Feeling excluded

Human beings are social by nature. To borrow a phrase from an old song, we are “people who need people.”

Sometimes, however, this need becomes disproportionately large in our hearts and in our minds and we make bad choices in order to be with people or to “fit in.”

And sometimes the greatest fear of all is to be excluded.

Today’s readings show us a better path.

In fact, in today’s Gospel (Luke 6:20-26), our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ says we should be happy to be excluded!

Blessed are you
when people hate you,
and when they exclude
and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.

Rejoice
and leap for joy on that day!

Behold,
your reward will be great in heaven.

For their ancestors treated the prophets
in the same way.

It is our nature to be social but unity with God is an infinitely more critical part of our nature and a much deeper need.

Besides, our faithful sisters and brothers in the Church and in heaven are a million times more than enough to satisfy our true social needs.

We need a better focus in our lives, as Saint Paul reminds us in today’s first reading (Colossians 3:1-11):

If you were raised with Christ,
seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Think of what is above,
not of what is on earth.

...

When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory.