Life as we know it has certainly changed since March. We have the quarantine and stay at home orders to protect lives from the pandemic. Then we had the incident with George Floyd, rightly condemned and then the protests that have grown from that incident. We also have the riots and destruction of property that have grown from some of those protests that were peaceful.

This has led to a heightened anxiety among many people. This anxiety can lead to additional stresses and health problems due to that stress. Then there seems to be no lack of rhetoric coming from all sides in relation to the protests. We have the people on one side saying shut down these protests and send to jail those who resist and cause damage to property or people. Then there are people on the other side saying the protests are a right of the people and if there is damage or rioting it is appropriate based on the injustice to the black race over the history of our country. Neither side bothers to listen to the other, they are just trying to shout louder than the other.

How are we as Christians supposed to react to all of this that goes on around us. The first reading from the Second Book of Kings tells that Elisha the prophet was welcomed with open arms into a home in a foreign land. As a matter of fact he was so welcomed that the woman and her husband made a room for him to stay in whenever he came through town. Her compassion and her willingness to welcome the stranger, was rewarded with a son, the heir to her husband that she was lacking. Her suffering in this regard was relieved.

The letter from St. Paul to the Romans reminds us that we are to “think of yourselves as dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.“ He is reminding us of the call we are given when we are baptized. As we go into the water we are to die to sin. Coming out of the water we are called be like Christ as priest, prophet, and king.

Through this call we can better understand what Jesus says in today’s Gospel. “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
We are called to love God first among all. This is what we were baptized into and we need to remember that there was never a promise from Christ that we would not suffer at one time or another in our lives. We are called to be willing to suffer as Christ suffered. To remember the ultimate suffering he endured we need look no further than the crucifix hanging above us. As Fr. Tom has reminded us the crucifix in our parish is of the still living Christ on the cross. It should be a strong reminder that his suffering was not small or insignificant. It was immense, but he willingly let himself suffer to allow us to be forgiven for our sins.

This forgiveness of sins and promise of everlasting life was not just for the self-righteous who claim to know the rules or law and follow it to a tee. Think of the Pharisees of his time or in today’s day and age those who believe that they are the only ones with the knowledge to keep things going. Of course, they would eliminate entire blocks of people because they do not follow the rules they prescribe.

Then there are those who believe that everything must be torn down to begin again. Jesus reminded the Pharisees of this when he said, he had not been sent to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law. He wanted those around to come with him to further the mission. He did send his disciples into the great unknown to baptize the peoples of the world in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This was to expand the tent of the Jewish faithful to beyond just Israel, but to the whole world.

In doing this we see from both sides a great way to exclude large groups of people from their beliefs. We, as Christians, are called to make sure that those large groups of people, normally the downtrodden, are heard and cared for. What would happen in our own community and the greater world if instead of simply offering a rebuttal we actually listen to the other person. This would lead to understanding. It may not necessarily lead to agreement with their points, but at least we would know their reasoning. Then because as humans we have the ability to reason we can begin a real conversation based on sound reasoning that could lead to a solution to the problems.

Those of you who are married and those of you have children should already be capable of doing this. While it may not be an easy thing to do.It is the correct thing to do and it eventually leads to a much brighter future with less anxiety and stress. I reminded you earlier though that this does not necessarily mean there will be no suffering.

We as human beings have egos, sometimes egos big enough to think we are God. This will be why there will be suffering, we do not want to trust that if we follow God’s plan it will work out. We think our plan is better, after all we have done all the work to make sure we contort our reasoning to believe our way is the only way. We are taught by the Pharisees of our day that we are the ultimate arbiters of our lives and everything in it.

Jesus reminds the apostles again, that above all we are to put Christ first in our lives, losing our own personal ego driven lives. We are called to lead lives of service (prophet), compassion (priest) and caring for everyone we meet (king), the neighbor and the stranger alike. Are we ready for this radical reimagining of what our lives should be? While bishops and priests can help guide people in this direction it is up to the lay faithful to bring it about in the society in which we live. The lay faithful have the ability to show the world what a Christian is called to be. Bishops and priests have an influence over the people of their parish and diocese. The lay faithful carry that message forward in how they live their lives. The Christian faith did not grow only because of the apostles, but because of those who converted and truly led this new life. Are we ready to put aside our ego, empty ourselves and let Christ fill us up to use as his servants here on earth? This is what we were called to when we were baptized. Are we willing to live it?