Ronald Knox was an Anglican Priest who became Catholic in 1917. He helped G K Chesterton discern his decision to become Catholic a few years later. Father Knox was not as well-known as Chesterton but left an imprint on the Church just as important as Chesterton’s.
In one of his sermons on the Eucharist, Father Knox made this observation: throughout two thousand years of history, Christians, both whole churches and individual believers, have consistently been able to ignore many of Jesus’ key commandments and invitations. We have either been too weak to follow his counsels or we have rationalized them away somehow.
Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser said “And so, to a large extent, we have exempted ourselves from the demand to love our enemies, to turn the other cheek when attacked, to forgive 70 times 7, to leave our gift at the altar and first go and seek reconciliation with our brother before we worship, to place justice on the same level as worship, to see mercy as more important than dogma, to not commit adultery, to not steal, to not call someone a fool, to not tell lies, to not give in to jealousy. We have, in virtually every one of these areas, individually and collectively, a history of infidelity and rationalization.”
The Children of Israel also had a problem with keeping the Commandments that God gave Moses on the mountain. By the time Moses came down the mountain, they were worshiping a golden calf instead of the God who delivered them from slavery in Egypt. Time and time again they turned away from God and worshiped the gods of the nations around them. It seems that our nature is such that we can easily make excuses or rationalize our sins away, so we don’t feel any guilt.
Father Rolheiser continues: “But we have, for the most part, been faithful and consistent throughout all the years to one of Jesus’ commands: to celebrate the Eucharist, to meet together in every circumstance and share his word and break bread and drink wine in his memory.”
Jesus became angry with the way the temple was being used as a marketplace rather than a place of worship. The reason that I became Catholic is because of the reverence that Catholics hold for the Sanctuary. Most Evangelical churches talk and chat in the Sanctuary the same as outside the church. This bothered me but I didn’t realize the bigger distinction that makes Catholics different. As I studied to become Catholic, I realized that it is the Eucharist that is what sets Catholics apart from other religions.
We celebrate the Eucharist at every mass. This is where we get our strength to follow Christ each day. It is in receiving his Body and Blood in the Eucharist that helps us to go out into the world to share his love with everyone we meet.
During our Lenten journey, as we examine our hearts and motives, it is important for us to not only look at the Ten Commandments that God gave us but to look deeper at the teachings Jesus gave us to love one another as he loves us. Father Rolheiser mentions leaving our gift at the altar and going to a person to seek reconciliation before offering our sacrifice to God.
When Jesus talked about this in the Book of Matthew, he said “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
Notice that Jesus didn’t say that you have something against someone, that is easier to control, but that you know that someone is angry or upset with you. Then you should go and reconcile with that person and then come and offer your sacrifice.
This is one of the hard lessons that Jesus taught about loving others as he loves us. Being sensitive to others is difficult for all of us. We are so busy taking care of ourselves and our family that we don’t notice the pain we may have caused to others by our carelessness or impatience with others.
It may be something that we did or said that we didn’t realize upset that person at the time. It may even be something that we don’t think should bother anyone. But it did and we must take the first step as Disciples of Christ to correct it by going to the person and seeking reconciliation.
At the start of mass, we always ask for God’s forgiveness for the times we have failed to obey the Commandments or to love as he loves us. We do this to prepare our hearts to receive him in the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist. During this Lenton Season, let us take it one step further and resolve the hurt, even if we don’t know the specific issue or didn’t mean to offend, it is enough to know that someone is upset with us that we should seek to make it right.
All of us are Children of God. Our body is the Temple of God. Jesus speaks to us today, he wants to drive out the sin in our hearts the same as he drove out the money changers from the Temple two thousand years ago.
Each day during Lent I listen to the Franciscan Short Way of the Cross by the choir and students of Thomas Aquinas College to remind me that Lent is a time of preparation. The Fourteenth Station is: Jesus is taken down from the cross; When I receive you into my heart in Holy Communion, make it a fit abiding place for your adorable Body.
As we prepare to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus into our hearts and lives, let us resolve to reconcile ourselves with others and with Christ. Help us Lord to stop making excuses and rationalizing our sinful behavior so we may be a fit and abiding place for your Body.
