Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
If Saint Paul's brilliant mind were remembered for nothing else, this insight would make him remembered as the most important thinker in the history of the Church. But, of course, he is remembered for many other discoveries. The cross was a spade for him to dig into the Hebrew scriptures and tradition, and the wisdom of Greek philosophers.
This reading of the cross remains until the end of time as a challenge to the world and an invitation to the Church. Whenever we are tempted to buy into popular ideas, movements, or ideologies, God's foolishness calls us back to our sanity.
Power is dreadfully seductive, both to those who have it and those who don't. The wealthy cannot imagine life without it, the poor are enchanted with lifestyles of the rich and famous.
Saint Francis of Assisi, born to wealth with all its luxurious privileges, traumatized by war and imprisonment, and inspired by grace, suddenly saw the absurdity of power. Aspiring, grabbing, and clinging to it made no sense after what he had seen in battle and in a Perusian dungeon. Staring at the inevitability of death he pondered the same question people ask today, "Why shouldn't I kill myself?"
The cross taught him to live for God and for others; to aspire to the Greatest Commandment and its corollary. Living for himself, for his own pleasure and satisfaction, to suit his own purposes and satisfy his own desires: they tasted like ashes in his mouth. So much "rubbish," as Saint Paul called it.
Almost two millennia since Jesus's death and Saint Paul's insight we still see nations, institutions, people and individuals aspiring to wealth, security, and power. We're confronted today by the real possibility that half the world's wealth is owned by eight people. If this is true it defies every notion of common sense; it is so utterly absurd it must be true, at least to some peculiar way of thinking. Who could those unfortunate persons be and who gave them such a ridiculous position? What were we thinking when we let it happen?
The wisdom of the world leads to an ever increasing gap between the haves and have nots, the violence of universal poverty, and the global warming which signals the end of human life on Earth.
The cross and resurrection of Jesus call us to sanity. In the cross we find communion with God, others, self, and the Earth. In the resurrection we see that the sacrifices we make for one another, and our willingness to die to self, lead to peace, security, and contentment.
It's really not so hard since, "All things are possible with God."
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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.