On Friday, the New York Times published an advertisement from the Freedom from Religion Foundation telling “liberal” Catholics (their words, not mine) that it is time to leave the Catholic Church. It is kind of interesting that it is published the Friday before this gospel is read in Catholic Churches.
In a way, Jesus is saying almost the same thing to the money changers. “It is time you left the Temple.” He clearly tells them, it is time to leave the temple area. Why? The answer is in the gospel itself. “Zeal for you house will consume me.” Jesus makes it clear our faith is not a game. When God calls us to be people of faith, to be His people, He is serious and calls us to be the same. Jesus makes it clear in various places in the gospel that there is no room for fooling around. Either follow Him or walk away. Do not walk the middle road. When he acts up over the moneychangers he is making it clear. Our faith is too powerful a thing to be exploited for personal gain. The reason is that it is the truth.
Jesus’ mission is to call people to repentance and to believe in the gospel and to relationship with the Father. He makes it clear, there is no other way to what salvation is, the reality of being fully human everything that God calls us to be. However, there are many pressures and demands in the world that call upon us to turn from this call and address the issues at hand. One of the quickest ways to do this is to turn from our relationship with God and with His community and focus only on our own wants, needs and desires as we see them. However, as you can see from near the end of the gospel Jesus knows human nature and He knows it better than humans do. This is why we need to be in relationship with God and His church. It is because when we stop and realize that we are just human and nothing else, we begin to see our need to be guided by one who is greater than us and that is God. When we don’t see that need, we believe we can guide ourselves and then we get lost.
Let me give you an example, The advertisement which cost over $50,000 some estimates is saying to people who are living their faith in an unchallenging way to leave the Catholic Church. However, Jesus said, either embrace me or reject me, do not be in the middle, if you are in the middle you make me sick. So in a way, Jesus says to the same people either embrace your baptismal vows or reject them and the Church forever. However, the calling is not to turn away, but to understand what it is the Church teaches and why. Jesus invites people into a truth that sets them free by leading them deep into their humanity, where they will find Christ. However, he warns them from turning from the truth to a place where they believe they will be like gods, it is there they will find that none of us are gods. In other words, Jesus is calling us to be all or nothing. He is saying jump into pool with both feet and find the cool refreshing swim or don’t jump in at all. It is silly to be at the beach on a hot day and just put your big toe in the water. Either go all in or nothing.
This is what the temple is all about and this is what Church is all about. It is recognizing that God is God and we are not then we turn to God and ask for His guidance in making us fully human and alive. We then testify to that experience by our lives. However, if you are going to hedge your bets and live your life on your terms not God’s then you are like the man who tried to teach himself baseball. He never became a star. When we can be humble before the Lord, embrace his Church humbly, embrace the Eucharist humbly and come before the Lord humbly, we find Christ. When we pridefully say that we will live our faith, our way then we blind ourselves to all Christ is trying to lead us to find.
The my Church, my life my way, is an attitude I deal with often and it is frustrating, because the fruit of it is that you can nothing for people like that. A person who has no food and demands that I give them food they way they want it finds I cannot do that. Advisors to me have made it clear, if someone is coming to the door looking for money, I can’t give out cash, we can only offer to pay bills from our account for the poor or direct them to food kitchens such as St. Francis House that receive our donations. Those who demand cash only walk away empty handed.
When we stand before the Lord and say, we want to live our lives our way, we are doing the same thing. Jesus can only say, I can do nothing for you. If you cannot imagine Him doing that, you have never read the 6th chapter of John.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation took close to six figures and a whole page in the New York Times to say what Jesus said in one paragragh to the Laodiceans:
I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’ and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see. Revelations 3 (NAB)
God Bless You,
Fr. Robert J Carr
Fr. Carr is an Alliance Member of the Canção Nova Community and the Pastor of St. Benedict Parish in Somerville MA. His Twitter Account is @frbobcarr
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition© 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.