Smile if you are a follower of Jesus

February 1, 2004 -- 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Bishop Robert Morneau

	Bishop Robert Morneau
	Questions for reflection: 1. What does the reading of history and scripture do for you? 2. What qualities of love given by St. Paul strike you as being most important? 3. Do we have good reasons for smiling?

The novelist Wallace Stegner once wrote: "It does not become a historian to smile." History is messy and is as brutal as nature. In the popular movie and novel "Cold Mountain," a story of what happened to people in time of our Civil War, we are given a picture of murder and rape, torture and greed, famine and human misery. Oh, yes, there is also love and those small acts of kindness that keep the flame of hope alive but few people who leave the theater or finish the novel are smiling.

What about scriptural scholars? Does it become them to smile? Think what happened to Jesus and Paul, to John the Baptist and Peter, to Stephen and so many other early Christian martyrs. Murdered all! Oh, yes, there is promise of new life and a heavenly banquet but there is so much blood around that it is hard to smile.

Things were going well for Jesus in the synagogue. In fact, the congregation spoke positively about him. But then the winds changed. Jesus took on the people for not accepting him as prophet in his native place. In confronting them and speaking forcefully about the work of previous prophets who were able to be effective with Gentiles, the crowds turned on Jesus with indignation and were ready to kill him. We have here an earlier version of "Cold Mountain."

Then there is the prophet Jeremiah who informs us about his plight. Though known intimately by the Lord and appointed a prophet, Jeremiah also faced violence as the people of his day wanted to crush him as the people in Jesus' native place sought to throw the Lord over the brow of a hill. This prophet business is dangerous stuff. As Jesus and Jeremiah spoke prophetic truth, tremendous opposition stirred in the hearts of their audiences. The old adage rings true: "Guilt leads to hostility."

But all this is but a portion of the truth. "Cold Mountain" ends with a banquet (a la Eucharist), with music, with an extended family loving one another despite years of loss and hardship. Spring is upon the land. Hope and love triumphant in the end, leading to life, life that is eternal. That is why it becomes us, who follow Jesus, to smile, yes, even to laugh.

St. Paul shares with us a hymn about love. This is a realistic love, one that has the power to endure. This may mean years of waiting for a loved one to return. It may mean that forgiveness must be offered time and time again. It is a love that refuses to brood over injuries, a brooding that poisons the soul. This love, the love given us in Jesus, is filled with kindness expressed by sharing our resources, encouraging those who are ill, visiting the homebound. It is this love that empowers us to smile in the midst of darkness. It is God's love become incarnate.

In our Gospel refrain we sing: "The Lord sent me to bring Good News to the poor, and freedom to prisoners."

The Civil War was not good news in that so much violence and killing took place. But in the end slavery was abolished and the Union held. The Good News was that God's kingdom of justice and freedom was advanced. The community of "Cold Mountain," though deeply scarred, would have to continue on the road of reconciliation, attempting to implement the love of which St. Paul sang so powerfully.

It is becoming for followers of Jesus to smile. Our faith and hope permit us to do that. But, as St. Paul reminds us, one day these virtues will not be necessary. In the presence of Love, being smiled at, we will have cause for rejoicing and smiling ourselves. We may even be joined by historians and scripture scholars.

(Bp. Morneau is the auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay.)