Tag: Discernment

The Possessions Trap

In the Gospel According to Matthew there is a story about a religiously observant and law-abiding young man who spoke with Jesus about how to be better (Mt 19:16-24).
. . . Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.
   Notice that the rich young man “had many possessions,” not necessarily a lot of money—that’s why Jesus counseled him to sell off some of his possessions if he needed cash and give it to the poor.
   Notice, too, that he wasn’t necessarily being selfish or greedy about his possessions. It’s just that a lot of possessions requires a lot of attention and concern.
   Just take, for example, having a nice and relatively new car—it needs a lot of care and attention. Suppose you buy or rent a house or apartment; it requires a huge amount of attention and work—and maybe further expenditures—before you’re comfortably settled in.
   You know, I think it is often more the things that are cherished, vitally needed or not, or the matters that require our expending a lot of time and effort—and maybe cash, too—that have a hold on us (even though we presume that we have a hold on them!)
   Years ago, some of my friends collectively gave me a very nice gift for my fiftieth birthday: a computer and printer. Compared to now-a-days it was a big, awkward pile of bulky mechanisms and wiring with very limited computing power.

   But I was fascinated by computers and gave my new possession tons of attention—and this has never ended! Computers seem to be relatively short-lived, and new models and improvements seem never to cease being made available.
   I’m computer-knowledgeable, but I have expended—and still do—huge amounts of time and effort to resolve problems and keep up with changes and innovations.
   I’m not like the old Disney cartoon character “Scrooge McDuck”, rolling in delight in all his money, but taking care of things, devices, tools, and the like absorb a huge percentage of my time and effort, whether for others or myself.
   The point of this reminiscence is that it’s not so much cash and bank accounts that the Lord is warning about—it’s letting ourselves be so absorbed in the care of possessions, of things, of devices, of tools, even of careers that can make it hard to enter the kingdom of heaven.
   Curiously, it’s not so much quantity that matters. It’s possible to have more greed and possessiveness over one tiny little thing than some people have over great fortunes and possessions.
   I’ve always been fascinated by and attracted to St. Francis of Assisi. But it seems almost too easy to do something like divest oneself of all possessions and trust completely in the providence of God and the generosity of others.
   It’s hard to have many possessions and use them sensibly and generously, and it’s also hard to resist giving them undue attention. But, due care and usage of them may require more sacrifice than just giving them all up!


14 May 2023

The Long Road to Emmaus

Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. (Luke 24:13-16)
   It’s actually only a seven-mile walk, but sometimes I feel like I’ve been walking a road like this one for seven years or seventy years! In spite of knowing better, in spite of having heard all the facts and all the news, the good news, I still manage to walk along the long road of life at times deaf, dumb, blind, and stupid!
   I should know better, I really should, but feelings and distractions can sneak up on us and distract and even overwhelm us from time to time. Crazy, isn’t it? He’s ever walking with us, but we can be so caught up in our so many distractions and preoccupations that we barely notice, we forget what we should know better, and we wonder where He is.
   He’s with you, Dummy! Open your eyes and ears and heart—and really see!
   I remember a popular romantic song of Dinah Shore in 1944, “I’ll Walk Alone”, especially the verse, “…to tell you the truth, I’ll be lonely…”
   Walking along the road of life, we are never walking alone, although we may feel like we are. The Lord is always with us whether we remember it or not!
   How can that be? Never mind, you don’t have to know how or why; you just have to remember and know that it’s true!
   Faith isn’t fantasy or make believe—it’s truth, even though it may seem hard to believe and can be hard to keep in mind and follow. It’s trusting what has been handed down and entrusted to us—even though it may seem to be naiveté to some others.

   “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden” is the title of 1964 book and a 1977 movie based on it. That would make good title for a story about each us as we travel along the long road of our lives.
   A rose garden sounds like a very promising destination, even though the beautiful flowers are surrounded by thorns! In a way that’s what makes the simile so accurate—there are obstacles and thorns along the way of everyone’s life.
   Each of our roads has its challenges and difficulties, and the way is often hard, even painful. But, it’s worth it, even worth dying for it.
   Remember, Jesus taught the crowd and his disciples:
   Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? (Mark 8:34-37)
   To succeed in anything requires dedication, practice, and hard work. Think of making the team in school, getting a degree from college, winning a medal in the Olympics, making a lot of money in a job, being elected to high office—whatever the achievement, it has its costs and its sacrifices.
   No wonder that eternal life has its demands and costs, or that they may exceed any and every other price you have ever paid before.
   Remember, the Lord also said:
   This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:12-14)




23 April 2023

How’s Your Day?

