Sunday, November 18, 2007

Today's Second Reading

We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others.

St. Paul hit the nail on the head here. So many people waste their lives 'minding the business of others" rather than worrying about themselves. But the world has never been changed by people minding other peoples' business. Change only comes about when people are wiling to busy themselves with reforming their own lives. Today's scripture challenges us, as Christians, to work for the coming of the Kingdom by honesty looking at - and changing - our lives. The spectator sport of worrying about everyone else's life just won't do; we have to get down and dirty on the playing field of our own lives.

3 comments:

IronKnee said...

Whether you are a priest or not isn't an issue. The issue is, "Are you right?" I think you are. I wish, though, that you'd address Arbp. Chaput and Arbp. Nienstedt's most recent comments re: aborted fetuses judging people at the Last Judgment on how they vote in the 2008 Presidential election (Chaput) and the parents of gay and lesbian children should be denied Communion if they support their children in homosexual relationships (Nienstedt). Both seem counterintuitive and heretical to me. What's your take?

Fr. Charles Ledderer said...

Hmmm. I haven't heard about those yet I guess I have been negligent in my duties!

Chaput's comment seems a little over the top. And Nienstedt's seems completely lacking in charity. What is a parent supposed to do? Is the Christian response to disown gay/lesbian children?

Anonymous said...

I don't think parents are supposed to disown their homosexual children. I think they are supposed to tell their children that homosexual acts are sinful, and call them to conversion. The teaching wouldn't be any different if the child were heterosexual and engaged in pre-marital sex. It's harder to turn away from sin when the people close to you support you in your sin. Is supporting a person's sinful acts "love"? Not in the sense that love means wanting what is best for the person.