Week of 2 Advent, Thursday

The cares and occupations of our life

Jesus continues to have harsh words for the Pharisees and the scribes today -- condemning them for being poor leaders, punctilious tithers, self-indulgent ritualists instead of the strong and wise servants God's people need them to be.

For the professionally religious, it's easy to turn into a sort of hothouse flower -- and I know, because it happens to me from time to time. Observing the Church's rhythm of feast and fast can turn into being a bit precious about this or that minor saint's day and what color the altar cloth should be. Living and working in the Church all the time can make it easy to forget that there is more to life and faith than what happens in the parish.

But it's no less dangerous on the outside -- the world we all live in and work in doesn't know the life of faith from a hole in the ground. We're all of us too easily infected by the shallow, glittery veneer, and it's hard to practice being faithful, being true to deeper commitments than the latest political wind or whatever's on the entertainment news tonight.

Whether we're inside the Church's walls or outside (or shuttling between them, as many of us are) Jesus' words remind us not to be so preoccupied with the trivial than we overlook the substantial. The deep work of faith is practiced quietly by good people all around us -- I see it in colleagues, parishioners, and friends who simply produce good work, constantly support parish projects, regularly turn to help a neighbor.

We who lead in the Church need to have eyes to see, so that we can better recognize the quiet, steady life of faith and make sure nothing happens to distract or dishearten those who are walking in God's sight.