Compassion is a Verb

Sometimes, Jesus’ teachings don’t always seem to make practical sense. When we hear him say "love your enemies and do good to them, turn the other cheek when struck, give to anyone who asks, do to others as you would have them do to you, be merciful, stop judging, forgive, and give to others," we feel a bit uncomfortable and frankly, guilty. After all, it’s okay for God to be able to do these things, but does He really want/expect to follow his lead? As right-minded Christians trying to do the right thing, we silently draw the line with some of these ideals and say, “No way!”  

There is still this a persistent ongoing frame of mind, that believes violent action deserves a violent response. Somehow, we continue to justify this. Yet, it is most clearly against the very grain of this Gospel and Jesus' teachings. Part of our difficulty has more to do with understanding the counter intuitive nature of human beings and God's love. 

Both the capacity for good and the disposition toward evil exist in every one of us. Viktor Frankl has this to say when reflecting on the Holocaust: “Our generation is a realistic generation because we have learned what a human being really is. When all is said and done, man is the same creature who invented the gas-chambers of Auschwitz; but he is also that being who walked upright into those chambers with the prayer ‘Shema Yisrael’ on his lips.” If we believe in God, we have to act like God. Whether we like that idea is another issue. If we don’t then perhaps, we need to reconsider our faith and whether we really believe in Jesus Christ. We are made in the image of God, not the image of ourselves. (Luke 6:39-45) The Christian must, at all costs, leave resentment and the need for retaliation behind, lose defensiveness and bring into the mind and heart the realization of who we represent in this world. God loves the sinner as much as He does the saint. And, both of these inclinations exist in every human being, even those who consider themselves holy. 

(Adapted from St. Benedict Church, Holmdel, NJ, February 20, 2022.)

The Beatitudes

 

Historians tell us that Martin Luther originally had a hard time trying to live up to the strict demands of the Old Testament to  the point of  literally "beating himself" at times. In time he came to the realization that salvation was not a matter of yielding to a set of written laws and that Jesus came to set us free from the “law.”  And so he entered his perspective on  the Bible by placing books he didn’t care for at the end.  We know Luther wasn’t the first or the last to try to “edit” the Bible.  I suppose if we're really being honest, Luther did on paper what we often do in fact, take issue what seems to run counter to the will of a loving God.  

Jesus opens the “Sermon on the Mount” with the beatitudes, which while not really instructions for living, are a declaration of God's love and grace being poured out through Jesus (Luke 6 17, 20-26). The Beatitudes are the very essence of Jesus’ message: that the kingdom of God is at hand.  If you wonder what the kingdom of God is about, look at the beatitudes.  It means blessings, peace and comfort for those who are disenfranchised and living on the edge of society.  Right from the start of this “sermon,” Jesus makes an elaborate statement about the grace that God gives to all people who will open their hearts to it.  

 Jewish religious leaders cited specific rules one must follow, while Jesus called his disciples to live from their heart.  That means it’s not just the egregious offense against humanity that is wrong but it's avoiding the behavior, mindset and internal provocation that leads to the offense. This mindful approach requires us to examine and know behavioral triggers that lead to uncontrolled actions and alter them before they are acted out. This becomes a transformative way of living in the mind of Christ. This spiritual transformation leads to a proactive way of living the beatitudes. 

In reality, Jesus didn’t make it easier to obey God’s commands, he made it harder.  He went back to the original intention, to inspire people to live in the mind of Christ with  innate justice, compassion, and mercy toward one another, not for fear of punishment or in order to gain some reward but because God’s grace had changed their hearts, and they could do no less. In other words, for Jesus, obeying God is not just a matter of what we do, it’s who we are. The Waking Dreamer, Alan Brehm, “Light for the World,” February 12, 2014

I Will Make You Fishers of Men

What force could be so powerful and so compelling that would prompt us to drop everything and leave the comfort and security of our homes? Sure, many of us have ventured out to pursue our dream. Maybe we went away to college; moved to advance our careers and get a fresh start elsewhere, or maybe we were summoned or inspired to serve our country in the military. It's not uncommon in today’s world in which greater opportunity and career development seem to be linked to "moving away."

Life is all about making choices which for the most part are made by weighing options and best case outcomes. But the idea that an unknown itinerant preacher and former carpenter could ask us to drop everything and follow him is inconceivable. Yet, that's precisely the scene that Luke 5:1-11 describes in his Gospel. Unfortunately, some of the details in the reading are few and there’s obviously a lot more we don't know than we do. But what we do know is that there was something compelling enough about Jesus and his message that inspired Simon, Andrew, James and John, to drop their nets, leave their boats and follow him.

What was so powerful in what Jesus' message that would compel us to change our lives so drastically? Could this happen in our time? Luke writes “And immediately they left their nets and followed him.” Luke’s purposeful use of the word immediately suggests that something decidedly profound happened to them. They experienced an epiphany that immediately prompted them to follow Jesus. 

It makes me wonder if profound changes in our faith, like spontaneous combustion, only happen suddenly?  It's almost as if we are automatic pilot and all we need to do is to let go of the controls and say yes.

Luke’s sense of urgency leaves no room for “give me a few minutes. Let me pack my bag and make a few arrangements.” No… epiphanies are spontaneous. There's no preparation, no packing list, no recommendations as to what to take, no chance to get a second and a third opinion, in the hope that the impulse might pass. Sound familiar?

Karoline Lewis writes, “Jesus just happens. We have no time to think. Epiphanies are untamable, unpredictable. There is nothing comfortable about epiphanies. They rock your world. “Epiphanies, especially of the divine nature, demand an immediate response. There’s no invitation for contemplation or reflection but instantaneous commitment and risk. Or, to put it another way, no real choice... If the heavens are ripped apart, well then, get ready for a wild ride. This can be simultaneously freeing and terrifying. Free to respond in the moment. Terrified of what beyond the moment will unfold." (Working Preacher, January 18, 2015).

So, back to the question, could this happen in our time? Can we remember times when our own behavior surprised us and made us ask, where did that come from? Maybe this is what Luke wants us to think about.