Rage seems to be the flavour of the month. Opinions regarding the role and actions of the Supreme Court of the United States have been the subject of debate for more than fifty years and current events have moved the subject off the stove and into the furnace.
Christians, however, need to step back and take a breath, myself included.
At Mass today we have a reading from St. Luke's Gospel[1] where Jesus and His followers are denied entry to a Samaritan town because they are Jews headed toward Jerusalem. The disciples are incensed, although they really should not be surprised, such attitudes from Samaritans were to be expected toward Jews. Still, the disciples felt the affront keenly and asked Jesus to fry them off the face of the earth.
A bit extreme, eh?
Overreactions to stung pride and exclusionary tactics are very human and hardly surprising. Jesus, however, was not to be swayed from His primary goal, the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. He didn't turn it into a major teachable moment, He didn't roast the whole village, but He did burn the disciples' tail-feathers over their request. He did not say the Samaritans were right, but He did say the disciples were wrong to call down fire upon them.
This and the next few snippets showed exactly what it meant to proclaim and work for the Kingdom of God. We do not seek revenge or burn those who oppose us. We have no real capital in the Kingdom of the World and not have comforts we have come to expect. Normal expectations take a back seat. There is no turning back or looking wistfully at our past life.
St. Paul wrote to the Galatian Church about "looking back" and what "looking forward" meant, and it is no accident that section of the letter to the Galatians is read along with this Gospel selection. St. Paul illustrates what it means to look forward: stop the backbiting and arguing and cultivate the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
It's worth listing them again:
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Gentleness
Faithfulness
Self-Control
The appropriate Christian response to frustration of goals is not stung pride. We see too much of that already. The appropriate Christian response, instead is drawn from the fruits of tbe Spirit and the realization that while the Kingdom of God is still to come.
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