Father Tim Lemlin
Her mother replies, "Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white."
The little girl thinks about this for a while and then asks, "Momma, how come all of grandma's hairs are white?"
Some years ago it was not unusual to find my Dad and I on a Sunday afternoon bent over the front of one of our cars. It seemed like something was always in need of repair or maintenance. One afternoon we had to replace a part that was in a difficult area to reach. Putting the part in place was difficult enough, replacing the screws that held it in place was impossible. The space did not allow me to use two hands, nor was it big enough for me to begin the screws with my fingers. Then my Dad did an amazing thing. He coiled a piece of wire around the screwdriver and allowed electricity to pass through it. After a few moments he handed the screwdriver back to me and told me to place the screw at the end. When I did, I was surprised to find the screw remained in place. He had transformed the screwdriver into a magnet.
When we listen to our gospel reading today we hear at least three things. The disciple Judas has just left. Jesus begins to speak about God glorifying him. And Jesus instructs the disciples that they are to love as he loves. All three of these events are connected.
Judas is disenchanted with Jesus. He believed that Jesus thought like him. Jesus didn't. The hatred that Judas has toward the Romans now becomes directed at Jesus.
The glory to which Jesus refers involves suffering. Suffering is not good in itself, but it is only in suffering (someone or something else being in control of my life) that transformation can happen. Transformation and glorification are synonymous in Jesus' mind.
The disciples are to love as Jesus loves. This involves the previous two things. Judas hates the Romans. He feels and believes that they are threatening the established Jewish way of life. They are terrorists who kill innocent people without cause. His way of life becomes ridding Israel of this enemy and every means to do this is right and just. Eventually, the energy that drives his life becomes hatred and fear, and only those who agree with him are good.
Initially, Judas believes that he and Jesus want the same thing. As time passes, however, it begins to dawn on him that the energy that drives Jesus' life is very different from the energy that drives his life. Then he discovers that Jesus' energy is not only different from his energy, it is also becomes a threat to his established way of looking at life. Finally, Judas chooses the only 'good' available to him based upon his worldview: Jesus must die.
This is true for each of us. We base our decisions upon our worldview - how we see the world, what we hold to be important, and what established way of life we feel we need to protect. It is very rare that we purposely choose evil, but it is frequent that the good we choose and defend isn't good for others but only good for us. It is a 'good' that keeps our way of life firmly entrenched at the expense of others.
Jesus' worldview causes us to suffer. It invites us to surrender our way of life. This is not something that we can choose on our own. We must live consciously in the Presence of God who surrounds our lives. Much like the screwdriver, for this to be possible we must find people who are attuned to the way of life that allows them to love as God loves.
This is not easy. We all have ties to an established way of life (be it here in the US or in Iraq). Consciously living in the Presence of God enables us to painfully see that we are all complicit with the acts of horror that we so often view in newspapers and on TV. It then causes us to painfully recognize that this one or that one isn't my enemy. My enemy doesn't live out there, my enemy lives within me and God loves me.
Jesus puts before his disciples and us a new commandment: love one another… as I have loved you, and not only you but also as I love Judas who betrays me, and my church leaders who call for my death, and the men who will torture me and finally put me to death.
When everything is "life as usual" we can only see the good that is projected by our established way of life, and most often this good makes sure that our way of life continues as it is. When our way of life is interrupted, which usually involves suffering, the opportunity is present for us to see a different good that isn't generated by us but comes forth from God.
