Today at Holy Mass in the first readings St Paul in his letter to the Corinthian people tells them about true wisdom….Wisdom is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit……It is very different from raw analytical intelligence…A person can be off the charts brilliant and lack wisdom…Wisdom is a gift……Paul tells the people of his day and also tells us……”Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool, so as to become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God, for it is written: God catches the wise in their own ruses, and again: The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain”…….Have you ever spoken to a very worldly person about your Catholic faith? - The life decisions you make - Such a person thinks Catholics are completely crazy….We make absolutely no sense to them….Yet today, the great St Paul tells us that “the wisdom of this world is foolishness”…..Tell that to a Wall Street Banker!…..When Jesus Christ returns, and he will, the power structures of the world will be turned completely upside-down!!!….The very thought should terrify us in more ways than we even realize!…..Think for a moment of Jesus’ teaching in the Beatitudes….Blessed are the meek….Blessed are the poor in spirit…Is he crazy? - The answer is NO…And when Jesus returns, those who are not meek and those who are not “poor in spirit” and those who are not peace makers will be in BIG trouble…..As Catholics, we must aspire to live by the wisdom of God as opposed to the wisdom of the world…We must be willing to be a “fool for Christ”…Our life should be viewed as a contradiction to the secular world around us…People should look at you and your life and say…How do you do it! - Are you CRAZY?….And our answer to them should then be - I am a disciple of Jesus Christ - The man who conquered death….The very idea of conquering death is “foolish” - Right?!?…But it happened…..So much for being “foolish”
“Come after me, says the Lord, and I will make you fishers of men”
Growing up I knew a man by the name of Patrick Fahey…..Patrick had eight children…If you did not know Patrick, you probably would have thought he was crazy person…He rode his bike to the store, he never owned a car….He was always happy, in fact, I never saw him without a smile on his face…And Patrick’s life was far from easy…He was not a rich man, far from it, and for the most part his children were not “choir boys” - I know, I was friends with them!…But Patrick was always smiling….Over the years Patrick became very well known in our town….Everyone knew him because Patrick spoke with everyone..He worked as a crossing guard well into his eighties and rode his bike to work everyday (rain or shine)…When he died, many people came to his funeral, I being one of them…..This “fool for Christ” taught us all…Just being living and smiling
“He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, a reward from God his savior. Such is the race that seeks for him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob”
As many know, St Paul was a sophisticated man…Educated and a leader amongst the Jews…Once he encounter Jesus on the road to Damascus, his life changed…I am sure many of St Paul’s “old friends” thought him to be crazy…..In many ways, the measure of our life as Catholics should be the same…If we are just like the rest for the world, we surely are not following Jesus Christ…..Secular people should look at our life and think we are CRAZY….Because our choices contradict the “wisdom” of this world…Catholics do not use contraception - Catholics forgive - Catholics have many children - Catholics are faithful to their spouses….Catholics are kind to all….All these traits will make secular people think you are a fool….So be it - Be a fool for Christ….Do not seek to blend in - But instead “stand out”…..Our life as Catholics should make absolutely no sense to the secular world….No sense at all….If you find yourself in that “bucket” - Blessed are you - For the Kingdom of God is at hand……”For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God”….JMJ
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