;
And our lives would be all sunshine
In the sweetness of our Lord.
Souls of men! why will ye scatter
Like a crowd of frightened sheep?
Foolish hearts! why will ye wander
From a love so true and deep?
It is God: His love looks mighty,
But is mightier than it seems;
’Tis our Father: and His fondness
Goes far out beyond our dreams.
But we make His love too narrow
By false limits of our own;
And we magnify His strictness
With a zeal He will not own.
Was there ever kinder shepherd
Half so gentle, half so sweet,
As the Savior who would have us
Come and gather at His feet?
- Frederick Faber, Catholic hymn writer
When we realize what kind of goodness is possible, we know we’re rotten.
Humanity wanted to be just “okay.”
God insists on “screamingly wonderful.”
Many evangelicals understand this too.
And I’ve told some people about this and they look at me like, I must be raving nuts, or even tell me that I stink!
But the love of Christ makes things that are amazing beyond amazing possible.
Lovely hymn.
Agreed. The hymn was in our previous Lutheran hymnal, though it isn't in the present one; reading it I don't find anything against Lutheran doctrine, and we have other hymns by Catholic authors, so it was probably something as simple as making room for a newer hymn.
Our good Lord is the ONLY path to follow.
Hah, I've even done away with the word "enemy" in dealing with my fellow human beans.
OF COURSE they do. Why wouldn't they?
There’s another futility and that’s doing things on the power of your own ego. There’s such a thing as vain industriousness. Sometimes we need to do less that means more.
bkmk
There’s “human narrowness” problems in many communions. Jesus says that the path and gate are narrow; so some religious people think that they have to keep it so by their own efforts. I have found that isn’t how serious agape from God works. He steers you through the doors and down the paths. You might stray this way and that, like a sheep in a milling flock, but it is not a problem the Shepherd has the slightest difficulty dealing with.
1/2. Vain industriousness? Lol. That is what our ego-centric country often tells us to do. NOT news, but always good to read a reminder.
3. You second statement is meaningless as written. I THINK you mean that we need to do more that MEANS more and to do less that is, essentially, meaningless.
God-centered should be our mantra--NOT "me-centered."
I did get the gist of what you meant to say.
True enough.
Do less things, but those that mean more.
A Baptist preacher once told me that people remarked at how much he seemed to get done with so little effort.
A Baptist preacher once told me that people remarked at how much he seemed to get done with so little effort.
That ability comes with brains and maturity, that is, TIME flies and we ought to make best use of it while we can.
Ancient Roman saying: TEMPUS FUGIT. And so it does.
"Spinning one's wheels" is acceptable in Mississippi mud but NOT in life.
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