+ In our gospel passage today the people “take
offense” at Jesus because they are not able to figure him out according to
their own measure—he does not fit into their categories.
This is part of the trial that
God the Father allows toward his Son.
But this “discipline” will bring forth “the
peaceful fruit of righteousness” for us if we abandon our inadequate
preconceptions and “strive for that holiness without which no one will see the
Lord.”
We can use the same dynamic is
our consideration of the people in our life, in our day. Let us not rush to
judge them until we can determine the foundation and true ground of their
motivations and reasoning.
When the motive and reason for
doing things is to seek, find and present what is essentially and really true,
good, beautiful and just – this will become quite evident as a “peaceful fruit
of righteousness” and there will be a natural inclination to engage in a
constructive and productive dialogue with that person. And good works will
abound.
The converse is also true,
when motives and reasons are specious and not well thought-out, and the
ramifications of words and actions are not measured in the arena of public life
where they will be executed and enforced, then there will be naturally
confusion, chaos and ambivalence that will produce not peace but agitation, and
there will be a natural inclination to disengage from such persons and their
immature pursuits.
Let those who have ear to
hear, listen – and act with all charity and good intentions from the heart!
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