Tuesday, March 10, 2020

“Disordered Attachments – We All Have Them” by Colleen O’Sullivan


“Disordered Attachments – We All Have Them” by Colleen O’Sullivan


The people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem said, “Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah…  Heed me, O Lord, and listen to what my adversaries say.  Must good be repaid with evil that they should dig a pit to take my life?  Remember that I stood before you to speak in their behalf, to turn away your wrath from them. (Jeremiah 18:18a, 19-20)

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.  He said to her, “What do you wish?”  She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”  (Matthew 20:17-21)

Piety
Lord, help me to journey through Lent with my eyes fixed on you and you alone.  Remove from me all else that I cling to, whatever distracts me from following in your footsteps.

Study

We began Lent by considering ways in which we might observe the liturgical season. Our Scripture readings urged us to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Through the prophet Joel, we heard God’s plea that we return to God with all our heart, because God is more interested in possessing our hearts than in any showy displays of piety.

Today the Gospel reading focuses on what is shortly about to happen. Jesus lays it out for the disciples. We’re heading toward Jerusalem. You know I have many enemies there, and when we get there, they will turn me over to the authorities who will sentence me to death on a cross. Three days after my death, I will be raised from the dead. 

Unspoken is this phrase: “...and you’re going with me.” If we’re truly followers of Jesus, there is no way to avoid the Cross. 

Had we been with Jesus and the disciples, maybe we would have been stunned into silence at our Lord’s words. Perhaps we, too, would have seen the handwriting on the wall and realized that our Lord was only speaking the unvarnished truth. Maybe we would have been plunged into sadness or silence at the thought of where this journey was headed.  

Then we’re hit with this bizarre exchange between the mother of the sons of Zebedee and Jesus. Amid this deadly serious conversation about suffering and death, she interrupts Jesus to ask if her boys can have the seats of honor on either side of Jesus in God’s Kingdom. At this very moment, status and recognition for her sons are the only things on her mind?

I don’t know why we should be surprised, though, because we all have “disordered attachments,” as St. Ignatius of Loyola called them, or things that we are so attached to that they come between God and us. They get in the way in our relationship with the Lord. For this mom, it was the desire to see her sons elevated to positions of glory. 

For someone else, it might be the love of money and the desire to accumulate wealth. There are countless numbers of things we cling to that get in the way of our love for Jesus. Whatever keeps us unable to follow Jesus all the way is a disordered attachment.  

In the first reading, Jeremiah seems to think faithfulness to God will automatically ensure his safety and well-being among the citizens of Judah. The belief that God will hold us apart from the realities of life on earth, including the hatred and enmity of others, is simply another type of disordered attachment. God didn’t snatch even his Son Jesus away from his passion and death.  

Our faith cannot save us from our lives here on earth. Being faithful doesn’t necessarily protect us from making enemies or keep us safe from the evil machinations of others. God’s guarantee is that God will walk with us every step of the way, not that every step will be easy or without danger.  

Action
When you are praying today, spend some time considering what in your life prevents you from being fully in God’s camp. What or who has a greater hold on you than God? Ask God for help in letting go of your disordered attachments. 

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