Deacon Tom Writes
“La Dolce Vita….”
Today’s
gospel makes it crystal clear that Jesus was aware of the fate that awaited Him
in Jerusalem at the hands of the “Elders,
chief priests and the scribes”. There is no turning back, as Peter learns
the hard way.
As
we enjoy the warmth and brightness of the full summer sun, scripture invites us
to pause for a moment of reflection, oh, so hard to do with all that needs our
attention, and consider what Jesus is doing. He has made the decision to
continue to spread the message of God’s unconditional love for all His children
even though He knows it will cost Him His very life. The very thought of that
is grossly disturbing as Peter’s actions attest. One would think today’s lesson
would be better contained in the great seasons of Easter or Christmas, but no,
we encounter it now, at the end of August, with no shopping to do, no cakes to
decorate or cards to send, and we are free to relax beneath the bright summer
sun and wonder just what difference, if any, God’s love for us has made in our
lives.
One
way to reflect on the difference God has made in our lives is “via negativa”, that is, by imagining
what our lives would be like if God was excluded from them. For
instance, we might find that if God wasn’t in our lives we would have more
money to spend since we wouldn’t need to fund a parish community or donate to
the poor and needy or respond generously to those who are suffering from
Hurricane Harvey. Yes, we might still contribute to worthy causes occasionally,
but it would be based on how we felt at the time; it wouldn’t flow from our
spiritual awareness of being, “one in
Christ”. We certainly would have more time on our hands also because we
would be freed up from attending Mass every
Sunday and running the kids back and forth to religious ed. and all those
service hours they have to do. Another big change we would notice is that we
wouldn’t have anything to feel guilty about… how could we tell right from
wrong… only by man-mad laws? It seems there are plenty of laws presently that
escape our conscience. We wouldn’t
have that psychological obstacle to deal with for there would be no sin; no
guilt, only…La dolce vita!
Imagine
a world without God! It would be a scary place…for left to ourselves I just
can’t imagine what our world would look like…. so I welcome the chance to use
this passage from scripture to help me call to mind God’s abundant love. With
that thought in mind how can today be anything other than the good life, “La dolce vita”, for those who believe
and trust in the Lord. And yet, as blessed as we are, the good news is the best
is yet to come!
Please
pray for all those who have lost their homes and possessions in the wake of
Hurricane Harvey and if possible support Catholic Relief Services and the other
agencies working so diligently to respond.
Enjoy
this Labor Day weekend!
Deacon
Tom