16 March 2018
Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Perhaps you have seen the following on a poster: Just because you are paranoid it still doesn’t mean they are not out to get you! At times it seems as if moving towards the good is not unlike the Greek myth which tells the story of Sisyphus who is condemned to role a rock up a hill only to have it roll down again in the morning. The flow of the crowd sometimes seems far more attractive than rowing against the current. In addition to the myth of Sisyphus, the Greeks also saw the virtue of fortitude in the face of challenge as one of the great virtues. Our reading today speaks of the constant barrage of attacks received by Jesus in his attempt to proclaim his message of reconciliation. Although the victory of God may be seen in an act of great enormity, we must recall that the Kingdom is spread by acts which resemble the small mustard seed and the bit of yeast. As St. Teresa of Calcutta stated, God calls us to faithfulness, not to success. Success really is moving towards God in this life so that we can be with him in the next.