What Would Jesus Do?
“To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.”
What was Jesus really saying to us when He spoke these words? Certainly, he was speaking out against the common thought that “sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me.” In fact, to believe in such a position is to open oneself to the worst types of brutality. Here Jesus calls us to look not at physically harming someone, but rather using words to insult another, to demean and degrade another. Anyone who lives with the memory of being brutalized by someone else’s words is forever changed. Physical wounds can heal. Spiritual wounds to the heart really never heal. The nation we all love has fallen into the lie that what we say really can’t hurt anybody, so we say anything. Hence, we have the political name calling of those who don’t think quite like I do. If one does not accept my philosophy of moral thinking or any other aspect of my life, he strikes out with vicious attacks against me. And it is these attacks that have all the earmarks of literal hatred. To make it worse, we tend to respond by lashing out in much more insulting and degrading ways. Is this turning the other cheek? No, it is just perpetuating the deadly treadmill of anger and violence that have become such an integral part of 21st century American way of life. The familiar phrase “what would Jesus do?”, provides us with a way off of this destructive treadmill. Those who use words to hurt me are the weak ones. The one who seeks to model his or her life after Jesus is who Jesus spoke about when he said, “blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.” These are the strong…these are those who turn the other cheek. Let us pray as a nation that meekness and humility would once again be the backbone of this great nation.
- Deacon John
CCE Reflection
In a little over a week, we will once again enter into the Season of Lent. To really enter into this holy season of repentance, commitment and new beginnings, each of us must ask ourselves “how has my relationship with God changed since last lent?” Maybe we need to reevaluate our attitudes towards this holy sea-son. In times such as the last two years or so, it might have been very easy to fall into a sense of despair and fear. There does seem to be more cynicism, despair, burnout and depression. There may even be those times that we ask God “what next?” When will the next variant of Covid appear? How long will the plague of inflation and supply chain problems continue to alarm us? The answer to these questions can only be found in one person, Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Jesus came that we might have life and have it in abundance. It is Jesus him-self that reminds us that we can hear His voice and follow Him. Are we listening or does the noise of the world drown out his gentle voice? So often, we tend to think of Lent as a time of “less” instead of “more.” This Lent why not get away from giving up things (less) and instead let this year’s Lenten season open the eyes of our hearts to the abundant (more) life Jesus offers. And then as we become more aware of that abundance, let us be quick to share with others the joy of knowing just how much we are all loved by God. After all, isn’t that what our Catholic faith is all about?
- Deacon John