Mt 9:14-17 Why?

Mt 9:14-17  Why?

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The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?”  Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?  The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them…” 

The Lord was asked many questions.  Thank God!  Otherwise, I’m not sure we would know as much as we know.  We don’t like people asking us questions because we don’t like having our opinions questioned.  And what I have seen in the past is clear:  if I can’t defend my opinion, then I will attack the person questioning it. 

Questions have always helped me to better understand why I do what I do or believe what I believe. Those who ask me force me to be vigilant in my thoughts, words and actions.  I can honestly say that I am a better thinker today because I am a better questioner today.  But remember:  If a good question can lead to a better opinion, so can a good answer lead to a change of opinion.

The Lord was asked by the disciples of John why he didn’t fast as much as the Pharisees did.  Good question.  To understand the Lord’s answer requires that we understand the purpose of fasting.  We fast so that we can get closer to God.  That’s the goal of fasting.  Fasting is a means, not an end.  Fasting allows us to purge ourselves from sin and purify our minds, hearts, and souls from material comforts so that we can get closer to the Lord.  That’s why we fast. 

Understanding this, we can better understand the Lord’s answer.  “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?”  Why in the world would the apostles fast if they are physically close to God?  If you have been invited to the (heavenly) banquet, then why in the world would you fast?  If you are growing, then why stunt your growth?

The Pharisees fasted, prayed and diligently observed the Law.  But did they budge an inch closer to the Lord?  Did their hearts get any softer?  No.  It appears as though they were praying and fasting for the wrong things.

I know a few people who “pray” for clarity and understanding regarding abortion, contraception, euthanasia and gay-marriage.  What they don’t realize is that they are praying not for clarity but for a change in opinion; that is, God’s opinion.  Isn’t the Church’s stance on these issues clear enough?  Isn’t the origin of the Church itself clear enough? 

A few days ago someone asked me why the Catholic Church is so “structured”.  They commented, “Some say it is a sign of weakness; a way to suppress free thought?”  Good question.  I gave them my answer.  “Structure comes from hard lessons learned.  The Church is like a building constructed on solid ground.  There is a lot of order, structure and thought that goes into building a building.  The reasons for it are the fires of the past and the errors of eras gone by.  There is much structure in fire codes these days because of the fires of ages past.  The Church has been through Hell and back.  Do we have to repeat wars once fought or fires once put out?  If we do not appreciate structure, it’s because we do not know the past. 

I always wondered by confessionals were done in boxes that were sealed; that is, where the priest did not have access to the penitent.  Until the 60’s, this was commonplace.  Now, it has been made very clear to all.  This is but one example of an error repeated from a lesson lost.

The Lord loves to bring people and teachings together; brides and bridegrooms; faith and reason; kindness and truth; justice and peace; honest questions and honest answers; fasting and God; Christ and The Church.

Mark 11:27-33 Knowing It All and Knowing Nothing At All.

Mark 11:27-33  Knowing It All and Knowing Nothing At All.

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Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem.  As he was walking in the temple area, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders approached him and said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things.” 

Not everyone is a doctor, but far too many think they are.  They get on the Internet and research their symptoms and undoubtedly find the worst possible case scenario.  Recently, I heard that over 50% of patients do not take their medicine as prescribed.  We think we know better but the superbugs know it even better. 

Not everyone is the Pope, but almost everyone thinks they are, especially when it comes to marriage and family.  I find it uninspiring, to say the least, how some Catholics consider themselves “infallible” as they speak ex cathedra or ex-married, or ex-remarried or extra marital or whatever.  I know the Pope is only infallible in matters of faith and morals.  But it seems like everyone else is infallible in all matters, especially marriage.  And we listen to them, even though one-out-of-every-two marriages end in divorce.

Not everyone has a PhD, but almost everyone thinks they deserve one. I find it amusing, to say the least, when someone argues with me and their arguments fall short on logic, common sense, and facts.  Do we think we can just blurt out anything?  Unfortunately, yes.  I have had the displeasure to met people who “knew more” about the Crusades than the Crusaders; who knew more about Galileo’s case than the Church and Galileo himself.  I have even met some people who truly think they know the Scriptures better than their sacred authors.  But ask them what such-and-such verse meant in its historical context and they are at a loss.  Unlike the sacred writers, they can quote a bible verse in an instant.  But ask them to quote the verse prior to or after it, they seem to be at a loss not only because they don’t know it but because it refutes what they just said! 

A professor once told me, “My students speak as if they all have a PhD.”  He could say that because he had a PhD; and while someone who has earned a PhD is generally open to learn a thing or two from those who don't; he found it particularly alarming how those who don't apparently have nothing to learn from those who do. 

The Lord did not come into the world to share his opinion or feelings or experiences with others.  He came into the world to be a light shining in the darkness.  The Lord is color blind.  He is not red (a Communist), or green (an Environmentalist), or black (a pessimist), or white (an optimist).  He is Light.  He is the light that shines in the darkness of our souls.  His authority comes not from our approval but from the approval of His Father. 

By what authority are you doing these things?  Some people know more than others; some people think they know more than others.  But how dare any of us try to change, manipulate, distort or twist Christ’s authority or creation around our middle finger?  By what authority are we doing these things?  By our own?  Because we can?  That's probably the only intelligent response I have ever heard.  But to that I say, watch out!  For just as a lie comes back to haunt us, so will any attempt to redefine God's creation come back to strike us.

How can anyone say, “Times have changed” and say it seriously?  Isn’t that obvious?  So why say something so obvious?  Is it to claim something totally false; that is, that “God has changed”, or something more ambiguous; that is, that “man has changed”. 

Yes, times change but does man really change?  Are we not made, as our ancestors, of flesh and bones, and souls filled with grace or sin? Are we not as flexible or as stubborn as our ancestors?  Like centuries ago, some people live to be 100; others for only one day.  And yet, we all seem to speak and act as if we have lived for centuries!  In fact, we live and speak as if we were God himself!  Some things never change. 

But the question is:  Can we change?  Can our world change?  And change for good?

The Pharisees, the scribes and the elders asked the Lord, “By what authority are you doing these things?”  Their suspense was killing them, but ended up killing Him. 

Is the Lord of human origin?  If we say, “We do not know”, then nothing will ever really change for good.  If we say, “Yes”, then everything changes.  And changes for good.