Your every day has its beginning, when you wake up, and its end, when you fall asleep. So it is with life itself—its awakening is birth, and its falling asleep is death.
   So, in that sense, how’s your day? How’s it going? What stage are you at? What’s the weather like? Are you comfortable? Are you full of pep and energy? Are you exhausted, worn out, or discouraged. Are you so tired you want to go back to bed?
   Were life but one day, what time is it for you now? Daybreak? Early morning? Mid-day? Late afternoon? Evening? Night fall?
   You can’t answer all these questions, nor can I, since we don’t know what the day has in store for us nor how long it will last.
   Speaking for myself, I think it’s probably later than Evening, probably Night fall. I’m slowing down, in need of rest, and things don’t seem so very clear anymore as the day darkens.
   As I get older, many a night I’m fighting against falling sleep, less attentive to what I’m watching on television or reading. Strange behavior, no? Why not embrace the chance to rest and relax instead of resisting; why not trust God’s love and providence?
   It’s not that I’m afraid that my day is over—even though my behavior may seem to give the contrary impression. And, I really have no clear idea whether my day is done or whether the Lord has some night work for me.
   Life’s like that. Even slowing down, you never know how much more is still in store for you nor when the day will end.
   Anyway, as Shakespeare put it, we strut and fret our hour upon the stage, until we are heard no more.
   Truly, we each have a part to play in the plan of God, although we may hardly ever think of it or realize it. It’s only were we to see the whole work complete that we could see where and how we fit into the great design that includes all things and all of us.

   Longevity should not be our goal, and it is no guarantee of our successful development or contribution.
   Jesus was crucified in the late morning, barely mid-day, of his life—yet even so, he lived long enough to change the world forever.
   If we seek to be counted among his good followers and disciples our life may be rich, complex, and long or as brief as that of Jesus or even shorter.
   No matter! Length of time is not the main point. Your day may be relatively brief, but that’s all the service asked of you. And, even if the day seems long, hard, and maybe fruitless, so be it.
   The “well-done, good and faithful” servant, may have a short span of life or long. It matters not, only that “Thy will be done,”
   So, how’s your day? It’s a tough question to answer, for the day is still not over.
   So far, so good?
   Muddled and difficult to decide?
   Confused and confusing?
   Clear or clouded over?
   Satisfying or frustrating?
   Wonderful, beyond understanding?
   Too long or too short?
   You know, we don’t know and can’t know the final answers to these questions. We can’t accurately assess our lives while we are so busy living them. Our greatest achievement may have slipped by relatively unnoticed—or its day has not yet come.
   Not being God has serious disadvantages and limitations—but if we at least purr in his presence or wag our tail for joy while seeking to follow him wherever he leads us, we might just possibly, unlikely and difficult though it may seem, have a great day!


26 March 2023

Fool of a Tool

   “When did you arrive?”
   “I flew in yesterday.”
   No, you didn’t exactly fly in yesterday. You traveled on an airplane that arrived yesterday.
   If a bird could talk, it might well say, and exactly say, “I flew in yesterday.”
   If an elevator cab could talk, it might well say, “I carried five people up six floors.” But it didn’t actually. The elevator cab itself was lifted up six floors along with the five people in it.
   A pen in a museum might boast that “I signed the Declaration of Independence.” No, dear pen, you were but the tool in the hand of the person signing.
   A nail might claim credit for holding up the picture on the wall. But, actually it was driven into place with someone with a hammer. It has a function, but it needs to be empowered to function by the one hammering—and, of course, sustained by the wall, too.
   What right does the projector have to boast that “I entertained. I showed the movie”?
   Can the stove claim credit for cooking the dinner? Should the piano pride itself on the music you played on it?
   Is the family doctor the reason for the health of the family? Is the pastor the reason for the saint in his congregation? Should a president claim credit for the well-being of the country?
   One could go on and on with similar examples. The point is that having a role to play, large or small, is not the same as being responsible for the success or failure of the entire enterprise or construction.
   But, to be perfectly honest, that’s not what usually happens. Whether it’s delusion, vanity, outright deceit, or naïve ignorance, usually the leader claims credit for the victories and successes and attributes the failures to other people or things.

