Third Sunday of Easter

My sister Mary Lou
Teacher of the year! 

…conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning,

 realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct,
handed on by your ancestors,
not with perishable things like silver or gold
but with the precious blood of Christ
as of a spotless unblemished lamb.

Somewhere in the early days of my life, spiritually sensitive people realized Americans had a problem with self-worth. I don’t remember such anxiety in the 1950’s or 60’s but it appeared in force by the 1970’s.

In my own Franciscan community it emerged with the crisis of alcoholism. Too many of our friars had compromised their ministry, vocations and health with habitual and excessive use of alcohol. The cynicism of their illness affected the whole community and the Church. We will continue to pay the price of it for many years to come because the misuse of alcohol led inevitably to the horror of sexual crimes.

Confronting the epidemic, we realized many of these men did not consider themselves worth saving. For one thing it took too much effort to stop drinking. Their identity was enmeshed in alcohol; they feared losing their friends and family if they sobered up. And they had so much shame they could hardly bear to live without a narcotic of some sort.

Around the same time, America in general addressed the issue. The United States Postal Service offered one of the most enlightened and encouraging policies for helping their mail carriers return to useful, healthy living. Membership in Alcoholics Anonymous became acceptable and the 12-step program “went viral” as dozens of other 12-step programs appeared.

As often happens when American discover a spiritual crisis, the schools were directed to teach children self-esteem. Unfortunately that didn’t work out so well as their self-esteem was disconnected from achievement. Many students -- who could have done much better had they applied themselves -- received inflated grades despite their illiteracy. Kids gamed the system, as kids are wont to do, and got away with it; and the nation pays the cost.

The cure for poor self-esteem has little to do with how one thinks of himself. Rather, it begins in obedience to Christ, who has ransomed (us) from (our) futile conduct with his own precious blood.

Considering the One who lay down his life for his friends, and the nature of his death, we get some inkling of how precious we are in God’s sight, and how appalling our sins are. Healthy self-esteem lives in that mysterious zone between those two realizations. I have sinned so grievously that God surely owes me nothing. I have squandered my inheritance for a bowl of pottage. But God has given His Only Begotten Son that I might live. Though worthless in my own sight, I am worth everything in God’s sight. Though my sins are repulsive God finds me irresistable.

Niece Kayla and her old uncle priest

I have no choice but to conduct myself day by day with reverence for the self whom God so loves. I must be honest, courageous, cheerful and generous; I must shun like poison anything that might compromise my integrity, including those whom I once admired. I know how readily I might slip back into my old habits. The temptation is constant, the opportunities endless. But daily I will eat the flesh and drink the precious blood of Christ and I will walk in his way.