Vicarious Compassion

8.2.20 Gospel (MT 14: 13-21)

After reading this account, “Can you feel the exhaustion of Jesus?”  All he wanted to do was retreat to a quite place for prayer and rest.  But the crowds needed him and rather than refuse them, Jesus experienced what I will call “vicarious compassion” for the people.  I believe it was more empathy than compassion.  We repeatedly witness Jesus, throughout His ministry, putting himself before others - even when he was totally spent.  One should understand that sympathy & empathy are different.  Sympathy defined as “harmony between two parties based on common feelings, whereas empathy is putting oneself in the emotional shoes of another person and connecting with that individual’s deep feelings.  Jesus could not disregard the crowd’s desire to be healed and to know the Father more intimately.  They were hungry and would not be turned away, so He blesses the five loaves & two fish feeds over 5000 followers.

After this miracle, the Galileans wanted to forcefully take Jesus to Jerusalem & proclaim him as their leader.  They wanted a worldly king defined upon contemporary rules. Jesus would not have any of this because He was not the typical prototype of a king reigning with armies and who used intimidation to reign.  Jesus introduced a new kingship.  One filled with meekness & modesty in heart, a gentle man & humble king. This caused much confusion for those who lived then.  Fast forward over 2000 years later & we witness the same bewilderment today.  We are seeking the return of the Messiah who will reign like Jesus did when he walked among us.  I predict many will bow down and worship.  Massive conversions are on the horizon.

Scripture is clear when speaking to us.  One will arise who will claim to be savior.  That person will perform many miracles, possess the ability to mysteriously stop wars and miraculously feed the masses. This person will play a pivotal role in prophecy for “This is the deceiver and Anti-Christ)  

(2 John 7).  Let us get back to the basics of faith, acts of compassion, deeds of mercy, celebration in the Holy Eucharist & a relationship with Our Lady.  These are the weapons needed to avoid being duped by the false prophet. We are the sheep who are easily led astray; yet who know the voice of the shepherd. 

There is a growing lack of empathy in our world that appears to be growing.  Indifference, apathy, and self-serving attitudes are compromising our environment, governments & relationships.  There is a force at work seeking to divide rather than unite; a force that cannot be defeated without God.  This force is staving us rather than feeding us with the spiritual food of righteousness & truth. 

The only response to this attack is returning to or maintaining a daily relationship with God.  A relationship that will give you the ammunition Jesus used to defeat the Evil One.  A response that with offer you a vicarious compassion that will lead you home.  The Pilgrim.

Montauk Fishing

 I can remember the first time I went fishing. It was a summer vacation out in Montauk, Long Island. It was an adventure to say the least. Four of my brothers, my sister and my dad standing on a pier overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It truly was a beautiful scenic view. I thought by casting my fishing line in the water the fish would come swimming over. I was wrong! I threw my fishing-line out hundreds of times. Waiting for the Big catch. I was bored, cranky and not liking the sport of fishing. Then it happened, the line had a strong pull with the red bob going under the water. I had my first fish.

Today in the Gospel of Matthew, (11:25) we see a number of parables concerning the Kingdom of Heaven- the hidden treasure, the pearl of great value found by an enterprising merchant, the great net thrown into the sea which brings in all kinds of fish, some good and others bad. The fishermen throw the good fish into the boat. The bad fish are discarded into the sea.

The net thrown into the sea is an image of the Church which holds the just and the sinners. Jesus teaches us this same idea on other occasions. His Church contains saints as well as sinners, his friends and those who abandon the Father. Yet all belong to the Church, though in different ways.

The excitement of my first catch was something I would never forget. My brothers came running over to help with this “mammoth” fish. One of my brothers said:” I hope it’s not a shark!” The moment of truth came when I saw a fluke fish at the end of my line. The excitement was over when I touched the fish to take the hook out his mouth. Safe to say, I’m not a fisherman. I threw the fish back into the water.

God calls all of us to be a part of his Church. Many times we feel unworthy to “follow” God. It’s Jesus who is the Master fishermen in our lives. The bait God lures us is the Eucharist, Sacraments and the hope of eternal life. Jesus states in John(10:27-28)”My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and they shall never perish.”

God never abandons us. He will never throw us away like bad fish. God calls the qualified, He qualifies the called. Just remember, ever saint has a past and ever sinner has a future. Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah was a drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Miriam was a gossiper, Martha was a worrier, Sara was impatient, Mary Magdalene was a prostitute, Abraham was old, and Lazarus was dead. God did not throw them away. God has a plan for everyone. “ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Bernard of Clairvaux

Are you being used?

