Fr. Glenn: Not Playing To The Crowd

By Fr. Glenn Jones:

In the games of a democratic republic such as ours, we daily see politicians of every stripe vying for votes. “What can I say … what policy can I implement, or at least promote … that will gain me the most votes?” And, as we’ve seen probably since the beginning of democracies since ancient Greece, aspiring politicians promise the world, but often can—or will— provide only crumbs.

I often chuckle when I read the story of the trees in Judges 9. The trees clamor for the choicest trees/plants to be leaders, but those decline because they do not want to give up their joy and pleasant life. In the end, the trees ask the bramble bush—a parasitical weed—and it accepts leadership, even warning its future vassals that he will demand much of them—especially their loyalty—else “…let fire come out of the bramble and devour [them].” (cf. Judges 9:7-15) Well … at least the buckthorn was up front about it; very often our public leaders … not so much.  Elections for both public or private offices are often “buyer beware”.

And yet we know not how we ourselves would resist temptations afforded to those in office. As St. Paul writes: “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would.” (Ephesians 5:17) Even the great characters of the Bible succumbed to temptations—David with Bathsheba, Solomon giving in to idolatry to please his wives, and—most infamously of all—Judas Iscariot betraying Jesus for mere coin, his very name becoming synonymous with despicable treachery.

We’d like to think: “Well I’D never…!” … do something heinous, or give up my principles simply to please the crowd. Oh, but how we abhor criticism, much preferring applause, “likes”, etc. Faced with the prospect of disdain or rejection, would we hold to doing the right? … with advocating for what is truly good and just? Do we have the courage? And, do we reflect with regret on the times when such courage failed us?

In our instinctive desire for community and its attendant desire for approval, we have to often rededicate ourselves to our strongly-held principles, and steel ourselves for inevitable challenges to them, determined to hold fast regardless of praise or rejection. Else, are they really principles? Or, are we like the vacillating politician who blows with every wind … nothing anchoring him/her to principle? Will we surrender to popularity simply for popularity’s sake? … especially knowing the fickleness of the world’s opinion. What is bad today is good tomorrow, and vice versa.

Christians are warned of this and—hopefully—prepared for this. After all, Jesus warned His disciples: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:18-29) This serves to remind us that, if we as Christians are applauded BY the world or change ourselves to please the world, it’s certainly a time for re-examination, for we may be doing something terribly wrong. 

Thus … are we adhering to the Word of God and, for we Catholics, the teaching of His Church, which Christ promised would be led by the Holy Spirit? Or are we discarding principles of the faith … adherence to God’s Word … so as to be popular, or less controversial, or because that Word is “outdated”? (How some “theologians” dare rule the eternal God’s Word as “outdated” is beyond fathoming. Imagine going before God at judgment and saying: “Tsk, tsk, Lord … you’re just not with the times!” Yeah … good luck with that.)

But, even when disdained, rejected and even persecuted as Christians can at least expect to be, the Christian knows that we are called to charity towards even those who hate us nonetheless—again, more easily said than done, admittedly. We have no better example than Jesus Himself, for:

HE was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

…He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
…although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise him;
he has put him to grief…
(Isaiah 53:3-10) 

Those who hate that which is good are often afflicted in their conscience—at least hopefully, for conscience is the “aboriginal vicar of Christ”, say the saints; conscience may lead to conversion. But we read in scripture what we often experience even in childhood of those who despise the good: 

Let none…fail to share in our revelry,
…Let us oppress the righteous poor man;
…let our might be our law of right,
for what is weak proves itself to be useless.

Let us lie in wait for the righteous man,
because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions;
he reproaches us for sins against the law,
and accuses us of sins against our training.
He professes to have knowledge of God,
…He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;

the very sight of him is a burden to us,
because his manner of life is unlike that of others,
and his ways are strange.
…Let us test him with insult and torture,
that we may find out how gentle he is,
and make trial of his forbearance.

(Wisdom 2:9-19)

Nonetheless, we are ever called to patience and charity, as difficult as those can be … remembering Jesus “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven,” (Matthew 5:11-12) For we are called to be “…fools for Christ …When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become, and are now, as the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things.” This is our lot, our mission and our duty, given by Christ Himself.

So let us steel ourselves, O Christians, for difficulty and challenge, ready to stand with God in all things, come thick or thin, rain or shine, applause or no. Yes, “the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life…” (Matthew 7:13) and yet always is our Lord’s assurance “I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

Rev. Glenn Jones is the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and former pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Los Alamos.

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