Wednesday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 445

We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’

When you read the life of Saint Francis or Saint Anthony you will discover stories of amazing conversions. Whole cities came out to hear them speak. They ceased their feuding and fussing and made peace with one another. Hardened criminals repented and cynical old sinners put on sackcloth and ashes.  

I am less surprised that so many changed their ways; I am more surprised that they knew what to do when they repented. They confessed their sins, returned what they had stolen, quit philandering, returned to church, paid tithes and lived peaceful, useful lives. Despite the cynicism of corrupt priests and despotic rulers, there was a clear path to holiness in those simpler times. Everyone knew what they should be doing.

It’s not that easy today. We do not know how to repent. Many sincerely decide to change their lives, forswearing crime, drugs and alcohol; but cannot return to a church they never attended. There are no clearly marked paths to right living. Sins formerly recognized as deplorable – especially promiscuity, adultery and abortion – need no regret. Few penitents feel an urgent need to restore broken marriages. They may take up yoga, karate or vegetarianism. If they choose religion there are hundreds to choose from; including the worship of Jesus Christ, Gaia or Haile Selassie. Unlike Saint Francis’ contemporaries, today’s converts can shop around to find beliefs to fit their tastes.  Very often they create a medley of beliefs from different religions.  

The advantage of cafeteria religion is you can tell anyone about it. It's market-friendly. The disadvantage: it does not come from God. It can take you no deeper into Truth than your controlling mind is willing to go.

Jesus met a similar disinterest among the Jewish crowds of his time. He did not return sinners to their former religion. Perhaps the world had already changed too much for such reform. His new way was unknown, unmarked and unexplored.

Jesus invited his disciples to come to him as the Lord who would lead them. “I am the way, the truth and the life.” His disciples did not dust off the old rites, songs, rules and customs.  Rather, they turned to him for day by day, hour by hour guidance. 

Amid the uncertainties of this world, following the example of the Acts of the Apostles, Christians invoke the Holy Spirit to inspire their prayer, prompt them to generosity, caution them of danger, and give them an intuitive knowledge of what to do and when to do it.  

We should study, keep and observe rules but we are not enslaved by them. Because they often contradict one another, we trust the Lord to tell us which rule applies in which situation. Some of the new methods of reform -- yoga, meditation, fasting, 12 steps, etc -- can serve us well if the Holy Spirit leads us there.