     In this weeks gospel Jesus speaks to  a crowd and tells them a series of parables.  In one of the parables Jesus speaks about the “kingdom of heaven”  He says the kingdom is like  a man who sows good seed in a field but, later that night the evil one sows weeds among those  seeds. All of the seeds ultimately grow  but in the end the good seeds will be harvested and the bad ones will be burned. In another parable Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed. He says that even though  it is small a small seed it still  can grow. Actually, it can grow to become a tree. In the last parable Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to yeast that is mixed with flour until it is leavened.

    When Jesus spoke in parables I believe he was sowing seeds in the minds of all those who heard him.  His explanation was straight forward. The sower of seeds was the son of man. The field was the world, the good seeds were people of the kingdom and the bad were people of the evil one.   I love this parable because it clearly explains that in this world there are some good people and there are evil.  It’s really that simple. Good and bad seeds grow up together in this world.  Not all people believe in Christ  and living Christ like and these days it’s becoming more and more evident. We live in a world where treating people poorly, fighting with people on social media, focusing  on differences rather than similarities and  acting evil seems to celebrated.
    When Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed I believe he was talking about the spreading of the gospel. I believe at that time  he was saying that, I have a small  following and people don’t believe but, with faith and trust in me, my message can grow. My message can grow just like the little mustard seed into a beautiful tree. A tree that can feed many.Today it is clear that Jesus’s message has spread around the world and it started with a handful of believers. Jesus is everywhere. It’s incredible to think about the reach of Christianity and how it has moved across the globe. Have you ever asked yourself how has this happened? Why has this religion made its away into the hearts and homes of so many people? I believe that is spreads by faith. Faith is contagious and can be shared no different than a virus.  Our faith in Christ shows up in our behavior, our language, our resilience, our love for another and our overall approach to life. People, may not say it but,  they want what Christians have. They want the faith that we walk around with.  They want the confidence that Jesus gives his followers.  They want to know that they are saved like we as believers know.  That’s how Christ made it around the world. He has been accepted one person at a time.  That’s why I believe  good seeds and bad seeds are in this world together. Mixed together like the yeast and flour in the last parable.   I think it’s easier to recognize good seed in world that has so many weeds. We stand out.  We are noticeably different. We are different but not separate. That is how Christ wants us.  He wants us to walk among the weeds as an example.   As Christians we choose to be different from the rest of the world. We choose to be examples of what Christ can do if you accept him.  What role do you play in being an example to world? What are you doing to share Jesus's message?  You may be surprised to find out how many people are watching you. Watching to see how you respond to life’s challenge. May be God is using you and how you live your life to sow more seeds...

Anonymous

Come to me

Throughout scripture, a common theme seems to be that of invitation.  "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19) "Turn to me, and be safe" (Isaiah 45) "Return to me - Oracle of the Lord of hosts - and I will return to you." (Zechariah, Chapter 1)  Really, there are so many more of these moments in scripture - one could go on......

In This Sunday's Gospel we have, once again; an invitation: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) Jesus tells us that His yoke is easy, and His burden light - and again He promises us rest. 

One might wonder about this when they consider that every Apostle experienced great difficulties and eventually each one was martyred (with the exception of John.) In my minds eye I can see Peter sitting in prison, shaking his head and  saying to himself "There was no mention of THIS in the brochure...." It would be easy to say "well, Jesus means 'rest' in heaven, in eternity." And certainly He does in the ultimate sense mean for us to be with Him in heaven. 

But then I look at those here on Earth who do not know Christ. Those who are of this world in every way. Among those, I look at the wealthy of whom it is often said that they "Don't have a care in the world." And I wonder how are we any different from them? If I look carefully, I can see that they do have cares - they're not always very happy people as one might expect - and some, I dare say are not very nice. Many of them have lots of serious problems. When things go wrong - and they do go wrong in this "valley of tears" - many lose hope and do not know where to turn. 

So how can one make sense of any of this? The answer, I think lies  within our relationship with God. We are his children; and in the same way that in the course of growing up every child must go through certain things which are not very pleasant, there are many things that we - His children - have to go through in the course of our spiritual growth. But we have an intimate relationship with a loving Father that is very present to us and will see us through it all. We have someone to turn to; and there is a real comfort in that. A certain amount of rest in the midst of the trials of life, as we look forward to our exodus to the Promised Land.

+ Theophilus