Overcoming Criticism

Isa. 35:1-6a,10 ; Jas. 5:7-10 ; Mt. 11:2-11

These days we are all aware of the need to keep our heart healthy. Many foods are even advertised as being “heart healthy”.  The heart is perhaps the most important organ as it pumps life-giving blood throughout the body. We know that eating certain foods have a bad effect on our heart because arteries become clogged and blood flow is restricted. Clogged arteries put a barrier in the way of blood and our health suffers. This situation is one we want to avoid. Interestingly, a similar problem can affect our spiritual health.

The life of Jesus is like the blood that should flow freely throughout our existence, bringing us nourishment and strength. In particular, when the life of Christ is alive in us, we should be filled with joy.  On this third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete Sunday, or “Rejoice” Sunday, we are reminded that the coming of Jesus brings joy. We light a pink candle on the Advent Wreath and can wear rose-colored vestments in order to recall an important message:  Jesus, the one who brings joy is coming soon! Recently, Pope Francis wrote a document called “The Joy of the Gospel”. There he explains the effect that Jesus should have on our lives. In the opening lines he writes:

The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew. (EVANGELII GAUDIUM, 1)

In our bodies, when our heart is working well and blood is pumped freely, our health is good.  Likewise, when the life of Jesus flows freely in our lives we are spiritually healthy; in particular we should be filled with joy.

During this Advent season, we have been challenged to remove any obstacles that prevent the life of Christ from flowing freely in our heart. We have tried to remove any barriers that stop Jesus from coming into our life. With a physical heart, when we eat unhealthy food, our arteries become clogged, blood-flow is restricted and our health is damaged. Likewise, certain behaviors cause barriers in our spiritual life and prevent the life of Christ from fully entering our life. This has a negative effect on our spiritual health. In the end it decreases our joy. Advent is a time to ask ourselves an important question: what behaviors in my life have become barriers which prevent Jesus from fully entering my heart? More than this, we have been challenged to change these behaviors.  Last week we met the figure of John the Baptist and heard his message to repent because Jesus is coming soon. In the Gospel of today, Jesus praises the person of John the Baptist and stresses the importance of his message. Returning to our heart analogy, repentance is about identifying ways in which our arteries have become blocked and trying to remove these blockages so that blood can travel freely once more. During Advent we are challenged to repent and remove any obstacles that stop Jesus and His joy from fully entering our life.

In the second reading from the Letter of James, we were warned against a certain behavior that greatly damages our spiritual health: criticism and complaining.  When we tear down other people, we put up a barrier that stops Jesus from fully entering our life.  Criticizing and complaining damages a community, whether it be our family, our work community or our parish. On top of this, such behavior harms us because it makes us preoccupied with what is bad or going wrong. When we get stuck in this habit, we lose sight of all the good things in our life. In the end, we prevent Jesus from filling us with joy.  Unfortunately, criticizing is all too easy. As the following story illustrates, we can always find something to complain about.  

A father and his son took a donkey to the market. At first, the man sat on the donkey, and the boy walked. People along the way said, “What a terrible thing, a big strong fellow sitting on the donkey’s back, while the youngster has to walk.” So the father dismounted, and the son took his place. Soon onlookers remarked, “How terrible, this man walking, and the little boy sitting.” At that, they both got on the donkey’s back—only to hear others say, “How cruel, two people sitting on one donkey.” Off they came. But other bystanders commented. “How crazy, the donkey has nothing on his back and two people are walking.” Finally, they were both carrying the donkey. They never did make it to market.”

We need to be on guard against criticizing and complaining. Such behavior tears apart community and acts as a barrier preventing Jesus from fully entering our life.

There are practical ways that we can repent of this behavior. Just because criticism and complaining is sadly commonplace does not mean that we should just give up trying to better ourselves in this area.  I would like to offer two practical suggestions.

1.  Be aware of what you are doing. Once we realize that we tend to criticize and complain we should stop and think, “why am I behaving like this?” Be aware that criticizing and complaining is often an attempt to tear others down in order to make ourselves feel better. Our criticisms often say more about ourselves and our own insecurities than it does about other.
2.  Actively search out the good in others. It is all too easy notice what others have done wrong. Challenge yourself to search for the good in others and recognize this. Perhaps a good rule of thumb is that for everything negative we say about someone we should say two positive comments. This means that is we cannot find something good to say, we should not say anything at all.  

