A Reflection for Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Extraordinary Time
“The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the identical; but yours eat and drink.” (Lk 5:33)
Pope Francis has gifted us with many memorable words and actions throughout his pontificate. I often consider a few of the first ones he wrote, in “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”). Speaking about evangelization, he says that a Christian “mustn’t ever seem like someone who has just come back from a funeral!”
These words mirror the words of Jesus in today’s Gospel reading, when he’s asked by those fun-hating Pharisees why his disciples are all the time having such a great time. “This whole religion thing is serious stuff!” they appear to be saying.
Jesus, I’m sure, quite agrees concerning the seriousness of faith, but as he often does, he turns criticism on its head. Celebration is certainly one of the ways wherein we take God seriously. “Are you able to make the marriage guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?” If the Pharisees had eyes to see the fact in front of them, they might join the celebration. What a joy it’s to be within the presence of Jesus!
I persuade myself that faith is a person, private matter that’s “too serious” to be shared joyfully. I struggle to live a straightforward, comfortable Christianity that’s shared with others.
This temptation to live a “post-funeral” Christianity still lives on today. I feel it in my very own struggle to specific my faith; I persuade myself that faith is a person, private matter that’s “too serious” to be shared joyfully. I struggle to live a straightforward, comfortable Christianity that’s shared with others.
Our church also struggles with this in our liturgy. Definitely most Catholics in america have attended a Mass that may as well have been a funeral! As people whisper the responses and check their watches after eight minutes of the homily, it mustn’t be much of a surprise when some people don’t need to come back back. A lot of these problems are particularly difficult for a predominantly white, Eurocentric brand of Catholicism, which is my primary experience of the liturgy.
Fortunately we do have examples of this comfortable, celebratory Christianity to which we are able to search for inspiration. Just last weekend I attended a Spanish Mass in Latest York City that was radiant with life. I do know individuals who, moved by a joy-filled faith, have formed real friendships with people living on the streets. We will think of oldsters who someway manage a smile and a friendly hello as they drag their children to church. We will learn from these expressions of religion.
For Jesus, celebration just isn’t an optional a part of being his disciple. It’s a natural response to the enjoyment we feel walking alongside him every day. May we’ve got the grace to eat and drink while he’s with us.
