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25 th Sunday in Ordinary Time
I hate the wicked. Even now I can call to memory wicked people who set out to hurt me. I never knew the reason why. I never understood why they were so hateful. The laugh coming from the mouth of a wicked person surely must be the vilest thing upon the earth. We wonder why there is suffering upon the earth. Lots of suffering is because of wicked people. Listen to the passion of wicked people from the Book of Wisdom today: “He is obnoxious to us, with revilement and torture let us put him to the test. Let us condemn Him to a shameful death.” Maybe they didn’t get enough love at home, I have no idea, but I hate wicked people. None of us had it perfect. Lots of us endured childhood until we could get away. The wicked aren’t the only people who had it tough. So, deal with it. Don’t be dumping it all on the rest of us. James in his letter has a go at it. He says disorder and foul practice come from jealousy and selfish ambition. He says wars and conflicts come from our passions. We covet, we kill, we envy, we wage war, we want to fight. You would imagine when we reach adulthood and independent decision making that we are done with being petty. Seemingly not. The gospel sets up the punchline. The Apostles are arguing about which of them is the greatest. Then Jesus stabs their vanity by teaching about humility, being small, no expectations. Jesus invites them/us to consider being the last of all. Well, that’s a laugh to start with. Nobody wants to be the last one. We were reared to be winners, No.1. The great American mantra, “America is the greatest country in the world!” I wish people would stop saying that. When it is tested it is proved to be false. There are lots of greatest countries in the world. There are lots of countries who enjoy freedom. There are lots of economies that are better than ours. What was Jesus getting at? He said when you go to a banquet sit yourself at the lowest end of the table. Then, allow you hosts to invite you to come higher. It doesn’t matter what seat you sit at, it doesn’t matter how greatest you are. Humility, a sense of your place in the world, a feeling of belonging to the tribe, a responsibility to other people, a life of service, don’t grab, wait until you are given, share it all, be glad somebody else won the lottery, let someone else go first, you don’t have to compete for everything. Enough…
With love, Fr. Pat