(Fr. Tom posting)
Cain and Abel. That classic sibling rivalry which clearly went to tragic levels. Cain brings an offering to God, and it is rejected. Abel brings an offering, and it is graciously accepted. In response, Cain’s fury goes way too far, leading to his brother’s death. Many have wondered why God rejected the offering to begin with, and some have even tried to blame God for Cain’s anger. But maybe God was trying to make a point with Cain. Maybe God was trying to say, “Cain, I cannot accept this gift, because your heart is not in the right place. Your gift comes from a darkness in your heart, and not from a generous spirit.” One might wonder if Jesus had this story in mind during the Sermon on the Mount when he said:
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’
"But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment,
and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
"Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled
with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
Not sure why Cain was the way he was. Not sure why he felt so inadequate, when in fact there was much unseen and untapped goodness within him. Tragically, his inability to see the good in himself also blinded him from seeing and celebrating the good in others. We see this all over Scriptures. Saul’s rage over David’s successes. The disciples arguing ad nausem over who’s the greatest. And Judas? Well, we won’t even go there. But even after the Resurrection, it continued. The Church in Corinth getting all worked up over whether a “Paul Christian” is better than an “Apollos Christian”. So much goodness wasted because people fail to see it in themselves and others.
And then there are the readings for the Third Sunday of Lent. The Ancient Israelites (true masters of the phrase “What have you done for me lately?”) are angry and anxious over a lack of water. Valid concern, but they start to take it out on Moses. Fortunately, they’re being let by an all-loving God who not only can see water in a stone, but continually sees the good and the potential in this ragtag bunch and thus remains loyal to them. And then we have Jesus encountering the woman at the well - a woman who has had more than her share of life’s failures – a woman who seems to believe all the negative things said about her. But Jesus sees the good in her, and helps her to see it as well. If you think about it, Jesus does it throughout the Scriptures - not only seeing the good in others, but helping them to see it in themselves.
Back in the 1920’s American writer Max Ehrmann composed a prose titled “Desiderata" (latin for “that which is to be desired”). It received little attention at the time, but in the 1950’s the rector of Saint Paul's Episcopal Church in Baltimore included it in a collection of devotional materials. Since then, it has gained in popularity. A great line from the poem:
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Good words to keep in mind.
At one time, St. Paul’s ran a small homeless shelter for men who had a set plan to move on from their homelessness. During my time in seminary, I helped out on a number of occasions, eating with the residents, hearing their stories, laughing at their jokes (some pretty crazy jokes!), and then spending the night on a cot, keeping an eye on things. Consistent in their stories was their hope of turning things around for themselves. But it was evident that each of them were competing with only one thing (their past) and with one person (themselves). Perhaps it is a great lesson which Paprocki is trying to teach in Key 2. Let’s be careful when comparing ourselves. And let's make sure it is doing us some good when we do.
I also remember a lecture I heard in grad school. I wish I could remember the presenter, but the premise of the talk was this: as a society becomes more westernized and modernized, the rates of depression increase. Why?
Because we see something on TV and we conclude that we have to have it
and we spend beyond our means to get it. Being in debt forces us to work more and play less.
Because we see someone on TV and we wish we could be as good-looking
as that person, be as “happy” as that person, be as “successful” as that person.
Of course, all of these are comparisons which lead to depression.
(If any of you know who came to these insightful conclusions, let me know so I can give the person credit.)
So Paprocki makes much sense. Let’s be sure to see the good in others. Let’s also be sure to see the good in ourselves. In doing so, there just might be a whole lot less jealousy, rivalry, anger, and even hatred. And with that, a whole lot more of the goodness which is already there.
Great presentation of Desiderata below. Oldie but a goodie.
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