25th Sunday OT
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
OLR, NOLA
When
I first read the readings for this Mass, I smiled. The Holy Spirit is
very much with us still! But as I began to pray over the readings and
mull over what I would preach about, my smile turned into a grimace,
and I got incredibly uncomfortable. Given the current mess in the
Church, we can't hear James' questions w/o squirming just a little.
“Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?”
he asks. “Is it not from your passions that make war within your
members?” We have to blush a bit when we hear James say, “Where
jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul
practice.” Jealousy. Selfish ambition. Disorder. Every foul
practice. Indeed. And what are we to make of the disciples' silence
when Jesus asks them what they are bickering about? Every mom and dad
knows that silence. The kids are arguing over something trivial or
embarrassing. It is at once comforting and disconcerting that our
ancient readings almost perfectly describe our contemporary
ecclesiastical tragedy. Fortunately, Jesus gives us – you and me –
a way out: “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of
all and the servant of all.”
The
disciples go silent when Jesus confronts them about their bickering.
Instead of listening carefully to his teaching about his death and
resurrection, instead of admitting their fear of and ignorance about
their teacher's future, they choose to argue about who's the greatest
among them. We know that they know they are doing something foolish
b/c. . .well, their embarrassed silence. But why is arguing about
who's the greatest a problem? Simply put: ambition
is one of the deformed offspring of pride,
the deadliest of the deadly sins. Ambition tempts us to seek glory
for the sake of glory. It teases us with promises of adulation,
respect, and power. It creates in us a festering arrogance that
thrives on deceit, theft, abuse, and manipulation. Ambition serves
itself first and always, and serves others only when doing so
promotes a greater ambition. In the corporate world, we hear the
ambitious called “ladder climbers.” In the world of the Church,
we say that ambitious clergy have “scarlet fever,” an unhealthy
desire for clerical promotion, a desire that runs roughshod over
their promise to serve. The disciples are laying out their ambition
for all to see. When Jesus sees it, he shows them a child and
admonishes them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my
name, receives me. . .”
You
don't have to be a theologian to see where some among the clergy went
wrong. Ambition for higher office breeds a lust for power and
influence. Power and influence breed deceit and manipulation. Deceit
and manipulation breed a need to control who knows what and when. And
so on and on and on. You end up mired in a morass of trading favors,
blackmail, extortion, and trying to silence whistle-blowers. Instead
of serving God's people to the limits of their gifts these men chose
to serve themselves and their deviant needs, leaving thousands
wounded and permanently scarred. And the subsequent cover-ups reveal
a whole new layer of ambition – the challenge to “get away with
it” and continue on like nothing at all has happened. Jealousy.
Selfish ambition. Disorder. Every foul practice. The rot is deep, but
it is not deeper than the reach of God's grace. The scandal casts a
huge shadow over the Church. But no shadow survives direct sunlight.
Ambition is a subspecies of Pride and the antidote to Pride is
humility – yours, mine, ours together as a witness to the might of
God's justice and His mercy.
The
most common question I get about this mess is: “Father, what can
the laity do?” Some want to withhold donations. Write letters.
Protest outside bishops' residences. I remind them that this is a
spiritual war not a political campaign. Spiritual wars are fought
with spiritual weapons: prayer and fasting. Growth in holiness.
Cultivating personal humility to oppose pride. Service to others in
the name of Christ. Worthy reception of the sacraments. Spiritual
wars are fought on many levels all at once: the cosmic level, the
national level, the diocesan and the parochial, and especially, the
personal level. When was your last visit to the confessional? Are you
reading your Bible? Praying the rosary? Fasting when you can? Doing
good works for the greater glory of God? Are you nurturing
self-righteous anger? A desire for vengeance? You are a member of the
Body of Christ, and the spiritual health of Christ's Body is measured
by the spiritual health of her members. What you can do for the
Church is to get well spiritually. Be a shining witness to the world
of exactly how powerful God's mercy really is. You can – through
your prayer and witness – stand against the darkness that threatens
to overwhelm many of our brothers and sisters in the Church. Receive
them as children of the Father. . .and receive Christ in turn.
Our
problems are far from over. And the Enemy is looking to recruit
complacent, despairing Catholics who can't see a way out. The way out
of this mess is to follow Christ. To Jerusalem and to the Cross. Yes,
there will be suffering and pain, but the Truth will set us free.
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