The Graceline

Jesus was a friend of sinners. Do you ever see Jesus getting upset with sinners? No. Jesus understood that sinners act like sinners. Do you know why sinners act like sinners? Because they are sinners. He never expected them to act differently.

The only people that ever ticked Jesus off were religious people. People who were sinners but refused to acknowledge the fact. People who believed they were more righteous than others. Religion, in my most humble opinion, is the greatest hindrance to the abundant life Jesus came to give us. And religion can be very dangerous.

Anthony de Mello, a Jesuit priest, tells the story of an Italian couple that was getting married. They had reserved the parish courtyard for the reception, but it rained. So they asked the priest if they could have the celebration in the church. They said, “All we want to do is have a little cake, sing a few songs, drink a little wine, and then go home.” The priest reluctantly agreed.

Everybody was having a great time of fun and fellowship. And like all life-loving Italians, they ate a little cake, drank a little wine, sang a few songs, and drank a little more wine. But the priest was all agitated over the noise they were making in the church. The assistant pastor, noticing how uptight the priest was, said, “Father, I see you are all tense.”

The priest: “Of course, I’m tense. Listen to all the noise they are making, and in the House of God, for heaven’s sake!”

The pastor: “Well, Father, they really had no place to go.”

The priest: “I know that! But do they have to make all that racket?”

The pastor: “Well, we must remember that Jesus Christ was once present at a wedding banquet.”

The priest: “I know that. YOU don’t have to tell me that Jesus Christ was at a wedding banquet! But they didn’t have the Blessed Sacrament there!!!!” (from the book, Awareness, by Anthony de Mello).

With religion, a lot of times the Blessed Sacrament, or the liturgy, or the denomination, or whatever religious observance becomes more important than Jesus Christ. When worship becomes more important than love… when the church becomes more important than life… when holding on to our concept of God becomes more important than loving our neighbor… religion becomes very dangerous because it puts a basket over the very light that could save the world from darkness.

Did not Jesus, Himself, tell us that human beings were much more important than the Sabbath? To Jesus, a transformed life was far more important to Him than worship. And if that ticks you off, maybe YOU are a little too uptight. Lighten up!

You think about that…