Saint Bridget of Sweden

Lectionary: 396

 …stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,

“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father
is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

Passages like this in the synoptic gospels should never be misread; Jesus did not disown his mother or his family, nor did he imply that certain men are the children of his mother and therefore his “brothers.” Such interpretations more than miss the point; they skew the message and render it inaccessible to the “little ones” among us, which is a grave sin.

We should read this short story about Jesus’ family in the light of his admonition:

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Hearing that teaching, we can well imagine why some people would prefer to misinterpret today’s gospel. They may not be prepared to reorient their entire lives – their finances, family, work, entertainment, sexual relations, politics and so forth – around the person of Jesus. It seems much easier to splash in the shallow puddles of religious controversy than to set out for the deep with the gospel.

But what we are not willing to hear from the mouth of the Lord often comes to us through hard experience. That is, obedience to God is the easier way of life. Far worse is  subservience to one’s own desires, preferences, obsessions and fears. That invariably proves to be the way of confusion, perturbation, sickness and death. 

Visit any American hospital for a few hours and see the number of people dying of life style diseases. While these diseases certainly appear more frequently in a nation where people live longer, had we been willing to live sensibly sooner, with the sound medical and dietary advice that is available, we would almost certainly be more comfortable in our old age.

Life in the Lord is not easy; the gospel assures us of that. But it is far more pleasant than the alternative. There are only two ways to go, and those who turn away from the darkness of sin and error never want to turn back, despite the challenges.

Our saint today, Saint Bridget of Sweden, chose the Way of the Cross as she abandoned the familiarity of her homeland to reside in the derelict city of Rome. From there she could challenge the Pope to abandon his luxurious life in Avignon and return to the Eternal City. Subsequent history would confirm his decision, but only after the Great Schism was settled. The Vicar of Saint Peter has resided in Rome ever since.