The Call to Sacrifice
As I begin writing, I cannot help but think of Guy Delaney and his family. This blog is being posted on the day we gather for his funeral and entrust him to God who first blessed us with his life among us. Let’s remember to say a prayer for Guy and ask the Lord’s special care for his family who grieves his death so greatly. May Guy find the fullness of life in God’s kingdom, a saint among the saints.
Ever since I was young, I have been in awe of someone who would give his or her life for another, whether that be a member of the armed forces who died in battle, a saint who died for the faith, or a person like Mother Theresa who died in selfless service to others. What would motivate a person to make such a sacrifice?
Today’s readings bring that feeling of awe back to me. Jeremiah didn’t want to be a prophet. He didn’t want to speak a message of punishment and doom to a people he loved. He didn’t want to be despised and ridiculed by others. He didn’t want to be murdered in a foreign country far away from the people, the Temple, and the land he loved. But he couldn’t hold back the word that God gave him to speak. He tells us in his Confessions that the word of God burned like a fire within him. He felt God duped him and he let himself be duped. It seems to me, however, it was more than being duped. Jeremiah was “all in.” He may have had his doubts and may have preferred a different role in life, but he couldn’t back out. What motivated him to go against perhaps his natural tendencies and challenge kings, religious leaders, and the population in general?
I have the same admiration for my brother Jesuits who died nearly 30 years ago in El Salvador at the University of Central America. They were teachers and pastors, not social agitators or revolutionaries. They couldn’t, however, see the the injustices that were taking place around them and remain silent. They spoke out against the treatment of the poor farmers they served on weekends. That made them enemies of the wealthy who owned the land and the government which they controlled. Death threats were made against the Jesuits. Most of them were Spaniards, and they were told to go home. They didn’t and they continued to speak out and one night they were murdered in their residence by the army. What drove them to get involved in the charged political, social situation of El Salvador? What made them risk their lives?
In today’s Gospel we witness the growing tension between Jesus and the religious leaders of Israel. Jesus’ popularity is growing. Some people are even talking about his being the hoped for messiah. But debate rages - the messiah would come from Bethlehem not Galilee. Why would the Pharisees and priests not accept him if he was truly the messiah? We know how the story develops. Jesus continues to speak his message of reconciliation, he is arrested on trumped up charges, and put to death because, as one leader put it, it’s better that one man die than the nation (read the current social establishment) perish. Why didn’t Jesus just back off? Why did he continue to challenge those in authority? Couldn’t he see where all this was leading?
As I mentioned above, I stand in awe of men and women who give their lives for others. The only motivation I can find for such self-sacrificing devotion is love - love in response to love. That burning feeling within Jeremiah which drove him to speak out, the commitment to the poor farmers who were suffering injustice, and the faithfulness to the call of the Father in the face of death are expressions of love. The love Ignatius spoke of as being a mutual exchange of gifts and of being shown better in deeds than in words. The deeds of these men and of many others inspire me. As I approach Holy Week, I find myself reflecting on God’s love for me and my response to that love.
In Ignatian terms, what have I done for Christ, what am I doing for Christ, what will I do for Christ?
Author: Fr. Wally Sidney, SJ, Superior of the Gonzaga Community, Theology Department
Ever since I was young, I have been in awe of someone who would give his or her life for another, whether that be a member of the armed forces who died in battle, a saint who died for the faith, or a person like Mother Theresa who died in selfless service to others. What would motivate a person to make such a sacrifice?
Today’s readings bring that feeling of awe back to me. Jeremiah didn’t want to be a prophet. He didn’t want to speak a message of punishment and doom to a people he loved. He didn’t want to be despised and ridiculed by others. He didn’t want to be murdered in a foreign country far away from the people, the Temple, and the land he loved. But he couldn’t hold back the word that God gave him to speak. He tells us in his Confessions that the word of God burned like a fire within him. He felt God duped him and he let himself be duped. It seems to me, however, it was more than being duped. Jeremiah was “all in.” He may have had his doubts and may have preferred a different role in life, but he couldn’t back out. What motivated him to go against perhaps his natural tendencies and challenge kings, religious leaders, and the population in general?
I have the same admiration for my brother Jesuits who died nearly 30 years ago in El Salvador at the University of Central America. They were teachers and pastors, not social agitators or revolutionaries. They couldn’t, however, see the the injustices that were taking place around them and remain silent. They spoke out against the treatment of the poor farmers they served on weekends. That made them enemies of the wealthy who owned the land and the government which they controlled. Death threats were made against the Jesuits. Most of them were Spaniards, and they were told to go home. They didn’t and they continued to speak out and one night they were murdered in their residence by the army. What drove them to get involved in the charged political, social situation of El Salvador? What made them risk their lives?
In today’s Gospel we witness the growing tension between Jesus and the religious leaders of Israel. Jesus’ popularity is growing. Some people are even talking about his being the hoped for messiah. But debate rages - the messiah would come from Bethlehem not Galilee. Why would the Pharisees and priests not accept him if he was truly the messiah? We know how the story develops. Jesus continues to speak his message of reconciliation, he is arrested on trumped up charges, and put to death because, as one leader put it, it’s better that one man die than the nation (read the current social establishment) perish. Why didn’t Jesus just back off? Why did he continue to challenge those in authority? Couldn’t he see where all this was leading?
As I mentioned above, I stand in awe of men and women who give their lives for others. The only motivation I can find for such self-sacrificing devotion is love - love in response to love. That burning feeling within Jeremiah which drove him to speak out, the commitment to the poor farmers who were suffering injustice, and the faithfulness to the call of the Father in the face of death are expressions of love. The love Ignatius spoke of as being a mutual exchange of gifts and of being shown better in deeds than in words. The deeds of these men and of many others inspire me. As I approach Holy Week, I find myself reflecting on God’s love for me and my response to that love.
In Ignatian terms, what have I done for Christ, what am I doing for Christ, what will I do for Christ?
Author: Fr. Wally Sidney, SJ, Superior of the Gonzaga Community, Theology Department
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