The Peaceful Fruit of Righteousness

February 4, 2009

Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

By Melanie Rigney

At the time, all discipline seems a cause for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on the faithful. For he knows how we are formed, remembers that we are dust. (Psalms 103:13-14)

(When Jesus went home to Nazareth and the people there took offense at him, knowing his background), he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. (Mark 6:5-6)

Piety

Lord, help me to learn and grow from Your loving discipline. Make me stronger so that I might do your work in a way that better pleases You and better serves You through my brothers and sisters.

Study

Washington was agog last week when President Obama had the audacity to question why area schools were canceled due to a minor snowstorm. He questioned our toughness, said we needed to be flintier.

The same week, WAMU-FM’s Diane Rehm looked at the broader issue of what makes some people give up and others persevere amid struggle. Her guest, the author of Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life, referred back to the Obama comment. To paraphrase, he asked whether listeners when faced with adversity, say, “It’s going to be tough. I’d better get some help” or “It’s going to be tough. I’d better give up.”

God asks us to do many tough things that are tougher than going to work or school in a snowstorm:

1. Find Christ in others.

2. Put Him first in our lives.

3. Remove ourselves from situations and people who, no matter how attractive, are not conducive to doing what we need to do to create a more Christlike life.

Sometimes, we attempt to meet these requests halfheartedly. Change is hard, and it’s harder when the temptations come in attractive packages. Sometimes, we try our hardest to follow God’s will, and still fail. That’s where His discipline with compassion comes in. And so, chastened, we try again. And again. And again. And again, until we get it right and receive the peaceful fruit of righteousness described in today’s First Reading.

Reaching that point of joy, where the pain of discipline is past, is a struggle. The journey is easier with people who believe in us. As we see in today’s Gospel reading, even Jesus couldn’t do mighty deeds with the background noise of people who couldn’t believe their homeboy, the son of a lowly carpenter, could really be all that others said he was. If Jesus couldn’t do His Father’s work without the support of community, how can we? No matter how highly we regard ourselves and our connection to Christ, it’s going to be tough. We’d better get some help—from each other.

Action

Ask your community for help with a personal struggle that heretofore you have kept to yourself. See how much easier dealing with the problem can be when you engage people who have faith in God—and you.