Thoughts on a Thursday

There is a lot of talk in our world about doing what Jesus tells us to, a lot of influence to be obedient to the Gospel and to live a holy life. As for me, I tend to be leery of a lot of this talk, but hey- that’s just me. Oh I get the obedience thing, but don’t ask me about obedience, unless you want some etymology – after all, the word is based on deep listening, not simply following marching orders.

Today’s Gospel from Luke  really caught my ear, well my eye, because I read it, I did not hear it. Did you read or hear it today? If not, allow me to reprint some of it right here:

But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same.

If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit [is] that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful.

Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven .Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.

Where do we begin with this Gospel?

I don’t know about you, but I find myself directly confronted with a lot of straight talk from Jesus that I am ill prepared to follow. Oh, trust me – I want to follow it, but that is no easy task, or single destination journey. It is exhausting and daunting to even think about all of this.

We are in the midst of a particularly ugly-and-getting-uglier political season, filled with more toxic doses of vitriol and lies than I have ever seen before. And yet, what candidate does not profess his or her love of Jesus?  Can we assess either one of them then, with these standards?

Let’s forget the politics though, and go back to our own journeys? How do we do this? How can we ever do these things?  This example of Bl. John Paul II with the man who tried to assassinate him is always moving to me, and a real image of love in action.

Trust me, I want to do them. But most of the time… I simply cannot.  For the moment, and forever I hope, I will not stop trying. For me, that is the deep listening of obedience, one tiny step at a time.

How about you?

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