Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Gospel from Luke seems out of place, given how we generally associate Luke with gentleness. In fact the Jesus we encounter today seems more like Mark’s version. Whether Luke or Mark, being a disciple of Jesus was a costly venture and could involve more than a little danger. It demanded boldness.
Jesus of Nazareth unnerves us. No “meek and mild” Jesus here! By his harsh words we glimpse the Semitic world of the first century. Today is the memorial of Saint Pope John Paul II who was elected in the conclave of October, 1978. Electing a non-Italian for the first time since Adrian VI in 1522, was a bold action. Little did the cardinal electors know how bold it was.
An equally bold action of the pope from Poland was when later he visited the synagogue in Rome. He may have been the first pope since Peter to do so. His predecessor, Pius XI (another bold pope), said that “spiritually all Christians must be Semites.” Pius XI had drawn up a bold condemnation of Hitler and the persecution of the Jews just prior to his passing in 1939. Unfortunately his successor Pius XII decided not to release it.
As a man of his time and place, the man from Galilee would have boldly employed Semitic hyperbole, as we hear today. He’s not nice. Let’s be reminded that the word “nice” is nowhere to be found in the New Testament. Jesus never backed down from confrontation, never sacrificed his principles, never sought the approval of others. He was unapologetically blunt and did not repress righteous anger. He was very hard on the self-righteous and called our hypocrites. He died his dreadful death because he was threatening, even scary, to civil and religious authorities — not because he was too nice.
Historically both Pius XI & John Paul II followed this pattern.
There’s a difference between being nice and being compassionate. Sometimes being “nice” is not loving. Jesus knew this. So must we. Nobody likes conflict, but sometimes it is the loving thing to do. Confronting the destructive behavior of others doesn’t qualify as “nice” but it is loving. Do we need the approval of others at the cost of their own benefit and our own integrity? Lord, strengthen us for times of bold love!
-Timothy J. Cronin