This is an ironic post.
In light of all the hate and violence in this country, I have decided to take action. So what's the first thing I do? I blog about it. For those of you who are new to irony, let me just state that
blogging is arguably the antonym of doing. But I have to. Writing or blogging is not really the opposite of doing; it's a prelude to doing, or even a CALL to action.
What a nice coincidence that this Sunday's Gospel reading is when Jesus goes to visit Mary and Martha, and Mary chooses to sit next to Jesus, to be in the moment with Him. Martha chooses to attend to "many things." Of course, we hear that Mary has chosen the better part. But we also know that the house was clean when Jesus got there because of Martha. I'm not a very good biblical scholar, but this passage speaks to me about a rightly ordered life, and balance that happens because of rightly ordered things.
Being with Jesus is the better part. This is the first thing. First things are worship, prayer, adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, and supplication. Second things are temporal needs. Water, food, shelter, social justice, world peace.
It's not fashionable to think of these important things as "second things." The media, the TV pundits, the rock stars, the celebrity athletes all seem to put all these things first. And it's mostly admirable. Of course, we want the common good to lift up all of society. We don't want to see people marginalized, I'll-treated, or suffering. We want everyone to have enough to eat and drink. We don't want anyone to endure homelessness or persecution or violence. Duh.
But these are in fact, the second things on our list to do. The first thing we need to do to know, love, and serve God is to worship him. This means to throw yourself at His feet, kneeling, head bowed down, acknowledging your unworthiness, thanking Him for all that you have been given, join in the saving work of Jesus' sacrifice by laying down everything you love and don't love about your life, offering your whole self to God through the work of Christ. Through Him. With Him. In Him. This is first.
When you do these things out of order (meaning, you place social justice ahead of worshiping God) - they separate into isolated things to check off on a Christian to-do list. This is not the way it is supposed to work. We are God's people FIRST. We are created by Him, for Him. We come to know our God in prayer - time spent with Him. Worship Him. Praise Him. Bless His Name. Align your will to the Father's Will. Let the Peace of Christ control your hearts. Rest in Him. Ask for Mercy. Get it. THEN, go out to all the world, proclaiming the crucified, risen Lord, Jesus to all you meet. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Admonish sin. Starting with your own. Be a beacon of Truth - not your own unformed notion of truth, but the Truth that comes from God.
When we do these things in order, they are united into a life in Christ. Charity makes sense and is recognized for what it is. Giving and receiving. Gratitude is the only logical response in a rightly ordered life. Powering through the reluctance to give charitably of time or money is not really charity - not really "caritas." In caritas, both giving and receiving beget gratitude.
In a rightly ordered life, courage is not sought; it moves with you.
There are those who are saying, "How can you think about liturgical orthodoxy at a time like this? Don't you know that there is suffering and injustice, racism, hunger, violence, war, poverty, inequality, etc? We should be focusing on these things first."
Wrong.
As the hashtags against all these atrocities accumulate and take over Twitter and Facebook, things aren't getting better. It is a time to kneel and pray. It's time to go to confession. It's time to go to Mass, REALLY participate in Mass. It's time to embrace obedience in worship. It's time to bring our entire self's to Mass, then to lay ourselves down. We don't come to Mass to tell God what good we have done. We come to Mass to worship God, to be sanctified and redeemed by Him, BEFORE He sends us into the world. It's time to stop creating Mass in secular society's image. Die with Him. Receive Him in Holy Communion. Rise with Him. Go BE HIM to all people.
#1. Love God with your whole being.
#2. Love your neighbor as yourself.