   It’s odd, we’re much more likely to say “The devil made me do it!” then “God made me do it”. Which, implicitly, is sort of attributing more power and influence over the course of our lives to the devil!
   Hell, no! That’s not the way our lives are supposed to be lived.
   Should the screw be claiming credit when it was the screwdriver that drove it in—or the screwdriver be claiming credit when it was worker who was wielding it? (Or the worker be claiming credit who really was empowered by God!)
   Shakespeare has Macbeth give a bleak sort of answer to this type of questions, more or less giving credit to none:
   Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
   That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
   And then is heard no more. It is a tale,
   Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
   Signifying nothing.”
   David, in Psalm 138, has a better, more true response:
   I thank you, Lord, with all my heart;
      in the presence of the angels to you I sing….
   Though I walk in the midst of dangers,
      you guard my life when my enemies rage.
   You stretch out your hand;
      your right hand saves me.
   The Lord is with me to the end.
      Lord, your mercy endures forever.
      Never forsake the work of your hands!
   Tools can’t claim all credit for what a higher power achieves, using them.
   Don’t be fool and forget that you’re a tool in the hands of God!


19 March 2023

No Strings Attached

“No strings attached” means without limiting conditions or restrictions. For example, I loan you some money without setting a deadline for paying me back. Or, for example, I agree to overlook something negative that you did, without requiring that certain other positive things be done.
   If you’re tried in a court of law, you’re adjudged “Guilty” or “Not Guilty”. And, if you’re adjudged “Guilty”, there probably will be certain conditions or restrictions placed on you. In the worst-case scenario, you could be sentenced to death, long-term imprisonment, or severe fines and other penalties.
   When Jesus was being crucified, as they were nailing him to the cross, he prayed “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do!” (Luke 23:34)
   What do you think of Jesus’ decision? Naïve? Lacking in experienced judgement? Unsophisticated? Simplistic? Credulous? Dumb?
   No, you probably wouldn’t dream of using words like that in reference to Jesus’ behavior. But, in practice, you also probably wouldn’t be so generous in forgiving as was Jesus, were you in a similar situation.
   You doubt it? Well, just think of the Gospel story of the return of the prodigal son or, as it is often called, the parable of the lost son. (Luke 15: 11-32)
   What do you think of the Father’s decision? Naïve? Simplistic?
   What do you think of the older son’s reaction to the situation? Just? Balanced? More thought out? Reasonable?
   It’s reasonable to take cognizance of someone’s history of behavior when making a decision. However there is a huge difference between a reasonable legal judgement and an act of forgiveness.
   You might say it’s the difference between law and love, especially between the law of God and the love of God.

   Paradoxically, the law of God is love! And, love can defy logic, prudence, and practice! Love isn’t naïve or simplistic; it’s not something earned or merited; it’s a grace, a gift—by its nature not deserved.
   Mercy, pardon, forgiveness, forgetting by their very nature have “no strings attached”. They are gifts freely given, unconditional.
   If abused, it is against their nature to be withdrawn—but they may not be repeated!
   What is the best course of action if someone who has ignored your advice, squandered your hard-earned money, and has been out of touch for a long, long time suddenly reappears, appears to be contrite, and asks for forgiveness and to be reinstated in your good graces.
   Before you act or respond, first ask yourself are you thinking of yesterday’s person or today’s person? Are you thinking of the person who was or the person who is? To be alive means that we are constantly changing, that we are ever developing.
   Today’s person is not one hundred percent yesterday’s person—maybe better, maybe worse—but never exactly the same!
   In a court of law, what is being ascertained is always about yesterday’s person, about what that person actually said and did.
   Jesus wasn’t—and isn’t—so interested in what each person was before. His boundless mercy is rooted in his concern for what each person is right now, today, not yesterday.
   Thanks be to God that our final encounter with him, our “last judgement”, will not be a measure of our yesterdays, just of the still existing, ever-changing person that we are at that moment of encounter—in other words an experience of mercy and of love!
   No strings attached!



