A crowd gathered at a major Midwestern airport to welcome Jesus of Nazareth to their community a day after he had told thousands of his followers at Yankee Stadium what he expected of them.
Although Jesus’ first appearance in the U.S. had drawn a frenzied crowd of “Jesus freaks” carrying adulatory placards, his remarks drew a mixed response after he bluntly warned of the consequences of disobedience.
‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
As the crowd fell silent, some people walked out, asking how Jesus dared to address them like this. Didn’t he know how much money they had spent building complexes in his honor? And how could this be Jesus? He was supposed to be a white guy with long brown hair like the pictures in their complexes, not an olive-skinned man with an accent. Some began planning to turn their complexes into gated malls.
Not all of Jesus’ wealthy fans had abandoned him. Many contributed heavily to the collection for local homeless shelters. They joined the poor people in the bleachers in applauding enthusiastically when Jesus said:
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘ Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
The next day at the Heartland Airport, members of the powerful welcome group assembled. When reporters asked them about Jesus’ controversial exhortations in New York, they said either that they hadn’t read about his demands or were sure that he had been misquoted. Besides, they were distracted by a group of professional “Jesus people” who were disturbing the peace by kneeling in prayer for the safety of strangers in their town. They commanded cops to arrest the group.
When Jesus finally arrived, he refused to ride in the limousine organizers provided. Two of Jesus’ enthusiastic followers offered him rides -- one in an SUV packed with pepper spray and military gear, the other in an aging sedan filled with food boxes and diapers.
Which did Jesus choose?
Sorry to be so obvious and even hokey, but I am focusing on the exhortations of our Catholic bishops opposing violence and assaults on the human dignity of ALL people. I’m especially haunted by Cardinal Joseph Tobin’s powerful video repeatedly asking, “How will you say no?” to such cruelty to the least of our brothers and sisters.
How am I saying no? How are YOU saying no?
Eileen Wirth
I’m a retired Creighton journalism professor, active in St. John’s parish and a CLC member. In retirement, I write books about state and local history, including a history of the parish, and do volunteer PR consulting for groups like Habitat for Humanities, refugees etc. I love to read, work out, spend time with family and friends including those who can no longer get out much.
Writing reflections has deepened my faith by requiring me to engage deeply with Jesus through the Scriptures. In the many years I have been doing this, I’ve also formed friendships with regular readers nationally, most of whom I have never met. Hearing from readers and what I learn by writing make the hours I spend on each reflection well worth the effort.
