Challenge them

It is often quite interesting how the cycle of readings in the Lectionary sometimes matches up with celebrations in the liturgical calendar. Today, the Lectionary's jaunt through the book of the prophet Jeremiah brings us to these words (Jeremiah 26:1-9):

Stand in the court of the house of the LORD
and speak to the people of all the cities of Judah
who come to worship in the house of the LORD;
whatever I command you, tell them,
and omit nothing.

Perhaps they will listen and turn back,
each from his evil way,
so that I may repent of the evil
I have planned to inflict upon them for their evil deeds.

And on this same day, the liturgical calendar gives us the memorial of St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests.

One does not need to be Thomas Aquinas to see at least one obvious connection: that priests and preachers should - indeed, must - challenge those who come to worship in the house of the Lord with the ENTIRE truth of the Lord.

There is a caricature of St. John Vianney as a kindly confessor who had trouble with his studies, but he was quite clear and strong in what he had to say. For example, in speaking of the sanctification of the Lord's Day, he said, "When I see people driving carts on Sunday, I think I see them carrying their souls to Hell."

To be sure, St. John Vianney backed up his words with sanctity in his personal life, devotion to his flock, and extraordinary grace in the confessional, but one cannot make up for deficiencies in those areas by watering down the truth of God.

Nor is this an obligation for priests and preachers alone.

Each one of us, according to our own vocation, is called to share God's word with others...

...and omit nothing.

This is very important, for there are many of us - ordained and lay - who may enjoy making clear and strong statements of Christ's truth, but only those things that fit with our agendas or with the preferences of our audience: cherry-picking liberal or conservative talking points out of the deposit of faith and making our hearers feel good about being a true Christian.

Generosity with the poor does not give someone a free pass to violate natural law.

Personal rectitude and doctrinal purity does not excuse someone from the obligation of charity and sacrificial giving.

We are all sinners - God knows I am - but that does not mean that we should keep quiet about sin.

We must be honest about our imperfections but also honest about God's truth.

Whatever I command you, tell them,
and omit nothing.

Perhaps they will listen and turn back,
each from his evil way...

Of course, they may not listen. Indeed, not only may they persist in their evil ways, but as they did to Jeremiah, they may turn against us in a very bad way.

But we must be faithful to the Lord, to his command, and to his truth.

We ourselves must listen to the Lord and turn back from our evil ways.

And perhaps those who despise us and reject our message will - by the grace of the Lord - someday listen to the Lord and turn back from their evil ways.

Ultimately, the work we are called to do is not our work nor is the message that we share our own message.

The challenge of the Gospel is a challenge to us.

It is God's work. It is God's truth.

But he calls us to do it. He calls us to spread it.

Whatever I command you, tell them,
and omit nothing.

Perhaps they will listen and turn back...

May we turn back. May we listen. May we speak.

In the name of Jesus.