If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.2And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.3If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated,5it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,6it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.
-1 Corinthians 13:1-8
My brothers and sisters.
A lot has happened in the past few weeks, and I'm sure it's thrown many of us for a loop.
We have grown up in a world where Catholic values have been globally accepted in American society for generations.
Now the tides are turning and what we stand for is in doubt. Our status publicly as Church is in jeopardy.
Many of us have reacted with hurt, pain and outrage... And a symptom of this is complete defensiveness.
...and I've seen such abject righteousness and judgement from my peers towards people who disagree with them.
When you know the Truth, it's something that can be easily taken for granted and we often forget the journey that it took to get us here.
We did not get to where we were at because of our good works or what we did.
We are saved because we have a Savior.
It is only by His grace that we know the Truth.
Any action that we take as Catholics, as Christians, as disciples must be in complete humility and servitude to Jesus Christ. It is only by what He accomplished by the Cross and Ressurection that we have any hope of heaven.
Not acknowledging this is contrary to submitting to the Cross. Instead it is stepping on the pedastal of personal pride. A wretched and nasty fruit of Sin instead of the sweetness of the Holy Spirit.
When you go to correct your brother for being in error, what is your motivation? Is it to resolve your own anxiety? Is it to turn your brother into a robot who repeats the same truth you claim without thought, personal buy-in or love?
If you really love your brother, find out his story. Reach him where he is at. Let him feel so safe with you that he exposes his hurts, wounds, needs and desires for his heart. Listen attentively. Pray for him earnestly.
That's how you get credibility. That's how the truth is revealed. This is what piques curiosity to let even the most ardent opponent have an opportunity to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its full and uncompromising glory.
Evangelization requires stepping outside of oneself. It isn't about you feeling better that you "defended truth". It isn't about you feeling accomplished that "those people" know that they are "wrong" and that because of their sins or beliefs that they are not welcome at the table.
If you try to say that somehow you are exempt from evangelization as a baptized and confirmed Catholic, I am here to loving show you that you are not free of this delightful burden.
Let me ask this? Is the Truth something that needs to be justified constantly? Which is the greater call to holiness: acting as a dictionary and constantly clarifying definitions or lovingly convincing people that it is something even worth considering because of your love, joy and example?
You must proclaim the truth with great and fearless love. You must submit to the Holy Spirit to fulfill your baptismal call.
If you want to point at "those people" whether they are your brother and sister Catholics who have not accepted the Truth for themselves, brothers and sisters from other denominations, or those who have not accepted the Gospel, remember the fall in the garden.
God didn't ask Adam for an account of Eve's sins, but of his own. The desire to point the finger doesn't come from God but our own fallen nature.
Like any caring and loving Father, God knows that each of His children are different. He holds them accountable to their own capabilities and experiences. He is a merciful Father.
He will only have you account for your responsibilities, your encounters and His mission that He gave you.
If you've already arrived safely accepting one small portion of the Truth, stop celebrating and move onto the next greater call for holiness. It won't end until you get to heaven.
As long as you are still sucking up oxygen God's not done with you, oh fallen sinner and brother in Christ. It's the same for me as it is for you, and every time I start to climb up on my own pedestal I pray that the Lord lovingly knocks me the heck down.
How do you measure up? Are you leading people to be receptive to the same grace that saved you? Are you showing them love and compassion? Are you a living and loving witness to all the Church espouses and teaches yourself?
Or are you cutting His children off at the knees with the deafening clanging of gongs that comes from your mouth whenever you open it in their direction? Are you someone that Jesus would say "you Hypocrites!" when you plead for judgement upon others?
Remember the gentleness that Jesus had when he encountered a wounded and repentant sinner... And compare that to the righteous anger that he displayed and cursed at the religious elite in the Pharisees and even in His own Apostles when they totally missed the point of... Everything.
You are held to a different standard than your errant brothers and sisters.
Stop whining and complaining. Be aware that everyone is watching, especially now.
Be a witness.
Live the Gospel.
Be Jesus in a way that they see and know.
Welcome persecution.
Welcome doubt.
Stop looking for gratification and righteousness from society.
Put down the crown of gold and pick up a crown of thorns.
Step off the pedestal and pick up a cross.
Remember that clanging gongs shut out every possibility of dialogue or even sanity until the noise is extinguished.
My prayers are with you. I hope you pray for me too.
(And if what you're doing resembles what Mandy Moore's character is doing in this clip from Saved! then repent and reevaluate the Gospel)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=umLUKBlpyoY