12 March 2023

Perfection

“Perfect” is an adjective with a wide variety of usages. For example, it can mean,
 – conforming absolutely to the description or definition of an ideal type,
 – excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement,
 – exactly fitting the need in a certain situation or for a certain purpose,
 – entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings,
 – accurate, exact, or correct in every detail.
   There’s an old joke about two children, one incorrigibly pessimistic and the other incorrigibly optimistic. One Christmas their loving parents tried hard to break them of their habits.
   The parents filled one room with a magnificent Christmas tree, beautifully decorated, surrounded by a huge quantity of gifts. They invited the pessimist to open the door. He did and then burst into tears. “Look at the angel figure atop the tree,” he cried, “it’s crooked!”
   They prepared another room for the optimistic brother. He opened the door, saw nothing but straw and manure all over the floor, and clapped his hands with delight, saying, “Where’s the pony?”
   No human construction, situation, assessment, or communication is 100%, absolutely perfect and beyond improvement. (Remember, we’re not the Creator, only his creations.)
   No matter what we attempt and try to do and achieve, there will always be pessimists who will call attention to our flaws, limitations, or incompleteness. And, conversely, there will always be optimists celebrating our assistance, successes, and achievements.
   God made us, limited creatures that we are, and loves us in our struggle to celebrate and use the gifts he gives us and to overcome our imperfections and failures.

   There are no perfect people—not even among canonized saints! We all have limitations, flaws, and failings. We all make misjudgments and mistakes and “sin”.
   It doesn’t necessarily mean that we are profoundly flawed—only less than perfect.
   If our lives are to be thoroughly examined, measured, and adjudged, there will be, in retrospect, imperfections and regrettable moments—words, deeds, or actions.
   Since we’re limited, a critic can always find grounds for criticism. Generous school teachers to the contrary, we actually never really merit 100%—but, even so, there are huge differences, for instance, among grades of 95% (very, very good), 75% (not too bad), or 50% (seriously needing attention and improvement).
   This doesn’t mean that we should stop striving for perfection, only that we should do so realizing that it is absolutely totally unattainable.
   It also means, though, that we should stop wallowing in our inevitable failures or bewailing our imperfections. It’s okay to dream the impossible dream, but only if we don’t forget that it’s the impossible dream! (No 100%!)
   It’s also okay—and appropriate—to be realistic about our successes and failures, for we necessarily have both.
   If you’re inclined to be overly pessimistic about your life, remember that total perfection is impossible for you—but, also, with the help of God you can do, and probably have done, many good and wonderful things for many others.
   If you’re inclined to be overly optimistic, remember that only by God’s grace have you achieved all that you have achieved!




26 February 2023

Shout with Joy

Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth;
   break into song; sing praise.
Sing praise to the LORD with the lyre,
   with the lyre and melodious song. With trumpets and the sound of the horn
   shout with joy to the King, the LORD.

Let the sea and what fills it resound,
   the world and those who dwell there. Let the rivers clap their hands,
   the mountains shout with them for joy,
Before the LORD who comes,
   who comes to govern the earth,
To govern the world with justice
   and the peoples with fairness.
(Psalm 98:4-9)

   In 1719, Isaac Watts, an English Congregational minister and hymn writer, inspired by this psalm, composed “Joy to the World”, the now well-known Christmas Carol.
   C.S. Lewis, speaking of joy, said, “Joy…must be sharply distinguished both from Happiness and Pleasure. Joy…has indeed one characteristic, and one only, in common with them; the fact that anyone who has experienced it will want it again… I doubt whether anyone who has tasted it would ever, if both were in his power, exchange it for all the pleasures in the world.”
   The modern world, with all its innovations, diversions, and pleasures, seems strangely joyless.
   St. Luke tells us in his Gospel story of the nativity of Jesus that the angels told the shepherds, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord…”
   Please note, not good news of great happiness nor good news of great pleasure, but good news of great joy!

