The first reading begins today by saying:
“The Holy Spirit says: Oh, that today you would hear his voice, Harden not your hearts … Encourage yourselves daily while it is still “today,” so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin. We have become partners of Christ if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end.”
These are sobering words. Those of us who are reading these words for Mass today are trying to do just that. Hold the beginning firm until the end. We are trying to fulfill our baptismal promises and remain faithful to the Lord for the rest of our lives.
It’s easy to delude ourselves though, thinking that we are in good standing before the Lord Jesus, because we do all the right things. We attend Mass regularly, go to confession, try to obey the precepts of the church, and hold fast to the practices of our Catholic faith. Many of us know the rosary by heart and pride ourselves on being able to say it in 20 minutes. There are many people who have studied theology extensively and know a great deal more than others about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Mary and most especially the bible, because the bible is ample food for thought for our entire lives.
We all know people who practice our Catholic faith absolutely to the letter, and yet – there’s something wrong. There’s something missing. A major element inside of their heart is spiritually dead, or in the process of dying out.
Do you remember when you were first married? The honeymoon phase wears off after a few years doesn’t it? The same thing can happen to the clergy and religious as well. The flame of their spiritual zeal and love for the Lord can dim considerably over the years and they can lose the fire of their first love. Outwardly, a married couple may go through the motions and do everything right, like brushing your teeth almost. Everything functions the way it should, but their hearts have lost the flame of love. It is the same way with the clergy and religious on rare occasions too. The flame of their first love dissipates after a number of years and they settle into a routine that brings them no genuine joy.
This is what the first reading for Mass today is all about. Allowing love to dissipate and grow hollow in our hearts. It’s true though, that love does not consist of sentimental emotions or spiritual consolations. If you think about how many of us cry over sad movies, you know this to be true. We get all excited over a movie, a sporting event, a live concert, and many other things that profoundly affect our emotions, but these strong emotions are fleeting and dissipate not long afterwards.
We start out with good intentions, but things can get very complicated along the way. It can creep up on you without realizing it, that life isn’t so simple anymore. How did it get so complicated? So stressful and empty? The original joy in living out our vocation as a Christian can erode a little at a time, if we aren’t careful.
This is the point that “separates the men from the boys,” so to speak. This is an American term that means it’s time to step up to the plate and accept our responsibilities as a mature adult. It’s time to put aside our selfishness and childish weaknesses, and become people of integrity. Children are impulsive and are not always faithful to what is good, right and true. Babies are born selfish, and childhood is a process of learning to control our impulses, in order to live in harmony with the rest of the community that we live in. Selfishness is something we strive all of our lives to tame.
The leper in today’s gospel is very much like the first reading for Mass today. Jesus had compassion on him, and cured him of his leprosy, but the man probably felt like a big shot afterwards, a little bit of a celebrity because of the cure he had received. He no doubt received a lot of attention from the community because of it, and may have really played into that, dragging out the unusually positive attention he was receiving. This disordered desire can grow out of control, if it is not kept in check. I knew an inmate in prison once that lost a baby shortly after birth, and received so much extra attention because of it, that she went on to kill her next baby, and eventually her first grand baby too. She committed her crimes because of a disordered desire for love and attention.
Every single action we do in life is motivated by the desire to receive love, or give love to others. The childish part of us always wants to receive love from others. Many people live out their entire lives seeking love, attention, admiration and respect from others, but they always fall short of actually feeling loved. This is the point that “separates the men from the boys”, (or the grown women from the girls.)
Spiritual maturity evolves from our inborn, selfish need to be loved, into an unselfish ability to love others. This is the true secret to happiness, and as mature men and women, it is our Christian vocation. To direct the focus of our lives outward, toward loving God and loving our neighbor, rather than perpetually seeking to be loved by others. We are not called as Christians to gain love, but to give it, just like Jesus did in today’s gospel. It is in giving love to other people, that we actually receive the love that we crave. Let us not lose this focus as we travel through the years of our life. We don’t want to end up empty handed.
