Friday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time

Luke 12: 54-59

Jesus said to the crowds,
“When you see a cloud rising in the west
you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does;
and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south
you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is.
You hypocrites!
You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

“Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the matter on the way;
otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge,
and the judge hand you over to the constable,
and the constable throw you into prison.
I say to you, you will not be released
until you have paid the last penny.”

First of all, I want to say that my reflections are personal reflections:  I do not speak for any religious denomination or any other religious organization, only myself.  My hope is that this reflection will be of some help to anyone who chooses to read it.

The two things that stand out to me about this passage are:  1) The people did not interpret their present situation correctly. 2) They did not think on their own about what was right.

What makes people—young people especially—act, dress, think, talk,  and recreate in a similar way?  Sometimes, it’s because a way of thinking or acting is a good and effective way to think or act, so people adopt the habits engendered by this way of thinking or acting.  Many times, however, people act, talk, or dress a certain way because that is what society has said is the best way to act, talk or dress.  People caught up in the way of the world do not see clearly that they are being moved by something that does not have their best interests in mind.

This was happening in Jesus’ time, but it related to how to worship and follow God.  The priests, Pharisees and Sadducees were the people to whom everyone looked, regarding questions of morality and religious observance.  No one questioned the religious authorities about the religious and moral rules they gave to the people.  Everyone thought that the priests and religious leaders knew best.

Along came Jesus, with a different message, a message that no one had heard before, a message that was different from the religious authorities.  His words and deeds were powerful, and his message was attractive, but what were people to do?  Jesus clearly was not a Pharisee or Sadducee, he was not a priest of the Temple, and he did not claim to be one.  In fact, he never claimed to be anything or anyone of importance.

Consequently, a tension began to build between the teachings and example of the Pharisee and the teaching and example of Jesus.  Again, what were people to do?  Jesus had the answer:  “Think for yourself; judge for yourself what is right, holy, and true.”  He chastised the people for being able to interpret the signs of the weather but not the religious and moral signs that were being presented by the Pharisees and Sadducees, on one hand, and Jesus, on the other.

Jesus asks us the same question today:  Are we going to think for ourselves, with the teachings and example of Jesus?  Are we going to just go with the group and not worry about whether or not we are growing closer to Jesus, whether or not we are trying to think with Jesus?

Now, more than ever, we need to ask ourselves this question and honestly try to see the answer:  to see where our blind spots are, where we do not see or hear Jesus.  Only then, with God’s grace, will we be able to move away from ways of acting and thinking that are not in line with Christ's call to us nor with his message of love and compassion.