+ We have interesting correspondence of readings today at mass. On the one hand, we
have both Jeremiah and Jesus being the object of overly enthusiastic scrutiny
and surveillance of their every movements and words. There onlookers are like
tigers ready to pounce on their prey, if any misstep, or mis-wording should
occur in the subject.
This sounds a bit
like the news media who circle and purvey the current president of our country,
watching and waiting for any hint of misstep or mis-speech on his part. Amazing
they usually do not have long to wait for such activities to show themselves.
However, there is a
major and sizable difference between Jeremiah / Jesus and Donald Trump.
Jeremiah and Jesus are emitting nothing but truth from the very core of their
beings, manifested in their words and actions; the “trumpster” on the other
hand, seems to be spewing forth from his core the fruits of his devious and
dangerous mind – a tree is known by its
fruit: both a good tree and a bad tree. We have seen virtually no good
fruit dangling from the tree of the one holding the highest office in the land,
and the virtual guardian of the peace and freedom of the entire planet.
While Jesus put forth
a very disturbing agenda in the minds of the disciples, including his imminent handing over to the chief priests and scribes,
who will condemn him falsely to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be
mocked and scourged and crucified, and be raised on the third day (and be
raised on the third day – this is the key to the whole scenario: death will
be transformed into life, defeat into victory, sadness into joy! – but the
disciples don’t latch on to this glorious turn-of-events at all: they are
“scandalized” by his even considering going through such a thing.
But, they are thinking as men think, not as
God loves. But one day they will understand the enormity of generosity of such
amazing and awesome love that God has for his errant wayward children –
children, who may end up as unwilling pawns in the hands of the enemy such as
Judas was, such as Donald Trump might be, himself.
It is very difficult
for us to believe that anyone would think, say and do what our president daily
thinks, says and does – because it is so far from TRUTH, GOODNESS, FAIRNESS,
BEAUTY, JUSTICE! His fruit are rotting fruits of lies, badness, unfairness,
ugliness, and injustice.
But, the death/resurrection dynamic of Jesus
applies equally to Mr. Trump as they do to any one of us – if we want to latch
on to it, embrace it whole heartedly and allow it to be the difference in our
thoughts, words and deeds – that are based on the thoughts, words and deeds of
Jesus – that were always other-oriented, overly generous, profoundly
compassion, merciful and forgiving.
Yes, my fellow Catholics,
Christians and Americans – since we are citizens of both an earthly and
heavenly realm, let us first of a pray for our errant president and his cohorts
in apparent crimes, and then be unafraid to pray for ourselves in order to be
willing to speak up and let our rightly formed conscience help steer the course
of life and death crises in our country.
As the responsorial
refrain cries out, so we cry out now: Save
us, O Lord, save us all, in your kindness, in your mercy, in your
graciousness.
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