Conforming (phase 2), The Value System of Jesus Christ - A Summary (step 12), session 1

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh.  Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man!  Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.  

"But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you that are full now, for you shall hunger. Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you, when all men speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets." - Lk 6, 20-26

Everybody seems to prefer (and to be more familiar with) the formulation of the Beatitudes from St. Matthew's gospel. This one has been chosen for the summary meditation because of how it contrasts the blessings and woes of the two values systems, the two standards, on which we have been focusing. But there are many ways in which the value system of the world may be expressed and lived out, and I am a bit disappointed that this retreat seems to focus so much on the values of wealth and esteem.

I'm feeling particularly torn between these two value systems right now in another way, as two beloved members of our family seem to be making daily decisions according to their own whims and disregarding the effects of their decisions on the family around them. How can I be an instrument of God's voice calling them to decide differently?

But I see another way in which the standard of the world takes root in my life when I look to comparative ways of evaluating my own morality and worth. (comparative vs. contributive identity, a la Fr. Spitzer, whom I have often invoked) This may include when I judge others, and may include looking for an opportunity to do so - for instance, looking up a list of athletes who have been the biggest problem in the locker room.

"For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?" - Lk 9, 24-25

I suppose there are different ways of saving our life. If I try to preserve the pleasures of life the way that I want to live them, rather than taking up the cross (v. 23) of living as Christ calls me, is that not an effort to save my life? Again, I have written before in different contexts about our insistence on seeing the cross as something other than the glorious thing that it truly is, and about our misunderstanding of what is truly glorious. We know that, in his humanity, Jesus begged the Father that the cup be taken from him, yet I also believe that he embraced the cross with more than resigned obedience, but rather with trust and love that outweighed his fear and human misgivings. What would it have profited him to avoid his cross, and what do we think it will profit us to avoid ours? The life that we have in its stead is no gift to us.

As they were going along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."

And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." 

To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 

Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home."  Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."  - Lk 9, 57-62

These can sound harsh, but they underscore what I think the Lord would have me hear in this session.