December 14, 2020

 Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church

(Numbers 24:2-7.15-17a; Matthew 21:23-27)

Religious persecution sometimes proceeds not from tyrants or atheists but from co-religionists.  John the Cross suffered greatly at the hands of Carmelite brethren.  When he began his reform movement, called the “Discalced Carmelites,” the regular Carmelites harassed him.  When his reform proved not radical enough, his discalced brothers had him silenced.  Probably neither group recognized John’s genius much less his holiness.  We see something similar at play in today’s gospel.

Jesus has drawn much attention since coming to Jerusalem.  The chief priests and elders take notice.  They come to question his authority.  Jesus, however, outwits them by his question regarding John the Baptist.  They will not forget their comeuppance.  Indeed, they will see that he is crucified out of spite.

At different points in history social integration seemed to require all members of a community to confess the same faith.  In contemporary times the Church has wisely taken another tact.  Vatican II made the just claim that a person’s conscience must be respected.  Our worship of Jesus as Prince of Peace compels us to appreciate other faith traditions.  We should proclaim Christ as understood in our tradition.  We should also endeavor to understand why others believe as they do.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Monday of the Third Week of Advent

(Numbers 24:2-17.15-17a; Matthew 21:23-27)

After United Nations Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld’s tragic death nearly fifty years ago a controversy arose regarding his stature in history.  To many he was a hero – one who worked tirelessly for the poor of the earth confronting the powers while living like a monk.  To others he was an activist trouble-maker whose celibacy shielded homosexual practice.  A recent biography correlating his famous journal Markings with a factual account of his life published eight years after his death strongly asserts the truth of the former evaluation.  Hammarskjöld’s story mirrors the controversy at the heart of today’s gospel.

Jesus is being harassed because he, in the terms of Pope Francis, is a “minister(s) of mercy above all.”  He dialogues with sinners so that they might appreciate God’s love for them.  He champions simple hearts who cannot follow the burdensome rules of the Pharisees.  When the Temple authorities question him regarding his authority to take such stands, he deftly discerns their purpose and throws a similar question back at them.  Unable to answer without losing face with the people, the Jewish leaders withdraw their pursuit of Jesus for a time.

Not all confronting authority are heroes.  Some indeed are rogues, and others may be misguided.  We must discern before passing judgment and giving support.  Perhaps even more critical, however, is our perspective on authority.  We should respect it until there is good reason not to.  But we shouldn’t ingratiate ourselves to it, or we may find ourselves – quite unlike Jesus – compromising justice.