The habit of criticizing and complaining can be overcome. Since this behavior damages our community and prevents the joy of Christ from fully entering our life it is well worth the effort.

Christmas is just 10 days away. We all want to take steps to welcome Christ as fully as possible into our lives. Just as blood gives life to the body, Jesus alone is the one who gives nourishment and joy to our life. Let us try to remove obstacles that prevent the life of Christ from flowing freely in our hearts, in particular the habit of being critical and complaining.   Today ask yourselves if there is perhaps one particular area in which you criticize and complain a lot: family, work, or parish community. This is a clogged artery and is bad for your spiritual health. Try to unclog this artery by actively searching for the good in others rather than being content to simply complain and criticize.  Our personal joy and the joy of our community depend upon it.

¡Viva Cristo Rey!

Luke 23:35-43

The year is 1927. In Mexico City, a priest named Miguel Pro is led by soldiers to the place of his execution.  For months Miguel Pro had defied the virtual ban on Catholicism by the fiercely anti-Catholic Mexican government. He has moved around Mexico City in disguise – often as a mechanic - in order to celebrate Mass secretly in houses.   At last the government has caught up with him.  Fr. Pro is led up against a wall to face the firing squad.  In the final moments before his execution, he extends his arms in the forms of a cross- in one hand clutching a rosary, in the other a crucifix - and cries out, “¡Viva Cristo Rey!”, “Long Live Christ the King!” This dramatic story of Blessed Miguel Pro can help us better understand the significance of the feast we celebrate today, Christ the King.

Miguel Pro's execution on November 23, 1927

Nowadays there is a tendency to make faith a merely private thing that has little influence on society at large. It seems that faith is often barred a place in the public sphere. Oddly enough, both those who are against religion and even faithful Catholic can do this.  There has always been people who are against religion and do not want it to influence public society. We see this dramatically in Mexico at the time of Miguel Pro. The anti-Catholic government outlawed Catholic schools, prohibited worship outside Churches, closed monasteries, and took away the right of priests to vote.  Certainly in Canada we are blessed with the freedom to practice our religion openly. Yet there can be a popular mentality that says religion is a private affair, having little place in the public sphere.  This is how many interpret America’s principle of “separation between Church and State”. In this mentality, politicians and private citizens are discouraged from allowing their faith to inform the changes they would like to see in society. Surprisingly, a good number of Catholics can think in a similar way but for very different reasons. Some argue that the only important thing is getting souls to heaven. Sometimes they are not too concerned too about trying to improve society and make it more just and humane.  Both non-religious and even Christians themselves tend to isolate faith so that it is a merely private affair which has little impact on the greater society.

The great lesson of today’s feast is that our faith must have a transforming impact on the public sphere because Christ is the King. Christianity was never intended to be a merely private affair that had no influence on society.  In the very beginning, our loving God created the heavens and the earth to be His home. He shared the earth with man. The plan from the beginning was that God would be King. The earth would operate according to God’s laws of love and justice. However, God’s great project went off the rails because of sin. Humanity rejected God as their King and the world became ruled instead by greed, jealousy and hatred. Over the course of history, God has tried to save the great project of creation by encouraging humanity to follow Him and His rule. God’s ultimate act of salvation was to send His Son, Jesus Christ into the world. In His life Jesus always announced that the kingdom of God had arrived in His very person. Jesus is the King on several levels. Interiorly, Jesus is our King as He should hold the most important place in our heart – we are to love Him more than anything else. Jesus is also our King because our interactions with our neighbour are to be governed by His law and example. More than this though, that Jesus is King means that all of society should be shaped by His values: national government, international relations and the economic market. In fact, the Feast of Christ the King was instituted in 1925 to emphasize this point in a sea of growing nationalism and secularism. Christianity, far from being a merely private affair, is meant to transform all aspects of human life.

