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| Where are the Clowns? |
| (Matthew 5:1-12A) |
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| Our
scripture can seem strange, unsettling. The Beatitudes tell us that
rather than rewarding the smart, the hard-working, the assertive, the
Kingdom of God is set up to reward the poor, the sad, the meek, the
hungry. Then St. Paul reminds the Corinthian church that most of them
are not wealthy families, not well-educated. Not many of them were
powerful, yet Paul wanted them to know that God chose them on purpose.
Those who had not been chosen by society were now chosen by God. God
wants everyone to know they are somebody to him. Abraham Lincoln once
quipped, "God must have loved the common man... he made so many of
them." |
| Russian
dictator Joseph Stalin once mocked the Church by asking, "How many
divisions does the Pope have?" Compared to the war machine and the
cruel power of Stalin, the Church looked weak indeed. But today, the
Church is still going strong, while Stalin's Soviet empire has fallen. |
| God
works through the weak to shame the strong. Who but God could use
Mother Teresa, that small woman with an enormous heart, working in
obscurity among the dying in India. She moved nations and governments
to compassion for the poor.
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| As
Paul says, "God chose the weak to confound the strong—God chose the
foolish to confound the wise." You see, to many, Christianity just does
not make sense, and you and I are just a bunch of clowns. We believe
in such impossible things... a God who is one, yet three; a God who was
born in a stable and died on a Cross. We try to love God above all
things and our neighbor as ourselves. We believe in forgiveness of
reaching out to those around us. We even try to care for our world and
even those who we do not know or who we will never meet. We believe
that when we approach the Altar, we will receive our God in the form of
bread and wine. No wonder that to many we seem like a bunch of clowns.
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| Perhaps
we are all a bunch a clowns. Have you ever been to a rodeo? The
cowboys are the apparent heroes of the show. They ride animals with
great skill and bravery. Everyone cheers for the cowboy. But when a
cowboy is down, thrown from his animal, the clowns enter that dangerous
ring with their funny antics and goofy costumes. Some of the clowns
distract the animal while other clowns rescue the fallen cowboy and
carry him to safety. The crowd roars with laughter. Only at the end
does the crowd realize that the clowns are the real heroes of the rodeo.
When there is a danger, when there is a need for bravery and
compassion, when the fallen need mercy, send in the clowns. |
| As
Judi Collins sang years ago, so where are the clowns? There ought to be
clowns. Don't worry they're already here... and they are sitting all
around you. Good Christian people who keep trying to emulate Christ in
their day to day life, not looking for reward, save only to do God's
will. This gospel is an invitation to ask ourselves to what extent do we
qualify to be called blessed by Jesus. Are we a person whom Jesus
would give the name merciful? Are we a person to whom Jesus gives the
name peacemaker? Are we a person to whom Jesus would give the name poor
in spirit? Do we ever stop to think what it means to be a Christian?
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| There
are no easy answers to these questions. It would be easier to pretend
the challenge is not there. Perhaps, there could be another beatitude
added to the list something like this. Blessed are those who struggle
with issues, who suffer criticism for acting on behalf of the gospel.
The reward, maybe Zephaniah gives us a clue in the words uttered by the
Lord. "They will pasture and lie down, and no one shall make them
afraid."
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| Yours in Christ, |
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| Fr. Robert Warren, S.A. |
| Spiritual Director |
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