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. That, in itself, is a real challenge for us with all that needs our attention. Yet, as fuel for our meditation today, we can ask, 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 as 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 our lives were totally disconnected from the realm of the divine. For instance, we might find that if God wasn’t an active, dynamic force in our lives we would have more money to spend since we would have no obligation to fund a parish community or donate to the poor and needy or respond generously to those who are suffering from the devastation Covid-19 that has wrecked havoc upon families, parishes and communities. 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 education and all those service hours that go along with it. Another big change we would notice is that we wouldn’t have anything to feel guilty about that comes from failing to love our neighbor or following the Golden Rule. How liberating! We would only have to follow man-made laws. Perhaps! For as we all know there are plenty of laws presently that we disregard for our own convenience. Freed from that good old Catholic guilt, we could certainly enjoy…La dolce vita!
Make no mistake, a world with God would be a scary place …for left to our own best “human behavior” we would no longer have any awareness of our moral responsibility to love others as God has loved us, as Jesus has love us… unconditionally. So, I welcome the chance to use this passage from scripture to reflect on God’s abundant love for his creation. With that thought in mind we can begin to grasp the reality that for those who love the Lord, this is, “La dolce vita,” and the Good News is, the best is yet to come!
Please pray for all those who have and are suffering from Covid-19 and are struggling to put their lives and families back together. Remember, God hears the cries of the poor.
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