Jesus, however, is a King unlike any other. Jesus exercises His Kingship in a completely new and unexpected way.  For a moment, try to picture in your mind a king. What comes to mind? Perhaps you pictured someone sitting on an elegant throne, wearing rich garments and a golden crown on their head. Keeping that picture in mind, how do you imagine the king behaving? Don’t we imagine kings to be powerful, authoritative, dominating and having others at their beck and call? Now, let’s take a look at the image of Christ the King presented in our gospel today. When we look at the crucifix we can see what kind of King Jesus is: His throne was the Cross, His crown was of thorns and His royal garments were rags. Not only does Jesus look different than any other King, His actions are unique as well. The power of Christ the King is shown through His mercy, peace and self-sacrifice. This kind of power, though unexpected, is ultimately stronger than the power of any earthly king. By sacrificing His life, Jesus defeated sin and death. When we imitate the example of Jesus we can experience this power in our own life. For example, at the time of Miguel Pro, many were fighting the government through armed resistance. Though these militias experienced some success, the actions of Miguel Pro and other martyrs who followed the example of Christ and laid down their lives for God and their countrymen was so much more powerful. Their witness and sacrifice inspired many and brought lasting change. Their actions carried so much power because they imitated how Jesus exercises Kingship.

Following Christ the King takes incredible courage because it means nothing less than committing ourselves to changing the world. As followers of Jesus, we are called to strive to build a word that reflects the values of Jesus. There are many people and forces in the world who claim that their ideas and way of doing things should be king. Knowing which of these voices advocates the kind of world that Jesus would want is not easy. Some voices we can agree with, other voices we need to oppose. In his day, Miguel Pro had to oppose the voice of those who tried to limit the Mexican people’s freedom to practice their religion. We can take inspiration from his example. When we look at the society, we should ask ourselves, is this the kind of world that Christ would want? What would need to change? We often hear about the issue of defending human life and marriage. This is very important, but there is more. Recent Popes have drawn our attention to the great injustice that exists between the rich and the poor. Many poor countries are so in debt that they spend most of their funds paying interest to wealthy countries and cannot afford to build up their own country. Is this the world Jesus would want? As another example, we need to seriously consider the effects that our wasteful consumer culture is having on the environment. What kind of world do we want to leave for future generations? How would Jesus have us respond to these challenges? Solutions are not easy to arrive at, yet we must work on them. Saying that Christ is our King is a very demanding statement because we must commit ourselves to building a world that Jesus would want.

Several years ago I had the opportunity to visit the place in Mexico City where Miguel Pro was martyred. The government has not allowed for a large monument there.  All you can find is a small plaque attached to the wall. When I visited the site, however, I was surprised to see that many flowers were left by the site. The witness of Miguel Pro continues to inspire. I personally have found his life very encouraging. Today let us follow his example by not falling for the lie that Christianity is merely a private thing. As Catholics we are not meant to stay in some citadel looking out at the world with detachment. We should be interested in creating a world more worthy of what God has called us to be. We should be interested in politics, economics, education and social structures. Today let us remind ourselves that we are called to build the kingdom of Christ the King. This is our call. ¡Viva Cristo Rey!

What prevents God's mercy from healing the wounds caused by sin? Only you.

Luke 18:9-14

When I was living in Mexico a few years ago, the following encounter was not uncommon when I met people living in the streets. At times we would meet people who had a serious injury, a large cut or broken bone, for example. After just a brief look it was clear that this individual needed to see a doctor otherwise there was no hope that they would get better. We would always tell the person this fact, and explain that we would take them and cover the expenses. The strange thing is that some would refuse to allow us to bring us to the hospital. They would tell us that their injury was not that bad and that they would get better on their own. I was reminded of these experiences when I was reflecting on the reading of today. These people never accepted the severity of their wound and as a result, they could not be helped to find healing.  A similar dynamic is at play in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.

In this parable we meet two people who respond very differently to the reality of sin in their lives. The Pharisee and the tax collector were in stark contrast in the way they viewed their own sinfulness.  One message of the parable is straightforward: each of us, without exception, is in need of God’s mercy. Taking as an analogy my experience in Mexico, we could say that each of us is seriously wounded as a result of sin and we require God’s healing. But here’s the point: in order for God to heal us, we must first recognize that we are wounded and ask for His help. Just as we could not force anyone to go to the hospital, God cannot force His mercy on those who do not think they need it. The Pharisee and tax collector were both sinners. The Pharisee is at least guilty of the sin of pride and despising others. Quite probably the sins of the tax collector were greater. He was cooperating with a foreign oppressor and had stolen from his countrymen. The way the two see the reality of sin in their lives makes all the difference. The Pharisee is convinced that he is not in need of God’s forgiveness because he follows the law perfectly; he is blind to the severity of his wound and therefore does not ask God for healing. The tax collector, on the other hand, is well aware of his need for God’s mercy and calls on God for healing. At the end of the day it is the tax collector and not the Pharisee who is made right with God. This is all because the two men respond in a very different way to the reality of sin in their life.

