This blog follows the daily bible readings of the Catholic Church
Reading 1, 3 John 5-8
5 My dear friend, you have done loyal work in helping these brothers, even though they were strangers to you. 6 They are a proof to the whole Church of your love and it would be a kindness if you could help them on their journey as God would approve. 7 It was entirely for the sake of the name that they set out, without depending on the non-believers for anything: 8 it is our duty to welcome people of this sort and contribute our share to their work for the truth.
When St Columba was near death, the monastery work horse wouldn't leave him
Missionaries believe they are spreading truth, not religious propaganda. How can they do this without offence? Perhaps it is impossible to avoid offence altogether, but some things might help:
- Modesty about the truth: believing means to have been grasped by truth, not to have grasped it fully or to be able to articulate it accurately;
- Respect for hearers: communication is always a two-way process;
- No costs imposed on hearers: even the cost of human contact may be too much in the case of some remote peoples.
Sharing truth is a noble aim that must never be sullied by religious imperialism or slick salesmanship.
Gospel, Luke 18:1-8
1 Then he told them a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart.
2 ‘There was a judge in a certain town,’ he said, ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for anyone. 3 In the same town there was also a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!”
4 For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, “Even though I have neither fear of God nor respect for any human person, 5 I must give this widow her just rights since she keeps pestering me, or she will come and slap me in the face.” ‘
6 And the Lord said, ‘You notice what the unjust judge has to say? 7 Now, will not God see justice done to his elect if they keep calling to him day and night even though he still delays to help them? 8 I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of man comes, will he find any faith on earth?’
Feistiness and faith are closely related
The model for those who await the coming of the Son of Man (the victory of Jesus and his suffering people) is the redoubtable widow who believes that justice will eventually prevail. If this works with an unjust judge, how much more it will work with God!
Jesus wonders, however, if there will still be any “complaining widows” when he comes back. Perhaps believers will have given up, dismissing the hope of the kingdom as a fairy tale for children.
Many churches have done so, in fact if not in doctrine. We don’t think it’s going to happen. There’s a wonderful bit in a Lenny Bruce script, where in the middle of a Religions Inc. Trade Fair a terrible rumour spreads, “He’s here, the Big Guy’s here!” Nobody’s too sure whether it’s Buddha or Jesus or Moses or Mohammed or even maybe a Woman, but everyone knows they are in bad trouble.
In this as in some other matters, Lenny was a true prophet.
Emmock's Blog 