1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13,
Psalm 33 :2-3.4-5. 12,
Luke 7:31-35 Full Readings
Saint CorneliusChildish Generation
Beloved brethren, Jesus looks at his generation and calls it a childish generation. They have become depraved and perverse. They reject that which is sane and good and embrace that which is evil. They call evil good and tag good evil. They spurn God’s love and become obstinate in their rejection of God’s goodness. John came and lived an austere life, they named him a mad eccentric and put his head on a platter of gold. Jesus came, ate, drank and socialized, and they tagged him a drunkard and dragged him to a cross. Our generation seems similar to that of Jesus in its childishness. We complain of lack of time but we waste time gossiping. We pray for the fruit of the womb and also fight for the right to abort. We cry to God for protection and we reject his laws about the use of freedom. The words of Saint Paul should stir us: “When I was a child I spoke like a child and reasoned like a child but now that I am old, I leave my childish ways.”
What do children's' games have to do with the kingdom of God? Games are the favorite pastime of children who play until their energy is spent. The more interaction the merrier the game. The children in Jesus' parable react with disappointment because they cannot convince others to join in their musical play. They complain that when they make merry music such as played at weddings, no one dances or sings along - and when they play mournful tunes for sad occasions such as funerals, it is the same dead response. This refrain echoes the words of Ecclesiastes 3:4, there is a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance. Both joyful and sad occasions - such as the birth of a child and the homecoming of a hero or the loss of a loved one or the destruction of a community or nation - demand a response. To show indifference, lack of support, or disdain is unfitting and unkind.
Spiritual indifference and deaf ears can block God's word for us
Jesus' message of the kingdom of God is a proclamation of good news that produces great joy and hope for those who will listen - but it is also a warning of disaster for those who refuse to accept God's gracious offer. Why did the message of John the Baptist and the message of Jesus meet with resistance and deaf ears? It was out of jealousy and spiritual blindness that the scribes and Pharisees attributed John the Baptist's austerities to the devil and they attributed Jesus' table fellowship as evidence for pretending to be the Messiah. They succeeded in frustrating God's plan for their lives because they had closed their hearts to the message of John the Baptist and now they close their ears to Jesus, God's anointed Son sent to redeem us from bondage to sin and death.
Those who hunger for God will be satisfied. What can make us spiritually dull and slow to hear God's voice? Like the generation of Jesus' time, our age is marked by indifference and contempt, especially in regards to the message of God's kingdom. Indifference dulls our ears to God's voice and to the good news of the Gospel. Only the humble of heart who are hungry for God can find true joy and happiness. Do you listen to God's word with expectant faith and the willingness to trust and obey? As St Paul tells us in first reading, love is supreme and anything we do should be in the anchored with love
Let us pray.
Lord Jesus, open my ears to hear the good news of your kingdom and set my heart free to love and serve you joyfully. May nothing keep me from following you with all my heart, mind, and strength.
Stay blessed
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