In our own life, we can easily downplay the severity of sin. It is easy to forget the wide-ranging effects of our own sins. None of us would go as far as the attitude of the Pharisee, but isn’t it easy to think along these lines, “in comparison to other people my sins are not that bad … I haven’t robbed a bank or killed anyone!”?  Indeed, some sins are more serious than others. We should not, however, brush off our sins as “no big deal”. Often the full effects of our sin are hidden from us. Let me illustrate this with a story. Last week I was visiting my family was getting ready to return to St. Matthew’s as it was getting late. As I gathered my things from the table where I had placed them when I came in, I noticed that my keys were missing.  At first I was calm and I started to search under some other items on the table. As time went on I became more frantic. These weren't just any keys, these were the keys to the Church and the School! I knew if I lost them it would be bad news. My search became more serious. I called everyone who was at the dinner to see if they had taken them by mistake. I started to search with a flashlight down the heating ducts. After an hour of searching I had just about given up hope when I saw a large bowl full of decorations sitting on another table. I figured it was worth a shot. I started digging my hand into the bowl and low and behold … my keys were there! At that very moment a thought struck me: my niece! I have a five year old niece and though I couldn't prove it, I had a sneaky suspicion that she was responsible for hiding my keys. The next day, my niece was asked if she had hidden my keys. Her response: “aahhhhhh yes”. Why did she do it? “I was trying to be sneaky”, she said. This story illustrates well what happens when we sin. Like my niece, we know – at least to some extent -  that what we are doing is wrong. At the same time we are not usually aware of the full effects of our actions. My niece had no way of knowing much stress her action would cause me or what would happen if the keys went missing altogether. She was just trying to be sneaky! Likewise when we sin we forget that it always hurts us, others and our relationship with God. The full consequences of our sins are often hidden from us. As a result, we can tend to downplay the severity of sin in our life.

After recognizing the wounds our sins cause, it is crucial that we trust in God’s mercy and pass this mercy onto others. A fundamental Christian attitude is to recognize that we are sinners in need of Gods mercy and that we need to spread this mercy to others. This message, which is at the heart of the parable in today’s gospel is expressed strongly in the message and devotion of. This devotion spread particularly through the writings of the Polish nun, Saint Faustina Kowalska. In the 1930’s she wrote a diary of about 600 pages chronicling revelations she had received from Jesus about God’s mercy. The message of Divine Mercy was not all together new, but rather a powerful reminder. Through St. Faustina, Jesus wanted to remind the world that His mercy is always greater than our sins so long as we call upon Him in trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us onto other. In the parable we heard today, we have to avoid thinking that the Pharisee is the villain and the tax collector is the hero. The hero of the parable is God and His mercy. For those to whom Jesus initially told this parable, it was shocking to think that this tax collector could return home justified. The one thing he did right was call on God’s mercy. The Pharisee, on the other hand, was blind to his need for God’s mercy. In addition to not asking for mercy, he did not show mercy to others. Instead he judged and despised the tax collector.  The message of Divine Mercy as promoted by St. Faustina can summarized just by remembering “A-B-C”. A: Ask for God’s Mercy. God wants us to approach Him in prayer, asking for mercy for our sins and that His mercy flows over the whole world. B: Be merciful. God wants us to show mercy and forgiveness to others. C: Completely trust Jesus. God wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent only upon our trust. The more we trust Jesus, the more mercy we receive. The Divine Mercy message sums up wonderfully the fundamental Christian attitude promoted by the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector: we are sinners in need of God’s mercy and we need to spread this mercy to others.

Going back to my experience in Mexico, it was always sad when people refused to recognize the extent of their injuries and accept help. Their continued suffering seemed so senseless. Let us not make the same mistake in our spiritual life by shutting ourselves off from God’s mercy by not recognizing our need for it. Remember that allowing the healing rays of God’s mercy to enter our souls wounded by sin is as simple as A-B-C: A) ask for God’s Mercy, B) be merciful and c) completely trust Jesus.