Fr. Don's Daily Reflection - March 25, 2024
Psalm 62: “In you alone is my soul at rest. My help comes from you.”
What a change! From being an oft-persecuted sect, Christianity had become by 380 CE a state religion. It became fashionable to be a Christian; it was a way to advancement. Laws were made to promote the faith. It all sounded good to many Christians and such an arrangement continued in many places till modern times. Unfortunately this often meant that Christians did not feel personal responsibility for their faith. Being a Christian was more a matter of where you were born than of genuine personal commitment. Believers depended on laws to enforce Christian belief and morals. The temptation to do that is still with us. When people aren't convinced of the Christian stand on a moral issue there are always some who think making it into law would help.
The brief parable of Jesus about how a small amount of yeast is able to permeate and transform a large amount of flour suggests a better way to influence our society than by laws (Matthew 13:31-35). People who believe in God's love can spread that by quiet lives of faithfulness, joy, and genuine love. Observation tells us again and again how powerful individual example can be, how people are led to Christ not by force and talk, but by good example. The life of Christ in his members, nourished at the Eucharist, makes this example possible.
Psalm 27: “I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness / in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong; / be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord!”