   Curiously, joy can coexist with pain, with fatigue, with confusion, with difficulties, with fear, with rejection, even with suffering and with death.
   The angels’ good news of great joy was for all people, not just for Mary and Joseph, for the shepherds, for the wise men (Magi), for the children of Israel, for the future followers of the newly born child.
   It still remains good news of great joy for you, for me, for everyone. But, again, it is good news of great joy, not necessarily of great pleasure, happiness, contentment, ease, or satisfaction.
   Joy is something stronger, deeper, more powerful, more lasting. If you’ve ever tasted it, you know what I mean; if you never have, it’s a word that refers to your deepest hunger, yearning, and life search.
   I’m no expert on joy.
   I’ve had moments of indescribable feelings of joy in my life, but not often. I also have had, in spite of so many things to the contrary, a sort of deep strength and fundamental contentment about my life in spite of its many challenges, failures, and successes. This, too, is a kind of joy.
   The message of the angels is still a powerful pointer for each of our lives. Don’t forget it and don’t fear it. But, it’s not a recipe for happiness and pleasure; it probably won’t resolve or respond to your every question, doubt, fear, or yearning.
   Remember, Jesus was born in a stable, far from home, and when he was still only a few days old his parents had to flee with him to a foreign country (Egypt) to escape his certain death.
   In the midst of life’s worst challenges, you too can have and be strengthened by joy!




5 February 2023

Distilling Truth

Distilling is the process of vaporizing and subsequently condensing a liguid for the purpose of purifying (or concentrating) it. Distilling is commonly associated with the preparation of alcoholic beverages.
   However, the word can also be used to refer to extracting the essential elements of anything or, conversely, to purifying or concentrating that thing.
   In this broad sense, distilling can be used to describe a process of writing an accurate and meaningful book of history or of giving an accurate and meaningful summary of processes of scientific experimentation.
   It’s a necessary process in many situations, so that the essential and primary that the writer or speaker wishes to communicate isn’t lost in a sea of detail.
   In one sense or another, distilling is important, useful, or even necessary.
   An important area where distilling is necessary—besides for the production of a good whiskey—is in interpreting the meaning and purposes of the statements, actions, or behaviors of others both previously or currently.
   This could relate to anything from cases being adjudged in a court of law to the teachings of a professor in a university or even the preaching of the Gospel in a church on Sunday.
   This also could relate to the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court or the teachings of the Church.
   When Pope John XXIII announced the calling of an Ecumenical Council, known to us as Vatican II, he used a metaphor of cleansing of a work of art. He said the Church is like a famous and beautiful painting that has become obscured and darkened over the centuries and which needs to be carefully and delicately restored to its original beauty.
   In a way, that’s a sort of process of distilling, too.

   The cleansing of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was another challenging experience. It revealed that a lot of relatively darker colors were originally not like that at all—they were just right colors covered with the grime of centuries.
   In a sense, you could almost call that a distilling process, too, since it involved removing the accumulated unessential and unoriginal things from the chapel ceiling while leaving the original work of the artist.
   When it comes to the teachings of the Church and the practices of the faith, the need for a process of cleansing and restoring, of removing the acquired and obscuring non-essential elements, of distilling is always vitally necessary!
  When we study the books of the Bible, we realize that a similar process was going on. Often later books emphasized and elaborated some teachings that were deemed essential, while ignoring or paying slight attention to others in earlier books that were very important to their writer.
   As the centuries pass and our scholarship develops we are, so to speak, distilling the essential elements of our faith and our understanding of the actions of God.
   And, and this is the most challenging aspect of our faith and religious practices, the “distilling” process never ends.
   It’s okay to enjoy a beverage, even though another version of it may be better distilled—i.e., stronger and with fewer unessential (and distracting) elements.
   Distillation, renovation, growth, discernment, or any process of positive development is a striving to get to the essential and not be distracted by the unessential.




29 January 2023

They Did Not Remember

How often they defied him in the wilderness
   and caused him pain in the desert!
Yet again they put God to the test
   and grieved the Holy One of Israel.
They did not remember his deeds
   nor the day he saved them from the foe;
(Psalm 78:40-42)

   Often among the psalms there are short references or even long lists, like this one, of the deeds and powerful interventions of God on behalf of his chosen people—deeds which seem to have been forgotten among the discouragements, dangers, and even despair of later years.
   The psalmist bewails their feeble and forgetful faith; his regret is that they don’t remember the so many interventions of God and his guidance in their lives.
   Be careful! It’s not just a criticism of ancient Israelites—it’s also a criticism of the feeble and forgetful faith of you and me!
   This long, lengthy psalm, and others like it, are powerful reminders of the continued interventions and guidance of God in the history of his people.
   Oh, how we forgetful ones need someone or something like the psalmist to remind us of the so many interventions of God in our own lives.
   What’s wrong with you and me that we so easily forget or fail to recognize the so many extraordinary, unexpected, and powerful acts of God in our lives?
   Oh, Lord, forgive me for not remembering!
   As I write this, certain half-forgotten memories are coming back to me, and I’m ashamed to admit how forgotten I let them become.
   These moments and experiences may have altered the course of our lives and led to significant decisions. How could we forget!
   It’s not some small thing that slips from our memories—it’s the direct actions of God in our lives!

