St. Anthony the Abbot Catholic Church

Today’s readings remind us that we have two fundamental choices in life when the Lord asks something of us: obedience or rebellion. Rebellion is a choice, but it is the wrong choice. In today’s First Reading Ezekiel reminds us that those who blame the Lord for their destructive path and decisions are only deluding themselves. Rebellion is usually egged on by an injustice we have suffered. Today Ezekiel debunks any claim that God is unjust in letting the wicked perish and the virtuous live due to their actions.

The most fundamental principle of ethics doesn’t even require the Bible. Aristotle in his ethics described it as “do good and avoid evil.”  We are free to do either, but we are also responsible for the outcome. The Lord has simply established the “rules of the game.” He knows what is truly good, and He knows what is truly evil. The wicked do evil, and many people suffer the consequences of their evil, not just them. The virtuous do good, and many people benefit from that good.

The Lord has created us with the freedom to do good or to do evil. He wants us to do good because He knows a virtuous life is a fruitful and beautiful life. He also knows the flipside of freedom: we’re free to blow it and choose evil. He doesn’t want us to do it, but He permits us to do it out of respect for our freedom. No one can honestly say the Lord hasn’t tried throughout salvation history to dissuade us from taking the wrong path. In the end, our decisions are our own.

In today’s Second Reading St. Paul traces out a simple path for us to follow. It is the path Our Lord Himself followed.  He summarizes it very well: “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his interests, but also for those of others.” Everyone upon hearing those words, experiences a little twinge of rebellion at the thought of it, which speaks directly to today’s Gospel. Why do we say “yes” and not deliver? We do not deliver because the thought of obeying and denying ourselves provokes inner rebellion. Mankind’s entire history of sin is a history of rebellion, so it’s no surprise that rebellion is deeply rooted in us.

Our Lord gives us a different example: that of a profound obedience to the Father, and obedience that leads to His death, but also to His glory. It is a difficult path, so it is no surprise that we are hesitant at times to take it, but it is the most fulfilling one. Our Lord in today’s Gospel reminds us that the true measure of success is not what we say, but what we do. That’s the determining factor of whether we let rebellion or obedience triumph in our life.

Conversion is not letting that inner rebellion due to sin shape our decisions and actions. Rebellion can be pretty wild, even exciting, but in the end, it doesn’t really lead us anywhere. A believer who says “yes” to God’s will but doesn’t do it, in the end, lets the rebellion win and, therefore, goes nowhere. His lips may have said “yes,” but in the end, his heart said “no.” A believer who says “no” in the throes of rebellion but obeys, in the end, has conquered and won.

The Pharisees in today’s Gospel said “yes” to God’s will, but, in the end, didn’t do it. They maintained a façade of obedience that was revealed to be a façade when God came in Person and showed them a different path to follow.  The tax collectors and prostitutes, on the other hand, saw the opportunity at the coming of Jesus to quash the rebellion that had been enslaving them even as it had promised to empower them.

Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was the fourth of fourteen children born to a family of sharecroppers in a village of Lombardy. His desire to serve God led him to the priesthood in 1904 and a variety of assignments, including papal nuncio in France; delegate to Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey; and Patriarch of Venice. When he was ordained a bishop in 1925 his episcopal motto was Oboedientia et Pax (Obedience and Peace): obedience brought peace.

Saint John XXIII was the pope from 1958-1963. He was already seventy-six when he was elected Pope. The cardinals, due to his advanced age, saw him as a short-term pope who wouldn’t make any significant changes. Despite expectations, Pope John XXIII convoked the Second Vatican Council, a council with far-reaching implications for the Church for years to come. He didn’t live to see the end of the Council but was canonized in 2014.

St. Paul in today’s Second Reading didn’t say to ignore your interests completely; he said to look out for others’ interests, consider them more important. If you are struggling with selfishness, the first step to humility is to try to look out for the interests of others as well. Use some of your time, talent, and treasure this week for the good of others. You may start grudgingly, but soon you’ll do it willingly.