*****
“Love rejoices in the truth…”
Jeremiah wanted no part of being a prophet. This avocation seemed to be nothing but trouble, and with good reason, because the prophets of the past had a nasty habit of getting hassled, being rejected, getting beat up, sometimes, ending up dead. Nevertheless, God was adamant that Jeremiah live a prophetic life – that is, being willing to speak the truth, being able to tell it “like it is” – and that He would sustain Jeremiah in the face of whatever opposition or dangers he might encounter.
No surprise that Jesus, too, experienced his share of opposition, hostility and rejection. As today’s Gospel illustrates, speaking the truth – living the truth – sometimes stirs up its own share of hornets’ nests.
By virtue of our Baptism and Confirmation we, too, are called to live our lives in a prophetic manner. In the words of St. Paul, we “do not rejoice in what is false; we rejoice in the truth.” As we all know, however, this is easier said than done. There are many occasions on any given day when we hesitate to tell the truth for any number of reasons: we don’t want to cause trouble, we don’t want to upset others, we don’t want others to be angry with us, we don’t want to be rejected and we want to be liked. And so, we measure our words, and we speak in convoluted ways. We don’t say what we mean, and we don’t mean what we say.
In other words, we lie.
Francis de Sales wrote:
“Your language should be restrained, frank, sincere, candid, unaffected and honest. Be on guard against equivocation, ambiguity, or dissimulation.”
This statement does not give us the license to use blunt force when telling the truth. Remember that Francis de Sales also tells us that we are more likely to win over other people with a teaspoon of honey rather than a gallon of vinegar. Wherever possible, we should speak the truth in a gentle, mild, simple and straightforward manner, avoiding the two extremes of being either mush-mouthed or vesuvial. In addition, telling it “like it is” is not the same as “letting it all hang out.” Francis continued:
“While it is not always advisable to say all that is true, it is never permissible to speak against the truth.”
Regardless of how much or little of the truth that we speak in a manner that is as calm, humble, gentle and respectful as humanly possible. The bottom line is that we cannot always predict – and certainly cannot control – how that truth will be heard or received by others. Perhaps, it is no coincidence, then, that love not only “rejoices in the truth” but it also requires patience, it also requires forbearance; it is not prone to anger, it does not brood over injuries; it ultimately requires “trust, hope and the power to endure.”
Jesus promised us that the truth will set us free. Jesus never promised us that it would be easy.
*****
“The man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with Him, but Jesus would not permit him…”
The story in today’s Gospel is but one of many occasions in which people – after having encountering Jesus – expressed their desire to follow Him, only to have their request denied. Whether in the case of the man possessed by many demons or in the cases of so many other people whose lives were forever changed by an encounter with Jesus, his directive to “go home” must have been a real let-down.
Especially in the case of John the Baptist!
In a letter to St. Jane de Chantal (14 October 1604), Francis de Sales wrote:
“I have often wondered who is the most mortified of the saints I know, and after some reflection I have concluded that it was John the Baptist. He knew that our Savior came to earth in a place quite close by, perhaps only one or two days’ journey away. How his heart, touched with love of his Savior from the time he was in his mother’s womb must have longed to enjoy his presence. Yet he spends twenty-five years in the desert without coming to see Our Lord even once; and leaving the desert he stays to catechize without visiting him but waiting until Our Lord comes to seek him out. Then when he has baptized him, he does not follow him but remains behind to do his appointed task…The example of this great saint overwhelms me with its grandeur.” (Conference XIV, p. 259)
It is easy to forget that after their encounter in the River Jordan during which John baptized Jesus, John remained behind while Jesus moved on. Yet, who would deny that John was, nevertheless, a follower – a disciple – of the Lord? As it turns out, there is more than one way to follow Jesus. While some announce what the Lord has done for them in unfamiliar or faraway places, others announce what the Lord has done for them right in their own homes and neighborhoods.
John Bosco (a contemporary of Louis Brisson) had his own approach to following Jesus. In his pamphlet about the life of St. Francis de Sales entitled A True Nobleman, Philip J. Pascucci, SDB wrote:
“One of Don Bosco’s nine resolutions when he was ordained to the priesthood was: ‘The sweetness and charity of St. Francis de Sales will guide me in everything.’ Francis de Sales was by nature (his biographers tell us) sensitive, somewhat irritable and hot-tempered, but by dint of patient striving, day after day from his early years, Francis succeeded in mastering his disposition to such an extent that he became known as the gentle, kind and meek saint. Don Bosco knew from his own experience and the experience of others that his followers would need an outstanding model of these virtues in the difficult work which they would have to accomplish among (troubled and troublesome) youth. The model he chose for his followers had to be Francis de Sales.” (Page 32)
Just this day, whether it is in a place half-a-world away or right in your own back yard, how can you “follow” Jesus by giving witness to others for all that the Lord has done for you?
*****
“Please come and lay your hands on her…If I but touch his clothes I will be cured.”
