A 9th Sunday after Pentecost Thought About How We Should Live

This 9th Sunday after Pentecost brings us an opportunity to consider how we should live. Remember that Sundays, among other things, bring us an opportunity to stretch our spiritual wings. Right? We go to Mass. We're given a respite from our daily toil. We can take some time now on our Interior Life, especially if we find this difficult during the week, or if we simply haven't done so. And thus we stretch our spiritual wings.

In that spirit, we look back at our post for the 5th Sunday after Easter and the words of Rev. George Zimpfer: 

...we must strive to live and fight for truth as Jesus lived and fought for it; we must attack ignorance and sham as he attacked it, with no complacence in our own superiority, clearly seeing the difference between the sinner and the sin. We must develop courage and fearlessness in facing the harshness of men and their deep selfishness, preferring to see them as ignorant rather than as malicious. We must seek to acquire some of our Lord’s patience and kindness, His charity and tolerance, His understanding and gentleness. These qualities and many others are what we mean by the ‘spirit’ of Jesus. They do not come to us magically by conformity to some religious Rule or by set forms of prayer and practices, however good these may be in themselves. The spirit of Jesus comes only as our own personality merges, as it were, with that of Jesus, as we reflect in our daily conduct His ideal of living.  

These words pack a whole lot of power. Imagine taking everything Father says literally.

But wait. It would seem Father means every word. And why wouldn't he? Reading them a second time, it seems he is urging us to abandon the spirit of this world in favor of the "spirit of Jesus."

This world has penetrated us so deeply, whether we realize it or not. Think about it. It does seem that most of us (present company included) pretty much speak and act just like those who have little or no interest in their Catholic Faith. Upon reflection, don't we pretty much fit nicely into all that the world presents to us each day?

Father shows us a way out. And note that, while not demeaning "some religious Rule" or "set forms of prayer and practices," he directs us to something rather astounding: He suggest a profound change within, one that would change our very personality. 

That personality of ours seems fixed, doesn't it? It's "who we are." But if we understand that God knows us far better than we know ourselves, we'll have a way out of this way of thinking. We don't really know, in some fixed sense, who we are. 

And that means we can free ourselves of being fixed and settled as we perceive ourselves. 

So with that freedom, we can re-read Father's words and take them literally. And if we do, we will strive to merge our personality - such as it is - with that of Jesus. 

The suggestion here is that, if we do, it will show. that is, it will "reflect in our daily conduct His ideal of living."

A tall order? Yes. But doesn't this tug at our hearts as we read these words? Don't we want this "merging" to take place?

How to do it? Well, read what precedes:

- Strive to live and fight for truth as Jesus lived and fought for it

- Attack ignorance and sham as he attacked it, with no complacence in our own superiority, clearly seeing the difference between the sinner and the sin. 

Develop courage and fearlessness in facing the harshness of men and their deep selfishness, preferring to see them as ignorant rather than as malicious. 

Seek to acquire some of our Lord’s patience and kindness, His charity and tolerance, His understanding and gentleness.    

Much to contemplate on this Blessed Sunday!

With this, we wish you a 

Happy 9th Sunday after Pentecost!