We cannot have it both ways!

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Matthew, Jesus teaches us about turning the other cheek….To a person “of the world” - This teaching is absolutely ridiculous!…..Tell a Fortune 500 CEO he should “turn the other cheek”…Tell the President of a G7 nation to “turn the other cheek”…They would laugh in your face!…..This teaching today divides the world into two camps….”The City of God” & “The City of Man”…..If we live in ”The City of God”  - We look to heaven - Material gain is not our first priority….Our first priority is that we stay in the state of Sacramental Grace - That we live by the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes…..Living in this manner looks very different from those who live in “The City of Man”…..Why does Jesus’ teaching divide? - Because each of us must make a choice in this life and “no choice” is in fact a choice….We must conscientiously choose “The City of God” over “The City of Man”….Some Christian circles believe we can “have it both ways”…We can prescribe to “The City of Man”, reap all the benefits, live in a machiavellian manner and at the end of life arrive safely in “The City of God” - This is a self manufactured fantasy!……But lets look even deeper - Why does Jesus ask us to “turn the other cheek” and not seek revenge from others that harm us? - Because in doing so, we can potentially shame our opponent and in doing so they may repent and turn their life around towards God……To put it bluntly - If we do not “find God” in this life - WE LOSE!…It does not matter how “good” of a life you have - When we die, it ends, and eternity lasts forever!!!!….And if by God’s grace we have found the Risen Lord, its then “our job” to show people the way forward by our life’s example….And when we “turn the other cheek”, we show those who live in “The City of God” - That what we “see” around us is not only temporary, but there is something far greater on the horizon - That “something” is God himself……..Not a bad trade off - Right?!?….But we cannot have it “both ways” - So turn the other cheek!

“A lamp to my feet is your word, a light to my path”

I have worked for almost thirty years at an International Bank….Corporate America is a rough place to work!…Over the years I have met many unsavory characters….And in the course of working all these years, I have learned many things about human nature - One of them is, when people “do you wrong” - It many not be worth “going to war” with them….What I mean by that is, sometimes its much better to “let the little things go” when someone does you wrong - Because in taking that approach, you maintain the relationship, which down the road you will need in order to do your job - “Proving you are right” - Even when you are right - Can come at a great cost….In the beginning of my banking career, I would “fight every battle” and in the end, I was always the loser, even when I “won the small battles”…..As the old saying goes - “You can win the battle but lose the war”…..Clearly when Jesus taught his first disciples about turning the other cheek, he did not ask them to be “door mats” for people to take advantage of…But what he did ask them to do, is to not participate in the same “dirty game” of an “eye for an eye” that secular world plays each day competing for material gain, power and status…..Ask your self this - Is it worth it? - To fight tooth and nail for “crumbs” and “dust”?…….Instead Jesus teaches us a better way….So as the secular world around us fights and claws for “scraps” - Catholics should live by a different code!….”Taste and see the goodness of the Lord”…..”For my yoke is easy, and my burden light”

"You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles”

Today in the Gospel, Jesus once again proposes a revolutionary way forward….To be an authentic follower of Christ should be obvious to all who witness your life - No words are necessary! - Your life’s witness will speak volumes if you live as Jesus teaches us today…”Turning the other check”….Why can I state that with such certainty? - Because “the world” does not operate like that!……To be Catholic means we are to be “a light on a hill” and this teaching today is one of those ways we can be that “light” to others……”Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father”……Each and every person we see around us lives in one of two places - “The City of Man” or “The City of God”…..And its our daily choices that determine which “city” we live in…..We cannot have it both ways!………..JMJ