Lectionary: 186
He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.”
Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
The Lord, when he spoke of John the Baptist, might have been speaking also of Saint John of the Cross, "(they) did to him whatever they pleased."
The Spaniard Saint John was kidnapped by some of his own Carmelite brothers and held prisoner for several months while his friend Saint Theresa of Avila and others frantically looked for him. He was kept in solitary confinement and roughly treated, but his greatest concern was his fear that his friends might think he had gone over to the other side.
It seems, when the Church cannot find someone else to persecute our saints, we'll do it ourselves -- as was the case with Saint Joan of Arc, Saint Joseph of Cupertino and Saint John of the Cross.
Herod Antipas, like his uncle, King Herod the Great, had little respect for religion but was just hypocritical enough to imprison John without outright murder, until his hand was forced by his wife and a little girl.
Christians in America thank God our culture is not so violent or cynical as to openly persecute religion. Nor is it so pious as to embrace us. We find ourselves hoping we can bring our values to our fellow citizens -- our respect for the unborn, the sick and the elderly, our reverence for imprisoned human beings, our preference for negotiation with enemies, our championing of the poor, minorities and the disenfranchised, our devout reverence for holy days, persons and object, our strict definition of marriage, and so forth -- without incurring the wrath of the ungodly.
We treasure our religious freedom and insist it is more than just a pious observance of Sunday morning. We must feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, defend the unborn, protect the elderly and so forth. Not to do so is ungodly. A government that restricts our charitable ministries unwittingly restricts our religious freedom.
Nor can we violate one principle to serve another, as the Obama administration has insisted. They would have us sponsor abortions and other unethical reproductive practices through employer-provided insurance. Every one should have insurance but we cannot pay for violence against the unborn.
So we negotiate. We must deal with the government in good faith, as Cardinal Wojtyła dealt with the Polish Communist, and Pope Francis deals with the Chinese government. We hope city, state and federal governments respect our freedom of religion and their own foundations in godliness as we serve the needs of everyone.
Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
The Lord, when he spoke of John the Baptist, might have been speaking also of Saint John of the Cross, "(they) did to him whatever they pleased."
The Spaniard Saint John was kidnapped by some of his own Carmelite brothers and held prisoner for several months while his friend Saint Theresa of Avila and others frantically looked for him. He was kept in solitary confinement and roughly treated, but his greatest concern was his fear that his friends might think he had gone over to the other side.
It seems, when the Church cannot find someone else to persecute our saints, we'll do it ourselves -- as was the case with Saint Joan of Arc, Saint Joseph of Cupertino and Saint John of the Cross.
Herod Antipas, like his uncle, King Herod the Great, had little respect for religion but was just hypocritical enough to imprison John without outright murder, until his hand was forced by his wife and a little girl.
Christians in America thank God our culture is not so violent or cynical as to openly persecute religion. Nor is it so pious as to embrace us. We find ourselves hoping we can bring our values to our fellow citizens -- our respect for the unborn, the sick and the elderly, our reverence for imprisoned human beings, our preference for negotiation with enemies, our championing of the poor, minorities and the disenfranchised, our devout reverence for holy days, persons and object, our strict definition of marriage, and so forth -- without incurring the wrath of the ungodly.
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| Winter hoarfrost on the field |
We treasure our religious freedom and insist it is more than just a pious observance of Sunday morning. We must feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, defend the unborn, protect the elderly and so forth. Not to do so is ungodly. A government that restricts our charitable ministries unwittingly restricts our religious freedom.
Nor can we violate one principle to serve another, as the Obama administration has insisted. They would have us sponsor abortions and other unethical reproductive practices through employer-provided insurance. Every one should have insurance but we cannot pay for violence against the unborn.
So we negotiate. We must deal with the government in good faith, as Cardinal Wojtyła dealt with the Polish Communist, and Pope Francis deals with the Chinese government. We hope city, state and federal governments respect our freedom of religion and their own foundations in godliness as we serve the needs of everyone.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.