Sunday Reflections

In this Sunday’s gospel, when Jesus identifies the believers around him to be his family, he was, in a sense, declaring that water is thicker than blood.  The waters of baptism lay a stronger hold on people’s hearts than the bonds of family heritage.  Many years ago, I was driving to Kentucky and was halfway down I-75 in Ohio, listening to talk radio.  A preacher came on and asked, “On a scale of one to ten, one, meaning you know you are going to hell, and ten, you know you are going to heaven; where would you place yourself?  Not wanting to be overly presumptuous, I thought a nice safe seven would suit me.  After a short pause, the preacher came on and said, “If you didn’t say one or ten you are wrong. You are going one way or the other; there is no in-between. I knew he was right.

That is the point Jesus was making in defending himself against those who considered him working for the devil.  All the miracles and good works that Jesus had done could not have been from the dark side but only from God.  The challenge for all of us is to believe.  Yet often the world around us challenges our faith.  In the first reading, the serpent lied to Adam and Eve by promising them life and knowledge that they already had since from creation they were already made in the image of God. The tragedies, suffering, sickness, wars and death that beset our world today constantly lay siege to our faith.  Many ask where is God in all of this and how can a loving God let all these things happen?  I have always found it puzzling that we don’t blame the devil for all the evil in the world — or even ourselves for that matter.

In the words of the Serenity Prayer, our faith calls us to learn to have the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to tell the difference.  At the end of the day, we are either for God or against God.  Let us all pray that we are headed in the right direction, so that, as St. Paul says, when our earthly tent is destroyed, we will go to the house that God has made for us.