Most of the time my favorite reading on Sunday tends to be the gospel. It’s probably because the God of the new testament is a whole lot nicer than the God of the old testament. And also because I tend to disagree with Paul on certain points.
But this week, the first reading was that calm, loving Father that we come to know through Jesus. I love the image of God in the silence. Sometimes we get too wrapped up in things. Like whatever new reality show is on or a new style of shirt that we really want in four different colors. All of this is fun, yes. And it should definitely be a part of life. Just like we need those storms to water crops and fires to clear out dead trees in the forest.
Too often this noise is even within Christianity, huge cathedrals, television preachers raising thousands just so they can travel around and make more money. Or on a more personal level, throwing the fire of God at someone because they are a sinner. We really don’t need to put on this grand and wrathful show to prove that we are followers of Jesus.
Real followers would show it in the silence, like God Himself. There shouldn’t be any reason for any true Christian to condemn anyone. That is for God. Real faith includes the trust that He will be there.
So the real trick here is how literal is the silence? Not judging is a good start, but should you reach out to others to tell them that they should follow Jesus? Pope Francis says, “The church grows by attraction, not proselytizing.” And he is a pretty smart guy, so I think he is worth listening to. If the Word is strong enough to be spread through a whisper, we shouldn’t have to shout.
But how much do we whisper? And how? And when? It’s a constant tightrope walk of wanting to share this awesome thing we have, but not wanting to disrespect anyone. I guess the only way to figure it out is to keep our ear turned to the mouth of the cave and listen.
Practical Piety 