Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
“Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him.”
I have encountered duplicity and were someone to accuse me of it, they would not be far wrong. But as one living in the heart of the Church, I have lived most of my life with people who trusted others and proved themselves trustworthy. We have worked together in parishes and retreat houses, and in a host of other ministries. I hope that, in the end, I will be judged as one worthy to belong to this communion.
The Spirit revealed to Jesus Bartholomew, known also as Nathaniel, an honest man without duplicity, . They were immediately drawn to one another as like-minded individuals. Seeing one another, both men took only a moment to determine, "He's one of us."
I see that belonging when I attend gatherings of Catholics and Christians: Knights of Columbus, Ladies' Guilds, Franciscan tertiaries, Ministerial Alliances of Catholic and Protestant leaders, and so forth. There may be misunderstandings; they're inevitable. But there is little duplicity.
People expect honesty when they attend a church and they generally find it. That's why the pedophilia scandal was so profoundly disturbing. There are wolves in sheep's clothing and we are particularly vulnerable to their perfidy. We don't expect it; we don't know what to make of it; we're often blind to what is patently obvious. We might, to paraphrase Groucho Marx, believe what they tell us rather than what we see with our own eyes.
In the last twenty to thirty years I have attended innumerable workshops and training sessions. They warned me to behave myself, and then to suspect trouble when there is trouble. I am willing to do both.
But I am also willing to cultivate that lack of duplicity, that gullibility that Jesus found in Nathaniel. I don't get all the double intendres because I don't want to. Yes, I heard it, but I don't think it's funny. If I were fifteen I'd think it's hysterical, but I haven't been fifteen since a very long time.
Saint Paul urged his Christians in Corinth to eschew the wisdom of the wise and learn the foolishness of God. Today's patron saint was born with that native wisdom; it came to him by his Jewish ancestry and tradition -- both nature and nurture -- and we should ask God for a double measure of his spirit in these duplicitous times.
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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.