Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

Today we kick off Fiscal Year 2014.

Most federal employees have extra free time to celebrate.

But they aren’t in a festive mood.

None of us are.

Every week of government shutdown could cost our struggling economy $10 Billion.

That’s not good for any of us.

And it will translate into real suffering for many.

So how did this mess happen?

It’s one of the endless examples of our human brokenness.

Our stubbornness, blindness, ignorance, jealousy, greed and pride—to name a few breaks.

Our willingness to inflict harm on others, even at the cost of hurting ourselves.

A brokenness that goes all the way back to a jealous Cain killing his brother Abel.

A brokenness that we see in the brothers James and John in today’s Gospel.

They’re ready to jump straight to the nuclear option.

The Samaritans are holding to their old animosity toward the Jews.

They’re disrespectful, they’re unwelcoming.

So John and James want to call down fire from heaven to consume them!

Jesus had to rebuke them for their extremism.

In our penitential rite this morning we prayed:

You came to reconcile us to one another and to the Father. 

You heal the wounds of sin and division. 

You intercede for us with our Father. 

Jesus came not only to reconcile us to God, but also to each other.

He’s given us the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves.

He’s given us his example of forgiveness and mercy.

And yet, we find it too difficult to cooperate, to compromise, to get along.

Our budget spats are truly damaging to our opponents and ourselves.

Coming conflicts over the debt ceiling threaten to severely damage the world economy.

The evil of political/ideological budget disputes pales in comparison to other evils today.

The hatred, violence, torture and killing in Nairobi and Syria and so many other places.

But all those evils stem from the same root—our failure to get along.

No society, no generation before us, has succeeded at following Jesus’ example.

Now it’s our turn to try.

And we need to be the ones to set the example for our wider society.

It’s a daunting task.

But we can start with small steps and hope that we’ll grow into the role.

And that others will join us.

When we’re ready to unleash a response to or about those who disagree with us,

Let’s bite our critical tongue.

Let’s join our typing, texting fingers and thumbs into folded hands.

Until we can express ourselves in a kindler, gentler manner.

One that might help our society move toward reconciliation. 

Tuesday, 26th Week in Ordinary Time

Lk 9:51-56           Read this Scripture @usccb.org