Word to the Wise
Friday, August 9, 2024 - Friday in the 18th Week in Ordinary Time
[Nah 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7 and Matt 16:24-28]"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life?" [Matthew]
Back in the 1960's when European movies were enjoying a kind of vogue, I saw one entitled THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW, directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. The actor who portrayed Jesus in that film seemed terribly abrupt and demanding to me, and not very appealing. But I can't say the depiction was unjustified if one reads the Gospel According to Matthew thoroughly. Jesus is very demanding. Discipleship is not for "sissies!" The evangelist Matthew is aiming for "missionary disciples" (to use Pope Francis' term) who will put their lives on the line. The line about "taking up a cross" is very likely a reading of Jesus' death back into his preaching in the light of his several predictions! Persecution of Christians by both Roman and Jewish authorities in that time was a reality.
I have mentioned more than once a poster I once had that proclaimed: If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? The Gospel According to Matthew expresses the hope that there will be abundant evidence to support such a conviction.
In preaching parish missions, I have used a distinction between "accidental" and "intentional" Catholic. The first kind is simply the fact of being born to and raised in a Catholic home or environment and doing whatever it is that is expected - Mass on Sunday, confession at least occasionally, having the kids baptized and confirmed and maybe go to a Catholic school, join the KC's or Catholic Daughters. The "accidental Catholic" is akin to a "cultural Catholic" in an environment where Catholics are a majority. The "intentional Catholic" is more likely to pay attention to the theological identity of "Catholic" and the depth of Catholic tradition. They would deliberately embrace not just the outward evidence of Catholicism of the accidental or cultural Catholic, but also seek to share the faith in such a way that others are attracted to it. This is what is meant by evangelism. The picture of discipleship in the Gospel According to Matthew is evangelical. Where do we see ourselves in this picture? AMEN