Defensiveness, denial, rationalization, avoidance. What do these things have in common? It’s what we do when we avoid shame. None of us like to experience shame. None of us like to experience suffering. And we love to avoid. We love to deny. We love to distract ourselves because shame does not feel good. Here is the gospel, though, where Saint Peter does the same thing. He tells Jesus, “No, you cannot die. You cannot suffer. You cannot experience shame. I will protect you. I will defend you. We will avoid this.” But the reality is that Jesus Christ embraces all of these things. He embraces shame. He embraces suffering for us. This is what makes Christianity so radical that our God is not afraid to embrace shame and suffering for us. So the next time that you experience some shame or suffering, you know that your God has gone before you experience this with you.
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Gate To Heaven
So, at the end of your life, you get to the gates of heaven, and the person guarding the gates of heaven, either St. Peter or Morgan Freeman, asks you, “Why should I let you into heaven?” And we could have so many answers, like ” because I’m awesome,” ” because I gave much money to the poor,” ” because I went to mass every Sunday,” or “I’m not Voldemort.” We can give many good answers…
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Desire and Act to Heal
In the gospel for the Sunday, Jesus shares with us, “If a brother sins against you, go to that brother and share his fault with him alone.” This message is so powerful for us, and we can take this teaching and completely ignore it. What do we do when someone sins against us when someone hurts us? We tell every single person in the universe except for…
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Light The World On Fire
Pentecost is not the moment the Church plays it safe. It’s the moment the Holy Spirit sends the apostles out to set the world on fire with the love of Jesus.
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” That mission isn’t only for priests, missionaries, or “extra holy” people. It’s for every Christian, including you.
So the question is simple: are we talking about Jesus in our lives, or are we avoiding it? Pentecost reminds us that the Holy Spirit gives us the courage to stop staying quiet and start sharing the Gospel.
