Thursday of Week 28 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Ephesians 1:1-10 | Psalm 97:1-6 | Luke 11:47-54
‘Alas for you who build the tombs of the prophets, the men your ancestors killed! In this way you both witness what your ancestors did and approve it; they did the killing, you do the building.’ (Luke 11:47-48)
Except we generally erect monuments to the people whom we respect and honour, so what was Jesus going on about?
Matthew sheds some light in his account of a similar incident, or perhaps the very same one:
‘Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who build the sepulchres of the prophets and decorate the tombs of holy men, saying, “We would never have joined in shedding the blood of the prophets, had we lived in our fathers’ day”. So! Your own evidence tells against you! You are the sons of those who murdered the prophets! Very well then, finish off the work that your fathers began. (Matthew 23:29-32)
Yesterday, I wrote about how some Catholics play the righteous lawyer instead of the Love-filled companion. It’s tempting for us to say, like the apostles, “not I, Lord, surely?” (Matthew 26:22)
It’s also probably not truthful. After all, which is easier?
- It’s not Catholic to end your own life, even if you’re in excruciating pain.
- Mind if I sit and chat for a while? Here, hold my hand, and when the pain gets too much and the painkillers don’t work, squeeze it really hard. Maybe that’ll help take the edge off. Hey, did you catch the game yesterday? Man, that was a nail-biter…
I know I’ve often gone for a third option, which is to do nothing at all. Hypocrite, aren’t I?
✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞
Showing love can be hard. At the end of a gruelling day, many of us have barely enough energy to eat dinner and watch TV, much less think about visiting patients and prisoners, looking for the homeless to feed and clothe, etc.
But it could be as simple as setting aside a few minutes for the people in our lives, making time and space for a brief moment of compassionate intimacy.
“Hi honey! <smooch> Oh dear, you cut your finger? Here, let me kiss it, maybe it’ll feel better.”
“Oh, Annette, <hug> I’m so sorry for your loss. Can I grab you for a few minutes? Let’s sit over there in the park and just chill for a while. I brought your favorite chips and soda, and you won’t believe what Carol just told me yesterday…”
“Hi mom! Thanks for the chicken pies, they were pretty good. Got a few ideas to make them even better, can I swing by this weekend, then we can try them out together? I can also take a look at that squeaky window you were complaining about. OK, see you then!”
Perhaps this week, and each week to come, we can say at least once: “yes Lord, I surely will be there for You in my brothers and sisters”.
Amen.