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[Jesus
said:] “What comparison can I use to describe this breed? They
are like children squatting in the town squares, calling to their
playmates: ‘We piped you a tune but you did not dance! We
sang you a dirge but you did not wail!’ In
other words, John appeared neither eating nor drinking and people say,
‘He is mad!’ The Son of Man appeared
eating and drinking, and they say, ‘This is a glutton and
drunkard, a lover of tax collectors and those outside the law!’ Yet
time will prove where wisdom lies.”
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All
American Rejects' song "Move Along" is about someone who is in bad
straits--"Another day and you've had your fill of sinking," they sing,
"with the life held in your hands shaking cold." The suggestion of the
person in the song is to "Speak to me when all you got to keep is
strong; move along, move along like I know you do, and even when your
hope is gone, move along." He tells his friend that if that
friend does not move along, life itself just may be in jeopardy: "A day
when you've lost yourself completely could be a night when your life
ends." His thought to his friend, is that if he/she can keep moving
on--that is, keep plugging away, work at living as best as he/she can,
no matter what the problems--such a person will be able to eventually
live well. In essence, the person in the song suggests, "Hang in there,
life will get better."
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There are
some times in our lives when we want to give up, times when things just
do not seem to work out, when day-to-day living is not easy at all, and
we feel like quitting. It is then that the advice to simply hang in
there, keep at it, or in the group All American Rejects' words,
"move along" is probably the best that we can possibly do.
Jesus must have felt that way in his human life. The Gospel passage from Matthew describes a time when he was exasperated with the religious leadership. He lashes out against them, accusing them of being like children with no knowledge of what they are doing. He tells them that they were acting this way because they did not want to change. If they had accepted John the Baptist or would accept Jesus, they would accept the possibility that they were wrong and consequently alter some behavior or lifestyle. Not wishing to change, they refused to listen. But even though they refused to listen, Jesus kept up his preaching, kept speaking to the people about the Kingdom of God. Because of our human makeup, at times, we get tired and exasperated with what we are doing. We are trying to do the best that we can in school or college or life, and it just does not seem to be working out. We want to change and be better but we do not seem to have the energy. We know what we should be doing, but we cannot bring ourselves to do it. We get exasperated. We want to give up. As Jesus, however, the answer is to keep doing what we're doing, keep trying, knowing that eventually things will work out. But we have to keep at it. We have to "hang in there." As Jesus said, "Time will prove where wisdom lies." |
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THOUGHT
What is the principal
way to overcome the feeling of "giving up"?
PRAYER Good
and
gracious God, your Son Jesus no doubt felt the human desire to
simply give up on the good things that he was doing. The very people
that should have listened to him, the religious leaders, not only did
not listen, but they were responsible for his death. Help us learn from
him by continually trying to do our best, never giving up, no matter
what the
problems we encounter. Be with us, we pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |