The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"
Jesus said to them in reply, "Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners."
A friend of mine asked me recently, "Why doesn't the Church excommunicate those Catholic politicians who vote for abortion?"
It's a dilemma. The Church unequivocally rejects abortion as a method of birth control. We support the right of the unborn to live even when they are clearly incapable of surviving after birth.
My answer seemed to satisfy him, "If we start to use excommunication to purify the Church there might no end of it."
The gospels faithfully record Jesus' blessings and curses. He guides his disciples with promises and warnings. Neither should be regarded as idle words. The Lord surely will save his faithful people as he promises. We may be less eager to see the hammer of justice fall on the wicked -- some of them are our own children -- but we know that the consequences of bad behavior are often devastating.
I have often heard alcoholics complain about God's apparent absence. I can't imagine what they expect but they usually overlook overwhelming graces. Hangovers do that to people.
If we pay attention to Jesus' words -- as we should -- we pay more attention to his behavior. Even his enemies noticed how he ate and drank with tax collectors and sinners. He was not a difficult man to be around. People flocked to him and stayed with him. If they came to receive a healing they stayed to receive his presence.
As we enter this penitential season we make a point of judging ourselves and not our companions. Not even the companions who join us at the altar. My alcoholic friends don't hesitate to tell me what an unsavory bunch we are. "You're all hypocrites!" I am told.
Of course! But they love the Lord.
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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.