People continued to approach Jesus on behalf of the sick – and on behalf of themselves – to be healed by Jesus. The account in today’s selection from the Gospel of Mark provides an interesting detail: folks coming to Jesus for help believed that if Jesus merely touched them or if they merely touched Jesus, they would experience healing power.
It would seem that just a little bit of Jesus – even the smallest touch of Jesus – went a very, very long way.
In his Treatise on the Love of God, Francis de Sales wrote:
“Among sacred lovers there are some who so completely devote themselves to exercises of divine love that its holy fire devours and consumes their life…” (Book VII, Chapter 10, p. 41)
Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of this love. His love for others was so intense and intentional that even the smallest sampling of it changed forever the lives of those he touched or as in the case of the woman burdened with a hemorrhage, those who touched him.
Today, how might the same be said of our love today. How can we – even in small ways – be sources of God’s healing power for others?
*****
"Since the children are people of blood and flesh, Jesus likewise has a full share in these..."
“God has signified to us in so many ways and by so many means that He wills all of us to be saved that no one can be ignorant of this fact. For this purpose, God made us ‘in his own image and likeness’ by creation, and by the Incarnation God has made himself in our image and likeness, after which he suffered death in order to ransom and save all mankind.” (Treatise on the Love of God, Book 8, Chapter 4)
We are probably somewhat familiar with the notion that through creation we are made in God’s image and likeness. In contrast, we are probably far less familiar with the notion that God, through the Incarnation made Himself in our image and likeness. Familiar or not, both are true.
St. Francis de Sales was captivated by the notion that God loved us so much that He not only came among us, but he also became one of us! God took on our very nature! In the person of Jesus, God gained and experienced first-hand knowledge of what it means to sleep, to wake, to work, to rest, to dance, to cry, to mourn, to struggle, to succeed and to dream. In this Jesus not only redeems what it means to be human, but Jesus also celebrates what it means to be human - to be human as God dreams.
The author of the letter to the Hebrews likewise believed this truth. He writes that “Jesus had a full share” in blood and flesh...and “had to become like his brothers (and sisters) in every way.” In this way, Jesus could not only redeem us but also, he could truly understand us.
This truth is indeed a great mystery and a supreme expression of intimacy. God so loved us that he took on our nature…He made himself into our image and likeness – the truest and best nature as God intended from the beginning of time. In a manner of speaking, through the Incarnation God shows us how to be comfortable in our own skin. How? By showing us that God is comfortable in our skin in the person of his son, Jesus Christ!
Put simply, it is in God’s nature to meet us where – and how – we are.
Today, how can we imitate God’s example through our willingness to meet others where and how they are?
*****
“Do you seriously wish to travel the road to devotion? ‘A faithful friend is the medicine of life and immortality, and those who fear the Lord find him.’ As you see, these divine words refer chiefly to immortality, and for this we above all else have this faithful friend who by advice and counsel guides our actions and thus protects us from the snares and deceits of the wicked one. For us such a friend will be a treasure of wisdom in affliction, sorrow and failure. He will serve as a medicine to ease and comfort our hearts. He will guard us from evil and make our good still better. You must have a guide (or companion) on this holy road to devotion.” (IDL, Part I, Chapter 4, p. 46)
When Jesus sent his followers out to preach the Good News, he did not send them out alone. Jesus used the “buddy system,” sending them out together, in pairs. In the mind of God being a disciple of Jesus has nothing to do with being a lone wolf. Today, what is the lesson for us? The road of life is sometimes lonely enough without trying to travel it alone. Just as in the case of the first disciples we, too, – disciples of Jesus – need to stick together.*****
"Ask of me whatever you wish, and I will grant it to you."
There’s an old Irish expression that goes something like this: “Be careful what you pray for.” Today’s Gospel offers a variant of this wisdom: “Be prudent about what you promise.”
Herod is so captivated – one might say even star-struck – by the dance performed by his daughter that he impulsively promises her whatever she desires, even “up to half of his kingdom.” Of course, the daughter dutifully asks her mother what she should request. Herodias seizes the opportunity to settle the score with John the Baptizer and instructs her daughter to ask Herod for the head of the prophet.
And we know how this story ends for Herod…and for John. Perhaps a pithy – but a no-less-powerful – point to ponder today is this. Think twice before you say something. Words once spoken cannot be retrieved. Don’t lose your head – or someone else’s for that matter – over an impulsive proposition or promise.
*****
"His heart was moved…for they were like sheep without a shepherd..."
In today’s Gospel we hear that Jesus’ heart was moved by the sight of the crowd who “were like sheep without a shepherd.” In other words, the people were lost. “Lost” is defined as:
• not made use of, won, or claimed
• no longer possessed or no longer known
• ruined or destroyed physically or morally
• taken away or beyond reach or attainment
• unable to find the way
• no longer visible
• lacking assurance or self-confidence
• helpless
• not appreciated or understood
• obscured or overlooked during a process or activity
• hopelessly unattainable
It’s safe to say that we all have the experience of being “lost” from time-to-time. Sometimes, we might experience being “lost” in any number of ways for long periods of time. Fortunately for us, one of the reasons that Jesus became one of us was to find the lost.
Consider yourself found!
