The readings for mass today balance both the positive and the negative. The first reading from the book of wisdom starts by telling us to “think of the Lord in goodness and seek him in integrity of heart.” But, then goes on to say “perverse counsels separate a man from God.” And that “the soul that plots evil, wisdom enters not, nor dwells she in a body under debt of sin. For the Holy Spirit of discipline flees deceit and withdraws from senseless counsels; and when injustice occurs it is rebuked.”
But, then the pendulum stops going from one extreme to the other and regains a gentler balance, “For wisdom is a kindly spirit, yet she acquits not the blasphemer of his guilty lips.”
We are often like that too. Sometimes we go from one extreme to the other, especially when we are trying to overcome or correct a particular negative trait within ourselves. A person that realizes he or she is too non-assertive with others may actually become aggressive or overly assertive at first when they try to correct this tendency within themselves. It takes a while for the pendulum to begin to swing back into a normal range, and for them to not be passive or aggressive, but assertive when it’s needed. Young people really have a time with this sometimes. Yong men sometimes become angry a little too easy and young women are often passive or non-assertive. Hopefully, as we all age, our behavior becomes more like the first reading when it says, “For wisdom is a kindly spirit, yet she acquits not the blasphemer of his guilty lips.”
Jesus starts out very tough on sin in the gospel today. “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.” You can’t help but think of people who sexually abuse minor children when you read this passage in the gospel. This is one form of sin that thankfully, very few Catholics ever have to cope with though.
But, the next part of the gospel is more middle ground and is a little less difficult of a subject. It is actually quite useful advice, “If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.” This is a little easier to do. However, this passage in the gospel does not apply to any kind of abuse. We must always forgive another person, but that does not mean that we are to accept abusive behavior either. The first reading today, again, shows us the balance that is needed. “For wisdom is a kindly spirit, yet she acquits not the blasphemer of his guilty lips.”
The last verse in today’s gospel is on the other side of the pendulum. It is about faith. “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
But, if we rush to get to this point without the proper growth in our spiritual life then our efforts will not succeed. Jesus may have been speaking metaphorically or not. Many of the saints did have supernatural abilities that are very rare, like bilocation, levitation, or the gifts of prophecy, healing or other miracles. Perhaps this is what Christ meant. The thing to remember about the saints is that they slowly grew in their spiritual life, and these gifts of grace were given to them by God, because of the deep abiding relationship they had with Him.
The need for balance seems to be the key in today’s readings for mass, yet to strive toward the excellence and perfection of love for God and love for our neighbors as well. It is so easy for us to lose our balance in life and when we do, it’s often hard for us to listen and believe others when they try to tell us this. We should try to keep an open mind when others point out a lack of balance in our lives. There is usually a grain of truth to it. That’s the first step toward correcting the behavior that is out of balance, with God’s help through our prayer life and the reception of the sacraments. The grace we receive from frequent reception of the sacraments forms a stronger ally within us, for Christ himself dwells within us. With him by our side, we can be strong enough to change anything that is needed in our lives. Without him, we are powerless to do so.
