Not My Problem!

“If I tell the wicked, ‘O wicked one, you shall surely die,’
and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked shall die for his guilt,
but I will hold you responsible for his death.”

Ezekiel 33:8

On one episode of the sitcom Seinfeld, Elaine asks her then boyfriend Puddy if he believed in God. Puddy said yes. Elaine then asked him if it was a problem that she was not religion. Puddy says, “Not for me.” “Why not?” Elaine asks. Puddy answers, “I’m not the one going to hell.” What Puddy does not understand or realize is that it is and should be a problem for him. The role of each individual within a couple is to help the other become a saint and get into heaven. “Not my problem” is not an acceptable answer; yet, how often is that the answer in our post-Christian world today. But, if we keep going in this direction, not only will those who whole-heartedly reject God go to hell, we too will go with them.

The Lord reminds Ezekiel of his role as prophet. He says that if He tells the wicked the will die because of their evilness and Ezekiel does nothing to persuade them to leave their wicked ways, the wicked will die and Ezekiel will be held responsible for their death. It is not enough for Ezekiel to believe in God and know His will; he must also work to help those around him know the will of God and the consequences of their actions.

In our world today, with Objective Truth tossed out the window, we often hear “your truth” or “my truth,” and people doing whatever their heart pleases even if it goes again natural law and the moral ethical code. We cannot simply turn a blind eye to this. For those of us who have been baptized and partake in the Divine Life of God, we have the duty and responsibility to help our brother and sisters get to heaven. We must never tire of living out of the Gospel truths and we must never say “Well, if God wants them to believe, God will do it.” Yes, God will. He sent you!

When our earthly pilgrimage is over and when we kneel before the throne of God, we have to give an account of our stewardship. We will be asked if we have done our very best to promote the sanctification of all the peoples; in other words, did we tirelessly remind everyone around of the love of God and did we inform them of the dire and eternal consequences of a life that is lived contrary to love and Truth. It is one thing for us to continually preach and live out the Gospel and others still choose to reject God, and it is another thing if we simply gave up sharing the Gospel because “they won’t listen anyways.” The Lord taught that by the former we will have lived out our baptismal calling, but the latter will be evidence that we ourselves have rejected our baptism.

So, unlike Puddy who said that it didn’t bother him that Elaine did not believe in God, it should and must bother us that our society no longer believes in God and that it has chosen to adapt a culture of death. Let us today cast off the “not my problem” mentality and renew our commitment to the love of God and promise to live out our baptismal call in building up one another, sanctifying one another so that the Kingdom of God might be realized here on earth as it is in heaven.

Divine Trust

“I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim's shoulder;
when he opens, no one shall shut,
when he shuts, no one shall open.
I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot,
to be a place of honor for his family."

Isaiah 22:22-23

Have you ever told someone you trusted them? Or has anyone ever shared with you that they trusted you? What does “I trust you” really mean? In this Sunday’s readings we hear of two instances where trust is placed upon someone. The Lord will take what is Shebna’s and give it to Eliakim, giving the robe and the authority that was once his to another. Then we are told that even the key of the house of David will be placed on Eliakim’s shoulder, rendering him the gatekeeper, a position that is likened to the second in command, the one who acts in the place of the master. Isn’t that what we are really saying when we tell someone “I trust you?” Of course, with humans there are varying levels of trust — some people we trust with simple things but others we would trust them with our children and our lives — but at its core, to trust someone is to say to them, “We share this relationship and I am willing to give [a bit] of myself to you.” To those in power when we say we trust your secretary or representative you are saying “I trust that when they see you they will see me and all that I stand for.” This is very true in the encounter we see in the Gospel reading today.

After confessing who Jesus is to him, Peter then receives the surprise of his life. Jesus tells Peter that upon him will He build His Church and that He will give to him the keys to the Kingdom. A great honor and a tremendous responsibility at the same time. Here Jesus is making Peter the gatekeeper and His representative here on earth. Hence Peter is known as the first Pope, the pope being the “visible head of the Church” and the “Vicar (representative) of Christ.” Jesus gives to Peter the power to bind and to loose, and likewise the Pope today as the power to bind and to loose, but always in line with what Christ has taught and instructed.

The interesting thing here is that Jesus places such great trust in a sinner, someone who would flee and deny Him. We might ask ourselves “Why would Jesus choose Peter and put His trust in someone who would do that?” That is because our human understanding of trust is a bit different from the trust that Jesus placed in Peter and in the trust He places in us. When we put our trust in someone, we do so because we see some degree or measure of “worthiness” or “dependability” in the other person. However, with God, when He puts His trust in us, He does not do so after weighing our strengths and weaknesses. When God trusts, it’s actually not really about us at all. When Jesus placed His trust upon Peter, He was not saying “Peter, you have proved to be trustworthy and so I bestow upon you this great honor.” Rather, Jesus was really saying, “Peter I am placing this trust in you so that my Father might work through you for the greater good of the people.” When God trusts, it’s never about us or our ability, it’s always about what God will do through us. God’s trust never fails because it is not rooted in us, but rather in Himself, Who is trustworthy. God’s trust is not based on our worthiness but rather on God’s very nature. He chooses us not because of our worthiness or because we have somehow merited His trust, but because of the great things He will work through us.

So, today, as we reflect upon our own lives and where God has led us, let us try to see the trust that God has placed in us and ask Him to continue to give us the grace to allow Him to work through us. May we never forget that God has called each one of us and chosen each one of us for a special purpose, a purpose that is sealed with His trust, a trust that never fails.

Encountering His Presence

First published August 6 2021 under the title “Seeing God.”

“Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,

‘This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.’
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.”

Mark 9:7-8

Jesus brought Peter, James, and John up the mountain. We know something is about to happen when we read “up the mountain” for mountains are places where God meets His people. Moses on Mt. Sinai. Elijah on Mt. Horeb. Jesus on Calvary. God comes to meet His people.

Peter, James, and John did not know what was about to happen. They saw Moses and Elijah. They were ecstatic! These were like two big celebrities from the past. Then the Father spoke — “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” They heard God speak. The Father affirms the Son’s identity and then He speaks to Peter, James, and John, telling them to listen to His Son. The term used to describe this event is “theophany.” A manifestation of God that is experienced by humans. The Apostles saw God, heard Him, and felt Him. But what did they do with that experience? Peter wanted to stay on the mountain by making some tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Perhaps it was a good place to be at and the company was amazing, but the truth was as it is now: they cannot stay there.

An experience with God cannot be kept to ourselves. When we have seen God, our lives cannot remain stagnant. The life of a Christian is one of encounters, with God and with man, a series of mountaintops and valleys. We can never be sure how those experiences will turn out to be, sometimes they will be filled with joy and inspiration, and other times they will be filled with sorrow and feelings of emptiness. But there is one thing we can be sure of, and that is that Jesus will always be there. “Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone by Jesus alone with them” and that should be enough. When the going gets tough, and when the world seems dark and lonely, we must always remember that Jesus is with us. When we encounter Jesus in our brothers and sisters and in the sacraments, we will have seen God. And in seeing God, He comes to us and calms all our fears and worries, giving us all the graces we need at that moment to weather through those storms. Our Lord is waiting to encounter you, will you see Him?

**For a related reflection/article on the Transfiguration, see “Building Tents and Mountaintop Experiences” on Philip’s earlier blog.