   Martin Luther King used to say, “I’ve been up the mountain!” It’s a reference, of course, to Moses’s experience of God on Mt. Sinai.
   Moses never forgot his experience of God, nor did Dr. King—nor should we. We’re meant to remember such things for the rest of our lives, and it’s not for God to constantly remind us.
   We shouldn’t live in the past, but it’s vital that we remember the past key interventions or manifestations of God in our lives—and we have all had them, even if we failed to recognize them for what they were and are.
   From time to time, we need to stop wrestling with our lives, stop allowing its daily diet of distractions and duties to overwhelm us, and, worst of all, stop forgetting what God has done for us.
   If you wonder whether or what God has done for you that you should remember, for starters, think about some basic things like:
   Why am I?
   How is it that I even exist?
   What’s my purpose?
   How have I survived life’s vicissitudes of live?
   Am I grateful for my survival or entrapped by my past?
   Why am I still here?
   Do I dwell more on God’s blessings in my life or my failures?
   Do I celebrate the saving interventions of God instead of blaming others for, or brooding over, my regrets and failures?
   What can I do to compensate for my imprudent and unsuccessful decisions?
   Do I entrust every day and thing to God?
   No matter what, don’t fail to remember!


15 January 2023

Actor vs. Spectator

Is it something like Do or Don’t?
   I mean, some people’s lives are busy with living, loving, helping, working, making, or building and others are busy at waiting, watching, judging, applauding, or criticizing.
   Alas, busy doesn’t necessarily mean good. There are busy people whose lives are all about lying, cheating, hurting, harming, or taking advantage of others.
   There are some people who tend to be imaginative, creative, or unconventional, but lead, while others may be inclined to react, praise, or criticize, but follow.
   Some people say all the right things, but don’t necessarily do all the right things. Vice-versa, other people don’t say much or even seem to get it wrong when they do, but are always doing good, helping others, or trying to do what’s right.
   Similarly, there are people highly active and very busy at doing selfish things even harmful to others, while saying all the right things and professing values that they do not put into practice.
   Which is better? To be totally a spectator of life or to be an actor, a player? And, what of bad actors and bad players—are they better than spectators of life or worse?
   In many ways, our culture is filled with “spectator sports”. When we listen to or watch the “news” on radio or television, we are overwhelmed with scattered facts and an abundance of opinion and judgements.
   What are we, sometimes, but no more than spectators of other spectators?
   We may argue about the merits of political, religious, or other popular leaders and their proposals and deeds, but we rarely move from “spectator” to “actor”—that is, we rarely do much more that argue about the relative merits of what other people do!
   Did you ever wonder how could people once cheer to see wild animals tear apart innocent people in the colosseum? Be careful, we have our modern equivalents!

   Better to have fought and lost than not to have fought at all! Better to have tried and failed than not to have tried at all! Better to have lived and died than not to have lived at all! But, of course, it’s far better to win, succeed, and live.
   It’s curious, but actually no one is a player or even a spectator all by themselves. Player usually presumes a team, others who assist at the moment of play or before it and whose experience is valuable. Spectators, too, are affected and at times guided by others. Think of how many times you were guided by another’s “Look at that!”
   In a way, all this is not so very different from a warning and counsel Jesus gave to his followers and disciples:
   “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Mathew 7:21)
   You may decide to follow Jesus, “no turning back, no turning back,” but it’s not merely a matter of words, of saying, affirming, or advising the “right” things—it’s a matter of doing them.
   Actions speak louder than words!
   Are you afraid to make a choice and implement it because you’re not sure you’ve gotten it just right, because you’re afraid of making a mistake?
   Welcome to the human race! We’re all like that! They may call you a “perfectionist,” but that’s not what human beings are, even though they may aspire to be one.
   Only by the grace and help of God can we approach and do our best to do the right thing, the good thing, the holy thing—and with God’s help we may get close to getting it right. By ourselves, alone, no way!


4 December 2022