Daily Mass Readings 09/01/2014 or I Beg Your Pardon, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

"I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling,
and my message and my proclamation
were not with persuasive words of wisdom,
but with a demonstration of spirit and power,
so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom
but on the power of God." -1 Cor. 2:3-5

09/01/2014 Monday of the Twenty-second Week of Ordinary Time

This passage from St. Paul in today's readings says two things to me. The first thing is that he is telling the Corinthians that he did not come with over the top rhetoric and brilliant oratory. He came to them and taught them through demonstrating the power of the Holy Spirit in his life. He's telling them that you can sometimes talk until you are blue in the face and the onslaught of words will not lead anyone to a desire to know more and build a relationship with Jesus Christ. But if you live in such a way that demonstrates His love to others and shows your joy in living out His plan, you will naturally draw people to Him because you are letting His power speak through your actions. There is a catch to this method though. Your compassion, love and joy have to be genuine. If you're just putting up a false front and portraying your Christian life as a bowl of cherries, then people will see through that and it could damage any chance they might have had at connecting with Jesus.

And that brings me to the second thought that this passage provoked in me. St. Paul mentions 'weakness and fear and much trembling'. Does that sound like a club you feel like joining? I would doubt it, but it does put forth a clear view of Christianity, at least sometimes. Following Jesus will not fill your bank accounts as some preachers say it will, nor will it sweep all of your problems under the rug as some of the Facebook memes would imply. Having a relationship with Jesus does not mean that you have your very own magician bending the laws of the universe to your whim. It means that when you go through those difficult times and don't feel strong enough, you always have someone there beside you. Portraying life as a Christian any other way could cause someone to just drop the whole thing when the going gets tough. It is like the seed that takes root, but does not survive because the roots are weak and shallow.

May we always show through our lives the comfort, compassion and confidence that says we are walking with God, and may people see that in us not only when life is a bowl of cherries, but also during the times when we get stuck with the pits.

God bless,
P.D.O.